The rich man and the stone 11.What did the young man say to himself?
12.What kind of young man was he?
Many years ago there lived a rich man who wished to do something for
the people of his village. First, however, he wanted to find out whether they
deserved his help.
In the center of the main road into the village he placed a very large
stone. Then he hid nearby and waited to see what would happen. Soon an old
farmer passed with his cow.
"What fool put this big stone right in the center of the road?" said the
farmer, but he made no effort to remove the stone. Instead, with some
difficulty he passed around the stone and continued on his way. Another man
came along and the same thing happened; then another came, and another,
etc. All of them complained about the stone in the center of the road but not
one of them took the time or the trouble to remove it. Toward evening, a
young man came along. He was honest and hard-working. He saw the stone
and said to himself:
"The night will be dark. Some stranger or a neighbor will come along in
the dark, stumble on the stone, and perhaps hurt himself."
The young man then began to remove the stone. He had to push and pull
with all his strength to move it to one side. But imagine his surprise when
under the stone, he found a bag full of money and this message: "This money is
for the honest man who removes this stone from the road."
1. Did this story take place recently or many years ago?
2. Was the man who placed the stone in the road a rich man or a poor
man?
3. In what part of the road did he place the stone?
4. What did he do after he placed the stone in the road?
5. Did he hide nearby or far away?
6. Who soon passed by?
7. What did the old farmer say when he saw the stone?
8. Did the farmer make little effort or no effort to remove the stone?
9. What happened when a second man carne along?
10.Who came along toward evening?
13.Did he move the stone easily or did he have to push and pull with all his
strength?
14.What did he find under the stone?
15.What message did he also find under the stone?
Give complete answres
1. Is a fool, in general, a stupid person or an intelligent person?
2. On the other hand, do only stupid people do foolish things or do intelligent
people also do foolish things occasionally?
3. Do you sometimes or never do foolish things?
4. Do you consider it foolish or intelligent to study English?
5. Was the young man in the anecdote above foolish or intelligent?
6. Did he deserve the money which he found or did he not deserve it?
7. Do people always or seldom get what they deserve in life?
8. Do you imagine that there was much money or little money in the bag which
the young man found?
9. Do you imagine that the boy was surprised or not when he found the bag?
10.Was his surprise a pleasant surprise or an unpleasant surprise?
11.Was the stone which he had to move heavy or light?
12.Is stone heavier or lighter than wood?
13.What are the days of the week?
14.What are the months of the year?
15.What is your favorite season and why is it your favorite?
16.In what season of the year does it rain most often?
17.What is the warmest season of the year?
18.What is the coldest season of the year?
19.Is the winter colder or warmer than the autumn?
20.Are you able or unable to speak English well now?
21.Were you able or unable to speak English well last year?
22.Do you generally walk to school or do you go by bus?
23.What time do you have to be in school every day?
24.What time did you have to be in school yesterday?
25.Do you always have to be in school at the same time every day or do you
sometimes have to arrive at different times?
26.How much time do you have to spend on your lessons each night?
27.Is New York City a large or a small city?
28.What is the largest city in your country?
29.Are you taller or shorter than your best friend?
30.Who is the tallest person that you know?
31.What is the highest building in your city?
32.Is the Pacific Ocean larger or smaller than the Pacific Ocean?
33.What is the largest ocean in the world?
34.Which is the most interesting subject that you are taking?
35.Which is the least interesting subject that you are taking?