There lived a heron by a big lake. He used to catch fish and eat them. But he had become old and could not catch fish like before. He went without food for many days together.
“I have to think of a plan. Otherwise I won't live for long," thought the heron. Soon he came out with a clever plan. The heron sat at the water’s edge looking depressed and thoughtful. In the same lake lived a crab who was friendly and thoughtful. As he went past, he noticed how the heron looked and asked him, “Why are you looking depressed my friend?"
“What can I say," said the heron in a sad voice. “Something terrible is going to happen."
“What is that?" asked the crab anxiously.
“When I was on my way here this morning, I heard an astrologer say that there will be no rains in these parts for the next twelve years. The lake will dry up and we will all die. I am quite old. It does not matter if I die. But you all are so young. There is so much for you to see and enjoy," said the heron.
The crab went to the fishes in the lake and told them what the heron had told him. They were all filled with fear. “O no! What do we do? We will all die." they cried.
“There is a very big lake some distance from here. I can take you all there one by one." offered the heron. All the fishes were comforted and they agreed to be carried to the bigger lake one by one.
Every day, the heron would fly the fishes one by one. He would hold one gingerly between his long beak and fly away. But instead of taking them to any lake, he would land on a rock some distance away and eat them. Then he would rest till evening and return to the lake.
After some days, the crab went up to the heron. “You have been taking the fishes to the other lake. When will you take me?" he asked.
The heron thought to himself, “I am tired of eating fish. Crab meat should be a pleasant change."
The heron agreed to take the crab to the other lake.
But the crab was too large for the heron to carry in his beak. So the crab climbed on to the heron’s back and they started the journey. After a while, the crab grew impatient.
“How far is the lake?" he asked the heron.
“You fool," laughed the heron. “I am not taking you to any lake. I am going to dash you against those rocks and eat you like I ate all those fishes."
“I am not a fool to allow you to kill me," said the crab.
He held the heron’s neck in his powerful claws and strangled the wicked heron to death.
【关键词】
1、 heron （n.）苍鹭
2、 otherwise （adv.）否则
3、 crab （n.）螃蟹
4、 anxiously （adv.）焦急地
5、 astrologer（n,）占星家
6、 gingerly（adv.） 极度小心谨慎地
7、 beak（n.） 鸟嘴
8、 impatient （adj.） 不耐烦的
9、 claw （n.） 爪
10、 strangle （v.） 勒死
【译文】聪明的螃蟹
在一个大湖的旁边，住着一只苍鹭。他过去常常抓鱼吃。但他年纪大了，不能像以前那样抓鱼了。他连续几天没有吃饭了。
“我得想个办法。不然的话，我就活不长了，“苍鹭想道。很快，他就琢磨出一个聪明的计划。苍鹭坐在水边，郁郁寡欢、若有所思。在同一个湖里，住着一只螃蟹，他友善又细心。他打此路过时，注意到苍鹭的样子，并问他：“你怎么看起来很郁闷呢，我的朋友？”
“怎么说呢，”苍鹭悲伤地说道，“可怕的事情要发生。”
“怎么回事？”螃蟹焦急地问道。
“今天早上，就在我来这里的路上，我听到一位占星家说，在接下来的十二年里，这些地方将不会有雨。湖水将枯竭，我们都将死去。我都这一大把年纪了。我死了无所谓。可你们都这么年轻。还有那么多的东西等着你们去观察和享受，“苍鹭说。
螃蟹找到湖里的鱼，把苍鹭刚才说的话告诉了他们。他们都充满了恐惧。 “哦不！我们怎么办？我们都会死。“他们哭了。
“远处有一个非常大的湖泊。我可以一个一个地把你们全都带到那里去。“苍鹭出主意说。所有的鱼都得到了安慰，他们同意一个一个地被带到那个更大的湖泊去。
每天，苍鹭都会一个一个地带着鱼飞。他小心翼翼地用嘴衔着一条鱼飞走。不过他并没有将他们带到任何湖泊，而是在远处一块岩石上着陆，将他们吃掉。然后他会休息到晚上，再返回湖边。
几天后，螃蟹来找苍鹭。 “你一直在把鱼带到另一个湖里。什么时候带我呀？“他问道。
苍鹭心想，“我鱼都吃腻了。蟹肉应该不错，该换换口味了。“
苍鹭同意把螃蟹带到另一个湖里。
可是，螃蟹太大了，苍鹭无法用嘴衔着他。于是，螃蟹爬到苍鹭背上，他们上路了。过了一会儿，螃蟹变得不耐烦了。
“那个湖有多远？”他问苍鹭。
“你这个傻瓜，”苍鹭笑道，“我不会带你去什么湖的。我会让你冲撞那些岩石，然后吃掉你，就像吃那些鱼一样。”
“我不是傻瓜，不会坐以待毙的，”螃蟹说。
他用强有力的爪子抓住苍鹭的脖子，将这只邪恶的苍鹭勒死了。
