A man once had four sons who never stopped quarrelling with one another.

He was always telling them how much easier life would be if they worked together but they took absolutely no notice of him.

One day he decided to show them what he meant.

He called all the sons together and put a tightly tied bundle of sticks on the floor in front of them.

“Can you break that？” he asked the youngest son. The boy put his knee on the bundle but though he pressed and pulled with his arms he could not bend the wood.

The father asked each son in turn to try to break the bundle， but none of them could do it.

Then he untied the string and scattered the sticks.

“Now try，” he said. The boys broke the sticks easily in their hands.

“Do you see what I mean？” asked the father. “If only you stand together no one can hurt you. If you all disagree the whole time and insist on going your separate ways， the first enemy you meet will be able to destroy you.”

從前有一個人，他有四個兒子，但兒子們之間不斷地爭吵。

他一再告誡他們說，如果他們同心協(xié)力，生活會舒適得多，但他們絲毫不理會他的意見。

有一天，他決定通過示范把自己的意思告訴他們。

他把四個兒子都叫來，又把一捆扎得很緊的樹枝放在他們面前。

“你能折斷這捆樹枝嗎？”他問最小的兒子。小兒子用膝蓋頂住樹枝，兩只手又壓又拉，都不能把那捆樹枝弄彎。

父親讓另外三個兒子挨個兒試了試，但他們誰也做不到。

然后，他解開繩子，把樹枝撒開。

“現(xiàn)在試試吧?！彼f。四個孩子用手輕輕一撅，樹枝就斷了。

“你們明白我的意思了嗎？”父親問，“只要你們聯(lián)合起來，誰也不能傷害你們。如果你們老吵架，堅持各行其是，那么你們一遇到敵人，就會被打敗?！?/p>

Vocabulary

quarrel v. 爭吵;拌嘴

bundle n. （一）捆，包，扎

scatter v. 撒;使分散

insist on 堅持