一米长的茶壶
At a Chinese tea house: the metre-long teapot
Name: ________________ Date: ________
马克第一次来成都。他的朋友小周说：“来成都，一定要去茶馆。”
茶馆在一个公园里，人很多。有人在喝茶，有人在聊天，还有人在打牌。
他们坐下以后，一个服务员走到他们的桌子前。他拿着一个茶壶。这个茶壶很特别，壶嘴有一米长。
他站得很远。马克想：“这么远，他能倒进杯子里吗？”
马克想帮忙，就拿起杯子，往服务员那边送。
小周马上说：“别动！”
可是已经晚了。水已经从壶嘴里出来了。马克的杯子动，水也跟着动。最后，杯子满了，桌子上一点儿水也没有。
旁边的人都鼓掌了。服务员笑着说：“你的手真稳。”
马克也笑了：“不不，是你的手稳。”
喝完茶，马克问他：“我能试试吗？”
服务员笑了笑，给了他茶壶。马克也站得很远，也拿得很高。
水出来了，都到了小周的鞋上。
小周叫了起来。马克不好意思地看着服务员。
服务员说：“没关系。这个，我学了三年。”
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 走 | zǒu | to go; to leave |
| 拿 | ná | to take; to hold; to carry |
| 长 | cháng | long; length |
| 站 | zhàn | station; stop |
| 远 | yuǎn | far; distant |
| 帮忙 | bāngmáng | to help; to do a favor |
| 送 | sòng | to give (as a present) |
| 动 | dòng | to move |
| 旁边 | pángbiān | beside; next to; nearby |
| 笑 | xiào | to laugh; to smile |
| 手 | shǒu | hand |
| 高 | gāo | high; tall |
English (for the teacher)
It’s Mark’s first time in Chengdu. His friend Xiao Zhou says, “If you come to Chengdu, you have to go to a tea house.”
The tea house is in a park, and it’s packed. Some people are drinking tea, some are chatting, and some are playing cards.
After they sit down, a waiter comes up to their table. He’s carrying a teapot. It’s a very special teapot: the spout is a metre long.
He stands a long way off. Mark thinks, “From that far, can he really pour it into the cup?”
Mark wants to help, so he picks up his cup and holds it out towards the waiter.
Xiao Zhou says at once, “Don’t move!”
But it’s too late. The water is already coming out of the spout. Mark’s cup moves, and the water moves with it. In the end, the cup is full and there isn’t a drop on the table.
Everyone around them claps. The waiter smiles: “You’ve got steady hands.”
Mark laughs too: “No, no, you’ve got steady hands.”
When they’ve finished their tea, Mark asks him, “Can I have a go?”
The waiter smiles and hands him the teapot. Mark stands a long way off too, and holds it up high too.
Out comes the water, all over Xiao Zhou’s shoes.
Xiao Zhou yells. Mark looks at the waiter, embarrassed.
The waiter says, “Don’t worry. This took me three years to learn.”