Like most cultures around the world, the Zulu people of Africa tell stories that have animals as heroes. These stories are meant to have fun, but they are also used to teach important lessons to children. This is one of those stories.
One hot afternoon, Jackal was walking along the rocky road sniffing (嗅) the ground. He was hoping to smell a mouse or a lizard (蜥蜴), or something else that would be good to eat. He was so much lost in sniffing that he wasn’t really paying attention to what was around himself.
Suddenly, Jackal looked up to see his neighbor, Lion, walking straight toward him. He did not have enough time to run way. Jackal had played many tricks on Lion over the years, so he knew he would be in trouble if he was caught. Jackal needed to think of something quickly.
“Help! Help!” cried Jackal as he quickly jumped upon a large rock hanging over the road. “The rocks are falling down, and I can’t hold them much longer. We shall both be crushed (压碎) if you do not do your best to hold these rocks back, Lion”
At once, Lion pushed his strong shoulder against the rocks to keep them from moving any further. “I’ll just run over here to get something to stop the rocks.” shouted Jackal as he ran way to safety. Lion stayed leaning against the unmoving rocks for quite a long time before he realized that Jackal had tricked him yet again!
小题1: Why was Jackal sniffing the ground?
A．To play with Lion.
B．To push a rock
C．To run after a mouse
D．To look for something to eat.小题2:What does the underlined word ‘leaning’ mean?
A．supporting
B．sleeping
C．running
D．sitting小题3: Why did Jackal cry for help?
A．Because Lion was rushing to him.
B．Because he was caught under a rock.
C．Because he got an idea to get away from Lion.
D．Because he saw a large rock moving toward him.小题4: What lesson does the story teach us?
A．Trust（信任） your friend, trust yourself
B．Work hard, and you’ll succeed.
C．Help others when they are in trouble.
D．Try to find a quick way out when in trouble.小题5:Which words can describe Jackal’s characteristics?
A．selfish and stubborn
B．silly and unkind
C．clever and creative
D．impolite and dishonest
