Lesson 8 The Daw in Borrowed Feathers

1、A NUMBER of jackdaws lived very happily in the tower of an old church. Close at hand was a poultry-yard, belonging to a large house. Among the poultry lived some peacocks, which were allowed to wander about the garden, and in front of the house,that their beautiful feathers might be seen.

2、Now one of the jackdaws thought that there was nothing he should like so much as to strut about like a peacock, spreading his long tail in the sun, or drawing it up behind him in the shape of a wheel. Then, if he could shake all his feathers at once, and let them down as the peacocks did, while everybody gazed at him, he thought how proud he should be.

3、So he resolved what he would do. He gathered up the peacocks’ cast-off feathers,dressed himself in them, and began to strut about the poultry-yard, in the hope of passing for a peacock! But he was quite mistaken: not only peacocks, but turkeys, guineafowls and even chickens and ducks, mocked him! And, being provoked by his foolish vanity, they tore the borrowed feathers from him, pecked him, and drove him out of the yard.

4、The unhappy jackdaw then wished to return to his old friends in the church-tower,and would have been glad to lead his former happy life with them. But they would not notice him, and he was obliged to leave them, and lead a life of loneliness and misery.

5、This fable shows the folly of those who set their hearts on fine clothes, and who try to lead a life above their station. So long as we keep in the place which God has given us, we are happy, and people honour and respect us; but nothing is so absurd as the vanity which makes us try to seem finer, or richer, than we really are.

(312 words)

Exercises

Ⅰ. How well did you read?

1. [note the fact] Where did the jackdaws live?

A. In the poultry-yard.

B. In the tower of an old church.

C. In a large house.

2. [check the details] What would one of the jackdaws like to be?

A. A swan. B. A peacock. C. A goose.

3. [give the reason] Why did he want to be a peacock?

A. Because he wanted to be admired by others.

B. Because he wanted to have feathers.

C. Because he wanted to make friends with them.

4. [note the fact] What did he do to dress himself as a peacock?

A. He borrowed a peacock’s clothes and wore it.

B. He gathered up the peacock’s cast-off feathers and dressed himself in them.

C. He walked like a peacock.

5. [evaluate the information] How did the other animals in the yard react to the jackdaw?

A. They liked him very much.

B. They smiled at him.

C. They laughed at him and drove him out of the yard.

6. [evaluate the information] What did the other jackdaws do to him?

A. They played happily with him.

B. They didn’t notice him.

C. They helped him.

7. [grasp the main idea] What does the fable tell us?

A. Vanity makes us seem finer or richer.

B. We can set hearts on fine clothes.

C. People will respect us if we accept which God has given us.

Ⅱ. Read for words.

1. Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words.

(1) He gathered up the peacock’s cast-off feather. (Para. 3, Line 3)

A. 丢弃的 B. 浇铸的 C. 驱逐的

(2) But he was quite mistaken: not only peacocks, but turkeys, guinea-fowls and even chickens and ducks, mocked him! (Para. 3, Line 4)

A. smiled at B. showed respect for C. laughed at

(3) Nothing is so absurd as the vanity which makes us try to seem finer, or richer, than we really are. (Para. 5, Line 3)

A. 有道理的 B. 荒谬的 C. 深奥的

2. Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined expressions.

(1) One of the jackdaws thought that there was nothing he should like so much as to strut about like a peacock. (Para. 2, Line 2)

A. walk slowly B. walk proudly C. walk quickly

(2) But they would not notice him, and he was obliged to leave them, and lead a life of loneliness and misery. (Para. 4, Line 3)

A. was forced to B. was happy to C. was grateful to

(3) This fable shows the folly of those who set their hearts on fine clothes, and who try to lead a life above their station. (Para. 5, Line 2)

A. 在营地里 B. 在岗位上 C. 超出自己的身份

Ⅲ. Summary writing.

In no more than 80 words, summarize the whole text according to the following questions. Do not include anything that is not in the passage.

1. Where did the jackdaws live?

2. Where did the peacocks live?

3. Why did one of the jackdaws want to be a peacock?

4. How did he dress himself as a peacock?

5. What did the other birds do to him?

6. Did his old friends accept him?

7. What is this fable meant to show?