The Old Woman and the Physician 老妇和医生

An old woman having lost the use of her eyes, called in a physician to heaI them, and made this bargain with him in the presence of witnesses：that if he should cure her blindness, he should receive from her a sum of money；but if her infirmity remained, she should give him nothing. This agreement being made, the physician, time after time, applied his saIve to her eyes, and on every visit took something away, stealing all her property little by little.

And when he had got all she had, he healed her and demanded the promised payment. The old woman, when she recovered her sight and saw none of her goods in her house, would give him nothing.The physician insisted on his claim, and as she still refused, summoned her before the Judge.

The old woman, standing up in the court, argued，“This man here speaks the truth in what he says；for I did promise to give him a sum of money if I should recover my sight：but if I continued blind, I was to give him nothing. Now he declares that I am healed.I on the contrary affirm that I am still blind；but before I lost the use of my eyes, I saw in my house various chatteIs and valuable goods.But now, though he swears I am cured of my blindness, I am not able to see a single thing in it.”

一个老妇双目失明，她请来一个外科医生为她治疗，并且在有人做证的情况下商定：如果医生能治愈她的双眼，她就会给医生一大笔钱；如果没有治愈，医生将得不到任何酬劳。签订了这份协议后，这个外科医生一次又一次地给老妇涂眼药膏，他每次来都要带走几样东西，渐渐地他偷走了老妇所有的家当。

当他将老妇的一切据为己有后，老妇的眼睛也治好了，他向她索要承诺的酬金。这个老妇重见光明后，看到屋子里空荡荡的，就什么也没给他。医生坚持要钱，而老妇一再拒绝，于是他将老妇告上法庭。

法庭上，老妇声称：“他说的没错，我的确曾向他许诺：如果他治好我的眼睛，我会给他一大笔钱；但如果我还是什么也看不到，就什么也不会给他，现在他声称已经治愈了我的眼睛，可我却认为自己仍然是个瞎子。因为在我失明前，我能看到屋里有很多东西和贵重物品。而现在，尽管他发誓我的眼睛已被治愈，但我却什么也看不见。”

Practising&Exercise 实战提升篇

单词注解

territory['teritəri]n.地方，领土；地区

heaI[hi：l]v.治疗；治愈

witness['witnis]n.见证人；目击者

infirmity[in'fə：miti]n.疾病，病症

实用句型

Every one stopped to look at him, and all those who looked, laughed, and holding their sides to repress their merriment, shouted，“Teach the stranger how to walk properly！”

当地人都停下来看他，都哈哈大笑起来。最后，他们好不容易忍住笑喊道：“来教教这个外地人怎样正确地走路吧！”

An old woman having lost the use of her eyes, called in a Physician to heal them, and made this bargain with him in the presence of witnesses：that if he should cure her blindness, he should receive from her a sum of money；but if her infirmity remained, she should give him nothing.

一个老妇双目失明，她请来一个外科医生为她治疗，并且在有人做证的情况下商定：如果医生能治愈她的双眼，她就会给医生一大笔钱；如果没有治愈，医生将得不到任何酬劳。

智慧点津

Social morality has a deep influence on people's concept. Once the bad habit is formed, it's really hard to put it right.

社会风气对每个人的影响都很大。坏习惯一旦养成，想要改变就艰难了。

Greedy men will eventually bite the consequences.

贪婪的人终会自食恶果。