A lady who was very lonesome bought a parrot from a pet store，complete with cage. Before purchasing it she got a guarantee that the parrot would talk. She took the parrot home. In a week and a half she returned to the store very disappointed.“The parrot doesn’t talk.”“Did you buy a mirror？”“No.”“Every parrot needs a mirror. So she bought a mirror and installed it in the parrot’s cage.
Another week and a half went by and she returned.“The parrot still doesn’t talk.”“Did you buy a ladder？”“No.”“Every parrot needs a ladder.”So she bought a ladder and installed it in the cage. Another week and a half passed and she returned.“The parrot still doesn’t talk.”“Did you buy a swing？”“No.”“Every parrot needs a swing.”So she bought a swing and installed it in the cage.
A week and a half later she returned. She was furious！The storeowner asked，“Did the parrot talk？”“No！He died.”“Oh，that’s terrible. Did he say anything before he died？”“Yes.”“What？”“He gasped，‘Don’t they have any food down at that store？’”
1.lonesome - 孤独的
2.pet store - 宠物店
3.guarantee - 保证
4.parrot - 鹦鹉
5.cage - 笼子
6.disappointed - 失望的
7.mirror - 镜子
8.ladder - 梯子
9.swing - 秋千
10.furious - 愤怒的
11.gasped - 喘息
12.storeowner - 店主
可怜的鹦鹉
一位妇人感到很寂寞，于是从宠物商店买了一只鹦鹉，外带一个鸟笼。店方保证这只鹦鹉会说话，她才买的。把鹦鹉带回家仅仅十天左右，她非常失望地来到店里。“鹦鹉不会说话。”“你买镜子了吗？”“没有。”“鹦鹉都需要一面镜子。”于是妇人买了一面镜子，并把它装在鸟笼里。
又过了十天左右，她再次来到店里。“鹦鹉还是不说话。”“你买梯子了吗？”“没有。”“鹦鹉都需要梯子。”因此她又买了一架梯子放到鸟笼里。过了十天左右，她又一次来到店里。“鹦鹉还是不会说话。”“你给它买秋千了吗？”“没有。”“鹦鹉都需要有秋千。”她买了一个秋千装到鸟笼里。
十天过后，她又来到店里。此时她已经怒不可遏！店主问：“鹦鹉开口说话了吗？”“没有，它已经死了。”“真是太不幸了。鹦鹉临死时说了什么吗？”“当然。”“说的是什么？”“它叹了一口气说：‘难道那个店里就没有吃的卖吗？’”