他找来所有的邻居帮忙。他们每人拿一把铁锹，开始往井里填土。驴子发觉将要发生什么，哀嚎起来。然而，几锹土下去之后，驴子安静了下来。农夫向井里望去，被眼前的景象惊呆了；每当一锹土落在驴子背上，它就会把土抖掉，踩在脚下。
邻居们不断地把土填到井里，驴子则把土抖掉并踩在脚下。很快，驴子就从井口跳出来跑掉了，所有人都惊呆了。
生活可能会把各种各样的土丢在你的身上。从井中逃脱的办法就是停止悲叹，不要让土埋掉你，而要抖掉身上的土，向上走一步。生活中遇到的每一次挫折都是你向上攀登的台阶。只要不停步，不放弃，即使最深的井你也可以走出来！抖掉身上的土，向上走一步！
The Boy and the Huge Rock 男孩和巨石
This story happened in a small mountain village. One day there was an earthquake. Nothing was destroyed and no one was hurt. But a huge rock fell from a nearby mountain and stopped in the middle of the road.
When the earthquake stopped， many people came to the road and saw the huge rock. Some of the strongest men tried to lift the rock out of the road， but they couldn't move it. They tried to push it but failed. They tried to pull it with ropes but nothing worked.
"Well，" they all agreed， "There's nothing we can do about it. We'll have to change the road."
At this time a boy of 12 years old said， "I think I can help you to move the rock."
"You？" they shouted， "What are you talking about？" The men all laughed at the boy.
The next morning some people came into the street. One of them shouted， "The rock is gone！" More people ran out to see. It was true. The rock wasn't in the road any more. It wasn't even near the road.
"This is impossible，" they said， "Where did it go？"
The boy stood in the street， smiling， "I told you I could move it last night."
The boy walked over to where the rock had been and uncovered some earth. "I buried it，" he said. The people looked surprised. "You see，" he said， "I dug a deep hole next to the rock and I dug a small incline up to the rock and the rock rolled down into the hole by itself. I covered it with earth."
The crowds shouted， "What a clever boy！" And some of them said， "Why haven't we thought of this good method？"
earthquake n. 地震
incline n. 斜坡，斜面
故事发生在一个小山村。有一天，那里发生了地震，没有人员伤亡和财产损失，只是有一块巨石从附近的山上滚下，落在了路中央。
地震停止后，有许多人到那条路上看巨石。一些强壮的人试图把巨石搬走，可是搬不动；想把它推开，却推不动；大伙用绳子拉它，也没有成功。
“唉，”他们齐声叹道，“我们没办法，只有改道了。”
这时有个12岁的孩子说：“我想我能帮你们挪开这个大石头。”
“你？”人们喊道，“你在说什么啊？”他们笑这个孩子。
第二天早上，人们来到路上，有个人高声喊道：“大石头不见了！”众人纷纷跑来看。真的！石头不在路上了，连附近也没有。
“这不可能，”人们说，“它上哪儿去了？”
那个孩子也在街上，微笑着说：“昨晚我就告诉过你们，我能把它弄走。”
孩子走到那巨石曾在的地方，拨开一点儿松土，说：“我把它埋了。”人们都十分惊讶。“你们看，”他说，“我先在石头旁边挖了一个深坑，然后又挖了一个通向石头的小坡，石头就自己滚进了这个深坑，最后我用土把它埋了。”
众人大叫：“好聪明的孩子！”还有些人说：“我们怎么没有想到这个好法子呀？”
A Doll for Great-Grandmother 给曾祖母的娃娃
When my grandfather died， my 83-year-old grandmother， once full of life， slowly began to fade. No longer able to manage a home of her own， she moved in with my mother， where she was visited often by other members of her large， loving family (two children， eight grandchildren， 22 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren). Although she still had her good days， it was often hard to arouse her interest.
One chilly December afternoon three years ago， my daughter Meagan， then eight， and I were settling in for a long visit with "GG，" as the family calls her， when she noticed that Meagan was carrying her favorite doll.
"I， too， had a special doll when I was a little girl，" she told a wide-eyed Meagan， "I got it one Christmas when I was about your age. I lived in an old farmhouse in Maine， with Mom， Dad and my four sisters， and the very first gift I opened that Christmas was the most beautiful doll you'd ever want to see.
"She had an exquisite， hand-painted porcelain face， and her long brown hair was pulled back with a big pink bow. Her eyes were blue as blue could be， and they opened and closed. I remember she had a body of kidskin， and her arms and legs bent at the joints."
GG's voice dropped low， taking on an almost reverent tone. "My doll was dressed in a dainty pink gown， trimmed with fine lace. But what I especially remember was her petticoat. It was fine batiste， trimmed with rows and rows of delicate lace. And the tiny buttons on her boots were real. Getting such a fine doll was like a miracle for a little farm girl like me-my parents must have had to sacri fice so much to afford it. But how happy I was that morning！"
GG's eyes filled and her voice shook with emotion as she recalled that Christmas of long ago. "I played with my doll all morning long. She was such a beautiful doll……And then it happened. My mother called us to the dining room for Christmas dinner and I laid my new doll down， ever so gently， on the hall table. But as I went to join the family at the table， I heard a loud crash.
"I hardly had to turn round-I knew it was my precious doll. I just knew it. And it was. Her lace petticoat had hung down from the table just enough for my baby sister to reach up and pull on it. When I ran in from the dining room， there lay my beautiful doll on the floor， her face smashed into a dozen pieces. I can still see my mother trying to put my poor doll together again. But it couldn't be done. She was gone forever."
A few years later GG's baby sister was also gone， she told Meagan， a victim of pneumonia. Now the tears in her eyes spilled over-tears， I knew， not only for a lost doll and a lost sister， but for a lost time.
Subdued for the rest of the visit， Meagan was no sooner in the car going home than she exclaimed， "Mom， I have a great idea！ Let's get GG a new doll for Christmas， one exactly like the doll that got broken. Then she won't cry when she thinks about it."
My heart filled with pride as I listened to my compassionate little daughter. But where would we find a doll to match GG's fond memories？
Where there's a will， as they say， there's a way. When I told my best friends， Liz and Chris， about my problem， Liz put me in touch with a local doll maker who made doll heads， hands and feet of a ceramic that closely resembled the old porcelain ones. From her I commissioned a doll head in the style of three-quarters of a century ago-making sure to specify "big blue eyes that opened and closed，" and hands and feet. From a doll supply house I ordered a long brown wig and a kidskin body， and Meagan and I shopped for fabric， lace and ribbon to duplicate the outfit GG had so lovingly described. Liz， who had some experience with a hot-glue gun， volunteered to put the doll together， and as the last days before Christmas raced by， Chris helped me make the doll's outfit， complete with lacy petticoat. And while Liz， Chris and I searched for doll "boots with real buttons，" Meagan wrote and illustrated the story of the lost doll.
Finally， our creation was finished. To our eyes it was perfect. But， of course， there was no way it could be exactly like the doll GG had loved so much and lost. Would she think it looked anything like it？
On Christmas Eve， Meagan and I carried our gaily wrapped gift to GG， where she sat surrounded by children， parents， aunts， uncles， cousins. "It's for you，" Meagan said， "but first you have to read the story that goes with it."
"Read it out loud，" one of the other children demanded. GG no sooner got through the first page than her voice cracked and she was unable to go on， but Meagan took over where she left off. Then it was time to open her present.
I'll never forget the look on GG's face as she lifted the doll and held it to her chest. Once again her tears fell， but this time they were tears of joy. Cradling the doll in her frail arms， she repeated over and over again， "She's exactly like my old doll， exactly like her."
And perhaps she wasn't just saying that to be kind. Perhaps however impossible it seemed， we had managed to produce a close facsimile of the doll she remembered. But as I watched my eight-year-old daughter and her great-grandmother examining the doll together， I thought of a likelier explanation. What GG recognized， perhaps， was the love that inspired the gift. And love， wherever it comes from， always looks the same.
exquisite adj. 优雅的；精致的
porcelain adj. 瓷制的
batiste n. 细麻布，麻纱
pneumonia n. 肺炎
commission v. 委托；代办
duplicate v. 复制
facsimile n. 副本
祖父去世时，祖母83岁，曾经的活力开始慢慢消失。她已无法料理家务，就搬去和我妈妈一起住。她有个和睦亲爱的大家庭（2个儿女、8个孙辈、22个曾孙辈和2个玄孙辈）家里人经常来看望她。虽然她过得不错，但要让她对什么事物感兴趣却很难。
3年前，12月一个寒冷的下午，我带着当时8岁的女儿米根去看“祖祖”（家里人都这么叫她），打算陪她一段时间。她看到了米根怀里心爱的娃娃。
“我小时候也有一个特别喜欢的娃娃，”她对米根说，米根吃惊地睁大了眼睛，“那是我在你这么大时得到的圣诞礼物。那时我跟父母和四个姐妹住在缅因州的一幢旧农舍里。那个圣诞节我打开的第一份礼物就是一个让人梦寐以求的漂亮娃娃。”
“她的脸是瓷的，五官是手绘的，精致极了，棕色的长发被一个大大的粉色蝴蝶结束在脑后。她的眼睛那么蓝，还能眨眼。我记得她的身体是用小山羊皮做的，胳膊和腿的关节还能弯曲。”
祖祖用近乎虔诚的语调低声说：“我的娃娃穿着一条精致的粉裙子，裙子上还镶着漂亮的蕾丝花边。但我记得最清楚的是衬裙，那是用麻纱做的，还镶着一排排精致的花边。靴子上的小纽扣是真的。能得到这么漂亮的娃娃，对我这么个农家女孩来说简直就是奇迹——为了买它，父母一定做出了很大的牺牲。可那个早上我高兴极了！”
祖祖回想着很久以前的那个圣诞节，眼里含泪，声音有些颤抖：“我和娃娃玩了整整一个上午，她是那么漂亮……后来不幸的事情发生了。母亲叫我们去饭厅吃圣诞大餐，我把娃娃小心翼翼地放在客厅的桌子上。但当我与家人一起坐在饭桌前时，突然听到砰的一声。”
“我几乎不用回头看也知道一定是我的宝贝娃娃。我就是知道，事实上也的确如此。娃娃的花边衬裙从桌上垂下来，我的小妹妹刚好伸手能够到，于是就把它拽了下来。我冲出饭厅，看到漂亮的娃娃躺在地上，脸已经碎成几十块。我现在还记得母亲努力想把可怜的娃娃拼起来的情景，但一切都已无法挽回，娃娃永远离我而去了。”
祖祖告诉米根，她的小妹妹几年后因肺炎也离开了人世。此刻，她的泪水夺眶而出——我知道，这泪水不仅是为失去的娃娃和小妹妹，更是为了逝去的岁月。
做客余下的时间里，米根一直心事重重。我们要回家时，一上车米根就大叫：“妈妈，我有个好主意！我们送祖祖一个娃娃作圣诞礼物吧，和那个摔碎的娃娃一模一样的。那样，她想起它时就不会哭了。”
听到女儿这么说，我为她的善良感到骄傲。但是我们到哪儿去找一个与祖祖记忆中一模一样的娃娃呢？
正如人们所说的，有志者事竟成。我把这件事告诉最好的朋友莉兹和克丽斯后，莉兹帮我联系到了当地一个娃娃制造商。她用陶土做娃娃的头和手脚，跟老式的瓷制娃娃非常相似。我从她那儿定做了一个75年前样式的娃娃头——一定要有一双“会眨的蓝色大眼睛”——还有手和脚。我在一家娃娃用品店定做了一个棕色长假发和一个小山羊皮的身体。为了将祖祖深情描述的那件礼服复制得栩栩如生，我和米根还买了衣料、花边和丝带。莉兹用过热胶枪，自告奋勇地承担起黏合娃娃各部分的工作。圣诞节前夕，克丽斯帮我做好了有花边衬裙的礼服。在莉兹、克丽斯和我到处找“有真纽扣的靴子”时，米根将失去娃娃的故事写了下来，还画了插图。
最后，我们终于大功告成了。在我们看来，这个娃娃很完美。当然，它不可能跟祖祖失去的那个心爱的娃娃完全一样。她会觉得它们有些相像吗？
圣诞前夜，我和米根带着包装得漂漂亮亮的礼物到了祖祖那里。她被一家大大小小团团包围着。“这是送给您的，”米根说，“但是您得先读读礼物上附的那则故事。”
“大声读吧。”有个孩子要求。祖祖刚读完一页就泣不成声，米根接着把故事读完。终于该打开礼物了。
祖祖拿起娃娃抱在胸前，我永远不会忘记她脸上的表情。她又流泪了，但这次是幸福的泪水。她用虚弱的手臂托着娃娃，反复念叨：“她跟我原来的那个娃娃一模一样，一模一样。”
也许她这么说不只是出于善意。尽管看上去不大可能，我们大概还是成功地复制出了她记忆中的娃娃。但是，当我看到8岁的女儿和她的曾祖母一起看那个娃娃时，我想到了一个更有可能的解释。可能祖祖肯定的是我们做礼物时所倾注的爱！而爱不管源自何处，都是相同的。
The Unheeded Pageant 不被注意的花饰
Ah， who was it coloured that little frock， my child， and covered your sweet limbs with that little red tunic？
You have come out in the morning to play in the courtyard， tottering and tumbling as you run.
But who was it coloured that little frock， my child？
What is it makes you laugh， my little life-bud？
Mother smiles at you standing on the threshold.
She claps her hands and her bracelets jingle， and you dance with your bamboo stick in your hand like a tiny little shepherd.
But what is it makes you laugh， my little life-bud？
O beggar， what do you beg for， clinging to your mother's neck with both your hands？
O greedy heart， shall I pluck the world like a fruit from the sky to place it on your little rosy palm？
O beggar， what are you begging for？
The wind carries away in glee the tinkling of your anklet bells.
The sun smiles and watches your toilet.
The sky watches over you when you sleep in your mother's arms， and the morning comes tiptoe to your bed and kisses your eyes.
The wind carries away in glee the tinkling of your anklet bells.
The fairy mistress of dreams is coming towards you， flying through the twilight sky.
The world-mother keeps her seat by you in your mother's heart.
He who plays his music to the stars is standing at your window with his flute.
And the fairy mistress of dreams is coming towards you， flying through the twilight sky.
frock n. 长衣
tunic n. 束腰宽松外衣
flute n. 横笛
啊，谁给那件小外衫染上颜色的，我的孩子，谁使你的温软的肢体穿上那件红的小外衫的？
你在早晨就跑出来到天井里玩儿，你，跑着就像摇摇欲跌似的。
但是谁给那件小外衫染上颜色的，我的孩子？
什么事叫你大笑起来的，我的小小的命芽儿？
妈妈站在门边，微笑地望着你。
她拍着她的双手，她的手镯叮当地响着，你手里拿着你的竹竿儿在跳舞，活像一个小小的牧童。
但是什么事叫你大笑起来的，我的小小的命芽儿？
喔，乞丐，你双手攀搂住妈妈的头颈，要乞讨些什么？
喔，贪得无厌的心，要我把整个世界从天上摘下来，像摘一个果子似的，把它放在你的一双小小的玫瑰色的手掌上么？
喔，乞丐，你要乞讨些什么？
风高兴地带走了你踝铃的叮当。
太阳微笑着，望着你的打扮。
当你睡在你妈妈的臂弯里时，天空在上面望着你，而早晨蹑手蹑脚地走到你的床跟前，吻着你的双眼。
风高兴地带走了你踝铃的叮当。
仙乡里的梦婆飞过朦胧的天空，向你飞来。
在你妈妈的心头上，那世界母亲，正和你坐在一块儿。
他，向星星奏乐的人，正拿着他的横笛，站在你的窗边。
仙乡里的梦婆飞过朦胧的天空，向你飞来。
