3. The rain

A small boy and his father were having a walk in the country when it suddenly began to rain very hard. They did not have their umbrella1 with them, and there was nowhere to hide from the rain, so they were soon very wet, and the small boy did not feel very happy. For a long time while they were walking home through the rain, the boy was thinking. Then at last he turned to his father and said to him, "Why does it rain, Father? It isn't very nice, is it?"

No, it isn't very nice, but it's very useful, Tom. answered his father. "It rains to make the fruits2 and the vegetables3 grow for us, and to make the grass grow for the cows4 and sheep."

Tom thought about this for a few seconds, and then he said, "Then, why does it rain on the road too, Father?"

Notes:

1. umbrella 雨伞

2. fruit 水果

3. vegetable 蔬菜

4. cow 牛，母牛

下　雨

一个小男孩和他的父亲正在乡间行走，突然下起了大雨。他们没带伞，加上四下无处可以躲雨，所以很快他们浑身上下被淋湿了，小男孩感到很不好受。他们在雨中朝家走去，有好一会儿，小男孩一直在思索着什么。

后来，他朝父亲转过脸去，问他说：“爸爸，为什么天会下雨呢？下雨可不太好，是吧？”“是呀，下雨是不太好，可是下雨也有很多有益的地方，汤姆。”父亲回答说。“下雨可以促进水果和蔬菜生长，供我们食用；同样也促使牛羊所吃的青草生长。”

汤姆想了一会儿父亲的这番话，然后说：“那么，爸爸，老天爷为什么还要把雨下在路上呢？”

Useful link:

在美国，只要在球赛开始以后下雨，每个人在离开体育场时都可以得到一张特别的票——rain check。意思是你买了票，但因为下雨没有看成比赛，为了补偿你的损失，给你一张票下回免费看一场球赛。现在，这个词已经不局限在体育球赛方面，而是广泛应用于生活的各个方面。它的意思是：给予第二次机会。