One day a famous teacher was walking with his student. On the way, they saw a lake. They stopped and the teacher told the student, “I’m thirsty. Get me some water from that lake.”
Just when the student reached the lake, a cow was walking in the lake. So the water became very dirty. He thought, “I can’t give the dirty water to my teacher!”
He came back and told the teacher, “The water is very dirty. We can’t drink it.” After about half an hour, the teacher asked the student to get some water again. So he went back to the lake.
But the lake was still dirty. So he told the teacher the same thing. After some time, the teacher asked him to go back again. But this time, he found the water was clear. The mud (泥) in the water came to the bottom. So he got some water.
The teacher looked at the water and said to him, “You did nothing to make the water clear. You just let it be... Your mind is also like that! When it is bothered (被打扰), just let it be. Give it some time.”
1. One day the teacher asked his student to get some water to drink.2. The water in the lake became very dirty because the cow was walking in the lake.
3. The student only went to the lake twice.
4. The teacher made the dirty water clear.
5. The story tells us that we should do nothing when our mind is bothered.
2 . The Choking Dog
Joanne beat impatiently on the steering wheel of her Mercedes sports car. Now she was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5:30 p.m., and at 6:30 she was expected to hold a meeting of the tennis club.
At last, the traffic was moving, and she switched quickly to the fast lane to get home.After she parked her car, she leapt out of the car and ran for the house. As she opened the door, she almost knocked down Sheba, her dog, who was standing behind it.
She bent down to stroke the large Alsatian dog’s head, “I have to go now.” Sheba was coughing or choking as if she was trying to vomit something. She was obviously in real discomfort, and her sad eyes gazed at Joanne helplessly. Joanne examined the dog closely, and Sheba did look very sick. Joanne realized that it is necessary to take her to the vet immediately. Fortunately, the vet’s surgery is not far. Joanne quickly loaded the coughing and choking dog and took her to the vet.
As soon as she arrived at Dr. Sterne’s place, he brought her immediately into his office.
“Something is stuck in her throat,” said Dr. Sterne.
“Doctor, I have to go back to get changed for an emergent meeting. I’ll be back in ten minutes to pick her up, OK?”
“Sure,” said the doctor.
Joanne hurriedly went back to her home. As she entered the door, the phone rang.
“This is Dr. Sterne. I'm coming with the police. Wait outside for us.” said the doctor with fear in his voice. Joanne was confused and also a little frightened.
When she ran into the street, two policemen were getting out of their car. After briefly checking that she was the owner of the house, they ran into the house, without explaining anything. Joanne was completely confused and very frightened. Then the doctor arrived.
“Where’s Sheba? Is she OK?’’ shouted Joanne.
“She’s fine, Joanne. I extracted the thing which was choking her.”
“Why are the police in my house?”
Just then, the two policemen reappeared from the house, half-carrying a white-faced man who could hardly walk and with blood all over him.
“How did he get in there?”
“I think he must be a burglar,” said the doctor. “I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba’s throat, it turned out to be three human fingers. I don’t think he’s a very happy burglar.”
Circle the correct letter of the answer.
1. Why was Joanne impatient at the beginning of the story？
| A．She was lost. |
| B．She had lost a client at work. |
| C．She was stuck in a traffic jam. |
| D．Her dog was sick. |
| A．It was time for Sheba’s checkup. |
| B．The dog couldn’t breathe properly. |
| C．She wanted to get her out of the house. |
| D．The doctor had asked to see her. |
| A．The police arrived. |
| B．The phone rang. |
| C．The dog died. |
| D．A burglar was just escaping. |
| A．stared | B．cried | C．barked | D．laughed |
Direct speech and reported speech
Change the following direct speech into reported speech.
5. “Something is stuck in her throat,” said Dr. Sterne.
Answer questions in complete sentences and in your own words.
6. Use two or three sentences to describe what happened between the dog and the burglar.
7. What are the consequences of burgling?
8. Why did the doctor ask Joanne to wait outside her house?
