Gold Coins in the Bowl 碗里的金币

Gold Coins in the Bowl

碗里的金币

George was a planter who liked playing jokes.

乔治是一个喜欢开玩笑的种植园主。

On Christmas Eve, feeling that his cautious and conscientious butler deserved rewards, he patted the butler Jack’s shoulder and said,

圣诞节前夕，他觉得应该嘉奖兢兢业业的管家。于是，他拍着管家杰克的肩膀说：

“There are four large bowls of porridge here.

“这里有四大碗粥。

I put two gold coins at the bottom of one bowl among these four. Dear Jack, let’s see if you’re lucky or not.”

我在其中一碗的碗底放了两枚金币。亲爱的杰克，看看你的运气怎么样了。”

Jack was eager for the gold coins, but not sure in which bowl they were put.

杰克非常渴得到金币，但他不确定究竟哪个碗里放有金币。

He hesitantly drank some porridge in the first bowl.

他犹豫着把第一碗里的粥喝了一部分。

Suddenly, he felt the gold coins should be in the second bowl, so he turned to it and tried half porridge in that bowl.

忽然他觉得金币应该在第二个碗里，于是又去喝了一半第二碗的粥。

Still not resigned in his mind, he drank some porridge in the third one.

但还是不甘心，便把第三碗的粥又喝掉了一部分。

At last, he changed his mind again. He struggled to drink half of the porridge in the fourth with much difficulty

最后他再一次改变了主意，第四碗粥又被他艰难地喝了一半

- at this moment Jack felt his stomach had been fully occupied.

—— 这时，杰克感到自己的胃里再也装不下任何东西了。

As a result, he didn’t get even one gold coin.

结果，他一枚金币也没有得到。

In fact, George placed two coins at the bottom of each bowl.

其实，乔治在每碗粥的碗底都放了两枚金币。

As long as Jack finished up any bowl of this delicious porridge, he would have got the gold coins he had longed for.

他只要随便喝掉一碗美味的粥，都会得到梦寐以求的金币。

Only a smattering of everything will make us miss the success easily. 

浅尝辄止常常会使我们失去唾手可得的成功。