Passage 10 The king and Effendi
Once Effendi had a joke with the Prime Minister. He said that the Minister would die the next day. The next day, the Minister fell to the ground from the horse and really died. When the king learned this, he got angry and sent his men to catch Effendi at once.
When Effendi was brought to him, the king shouted angrily, "Effendi, since you knew when my Minister would die, you must know the date of your own death. Say it out, or you'll die today."
Effendi looked at the king for a while. Then he answered, "But how can I know? I'll die two days earlier than you." The king was afraid that if he killed Effendi, he himself would die after that. He thought he must keep Effendi alive as long as possible, so he let Effendi go.
名师在线
1.He said that the Minister would die the next day. 他说宰相第二天会死。
这是一个含有宾语从句的复合句。主句的主语是“He”，主句的谓语是“said”，宾语是从句“the Minister would die the next day”。
2.When Effendi was brought to him…当阿凡提被带到他面前时……
这句话用到了一般过去时的被动语态，其结构是“was/were+动词的过去分词”，表示“被……”。“was brought”的意思是“被带”。
词汇卡
since/sɪns/conj.既然
Prime Minister宰相
快乐练习
一、补全下列短语，每空限填一词。
1.have a joke______him
2.fell______the ground
3.send a man________catch the horse
4.the date_____your birth
5.______quickly as possible
二、根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
( )1.Effendi had a joke with_________.
A.the king
B.himself
C.the Prime Minister
( )2.—How did the Prime Minister die?—_________.
A.Effendi said he would die
B.Effendi killed him
C.He fell to the ground from the horse
( )3. When the Minister died, the king was_________.
A.angry
B.afraid
C.happy
( )4.—Did Effendi know the date of his own death?—_________.
A.No, he doesn't
B.No, he didn't
C.Yes, he did
( )5. The king let Effendi go, because_________.
A.the Prime Minister and Effendi were good friends
B.Effendi was a clever man
C.he was afraid that if he killed Effendi, he himself would die after that
趣味文化
英国首相
在封建时代的英国也曾经存在“一人之下、万人之上”的官职——首相。当国王身处海外时，需要有人来维持英格兰的统治，于是首相应运而生。起初首相这个职位不常设，只有国王不在时首相才掌管王国的行政事务，一旦国王返回便撤去其权力。从威廉二世起，首相成为一个常设官职。