The Hare and the Tortoise

    The hare was always laughing at the tortoise because he walked so slowly．“I really don't know why you bother to go at all．”she sneered¹！“By the time you get there it will all be over whatever it is．”
    The tortoise laughed．“I may be slow，”he said，“but I bet I can get to the end of the field before you can．If you want to race with me，I'll prove it to you．”
    Seeing an easy victory the hare agreed and she bounded off as fast as she could．The tortoise plodded² steadily³ after her．Now it was at noon of a very hot sunny day and before long thehare began to feel a little drowsy⁴．“I think I'll just take a short nap under this hedge，”she said to herself．“Even if the tortoise passes by I'll catch him up in a flash．”
    The hare lay down in the shade and was soon fast asleep．The tortoise plodded on in the midday sun．“No sign of the old tortoise，I see，even if I did have forty winks⁵．”
    Away she went，running through the low thick growth of grass and the growing corn，leaping ditches and brambles with ease in a very short time she turned the last corner and paused for a moment to look at the place where the race was to end．There，less than a yard from the finish line was the tortoise，plodding steadily on，one step after another，drawing nearer and nearer to the end of the race．With a great bound the hare streaked⁶ forward．It was too late．Though she threw herself panting over the line，the tortoise had been there before her．“Now do you believe me？”asked the tortoise．But the hare was too out of breath to reply．The slow and steady wins the race．Exercises：
    回答下列问题：
    ①Why did the tortoise decide to have a race with the hare？
    ②Who could run faster，the tortoise or the hare？
    ③Who won the race？Why？

1 sneered   

讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
• It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。

2 plodded   

v.沉重缓慢地走（路）( plod的过去式和过去分词 )；努力从事；沉闷地苦干；缓慢进行（尤指艰难枯燥的工作）

参考例句：

• Our horses plodded down the muddy track. 我们的马沿着泥泞小路蹒跚而行。
• He plodded away all night at his project to get it finished. 他通宵埋头苦干以便做完专题研究。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

4 drowsy   

adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的

参考例句：

• Exhaust fumes made him drowsy and brought on a headache.废气把他熏得昏昏沉沉，还引起了头疼。
• I feel drowsy after lunch every day.每天午饭后我就想睡觉。

5 winks   

v.使眼色( wink的第三人称单数 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• I'll feel much better when I've had forty winks. 我打个盹就会感到好得多。
• The planes were little silver winks way out to the west. 飞机在西边老远的地方，看上去只是些很小的银色光点。 来自辞典例句

6 streaked   

adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹

参考例句：

• The children streaked off as fast as they could. 孩子们拔脚飞跑 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• His face was pale and streaked with dirt. 他脸色苍白，脸上有一道道的污痕。 来自辞典例句