The Ant and the Fly

（单词翻译:单击）

    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 espied¹ the mall，I seat myself on the head of a king；and I taste the chaste² 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 bragged³ of by him who is invited，not himwho is loathed⁴ 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 filth⁵ 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 conceal⁶．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 abode⁷ 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．