Lesson 14 The Story-teller

Peter Pindar was a great storyteller. One day, as he was going by the school, the children gathered around him.

They said, “Please tell us a story we have never heard.” Ned said, “Tell us something about boys and dogs.”

“Well,” said Peter, “I love to please good children, and, as you all appear^① civil^②, I will tell you a new story and it shall be about a boy and some dogs, as Ned asks.”

“But before we begin, let us sit down in a cool, shady^③ place. And now, John, you must be as still as a little mouse. Mary, you must not let Towser bark or make a noise.”

“A long way from this place, there is a land where it is very cold, and much snow falls.”

“The hills are very high there, and travelers are often lost among them. There are men there who keep large dogs. These are taught to hunt for people lost in the snow.”

“The dogs have so fine a scent^④ that they can find persons by that alone.”

“Sometimes it is so dark that they can not see anything. Those who are lost often lie hid in the snowdrifts^⑤.”

“One cold, bleak night, the snow fell fast, and the wind blew loud and shrill^⑥. It was quite dark. Not a star was to be seen in the sky.”

“These good men sent out a dog to hunt for those who might want help. In an hour or two, the dog was heard coming back.”

“On looking out, they saw him with a boy on his back. The poor child was stiff^⑦ with cold. He could just hold on to the dog’s back.”

“He had lain for a long time in the snow, and was too weak to walk.”

“He felt something pull him by the coat, and heard the bark of a dog. He put out his hand, and felt the dog. The dog gave him another pull.”

“This gave the poor boy some hope, and he took hold of^⑧ the dog. He drew himself out of the snow, but he could not stand or walk.”

“He got on the dog’s back, and put his arms round the dog’s neck, and held on. He felt sure that the dog did not mean^⑨ to do him any harm.”

“Thus he rode all the way to the good men’s house.”

“They took care of him till the snow was gone. Then they sent him to his home.”

(431 words)

Notes

① appear [?'p??(r)] vi. 出現，顯現

② civil ['s?vl] adj. 公民的；文明的，有禮貌的

③ shady ['?e?d?] adj. 背陰的；隱蔽的

④ scent [sent] n. 香味；嗅覺；（動物的）臭跡；蹤跡

⑤ snowdrift ['sn??dr?ft] n.（被風吹成的）雪堆

⑥ shrill [?r?l] adv. 尖銳地

adj.（聲音）尖銳的；刺耳的；刺激的

vt. 以尖聲的方式說出；尖叫

vi. 尖叫；發出一種尖銳的聲音

⑦ stiff [st?f] adj. 僵硬的

⑧ take hold of 握住；吸引； 對…有影響力

⑨ mean [mi?n] v. 表示…的意思；意思是；打算

adj. 吝嗇的；刻薄的；殘忍的

Exercises

Ⅰ. How well did you read?

1. [Grasp the main idea] What was the story about ?

A. Peter Pindar was a great story-teller.

B. How did a dog save a boy.

C. How did Mary and John save a boy.

2. [See the result] Who did the dog save in the snow?

A. The story-teller.                 B. A boy.                     C. A girl.

3. [Note the reason] Why were travelers often lost in the hills?

A. Because they hadn’t been there before.

B. Because the hill was too far away.

C. Because the hill w as too high.

4. [Give the reason] Why could the dog fi nd the man lost in the snow?

A. They were taught to fi nd people by nose.

B. They were taught to fi nd people by color.

C. They were taught to fi nd people by snow drifts.

5. [Note the fact] How did the boy know the dog wanted to save him?

A. He saw the dog.

B. He felt something pull his hand.

C. He felt something pull him by the coat.

Ⅱ. Read for words.

Choose the best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words or expressions.

1. Peter Pindar was a great story-teller. One day, as he was going by the school, the children gathered around him. (Para. 1, Line 3)

A. came together as a group

B. collected something

C. became faster

2. And now, John, you must be as still as a little mouse. (Para. 4, Line 2)

A.仍舊                     B. 還是                    C. 不動的

3. He put out his hand, and felt the dog. The dog gave him another pull. (Para. 13, Line 1)

A. made sth. disappear                         B. held out                         C. published sth.

Ⅲ. Writing practice.

Answer these questions in note form to get your points:

1. What was the weather like when the dog was sent out?

2. Why did the good man send out the dog?

3. When did the dog come back?

4. What did the dog take with it when it came back?

5. Who was the hero?

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