3、Equal Inheritance

A certain merchant had two sons. The elder son was his favorite, and he intended to leave all his wealth to this son when he died. The mother felt sorry for her younger son, and she asked her husband not to tell the boys of his intention. She hoped to find some way of making her sons equal. The merchant heeded her wish and did not make known his decision.

One day the mother was sitting at the window weeping. A traveler approached the window and asked her why she was weeping.

“How can I help?” she said. “There is no difference between my two sons, but their father wishes to leave everything to one and nothing to the other. I have asked him not to tell them of his decision until I have thought of some way of helping the younger, but I have no money of my own, and I do not know what to do in my misery.”

Then the traveler said to her, “There is help for your trouble, Tell your sons that the elder will receive the entire inheritance（遗产）, and that the younger will receive nothing. Then they will be equal.”

The younger son, on learning that he would inherit nothing, went to another land, where he served his apprenticeship and learned a trade. The elder son lived at home and learned nothing, knowing that someday he would be rich.

When the father died, the elder son did not know how to do anything and spent all his inheritance, however the younger son, who had learned how to make money in a foreign country, became rich.

1．In her mother’s opinion, the younger son should             .

      A．become richer than his brother

       B．get half of the family wealth

       C．know his father’s intention

       D．learn a way to earn money

2．The mother was weeping because she felt             .

       A．angry                  B．moved                 C．helpless               D．ashamed

3．What is the message of the story?

       A．Inheriting money sometimes brings a person bad luck.

       B．Brothers should learn to get along well with one another.

       C．People with enough money don’t have to work hard for success.

       D．Learning to earn money is more important than having money given.