من طرف ???? الأربعاء 14 أبريل 2010, 2:57 amA long time ago, there was a wise man living in a
mountain country. The country was beautiful. But it was always difficult
to find enough food.The people of the High Country decided that they
would travel together to the Low Country. When the snow began to melt,
they packed all they owned into their wagons. With anticipation mixed
with sadness, the wise man and his neighbors left their High Country
homes.The wise man noticed something strange taking place
soon after they began their journey. As they traveled day after day, his
right arm began to feel stiff. The further they traveled from the High
Country, the weaker it became. Three things puzzled him. First, his arm
always felt the weakest whenever they stopped in a village. Secondly, he
noticed that when the travelers from the High Country gathered around a
fire at night to talk among themselves, his arm became strong again.His third discovery puzzled him the most. When he
put his arm behind his back, it no longer felt stiff and useless.One day the wise man was startled. As his wagon
rounded a bend in a high mountain road, he looked down on his neighbors'
wagons ahead of him. He realized that many others were also holding an
arm behind their back. As he looked more closely, he saw that some older
people had even tied their arm in place with a rope.Why, he wondered, was this happening? At last they reached the Low Country. The weather
was warm. At last they reached the Low Country. The weather
was warm. The fields would produce grain and the forests would supply
lumber for their houses. Life looked promising. Promising, that is,
except for their weak arms. It was rumored that the Low Country's air
caused this strange weakness. Some of the people even said they must
learn to live with this weakness if they wanted to stay in the Low
Country. The adults and children set to work. They cleared
the land, planted crops, and prepared lumber to build their new homes. A
High Country tailor sewed a new kind of coat that would hold the
useless arm in place. He also put leather on the coat so the shoulder
could push heavy loads. Even with the new coat, however, work was slow
because everyone used only one arm. Again, the wise man noticed a strange thing. First,
he noticed that--even though it caused them pain--the children soon
began using their weak arm again. Secondly, the wise man noticed that
whenever the High Country people met together in their first buildings,
if they shut all the doors and windows, strength returned to the arms of
even the oldest men and women. "Surely," most said, "this proves that
the Low Country air is at fault." Most agreed that the only solution was
to build houses so strong that all Low Country air could be kept
outside. But the wise man was puzzled most because the children seemed
to become stronger while playing and working outside in the Low Country
air.The wise man watched his High Country neighbors
trying to build their houses while using only one arm. He became fearful
for his people's welfare. The new coat helped them work faster with one
arm. But winter was coming and neither the houses nor the crops would
be ready if everyone continued to work with one arm behind their back.The wise man learned a lesson from the children. He
realized that--even though it was painful--using his weak arm for hard
work was the only way to make it strong again. Because winter was
coming, he knew that he could not stop working on his house in order to
spend all his time trying to make his arm strong. But he also knew that
he could not finish his house before winter unless he used both arms.
The wise man decided that if he was to finish his house before winter,
he must spend some time each day strengthening his arm so that he could
finish his house more quickly.The wise man spent time each day both strengthening
his arm and working on his house. He finished his house before winter. Some High Country people perished that winter
because the snow came before their crops were harvested and their houses
finished. They had worked slowly every day because they were afraid to
stop working on their houses long enough to strengthen their weak arm. If you live in the United States and cannot speak
English well, you are living as though one arm was tied behind your
back. You must work to support your family. But if you do not spend time
each day learning English, you will be limited for the rest of your
life. Spoken English Learned Quickly was written so that you can study
at home and still hold a job. If you will regularly study English each
day for six months to a year, your English will greatly improve. You
will be more able to earn higher wages, live more effectively in your
community, and talk with your children as they learn English in school
mountain country. The country was beautiful. But it was always difficult
to find enough food.The people of the High Country decided that they
would travel together to the Low Country. When the snow began to melt,
they packed all they owned into their wagons. With anticipation mixed
with sadness, the wise man and his neighbors left their High Country
homes.The wise man noticed something strange taking place
soon after they began their journey. As they traveled day after day, his
right arm began to feel stiff. The further they traveled from the High
Country, the weaker it became. Three things puzzled him. First, his arm
always felt the weakest whenever they stopped in a village. Secondly, he
noticed that when the travelers from the High Country gathered around a
fire at night to talk among themselves, his arm became strong again.His third discovery puzzled him the most. When he
put his arm behind his back, it no longer felt stiff and useless.One day the wise man was startled. As his wagon
rounded a bend in a high mountain road, he looked down on his neighbors'
wagons ahead of him. He realized that many others were also holding an
arm behind their back. As he looked more closely, he saw that some older
people had even tied their arm in place with a rope.Why, he wondered, was this happening? At last they reached the Low Country. The weather
was warm. At last they reached the Low Country. The weather
was warm. The fields would produce grain and the forests would supply
lumber for their houses. Life looked promising. Promising, that is,
except for their weak arms. It was rumored that the Low Country's air
caused this strange weakness. Some of the people even said they must
learn to live with this weakness if they wanted to stay in the Low
Country. The adults and children set to work. They cleared
the land, planted crops, and prepared lumber to build their new homes. A
High Country tailor sewed a new kind of coat that would hold the
useless arm in place. He also put leather on the coat so the shoulder
could push heavy loads. Even with the new coat, however, work was slow
because everyone used only one arm. Again, the wise man noticed a strange thing. First,
he noticed that--even though it caused them pain--the children soon
began using their weak arm again. Secondly, the wise man noticed that
whenever the High Country people met together in their first buildings,
if they shut all the doors and windows, strength returned to the arms of
even the oldest men and women. "Surely," most said, "this proves that
the Low Country air is at fault." Most agreed that the only solution was
to build houses so strong that all Low Country air could be kept
outside. But the wise man was puzzled most because the children seemed
to become stronger while playing and working outside in the Low Country
air.The wise man watched his High Country neighbors
trying to build their houses while using only one arm. He became fearful
for his people's welfare. The new coat helped them work faster with one
arm. But winter was coming and neither the houses nor the crops would
be ready if everyone continued to work with one arm behind their back.The wise man learned a lesson from the children. He
realized that--even though it was painful--using his weak arm for hard
work was the only way to make it strong again. Because winter was
coming, he knew that he could not stop working on his house in order to
spend all his time trying to make his arm strong. But he also knew that
he could not finish his house before winter unless he used both arms.
The wise man decided that if he was to finish his house before winter,
he must spend some time each day strengthening his arm so that he could
finish his house more quickly.The wise man spent time each day both strengthening
his arm and working on his house. He finished his house before winter. Some High Country people perished that winter
because the snow came before their crops were harvested and their houses
finished. They had worked slowly every day because they were afraid to
stop working on their houses long enough to strengthen their weak arm. If you live in the United States and cannot speak
English well, you are living as though one arm was tied behind your
back. You must work to support your family. But if you do not spend time
each day learning English, you will be limited for the rest of your
life. Spoken English Learned Quickly was written so that you can study
at home and still hold a job. If you will regularly study English each
day for six months to a year, your English will greatly improve. You
will be more able to earn higher wages, live more effectively in your
community, and talk with your children as they learn English in school
