there was once a woman who wished very much to have a little child, but she could not obtain her wish. at last she went to a fairy, and said, “i should so very much like to have a little child; can you tell me where i can find one?”

“oh, that can be easily managed,” said the fairy. “here is a barleycorn of a different kind to those which grow in the farmer’s fields, and which the chickens eat; put it into a flower-pot, and see what will happen.”

“thank you,” said the woman, and she gave the fairy twelve shillings, which was the price of the barleycorn. then she went home and planted it, and immediately there grew up a large handsome flower, something like a tulip in appearance, but with its leaves tightly closed as if it were still a bud. “it is a beautiful flower,” said the woman, and she kissed the red and golden-colored leaves, and while she did so the flower opened, and she could see that it was a real tulip. within the flower, upon the green velvet stamens, sat a very delicate and graceful little maiden. she was scarcely half as long as a thumb, and they gave her the name of “thumbelina,” or tiny, because she was so small. a walnut-shell, elegantly polished, served her for a cradle; her bed was formed of blue violet-leaves, with a rose-leaf for a counterpane. here she slept at night, but during the day she amused herself on a table, where the woman had placed a plateful of water. round this plate were wreaths of flowers with their stems in the water, and upon it floated a large tulip-leaf, which served tiny for a boat. here the little maiden sat and rowed herself from side to side, with two oars made of white horse-hair. it really was a very pretty sight. tiny could, also, sing so softly and sweetly that nothing like her singing had ever before been heard. one night, while she lay in her pretty bed, a large, ugly, wet toad crept through a broken pane of glass in the window, and leaped right upon the table where tiny lay sleeping under her rose-leaf quilt. “what a pretty little wife this would make for my son,” said the toad, and she took up the walnut-shell in which little tiny lay asleep, and jumped through the window with it into the garden.

编辑:Liuxuepaper.Com

作文地带知识拓展:

• 英语（English）属于印欧语系日耳曼语族西日耳曼语支，最早被中世纪的英国使用，并因其广阔的殖民地而成为世界使用面积最广的语言。英国人的祖先盎格鲁部落是后来迁移到大不列颠岛地区的日耳曼部落之一，称为英格兰。这两个名字都来自波罗地海半岛的Anglia。该语言与弗里斯兰语和下撒克森语密切相关，其词汇受到其他日耳曼语族语言的影响，尤其是北欧语（北日耳曼语），并在很大程度上由拉丁文和法文撰写。

  英语的英文释义：

  English 名词 uk  /ˈɪŋ.ɡlɪʃ/ us  /ˈɪŋ.ɡlɪʃ/

  the language that is spoken in the UK, the US, and in many other countries

  英语

  American/British English

  美式／英式英语

  Do you speak English?

  你会说英语吗？

  English   形容词 adjective   uk  /ˈɪŋ.ɡlɪʃ/ us  /ˈɪŋ.ɡlɪʃ/

  in or relating to the English language

  英语的

  an English teacher

  英语老师

  relating to or from England

  英格兰的;英国的

  English films/food/people

  英国电影／食品／人

  English law

  英格兰法律