Have you seen the Mid-Autumn Festival moon? Autumn of reading, let's read the famous Aesop Fables first.
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Well, the Mid-Autumn Festival has passed this year, and it's starting to feel like autumn. I could see a very beautiful moon from Tokyo, but I wonder if you were able to see it in your area as well.
In Japan, there is a legend that a rabbit is pounding rice cakes in the full moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival. So, this time, I would like to introduce a story related to rabbits called "Usagi to Kame". I would be happy if I could help you with your study.
"rabbit and turtle"
The rabbit and the tortoise were friends.
However, the rabbit made a little fool of the easy-going tortoise.
One day, the tortoise was taking a leisurely walk as usual.
Then a rabbit came and said with a laugh.
"Kame-kun is really slow. Then, won't it get dark while you're taking a walk?"
Then the tortoise said,
"It's true that Usagi-san is fast, but I'm actually as fast as you."
"Oh, I was surprised. Then let's race against me. Then we'll know who's faster."
"Okay, then come to the field tomorrow morning."
After saying that, the tortoise walked slowly again.
Now, the next day, when the Rabbit went to the field, the Tortoise was already ready to run.
"Hey, Kame-kun. You're really excited. But I don't know who will win without competing. Well, how far are you going to run?"
"Let's make it to the top of the hill over there."
"Oh, okay."
The rabbit lined up next to the tortoise.
"Alright, don."
At the tortoise's signal, the rabbit hopped away.
The tortoise, as usual, moves on at a leisurely pace.
Then, in an instant, the rabbit's back disappeared.
When the rabbit reached the bottom of the hill, he looked back.
"Hmm, this is what it is. There's no way such a lazy tortoise can beat me."
After that, I lay down in a bush nearby.
"Huh~. It was early in the morning, so I'm getting sleepy. Let's take a break here. When the tortoise comes, we can run again."
The rabbit immediately snored and fell asleep.
The tortoise was running without rest.
Little by little, run towards the hill.
How long has it been since the rabbit woke up ?
The rabbit panicked and looked back, but the tortoise was nowhere to be seen.
"Kame-kun, I guess you're still making slow progress. I think it's about time for me to move on, too."
The rabbit began to climb the hill.
And when I reached the top of the hill, I was in shock.
A tortoise was waiting there.
"Hi, Rabbit. You're late."
And the tortoise laughed and said,
"Look, I was faster, wasn't I?"
Rabbit couldn't say anything back.
How was it.
It was a story that if you look down on people all the time, you will soon be overtaken by people who are working hard.
Now, do you know how fast rabbits and tortoises actually run?
The speed of rabbits is said to be about 70 kilometers per hour, although it depends on the species. That's about the same as the ostrich, the fastest bird in the world. Hounds are said to run at a speed of 65 kilometers per hour, so even if a rabbit is chased by a hound, it is difficult to catch it.
On the other hand, the tortoise's walking speed is about 300 meters per hour. It takes about 20 minutes to run 100 meters. If a rabbit and a tortoise normally compete, it is unlikely that the tortoise will win. However, by steadily running steadily, Kame was able to win against a rabbit that was overwhelmingly faster than her, which is amazing. Moreover, since I said that I was faster even before the match, I wonder if he saw through this character of Usagi.
Also, as I mentioned earlier, turtles on land are very slow, but sea turtles in the sea can swim at speeds of 20 kilometers per hour when they sense danger. It is interesting that there is such a difference between land and sea turtles.
Today, I introduced a story called "Rabbit and Turtle".
Did you learn any new words or expressions? I would be happy if you could learn from everyone.
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