Learn English with American Primary School Textbooks

Chapter 38 Literature and Art (3)
To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world.
The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the color of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat.
It is your own fault, I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you but now you are going to cry! Then it has done you no good at all!

It has done me good, because of the color of the wheat fields. Go and look again at the roses. You will understand now that yours is unique in all the world.
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eyes.
It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.
Men have forgotten this truth. But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose…

Only the children know what they are looking for. They waste their time over a rag doll and it becomes very important to them; and if anybody takes it away from them, they cry…

Vocabulary
sunset ["s? nset] n. sunset, evening;
Blossom ["bl? s? m] vi. blossom, flourish;

n. flower, blooming state

darken ["dɑ: k? n] vi. darken, darken;

vt. to darken, to gloomy, to corrupt, to blur
inconsistent [.ink? n"sist? nt] adj. Inconsistent, capricious
Ephemeral [i"fem?r?l] n. Things that survive for a very short time;
adj. Short, ephemeral

tame [teim] vt. domesticate, tame, suppress

essential [i"sen??l] n. elements, necessities;
adj. Essential, necessary, important

Practice
Read Little Prince out of class.
Translation
You know-when a person is depressed, he especially likes watching the sunset...

If a person has a special liking for a flower, and that flower is unique in the vast galaxy, then he only needs to look up at the stars to be satisfied.He would murmur to himself: "My flower is somewhere in the galaxy..." However, once the flower is eaten by the sheep, all the stars will be darkened in an instant...Then you Think it's not important?
Flowers are always duplicity, and I am too young to know how to love her...

She actually didn't want the little prince to see her cry.What a proud flower she was...

My flower life is short, she only has four thorns to protect herself from the world, but I left her alone on my planet!

His flower once told him that she is the only flower in the universe, but in this garden alone, there are five thousand flowers exactly like her!
I always thought that I was rich and had a unique flower in the world, but in fact, what I had was just an ordinary rose.An ordinary rose...

To me, you are just a little boy like thousands of other little boys.I don't need you, and you don't need me.To you, I am no different from thousands of other foxes.But if you tame me, we'll need each other.To me, you are unique; to you, I am unique...

The wheat fields have nothing to do with me, which is frustrating.However, you have blonde hair.Just think how wonderful it would be if you tamed me!The wheat is also golden, that reminds me of you.I would love to hear the wind in the rye...

This is your fault, I have no intention of hurting you, but you are willing to let me tame you... But now you want to cry!That taming will do you no good at all!
Taming is good for me - because of the color of the wheat fields.Look back at those roses again!Then you will know that your rose is still unique in the world.

This is one of my secrets, a very simple one: one can only see the truth if one sees with one's heart.The truth of the matter is invisible to the eyes alone.

The time you spend with your roses is what makes your roses so important.

People have long forgotten this truth.But you should not forget it, and you must always be responsible for what you tame.You are responsible for your roses.

Only small children know what they are looking for.They spend their time with rag dolls.So for them, dolls become very important.Once someone takes the doll away, they will cry...

Exercise
I found "The Little Prince" for extracurricular reading.

05 The Nice Flowers those beautiful flowers

As the sun rose over the horizon, I went out to enjoy the beauty of the grassland scenery. On the way, I saw a pair of red flowers blooming. They had flat petals and were incredibly full of smiling beauty. Those independent flowers seemed very vibrant. Gazing at the flowers made me think of many things.
Dew like pearls shone on the grass brightly. Rays of sun offered happiness. I stood and stared at the beautiful flowers for a long time, enjoying the bright, pleasant sunshine. Butterflies and little bees were flying about. Then some naughty children with sticks came One child swung his stick when he saw the flowers. Many petals fell to the earth, and with them, my heart fell too.
The next day, beside the road, the red flowers were brighter than the day before. The natural beauty made me gasp. It gave me an understanding of the energy of growing and youth and convinced me it couldn't be destroyed with a heartless stick .I wanted to be like the soul of a flower.
Then I saw an old woman and child coming along the road. When they reached the flowers the child quickly plucked one. I felt great horror and then heard the old woman say, “What beautiful flowers. Don't pick them.” The next day, I couldn't see the flowers anymore. The grass and leaves on the ground were almost dried. I was in a world of great sorrow.
Vocabulary
horizon[h? "raiz? n] n. Horizon, range, limit, horizon
vibrant [vaibr? nt] adj. full of life, energetic, excited

Butterflies ["b?t?flaiz] n. Butterfly (plural of butterfly)
naughty ["n?: ti] adj. naughty, naughty, disobedient, inappropriate

gasp [ɡɑ: sp, ɡ? sp] vi. Panting, longing;
vt. breathlessly said;

n. panting
pluck [pl? k] vt. pick, pluck, pull out;
n. courage, spirit, courage, will

Practice
What is message does the author want to express?

Translation
As the sun rose above the horizon, I stepped outside to admire the beauty of the prairie.On the way, I saw two red flowers blooming.The petals are flat and the flowers have an irresistible beauty.These free flowers are full of life.Seeing these flowers reminds me of many things.

The dewdrops on the grass shone like crystal clear pearls.Sunshine brings happiness.I stood there gazing long at the flowers, enjoying the bright and pleasant sunshine.Butterflies and bees are flying among the flowers.At this time, two naughty little boys with sticks came here. As soon as one boy saw these flowers, he immediately waved his stick.Many petals fell to the ground, and my heart also fell to the bottom.

The next day, the two red flowers on the side of the road looked even more beautiful than the day before.The beauty of nature almost takes my breath away.It made me understand the power of growth and youth, and made me believe that it cannot be destroyed by a stick. I also want to have a soul like a flower.

At this time, I saw an old woman and a child walking along the side of the road.As soon as the child saw the flower, he plucked one immediately.I felt sorry for the poor flowers, when I heard the old woman say, "What beautiful flowers! Don't pick them." The next day I saw no more flowers by the roadside.The grass and leaves on the ground are all withered.My heart is full of sorrow.

Exercise
What is the author trying to convey?
06 I Want to Know
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain!

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn't interest me if the story you're telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. know if you can be faithful and therefore be trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty every day, and if you can source your life from god's presence. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"

(End of this chapter)