An ant and a fly were contending heatedly who was of greater importance．The fly was the first to begin：“Can you possibly compare with my endowments？When a sacrifice is made，I am the first to taste the entrails that belong to the Gods．I pass my time among the altars，and I wander through all the temples；once I have espied the mall，I seat myself on the head of a king；and I taste the chaste kisses of matrons．I lab our not，and yet enjoy the nicest of things．What like this，good rustic，falls to your lot？”
“Eating with the Gods，”said the ant，“is certainly a thing to be boasted of；but it should be bragged of by him who is invited，not himwho is loathed as an intruder．You talk about kings and the kisses of matrons．Well，while I am carefully heaping up a stock of grain for winter，I see you feeding on filth on the walls．You frequent the altars；yes，but you are driven away as often as you come．You lab our not；therefore it is why you have nothing when you stand in need of it．Be-sides，you boast about what a modest man ought to conceal．You tease me in summer；when winter comes you are silent．While the cold shrivels you up and puts you to death，a well-stored abode harbours me．Surely I have now pulled down your pride enough．”
Exercises：
判断对（T）、错（F）：
①A fly thought he was of greater importance than an ant，be-cause he could enjoy the nicest of things without labour．②The ant desired for the life of the fly．③The ant thought that eating with the gods is a thing to be boasted of，though not being invited．④At last，the ant pulled down the fly's pride enough． |