Basic English
One evening a Chicken rests in a tree. As she sits, a Fox comes along
and stands at the bottom. He asks if the chicken knows the news. The
Chicken says she does not. The Fox explains that all the animals now agree
to forget their differences and live together in peace. He asks the Chicken to
come down to celebrate with him.
The Chicken agrees to come down, but as she says this she stands up and
looks off into the distance. The Fox asks her what it is she sees. She tells
him it's a couple of dogs. They must know the good news and want to
celebrate.
The Fox does not listen any further. He starts to run off at once. The
Chicken asks him why he runs off since the dogs are now his friends. The
Fox suspects they do not yet know the news, and besides he has an
important errand to run. As he runs away, the Chicken smiles to herself and
goes back to sleep.
Intermediate English
One bright evening a wise old Chicken flew into a tree to rest. As she
settled in on her branch, a Fox came along and stood at the bottom. Looking
up at her, he asked if she had heard the news yet. Of course, she had not
heard, so the Fox explained that the animals had all agreed to forget their
differences and live together in peace and friendship. He encouraged the
Chicken to come down to embrace him and celebrate.
While agreeing to come down, the Chicken gazed into the distance as if
she could see something approaching. When asked what she was looking at,
she replied that it was a couple of dogs. They must also want to celebrate
the good news.
Without listening to a word more, the Fox began to run off. The Chicken
asked him where he was going since all the animals were friends now, but
the Fox only replied that perhaps the dogs had not yet heard the news, and
anyway he had a very important errand to run. As the Fox ran off, the
Chicken smiled to herself and went back to sleep, grateful to have outwitted
a cunning enemy.
Advanced English
One bright evening as the sun was sinking, a wise old Chicken flew into
a tree to roost. But just as she was settling in on her branch, along came a
Fox who stood at the bottom of the tree peering up at her. "Have you heard
the wonderful news," he cried in a joyful manner. "What news?" she asked.
"Your family and mine and all the other animals have agreed to forget their
differences and live in peace and friendship together! Isn't it great? Come
on down, dear friend, and let us celebrate together."
"How delightful," she replied, but she spoke in an absent-minded way
and craned her neck as if looking at something far off in the distance.
"What is it you see?" asked the Fox suspiciously. "Why it's only a couple of
dogs coming up," she explained. "They must have also heard the good
news."
At this, the Fox bounded off at once. "Where are you going?" she called
after him. "Oh, perhaps these fellows haven't heard the news," the Fox cried
over his shoulder, "and besides, I have an important errand to run that I just
remembered!: The Chicken smiled to herself as she buried her head in her
feathers and went to sleep, for she had outwitted a crafty adversary.