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Unit 22 :
“Do not Dig Your grave with Your Own Knife and Fork”
Upper Intermediate
Objective
To be able to know more about idioms and expressions.
Vocabulary
Read and know the meaning of the words used in the article.
1. humble /ˈhʌm.bəl/
not proud or not believing that you are important
He’s very humble about his success.
2. huge /hjuːdʒ/
extremely large in size or amount
They live in a huge house.
3. shrub /ʃrʌb/
a large plant with a rounded shape formed from many small branches growing either directly from the ground or from a hard stem, grown in gardens
She planted some roses and other flowering shrubs.
4. puny /ˈpjuː.ni/
small; weak; not effective
My car only has a puny little engine.
5. insignificant /ˌɪn.sɪɡˈnɪf.ə.kənt/
small or not noticeable, and therefore not considered important
Why bother arguing about such an insignificant amount of money?
6. shake /ʃeɪk/
an act of shaking something
She gave the box a shake to see if there was anything inside it.
Quick Reading
Read the short passage.
We must not allow what we say or do to turn against us or create problems for us. Our actions or words must never go against us.
Often we tend to blow our own trumpet which gives rise to difficult situations that we may not be able to handle. It is always better to remain humble and act wisely.
Once there was a huge oak tree besides which grew a shrub. The oak tree was very proud about its looks and would make fun of all the little trees and shrubs that grew around it.
“All of you are so small and puny. I am so big and strong and I look so handsome. People can see me from far away because I am so huge and have my branches spread out so well. No one can see you unless they come close. You are so insignificant,” said the oak tree.
The oak tree would also make fun of all the birds and animals that took shelter in its branches.
“All of you must be thankful to me. If I decide to give myself a good shake then all of you will fall to the ground. So better behave yourselves,” it said with a laugh.
One day there was a huge storm with heavy winds blowing across. The oak tree made fun of the tiny shrub as it struggled to keep its roots to the ground against the speedy winds.
The shrub could not say anything as it knew that the oak tree was indeed much stronger and put its head down in shame.
A couple of hunters decided to take shelter under the oak tree for a while. The oak tree wanted to show off his strength and shook itself upsetting all the birds and other creatures that had taken shelter causing them to fall to the ground.
The hunters were surprised to see so many birds flying away from the tree and noticed how big the tree was. They immediately decided that the tree would help them get loads of firewood and decided to come back and cut down the tree.
Moreover since all the birds found a good hiding place in the tree the hunters thought that once they cut down the tree they could hunt better.
So a few days later the hunters came in large numbers, cut down the oak tree into pieces and took it away.
The tree had been very proud of its appearance but finally became the reason for its downfall too.
Discussion
Answer the questions with your teacher.
- What lesson can you learn from the article?
- Why did the oak tree fall down?
Discussion for you
Answer the questions with your teacher.
- What is more important between appearance and attitude? Why?
- Is it correct to be always humble?
