Lesson 1 The Slave and the Lion
A slave ran away from Rome because his master treated him cruelly.
Day after day he travelled over mountains and through pathless forests, keeping well away from towns and villages, for he knew that no mercy was shown to runaway slaves.
A t last he came to a desert of sandy rock, dry and barren①. There he found a cave and went into it to get shelter from the burning sun. As he was very tired he sank down on a sandy floor and was soon fast asleep. He was awakened by a dreadful sound that echoed through the cave. It was the roar of a lion and the slave sat up and listened. Again he heard the roar and it seemed to him that the lion was either very angry or in great pain.
He came to the mouth of the cave to see how he could escape, but soon the great tawny lion drew near. It was limping② and tried to keep one of its front feet off the ground. The man sat quite still and watched the lion. He thought that every moment would be his last.
But the lion did not spring upon him. It came up to him and held out its forepaw. He took it in his hand and saw that there was a thorn③ in the soft underpart of the paw. He drew out the thorn as gently as he could. The lion gave a purr of pleasure and bounded away from the man. The slave was very glad to see the lion making off across the desert, and as soon as the sun went down he continued upon his way.
A few days after he was unlucky enough to meet a band of Roman soldiers. He was at once brought back to his master. The judges said that he should be put to death for running away, and it was settled that he should be thrown to the lions.
The poor captive was placed in a circus with seats all round it and thousands of people came to see him eaten by a lion. The Romans at that time thought it was a very amusing thing to see slaves torn to pieces by wild beasts.
The slave stood in the midst of the great circus shaking in every limb. The signal was given, the door of the den④ opened, and the great lion sprang out.
with graceful bounds it circled around the arena, then it saw the captured slave and crouched⑤ down on the sands ready to spring. But now a strange thing happened.
It bounded up to the slave and fawned⑥ at his feet as a dog does when it meets its master. He knew what had happened. It was the lion from whose paw he had taken the thorn.
He took the lion by its mane and led it back to its den. The people in the seats around the circus were amazed at the sight and for a while sat with their mouths open in wonder. Then they broke into a loud cheer. The slave was set free and the lion was given to him to keep as a pet.
(536 words)
Notes
① barren [ˑbærən] adj. 贫瘠的，荒芜的
② limp [lɪmp] v. 跛行
③ thorn [θɔ:n] n. 刺，棘刺
④ den [den] n. 兽穴，兽窝
⑤ crouch [kraʊtʃ] vi. 蹲下，蹲伏
⑥ fawn [fɒn] vi. (摇尾或舌舔等)表示亲热
Exercises
Ⅰ. How well did you read?
1. [Note the place] The slave escape to___.
A. the forest B. the mountain C. the desert
2. [Give the purpose] The slave finally went into a cave in order to avoid___.
A. the dangerous animals B. the burning sun
C. his cruel master
3. [Check the details] When the lion drew near, the slave___.
A. managed to get out of the cave
B. was too scared to move a bit
C. expected he would be killed
4. [Give the reason] Why was the lion limping?
A. The lion got a thorn in his paw. B. The lion was hurt by hunters.
C. The lion was terribly sick.
5. [Note the feeling] When thrown into the circus the slave.
A. pretended to keep calm B. was almost shocked to death
C. was trembling with great fear
6. [Note the reason] The lion didn’t kill the slave because___.
A. it was afraid of him B. it felt sorry for him
C. it recognized him
7. [Draw a conclusion] Seeing the lion was so kind to the slave, the audience___.
A. felt greatly satisfied B. were very surprised
C. were quite disappointed
8. [Grasp the theme] The story shows that.
A. man is born equal B. kindness pays off
C. animals are man’s friends
Ⅱ. Read for words and exp ressions
1. Choose one best paraphrase for the underlined words.
(1) He was awakened by a dreadful① sound that echoed through the cave. It was the roar② of a lion and the slave sat up and listened. (Para. 3)
① A. pleasant B. horrible C. slight
② A. a long loud deep sound
B. a loud deep sigh of relief
C. a sound of breathing heavily
(2) The poor captive was placed in a circus with seats all round it and thousands
of people came to see him eaten by a lion. (Para. 7)
A. actor B. prisoner C. loser
(3) With graceful bounds it circled around the arena, then it saw the captured slave and crouched down on the sands ready to spring. (Para. 9)
A. arrested B. injured C. amazed
2. Choose one best paraphrase for the underlined expressions.
(1) But the lion did not spring upon him. It came up to him and held out its forepaw. (Para. 5)
A. jump on B. threaten C. spare
(2) The slave was very glad to see the lion making off across the desert, and as soon as the sun went down he continued upon his way. (Para. 5)
A. wandering B. running C. disappearing
Ⅲ. Writing practice
W rite a short passage about how the salve survived according to the follow ing questions. Do not include anything that is not in the passage.
Answer these questions in note form to get your points:
1. Why did the slave run away?
2. Where did he find shelter from the sun in the desert?
3. What did he meet there?
4. Did the lion kill him?
5. What did he do to help the lion?
6. What happened to the slave later?
7. What punishment did he get for running away?
8. When he was thrown into the circus how did he feel?
9. Why did the lion fawn to him instead of tearing him into pieces?
10. What was the result?
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