One time the oak said，“Reed，let’S talk．I see how you might saythat nature iS unfair．Even a wren must be a burden on your stalk and anypassing puff of air that corrugates the water’S face makes you bow down．Yet in my case，my brow，unyielding as a granite mountainside，not only stops those rays the sun shoots far and wide，but it defies huge tem—pests，too．Life is a breeze for me，a hurricane for you．If you could spring up here beneath my leafage，spread to shelter everything around，no storm could ever touch your head，for 1 would guard you night and day．And yet you seem confined to ground that borders humid kingdoms where thewinds hold sway．No，nature is not fair to you，I have to say．”
“Old oak，”the reed replied，“your sentiments betray a naturalgoodness．But leave off worrying for me；far less than you am I endan—gered by the wind—I never break．I merely bend．And though till nowyour back has weathered every blow the wind has struck，we never knowhow things will end，we always have to wait and see．”
Just then，through the horizon’S crack，the worst of all the Northwind’S awful offspring burst in fury from that howling pack and batteredboth．The reed bowed low，the oak stood fast．Then doubly hard the winddrew breath and raged and roared fill one came down——t11e one that hadwell—nigh brushed heaven at its crown，but at its base was rooted in merealm of death．
hurricane n．飓风，暴风雨，暴风
kingdom n．王国；王权；君主身份；天国
endangered adj．有危险的；将要绝种的；有灭绝危险的
battered adj．打扁了的；憔悴的
橡树和苇革
一次，橡树对苇草说：“苇草，咱们聊聊吧。我想你可能会埋怨大自然的不公平。哪怕一只麻雀，或是一阵吹皱水面的微风都能让你弯下腰。而我却像山上的花岗岩一样坚定，不仅能够遮挡从遥远天空照耀的阳光，还敢同强烈的暴风雨抗衡。生活对于我来说只是和风细雨，对于你则意味着暴风骤雨。假如你能生长在我的树冠下，接受我的庇护就好了。有我日日夜夜的守护，你将不用再惧怕风暴突袭，但你偏偏生在潮湿的堤岸，每天都得接受风的侵袭。唉，我只能这样说，大自然对你实在是太不公平了。”
苇草回答：“老橡树呀，你心地实在太善良了。但请不要担心我，在风中我受到的危险其实比你要小得多，我从不会折断，最差不过被风吹弯了腰而已。虽然你以前经受住了狂风的一次次侵袭，但最后的结局我们谁也不知道会怎样，让我们看看最后的结局吧。”
就在这时，一声霹雳划过天际，随之呼啸而来的是最暴虐的北风。在风中，苇草谦卑地弯下了腰，橡树则强硬地抵抗着。狂风的咆哮一次比一次猛烈，最终橡树还是倒下了——尽管它的枝冠仍飘舞在空中，但它的根早已伸进了死亡的国度。