Beauty and the Beast · chapter 1 of 23
The Lost Ships
船都没有了
Beauty would rather read and stay with her father than marry a rich man. Then one day her father comes home with terrible news.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 很多年前，在法国的一个城里，有一个商人。他有很多船。
Hěn duō nián qián, zài Fǎguó de yí gè chéng li, yǒu yí gè shāngrén. Tā yǒu hěn duō chuán.
Many years ago, in a city in France, there lived a merchant. He had many ships.
- Narrator 他有三个儿子，三个女儿。家很大，天天都有朋友来玩。
Tā yǒu sān gè érzi, sān gè nǚ'ér. Jiā hěn dà, tiāntiān dōu yǒu péngyou lái wán.
He had three sons and three daughters. Their house was big, and every day friends came over to have fun.
- Eldest Sister 美儿，你还在看书？我们晚上去玩！
Měi'ér, nǐ hái zài kàn shū? Wǒmen wǎnshang qù wán!
Beauty, you're still reading? We're going out tonight!
- Second Sister 你看我的新衣服，多漂亮！
Nǐ kàn wǒ de xīn yīfu, duō piàoliang!
Look at my new dress! So pretty!
- Beauty 很漂亮。你们去玩吧，我喜欢看书。
Hěn piàoliang. Nǐmen qù wán ba, wǒ xǐhuan kàn shū.
It's very pretty. You two go and have fun. I like reading.
- Eldest Sister 那么多先生想和你结婚，你都不要。你要和书结婚吗？
Nàme duō xiānsheng xiǎng hé nǐ jiéhūn, nǐ dōu bú yào. Nǐ yào hé shū jiéhūn ma?
So many gentlemen want to marry you, and you turn them all down. Are you going to marry your books?
- Beauty 我还小。我想在家，和爸爸再住几年。
Wǒ hái xiǎo. Wǒ xiǎng zài jiā, hé bàba zài zhù jǐ nián.
I'm still young. I want to stay home and live with Father a few more years.
- Second Sister 书有什么好？我们只和很有钱的人结婚！
Shū yǒu shénme hǎo? Wǒmen zhǐ hé hěn yǒu qián de rén jiéhūn!
What's so great about books? We'll only marry very rich men!
- Beauty 爸爸回来了！爸爸，你怎么了？
Bàba huílái le! Bàba, nǐ zěnme le?
Father's home! Father, what's wrong?
- Father 孩子们，我的船……都没有了。
Háizimen, wǒ de chuán… dōu méiyǒu le.
Children, my ships... they're all gone.
- Second Sister 什么？那我们的钱呢？
Shénme? Nà wǒmen de qián ne?
What? Then what about our money?
- Father 钱也没有了。我们只有乡下的一个小家了。
Qián yě méiyǒu le. Wǒmen zhǐyǒu xiāngxià de yí gè xiǎo jiā le.
The money's gone too. All we have left is a little house in the country.
- Beauty 爸爸，不要哭。我们还有你。
Bàba, bú yào kū. Wǒmen hái yǒu nǐ.
Father, don't cry. We still have you.
- Eldest Sister 我不去乡下！我的朋友很有钱，他们都想和我结婚！
Wǒ bú qù xiāngxià! Wǒ de péngyou hěn yǒu qián, tāmen dōu xiǎng hé wǒ jiéhūn!
I'm not going to the country! My friends are rich, and they all want to marry me!
- Second Sister 对！他们都很爱我们！
Duì! Tāmen dōu hěn ài wǒmen!
Right! They all love us so much!
- Narrator 几天后，她们的朋友，一个也没有来。
Jǐ tiān hòu, tāmen de péngyou, yí gè yě méiyǒu lái.
A few days went by. Not one of their friends came.
- Second Sister 美儿没有钱了，还有个先生要和她结婚！
Měi'ér méiyǒu qián le, hái yǒu gè xiānsheng yào hé tā jiéhūn!
Beauty has no money now, and a gentleman still wants to marry her!
- Beauty 谢谢你，先生。你是好人。我要和爸爸去乡下。
Xièxie nǐ, xiānsheng. Nǐ shì hǎorén. Wǒ yào hé bàba qù xiāngxià.
Thank you, sir. You're a good man. I'm going to the country with my father.
- Narrator 乡下的家很小。没有朋友，没有漂亮衣服。美儿四点起床做饭。
Xiāngxià de jiā hěn xiǎo. Méiyǒu péngyou, méiyǒu piàoliang yīfu. Měi'ér sì diǎn qǐchuáng zuòfàn.
The house in the country was small. There were no friends and no pretty clothes. Beauty got up at four to cook.
- Beauty 大姐，二姐，十点了！
Dàjiě, èrjiě, shí diǎn le!
Eldest Sister, Second Sister, it's ten o'clock!
- Second Sister 十点？太早了！我还要睡。
Shí diǎn? Tài zǎo le! Wǒ hái yào shuì.
Ten? That's too early! I want to sleep some more.
- Eldest Sister 这里什么都没有。美儿，你怎么还那么高兴？
Zhèlǐ shénme dōu méiyǒu. Měi'ér, nǐ zěnme hái nàme gāoxìng?
There's nothing here. Beauty, how can you still be so happy?
- Beauty 我有书，有爸爸，还有花！爸爸，我给你唱个歌！
Wǒ yǒu shū, yǒu bàba, hái yǒu huā! Bàba, wǒ gěi nǐ chàng gè gē!
I have my books, I have Father, and I have flowers! Father, I'll sing you a song!
- Father 好听！美儿，你的心真好。
Hǎotīng! Měi'ér, nǐ de xīn zhēn hǎo.
That was lovely! Beauty, you have such a good heart.
- Beauty 爸爸高兴了。我只要爸爸高兴。
Bàba gāoxìng le. Wǒ zhǐ yào bàba gāoxìng.
Father's happy. All I want is for Father to be happy.
- Narrator 一年后的一天，一个男人骑着马来了。
Yì nián hòu de yì tiān, yí gè nánrén qízhe mǎ lái le.
One day, a year later, a man came riding up on a horse.
- Beauty 爸爸！有你的信！城里来的！
Bàba! Yǒu nǐ de xìn! Chéng li lái de!
Father! There's a letter for you! From the city!
- Father 城里的信？天哪……
Chéng li de xìn? Tiān na…
A letter from the city? Good heavens...
- Beauty 爸爸，信上说什么？
Bàba, xìn shang shuō shénme?
Father, what does the letter say?
What changed in the story?
- Why does Beauty turn down the gentlemen who want to marry her?
“我想在家，和爸爸再住几年。”
- What news does Father bring home?
“我的船……都没有了。”
- What happens with the sisters' rich friends?
“她们的朋友，一个也没有来。”
- What does Second Sister say when Beauty calls her at ten?
“十点？太早了！我还要睡。”
- What does the man on the horse bring?
“爸爸！有你的信！”