CHAPTER 1 - A Japanese Folktale

Reading Skill - Recognizing Sequence of Events

A. These events are from the story on the next page. Without reading the passage, number them in the correct order.

1. 1 Leila is because she ran all the way home. 2 The government that next Friday will be a national holiday. 3 Please take care when moving that painting. It's very _______ 4 You could see the _______ on the-----· face when he was given. "Delicious!" declared the rich man loudly.
2. The next morning, the innkeeper said goodbye to the rich man.
3. One day, a rich man stopped at an inn.
4. Later that evening, the rich man came down the stairs and requested dinner.
5. The rich man requested the most luxurious room at the inn.
6. Then he went upstairs to dress for dinner.
7. After he finished his dinner, he went to bed happy, full of ginger buds.
8. The innkeeper served him dish after dish of ginger buds.

B. Write any words in the sentences that helped you choose the correct order. Then compare your answers with a partner.

C. Quickly skim the story. Compare the events in the passage with the order of events in your time line above.

D. Read the entire passage carefully.

A Japanese Folktale

Once upon a time, in a Japanese mountain inn,¹ there was a greedy innkeeper² who was always thinking about money.

One day, a rich man stopped at the inn. The innkeeper looked at the guest’s fat money belt and thought, “Oh, if only all that money could be mine!” The rich man requested the most luxurious room at the inn. Then he went up to his room to dress for dinner.

Now, all around the inn there grew delicate Japanese ginger plants. In Japan, there is a saying that eating too many ginger buds makes you stupid and forgetful. This gave the innkeeper an idea.

“This evening for dinner I’ll serve ginger bud tempura!³” she thought. “Then, when the rich man leaves in the morning, he’ll be forgetful and leave his money belt behind!” She ran into the kitchen and started cooking up the most delicious ginger bud tempura she had ever made.

Later that evening, the rich man came down the stairs and requested dinner. The innkeeper could hardly contain her delight as she served him dish after dish of ginger buds. “Delicious!” declared the rich man loudly. After he finished his dinner, he went to bed happy, full of ginger buds.

The next morning, the innkeeper said goodbye to the rich man. As soon as he was out of sight, she raced up to his room. She looked all over the room for the money belt, but she couldn’t find it. Suddenly, she noticed a piece of paper on the floor. It was the rich man’s bill. He had forgotten to pay it! She ran after him, down the stairs, out the front door, and up the road until she was out of breath, but the rich man was already far, far away.