One fine winter day, some ants were working in the field. They were very busy. Just then a grasshopper(虾蜢)passed by.
"Good day, kind ants," said the grasshopper. I am very hungry. Could you lend me a little food? I have nothing to eat. I will pay you before the next autumn.
"You have no food of your own? Why did you not gather(收集)any food during the summer? You know there was much food in the field last summer. What were you doing then?" asked an old ant.
The grasshopper answered:" I was singing all day and night during the summer. And so I had no time to gather any food. Please lend me some food."
"Well, then," said the ant. "You could sing all the summer. You also could dance all the winter. You only played and did not work during the summer. We'll never lend you any food."
The ants went on working in the field. The grasshopper didn't borrow any food. He had to go angrily. In that winter, the grasshopper died in his own home because of hunger.