[two_third] Like most children's fables, this story features a simple sentence structure, but an upper-intermediate word list, perfect for picking up a lot of vocabulary and a couple of tame colloquialisms. <!--more--> [/two_third]

[one_third last=last]
<div class="postintro">
<h4>Interesting Vocabulary</h4>
爱美 - [pinyin]ai4 mei3[/pinyin] - Set store by appearance
天底下 - [pinyin]tian1 di3 xia4[/pinyin] - Under the sun
得意 - [pinyin]de2 yi4[/pinyin] - Pleased with oneself
刺耳 - [pinyin]ci4 er3[/pinyin] - Ear-piercing
七嘴八舌 - [pinyin]qi1 zui3 ba1 she2[/pinyin] - Chattering, everyone talking at once
哼 - [pinyin]heng1[/pinyin] - Sound for "Hmph!"
海礁 - [pinyin]hai3 jiao1[/pinyin] - Reef
大海妈妈 - [pinyin]da4 hai3 ma1 ma5[/pinyin] - Sea Mother (Mythical)

</div>
[/one_third]

<hr />[one_half]
<div id="chinesetext">
小海鸥十分漂亮，她特别<strong>爱美</strong>。

早晨，小海鸥拍打着翅膀飞到大海上。  大海是小海鸥的镜子，她每天都到这儿来梳洗打扮。

小海鸥对着这面镜子瞧啊，照啊，她一会儿扭动身躯，一会儿梳理羽毛，自以为是<strong>天底下</strong>最美的姑娘。

正在小海鸥十分<strong>得意</strong>的时候，几句<strong>刺耳</strong>的话从海岸的岩石那边儿飞过来：“臭美：臭美：”造燕窝的小雨燕<strong>七嘴八舌</strong>地议论，“不劳动，没人喜欢你！”

“<strong>哼</strong>，你们嫉妒我！”小海鸥不服地扭过身子，继续照镜子。

中午，小海鸥飞到<strong>海礁</strong>上，啄食岸边晾晒的鱼虾。突然，海燕跑过来说：“懒家伙，不许吃，那是我们捕的鱼虾！”

小海鸥坐在岸边的礁石上哭了，哭得好伤心哟！镜子里的她一点儿也不美。

<strong>大海妈妈</strong>对她说：“劳动，是最高尚的美德，你为什么不和他们一起劳动呢？”  小海鸥点了点头。

后来，海鸟劳动者的队伍里又多了一只美丽的海鸟，她就是小海鸥。

</div>
<a href="http://www.gushi51.com/ertong/ertong1940.html">See the original story</a> [/one_half]

[one_half last=last]

Little Gull was very beautiful, and she set great store by her appearance.

In the mornings, Little Gull would flap her wings and fly out onto the ocean.  The ocean was her mirror, and she went there every day to wash and make herself up.

Looking into the mirror [lit: opposite the mirror], Little Gull would gaze, and stare, twisting this way and that and combing her feathers. She thought she was the most beautiful girl under the sun.

Just when she was feeling quite proud of herself, she heard some piercing screeches coming from the vicinity of a seaside rock: "Snob! Snob!", chattered a bunch of nest-making swifts, "You don't work, no one likes you!"

"Hmph! You're just jealous of me!" said Little Gull, refusing to accept the truth, and she continuing to turn about in the mirror.

At noon, Little Gull flew out to a reef, and began to peck at some fish she found drying in the sun. Suddenly, a swallow ran up to her and said, "Hey lazybones! Don't eat that, we [swallows] caught that fish!"

Little swallow sat on the reef and cried, cried from such sadness! The gull she saw in the mirror didn't look at all beautiful.

The great Sea Mother said to her, "To work is one of the noblest virtues. Why don't you go work with them?"  Little Gull nodded her head.

After that, the ranks of worker seabirds grew by one, and that one is Little Gull.  [/one_half]