齐富言偷抢正道 宋贫行窃盗歪途
Once upon a time, in the land of Qi, there was a wealthy individual named Guo, while in the land of Song, there was a man named Xiang who was not wealthy. Xiang traveled to Qi to meet Guo and inquired about the secrets to becoming wealthy.
Guo shared his story, saying, “I was not wealthy in the past, but now I am affluent. The key to my wealth was ‘steal and rob,’ though it required great effort. In the first year, I managed to survive by such means, and by the second year, I had a lot of food and clothing. By the third year, my granary was full of grain and millet (小米).”
Xiang, misunderstanding Guo’s words, focused only on the idea of theft and returned home eagerly to copy what he had heard. As soon as night fell, he began his life of crime, climbing walls and digging holes to steal from his neighbors. For a while, his family’s wealth increased, but his pride led to his downfall. The authorities caught him, and he was found guilty and imprisoned. All his stolen goods were taken away by the state.
Upon his release, Xiang went to Guo’s home to express his anger. Guo greeted him quickly, asking about his well-being. Xiang recounted his misfortunes and said that he was now even poorer than before. Guo was initially shocked but then expressed his regret, explaining that Xiang had misunderstood his earlier words.
Guo said, “When I spoke of ‘stealing and robbing,’ I meant seeking for the resources of the earth, and racing against the seasons of the heavens. Forests, land, sunshine, rain, wind and cloud, all these are my targets for robbing. I approach them, make friends with them, and rely on them to plant crops and build houses. Birds in the sky, animals on land, fish in the river…all these don’t belong to me by nature. But I, fearing no hardship, use my brains and think up ways to steal them and rob them...”
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1.1. What does the underlined word “affluent” probably mean?
A Rich.
B Satisfied.
C Proud.
D Relaxed.
解析：选A。词义猜测题。根据划线词所在句的前面内容“I was not wealthy in the past”和后面内容“By the third year, my granary was full of grain and millet”可知，齐国那位富人原来也很贫穷，在“偷”和“抢”三年后，家里已经粮满囤、谷满仓，因此可推测现在他的生活富裕了。故选A。
2.2. What was Xiang’s misunderstanding of Guo’s advice?
A Guo suggested investing in property and agriculture.
B Guo encouraged him to seek natural resources wisely.
C Guo advised him to steal regularly from others.
D Guo told him to work hard and save money.
解析：选C。推理判断题。根据文第三段的“As soon as night fell, he began his life of crime, climbing walls and digging holes to steal from his neighbors.”可知，那位宋国人只听见他满口的偷呀抢呀，却没有问清楚究竟怎么个偷法、怎么个抢法。他一回到家就动手去偷、去抢。天一黑，他就翻东家的墙，挖西家的洞，看到什么偷什么。即他认为那位齐国富人给他的建议是偷抢别人的财物。故选C。
3.3. How did Guo feel at first when he heard Xiang wasn’t getting rich?
A Worried.
B Disappointed.
C Excited.
D Surprised.
解析：选D。细节理解题。根据第四段的“Guo was initially shocked but then expressed his regret, explaining that Xiang had misunderstood his earlier words.”可知，宋国那位穷人将自己所做事的经过诉说了一遍，唉声叹气地说自己比以前更穷了。富人听到这话先是大吃一惊。故选D。
4.4. What did Guo mean by ‘stealing and robbing’ in his own story?
A Guo actually engaged in criminal activities to become wealthy.
B Guo used a metaphor for hard work and taking advantage of natural resources.
C Guo was referring to taking other people’s belongings.
D Guo was suggesting that one should befriend and rely on the rich to get rich.
解析：选B。推理判断题。根据全文内容可知，富人所说的“stealing and robbing”实际上是一个比喻，指的是通过辛勤劳动和利用自然资源来获得财富，而不是真的去偷窃或抢劫。故选B。