The Fox, the Traveller and the Tiger
Once a tiger was caught and put in a cage. A traveller was walking by and the Tiger asked him: "Oh man, set me free, please!"
The traveller was a good man and liked animals. He pitied the Tiger and opened the door of the cage. The Tiger jumped out and shouted: "I did not eat anything for a long time. I'm hungry. So I shall eat you up!"
The traveller said: "Oh Tiger, I did you good and you want to do me evil. It isn't right!"
"But who told you that it isn't right?" asked the Tiger. "Everybody knows it." answered the man. "If you don't believe me, let's ask somebody about it."
"All right." said the Tiger.
There was a tree near by. The traveller and the Tiger came up to it and asked: "Oh Tree, tell us, is it right to do evil to somebody who did you good?"
"Yes, I think it is right." the Tree answered. "People always do so. They come and rest in my shadow, and then they break my branches and go away with them. So I do people good and they do me evil."
"Do you see that I'm right!'?" the Tiger said to the traveller. "Wait a little. Let us ask somebody else." replied the traveller. The Tiger agreed.
They walked down the road and saw a cow,
"Oh, Cow," the man called out. 'tell us please - is it right to do evil to somebody who did you good?"
"Yes, it is right," the Cow answered. People always do so. When I was young and gave milk my master loved me.Now I'm old and give no milk and my master wants to kill me for meat."
When the Tiger heard this he turned to the traveller and said: "Do you see that I’m right? I shall eat you up now."
"Wait a little," said the traveller. "Let us ask somebody else. If the answer is the same a third time then you can eat me up." The Tiger agreed.
They walked down the road and suddenly saw a fox.
The Fox saw the Tiger and wanted to run away, but the man shouted: "Oh. Brother Fox,do not be frightened' We only want to ask you something."·
"All right," said the Fox," but do not come near. I shall answer from here."
The traveller spoke again: "Listen, Brother Fox. The Tiger was caught and put in a cage. Iwas walking by and he asked me to set him free. I decided to do him good and opened the door of the cage. Now the Tiger wants to eat me up. Tell us, please, is it right to do evil to somebody who did you good?"
"You lie to me," the Fox said. "It cannot be true that the Tiger, the strongest of animals, was caught and put in a cage."
"But it is true." the Tiger cried out. "Indeed, I was caught and put in a cage'"
"I cannot believe it until I see it with my own eyes," said the Fox.
"Come," said the Tiger, "1 shall show you the cage." They all walked back to the cage. The Fox looked at the cage and said: "The cage does not prove anything. I cannot believe that you were in it."
Then the Tiger got into the cage and shouted: "Look, Fox, now you see that it is true."
Then the Fox said to the man: "Now shut the door of the cage and then open it again. You must show me how you set the Tiger free:'
The traveller shut the door of the cage. He wanted to open it but the Fox stopped him:
"You, silly man! Why must you open the door? Go home!
And never again let a tiger out of a cage!"
I.Put together the beginnings and the endings of the sentences.
1. Once a tiger was caught a….how he set the tiger free.
2. The traveller was a good man b .... but the Fox stopped him.
3.The traveller decided to do the Tiger good ... c .... and liked animals.
4.The traveller had to show the Fox ... d …the man shut the door.
5. When the tiger got into the cage e.... and put in a cage.
6.The traveller wanted to open the door of the cage ... f…and opened the door of the cage.
II. Chose the correct item.
1. He ______the Tiger and opened the door of the cage.
a) shouted b) pitied c) asked
2. They walked down the ______and saw a cow.
a) tree b) branch c) road
3. "People break my branches and go______with them." said the Tree.
a) out of b) away c) back
4.The man said: "If you don't believe me, let's ask ______about it:"
a) everybody b) anybody c) somebody
5. "I cannot believe it ______I see it with my own eyes," said the Fox.
a) until b) before c) after
6. “You must ______me how you set the tiger free,” said the fox.
a) tell b) ask c) show
III. Complete the summery of the text. Use the words from the list below:
Cage, free, let, caught, believe, evil, cow, to eat.
One a tiger was …..1…. and put in a cage. The traveler set the tiger ….2…. . The tiger
wanted ….3…. the man. The man thought it was not right to do ….4…. to somebody
who had done you good. The tree and the ….5…. didn’t agree with him. The fox said
that he didn’t ….6…. the story. The tiger got into the ….7…. and the man shut the door.
The fox told the man not to ….8…. the tiger out of the cage.
IV. Answer the questions:
1. Why did the traveler set the tiger free?
2. Why did the tiger want to eat the man?
3. Whom did the traveller and the tiger ask if it was right to do evil to somebody who
had done you good?
4. What did the fox advise the man to do?
V. Ask questions to which the underlined words would be the answer. (Four questions)