The Stone Cutter

Once upon a time there lived a stone cutter ,in a small village. All day long he worked hard, cutting the hard stones and making the shape which were needed by his customers. His hands were hard and his clothes were dirty.
One day he went out to work on a big stone. It was very hard to work and the sun was very hot. After spending several hours cutting the stone, he sat down in the shade and soon fell asleep.
After sometime, he heard sound of somebody coming. Walking up he saw a long procession of people. There were many soldiers and attendants and in the middle, in a palanquin, carried by strong people at the king .
How wonderful it must be to be the great king thought the stone cutter . How happy I would be if i were the king instead of a poor stone cutter.
As he said these words, a strange thing happened. The stone cutter found himself dressed in silk clothes andshining jewels. His hands were soft and he was sitting in a comfortable palanquin.
He looked through the curtains and thought, How easy it is to be a king, these people are here to serve me.
The procession moved on and the sun grew hot. The stone cutter ,now the king ,became too warm for comfort. He asked the procession to stop so that he could rest for some time .
At once the chief of the soldiers bent before the king and said Your Majesty, only this morning you swore to have me hanged to death if we did not reach the palace before the sun set.
The stone cutter felt sorry for him and ordered the procession to go on its way again.
As the afternoon wore on, the sun grew hotter, and the king became more and more uncomfortable.
I am powerful, it is true, but how more powerful the sun is, he thought I would rather be the sun than a king .
At once, he became the sun ,shining down on the earth.
His new power was hard to control.
He shone too strongly, he burned up the fields with his rays and turned the ocean into vapour and formed a great cloud which covered the land.
But no matter how hard he shone, he could not see through the clouds.
It is obvious that the clouds are even stronger and more powerful than sun said the stone cutter, now the sun, I would rather be a cloud.
Suddenly he found himself turned into a huge dark cloud.
He started using his new power. He poured rain down on the fields and caused floods. All the trees and houses were swept away but a boulder, which once he had been cutting when he was a stone cutter was unmoved and unchanged.
However much he poured down on the stone it did not move.
Why that rock is more powerful than I am said the stone cutter now a cloud. Only a stone cutter could change the rock by his skill. How I wish I were a stonecutter.
No sooner he said the words that he found himself sitting on a stone with hard and rough hands.
He picked up his tools and set to work on a boulder, happily.


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how the beggar boy turned into count piro

Once upon a time there lived a man who had only one son, a lazy, stupid boy, who would never do anything he was told. When the father was dying, he sent for his son and told him that he would soon be left alone in the world, with no possessions but the small cottage they lived in, and a pear tree which grew behind it, and that, whether he liked it or not, he would have to work, or else he would starve. Then the old man died. 

But the boy did not work; instead, he idled about as before, contenting himself with eating the pears off his tree, which, unlike other pear trees before or since, bore fruit the whole year round. Indeed, the pears were so much finer than any you could get even in the autumn, that one day, in the middle of the winter, they attracted the notice of a fox who was creeping by. 

'Dear me; what lovely pears!' he said to the youth. 'Do give me a basket of them. It will bring you luck!' 

'Ah, little fox, but if I give you a basketful, what am I to eat?' asked the boy. 

'Oh, trust me, and do what I tell you,' said the fox; 'I know it will bring you luck.' So the boy got up and picked some of the ripest pears and put them into a rush basket. The fox thanked him, and, taking the basket in his mouth, trotted off to the king's palace and made his way straight to the king. 

'Your Majesty, my master sends you a few of his best pears, and begs you will graciously accept them,' he said, laying the basket at the feet of the king. 

'Pears! at this season?' cried the king, peering down to look at them; 'and, pray, who is your master?' 

'The Count Piro,' answered the fox. 

'But how does he manage to get pears in midwinter?' asked the king. 

'Oh, he has everything he wants,' replied the fox; 'he is richer even than you are, your Majesty.' 

'Then what can I send him in return for his pears?' said the king. 

'Nothing, your Majesty, or you would hurt his feelings,' answered the fox. 

'Well, tell him how heartily I thank him, and how much I shall enjoy them.' And the fox went away. 

He trotted back to the cottage with his empty basket and told his tale, but the youth did not seem as pleased to hear as the fox was to tell. 

'But, my dear little fox,' said he, ' you have brought me nothing in return, and I am so hungry!' 

'Let me alone,' replied the fox; 'I know what I am doing. You will see, it will bring you luck.' 

A few days after this the fox came back again. 

'I must have another basket of pears,' said he. 

'Ah, little fox, what shall I eat if you take away all my pears?' answered the youth. 

'Be quiet, it will be all right,' said the fox; and taking a bigger basket than before, he filled it quite full of pears. Then he picked it up in his mouth, and trotted off to the palace. 

'Your Majesty, as you seemed to like the first basket of pears, I have brought you some more,' said he, 'with my master, the Count Piro's humble respects.' 

'Now, surely it is not possible to grow such pears with deep snow on the ground?' cried the king. 

'Oh, that never affects them,' answered the fox lightly; 'he is rich enough to do anything. But to-day he sends me to ask if you will give him your daughter in marriage?' 

'If he is so much richer than I am,' said the king, 'I shall be obliged to refuse. My honour would not permit me to accept his offer.' 

'Oh, your Majesty, you must not think that,' replied the fox; 'and do not let the question of a dowry trouble you. The Count Piro would not dream of asking anything but the hand of the princess.' 

'Is he really so rich that he can do without a dowry?' asked the king. 

'Did I not tell your Majesty that he was richer than you?' answered the fox reproachfully. 

'Well, beg him to come here, that we may talk together,' said the king. 

So the fox went back to the young man and said: 'I have told the king that you are Count Piro, and have asked his daughter in marriage.' 

'Oh, little fox, what have you done?' cried the youth in dismay; 'when the king sees me he will order my head to be cut off.' 

'Oh, no, he won't!' replied the fox; 'just do as I tell you.' And he went off to the town, and stopped at the house of the best tailor. 

'My master, the Count Piro, begs that you will send him at once the finest coat that you have in your shop,' said the fox, putting on his grandest air, 'and if it fits him I will call and pay for it tomorrow! Indeed, as he is in a great hurry, perhaps it might be as well if I took it round myself.' The tailor was not accustomed to serve counts, and he at once got out all the coats he had ready. The fox chose out a beautiful one of white and silver, bade the tailor tie it up in a parcel, and carrying the string in his teeth, he left the shop, and went to a horse-dealer's, whom he persuaded to send his finest horse round to the cottage, saying that the king had bidden his master to the palace. 

Very unwillingly the young man put on the coat and mounted the horse, and rode up to meet the king, with the fox running before him. 

'What am I to say to his Majesty, little fox?' he asked anxiously; 'you know that I have never spoken to a king before.' 

'Say nothing,' answered the fox, 'but leave the talking to me. "Good morning, your Majesty," will be all that is necessary for you.' 

By this time they had reached the palace, and the king came to the door to receive Count Piro, and led him to the great hall, where a feast was spread. The princess was already seated at the table, but was as dumb as Count Piro himself. 

'The Count speaks very little,' the king said at last to the fox, and the fox answered: 'He has so much to think about in the management of his property that he cannot afford to talk like ordinary people.' The king was quite satisfied, and they finished dinner, after which Count Piro and the fox took leave. 

The next morning the fox came round again. 

'Give me another basket of pears,' he said. 

'Very well, little fox; but remember it may cost me my life,' answered the youth. 

'Oh, leave it to me, and do as I tell you, and you will see that in the end it will bring you luck,' answered the fox; and plucking the pears he took them up to the king. 

'My master, Count Piro, sends you these pears,' he said, 'and asks for an answer to his proposal.' 

'Tell the count that the wedding can take place whenever he pleases,' answered the king, and, filled with pride, the fox trotted back to deliver his message. 

'But I can't bring the princess here, little fox?' cried the young man in dismay. 

'You leave everything to me,' answered the fox; ' have I not managed well so far?' 

And up at the palace preparations were made for a grand wedding, and the youth was married to the princess. 

After a week of feasting, the fox said to the king: 'My master wishes to take his young bride home to his own castle.' 

'Very well, I will accompany them,' replied the king; and he ordered his courtiers and attendants to get ready, and the best horses in his stable to be brought out for himself, Count Piro and the princess. So they all set out, and rode across the plain, the little fox running before them. 

He stopped at the sight of a great flock of sheep, which was feeding peacefully on the rich grass. 'To whom do these sheep belong?' asked he of the shepherd. 'To an ogre,' replied the shepherd. 

'Hush,' said the fox in a mysterious manner. 'Do you see that crowd of armed men riding along? If you were to tell them that those sheep belonged to an ogre, they would kill them, and then the ogre would kill you! If they ask, just say the sheep belong to Count Piro; it will be better for everybody.' And the fox ran hastily on, as he did not wish to be seen talking to the shepherd. 

Very soon the king came up. 

'What beautiful sheep!' he said, drawing up his horse. 'I have none so fine in my pastures. Whose are they?' 

'Count Piro's,' answered the shepherd, who did not know the king. 

'Well, he must be a very rich man,' thought the king to himself, and rejoiced that he had such a wealthy son-in-law. 

Meanwhile the fox had met with a huge herd of pigs, snuffling about the roots of some trees. 

'To whom do these pigs belong?' he asked of the swineherd. 

'To an ogre,' replied he. 

'Hush!' whispered the fox, though nobody could hear him; 'do you see that troop of armed men riding towards us? If you tell them that the pigs belong to the ogre they will kill them, and then the ogre will kill you! If they ask, just say that the pigs belong to Count Piro; it will be better for everybody.' And he ran hastily on. 

Soon after the king rode up. 

'What fine pigs!' he said, reining in his horse. 'They are fatter than any I have got on my farms. Whose are they?' 

'Count Piro's,' answered the swineherd, who did not know the king; and again the king felt he was lucky to have such a rich son-in-law. 

This time the fox ran faster than before, and in a flowery meadow he found a troop of horses feeding. 'Whose horses are these?' he asked of the man who was watching them. 

'An ogre's,' replied he. 

'Hush!' whispered the fox, 'do you see that crowd of armed men coming towards us? If you tell them the horses belong to an ogre they will drive them off, and then the ogre will kill you! If they ask, just say they are Count Piro's; it will be better for everybody.' And he ran on again. 

In a few minutes the king rode up. 

'Oh, what lovely creatures! how I wish they were mine!' he exclaimed. 'Whose are they?' 

Count Piro's,' answered the man, who did not know the king; and the king's heart leapt as he thought that if they belonged to his rich son-in-law they were as good as his. 

At last the fox came to the castle of the ogre himself. He ran up the steps, with tears falling from his eyes, and crying: 

'Oh, you poor, poor people, what a sad fate is yours!' 

'What has happened?' asked the ogre, trembling with fright. 

'Do you see that troop of horsemen who are riding along the road? They are sent by the king to kill you!' 

'Oh, dear little fox, help us, we implore you!' cried the ogre and his wife. 

'Well, I will do what I can,' answered the fox. 'The best place is for you both to hide in the jail, and when the soldiers have gone by I will let you out.' 

The ogre and ogress scrambled into the jail as quick as thought, and the fox banged the door on them; just as he did so the king came up. 

'Do us the honour to dismount, your Majesty,' said the fox, bowing low. 'This is the palace of Count Piro!' 

'Why it is more splendid than my own!' exclaimed the king, looking round on all the beautiful things that filled the hall. But why are there no servants?' 

'His Excellency the Count Piro wished the princess to choose them for herself,' answered the fox, and the king nodded his approval. He then rode on, leaving the bridal pair in the castle. But when it was dark and all was still, the fox crept downstairs and told the ogre that the king took his palace. So, the fox recommended the ogre to stay still in the jail. The next morning the fox said to Count Piro: 

'Now that you are rich and happy, you have no more need of me; but, before I go, there is one thing I must ask of you in return: when I die, promise me that you will give me a magnificent coffin, and bury me with due honours.' 

'Oh, little, little fox, don't talk of dying,' cried the princess, nearly weeping, for she had taken a great liking to the fox. 

After some time the fox thought he would see if the Count Piro was really grateful to him for all he had done, and went back to the castle, where he lay down on the door-step, and pretended to be dead. The princess was just going out for a walk, and directly she saw him lying there, she burst into tears and fell on her knees beside him. 

'My dear little fox, you are not dead,' she wailed; 'you poor, poor little creature, you shall have the finest coffin in the world!' 

'A coffin for an animal?' said Count Piro. 'What nonsense! just take him by the leg and throw him into the ditch.' 

Then the fox sprang up and cried: 'You wretched, thankless beggar; have you forgotten that you owe all your riches to me?' 

Count Piro was frightened when he heard these words, as he thought that perhaps the fox might have power to take away the castle, and leave him as poor as when he had nothing to eat but the pears off his tree. So he tried to soften the fox's anger, saying that he had only spoken in joke, as he had known quite well that he was not really dead. For the sake of the princess, the fox let himself be softened, and he lived in the castle for many years, and played with Count Piro's children. And when he actually did die, his coffin was made of silver, and Count Piro and his wife followed him to the grave.


Answer these questions:
1. What did Piro's father leave for him after he died?
2. Who came to his house and asked for the pears?
3. What did the Fox said to the king about Piro?
4. How did Piro get the finest coat?
5. Why didn't Piro  speak to the king when  he came to the King's palace?
6. How did the fox convinced the King that Piro was a rich man?
7. Why did the shepherd tell the king that the sheep belonged to Piro?
8. How did the fox get a castle for Piro?
9. What happened to the ogre?
10. Why was Piro frightened when the Fox sprang up and cried?
11. Find 15 words in orange color and give the meaning! "right click" the words to find its meaning! 


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The banker and the pauper

Once upon a time, there lived a poor pauper and a rich banker. So it was inevitable that the rich man would be happier than the pauper. However, their natures were opposite, for the poor man was happy whereas the banker was not. The banker was annoyed by the fact that when he tossed and turn in his bed at night, the pauper slept peacefully and always awoke rested and full of energy.

One day the banker could stand it no longer. He decided to find out why the pauper was happy in spite of his poverty. So he summoned him to his house and asked him his yearly income because he believed that happiness could only be measured in terms of wealth.

“i don’t count too well, nor do i really care. I live each day as it comes and never worry about the next”

“well then, just tell how much you earn in one day,” insisted the rich man.

“i earn what i need”

The banker liked the pauper. He wished to thank him for coming to his house, so he presented the poor man with a bag of hundred gold coins.

Now, these coins, which meant so little to the banker, seemed a great fortune to the pauper. He decided to hide the bag , so that he would have the money if ever he should need it. So, when he returned to his house, he dug a big hole in secluded corner of the garden, threw the bag into it, and covered it with the dirt.

However, from that day on the poor man’s life changed. He began to worry about the safety of his money. Every night he slept a little less, and each time he heard the slightest sound, he became anxious about the safety of his coins.

Finally, he could bear his happiness no longer. He went to the garden, dug up the coins and returned them to the banker.

The pauper had learned an important lesson, and so had the banker.

1. why did the pauper always feel happy?

a. he had much money

b. he had happy family

c. he always dreamt about the future

d. he lived each day as it came and never worried aboout the future

2. what did the pauper feel after having a bag of hundred gold coins?

a. he was happy

b. he was anxious

c. he was proud

d. he was disappointed

3. what can we learn from the story above?

a. living in poor means that we are happy

b. happiness can only be measured in terms of wealth

c. happiness cannot only be measured in terms of wealth

d. we must give some money to poor people

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City win battle of Manchester

(CNN) -- The world watched Manchester, and Manchester watched the world turn red and blue.

According to some analysts more than 600 million people across the globe tuned into see the blue of Manchester City beat the red of Manchester United 1-0, arguably the biggest audience for the biggest match in English Premier League history.

Vincent Kompany's headed goal deep in first half injury time was enough to take City top of the league from their rivals on goal difference. Psychologically, with two games left, it could prove decisive and hand City the advantage as they hunt their first ever Premier League title.

The match itself was enthralling without being exciting, tense without many chances on goal. But by the end, as Manchester City fans sang their club's famous adopted song "Blue Moon", there was a sense that history was being witnessed. United coach Alex Ferguson lost his cool and remonstrated with his opposite number Roberto Mancini. But the game was lost for United. Perhaps as one empire rises, another falls.

TV networks from China to Qatar sent their chief correspondents to relay something of the febrile atmosphere to their expectant domestic audiences, audiences that have taken English football as their own over the past two decades.

Even in America, traditionally one of the few bastions of football refuseniks, TV chiefs decided to upgrade the match to ESPN's main channel. This, CNN's Eliott C. McLaughlin told us, was a very big deal indeed.

Yet it wasn't always like this.

Once, not so long ago, few outside of those standing on the terraces attending this derby match in the north west of England would have been able to watch the spectacle.

True the Manchester derby has always been a passionate, sometimes brutal affair over the years. The fortunes of both the red half of United and the blue of City have ebbed and flowed as the decades pass. City haven't won the league for 44 years. Instead they watched United become the greatest team of the Premier League era not to mention arguably the most recognizable, and profitable, brands in the world.

Manchester football giants to clash

But in 1974 the boot was on the other foot when Dennis Law -- a United legend who had signed for City -- sheepishly back heeled the goal that relegated United to the second division.

Such a scenario in 2012 would be unthinkable. Today the Manchester derby has reached the kind of global prominence that Barcelona versus Real Madrid -- even if Spain's biggest match isn't a derby in the truest sense of the word -- would normally enjoy.

Man U. looks for another title

Its rise is much more than just the story of two successful football teams. The rise of the Manchester derby is also the story of the rise of globalization.

United and City are separated by just five miles yet the local has become the global.

On the pitch ten different nationalities featured. The stadium's naming rights have been sold to a Middle Eastern airline. United is owned by the Glazer family, the American venture capitalists who knew virtually nothing about football outside of their love of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who bought the club in an unpopular leveraged buy out.

Manchester City has been transformed by the mega money from the Arab world, owned as it is by Sheikh Mansour from the ruling family of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It was Sheikh Mansour's money that turned a sleepy, underperforming club into champion's elect.

As the movement of capital and talent has been made easier, football -- and especially the Premier League -- has reaped the financial benefits. But no two entities have benefited more than Manchester's two football clubs.

"I think we deserved to win this game," Mancini told British TV after the match.

"I think next Saturday we'll have another difficult day."

And he's right, of course. Manchester City easily fended off United's late charge. United didn't even manage a shot on target during the entire 90 minutes. Now the two teams are equal on points with just two matches left.

As Mancini said, next Saturday will be the same as Monday; a difficult day, almost too close to call.

But there's one thing that you can predict. On Saturday the world will be watching once again.

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