B
The first tears
One day, First Man went to the seashore to hunt seals. He saw many seals there. After he picked one, he started to move behind it.
Man was careful not to make too much noise. He was also careful not to let the seal see him. Because of that, he could get close to it.
When Man was about to reach the seal, it slid into the sea. So, he just picked another seal and repeated his actions. However, the same thing happened—the seal got away.
Man did that again and again, but the seals always got away. In the end, there was only one seal on the seashore. Man didn’t want it to get away, so he was really quiet.
However, when he started to move, the seal slid into the sea. Man stood up after that. Then, he got a strange feeling in his chest.
Suddenly, water started to come from his eyes. Also, loud cries came from his mouth. Those actions surprised Man because they never happened before.
Man hurried home, but the water and loud cries didn’t stop. Man’s son saw him on the road near home. So, he called to his mother and his wife.
He told them about Man’s strange noise. When Man got home, his family was surprised. They never saw him like that before.
Man told them about the seals. Then, they had a strange feeling in their chests and water in their eyes. They also joined Man’s loud cries. That day, people learned to cry for the first time.
词汇
seal /siːl/ n. 海豹
make noise 制造噪声
slide /slaɪd/ v. 滑动(过去式 slid)
repeat /rɪˈpiːt/ v. 重复
chest /tʃest/ n. 胸部,胸膛
理解
1. What do we learn about First Man?
He never felt sad before. He even didn’t know how to cry.
2. Why did water start to come from Man's eyes?
Because the seals slid away and Man couldn’t catch them. Maybe he was a bit disappointed or he felt sad.
课外泛读
Unhelpful friends
Bunny the rabbit lived in the forest. He had many friends. He was proud of his friends.
One day Bunny the rabbit heard the loud barking(吠叫) of wild dogs. He was very scared and decided to ask for help. He quickly went to his friend the deer. He said, "Dear friend, some wild dogs are chasing(追赶) me. Can you chase them away with your sharp antlers(鹿角)?"
The deer said, "That is right, I can. But now I am busy. Why don't you ask the bear for help?"
Bunny ran to the bear. "My dear friend, you are very strong. Please help me. Some wild dogs are after me. Please chase them away," he begged(乞求) the bear.
The bear said, "I am sorry. I am hungry and tired. I need to find some food. Please ask the monkey for help."
Poor Bunny went to the monkey, the elephant and the goat. Bunny felt sad that nobody was ready to help him.
He understood that he had to think of a way out by himself. He hid under a bush and lay(平躺) very still. The wild dogs did not find Bunny. They went chasing other animals.
Bunny the rabbit finally made it, not depending on his unhelpful friends.
理解
1. How many animals refused to help Bunny? Who were they?
Five. They were the deer, the bear, the monkey, the elephant and the goat.
2. What do you learn from the story?
Most time we have to learn to depend on ourselves, not on others.
