爱华网有很多英语励志故事都不长，五分钟左右就能看完，那么英语五分钟励志故事都有哪些呢?一起来看看吧。
英语五分钟励志故事：教父
The Godfather
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
A poor man had so many children that he had already asked everyone in the world to be godfather, and when still another child was born, no one else was left whom he could ask. He did not know what to do, and, in his sorrow, he lay down and fell asleep. Then he dreamed that he should go outside the gate and ask the first person he met to be godfather. When he awoke he decided to obey his dream, and he went outside the gate and asked the first person who came his way to be godfather.
The stranger gave him a little bottle of water, and said, "This is miraculous water. You can heal the sick with it. But you must see where Death is standing. If he is standing by the patient's head, give the patient some of the water and he will be healed, but if Death is standing by his feet all efforts will be in vain, for then the sick man must die."
From this time forth, the man could always say whether a patient could be saved or not. He became famous for his skill, and earned a great deal of money. Once he was called in to the king's child, and when he entered, he saw Death standing by the child's head, and he cured it with the water. The same thing happened a second time, but the third time Death was standing by its feet, so the child had to die.
Now the man wanted to visit his godfather one time and tell him what had happened with the water. He entered the house, but the strangest things were going on there. On the first flight of stairs, the dustpan and the broom were fighting, and violently hitting one other.
He asked them, "Where does the godfather live?"
The broom answered, "Up one more flight of stairs."
When he came to the second flight, he saw a heap of dead fingers lying. He asked, "Where does the godfather live?"
One of the fingers answered, "Up one more flight of stairs."
On the third flight lay a heap of dead men's heads, and they directed him still another flight higher. On the fourth flight, he saw fish on the fire, sizzling in a pan and baking themselves. They too said, "Up one more flight of stairs."
And when he had climbed the fifth, he came to the door of a room and peeped through the keyhole. There he saw the godfather who had a pair of long horns. When he opened the door and went in, the godfather quickly got into bed and covered himself up.
The man then said, "Godfather, sir, strange things are going on in your house. When I came to your first flight of stairs, the dustpan and the broom were fighting, and violently hitting one another."
"How stupid you are," said the godfather. "That was the servant-boy and the maid talking to each other."
"But on the second flight I saw dead fingers lying there."
"Oh, how silly you are. Those were some roots of scorzonera."
"On the third flight lay a heap of dead men's heads."
Foolish man, those were heads of cabbage."
"On the fourth flight I saw fish in a pan, which were sizzling and baking themselves." When he had said that, the fish came and served themselves up.
"And when I got to the fifth flight, I peeped through the keyhole of a door, and there, Godfather, I saw you and you had long, long horns."
"Oh, that is not true."
The man became frightened and ran out, and if he had not done so, who knows what the godfather would have done to him?
从前有个人，他孩子太多，已经请过世界上所有的人当孩子们的教父了。可又有个孩子即将出世，显然没人可请了，他不知道如何是好，只好疲惫地躺下睡了。梦中他梦见自己出了门，请遇到的第一个人当孩子的教父。醒来时他决定照梦中的指点办，因而出了大门，在那儿碰到一个陌生人，於是请他当教父。很多年后，教父送给教子一杯水，告诉他：「这是杯神水，可以治好任何人的病。不过你要看清死神站在病人的哪一头，如果站在病人头前，给病人喝点这种水，他就会痊癒;如果他站在病人脚后，一切努力都将白费，他必死无疑。」从此，教子就能判断病人是否有救，并因此出了名，也挣了大钱。有一次国王请他去给他孩子治病，他看到死神站在孩子头前，就用神水治好了孩子的病;第二次也是这样。
第三次死神站到了孩子脚边，他便知道孩子非死不可了。
有一次他想见见这位教父，告诉他自己用神水取得的成就。当他来到教父家时，看到了世界上最古怪的事：扫把和铁锹在头一段楼梯上吵架，并且猛打对方。他问它们：「教父住在哪儿?」扫把回答说：「在很多楼梯上面。」他上到第二段楼梯，看到一堆死手指。他问它们：「教父住在哪儿?」其中一个手指回答说：「再上一层楼。」三楼是一堆死人头，它们也说教父住在上面一层。他在四楼看到各种各样的鱼在火上烤着，它们也说：「再上一层楼。」他来到五楼，看到有扇门，就从锁孔往里看，结果看到了长着两只长长的犄角的教父。他推开门走了进去，教父急忙躺到床上，用被子把自己盖上。这人说：「教父先生，您的房子多奇怪呀!我在一楼看到扫把和铁锹又吵又打。」
「你多愚蠢呀!」教父说：「那是一个小伙子和一个姑娘在说话呢!」「可我在二楼看到很多死人的手指头。」「唉，你真笨!那是一些树根。」「三楼上有一堆死人头呢。」「傻瓜!那些是卷心菜。」「我在四楼看到各种各样的鱼在锅里烧得丝丝作响。」正说着，那些鱼自己走来送给教父了。「我从锁孔往里看的时候，我看到你有两只长长的犄角。」「噢!不可能!」
小伙子警惕起来，赶忙跑了出来。如果不是那样，还不知道教父会把他怎么样呢!
英语五分钟励志故事：特鲁得太太
Frau Trude
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Once upon a time there was a small girl who was strong willed and forward, and whenever her parents said anything to her, she disobeyed them. How could anything go well with her?
One day she said to her parents: "I have heard so much about Frau Trude. Someday I want to go to her place. People say such amazing things are seen there, and such strange things happen there, that I have become very curious.
Her parents strictly forbade her, saying: "Frau Trude is a wicked woman who commits godless acts. If you go there, you will no longer be our child.
But the girl paid no attention to her parents and went to Frau Trude's place anyway.
When she arrived there, Frau Trude asked: "Why are you so pale?"
"Oh," she answered, trembling all over, "I saw something that frightened me."
"What did you see?"
"I saw a black man on your steps."
"That was a charcoal burner."
"Then I saw a green man."
"That was a huntsman."
"Then I saw a blood-red man."
"That was a butcher."
"Oh, Frau Trude, it frightened me when I looked through your window and could not see you, but instead saw the devil with a head of fire."
"Aha!" she said. "So you saw the witch properly outfitted. I have been waiting for you and wanting you for a long time. Light the way for me now!"
With that she turned to girl into a block of wood and threw it into the fire. When it was thoroughly aglow she sat down next to it, and warmed herself by it, saying: "It gives such a bright light!"
从前，有个又固执好奇心又强的小姑娘，无论她父母要她干甚么她总是不服从。这样的孩子会有甚么好结果呢?
有一天她问父母：「我总听人们说起特鲁得太太，说她的一切都与众不同，她家里尽是些希奇古怪的东西。我太好奇了，哪天我一定得去看看。」她父母坚决反对，说：「特鲁得是个坏女人，尽干坏事。你要是去了就不是我们的孩子了。」可是姑娘并没因父母的阻止而回心转意。当她来到特鲁得太太家时，特鲁得问她：「你的脸色怎么这么苍白啊?」「唉呀，」她浑身发抖地回答说，「我被见到的那些东西吓坏了。」「你看到什么了?」「我在台阶上看到一个黑色的人。」「那是烧炭的。」「后来看到一个绿色的人。」「那是猎人。」「后来还看到一个血红血红的人。」「那是屠夫。」「唉呀，特鲁得太太，我从窗口望进来，看到的不是你，而是火头魔鬼本人。我不会看错的，真吓死了!」
「哦!」特鲁得说，「看来你的确看到了穿着平常服饰的巫婆了。我早就想要你了，已等了这么久，你可以让我这儿亮一点呢。」说罢将姑娘变成了一段木头，扔进了火堆。木头熊熊燃烧起来，巫婆靠近火堆取暖，说：「它亮一阵子就会熄灭的。」
英语五分钟励志故事：死神教父
Godfather Death
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
A poor man had twelve children and had to work day and night in order just to feed them. Thus when the thirteenth came into the world, not knowing what to do in his need, he ran out into the highway, intending to ask the first person whom he met to be the godfather.
The first person who came his way was our dear God, who already knew what was in his heart, and God said to him, "Poor man, I pity you. I will hold your child at his baptism, and care for him, and make him happy on earth."
The man said, "Who are you?"
"I am God."
"Then I do not wish to have you for a godfather," said the man. "You give to the rich, and let the poor starve."
Thus spoke the man, for he did not know how wisely God divides out wealth and poverty. Then he turned away from the Lord, and went on his way.
Then the devil came to him and said, "What are you looking for? If you will take me as your child's godfather, I will give him an abundance of gold and all the joys of the world as well."
The man asked, "Who are you?"
"I am the devil."
"Then I do not wish to have you for a godfather," said the man. You deceive mankind and lead them astray."
He went on his way, and then Death, on his withered legs, came walking toward him, and said, "Take me as your child's godfather."
The man asked, "Who are you?"
"I am Death, who makes everyone equal."
Then the man said, "You are the right one. You take away the rich as well as the poor, without distinction. You shall be my child's godfather.
Death answered, "I will make your child rich and famous, for he who has me for a friend cannot fail."
The man said, "Next Sunday is the baptism. Be there on time."
Death appeared as he had promised, and served as godfather in an orderly manner.
After the boy came of age his godfather appeared to him one day and asked him to go with him. He took him out into the woods and showed him an herb that grew there, saying, "Now you shall receive your godfather's present. I will turn you into a famous physician. Whenever you are called to a sick person I will appear to you. If I stand at the sick person's head, you may say with confidence that you can make him well again; then give him some of this herb, and he will recover. But if I stand at the sick person's feet, he is mine, and you must say that he is beyond help, and that no physician in the world could save him. But beware of using this herb against my will, or something very bad will happen to you."
It was not long before the young man had become the most famous physician in the whole world. People said of him, "He only needs to look at the sick in order to immediately know their condition, whether they will regain their health, or are doomed to die." And people came to him from far and wide, taking him to their sick, and giving him so much money that he soon became a wealthy man.
Now it came to pass that the king became ill. The physician was summoned and was told to say if a recovery were possible. However, when he approached the bed, Death was standing at the sick man's feet, and so no herb on earth would be able to help him.
"If I could only deceive death for once," thought the physician. "He will be angry, of course, but because I am his godson he will shut one eye. I will risk it." He therefore took hold of the sick man and laid him the other way around, so that Death was now standing at his head. Then he gave the king some of the herb, and he recovered and became healthy again.
However, Death came to the physician, made a dark and angry face, threatened him with his finger, and said, "You have betrayed me. I will overlook it this time because you are my godson, but if you dare to do it again, it will cost you your neck, for I will take you yourself away with me."
Soon afterward the king's daughter became seriously ill. She was his only child, and he cried day and night until his eyes were going blind. Then he proclaimed that whosoever rescued her from death should become her husband and inherit the crown.
When the physician came to the sick girl's bed he saw Death at her feet. He should have remembered his godfather's warning, but he was so infatuated by the princess's great beauty and the prospect of becoming her husband that he threw all thought to the winds. He did not see that Death was looking at him angrily, lifting his hand into the air, and threatening him with his withered fist. He lifted up the sick girl and placed her head where her feet had been. Then he gave her some of the herb, and her cheeks immediately turned red, and life stirred in her once again.
Death, seeing that he had been cheated out of his property for a second time, approached the physician with long strides and said, "You are finished. Now it is your turn."
Then Death seized him so firmly with his ice-cold hand that he could not resist, and led him into an underground cavern. There the physician saw how thousands and thousands of candles were burning in endless rows, some large, others medium-sized, others small. Every instant some died out, and others were relit, so that the little flames seemed to be jumping about in constant change.
"See," said Death, "these are the life-lights of mankind. The large ones belong to children, the medium-sized ones to married people in their best years, and the little ones to old people. However, even children and young people often have only a tiny candle."
"Show me my life-light," said the physician, thinking that it still would be very large.
Death pointed to a little stump that was just threatening to go out, and said, "See, there it is."
"Oh, dear godfather," said the horrified physician, "light a new one for me. Do it as a favor to me, so that I can enjoy my life, and become king and the husband of the beautiful princess."
"I cannot," answered Death. "One must go out before a new one is lighted."
"Then set the old one onto a new one that will go on burning after the old one is finished," begged the physician.
Death pretended that he was going to fulfill this wish and took hold of a large new candle, but, desiring revenge, he purposely made a mistake in relighting it, and the little piece fell down and went out. The physician immediately fell to the ground, and he too was now in the hands of Death.
从前有一个穷人，他有十二个孩子。他必须起早贪黑地干活才能养活他们。眼看第十三个孩子又要出世了，他在困境中一筹莫展，不知所措。他来到大路上，想请他碰到的第一个人在孩子命名受洗时当他的教父。他首先遇到的是仁慈的上帝。上帝已经知道他的心事，便对他说：「可怜的人，我怜悯你。让我当你孩子的教父吧，我会照应他，给他带来人世间的幸福。」
穷人问：「你是谁?」
「我是仁慈的上帝。」
穷人便说：「那我就不求你给孩子做教父了。你把甚么都给了富人，而让穷人挨饿。」说完转身继续朝前走。不久他遇到了魔鬼。魔鬼说：「你还找甚么?只要你让我给孩子当教父，我会给他用不完的金子，让他享受世界上一切欢乐。」
穷人问：「你是谁?」
「我是魔鬼。」
穷人便说：「那我不愿意你给孩子做教父，你骗人，并且害人。」说着继续朝前走。瘦骨嶙峋的死神朝他大步走来，说：
「让我做孩子的教父吧。」
穷人问：「你是谁?」
「我是使人人平等的死神。」
穷人便说：「那我就让你给孩子做教父吧。」
