A2. The Ant & The Grasshopper

The Ant & The Grasshopper

Part 1

In a sunny field lived an ant and a grasshopper.

The ant worked hard every day, gathering food and storing it in her home. "Winter is coming," she said, "And we must be ready!"

The grasshopper loved to play. He danced and sang all day long. "Why work so hard?" he laughed at the ant. He thought she was silly! "Come and dance with me!"

"No, no, I must prepare for winter," said the ant, and continued working.

The ant's home became fuller each day. The grasshopper's home stayed empty.

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Summer turned to autumn, and autumn to winter. The air grew cold and the trees lost their leaves. Snow covered the ground.

"This will be the coldest winter ever," said a wise owl.

Now, the grasshopper had no food and was hungry. He thought, I wish I had collected food like the ant. A cold wind blew, and the grasshopper shivered.

Part 2

He looked through the ant's window and saw lots of food and a warm fire.

He knocked. "Please, can you spare some food?" he said.

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The ant opened the door, and saw the cold, starving grasshopper.

This time, the ant let him in, and shared her food.

"Thank you," he said. "Next year, I will work too," he promised.

The moral of the story is: Prepare for the future and work hard today, for tomorrow's comfort.

This is a story by Aesop. He lived in Greece about 2,500 years ago. He wrote stories with animal characters that teach life lessons. His stories are still used today, because they educate us about human nature and show universal truths.