World Literature (Aesop Fables)｜世界文学（イソップ童話）Lesson74: The Cat, the Cock, and the Young Mouse

PART A_1

Let’s learn vocabulary. Listen and repeat the words and the sentences with your tutor.

PART A_2

1.　grief	/grif/
	-great sadness, especially caused by someone’s death
	She suffered from grief after the sudden death of her friend.
2.　venture (out)	/VEN-cher/
	-to leave a safe place and go somewhere that may involve risks
	She ventured out of their hometown to look for better opportunities.
3.　stroll	/strol/
	-a slow, relaxed walk somewhere
	After attending the mass, the family went for a stroll in the park.
4.　frighten	/FRAY-ten/
	-to make someone feel fear
	Just hearing the voice of her terror professor frightens her.
5.　acquaintance	/a-KWEYN-tans/
	-someone who you know but do not know well
	Because of the nature of her work as an advertiser, she made a lot of acquaintances in the industry.

PART B_1

Let’s read the story. Please read them aloud, and I will check your pronunciation and intonation.

PART B_2

The Cat, the Cock, and the Young Mouse.

A very young Mouse, who had never seen anything of the world, almost came to grief the very first time he ventured out. And this is the story he told his mother about his adventures.

“I was strolling along very peaceably when, just as I turned the corner into the next yard, I saw two strange creatures. One of them had a very kind and gracious look, but the other was the most fearful monster you can imagine. You should have seen him.”

“On top of his head and in front of his neck hung pieces of raw red meat. He walked about restlessly, tearing up the ground with his toes, and beating his arms savagely against his sides. The moment he caught sight of me he opened his pointed mouth as if to swallow me, and then he let out a piercing roar that frightened me almost to death.”

Can you guess who it was that our young Mouse was trying to describe to his mother? It was nobody but the Barnyard Cock and the first one the little Mouse had ever seen.

“If it had not been for that terrible monster,” the Mouse went on, “I should have made the acquaintance of the pretty creature, who looked so good and gentle. He had thick, velvety fur, a meek face, and a look that was very modest, though his eyes were bright and shining. As he looked at me he waved his fine long tail and smiled.”

“I am sure he was just about to speak to me when the monster I have told you about let out a screaming yell, and I ran for my life.”

“My son,” said the Mother Mouse, “that gentle creature you saw was none other than the Cat. Under his kindly appearance, he bears a grudge against every one of us. The other was nothing but a bird who wouldn’t harm you in the least. As for the Cat, he eats us. So be thankful, my child, that you escaped with your life, and, as long as you live, never judge people by their looks.”

Do not trust alone to outward appearances.

PART C_1

Let’s answer comprehension questions. Please answer them based on the story.

PART C_2

1.	How did the young Mouse describe the Cock?
2.	How did the young Mouse describe the Cat?
3.	What did the Mother tell the young Mouse about the judgments he made?

PART D_1

Let’s discuss the story. Please answer the questions below and express your opinions.

PART D_2

1.	What do you think happened if the young Mouse did not run?
2.	Why do you think the young Mouse was lured by the appearance of the Cat?
3.	Do you agree with what the Mother told the young Mouse? Why or why not?
4.	In what situations can the moral of the story be applied?
5.	Why do you think it is easy for people to judge based on outward appearances?

REVIEW AND FEEDBACK

Now, let us review the things that you learned in this lesson.

ではこのレッスンで学んだことを振り返りましょう。

(Please give a short feedback on how your student did on your class.)

	Grammar 文法	Pronunciation 発音	Vocabulary 単語	Comprehension 理解
GOOD	文法の誤りはほとんどなく、完全な文章で話すことができる	ほとんどの単語をはっきりと正しく発音することができる	習った表現を適切に使うことができる	文章を理解し、質問に正しく答えることができる
FAIR	文法の誤りはあるが、完全な文章で話すことができる	発音の練習が必要な言葉がいくつかある	たまにミスはあるが、習った表現を適切に使うことができる	文章を完全に理解するのは難しく、質問に正しく答えられないときもある
POOR	文章で話すのは難しく、単語だけで話すことができる	発音の練習が必要である	習った単語と表現を少しだけ使うことができる	文章を理解するのは難しく、質問に答えるのは難しい

TUTOR FEEDBACK

GRAMMAR
Good:	Was able to speak in complete sentences with minimal grammatical errors.
Fair:	Was able to speak in complete sentences with evident grammatical errors.
Poor:	Was able to speak using words only.
PRONUNCIATION
Good:	Was able to pronounce most of the words clearly and correctly.
Fair:	Mispronounced a few words.
Poor:	Mispronounced most of the words.
VOCABULARY
Good:	Used appropriate expressions learned in class.
Fair:	Used appropriate expressions learned in class and made a few errors in word choice.
Poor:	Used only a few words and expressions.
COMPREHENSION
Good:	Was able to understand the passages and answer the questions correctly.
Fair:	Had a little difficulty in understanding passages and answering questions.
Poor:	Had a hard time understanding passages and answering questions.

Parts of this lesson material are based on:
An eBook from The Project Gutenberg.
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