武太白·白话英语2016-2021文章总目录
上图是用Word 2019检测出来的本故事文本适用年级信息，其中Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level=9。一般来说，中国学生的英语阅读能力比英美学生落后4-6年。9+5=13年级，相当于国内使用人教版统编英语教材的大一年级学生。上海地区的小朋友高二年级即可试读本故事。
如果对于故事内容已经比较熟悉，那么初中生也可以读一读本故事。
内容提要：一个贫穷的鞋匠所剩的皮革只够制作一双鞋了，晚上他将皮革裁剪成鞋子的形状，然后就躺下睡觉了，准备第二天起床完成剩余的工作。但是第二天一早，鞋子已经做好放在桌子上了，究竟是谁帮他做好了鞋子呢？是不是传说中的小精灵呢？
A shoemaker, by no fault of his own, became so poor that at last he had nothing left but enough leather for
one pair of shoes.
So in the evening, he cut the leather into the shape of the shoes, and he
left his work on the table to finish in the
morning. He lay down quietly in his bed, and before he fell asleep he
asked God to help him.
In the morning, just as he was about to sit down to work, he saw the two shoes standing quite finished on his table.
He was astounded, and did not know what to make of it.
He
took the shoes in his hands to look
at them more closely and he saw that they were so neatly made that there was not one bad stitch in them. It just as if they were intended as a masterpiece.
Soon
after, a customer came in to the
shop, and as the shoes pleased him so well, he paid more than the usual price. Now the shoemaker had enough money to buy leather for two
pairs of shoes.
That night, he cut out the leather. Next morning he was about to set to work
with fresh hope for the future when he saw that the shoes were already made.
There
was no shortage of customers who wanted the shoes. The shoemaker soon had
enough to buy leather for four pairs of shoes.
The
following morning he found the four pairs made; and so it went on. Any leather
that he cut out in in the evening was finished by the morning,
Soon he was no
longer poor, and he even became quite rich.
Now
one evening not long before Christmas, the man finished cutting out the leather
as usual. But this time he said to his wife, “Let’s stay up to-night to see who
it is that lends us this helping hand?”
The
woman liked the idea, and lighted a candle, and then they hid themselves in a
corner of the room, behind some clothes which were hanging up there, and
watched.
When
it was midnight, two little elves came into the room, both without any clothes
on, and sat down by the shoemaker’s table. They took all the work which was cut
out before them and began to stitch, and sew, and hammer so skillfully and so
quickly with their little fingers that the shoemaker could not turn away his eyes for astonishment.
They did not stop until all was done, and stood finished on the table, and then they ran away quickly.
Next
morning the woman said, “The little men have made us rich, and we really must
show that we are grateful for it. They run about so, and have nothing on, and
must be cold. I’ll tell you what I’ll do: I will make them little shirts, and
coats, and vests, and trousers, and knit both of them a pair of stockings, and
you can help too - make them two little pairs of shoes.”
The
man said, “I shall be very glad to do it;” and one night, when everything was
ready, they laid their presents all together on the table instead of the
cut-out work. Then hid themselves to see what the little men would do.
At
midnight they came bounding in, and wanted to get to work at once, but as they
did not find any leather cut out, but only the pretty little articles of
clothing, they were at first puzzled, and then delighted. They dressed
themselves very quickly, putting the pretty clothes on, and singing,“Now we are boys so fine to see, Why should we longer cobblers be?”
Then
they danced and skipped and leapt over chairs and benches. At last they danced
out of doors. From that time one they came no more, but as long as the
shoemaker lived all went well with him, and all his business prospered.
“武太白英语”公众号致力于英语启蒙到高中水平的英语学习内容。关注本站，获取每工作日高质量文章推送！
努力更新，期待打赏