During the Han Dynasty, in the southwest there was a small country called Yelang, and although it was an independent nation, its territory was small, there weren’t many citizens, and its products were pitifully few. Because it was the largest kingdom in the near area, the Yelang king who’d never left his own country thought the country he ruled was the biggest on earth.

　　One day, the king of Yelang was on a national border inspection tour with his troops, when he pointed in front of him [to neighboring country] and said, “Which country is bigger?” In order to serve their own interests and make the king happy, the troops said, “Of course Yelang is bigger!” They walked along, and the king once again lifted up his head, gazed at the big mountain in the distance and asked: “Is there a taller mountain than this anywhere on earth?” And his men answered: “No, there’s no mountain taller than this one on earth.” After a while, they reached the river side, and the king asked again: “I think this is the world’s longest river.” And all his men said in unison “The king speaks truly.” After this, the ignorant king believed even more firmly that Yelang was the world’s biggest country.

　　Then one day, the Han Dynasty dispatched an envoy to Yelang, and en route they encountered the neighboring kingdom DianGuo, and the King of Dian asked the emissary: “If you compared the Han Dynasty and my Kingdom, which one would be bigger?” The emissary listened in astonishment, as he’d never have thought this small a country thought it could compare itself to the Han Dynasty. But he really never could have suspected that when he got to Yelang, the prideful and ignorant king who didn’t know that the kingdom he ruled was about the size of one Han county, would ask with an exaggerated opinion of his own worth, “Which is bigger: the Han Dynasty or my country?”

　　汉朝的时候，在西南方有个名叫夜郎的小国家，它虽然是一个独立的国家，可是国土很小，百姓也少，物产更是少得可怜。但是由于邻近地区以夜郎这个国家最大，从没离开过国家的夜郎国国王就以为自己统治的国家是全天下最大的国家。

　　有一天，夜郎国国王与部下巡视国境的时候，他指着前方问说：“这里哪个国家最大呀？”部下们为了迎合国王的心意，于是就说：“当然是夜郎国最大啰！”走着走着，国王又抬起头来、望着前方的高山问说：“天底下还有比这座山更高的山吗？”部下们回答说：“天底下没有比这座山更高的山了。”后来，他们来到河边，国王又问：“我认为这可是世界上最长的河川了。”部下们仍然异口同声回答说：“大王说得一点都没错。”从此以后，无知的国王就更相信夜郎是天底下最大的国家。

　　有一次，汉朝派使者来到夜郎，途中先经过夜郎的邻国滇国，滇王问使者：“汉朝和我的国家比起来哪个大？”使者一听吓了一跳，他没想到这个小国家，竟然无知的自以为能与汉朝相比。却没想到后来使者到了夜郎国，骄傲又无知的国王因为不知道自己统治的国家只和汉朝的一个县差不多大，竟然不知天高地厚也问使者：“汉朝和我的国家哪个大？”

　　儿童睡觉前最喜欢听故事。讲什么故事最能使孩子满意,对儿童的心理发展和智力健康产生有益的影响呢?下面是英文版睡前故事，希望对你有所帮助!

　　The miser and his gold守财奴【1】

　　Once upon a time there was a miser. He hid his gold under a tree. Every week he used to dig it up.

　　从前，有个守财奴将他的金块埋到一棵树下，每周他都去把他挖出来看看。

　　One night a robber stole all the gold. When the miser came again, he found nothing but an empty hole.

　　一天晚上，一个小偷挖走了所有的金块。 守财奴再来查看时，发现除了一个空洞什么都没有了。

　　He was surprised, and then burst into tears. All the neighbors gathered around him. He told them how he used to come and visit his gold.

　　守财奴便捶胸痛哭。哭声引来了邻居，他告诉他们这里原来有他的金块。

　　"Did you ever take any of it out?" asked one of them. "No," he said, "I only came to look at it." "Then come again and look at the hole," said the neighbor, "it will be the same as looking at the gold."

　　问明了原因后，一个邻居问：“你使用过这些金块吗?” “没用过，” 他说，“我只是时常来看看。”“那么，以后再来看这个洞，”邻居说，“就像以前有金块时一样。”

　　The hare and the tortoise龟兔赛跑【2】

　　The hare was once boasting of his speed before the other animals. "I have never been beaten," he said, "when I run at full speed, no one is faster than me."

　　兔子向动物们夸耀他的速度，“我从来没有失败过，”他说，“当我奔跑时，没有人比我更快。”

　　The tortoise said quietly, "I will race with you." "That is a good joke," said the hare. "I could dance around you the whole way."

　　乌龟平静地说：“我要与你比赛。”“真是笑话，我可以边玩边和你赛跑。”兔子说。

　　The race started. The hare darted almost out of sight at once. He soon stopped and lay down to have a nap.

　　比赛开始了，一眨眼工夫，兔子已经跑得不见了踪影，但是他觉得自己跑得快，对比赛掉以轻心，躺在路边睡着了。

　　The tortoise plodded on and on. When the hare awoke from his nap, he saw the tortoise was near the finish line, and that he had lost the race.

　　乌龟慢腾腾地却持续不停地走，当兔子一觉醒来，他看到乌龟已经快到终点线了。兔子输了比赛。

　　Hercules and Pallas赫尔克里斯与雅典娜【3】

　　When Hercules was walking in the forest, he saw a ball lying on the ground. He kicked it because it blocked his way.

　　赫尔克里斯在森林里漫步时，看到前面地上有一个球挡住了路，他就一脚把它踢开了。

　　To his surprise, the ball did not roll away, but grew much bigger than before. So he kicked it again much harder.

　　令他惊讶的是，球不但没有滚开，反而越来越大，于是他更用力地踢它。

　　The harder he kicked, the bigger the ball grew. At last it completely filled up the road.

　　他越用力地踢，球变得越大，后来球竟将路完全堵住了。

　　Pallas then appeared. "Stop, Hercules," she said. "Stop kicking. The ball’s name is Strife.Let it alone and it will soon become small again."

　　这时，雅典娜出现了，她对他说：“不要再踢了，赫尔克里斯，这个球叫冲突，不去管它，它很快就变小了。”

　　The vixen and the lioness雌狐与母狮【4】

　　One morning when a vixen was taking her babies out of the lair, she saw alioness and her cub.

　　一天清早，雌狐狸带着她的孩子走出巢穴，看见了母狮子和她的孩子。

　　"Why do you have only one child, dear dame?" asked the vixen. "Look at my healthy and numerous children here, and imagine, if you are able, how a proud mother should feel."

　　“为什么你只有一个孩子，夫人?”雌狐狸问，“看我这群健康的孩子，如果有能力，一个骄傲的妈妈应该多养一些孩子。”

　　The lioness said calmly, "Yes, just look at that beautiful collection. What are they? Foxes! I've only one, but remember, that one is a lion."

　　母狮平静地说：“是呀，看看这漂亮的一大群，他们都是狐狸!我只有一个，可他毕竟是一头狮子。”

　　The sick lion老狮子【5】

　　A lion had come to the end of his days. He lay helpless under a tree.

　　一头年老体衰的狮子病得有气无力，奄奄一息地躺在树下。

　　The animals came around him. When they saw that he was going to die, they thought to themselves, "Now is the time to pay him back."

　　动物们围在他的周围，看到狮子快要死了，就来报复他。

　　So the boar came up and rushed at him with his tusks.

　　一头野猪冲到他身旁，狠狠地咬他。

　　Then a bull gored him with his horns. The lion still lay helpless before them.

　　接着，一头野牛也用角来顶他，狮子无助地躺在那里。

　　So the ass felt quite safe. He turned his tail to the lion and kicked up his heels into his face.

　　当驴子看到可以对这庞大的野兽为所欲为时，也用他的蹄子用力去踢狮子的头部。

　　"This is a double death." growled the lion.

　　这头快要断气的狮子说：“我已勉强忍受了勇者的施暴，但还得含羞忍受你这个小丑的侮辱，真是死不瞑目。