In the past, there was a man named Ai Zi who was fond of sailing on the sea.

　　One night, Ai Zi had his boat moored1 near a small island Around midnight, he seemed to hear someone weeping or talking under the water. So he listened intently, and soon he heard someone say: "Yesterday the Dragon King issued an order that all living creatures with tails in water are to be beheaded. I am an alligator2 and have a tail. I am very frightened of being slaughtered3, so I am crying. You are a toad4 and don't have a tail. What are you weeping for?"

　　After a while, Ai Zi seemed to hear someone answer: "Though I have no tail now, I am afraid that I may be traced back to the time when I was a tadpole5 with a tail then, so I am weeping."

　　从前，有个叫艾子的人，喜欢在海上航行。

　　一天晚上，船停泊在一个小岛的附近。大约半夜时分，他仿佛听到水底下有人发出哭泣的声音，又好像有人在说话。于是，他认认真真地听了下去。一会儿，他听到有人说：“昨天龙王下了命令，水中的动物，凡是有尾巴的都必须斩首。我是鳄，有尾巴，非常害怕遭到杀戮，所以哭了起来。你是蛤蟆，又没有尾巴，哭什么呀?”

　　一会儿，他仿佛又听到有人回答说：“我现在虽然没有尾巴，但是我害怕会追究到我蝌蚪年代的事情上去，因为那时候我是有尾巴的，所以哭泣。”

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　　1 moored

　　adj. 系泊的动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式

　　参考例句：

　　The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London. 该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

　　We shipped (the) oars and moored alongside the bank. 我们收起桨，把船泊在岸边。

　　2 alligator

　　n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼)

　　参考例句：

　　She wandered off to play with her toy alligator.她开始玩鳄鱼玩具。

　　Alligator skin is five times more costlier than leather.鳄鱼皮比通常的皮革要贵5倍。

　　3 slaughtered

　　v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

　　参考例句：

　　The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

　　Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

　　4 toad

　　n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆

　　参考例句：

　　Both the toad and frog are amphibian.蟾蜍和青蛙都是两栖动物。

　　Many kinds of toad hibernate in winter.许多种蟾蜍在冬天都会冬眠。

　　5 tadpole

　　n.[动]蝌蚪

　　参考例句：

　　As a tadpole changes into a frog,its tail is gradually absorbed.蝌蚪变成蛙，它的尾巴就逐渐被吸收掉。

　　It was a tadpole.Now it is a frog.它过去是蝌蚪，现在是一只青蛙。