The peasant and the apple-tree

　　A Peasant had an Apple-tree growing in his garden, which bore no fruit, but merely served to provide a shelter from the heat for the sparrows and grasshoppers which sat and chirped in its branches. Disappointed at its barrenness he determined to cut it sparrows and the grasshoppers saw what he was about to do, they begged him to spare it, www.xiaogushi8.com and said to him, “If you destroy the tree we shall have to seek shelter elsewhere, and you will no longer have our merry chirping to enliven your work in the garden.” He ,however, refused to listen to them, and set to work with a will to inside and contained a swarm of bees and a large store of honey. Delighted with his find he threw down his axe, saying, “The old tree is worth keeping after all.”

　　Utility is most men’s test of worth.

　　【譯文】

　　農夫和蘋果樹

　　有一個農夫，他的園子里有一棵蘋果樹，這棵樹并不茂盛，只能為麻雀和蟬提供一個可棲息的地方，讓他們坐在枝椏上歇息和喋喋不休地 。農夫認為這棵樹沒有什么大用處，決定把它砍掉，于是便拿起斧頭走過去砍起樹來。然而，那些蟬和麻雀看到農夫的行為后，便請求農夫留下這棵樹，并且對他說：“如果你砍掉這棵樹，我們還得另外再找一個窩，而你也不會在園子里干活時聽到我們為你鼓勁的歡快歌聲了。”農夫沒理睬他們，繼續拿起斧頭砍起這棵樹，幾斧下去之后，樹上出現一個洞，他發現樹洞里有蜂蜜和蜂巢。他高興地連忙拋下斧頭，說：“這棵樹還真是值得保留下來。”

　　寓意：實用性是大多數人對價值的檢驗。