Page 54 - 英文第三冊正規班補充教材

English Reading # 3
Sleeping Beauty

Once upon a time, a king and queen had a precious baby girl. To celebrate,
they invited all of their friends and some fairies to a big party.

At the party, each of the fairies was giving the child magical gifts. Suddenly,
an evil fairy appeared. “How dare you not invite me!” she shouted. “When this
child turns fifteen, she shall prick her finger on a spindle and die!” Then the evil
fairy disappeared.

Luckily, one fairy still had a gift to give. “Instead of dying,” she said, “the
princess will sleep for one hundred years.”

The princess had no knowledge of the curse as she grew up. On her fifteenth
birthday, she discovered a new tower in the castle. She climbed the narrow stairs
and saw a dark room. Inside, an old woman sat at a spindle.

The princess didn’t know it was the evil fairy! The princess pointed to the
spindle. “What is that thing ?” she asked as she lightly touched the spindle.

In an instant, the princess fell into a deep sleep. Soon after, everyone else in
the castle fell asleep, too. They stayed this way for one hundred years!

Many years later, a prince was riding his horse in the forest. He came upon
the silent castle and was curious. When he went inside, he was surprised that
everyone in the castle was asleep.

When the prince reached the top of the tower, he saw the sleeping princess.
He thought she was very beautiful. Without thinking, the prince bent down and
gave her a kiss. As his lips touched her, Sleeping Beauty opened her eyes and
smiled at him.

After this, everyone including the king and queen woke up. The prince and
Sleeping Beauty married soon after. They lived happily all of their lives.

(出自 ABC 英語故事袋 -格林童話篇)

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