There was a small Kangaroo who was bad in school. He put thumbtacks on the teacher's chair. He threw spitballs across the classroom. He set off firecrackers in the lavatory and spread glue on the doorknobs.
“Your behavior is impossible!” said the school principal. “I am going to see your parents. I will tell them what a problem you are!”
The principal went to visit Mr. and Mrs. Kangaroo. He sat down in a living-room chair.
“Ouch!” cried the principal. “There is a thumbtack in this chair!”
“Yes, I know,” said Mr. Kangaroo. “I enjoyed putting thumbtacks in chairs.”
At the same time, a spitball hit the principal on his nose.
“Forgive me,” said Mrs. Kangaroo, “But I can never resist throwing those things.”
Suddenly, there was a loud booming sound from the bathroom.
“Keep calm,” said Mr. Kangaroo to the principal. “The firecrackers that we keep in the medicine chest have just exploded. We love the noise.”
The principal rushed for the front door. In an instant he was stuck to the doorknob.
“Pull hard,” said Mrs. Kangaroo. “There are little globs of glue on all of our doorknobs.”
The principal pulled himself free. He dashed out of the house and ran off down the street.
“Such a nice person,” said Mr. Kangaroo. “I wonder why he left so quickly.”
“No doubt he had another appointment,” said Mrs. Kangaroo. “Never mind, supper is ready.”
Mr. and Mrs. Kangaroo and their son enjoyed their evening meal. After the dessert, they all threw spitballs at each other across the dining-room table.
有只小袋鼠在学校表现不佳。他往老师座椅上放图钉，在教室里扔纸团，在盥洗室里放鞭炮，还往门把手上抹胶水。
“你的行为太不像话了！”校长说，“我得见见你家长，告诉他们你有多捣蛋！”
校长上门拜访袋鼠夫妇。他在客厅的椅子上坐下来。
“哎哟！”校长叫了起来，“这椅子上有图钉！”
“对，我知道，”袋鼠先生说，“我喜欢往椅子上放图钉。”
这时候，一个纸团打在校长的鼻子上。
“请您原谅，”袋鼠太太说，“我就是控制不住想扔这些东西。”
突然，从浴室传来一阵巨大的轰隆声。
“别害怕，”袋鼠先生对校长说，“那是我们放在药箱子里的鞭炮炸了。我们喜欢那声音。”
校长急忙跑向前门。瞬间他被门把手粘住了。
“使劲儿拽。”袋鼠太太说，“我们家的门把手上都有几滴胶水。”
校长挣脱了门把手，冲出房门，顺着大街跑了。
“真是个好人啊，”袋鼠先生说，“就是不知道为什么这么快就走了。”
“他肯定是跟人约好了有事儿，”袋鼠太太说，“别想了，晚饭做好了。”
袋鼠夫妇和儿子愉快地享用了晚餐。吃完甜点，全家隔着餐桌互相扔起纸团来。
-thumbtack [ˈθʌmtæk] n. 图钉
-glob [ɡlɒb] n. 一滴
英语中有很多谚语都是提醒父母言传身教的重要性，且这些谚语的结构惊人相似。比如：要表达“有其父必有其子”，就有“Like begets like.”“Like cow, like calf.”和“Like father, like son.”等。而“有其母必有其女。”可以说“Like mother, like daughter.”。