4. SWEET AS HONEY.

 1. Rose had to go away, to finish her lessons, and Thomas also went out of the room to get a cloth to wipe up the spilt cream.

 

2. I was in danger of being swept away by this, but, just as Rose was going out at the door, she saw me still in the midst¹ of the cream.

 

3. In an instant I found myself nearly drowned again in a spoonful of it, and the next moment I was again placed on the grass of the lawn.

 

4. Rose had scooped² me up in the spoon and carried me there. I really think that she had a liking³ for me. How thankful I felt to be in the grass!

 

5. I hid myself under a daisy flower and took a good rest, for I felt very tired after my struggles. A good shower of rain came[Pg 79] on, and I was quite glad to hear it patter on the leaves.

 

6. For I still felt a trifle⁴ sticky, and was glad to get my legs moist, so that I might wash myself all the better. At this time the sun was so warm, that I lived out of doors for some days.

 

7. I think that three days passed before I sat again on the white cap of Mrs. Sutton. But one morning, when she sat[Pg 80] at the open window, I thought I should like to pay my old friend a visit.

 

8. It was breakfast time again. Mr. Sutton was reading the paper through his new glasses, and Rose was busy eating her breakfast.

 

9. As I had had nothing but a few tastes of dew⁵, and such small meals as were to be had from the flowers, for three days, I was rather hungry.

 

10. I thought that Rose would spare me a bit of what was on her plate. But, as I was on the way to it, I had to pass a pot of something which had a better smell than what she was then eating.

 

11. It was honey. It made me forget all about Rose, and her bread and butter. I pitched on the honey-pot, and began to feast⁶ as hard as I could.

 

12. But before I had eaten much, I saw Rose take some and spread it on a piece of bread. At the same moment Mrs. Sutton rose and put the honey into a cupboard.

 

13. "The flies will get at this, if it is left without a cover," she said. "I cannot[Pg 81] think why Thomas has brought it in to table without one."

 

14. Now I thought this a most unkind speech. They were all eating twenty times as much as I could do in a week at each mouthful. Yet the honey was put into a dark cupboard out of my reach!

 

Write: The fly was glad to clean his wings and legs. He came back to the room and sat on the cap of the old lady. He was pleased to get some honey.

 

Questions: 1. What did Rose do for the fly in the cream? 2. What did the fly do in the garden? 3. What did the fly find on the breakfast-table? 4. Where did he pitch next? 5. What did the old lady do with the honey-pot? 6. What did the fly think of what she said?

1 midst   

n.中部，中间，当中

参考例句：

• The hut is in the midst of the forest.小屋在森林深处。
• There is a thief in our midst.我们当中有小偷。

2 scooped   

v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等）

参考例句：

• They scooped the other newspapers by revealing the matter. 他们抢先报道了这件事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 车轮搅起的石块，在车身下发出不吉祥的锤击声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

4 trifle   

n.无价值的东西、问题、行动；v.轻视，小看

参考例句：

• It's senseless to get angry over such a trifle.不值得为这点小事惹气。
• This trifle developed itself into a serious problem.这件小事已发展成一个很严重的问题。

5 dew   

n.露，露水

参考例句：

• His new shoes were wet with dew.他的那双新鞋被露水弄湿了。
• The dew on the branches drizzled our hair and shoulders.枝头上的露珠润湿了我们的头发和双肩。

6 feast   

n.盛宴，筵席，节日

参考例句：

• After the feast she spent a week dieting to salve her conscience.大吃了一顿之后，她花了一周时间节食以安慰自己。
• You shouldn't have troubled yourself to prepare such a feast!你不该准备这样丰盛的饭菜，这样太麻烦你了！