The search road to the contentment

江蘇無錫一中 高 蕙

精彩導讀

國王厭倦了自己的職務，決定去和一個對自己生活感到滿意的人交換身份。于是他喬裝打扮到身份地位完全不同的幾戶人家，并和他們交流。結果無論是生活安逸的富商、自力更生的鄰居，還是身居要職的大臣，抑或是誠實獨立的木匠，都對自己的生活有諸多不滿，并羨慕別人看起來更美好的生活。國王一度感到失望，但是最后在一個貧苦的工人那里找到滿足感，并且對生活有了更深的思考。工人到底說了哪些發人深省的話呢？國王又有了哪些新的感悟？

全文詞數466，難度適中，建議用時8分鐘。

A king,who was tired of his duty,determined to seek a man who was perfectly contented.His desire was to change places with that man.So he disguised （偽裝）himself,and set out on his search.

First he entered the house of a rich merchant,who had made his fortune in trade,and had now retired to enjoy a life of ease.But the merchant found this life boring.“I wish I were again enjoying an active life,like my neighbour over the way,”said he.

The king next entered the house of the“neighbour over the way”. “Contented! ” he shouted,in answer to a question of the king;“why,I am leading the life of a slave!I wish I could be an important office,who has nothing to do but enjoy his life.”

But as the king entered,he overheard the important office speaking to himself,“Why did I ever think of accepting this position?I should have been much better as head of a business of my own.”

Sadly the king turned away from this house.“Contentment must be found somewhere else,”he said,and he entered the shop of a carpenter（木匠）.He said,“A life of honest independence such as yours,my friend,must indeed be a life of contentment.”

“Who could be contented to work as a carpenter?” said the man，“ I work for some of the king's officers who have plenty of money,and servants to wait on them.And as for the king himself,what has he to do but to enjoy himself?”

The king turned away in silence,and left the city.Dressed as a traveller,he stopped at a laborer's cottage and was invited by its owner to step in and rest.

“I am afraid you must be very badly off,my friend,”said the king.

“Badly off?Not at all,” said the laborer,with a smile.“I am always sure of plenty of work here,and I am well paid for it.So long as I can work I shall never grumble（抱怨）.”

“Don’t you have troubles?”asked the king.“Oh,as to that,everyone has his own troubles.There is the rheumatism （風濕病）in my arm,which keeps me awake all night sometime.And then my landlord(房東)is not always so kind,but I am quite satisfied with what I have.”

The king took leave of his poor friend,and searched no further.“I have found a man who is perfectly contented;and I have learned that I need not change places with him in order to content myself.The secret of contentment is this—to accept the evil along with the good;and instead of throwing off burdens,to try to bear them,so that they shall lead to a greater happiness.”

Reading check

I.Read the text carefully and find the correct answers.

1.What was the king’s goal?

A.Beginning his search on contentment.

B.Finding out the satisfactory job and changing his duty.

C.Talking over the rich neighbour in his country.

D.Becoming a carpenter with a life of honest independence.

2.What does the underlined word “office”mean in the third paragraph?

A.a room.

B.a building.

C.a department.

D.a position.

3.Who was content with his life?

A.The king.

B.The traveller.

C.The laborer.

D.The carpenter.

4.What’s the key to contentment?

A.Completing plenty of work.

B.Gaining good salary.

C.Having servants to wait on.

D.Accepting the bad thing together with the good.

Ⅱ.Critical thinking

What conclusion can we get from the text?

Language study

I.Words in the text

Ⅱ.Vocabulary

1.contented adj.高興的；滿足的

2.ease n.容易；舒適；安逸

3.overhear v.無意中聽到；偶然聽到

4.independence n.自主；獨立

5.laborer n.（尤指戶外的）體力勞動者；勞工；工人

6.plenty pron.豐富；充足

Phrases

7.set out on sth出發去做某事

8.make one’s fortune 賺錢；發財

9.in answer to回答；應答；響應

10.as for至于；說起

11.be badly off生活貧困

12.be sure of確信；確保

13.take leave of向……告別

14.along with連同；和……一致

15.throw off擺脫；迅速脫掉

Ⅲ.句型積累

should have done本應該做……（實際未做……）

作為我自己生意的負責人，我應該會做得更好。

I__________________________as head of a business of my own.

【點石成金】“should+現在完成時”，常表示“過去本應該做某事，而實際未做”，是虛擬語氣的一種。在本文中此句是表現了這個官員后悔接受了國王職位任命的心情。

如果我高中努力學習，我應該在理想的大學學習了。

If I had worked hard in high school,I should have been studying in my ideal university.