In the days of king Arthur there lived a ploughman and his wife. They had lived together happily for twenty years, but they had no child. The great magician Merlin had sympathy for them, and caused the couple to have a little boy no bigger than his father’s thumb. They loved him dearly and named him Tom Thumb. Tom had a number of absurd adventures because of his tiny size. He was once swallowed with grass by a cow, but fortunately his cry surprised the cow, so that the cow opened her mouth and let him fall out. Another adventure happened when he was out in the field driving the cattle along. He fell into a furrow, and a great black raven picked him up and carried him away in her beak until she dropped him into the sea. Then a great fish swallowed him up. But the fish was soon caught up and brought to the court of King Arthur. The cook found Tom inside the fish, and took him up to the King. Tom Thumb amused the King and the Knights of the Round Table so much that he was knighted and given a needle for a sword and a white mouse for a horse. Now he lived in luxury, but he never forgot his poor parents. Once a month he rode off on his white mouse to their cottage in the country to see them. The poor ploughman and his wife were very proud of their little son.（英语小故事带翻译www.lyy5.com ）
翻译：
亚瑟王时代有一个农夫，他与妻子在一起生活了20年，无灾无难，只是没有孩子。大魔法师墨林同情他们，施了魔法，农夫的妻子生下了一个极小的男孩儿，比她丈夫的拇指大不了多少。夫妻二人对他十分疼爱，给他取名叫拇指汤姆。由于身材太小，汤姆有一番离奇的经历。有一次他被母牛连草一起吃到嘴里，幸亏他的叫喊声惊得母牛张开了嘴，让他掉了出来。又有一次，他在地里赶牛，不小心从牛背上滑下来，掉在垄沟里。一只乌鸦把他叼走，丢在大海里。紧接着，一条大鱼把他吞进肚子。恰好那条鱼被打了上来，送进亚瑟王的宫廷。厨师打开鱼肚子，发现了汤姆，带他去见国王。汤姆使亚瑟王和圆桌骑士们很开心，被封为骑士。他得到一根针当佩剑，一只白鼠做马骑。他虽然享受荣华富贵，却从来也没忘记可怜的爹妈。他每个月都要回家探望他们。老两口为他们的小不点儿子感到十分自豪。
