The great thinker Liu An gave the famous story of The Old Man at the Fort (《塞翁失马》). An old man lived a poor life with his son at the top of a hill. They lost their horse which they made a living with.
His neighbors came to express their pity for his bad luck. The old man asked, “How do you know this is bad luck?” After several days, his horse returned with many wild horses. His neighbor came to congratulate him on his good luck. The old man replied, “How do you know this is good luck?” A few days later, his son learned to ride horses. However, he fell off the horseback and broke his leg. The old man thought, “How can’t this be a good thing?” The next year, there was a war. The son didn’t have to join the army because of that accident.
Nothing in the world is absolutely (绝对地) good or bad. Just as an old saying goes, “Good luck and bad luck come in turn.” Bad things can lead to good results. And good things can lead to bad results. When you are lucky, you’d better keep calm, or you may get into trouble at last. When you are in trouble, you should see it in a good way and you can turn it around with a strong will.
Task I: Finish the mind map according to the article. Fill in each blank with no more than 3 words.| The story of the Old Man at the Fort | An old man lived with his son in a |
| They lost their horse, and later the horse | |
| His son broke his | |
| The next year, because of the broken leg. his son needn’t | |
| The story was given by a thinker who named |
66. What did the old man live on?
67. When did the man’s lost horse come back?
68. What can you learn from this passage? Explain your idea(s) in about 20 words.
