A Lesson from the Elder

Grandfather was an elder Cherokee Native American who had a wrinkled, nut brown face and kind dark eyes. His grandson often came in the evening to sit on his knee and asked the many questions that children would ask.

One day the grandson came to his grandfather with a look of anger on his face and the following story. “Father and I went to the store today and because I helped him, he bought me a present---a jack-knife. I went outside to wait for father and to admire my new knife in the sunlight. Some town boys came by and saw me. They surrounded me and started saying bad things. They called me dirty and stupid and said that I should not have such a fine knife. The largest of these boys pushed me back and I fell over one of the other boys. I dropped my knife and one of them picked it up and they all ran away laughing. I hate them. I hate them all."

The elder Cherokee, with eyes that had seen too much, lifted his grandson's face so his eyes looked into the boy's face. Grandfather said, "Let me tell you a story. I, too, at times, have felt a great hate for those who have taken so much with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down and does not hurt your enemy. It is like drinking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times. It is as if two wolves are inside me.... It is a terrible fight.

One wolf is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. It will only fight when it is right to do so and in the right way. This wolf stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, modesty, kindness, friendship, sympathy, generosity, truth, and faith.

The other wolf is full of anger. The least thing will set off his fiercest temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so much. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing. This wolf represents fear, envy, greed, self-pity, guilt, lies, false pride and superiority.

Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me for both of them try to control my spirit. This same fight is going on inside you and inside every other person too.”

The boy looked into his grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied.... "The one you feed."

1.The boy was angry because __________.

A. he was not satisfied with his present

his back was badly injured in a fight

he had waited for his father for too long

his jack-knife had been taken away by some boys

2.How does the good wolf do things in the story?

A. He never fights against others.

B. He tries to get on well with others.

C. It is hard for him to live with other wolves.

D. Sometimes he had a terrible fight because some one hit him.

3.We can learn from the third paragraph that _________.

A.  “hate” is healthy

B.  “hate” hurts oneself

C.  “hate” is complicated

D.  “hate” harms one’s enemies

4.What did Grandfather mean by saying "The one you feed" in the last paragraph?

A. We should feed the two wolves equally.

B. Living in harmony with others is important.

C. Our feelings should be expressed at the right time.

D. The choices we make determine who we will become.

One day a man found a cocoon(繭) of a butterfly in the forest. He sat there for several hours and watched the butterfly. Suddenly a small opening appeared, and the butterfly made its great effort to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that the butterfly could come out easily. But to his surprise, the butterfly got a heavy body and very small wings when it came out of the cocoon.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that the body would grow smaller at any moment and the wings would become larger and be able to fly. But neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling (爬) around with a heavy body and small wings. It was never able to fly.
The man was in his kindness, but he did not understand the nature rules. Before the butterfly came out of the cocoon, fluid(流體) from its body must be forced into its wings, and then it would be ready for flying. It must have a hard struggle (拼搏) to get through the small opening to get its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any difficulties, it would make us fail. We would not be as strong as we could have been; we could never fly.
【小題1】What was the butterfly doing at the beginning of the story ?

One day a man found a cocoon(繭) of a butterfly in the forest. He sat there for several hours and watched the butterfly. Suddenly a small opening appeared, and the butterfly made its great effort to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that the butterfly could come out easily. But to his surprise, the butterfly got a heavy body and very small wings when it came out of the cocoon.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that the body would grow smaller at any moment and the wings would become larger and be able to fly. But neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling (爬) around with a heavy body and small wings. It was never able to fly.

The man was in his kindness, but he did not understand the nature rules. Before the butterfly came out of the cocoon, fluid(流體) from its body must be forced into its wings, and then it would be ready for flying. It must have a hard struggle (拼搏) to get through the small opening to get its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any difficulties, it would make us fail. We would not be as strong as we could have been; we could never fly.

1.What was the butterfly doing at the beginning of the story ?

A．It was trying to make a cocoon for itself.

B．It was struggling to get out of its cocoon.

C．It was flying among the trees in the forest.

D．It was crawling around quietly on the ground.

2.The man cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon

A．to take the butterfly home

B．to help the butterfly come out easily

C．to kill the butterfly

D．to stop the butterfly growing bigger

3.What do you think of the man?

A．Patient but cruel.

B．Careful and wise.

C．Kind but unwise.

D．Brave and funny.

4.What does the last paragraph（段落） tell us?

A．Struggles are sometimes necessary in our life.

B．Nothing is difficult if we put our heart into it.

C．Every good deed will come back with good result.

D．The greatest happiness in the world is to help others.

5.What is the best title for the story?

A．The Love for the Cocoon.

B．The Joy of Helping Each Other.

C．The Lesson of the Cocoon.

D．The Expectation for the Butterfly.

One day a man found a cocoon(繭)of a butterfly in the forest. He sat there for several hours and watched the butterfly. Suddenly a small opening appeared, and the butterfly made its great effort to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that the butterfly could come out easily. But to his surprise, the butterfly got a heavy body and very small wings when it came out of the cocoon.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that the body would grow smaller at any moment and the wings would become larger and be able to fly. But neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling(爬) around with a heavy body and small wings. It was never able to fly.
The man was in his kindness, but he did not understand the nature rules. Before the butterfly came out of the cocoon, fluid (流體) from its body must be forced into its wings, and then it would be ready for flying. It must have a hard struggle(拼搏)to get through the small opening to get its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any difficulties, it would make us fail. We would not be as strong as we could have been; we could never fly.
【小題1】what was the butterfly doing at the beginning of the story?