An elephant and a monkey lived together in the forest. They were good friends, but one day they quarreled with each other. The elephant was very proud because he was very strong; however, the monkey was also proud because he was very quick — he could climb up very quickly.
The elephant said, “It is better to be strong than to be quick.”
“No,” the monkey said, “it is better to be quick than to be strong.”
So they went to a clever owl (猫头鹰) and asked, “Which is better, to be strong or to be quick?”
The owl said, “Do you see that tall tree with the golden fruit on the other side of the river? You must go and pick the fruit and bring it to me, and then I will tell you.”
So the elephant and the monkey set out. Soon they came to the river. The monkey was afraid of the deep water, and he had to climb up on the elephant’s back. After a while they found the tree. It was very tall and its golden fruit hung high over their heads. The elephant twisted (扭动) his long trunk (象鼻) around the tree and tried to pull it down, but he failed. Then the monkey climbed quickly up the tree. He picked the big golden fruit and threw it down to the ground. The elephant picked up the fruit.
Can you tell, then, which is better, to be strong or to be quick? It took both the elephant’s strength and the monkey’s quickness to get the fruit.
Where did the monkey and the elephant live?
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Why did the monkey and the elephant quarrel with each other?
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Who did the monkey and the elephant go to ask?
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Did the monkey and elephant help each other to get the big golden fruit?
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What can you learn from the passage?
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