语篇提能
阅读理解
A
Confucius was born in today's Qufu in Shandong Province in 551 BC. His family was far from being well－to－do. But he was a hard－working pupil even in his childhood. When the young man of a little over twenty, he became a small official of the state. Since he was very knowledgeable and serious in work, he had become quite well－known by the time he turned thirty. Confucius had been to many of the states of the time, trying to make his political views accepted by the rulers in running their states. But they turned a deaf ear to his views and opinions. As a result, Confucius made up his mind to devote all his energies to education. When people learned about this, many of them sent their children to him to be educated. They were accepted one and all and so Confucius became the first man in the history of Chinese education to start a private school.
Yan Hui, a young man of humble origin, wanted to be accepted as Confucius's student. But the family was so poor that they even had difficulty providing themselves with daily necessities. He was afraid he would be rejected as he could not afford the tuition. One day he came to where Confucius was giving lectures and overheard Confucius say, “I'm ready to accept anyone that can bring 10 pieces of preserved meat for tuition, whatever his origin.” Greatly heartened by this, Yan Hui hurried back home and told his friends Zi Lu and Zi
