The Fox and the Goat

One day, a fox fell into a deep well and could not get out. A goat, who was thirsty, came to the well and saw the fox.

“Was the water good?” asked the goat.

Suddenly, an evil idea came into the fox's mind. He gave a speech about how wonderful the water was down there, and encouraged the goat to come down.

The goat was so thirsty that he climbed down the well with out too much thinking. After drinking the water, he realized they couldn't get out of the well. Then he asked the fox for solution.

“Well, I do have a good way to get us out,” said the fox. “If you put your front legs against the wall and lower your head, I will climb up on your back and escape, and then pull you up.”

The goat agreed at once, and bent his head so that the fox could climb upon the back. When the fox reached the mouth of the well and got out, he immediately ran away and left the goat alone in the well.

Key Words

▲ evil [ˈi:vl] adj. 邪恶的，罪恶的

● realize [ˈri:əlaɪz] v. 意识到

▲ bend [bend] v. （使）弯曲

▲ immediately [ɪˈmi:dɪətlɪ] adv. 立即，马上

“We made a promise about helping each other,” the goat shouted at him, angrily. “How could you break it like this?”

The fox turned around and cried out, “You are a fool! If your brains were as many as your hairs, you would think of how you were going to get out before you got down the well.”

· Look before you leap .