illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories 1 » Lesson 2 - The Man Who Learned from His Cow
| 1. be about to | a. to know something or someone well |
| 2. be covered with | b. to be ready to do something |
| 3. be divided into | c. to be well-known because of |
| 4. be familiar with | d. to be separated into equal parts |
| 5. be famous for | e. to have a lot of something on top of |
There is a story in Mexico about a man who learned a good lesson from his cow. This man was always anxious about his wife talking to other men. Even on his wedding day, the man was angry with his wife for dancing with another man.
At first, the wife thought her husband might change after they got married. But whenever her husband saw her talking with another man, even in a room crowded with people, he would shout at her. The wife was afraid of making her husband angry, so she tried to stay at home and not see anyone. At least then she would not cause any problems.
The man and his wife moved to another town. This town was different from the town where they got married. The man bought a house at the top of a hill where there were not many people. The town was famous for its strong buildings, and the man got a job making bricks. He saved up his money and bought a cow.The man was very excited about having his own cow.
When her husband was absent from home, the woman watched the cow. She took it to a field near the house to eat. The field was covered with thick green grass. No one owned the field. It was not divided into small sections by fences. The animals could go wherever they wanted. One day the cow met a bull, and they fell in love. The cow and the bull promised to see each other every day.
The woman was lonely when she watched the cow. Sometimes she saw a man walking on the road. The woman was anxious to talk to the man. She saw him walking past the field almost every day, so she was very familiar with him. At last, one day she stopped him to say hello. The husband came home and saw her talking to the man. He was very angry with his wife and said, "I can't trust you even for a minute! We're going to leave this town at once!"
The next day they packed their things to move. When the cow saw the woman was dressed in her moving clothes, she became very sad. The cow mooed loudly. The man told- the woman to make the cow be quiet. The cow started to moo even louder. Finally the man said, "That cow is giving me a headache. I am about to shoot it! Can't you make it be quiet?"
The woman was disappointed with the cow, "Can't you be quiet, you stupid cow? There will be other bulls in the next place." The man heard his wife, and he thought about her words, "There will be other bulls." He knew she was right. Wherever they went, there would be other men. The man turned around and took his wife and the cow home.
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