第283期:被偷的餅乾

今天分享的是一個引人深思的故事。

The Stolen Biscuits [Cookies]
中國有句古話，叫做：小時偷針，大時偷金。說的是孩子小時候的偷竊行爲如果不加以管教和制止，會讓他在成年的時候走上犯罪的道路。
如果孩子有偷竊的行爲改怎麼辦呢？處理的方式有很多。但是下面這個故事裏，輔導員在得知孩子的偷竊行爲之後並沒有當面指責或是懲罰。而是想到了另外的辦法，不僅避免了孩子之間的傷害和摩擦，而且讓有偷盜行爲的孩子也改邪歸正。

remainder n. (數)餘數，殘餘；剩餘物；其餘的人
counsellor n. 顧問；參贊；輔導員（等於counselor）；
resent vt. 怨恨；憤恨；厭惡
protest vi. 抗議；斷言
jack-knife a knife with a blade that folds into its handle 折刀

A small boy at summer camp received a large package of cookies in the mail from his mother. He ate a few, then placed the remainder under his bed. The next day, after lunch, he went to his tent to get a cookie. The box was gone.
That afternoon a camp counsellor, who had been told of the theft, saw another boy sitting behind a tree eating the stolen cookies. "That young man," he said to himself, "must be taught not to steal."
He returned to the group and sought out the boy whose cookies had been stolen. "Billy," he said, "I know who stole your cookies. Will you help me teach him a lesson?"
"Well, yes, but aren't you going to punish him?" asked the puzzled boy.
"No, that would only make him resent and hate you," the counsellor explained. "I want you to call your mother and ask her to send you another box of cookies."
The boy did as the counsellor asked and a few days later received another box of cookies in the mail.
"Now," said the counsellor, "the boy who stole your cookies is down by the lake. Go down there and share your cookies with him."
"But," protested the boy, "he's the thief."
"I know . But try it--see what happens."
Half an hour later the camp counsellor saw the two come up the hill, arm in arm. The boy who had stolen the cookies was earnestly trying to get the other to accept his jack-knife in payment for the stolen cookies, and the victim was just as earnestly refusing the gift from his new friend, saying that a few old cookies weren't that important anyway.
夏令營的一個小男孩收到了他母親寄來的一大包餅乾。他吃了幾口，然後把剩下的放在牀下。第二天午飯後，他去帳篷裏那餅乾，發現盒子不見了。
那天下午，營地輔導員就知道了偷餅乾的事情。正巧他看見一個男孩坐在樹後，吃偷來的餅乾。“這個小夥子，”他自言自語道，“必須教他不要偷東西”
他回到團裏去找到那個餅乾被偷的男孩。“比利，”他說，“我知道誰偷了你的餅乾。你能幫我給他一個教訓嗎？”
“嗯，好的-但你不打算懲罰他嗎？”困惑的男孩問道。
“不，那隻會讓他怨恨和討厭你，”輔導員解釋道。我要你給你媽媽打個電話，讓她再給你寄一盒餅乾。
男孩照着輔導員的要求去做，幾天後又收到了一盒餅乾。
“現在，”輔導員說，“偷你餅乾的男孩在湖邊。去那和他一起分享你的餅乾。”
“但是，”男孩抗議道，“他是小偷。”
“我知道。但是試試看——看看會發生什麼。
半小時後，營地輔導員看到他們兩人手挽着手上了山。那個偷了餅乾的男孩很真誠地想讓對方接受他的道歉並償還偷來的餅乾。而受害者也同樣真誠地拒絕了新朋友送的禮物，他說幾塊舊餅乾並不那麼重要。


想知道卡卡老師的發音祕訣?關注微信公衆號 卡卡課堂