# 〈龜兔賽跑〉（The Tortoise and the Hare）

從前，有一隻兔子總是誇耀自己跑得很快，並且經常嘲笑動作緩慢的烏龜。

Once upon a time, a hare was always boasting about how fast he could run and often mocked the slow-moving tortoise.

有一天，烏龜受不了兔子的譏笑，便平靜地向兔子提出比賽跑步的挑戰。

One day, the tortoise grew tired of the hare's teasing and calmly challenged him to a race.

兔子聽了哈哈大笑，認為自己一定會輕易獲勝，但還是接受了挑戰。

The hare burst into laughter, certain that he would win easily, but he accepted the challenge anyway.

森林裡的動物們聚集起來觀看比賽，狐狸擔任裁判，並宣布起點和終點。

The animals of the forest gathered to watch the race, and the fox acted as the judge, announcing the starting point and the finish line.

比賽開始後，兔子立刻飛奔而去，很快就把烏龜遠遠拋在後面。

As soon as the race began, the hare dashed ahead and quickly left the tortoise far behind.

兔子回頭一看，發現烏龜還在很遠的地方慢慢前進，便得意地想：「他根本不可能追上我。」

Looking back, the hare saw that the tortoise was still far behind and proudly thought, “He could never catch up with me.”

於是，兔子決定先在路邊休息一下。他躺在樹下，心想自己就算睡一覺，也能輕鬆贏得比賽。

So the hare decided to take a rest by the roadside. Lying under a tree, he thought that he could easily win the race even after taking a nap.

不久，兔子便舒服地睡著了。

Before long, the hare fell fast asleep.

另一方面，烏龜雖然跑得很慢，卻始終沒有停下腳步。他一步一步穩穩地向前走。

Meanwhile, although the tortoise moved very slowly, he never stopped. Step by step, he steadily continued on his way.

時間慢慢過去，烏龜經過熟睡中的兔子，仍然不慌不忙地朝終點前進。

As time passed, the tortoise quietly passed the sleeping hare and calmly continued toward the finish line.

當兔子醒來時，發現太陽已經快下山了。他急忙跳起來，全力衝向終點。

When the hare woke up, he noticed that the sun was already low in the sky. He quickly sprang up and raced toward the finish line with all his might.

然而，當兔子趕到終點時，烏龜早已抵達，並在大家的歡呼聲中獲得了勝利。

However, when the hare reached the finish line, the tortoise had already arrived and was being cheered by all the animals for his victory.

兔子因為自己的驕傲和輕敵而輸掉了比賽，而烏龜則憑著耐心和堅持獲得成功。

The hare lost the race because of his pride and overconfidence, while the tortoise succeeded through patience and perseverance.

從此以後，兔子明白了不應該驕傲自滿，而森林裡的動物們也記住了一個重要的道理：

From that day on, the hare learned not to be arrogant, and the animals of the forest remembered an important lesson:

「穩定而持續的努力，往往能戰勝驕傲與懈怠。」

“Steady and persistent effort can often overcome pride and carelessness.”
