A boy found an eagle's egg and he put it in the nest of a prairie chicken . The eagle hatched and thought he was a chicken. He grew up doing what prairie chickens do — scratching at the dirt for food and flying short distances with a noisy fluttering of wings. It was a dreary life. Gradually, the eagle grew older and bitter. One day he and his prairie chicken friend saw a beautiful bird soaring on the currents of air, high above the mountains.
“Oh, I wish I could fly like that!”said the eagle. The chicken replied,“Don't give it another thought. That's the mighty eagle, the king of all birds — you could never be like him!”And the eagle didn't give it another thought. He went on cackling and complaining about life. At last, he died, thinking he was a prairie chicken.
My friends, you too were born an eagle. The Creator intended you to be an eagle, so don't listen to the prairie chickens!
-prairie ［'preəri ］ n. 大草原；牧场
-scratch ［skrætʃ ］ vi. 抓；刮
-flutter ［'flʌtə(r) ］ vi. 拍翅；鼓翼
-dreary ［'drɪəri ］ adj. 沉闷的，枯燥的
-soar ［sɔ:(r) ］ vi. 飞翔
-cackle ［'kækl ］ vi. 咯咯叫
prairie chicken 松鸡，草原鸡
complain about 抱怨
intend somebody to do... 想要某人做……
1. He went on cackling and complaining about life.
他继续咯咯地叫，不停地抱怨生活。
He always complains about the bad weather. 他总是抱怨糟糕的天气。
My landlady keeps complaining about the noise.
我的女房东总是抱怨太吵闹了。
2. The Creator intended you to be an eagle, so don't listen to the prairie chickens! 上帝想要你成为一只雄鹰，所以不要听信松鸡的话！
Your parents intend you to be a very good student.
你爸妈想要你成为一名优秀学生。
I don't intend you to chair the meeting. 我不想要你主持这次会议。
抱怨终生的鹰
一个小男孩发现了一只鹰蛋，把它放入一只松鸡窝里。小鹰孵出来了，但他以为自己是一只松鸡。他渐渐地长大了，却一直干着松鸡所做的事儿——抓泥土寻找食物，短距离飞行，翅膀啪啪作响。多么枯燥沉闷的生活！小鹰慢慢地长大，越来越苦恼。有一天，他和他的松鸡朋友看见一只美丽的鸟儿在天空飞翔，翱翔在高山上方。
“哦，我要是能飞得那么高该多好啊！”鹰说。松鸡回答说：“别再胡思乱想了，那是力大无比的雄鹰，鸟中之王——你不可能像他一样！”于是，这只鹰放弃了那个念头。他继续咯咯地叫，不停地抱怨生活。最后他死了，始终认为自己是一只松鸡。
朋友们，你们天生就是雄鹰。上帝有意要你成为雄鹰，不要听信松鸡的胡言！