around the garden ran a hedge of hazelnut bushes, and beyond it lay fields and meadows with cows and sheep; but in the middle of the garden stood a blooming rosebush, and under it sat a snail, who had a lot inside his shell - namely, himself.

"wait till my time comes," it said. "i'll do a great deal more than grow roses; more than bear nuts; or give milk, like cows and the sheep!"

"i expect a great deal from you," said the rosebush. "may i dare ask when this is going to happen?"

"i'll take my time," said the snail. "you're always in such a hurry! that does not arouse expectations!"

next year the snail lay in almost the same spot, in the sunshine beneath the rose tree, which was budding and bearing roses as fresh and as new as ever. and the snail crept halfway out of its shell, stretched out its horns and drew them back in again.

"everything looks just as it did last year. no progress at all; the rose tree sticks to its roses, and that's as far as it gets."

the summer passed; the autumn came. the rose tree still bore buds and roses till the snow fell. the weather became raw and wet, and the rose tree bent down toward the ground. the snail crept into the ground.

then a new year began, and the roses came out again, and the snail did, too.

"you're an old rosebush now," the snail said. "you must hurry up and die, because you've given the world all that's in you. whether it has meant anything is a question that i haven't had time to think about, but this much is clear enough - you've done nothing at all for your inner development, or you would certainly have produced something else. how can you answer that? you'll soon be nothing but a stick. can you understand what i'm saying?"

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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