Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia, I saw a small pool of water ahead on the path. I angled my direction to go around it on the part of the path that wasn't covered by water or mud. As I reached the pool, I was suddenly attacked!
Yet I did nothing for the attack. It was so unpredictable and from somewhere totally unexpected. I was surprised as well as unhurt though I had been struck four or five times. I backed up a foot and my attacker stopped attacking me. Had I been hurt I wouldn't have found it amusing. And I was laughing. After all, I was being attacked by a butterfly!
Having stopped laughing, I took a step forward. My attacker rushed me again. He charged towards me at full speed, attempting to hurt me but in vain. For a second time, I took a step backwards while my attacker paused. I wasn't sure what to do. After all, it’s just not every day that one is attacked by a butterfly. I stepped back to look the situation over. My attacker moved back to land on the ground. That's when I discovered why my attacker was charging me only moments earlier. He had a mate and she was dying.
Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her. I could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate. He had taken it up on himself to attack me for his mate’s sake, even though she was clearly dying and I was so large. He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life. Should I have been careless enough to step on her? His courage in attacking something thousands of times larger and heavier than himself just for his mate’s safety seemed admirable. I couldn’t do anything other than reward him by walking on the more difficult side of the pool. He had truly earned those moments to be with her, undisturbed.
Since then, I’ve used that butterfly’s courage as an inspiration and to remind myself that good things are worth fighting for.
The writer changed his direction while walking down a path because he wanted_______.
A.to get close to a butterfly |
B.to escape a sudden attack |
C.to look over the bad situation |
D.to avoid getting his shoes dirty |
From the passage we can learn that the attacker _________.
A.struck the author four or five times and made him badly hurt |
B.paused until the author took a step backwards |
C.thought it was the author who caused the death of his mate |
D.attacked the author for his mate’s safety and to accompany her for the last moments of life |
From this experience the man learned_____.
A.butterflies are brave insects |
B.the small can defeat the large |
C.how to deal with challenges in his life |
D.people should try their best to fight for everything |
Which of the following words can best describe the butterfly?
A.caring | B.ambitious |
C.courageous | D.aggressive |