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蝎子和乌龟结下了亲密无间的友谊。 一天，这对形影不离的伙伴不得不搬家，他们一同上路了。可是，在搬家的路上，他们遇到了一条很深的大河。于是,蝎子停下来对乌龟说： “亲爱的朋友,你的自身条件足以使你应付眼前的情况，可是，我怎么才能渡过河呢?” 乌龟回答道：“不要担心，我亲爱的朋友，我会把你驮在背上，安全渡过去的。” 蝎子听了,毫不犹豫地跳到乌龟背上,乌龟立刻下水游了起来。可是,乌龟刚游到河心，就听到背上传来了可怕的隆隆声,不禁问蝎子在干什么。 蝎子回答道：“我正在把我的刺磨得锋利些。你的壳坚硬得像盾牌,可以保护着你的肉体，使你不受到伤害,我倒要看看能不能刺穿它。” “嘿，你这个忘恩负义的坏蛋! ”乌龟叫道，“在我向你表示友情的时候,你却想用你的毒刺来剌穿大自然给我的保护壳，想要我的命。但是，那好吧,我有能力救自己，并且让你得到应有的惩罚。” 乌龟说着沉到了水里，并把蝎子从身上甩到河里，让他为自己的忘恩负义付出了生命的代价。 The Scorpion and the Tortoise A tortoise and a scorpion had contracted a great intimacy and bound themselves with such ties of friendship that the one could not live without the other. One day these inseparable companions，finding themselves obliged to change their habitation, traveled together, but in their meeting with a large and deep river, the scorpion making a stop, said to the tortoise “My dear friend，you are well provided for what we see before us，but how shall I get over this water?” “Never trouble yourself, my dear friend, for that，’’replied the tortoise，“I will carry you upon my back secure from all danger. ” On this way, the scorpion, without hesitation, got upon the back of the tortoise who immediately took water and began to swim. But he had hardly got halfway across the river, when he heard a terrible rumbling upon his back；which made him ask the scorpion what he was doing. Doing! replied the scorpion，“Why，1 am whetting my sting, to try whether I can bore this horny cuirass of yours, that covers your flesh like a shield from all injuries. “Oh. Ungrateful wretch!”replied the tortoise. u Wouldst thou at a time when I am giving thee such a demonstration of my friendship，wouldst thou at such a time pierce with thy venomous sting the shell that nature has given me，and take away my life? It is well, however, I have it in my power both to save myself and reward thee as thou deserves. ” So saying，he sunk his back to some depth under water, threw off the scorpion and left him to pay with his life for his monstrous ingratitude. |
