In the state of Qin, there was a man called Shang Yang. He was a statesman (政治家) and worked out many reforms (改革), like focusing (关注) on farming and giving rewards (奖励) to soldiers who were successful at war. But this reforms were not easily carried out at first. Most people didn’t trust Shang.
To solve this problem, Shang came up with an idea. He put a thin wooden pole (杆子) at the south gate of the capital of Qin. Many people came to see him.
Then, in front of the crowd, he said loudly: “Anyone who can move the pole to the north gate will get 10 gold pieces.”
It was a simple job and the reward was large. However, some time passed and no one stepped forward. They all thought Shang was joking.
Hearing no answer, Shang stepped forward and said, “The reward now goes to 50 gold pieces.”
This offer was unbelievable. Finally, a man from the crowd came forward. He put the pole on his shoulders and walked to the north gate. True to his word, Shang gave the man 50 gold pieces.
After that, the people of Qin were all talking about what Shang did at the south gate. They believed he was a man of his word. So when Shang began carrying out his reforms, the people followed him. Under these great reforms, Qin grew strong and unified all the states, becoming the first empire of China.
Credibility (诚信) is very important for everyone. It will help people believe what they say and respect them.
21. What did Shang Yang’s reforms focus on?
A.Farming. |
B.Giving rewards to soldiers though they were not successful. |
C.How to carry them out. |
D.How to make people trust him. |
22. Why did Shang Yang give gold to the person?
A.He needed the pole to be at the north gate. |
B.He wanted people to know he could keep his promises. |
C.He wanted to teach people a valuable lesson. |
D.He was going to introduce his reforms at the north gate. |
23. What does the underlined word “unified” mean?
24. What’s the main idea of this story?
A.Money talks. | B.Reforms are important. |
C.Keeping promises can earn people’s trust. | D.Earning people’s trust is never easy. |
25. In which part of a magazine can we read the material?
A.Travel. | B.Sports. | C.People. | D.Music. |