Sleep on Brushwood and Taste Gall（卧薪尝胆）

During the Spring and Autumn Period, there were two neighboring countries, Yue and Wu. They often fought over territory and interests.

Once, Yue was defeated by Wu. King Gou Jian of Yue had to ask King Fu Chai of Wu for peace and became a slave in Wu. In Wu, Gou Jian endured a lot of humiliation. He lived in a stone house beside a tomb and did hard work like raising horses. When Fu Chai was ill, Gou Jian even tasted his feces. This made Fu Chai believe Gou Jian was truly submissive, so he let Gou Jian go back to Yue.

After returning, Gou Jian didn’t forget the shame. He slept on firewood and tasted a bitter gall every day to remind himself of the humiliation. He worked hard to train his army and make Yue stronger. At the same time, he tried his best to make the country rich and powerful. After years of hard work, Yue became strong enough. Finally, Gou Jian led his army to attack Wu and won the war.

This story tells us that we should never give up even when we are in a difficult situation. With strong will, hard work and patience, we can turn failure into success.

卧薪尝胆

春秋时期，有两个相邻的国家 —— 越国和吴国。它们经常为土地和利益而争斗。

有一回，越国被吴国打败。越王勾践不得不向吴王夫差求和，并在吴国沦为奴仆。 在吴国，勾践忍受了许多屈辱。他住在坟墓旁边的一座石头房子里，做养马之类的苦役。夫差生病时，勾践甚至尝了夫差的粪便。这让夫差相信勾践是真心臣服，于是放勾践回到了越国。

回国之后，勾践没有忘记屈辱。他每天睡在柴草上，品尝苦胆，以此来提醒自己不忘耻辱。他努力操练军队、让越国变得更强。与此同时，他还尽力让国家富足强大。经过多年的艰苦奋斗，越国终于足够强大。最终，勾践率领大军攻打吴国，赢得了战争。

这个故事告诉我们：即使身处困境，也绝不能放弃。凭借坚强的意志、勤奋的努力和持久的耐心，我们就能把失败变成成功。

重点短语（附音标）

1. the Spring and Autumn Period /ðə sprɪŋ ənd ˈɔːtəm ˈpɪəriəd/ 春秋时期
2. neighboring countries /ˈneɪbərɪŋ ˈkʌntriz/ 邻国
3. fight over territory /faɪt ˈəʊvə(r) ˈterɪtəri/ 争夺领土
4. be defeated by /bi dɪˈfiːtɪd baɪ/ 被…… 打败
5. ask sb. for peace /ɑːsk ˈsʌmbədi fɔː piːs/ 向某人求和
6. endure humiliation /ɪnˈdjʊə(r) hjuːˌmɪlɪˈeɪʃn/ 忍受屈辱
7. do hard work /duː hɑːd wɜːk/ 做苦役
8. let sb. go back /let ˈsʌmbədi ɡəʊ bæk/ 放某人回去
9. sleep on firewood /sliːp ɒn ˈfaɪəwʊd/ 卧薪；睡在柴草上
10. taste a bitter gall /teɪst ə ˈbɪtə(r) ɡɔːl/ 尝苦胆
11. remind sb. of sth. /rɪˈmaɪnd ˈsʌmbədi əv/ 提醒某人某事
12. lead an army to attack /liːd ən ˈɑːmi tuː əˈtæk/ 率军攻打
13. turn failure into success /tɜːn ˈfeɪljə(r) ˈɪntuː səkˈses/ 把失败变成成功

阅读理解问答题

Questions

1. Why did Gou Jian become a slave in Wu?
2. What did Gou Jian do in Wu to make Fu Chai believe he was submissive?
3. What did Gou Jian do every day after returning to Yue?
4. What was the result after years of hard work in Yue?
5. What can we learn from the story of Sleep on Brushwood and Taste Gall?

Keys

1. Because Yue was defeated by Wu, and Gou Jian had to ask Fu Chai for peace and became a slave in Wu.
2. He endured a lot of humiliation. He lived in a stone house beside a tomb, did hard work like raising horses, and even tasted Fu Chai’s feces when Fu Chai was ill.
3. He slept on firewood and tasted a bitter gall every day to remind himself of the shame.
4. Yue became strong and rich enough. Finally, Gou Jian led his army to attack Wu and won the war.
5. We should never give up even in difficult situations. With strong will, hard work and patience, we can turn failure into success.

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