Lesson 7 Crystal Cave

At the bottom of the magic waterfall of Silver Cord is the secret and mysterious Crystal Cave.

In this cave lived a village of animals with special powers. A kind old man created the cave for the animals during a great forest flood^①. With a wave of his magic^② stick, the man gave away a special power to each animal to help it escape the rising waters. He also opened a hole in the rock behind the magic waterfall,creating Crystal Cave^③. It was a wonderful place to escape the flood. Inside the cave was a clear pool from which the animals could drink. There were rocky grounds perfect for resting, and the walls were covered with crystals^④ that shined brightly.

To come into the cave, the animals would always pass through the falls. This was to remind them of the time that water almost ended their lives. In this way, the old man tried to make sure they would keep up to thank for their special powers^⑤.

（168 words）

Notes

① flood [fl?d] n. 洪水；泛濫；一大批

vt. 淹沒；充滿；溢出

vi. 涌出；涌進；淹沒

② magic ['m?d??k] adj. 不可思議的；有魔力的；魔術(shù)的

n. 巫術(shù)；魔法；戲法

③ cave [ ke?v ] n. 洞穴，窯洞

vt. 使凹陷，使塌落；在……挖洞穴

vi. 凹陷，塌落；投降

④ crystal [ 'kr?st?l] n. 結(jié)晶，晶體；水晶；水晶飾品

adj. 水晶的；透明的，清澈的

⑤ power [ pa??] n. 力量；能力；功率；政權(quán)；勢力；[數(shù)] 冪

vt. 激勵；供以動力；使……有力量

vi. 快速前進

adj. 借影響有權(quán)勢人物以操縱權(quán)力的

Exercises

Ⅰ. How well did you read?

1. [Check the details] What’s inside Crystal Cave?

A. A clear pool. 　B. A rocky beach. 　C. A magic animal.

2. [Grasp the main idea] According to the passage, what kind of person was the old man?

A. Bright. 　B. Helpful. 　C. Brave.

Ⅱ. Read for words.

1. Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words.

（1） At the bottom of the magic waterfall of Silver Cord is the secret and mysterious Crystal Cave. （Para. 1, line 1）

A. 神秘的 　B. 可疑的 　C. 魔幻的

（2） A kind old man created the cave for the animals during a great forest flood.（Para. 2, line 2）

A. changed 　B. invented 　C. built

（3） With a wave of his magic stick, the man gave away a special power to each animal to help it escape the rising waters. （Para. 2, line 3）

A. run away 　B. set free 　C. play with

2. Choose one best paraphrase for the underlined expressions.

（1） There were rocky grounds perfect for resting, and the walls were covered with crystals that shined brightly. （Para. 2, line 7）

A. were dealt with 　B. were painted in 　C. were put on

（2） This was to remind them of the time that water almost ended their lives.（Para. 3, line 2）

A. let them repeat

B. make them remember

C. make them care for

Ⅲ. Writing practice.

1. Can you imagine something more beautiful in the cave? Tell us.

2. Do you have an unforgettable trip? What thing makes you remember forever?

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