Long ago, Bluebird’s feathers were the colour of dust. She did not like her ugly colour. She was attracted by the colour of the lake near her home. It was as blue as the sky after a storm. Bluebird wanted to be the colour of that beautiful lake very much. Flapping her wings one morning, Bluebird flew from her tree to the blue lake. Then she bathed in the water three times. After each bath, she sang, “Blue water. Still water. I went in. I am blue.” Bluebird repeated this every morning. On the third day, she came out of the lake with beautiful blue feathers.
Now Coyote was a trickster(騙子)—and hungry too. He stayed behind Bluebird’s tree for a long time every day and watched her go to the lake. He pretended(偽裝) to be interested in everything she did. He wanted Bluebird for lunch, but he was afraid of the blue water. On the third morning, Coyote saw Bluebird come out of the lake with beautiful blue feathers. Impressed, he sat next to Bluebird’s tree and waited for her. When she returned, he asked, “How did you get blue feathers? I want to be blue like the mountains too.” Bluebird didn’t believe Coyote, but she taught him how to bathe three times each morning and how to sing her song. Coyote did what she said, and after three days of bathing in the lake, his white fur turned deep blue.
Convinced(確信的) that blue fur was even more beautiful than blue feathers, Coyote forgot all about being hungry. He ran as fast as he could to the top of the hill. Standing on his back legs, he raised his front legs off the ground and howled. But Coyote slipped(滑倒) and rolled down the hill. He couldn’t stop himself, and the dust and dirt covered his new blue fur. He rolled and rolled until he hit into Bluebird’s tree heavily. No matter how much he tried, foolish Coyote could not shake the dust from his fur. And so the fur of all coyotes had the dull colour of dust to this very day.
【小題1】How many times did Bluebird bathe every morning before she had beautiful blue feathers?
| A．Three times. | B．Four times. | C．Five times. | D．Six times. |
【小題2】Why was Coyote a trickster?
| A．He wanted to fly like Bluebird near the mountains. |
| B．He wanted to eat Bluebird but pretended to be curious. |
| C．He wanted to swim in the lake but was afraid of the water. |
| D．He wanted to sing Bluebird’s song but didn’t know the words. |
【小題3】Where did Coyote go after his fur turned blue?
| A．To the lake. | B．To the tree. | C．To the cave. | D．To the hill. |
【小題4】Why did Coyote forget all about being hungry?
| A．Because his fur had the dull colour of dust. |
| B．Because the dust and dirt covered his new blue fur. |
| C．Because he thought blue fur was much more beautiful. |
| D．Because he hit into Bluebird’s tree and hurt himself. |
【小題5】What words does the writer use to help you imagine the colour blue?
| A．sky, lake, mountains |
| B．bird, coyote, storm |
| C．flapped, climbed, bathed |
| D．fur, feathers, dust |
