The Peacock and the Crane

    A peacock，spreading its gorgeous plumage，mocked a cranethat passed by，ridiculing the ashen¹ hue² of its feathers，“I am robed，like a king，in gold and purple，looking as splendid as the rainbow；while you have not a bit of colour on your wings．”
    “True，”replied the crane，“but I can soar to reach the heights of heaven，and lift up my voice to reach the stars，while you can just walk below，like a cock，among the birds of the dunghill．”
    Fine feathers don't make fine birds．Exercises：
    回答下列问题：
    ①Why did the peacock mock a crane？
    ②What did the crane say facing the peacock's ridicule³？
    ③What does the fable⁴ tell us？
    ④What can we learn from the fable？

1 ashen   

adj.灰的

参考例句：

• His face was ashen and wet with sweat.他面如土色，汗如雨下。
• Her ashen face showed how much the news had shocked her.她灰白的脸显示出那消息使她多么震惊。

2 hue   

n.色度；色调；样子

参考例句：

• The diamond shone with every hue under the sun.金刚石在阳光下放出五颜六色的光芒。
• The same hue will look different in different light.同一颜色在不同的光线下看起来会有所不同。

3 ridicule   

v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄

参考例句：

• You mustn't ridicule unfortunate people.你不该嘲笑不幸的人。
• Silly mistakes and queer clothes often arouse ridicule.荒谬的错误和古怪的服装常会引起人们的讪笑。

4 fable   

n.寓言；童话；神话

参考例句：

• The fable is given on the next page. 这篇寓言登在下一页上。
• He had some motive in telling this fable. 他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。