The Wall

The Wall, written by Elizabeth Austin. Illustrated by Jack Voris. Focus question. What is the story trying to teach about conflict?

《围墙》，伊丽莎白·奥斯汀 著 杰克·沃里斯 绘 思考问题 这个故事想告诉我们哪些和冲突有关的道理呢？

Once upon a time, further back than anyone can remember, two kingdoms got into an argument. No one could recall what it was about, for it was ages upon ages ago, but everyone was so furious about it that they decided to build a wall between their lands. It was taller than anyone could climb, and longer than anyone could travel. The wall kept the two kingdoms utterly separate, though no one could remember just why they couldn't stand to be neighbors anymore. Nonetheless, when cracks appeared in the wall, people repaired them, and when streams wore away holes under the wall, the people quickly filled them in with earth and stones. We don't want those scoundrels from the other side coming over here, they said.

很久很久以前，久到没人记清是哪年，两个王国爆发了争执。 没人记得当初为啥吵架，毕竟已经过了无数个年头，可所有人都气难平，决定在两国领地中间修一堵墙。 这墙高得没人爬得上去，长到没人能走完全程。 这墙把两个王国彻底隔开，可都没人记得当初为啥没法好好当邻居了。 就算这样，墙一开裂人们就赶紧修补，溪水冲穿了墙根的洞，人们也立刻用土石填好。 人们说：“我们可不想让那边的坏蛋跑到咱们这儿来。”

Since so much time had passed since anyone had seen the other kingdom, no one was sure what it looked like any more. But they assumed there must be some reason for the wall being there. There must be something about the people of that other kingdom, either good or bad, if the wall was needed to keep them out. "'Or is the wall there to keep us out of their kingdom?' the people wondered. Eventually, people began to tell stories about what had become of the other kingdom."

自从有人见过另一个王国之后，时间过去了太久，没人说得清那边现在是什么模样了。 可大家都觉得，墙修在这儿，肯定有它的道理。 既然需要这堵墙把他们挡在外头，那另一个王国的人肯定有特别之处，非好即坏。 “不然会不会，这堵墙是要把我们挡在他们王国外面呀？” 人们忍不住这样猜想。 到后来，人们开始编故事，猜测另一个王国变成了什么样子。

One story said that the other kingdom had bred an army of hideous, fire -breathing monsters. They treated the monsters very cruelly and kept them angry all the time. "'The monsters will cross the wall and invade us any day now,' the people shouted.

有个故事说，另一个王国养了一支可怕的喷火龙怪兽大军。 他们对怪兽十分残酷，一直把它们惹得怒气冲冲。 人们大喊：“怪兽随时会翻过墙来攻打我们啦！”

Another story said that aliens had come from the sky one day and blasted the other kingdom to powder. Then the aliens took everything that remained, loaded it on their ships, and flew away, leaving an open land. The aliens are on our side, said the people. They have destroyed the other kingdom and left the land for us. The aliens are all knowing and they obviously proved us right about that other kingdom.

还有个故事说，有天外星人从天而降，把另一个王国炸成了碎末。 接着外星人把剩下的所有东西都搬走，装上飞船飞走了，只留下一片空地。 人们说：外星人是站我们这边的。 他们灭了另一个王国，把土地留给我们了。 外星人无所不知，这不正好证明我们对另一个王国的看法没错嘛。

But there was another story, one that was much more disturbing. Most people claimed that they did not believe it, but in their hearts they wondered whether it might be true. Over the unnumbered years, the other kingdom had become a paradise. The streets were paved with candy, the trees were made of chocolate, and everyone was blissfully happy. And we sit here working all day with nothing but regular bread, meat, and vegetables to eat, grumbled the people. That greedy kingdom just wants to keep the paradise to themselves.

不过还有另一个故事，这个故事听着更让人不安。 大多数人都说自己才不信这个故事，可心里都忍不住嘀咕，说不定这是真的。 这么多年过去，另一个王国已经变成了乐园。 街道用糖果铺成，大树是巧克力做的，每个人都过得幸福极了。 人们抱怨说：“我们天天在这儿干活，却只有普通的面包、肉和蔬菜吃。” 那个贪心的王国就是想独吞这块乐园呀。