A Greedy Story

王晴

In a history lesson， one student asked Mr. Brown what the greed was. He told a wonderful story about it.

A king would have a big dinner party on Monday， so he got all kinds of dishes prepared. But he couldnt get one special fish. He told everyone whoever brought that fish， he would get a beautiful reward.

Many fishermen tried but they couldnt find that fish. Just the day before the party a fisherman came with that fish. At the gate， the gatekeeper asked the reason. When the fisherman told him about the fish and reward， he said he would allow him in if he promised to give him half the reward. The fisherman agreed.

The king was pretty pleased with the fish and planned to give him lots of money， but the fisherman refused. Instead he wanted a hundred lashes. King was surprised but the fisherman kept on. King had to ask someone to do it. When the fisherman received fifty， he asked him to stop. “I promised the gatekeeper to share the half of reward.” He explained everything.

The king understood and gave the gatekeeper fifty lashes. Of course he also asked the gatekeeper to leave the palace. The fisherman also got a beautiful prize finally.

The teacher told the student greed can cause a terrible result.

Word bank： greed n. 貪婪 reward n. 奖赏 fisherman n. 渔人 gatekeeper n. 守门人 lash n. 抽打  palace n. 宫殿

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。

1. When did the fisherman come to king with the fish？

A. On Saturday. B. On Sunday. C. On Monday. D. On Tuesday.

2. What did the gatekeeper really want？

A. Fifty lashes. B. That fish. C. A good job. D. Much money.

3. What happened to the gatekeeper finally？

A. He got fifty lashes. B. He got a better job.

C. He made friends with the fisherman. D. He got a lot of money.

4. Why did the fisherman ask for a hundred lashes？

A. He liked the lashes very much. B. He disliked the king very much.

C. He wanted to give the gatekeeper a lesson. D. He thought the king was unhappy.

5. What did the fisherman get at last？

A. The job as a gatekeeper. B. The cook in the palace.

C. A beautiful room in the palace. D. A lot of money.