On Fajiu Hill there grew a lot of mulberry（桑樹） bushes. In the mulberry bushes lived a bird that looked like a crow, but had a colorful head, a white bill and two red claws. Its call sounded like its name: Jingwei. The bird was said to be Emperor Yandi's youngest daughter, who, while playing on the East Sea, had drowned and never returned. She had turned into Jingwei, and the bird would often carry bits of twigs1（細枝） and stones all the way from the west mountains to the East Sea to fill it up.

　　It is so hard for a little bird to fill the sea up in such a way! But it is still commendable2 for its determination and tenacity（韌性，固執(zhí)）.

　　精衛(wèi)是海邊的一種小鳥。這種鳥外表和烏鴉差不多，頭上的羽毛有花紋，嘴巴是白色的，腳是紅色的，叫聲聽上去就像它的名字一樣：Jingwei。這種小鳥有個奇特的習性，就是經(jīng)常把岸上的小樹枝、小石塊用嘴銜著丟到大海里。

　　這種鳥相傳是遠古時代炎帝的小女兒女娃變成的。女娃去東海邊游玩，一去就沒有回家，原來她不幸跌到海里淹死了。女娃死后變成一只鳥兒，就是精衛(wèi)鳥。精衛(wèi)鳥因為東海會淹死人，就發(fā)誓要填平它。于是，不管春夏秋冬，酷暑嚴寒，刮風下雨，精衛(wèi)鳥每天都銜了西山的小樹枝、小石塊，丟到大海里。

　　一只小鳥想用這種辦法填平大海，真是談何容易！不過它有這樣的決心和毅力，卻是難能可貴的。