The Apple Tree
苹果树
A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and lay around it every day. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow... He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.
很久很久以前，有一棵又高又大的苹果树。一位小男孩，天天到树下来，他爬上去摘苹果吃，在树荫下睡觉。他爱苹果树，苹果树也爱和他一起玩耍。
Time went by... the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day. One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad.
后来，小男孩长大了，不再天天来玩耍。一天他又来到树下，很伤心的样子。
"Come and play with me," the tree asked the boy. "I am no longer a kid, I don't play around trees anymore." The boy replied, "I want toys. I need money to buy them."
苹果树要和他一起玩，男孩说：“不行，我不小了，不能再和你玩，我要玩具，可是没钱买。”
"Sorry, but I don't have money...but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money." The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.
苹果树说：“很遗憾，我也没钱，不过，把我所有的果子摘下来卖掉，你不就有钱了？”男孩十分激动，他摘下所有的苹果，高高兴兴地走了。然后，男孩好久都没有来。苹果树很伤心。
One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited. "Come and play with me," the tree said. "I don't have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?" "Sorry, but I don't have a house. But you can chop off my branches to build your house."
有一天，男孩终于来了，树兴奋地邀他一起玩。男孩说：“不行，我没有时间，我要替家里干活呢，我们需要一幢房子，你能帮忙吗？”“我没有房子，”苹果树说，“不过你可以把我的树枝统统砍下来，拿去搭房子。”
So the boy cut all the branches off the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then.
于是男孩砍下所有的树枝，高高兴兴地运走去盖房子。看到男孩高兴树好快乐。从此，男孩又不来了。
重点讲解
1. take a nap 打盹，小憩
例句：A little boy loved to come and lay around it every day. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow...
一位小男孩，天天到树下来，他爬上去摘苹果吃，在树荫下睡觉。
2.Time went by 时间流逝
例句：Time went by... the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day.
后来，小男孩长大了，不再天天来玩耍。
3.I am no longer a kid 我不再是个孩子了
例句："Come and play with me," the tree asked the boy. "I am no longer a kid, I don't play around trees anymore.” The boy replied, "I want toys. I need money to buy them.”
苹果树要和他一起玩，男孩说：“不行，我不小了，不能再和你玩，我要玩具，可是没钱买。”
4. chop off 砍掉，斩断
例句："But you can chop off my branches to build your house."
“不过你可以把我的树枝统统砍下来，拿去搭房子。”
