Lesson 35 Text A A Proud Linguist
Once upon a time there was an Austrian emperor who made it a rule to interview
every one of his soldiers once a year. During the interviews he invariably
asked three questions- How old areyou, How long have you been in my army and
Are you satisfied with your pay and the food you get -in that order.
One year, the day before the imperial interviews, a Frenchman got himself
enlisted in the Austrian army. Since he knew no German he was on tenterhooks.
Now there was an old soldier in his unit who knew a little French and was
anxious to help. In fact he knew just about enough French to be able to teach
his young friend the shortest possible answers, in the proper order , to the
imperial questions.
The day arrived with all the sound and colour that befitted it. The Emperor in
all his splendour was seated on the throne, his entourage attending
respectfully in. the background. The soldiers filed past him, each taking
barely half a minute during which time the questions were asked and the answers
reverently provided.
When the Frenchmans turn came, far from being nerous he was sure of himself,
havi.ng recited the answers, in the proper order, he did not know how many
times. The Emperor looked at him long and hard and suddenly took it into his
head that he had seen the young man somewhere before. He began, a little out of
the usual order, with the second question;
How long have you been in my army
Twenty-one years , replied the Frenchman , not without some pride in his
ability to learn a foreign language so quickly and so well.
The monarch was surprised, for the young man did not look very much older than
that , but he went on to ask:
Then how old are you
One day, came the answer.
That was too much for the Emperor, who sat back and muttered .
Well , well. That beats me. It seems either you're mad or I am.
Positive that that was the last of the imperial questions, the proud linguist
stepped forward and with a smile said:
Both, your majesty.
Text B What Am I Going to Do
Mr Davidson is standing outside his house. He has forgotten to bring his key
with him. Henry Black and John Field walk past and they say Hello to Mr
Davidson. MR DAvIDSON: Hello, boys. Can you help me I've forgotten my key and
I can't get in.
JOHN AND HENRY: Well try our best , Mr Davidson.
MR DAVIDSON: You'reboth taller than me, arent you
JoHN: Yes , I'm over five foot ten. I'm the tallest of the three of us.
HENRY: But I'm almost as tall as John.
MR DAVIDSON: Can you climb on Johns shoulders and reach that window
HENRY: All right. (He climbs on Johns shoulders. ) What shall I do now
MR DAVIDSON: Open the window, please, and climb through it into the house.
HENRY: Oh dear , I can't move it . It's fastened in side.
MR DAVIDSON: Can you break the window
JoHN: Look ! Theres a policeman ! Hes coming towards us.
Question on Text B
7. Read the following passage once. Underline the key words while reading
and retell the story to your partner. Adventure at Midnight
Long ago there 1 ived two brothers who were very poor. They lived in tiny huts
at opposite sides of their large wheat field. At the end of each summer, when
harvest time came, the brothers divided the grain they had grown into two equal
parts. Some of it they took to be milled into flour, from which they baked
bread. The rest was sold for money, with which they bought shoes, clothing, and
tools.
Although they toiled from sunup to sundown, six days a week, they hardly had
enough to eat. In spite of this, they were happy because of their great love
for one another.
But one year, Sirnon, the younger brother. felt a great sadness.
His wife said, Tell me what is making you so blue You no longer sing while you
work, and the twinkle is gone from your eye.
You are right , dear wife. I am worried about my older brother , Ruben. He is
alone in the world, with neither wife nor children. Who will care for him when
he gets old and can no longer work If only he had some money to save for his
old age! It isnt fair that we share the harvest equally. But he is proud and
will not accept gifts from me. What shall I do
Would you take food from your own children She asked in astonishment. There is
nothing you can do, she said. So forget it.
Simon knew that his wife was right , but he was determined to help Ruben, come
what might.
Meanwhile, Ruben was sitting under a tree, thinking deeply. When he noticed a
bird on the way to it's winter home, he said, that bird and I are fortunate
because we are free. Neither of us has a wife and children always needing to be
fed. But my poor brother, Simon, is burdened with a family.
Itisnt fair that we share the harvest equally. Surely he deserves more than I!
But he is very proud and will not accept gifts from me. What can I do In
several days well take our harvest to town. If I don't think of a plan soon,
it will be too late.
That night. when the moon was high in the sky, Ruben went quietly to his barn
where he filled a sack with wheatand put in on his shoulder. Then he crossed
the empty field to his brothers hut and secretly placed his wheat with
Simons.
Ah. he said when he had finished, this is better. Now my dear younger brother
will have more than I.
Ruben went happily back to his hut and slept soundly for the first time in
wceks.
An hour later, Simon woke up with a start. He had dreamed of a marvelous plan.
He crept out of bed, got dressed, and went to his barn. Filling a sack with
wheat., walking across the field to Rubens hut, and placing it there took very
little time. Before long, he was back in bed, pulling up the covers.
Now I can sleep peacefully, he thought, because Ruben will have a little extra
to save for his old age.
The next morning Ruhen and Simon were amazed. How could this be hheir piles
were equal, yet each knew he had secretly given wheat to his brother. Something
must have gone wrong.
So that night Ruben waited until midnight, when he again took Simon some of his
grain. There! Now I am fully awake and I'm sure I put it on his pile. Tomorrow
mine will be smaller and his larger, as it should be.
A short time later, Simon did the same. He, too, was sure that all would be
well this time.
But when day dawned, each brother saw that his share was exactly half the
harvest. Ruben and Simon were desperate. Tomorrow they were to go to town to
sell their grain. Tonight was their last chance.
Midnight came again. But this time Ruben and Simon chose the same moment to
carry out their mission of brotherly love. Each placed a sack of wheat on his
shoulders and began to walk across the field. Halfway across they met.
Ruben! What are you doing out so late at night cried Simon in dismay. He tried
to hide his sack.
Startled, Ruben dropped his bundle. Then he saw Simons sack and they both
began to laugh. When they finished laughing, they hugged each other tightly.
Their hearts were full of love for each other and they were content.
[來源: _t_i_n_g_c_l_a_s_s]