奇速英语

Once in a small village, there lived a poor man. He was very learned, but did nothing all day. He lived on the alms (施舍物) the villagers gave him every day.

One day, as usual, the man got up early and set out to beg for alms. As he went from door to door, people gave him several things. Some gave him beans. Others gave him rice and yet others gave him vegetables. But one kind lady gave the man a lot of flour. “Ah! What good luck. I will not have to beg for alms for a long time,” thought the man.

He went home and cooked his lunch. After he had eaten, the man put the flour into a large pot and hung it near his bed. “Now, it will be safe from rats,” he said to himself as he lay down for an afternoon rest. 

He began to think, “I will save this flour until there is a famine (饥荒). Then I will sell it at a very good price. With that, I will buy a pair of goats. Very soon, I will have a large flock of goats. With their milk, I will make more money. Then I will buy a cow and a bull (公牛). Very soon I will also have a large herd of cows. Their milk will bring me a lot of money. I will become very wealthy. I will build a huge palace and get married to a beautiful woman. Then we will have a little son...”

The man threw out his leg up. His foot hit the pot of flour hanging over his head and it came down, spilling (洒出) the flour all over the dirty floor. The lazy man realized that his foolishness had cost him a lot of flour. The laziness and foolishness taught him a lesson. Thereafter he lived an active life.