Page 163 - New Grammar with a Smile 6
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Comprehension
1 How the Turtle
Saved His Life
Read this passage.
A king once had a lake made in the courtyard for the young princes to play in. They
swam about in it and sailed their boats and rafts on it. One day, the king asked the
men to put some fish into the lake. The boys ran to see the fishe in excitement.
Now, along with the fish, there was a turtle. The boys were delighted with the fishes,
but they had never seen a turtle, and they were afraid of it, thinking it was a demon.
They ran back to their father, crying, ‘There is a demon on the bank of the lake.’ The
king ordered his men to catch the demon and bring it to the palace. When the turtle
was brought in, the boys cried and ran away.
The king was very fond of his sons, so he ordered the men who had brought the turtle
to kill it. ‘How shall we kill it?” they asked. ‘Pound it to powder,’ said someone. ‘Bake it
in hot coals,’ said another. So, one plan after another was spoken of. Then an old man
who had always been afraid of the water said, ‘Throw the thing into the lake where it
flows out over the rocks into the river. Then it will surely be killed.’
When the turtle heard what the old man said, he thrust out his head and asked,
‘Friend, what have I done that you should do such a dreadful thing as that to me?
The other plans were bad enough, but to throw me into the lake! Don’t speak of such
a cruel thing!’ When the king heard what the turtle said, he told his men to take the
turtle at once and throw it into the lake. The turtle laughed to himself as he slid away
down the river to his old home. ‘Good!’ he said, ‘those people do not know how safe I
am in the water!’
Select the correct answer for each question.
1. Why did the king have a lake made in the courtyard?
a. for the princes to play in b. to sail boats and rafts on it
c. to put some fish into it d. for the people to wash their clothes
2. Why were the princes excited?
a. They did not have to study. b. They were going for an outing.
c. Fish were added to the lake. d. They had never seen fish before.
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