The Emperor and the Elephant
1.
The Emperor of China is a very rich man and his palace is very
beautiful. Many people give gifts* to the Emperor: ivory statues,
diamonds, rubies, pearls*, and clothes made of* gold and silver. He
receives so many gifts that* he has special servants to inform him of
what* he receives.
2.
One morning after breakfast, the Emperor is taking a walk* in his
garden. The sun is shining*, the birds are singing* and the Emperor
feels very happy*. Suddenly he hears* one of his servants say, "Oh
dear! How big it is*!"
3.
"What is so big*?" asks* the Emperor. "Your Majesty," says the
servant, "you have received a gift, and it is the biggest* gift you have
ever received*."
4.
The Emperor smiles and thinks* that it is probably a marble slab* or
a chest* of tea from India. But he decides to go and see what it is*. So
he goes to the courtyard*.
5.
And there he sees his big gift: it is a splendid huge* beast, larger
than a buffalo*. Its legs are like tree trunks* and its feet are like huge
round stones*. And this extraordinary animal has a nose that is almost*
two metres long. It has two shiny ivory tusks*, one on either side of* this
strange nose. And it has big ears and a very little tail*.
6.
All day* the Emperor amuses himself by watching* the great animal.
Then he goes back into the palace to have dinner*. He is very pleased
with* his gift.
7.
After dinner he goes to bed*. It is very late*, but he cannot sleep*. So
he calls for his chief* servant. "Send* the keeper of the records* to me."
he says.
"Now, Your Majesty?"
"Yes, NOW!" says the Emperor, angrily*.
8.
So the servant leaves and soon* returns with the keeper of the
records. "Now," says the Emperor, "read me all you have written about*
that beast."
9.
"Your Majesty," says the keeper of the records, "the beast is called
'elephant'. It is a present from the Rajah of India. It eats leaves, dry
grass*, and even rice*, in large quantities. It is tame* and you can use it*
for amusement, or to do work which needs great strength*."
10.
"Yes, yes," says the Emperor. "And what is the weight* of this
elephant?" "Alas, Your Majesty," says the keeper of the records, "we
have not weighed* the animal, for nobody knows how* to do it."
11.
But the Emperor is not satisfied with this and he commands, "Find
the exact weight of the animal, or you will all be hanged*." So the
keeper of the records bows* and leaves. And the Emperor goes to
sleep*.
12.
For the next few days*, all the astrologers, mathematicians and
scholars* of the palace meet* to find a way* to weigh the elephant.
"The animal must weigh more than* six hundred kilos," says one of
them*.
"It weighs at least* eight hundred kilos," says another*.
13.
But they know that their answers* will not satisfy the Emperor, for*
he wants to know the exact weight of the animal. They spend* many
days thinking about* the problem, but do not find the solution.
14.
Finally, one day, a scholar says, "The Emperor did not say how*
we must weigh the beast. If we cut it up into pieces*, we can find its
exact weight." All the others laugh*, for they know that the Emperor
would never accept* this.
15.
Then* they all sit again round the table, trying* to find a solution.
They know that if they do not find one they will be hanged. And they
begin to lose hope*.
16.
Soon* an old servant comes in and says, "I have a grandson* who
is very clever*, and he says he has a plan for weighing* the elephant.
But he says he must speak to* you face to face to be sure that you
believe* him."
17.
So* the boy comes and the scholars question him. "My name is
Chen Li, and I am honoured to be in your presence," he says. Then he
tells them* his plan.
18.
"It is not difficult to weigh the elephant," he says. "Bring* a boat to
the river bank* and lead* the ele¬phant on to the boat. When the
elephant is* on the boat, the boat will sink* in the water and the water
will rise* to a certain point. Mark carefully* on the side* of the boat the
water line. Then lead the elephant back to land*...
19.
. . . When the beast is on dry land*," he continues, "fill* the
boat with stones until* the water reaches* the same* point on the boat
as when the elephant was in it. Then the stones will have* the same
weight as the beast. Take* the stones from the boat and weigh them one
by one. Add up* the weight of all the stones and you will know* the
exact weight of the elephant."
20.
The boy then bows and stands* beside* his grandfather. Then the
scholars begin to talk*, smiling* because they know that this is indeed*
the solution.
21.
And so the big beast from India is weighed. All the people admire
the wisdom* of the boy. He becomes* a great scholar when he is older*
and brings* much joy to his family.
1.
A gift. A pearl
Un cadeau, un présent. Une perle.
Clothes (ou), Made (ei) of
Des habits. Faits de.
So many... that. Of what
Tellement de... que. De ce que.
2.
To take a walk
Se promener.
To shine (ai). To sing
Briller. Chanter.
To feel (i:) very happy
Être, se sentir très heureux.
Suddenly. To hear (i:)
Soudain. Entendre.
3.
What is so big?
Qu'est-ce qui est si gros?
To ask. The biggest
Demander. Le plus gros.
You have never received
Que vous ayez jamais reçu.
4.
To smile (ai). To think
Sourire. Penser.
A marble slab. A chest
Une plaque de marbre. Une botte.
What it is. The courtyard
Ce que c'est. La cour.
5.
Huge. A stone
Énorme. Une pierre.
Larger than a buffalo
Plus gros qu'un buffle.
Like (ai) tree-trunks
Comme des troncs d'arbres.
Almost. A tail
Presque. Une queue.
Shiny (ai-i). A tusk
Brillant, luisant. Une défense.
On either (ai-) side (ai) of
De chaque côté de.
6.
All day. Pleased (i:) with
Toute la journée. Content de.
Amuses himself by watching
S'amuse à regarder.
To go back. To have dinner
Retourner. Pour dîner.
7.
To go to bed. Late (ei)
Aller se coucher. Tard.
He cannot sleep
Il ne peut pas dormir.
To call for. Chief (i:)
Faire venir, appeler. En chef.
Send to me. Angrily
Envoyez-moi. En colère.
The keeper of the records
Le gardien des archives.
8.
To leave (i:). Soon (u:)
Partir. Bientôt.
All you have written about
Tout ce que vous avez écrit sur.
9.
Leaves (i:). Dry (ai) grass
Des feuilles. De l'herbe sèche.
Even (i:- ) rice (ai). Tame (ei) .
Même du riz. Apprivoisé.
You can use it
Vous pouvez l'utiliser.
Which needs great strength
Qui nécessite une grande force.
10. The weight. To weigh
Le poids. Peser.
We have not weighed
Nous n'avons pas pesé.
For nobody knows how
Car personne ne sait comment.
11.
You will all be hanged
Vous serez tous pendus.
To bow (au). To go to sleep
S'incliner. S'endormir.
12. For the next few (fju:) days
Pendant les quelques jours suivants.
A scholar. To meet
Un savant. Se réunir.
To find (ai) a way
Pour trouver une manière.
More than. One of them
Plus de. L'un d'entre eux.
At least (i:). Another
Au moins. Un autre.
13. For. To think about
Car. Réfléchir sur, à.
An answer. To spend
Une réponse. Passer.
14. Did not say how. If
N'a pas dit comment. Si.
To cut (A) up into pieces (i:-i) . Couper, découper en morceaux.
To laugh (la:f)
Rire.
Will never accept
N'acceptera jamais.
15. Then. To try (ai)
Alors, puis. Essayer.
To begin (i-i)
Commencer.
To Iose (u:) hope
Perdre espoir.
16.
Soon (u:). A grandson
Bientôt. Un petit-fils.
Clever (e-). For weighing
Intelligent. Pour peser.
To speak (i:) to
Parler à.
To believe (i-i:)
Croire.
17. He tells them
II leur dit.
18. To bring. The river bank
Amener. Le bord de la rivière.
To lead (i:) on to. When... is
Conduire sur. Quand... sera.
Will sink. Will rise (ai) to
S'enfoncera. Montera jusqu'à.
Carefully. The side (ai)
Soigneusement. Le bord.
To lead back to land
Reconduire à terre.
19. On dry (ai) land
Sur la terre sèche = à terre.
To fill. Until (-i)
Remplir. Jusqu'à ce que.
To reach (i:). The same (ei)
Atteindre. Le même que.
Will have. Take... from
Auront. Enlevez... de.
To add up. You will know
Additionner. Vous connaîtrez.
20. To stand. Beside (i-ai)
Se tenir debout. A côté de.
To begin to talk
Se mettre à parler.
Smiling (ai-i)
Souriant.
This is indeed (i-i:)
Ceci est en effet.
The wisdom. To become.
La sagesse. Devenir.
Old, older. To bring
Vieux, plus vieux. Apporter.
The Emperor and the Elephant
1.
The Emperor of China is a very
rich man and his palace is very
beautiful. Many people give gifts* to
the Emperor: ivory statues,
diamonds, rubies, pearls*, and
clothes made of* gold and silver. He
receives so many gifts that* he has
special servants to inform him of
what* he receives.
2.
One morning after breakfast, the
Emperor is taking a walk* in his
garden. The sun is shining*, the
birds are singing* and the Emperor
feels very happy*. Suddenly he
hears* one of his servants say, "Oh
dear! How big it is*!"
3.
"What is so big*?" asks* the
Emperor. "Your Majesty," says the
servant, "you have received a gift,
and it is the biggest* gift you have
ever received*."
4.
The Emperor smiles and thinks*
that it is probably a marble slab* or a
chest* of tea from India. But he
decides to go and see what it is*. So
he goes to the courtyard*.
5.
And there he sees his big gift: it is
a splendid huge* beast, larger than a
buffalo*. Its legs are like tree trunks*
and its feet are like huge round
stones*. And this extraordinary
animal has a nose that is almost*
two metres long. It has two shiny
ivory tusks*, one on either side of*
this strange nose. And it has big ears
and a very little tail*.
6.
All day* the Emperor amuses
himself by watching* the great
animal. Then he goes back into the
palace to have dinner*. He is very
pleased with* his gift.
7.
After dinner he goes to bed*. It is
very late*, but he cannot sleep*. So
he calls for his chief* servant. "Send*
the keeper of the records* to me." he
says.
"Now, Your Majesty?"
"Yes, NOW!" says the Emperor,
angrily*.
8.
So the servant leaves and soon*
returns with the keeper of the
records. "Now," says the Emperor,
"read me all you have written about*
that beast."
9.
"Your Majesty," says the keeper of
the records, "the beast is called
'elephant'. It is a present from the
Rajah of India. It eats leaves, dry
grass*, and even rice*, in large
quantities. It is tame* and you can
use it* for amusement, or to do work
which needs great strength*."
10.
"Yes, yes," says the Emperor.
"And what is the weight* of this
elephant?" "Alas, Your Majesty,"
says the keeper of the records, "we
have not weighed* the animal, for
nobody knows how* to do it."
11.
But the Emperor is not satisfied
with this and he commands, "Find
the exact weight of the animal, or
you will all be hanged*." So the
keeper of the records bows* and
leaves. And the Emperor goes to
sleep*.
12.
For the next few days*, all the
astrologers, mathematicians and
scholars* of the palace meet* to find
a way* to weigh the elephant.
"The animal must weigh more than*
six hundred kilos," says one of
them*.
"It weighs at least* eight hundred
kilos," says another*.
13.
But they know that their
answers* will not satisfy the
Emperor, for* he wants to know the
exact weight of the animal. They
spend* many days thinking about*
the problem, but do not find the
solution.
14.
Finally, one day, a scholar
says, "The Emperor did not say how*
we must weigh the beast. If we cut it
up into pieces*, we can find its exact
weight." All the others laugh*, for
they know that the Emperor would
never accept* this.
15.
Then* they all sit again round
the table, trying* to find a solution.
They know that if they do not find
one they will be hanged. And they
begin to lose hope*.
16.
Soon* an old servant comes in
and says, "I have a grandson* who is
very clever*, and he says he has a
plan for weighing* the elephant. But
he says he must speak to* you face
to face to be sure that you believe*
him."
17.
So* the boy comes and the
scholars question him. "My name is
Chen Li, and I am honoured to be in
your presence," he says. Then he
tells them* his plan.
18.
"It is not difficult to weigh the
elephant," he says. "Bring* a boat to
the river bank* and lead* the
ele¬phant on to the boat. When the
elephant is* on the boat, the boat will
sink* in the water and the water will
rise* to a certain point. Mark
carefully* on the side* of the boat the
water line. Then lead the elephant
back to land*...
19.
. . . When the beast is on
dry land*," he continues, "fill* the
boat with stones until* the water
reaches* the same* point on the boat
as when the elephant was in it. Then
the stones will have* the same
weight as the beast. Take* the
stones from the boat and weigh them
one by one. Add up* the weight of all
the stones and you will know* the
exact weight of the elephant."
20.
The boy then bows and
stands* beside* his grandfather.
Then the scholars begin to talk*,
smiling* because they know that this
is indeed* the solution.
21.
And so the big beast from
India is weighed. All the people
admire the wisdom* of the boy. He
becomes* a great scholar when he is
older* and brings* much joy to his
family.
1.
A gift. A pearl
Un cadeau. Une perle.
Clothes (ou), Made (ei) of
Des habits. Faits de.
So many... that. Of what
Tellement de... que. De ce que.
2.
To take a walk
Se promener.
To shine (ai). To sing
Briller. Chanter.
To feel (i:) very happy
Être, se sentir très heureux.
Suddenly. To hear (i:)
Soudain. Entendre.
3.
What is so big?
Qu'est-ce qui est si gros?
To ask. The biggest
Demander. Le plus gros.
You have never received
Que vous ayez jamais reçu.
4.
To smile (ai). To think
Sourire. Penser.
A marble slab. A chest
Une plaque de marbre. Une botte.
What it is. The courtyard
Ce que c'est. La cour.
5.
Huge. A stone
Énorme. Une pierre.
Larger than a buffalo
Plus gros qu'un buffle.
Like (ai) tree-trunks
Comme des troncs d'arbres.
Almost. A tail
Presque. Une queue.
Shiny (ai-i). A tusk
Brillant, luisant. Une défense.
On either (ai-) side (ai) of
De chaque côté de.
6.
All day. Pleased (i:) with
Toute la journée. Content de.
Amuses himself by watching
S'amuse à regarder.
To go back. To have dinner
Retourner. Pour dîner.
7.
To go to bed. Late (ei)
Aller se coucher. Tard.
He cannot sleep
Il ne peut pas dormir.
To call for. Chief (i:)
Faire venir, appeler. En chef.
Send to me. Angrily
Envoyez-moi. En colère.
The keeper of the records
Le gardien des archives.
8.
To leave (i:). Soon (u:)
Partir. Bientôt.
All you have written about
Tout ce que vous avez écrit sur.
9.
Leaves (i:). Dry (ai) grass
Des feuilles. De l'herbe sèche.
Even (i:- ) rice (ai). Tame (ei) .
Même du riz. Apprivoisé.
You can use it
Vous pouvez l'utiliser.
Which needs great strength
Qui nécessite une grande force.
10. The weight. To weigh
Le poids. Peser.
We have not weighed
Nous n'avons pas pesé.
For nobody knows how
Car personne ne sait comment.
11.
You will all be hanged
Vous serez tous pendus.
To bow (au). To go to sleep
S'incliner. S'endormir.
12. For the next few (fju:) days
Pendant les quelques jours suivants.
A scholar. To meet
Un savant. Se réunir.
To find (ai) a way
Pour trouver une manière.
More than. One of them
Plus de. L'un d'entre eux.
At least (i:). Another
Au moins. Un autre.
13. For. To think about
Car. Réfléchir sur, à.
An answer. To spend
Une réponse. Passer.
14. Did not say how. If
N'a pas dit comment. Si.
To cut (A) up into pieces (i:-i) .
Couper, découper en morceaux.
To laugh (la:f)
Rire.
Will never accept
N'acceptera jamais.
15. Then. To try (ai)
Alors, puis. Essayer.
To begin (i-i)
Commencer.
To Iose (u:) hope
Perdre espoir.
16.Soon (u:). A grandson
Bientôt. Un petit-fils.
Clever (e-). For weighing
Intelligent. Pour peser.
To speak (i:) to
Parler à.
To believe (i-i:)
Croire.
17. He tells them
II leur dit.
18. To bring. The river bank
Amener. Le bord de la rivière.
To lead (i:) on to. When... is
Conduire sur. Quand... sera.
Will sink. Will rise (ai) to
S'enfoncera. Montera jusqu'à.
Carefully. The side (ai)
Soigneusement. Le bord.
To lead back to land
Reconduire à terre.
19. On dry (ai) land
Sur la terre sèche = à terre.
To fill. Until (-i)
Remplir. Jusqu'à ce que.
To reach (i:). The same (ei)
Atteindre. Le même que.
Will have. Take... from
Auront. Enlevez... de.
To add up. You will know
Additionner. Vous connaîtrez.
20. To stand. Beside (i-ai)
Se tenir debout. A côté de.
To begin to talk
Se mettre à parler.
Smiling (ai-i)
Souriant.
This is indeed (i-i:)
Ceci est en effet.
The wisdom. To become.
La sagesse. Devenir.
Old, older. To bring
Vieux, plus vieux. Apporter.
