Lesson 5 The Hare and the Tortoise

1、A hare, very proud of her speed,once ran a race with a tortoise. In a moment the hare got far before her rival, who, with his heavy shell on his back, could move only at a very slow pace.

2、“Ha! ha!” laughed the hare, as she stopped half-way to glance back at the tortoise creeping on far behind;“if you don’t walk a little faster, my friend, I’ll be half over the country before you reach the end of the field.”

3、The tortoise said not a word, but walked on.

4、“Really,” said the saucy hare, “if I were to hop on three legs I should get on much faster than you do! I think that I’ll take a short nap. If you were but a yard from the goal, I could overtake you with a few bounds.”

5、So the hare lay down on the grass, and soon fell fast asleep. She heard not the little feet of the tortoise, as he came creeping up to the place; she saw him not as he went steadily on, never stopping to look behind.

6、Presently the hare awoke, and sprang up, ready to dart on like the wind. “Where is the tortoise?” cried she.

7“Here,” cried a voice from the end of the field; “slow and steady has won the race!”

(225 words)

Exercises

Ⅰ. How well did you read?

1. [Draw a conclusion] We can learn from the passage that _____ won the race at last.

A. the hare B. the tortoise C. neither

2. [Give the reason] Why did the hare lose the race?

A. Because he fell asleep on the way.

B. Because he looked down upon the slow tortoise.

C. Because he was too sure and proud of himself.

Ⅱ. Read for words.

Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words or expressions.

1. In a moment the hare got far before her rival, who, with his heavy shell on his back, could move only at a very slow pace. (Para. 1, line 4)

A. 敌人 B. 朋友 C. 对手

2. “Ha! ha!” laughed the hare, as she stopped half-way to (1)glance back at the tortoise (2) creeping on far behind. (Para. 2, line 2; Para. 2, line 3)

(1) A. look B. turn C. go

(2) A. moving quickly B. moving slowly C. running

3. If you were but a yard from the goal, I could overtake you with a few bounds.(Para. 4, line 3)

A. 超过 B. 追上 C. 陪伴