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The Boy Who Cried "Wolf!"
Once upon a time, there was a young boy who lived in a tiny village far out in the countryside. Despite his age, this boy had a very important job with a lot of responsibility. He was the town shepherd, and was in charge of caring for all the villagers' sheep as they grazed.
Every morning, the boy took his dog and headed out to the fields to watch the sheep. During the day, he usually passed the time by singing songs or playing with his dog. But on this particular day, the boy was bored out of his mind and wanted a little excitement.
So, just to amuse himself, he took a deep breath and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Wolf! Wolf! There is a wolf chasing the sheep!" And, as the sheep were very important to the villagers, they all came running up to the field as fast as they could. They wanted to help the boy drive the wolf away, but when they arrived, they found that there was no wolf. There was only the little boy laughing at them.
The boy's mother said to him, "Son, you are young, and perhaps you don't know that what you've done is wrong, but you must never yell 'wolf' unless there is really, truly a wolf in the field." The boy stopped laughing and promised never to yell "wolf" again. And the villagers returned to their work in the town.
But as the day continued, the shepherd boy started to feel quite bored again. He thought, "Even though my mother told me not to yell 'wolf,' I think it would be funny to see the villagers run up here again." And so he cried out again, at the top of his lungs, "Wolf! Wolf! There's a wolf chasing the sheep!" The villagers in the town looked at each other and wondered if there was really a wolf in the field. They thought, "The shepherd boy is young, but he's not stupid. He would never cry 'wolf' as a joke AGAIN. There must really be a wolf in the field this time!" And they ran to the field as fast as they could go.
But when they got there, they found the sheep safely eating the grass and the boy laughing at them again. The shepherd's mother said, "Son, in spite of my warning, you've yelled 'wolf' again. What's wrong with you? Don't do it again!" Again, the boy promised not to, and the villagers returned to their work feeling angry.
Later in the day, the shepherd was getting ready to return home for the night when he saw a big, grey wolf creep into the field. Even louder than before, he cried "WOLF! WOLF! THERE'S A WOLF CHASING THE SHEEP!"
But no one came running up to the field. The villagers heard him yell, but they just thought to themselves, "What a fool! Even though his mother told him not to cry 'wolf,' he's yelling again. But we won't fall for it again. We won't go to the field this time."
So the wolf ate all the sheep while the boy just watched and yelled. When he returned to the village in the evening, the people all asked, "Where are our sheep?" And when the shepherd explained that they had been eaten, the villagers threw rocks at him and chased him out of the town.
The moral: Never tell lies, for nobody believes a liar – even when he is telling the truth!
Questions
Choose the best explanations…
- "laughing at" means:
- "headed out to the fields" means:
- "fall for" means:
- "bored out of his mind" means:
- "at the top of his lungs" means:
Are the following statements about the article correct?
1. The second time the boy cried "wolf", all of the villagers came to the field.
2. The villagers thought the shepherd's joke was funny, too.
3. The boy cried "wolf" because he was lonely and he wanted the villagers to join him in the field.
4. After the wolf ate the sheep, the villagers forgave the shepherd boy for yelling "wolf".
5. The shepherd boy yelled "wolf" in spite of receiving a warning that he shouldn't.