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李四买鞋
How Li Si Buys his shoes
1、郑国有个人叫李四，他的鞋破了，想买一双新的。
once in the nation of Zheng there was a man named Li Si. He wore out his shoes and decided to buy a new pair.
2、李四量了量脚的尺寸，便向鞋店走去。
Measuring his foot, Li Si went to the shoe store.
3、李四说："我要买一双鞋。"鞋店伙计问："多大尺寸？"李四说："哎呀，我把尺寸忘在家里了。"
"I'd like to buy a pair of shoes," Li Si said. "What sizes are they, then?" Asked the salesman. "Oh, I left my measurements at home," was the answer.
4、李四回到家，拿上量好的尺寸，又赶到鞋店，可鞋店已经关门了。
Li Si rushed home to fetch his measurements. But when he got back to the store, it had been closed.
5、一个过路人听到这件事，笑着问李四："你为什么不用自己的脚去试试鞋呢？"
A passer-by learnt of this. He asked Li Si with smile, "Why didn't you just try the shoes on with your own feet?"
New Words
①鞋：shoe ②量：measure ③尺寸：sizes/measurements ④伙计：salesman ⑤试：try on
Language Tips
中国有一个成语"郑人买履"就是讲的这个故事。"郑"指郑国，国名；"履"指鞋。
这个成语讽刺那些脑筋死板，不知道根据实际情况随机应变的人。
The Chinese idiom,"郑人买履"（The man of Zheng buying shoes）, comes from this story. In it,"郑"refer to the nation of Zheng, a country's name, and"履"means shoes. This idiom mocks those inflexible people who are not willing and able to change according to different conditions or situations.
Practice
1. Choose the right answer.
(1)谁要买鞋？( ) Who wanted to buy a new pair of shoes?
(a)李四 (b)伙计 (a) Li Si (b) the salesman
(2)为什么要买鞋？( ) Why did he want to buy them?
(a)鞋太小了 (b)鞋破了 (a) his shoes were too small (b) his shoes were worn out
(3)最后买到鞋了吗？( ) Had he finally bought them?
(a)买到了 (b)没买到 (a) Yes, he had (b) No, he hadn't
2. True or false.
( F ) (1)李四没有带钱。
( ) (2)李四没有带尺寸。
( ) (3)李四回家拿尺寸。
( ) (4)李四用脚试鞋。
3. Make the right order of the main points, then tell the story to your classmates.
Main points:
①李四在家量了脚的尺寸。
②李四的鞋破了，想买双新的。
③李四取回尺寸时，鞋店已经关门了。
④李四到了鞋店，但忘了带尺寸。
Right order:
4. Match the Chinese with the English and pinyin.
(1)鞋 ①liáng (a)
(2)量 ②huǒji (b)
(3)尺寸 ③xié (c)
(4)伙计 ④chǐcùn (d)