There is a little songbird, whose tongue tip is so agile that she can imitate all the sounds vividly. Everyone admires her skill.
A little chickadee drops down and hurts him while practicing flying. The little songbird calls the chickadee's mother by imitating his chirping . The whole family of the chickadee is very thankful for that.
When Aunt Magpie lies in her sickbed, the little songbird stands at the treetop and sings for her. Thus, the magpie is so grateful to her.
The little songbird is so pleased with herself that she perks her tail, feeling proud of her great skill.
Once, on seeing a swallow catching pests above the field, she mocks at the eagle's scream. The swallow is frightened and flies away in a flurry. The songbird laughs amusedly.
The little songbird thinks the practical jokes are so funny! One day, she mocks the eagle again. And an eagle does fly to her. She is scared stiff.
“What do you ask me here for?” the eagle demands.
“I...I did not ask you here,” the little songbird stammers .
“You are lying!” the eagle says angrily. “I was chasing a quarry when I heard your calling, so I came here. Now, you serve as my food!”
From then on, this little songbird has never been seen any more.
有一只会唱歌的小鸟，舌尖十分灵巧，能够把所有声音模仿得惟妙惟肖。大家都很羡慕她的才华。
一只小山雀在练习飞翔的时候摔伤了，这只小鸟通过模仿他的叫声，叫来了他的妈妈。山雀一家都很感激她。
喜鹊婶婶卧病在床，这只小鸟站在树梢为她唱歌。喜鹊很感激她。
小鸟自满了起来，她翘起尾巴，为自己拥有这样的本领感到骄傲。
有一次，她看见一只燕子在捉田里的害虫，就用老鹰的叫声捉弄燕子。燕子吓坏了，慌忙飞走。小鸟哈哈大笑起来，觉得很好玩儿。
她觉得恶作剧实在是太有意思了！有一天，她又模仿老鹰的叫声，真有一只老鹰朝她飞来，吓得她浑身僵住，一动都不敢动。
“你叫我来干嘛？”老鹰问。
“我……我没叫您来啊。”会唱歌的小鸟这下结巴了。
“你胡说！”老鹰生气地说，“我正追猎物呢，就听见你叫了，所以我就来了。现在，我要把你吃掉！”
从那以后，再也没人见过这只会唱歌的小鸟。
-agile [ˈædʒaɪl] adj. 灵巧的
-chickadee [ˈtʃɪkədiː] n. 山雀
-chirp [tʃɜːp] v. 鸟叫
-perk [pɜːk] v. 翘起
-stammer [ˈstæmə(r)] v. 结巴地说出
法国作家维克多·雨果(Victor Hugo，1802—1885)在《笑面人》中写道：“卖弄风骚的女人和卖弄学问的男人好比两个邻居。他们的关系可以从自命不凡的态度上看出来。”