An Argument about the Sun

    When Confucius was travelling eastwards，he came upon two children hot in an argument，so he asked them to tell him what it was all about．“I think，”said one child，“that the sun is nearer to us at daybreak and farther away from us at noon．”
    The other contended that the sun was farther away at dawn and nearer at midday．“When the sun first appears，”said one child，“it is as big as the canopy¹ of a carriage，but at noon it is only the size of a plate or a bowl．Well，isn't it true that objects farther away seem smaller while those nearer seem bigger？”
    “When the sun comes out，”pointed out the other，“it is very cool，but at midday it is as hot as putting your hand in boiling water．Well，isn't it true that what is nearer to us is hotter and what is farther off is cooler？”
    Confucius was unable to settle the matter for them．The two children laughed at him，“Who says you are a learned man？”
    Exercises：
    回答下列问题：
    ①Who was Confucius？
    ②What were the two children arguing about？
    ③Why the two children laughed at him？
    ④ What can we learn from this？

1 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。