英语伊索寓言故事系列：跳蚤和公牛 The flea and the ox
A Flea once said to an Ox, “How comes it that a big strong fellow like you is content to serve mankind, and do all their hard work for them, while I, who am no bigger than you see, live on their bodies and drink my fill of their blood, and never do a stroke for it all?” To which the Ox replied, “Men are very kind to me, and so I am grateful to them: they feed and house me well, and every now and then they show their fondness for me by patting me on the head and neck.” ””They’d pat me too,” said the Flea, “if let them: but I take good care they don’t, or there would be nothing left of me.”
 
翻译：
有一次，跳蚤问公牛：“像你这般高大强壮的家伙，竟然满足于终日为人类服务，为他们付出辛勤的劳动；而像我这样连你都看不清的小虫子，却在人类的肉体上生活，毫无顾忌地吸他们的鲜血，什么劳动也不用付出，你怎么会受得了呢？”公牛回答说：“人类对我很好，所以我很感激他们。他们给我吃的，给我住的，还经常抚摸、拍打我的头和脖子，以示喜爱。”“他们也打我，”跳蚤说，“如果我愿意挨打的话，可是，我很小心地不让他们打我，否则，我的小命可就保不住了。”

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