Page 118 - New Grammar with a Smile 4

How the Elephant
4

Got a Long Trunk

Read the short story.

Many years ago, elephants had small trunks. One year,
it did not rain. The ponds and lakes began to dry up, and
the streams had very little water. All the animals in the
forest were very thirsty. A river flowed not very far away
from the forest. An elephant decided to go there in search
of water.

Walking slowly, he finally reached the river. There
lived a bright green crocodile in the river. As he saw the

elephant, he cried, ‘Go away! Water is already scarce
here. If you start drinking, what will be left for me?’ The
elephant did not want to pick a fight with the crocodile.
So, he decided to come back to the river when the
crocodile would be sleeping.

Soon the elephant found the crocodile resting on a rock. Seeing this, the elephant went
to the river silently and began to drink water.

Suddenly, the crocodile noticed the elephant. ‘How dare you drink from my river when
you were told not to?’ he cried.

He caught the elephant’s trunk and began to pull him into the river. The poor elephant
started to pull back, crying, ‘Let go of me, please! My nose hurts!’

But the crocodile showed no mercy. Then, with a mighty jerk, the elephant succeeded in
freeing his trunk from the crocodile. However, in the tug of war, the elephant’s nose had
become really long! Angry, the elephant sucked all the water from the river. Then, he
sucked some mud and sprayed it on the crocodile. Since then, elephants have long trunks
and crocodiles are not bright green anymore.

\Choose the correct option.

1. Many years ago, elephants had .

a. small tusks b. small trunks c. small ears d. small tails

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