《丑小鸭》的英文版故事标题为 “The Ugly Duckling”，以下是故事的开头部分：
Once upon a time, in a far-off country, there was a farm where a mother duck and her husband lived. They were very happy, and every year they hatched a number of little ducks. One day, the mother duck laid an egg, and to her great surprise, it was much larger than the others. She waited and waited, but nothing happened. Finally, after a long time, the egg hatched, and out came a very strange-looking duckling.
This duckling was not like the other ducklings. It was not white, nor was it black, nor was it gray. It was a strange, ugly creature, with a curly tail and webbed feet. The other ducklings laughed at it and called it “Ugly Duckling.” The mother duck tried to protect her new baby, but the other birds were cruel, and the Ugly Duckling felt very lonely.
The Ugly Duckling grew up, and it was still very ugly. It could not fly with the other ducks, and it could not swim as well as they could. It was always left out of the games and was often teased. The Ugly Duckling felt sad and unwanted.
One day, the Ugly Duckling decided to leave the farm. It wandered through the forest, searching for a place where it could belong. It met many animals, but none of them would accept it. It was too different, too ugly.
One winter, the Ugly Duckling found itself in a cold, snowy place. It was very hungry and tired. It huddled in a corner, trying to keep warm. Then, something wonderful happened. The snow began to melt, and the Ugly Duckling saw the reflection of a beautiful swan in the water. It was the most beautiful creature it had ever seen.
The Ugly Duckling realized that it was not ugly at all. It was a swan! It had been a swan all along, but it had not known it. The Ugly Duckling flew up to the sky and joined the other swans. It was happy at last, and it knew that it had always belonged.
And so, the Ugly Duckling became a beautiful swan, and it lived happily ever after.
这个故事由丹麦作家汉斯·克里斯蒂安·安徒生（Hans Christian Andersen）创作，是世界上最著名的童话之一。
