Three Monks（三个和尚）

Once upon a time, on a quiet mountain, there stood a small ancient temple. At first, only one little monk lived alone in the temple. Every single day, he would walk down the mountain to carry fresh water for daily use. His life was simple and plain. He took all the responsibilities on his own to survive, and everything in the temple was neat and orderly.

Later, a thin monk traveled here and settled down in the temple. At the beginning, the two monks got along well and went to carry water together. They shared the work and lived in peace. But as time went by, small conflicts gradually appeared between them. Neither of them wanted to do more work than the other. They began to complain and bargain, and slowly became unwilling to take turns carrying water.

Before long, a fat monk came to join them. With three monks living under one roof, it became even harder to reach an agreement on daily chores. Everyone grew lazy and selfish. They all counted on the others to do the work, waiting passively instead of taking action. Finally, no one took the initiative to carry water, and the temple was left without any drinking water.

One day, a sudden disaster came. The old temple caught fire accidentally. Faced with the dangerous fire, the three frightened monks forgot their selfishness. They cooperated with each other closely, rushing to carry water nonstop to put out the fire. Thanks to their joint efforts, the fire was finally put out successfully.

After this terrible experience, the three monks truly understood the great importance of teamwork and responsibility. They decided to divide the work reasonably. From then on, they took turns carrying water and doing housework. The temple returned to peace, and their life became normal again.

This classic fable tells us a simple but profound truth. In a team, if everyone tries to avoid responsibilities and push tasks onto others, no work can be finished well. Only when all members unite and cooperate can a group achieve success.

很久以前，在一座清幽的山上，矗立着一座古老的小寺庙。起初，寺庙里只有一个小和尚独自生活。他每天都会下山挑取新鲜的日常用水，日子过得简单朴素。所有琐事都由他一人承担、自力更生，寺庙里的一切都井然有序。

后来，一位瘦和尚云游至此，在寺庙里住了下来。起初，两个和尚相处和睦，一起下山挑水、分担劳作，生活安稳平和。可日子久了，两人之间渐渐产生了矛盾。谁都不想比对方多干活，彼此心生计较、互相抱怨，慢慢都不愿意主动去挑水了。

没过多久，一位胖和尚也来到了寺庙。三个和尚同住一处，日常琐事的分工更是难以达成一致。每个人都变得懒惰自私，一味指望别人干活，自己却坐享其成。最后，再也没有人主动挑水，寺庙里彻底断了水源。

有一天，寺庙意外失火。面对熊熊烈火，惊慌失措的三个和尚放下了私心，齐心协力、不停地挑水救火。在三人的共同努力下，大火终于被成功扑灭。

这场劫难过后，三个和尚彻底明白了团结协作、各司其职的重要性。他们商量着合理分工、轮流劳作。从此以后，大家轮流挑水、打理寺庙，寺庙重归安宁，生活也恢复了往日的常态。

这个经典的寓言故事，蕴含着朴实又深刻的道理：在集体中，如果人人推卸责任、互相推诿，所有事情都无法做好。唯有众人团结一心、分工协作，团队才能收获成功。

重点词汇和短语

核心单词

1. temple /ˈtempl/ n. 寺庙，庙宇

2. survive /səˈvaɪv/ v. 生存，维持生活

3. argument /ˈɑːɡjumənt/ n. 争吵，争执

4. agreement /əˈɡriːmənt/ n. 共识，协议

5. lazy /ˈleɪzi/ adj. 懒惰的

6. responsibility /rɪˌspɒnsəˈbɪləti/ n. 责任，职责

7. teamwork /ˈtiːmwɜːk/ n. 团队合作，协作

8. divide /dɪˈvaɪd/ v. 分配，划分

9. normal /ˈnɔːml/ adj. 正常的，常态的

10. accidental /ˌæksɪˈdentl/ adj. 意外的，偶然的

高频固定短语（中考必考）

1. there stood… 矗立着……（文学化存在句型）

2. carry water 挑水，打水

3. in order 井然有序，有条不紊

4. over time 久而久之，随着时间推移

5. reach an agreement 达成共识、达成一致

6. count on 依靠，指望

7. catch fire 着火（固定主动表被动短语）

8. put out the fire 灭火，扑灭大火

9. divide the work 分工，分配工作

10. take responsibility 承担责任

11. push tasks onto others 推卸任务给他人

12. joint efforts 共同努力，齐心协力

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