On a stormy day, the crab went strolling along the beach. He was surprised to see the lobster preparing to set sail in his boat.
“Lobster,” said the crab, “it is foolhardy to venture out on a day like this.”
“Perhaps so,” said the lobster, “but I love a squall at sea!”
“I will come with you,” said the crab. “I will not let you face such danger alone.”
The lobster and the crab began their voyage. Soon they found themselves far from shore. Their boat was tossed and buffeted by the turbulent waters.
“Crab!” shouted the lobster above the roar of the wind. “For me, the splashing of the salt spray is thrilling! The crashing of every wave takes my breath away!”
“Lobster, I think we are sinking!” cried the crab.
“Yes, of course, we are sinking,” said the lobster. “This old boat is full of holes. Have courage, my friend. Remember, we are both creatures of the sea.”
The little boat capsized and sank.
“Horrors!” cried the crab.
“Down we go!” shouted the lobster.
The crab was shaken and upset. The lobster took him for a relaxing walk along the ocean floor.
“How brave we are,” said the lobster. “What a wonderful adventure we have had!”
The crab began to feel somewhat better. Although he usually enjoyed a quieter existence, he had to admit that the day had been pleasantly out of the ordinary.
狂风暴雨的一天，螃蟹去海边溜达。他惊讶地看到龙虾准备搭自己的船扬帆出海。
“龙虾，”螃蟹说，“这种天气冒险出海太危险了！”
“也许吧，”龙虾说，“可我喜欢海上的狂风！”
“我陪你去，”螃蟹说，“我不能让你独自冒这个险。”
龙虾和螃蟹开始了航程。很快他们就远远驶离了海岸。他们的船在惊涛骇浪中颠簸，汹涌的海水一路拍打着船身。
“螃蟹！”海风呼啸中，龙虾大喊：“这溅起的盐雾太让人激动了！每股浪潮打来我都兴奋得几乎停止呼吸！”
“龙虾，我觉得我们的船要沉了！”螃蟹哭喊。
“是呀，没错，我们要沉船了，”龙虾说，“这船旧了，到处是洞。勇敢点儿，朋友。别忘了，咱俩可是海生动物啊。”
小船翻了，沉了下去。
“太恐怖了！”螃蟹喊。
“我们沉下去喽！”龙虾大叫。
螃蟹吓着了，不开心。龙虾带他沿着海底散步，也好放松一下。
“咱俩可真勇敢，”龙虾说，“这真是一场奇妙的冒险之旅！”
螃蟹这才缓过劲儿来。尽管他更习惯安静的生活方式，可他不得不承认这不同寻常的一天还是很棒的体验。
-foolhardy [ˈfuːlhɑːdɪ] adj. 莽撞的
-squall [skwɔːl] n. 暴风，号叫
-buffet [ˈbʊfeɪ] v. 连续猛击
出生于美国、后加入英国籍的作家和文学批评家托马斯·斯特恩斯·艾略特(T. S. Eliot)曾有一句良言：“Most of the trouble in the world is caused by people wanting to be important.”(世界上大部分的麻烦都是想成为伟大人物的人搞出来的。)