2. A Farmer and a Mule





I. Read the text and mark the following statements "True" or "False"

Once upon a time there was a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well.

After carefully analyzing the situation, the farmer decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbours together, told them what had happened, and asked them to help bring dirt to bury the old mule in the well.

When the old mule heard that, he was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbours started throwing dirt into the well, a thought struck the mule. He realized that he was able to shake the dirt off and step up!

This was what he did. «Shake it off and step up... shake it off and step up... shake it off and step up… shake it off and step up.» He repeated encourage himself. No matter how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on shaking off and stepping up.

It wasn't long before the old mule, batter and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him... all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

That's life! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness or self-pity, the problems that come alone usually have within them the potential to benefit us.






1 The mule in the story was young and strong.

2 The farmer wanted to help the mule, but didn't know how to do it.

3 The farmer had made a decision to leave the mule in the well.

4 The neighbours came to help the farmer to pull out the mule.

5 First the mule was in despair.

6 The mule quickly realized how it could step up.

7 The old mule couldn't get rid of panic.

8 It was a hard and often painful job of shaking the dirt off and stepping up.

9 The mule managed to change the situation in his favour.

10 The moral of the story is: life is impossible without problems.

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