小学英语阅读材料5篇
小学英语阅读主要目的在于锻炼小学生的英语阅读水平。下面是小编整理的5篇英语阅读材料，欢迎阅读!
Last Dream for an Old Oak Tree
Once upon a time, there was a large oak tree in the forest. This oak tree was very old. One day during the hot summer, a mayfly flew by and alighted on a leaf of the oak tree.
"Mayfly, you must be so sad." "Why?" "You get to live only one day." The oak tree felt sorry for the mayfly. Mayfly asked, "Don't you live for one day?" "No. I live much longer than you do."
The mayfly nodded and asked, "Really? Then, are you happy now?" "Yes, I am very happy," replied the oak tree.
Then the mayfly smiled and said, "I am very happy, too. Although I get to live only one day, it doesn't matter. You get to live much longer than I do, but we are both happy, aren't we?" The oak tree and the mayfly kept on talking to each other.
Eventually, the mayfly leaned on the oak tree and fell asleep. "Mayfly!" The oak tree called the mayfly, but the mayfly did not respond.
It had died. "Mayfly, have a happy dream." The oak tree blessed the mayfly for the last time.
Many weeks then passed. Spring, summer and fall went by, and winter came. Finally, the long-awaited day of Christmas came. The oak tree wanted to rest now.
The oak tree had a dream on Christmas day. In it, pretty flowers were abundant and butterflies were flying in a green forest. In this dream, the oak tree met the mayfly. The mayfly said, "Come play here. It is such a happy place." The oak tree was very pleased indeed to see the mayfly.
While the oak tree was sleeping, its roots were cut. It was time for the oak tree to die. The oak tree went to a happy world, dreaming.
The Happy Couple
A long time ago, there was a happy prince and princess in a country. They took care of and loved each other very much, and their country was happy, too. Therefore they didn't envy anything else. There was one thing they worried about. They wanted to make sure they could live happily forever like this
One day, one of the subjects found out the couple's worry and told them, "Prince, I heard that there is a magic charm, and it can protect you from any unfortunate event. If you always carry the magic charm with you, your fear and worry will disappear." "Is it true? Where can I find that charm?" The prince asked him joyfully. "There is an old man in the forest, and he knows about everything. You can ask him."
The couple visited the old man, and asked for help with their worries and fears. The old man nodded his head as if he knew everything and said, "Travel all around the world. Then, when you meet a very happy couple, ask them to cut a piece of their underwear. If you keep the piece of the underwear, your fear and worry will go away."
The couple appreciated the old man's kindness and set out on the journey. The couple wandered around everywhere and heard about a happy knight and his wife of one town. They went to visit the knight. "Are you really happy like the rumor?" Then the knight answered. "Of course, we are, Prince. But our only worry and problem is that we didn't have any children."
They had to find an absolutely happy couple, so they continued their journey. They visited a happy couple who were famous for their happiness in the next town. And they asked the couple if they were really happy. The couple answered. "Yes, we are very happy. But we have too many children. A mother with a large brood never has a peaceful day. We worry too much about our children."
They could not get a magic charm this time too, and kept going on their trip. It was very hard to find the happiest couple in the world. One day, the prince couple met a shepherd and his wife in a big field.
The shepherd was playing a flute and driving a herd of sheep, and his wife took their two children to him. As soon as the shepherd saw his family, he ran to them directly. He kissed and embraced each of them by turns. They sat in a circle and had lunch after the wife had prepared it.
The prince couple watched for a while and approached them. "Excuse me. You look so happy!" The shepherd smiled and said, "Sure, any king or queen can never be happier than we are."
The prince couple thought that they finally found what they were looking for. "I am sorry, but could you please cut a piece of your underwear for us?" The prince couple asked them very politely, but the shepherd couple felt confused and said, "Of course we would like to help you, but we don't wear any underwear."
In the end, the couple set out on their journey again with nothing. Finally they came back to their home because they were so tired, and because they couldn't find the magic charm too. As soon as they came back to their country, they visited the old man. The prince told their story to the old man and asked him. "Why did you make us suffer from the long trip for a charm which doesn't even exist?" The old man smiled and said, "Well, do you really think your trip was a vain effort? Think about it carefully. While you were traveling around, you learned many things about how other people live, didn't you?"
The prince thought to himself for a while and said, "Ah, now I understand. You mean that true happiness is up to yourself." The prince's wife smiled and nodded her head. The happy couple held their hands and looked in each other's eyes.
The old man said as he watched them. "The true magic charm that you are searching for is in your mind. Keep it carefully from now on. Then, you'll never be unhappy with whatever comes your way."
The Cripple Hans
There once was a rich feudal lord. He and his wife had a big farm. They wished everyone else would live as happily as they did. On one Christmas Eve, a beautifully decorated Christmas tree stood in their big hall, and firewood was burning vigorously. The couple invited all the poor children and their parents of the country to their house.
Traditional Christmas meals were served to everyone, and people went back to their homes and talked about the dinner and the
gifts. Kersten and Ole, who were working in a garden, received the gifts for their children and went back home. "Both masters are very kind, but that's because they are rich. They are enjoying themselves."
"We have only four suits of clothes. Why didn't they give anything to Hans? Maybe it's because Hans is a cripple, so they forgot him." Hans was a very active and smart boy, but he had to stay in bed for five years because of his weak legs. "Oh, but I received a book for Hans" Hans was so happy because of the book. The thick fairy tale book had a lot to read and to think about deeply.
Kersten and Ole were always complaining because they were always busy. "Some people have both happiness and wealth at the same time, but for other people, the only thing they have is poverty. Why do we have to suffer so much because of Adam and Eve? If we were Adam and Eve, we would not behave like them." "You would do same as they did. This book can tell you why."
"What did the book say?" Hans read a story to his parents loudly. 'One woodcutter couple always complained that their unhappiness began because of Adam and Eve. At that time, a King was riding a horse and heard them and said, "Come to my palace with me. You can live as luxuriously as I can. You have seven kinds of wonderful dishes and deserts at every meal."
"Never touch the plate covered with a lid in the middle of the table. As soon as you touch the plate, your peaceful and luxurious life will be over." The woodcutter couple lived luxuriously after that, but soon they became curious what was on the plate under the lid. After a while, they uncovered the lid of the plate.
"That's it. Now go back where you came from. Do not blame Adam and Eve any more. You have the same amount of curiosity as they did, and besides you cannot appreciate God's grace and gifts." Hans' parents were surprised by the story about the woodcutter couple, and they told Hans to read the same story every night.
One night, Hans read his parents a story about a man who does not know both sadness and dissatisfaction. 'A long time ago, a King became ill, and there was only one cure the underwear of a man who never knew both sadness and dissatisfaction. His subjects visited every king and nobleman of the world searching for the cure, but they could not find it.'
One day, a swineherd was sitting next to a ditch said, "I don't know anything about sadness and dissatisfaction. I have always have been living my life happily." "Give me your underwear. We will give you half of our kingdom in exchange for that." Even though the subjects tried to persuade him, the swineherd did not have underwear to give to the subject of the King. Hans' parents laughed loudly as if they had not laughed for a long time.