English story 21

                            The cat and the mice

         There was once a house that was overrun with mice. A cat heard of this, and said to herself, "That's the place for me." and off she went and took up her quarters in the house, and caught the mice one by one and ate them. 

         At last the mice could stand it no longer, and they determined to take to their holes and stay there. “That's awkward," said the cat to herself : "the only thing to do is to coax(哄诱) them out by a trick(计谋)." So she considered a while, and then climbed up the wall and let herself hang down by her  legs from a peg(桩子),and pretended(假装)to be dead. By and by a mouse peeped out and saw the cat hanging there. "Aha!" it cried, "You're very clever, madam, no doubt; but you may turn youself into a bag of meal hanging there, if you like, yet you won't catch us coming anywhere near you."

       If you are wise, you won't be deceived(欺骗) by the innocent airs of those whom you have  once found to be dangerous.

注解：

overrun:泛滥成灾；超过

quarter:住处；四分之一

take up her quarters:住下来

stand it no longer:无法再忍受

determined:决定

take to :习惯于

awkward：不方便，难对付

trick:计谋把戏哄骗

hang down:倒挂

peg:桩子，衣架

by and by:不久，马上

peep out：偷看

the innocent airs of:无辜的样子