There once was an old farmer. He was a hardworking man, so every year his harvest was very great.

　　One day, he became sick. He knew he would die soon. He wanted his two sons to look after the farm. "Long ago," he told them, "I put a great treasure in one of the vineyards."

　　After the farmer died, the sons began to dig carefully around the vines. Every day, they woke up early and worked until night. "We have to dig everywhere and find the treasure!" they said.

　　The two sons dug all summer, but they didn't find the treasure. They were tired and sad. They sat down near the fields and talked one day.

　　"Maybe our father was only dreaming," said the older son. The younger son was looking at the vineyards. The vines were full of big, juicy grapes. Suddenly, he understood. "Brother, this great harvest is our treasure!"

　　The older brother looked at the vines. "You're right! Our father has taught us a wonderful lesson: Hard work brings great rewards."

　　Vocabulary

　　1. harvest n. 收获，获得

　　2. treasure n. 宝藏，珍贵物

　　3. vineyard n. 葡萄园

　　4. dig v. (dig-dig-dig) 挖;(用工具、手等)掘土

　　5. field n. 田地;原野

　　6. juicy adj. 多汁的

　　7. grape n. 葡萄

　　8. reward n. 报酬

　　英语补给站

　　Language Notes

　　look after 照顾

　　look after 类似于 take care of, 都有照顾(某人事物)的意思。

　　Adam looked after my house while I was gone.

　　我不在的时候，亚当替我看房子。

　　until 直到

　　until 指直到，后面接一个时间点或句子，表示持续做某事，到一个特定时间点才停止。

　　He kept working until it was dark.

　　他一直工作到天黑。

　　加上否定词的句型not…until…则是表示直到……才开始……

　　She didn’t show up until ten o’clock.

　　她十点才出现。(她十点之前都没有出现)

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（实习编辑：高奕飞）