The Ant and the Grasshopper
개미와 베짱이
The Story
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All summer long, a grasshopper sang and played in the warm grass.Near him, a line of ants worked hard, carrying seeds of corn to their nest.
"Why work on such a fine day?" laughed the grasshopper. "Come and sing with me!""We are storing food for the winter," said one ant. "You should do the same."
The grasshopper only laughed and went on singing.Then summer ended, and cold winter came.
The fields were bare, and snow covered the ground.The grasshopper had nothing to eat, and he was very hungry.
He came to the ants' door and asked them for a little food."We told you so," said the ants, "but come in out of the cold."
They shared a little food, and after that the grasshopper worked in summer too, so that he would be ready for the winter.
Comprehension Check
1. What were the ants doing while the grasshopper sang?
2. What happened to the grasshopper when winter came?
3. What is the lesson of this fable?
Vocabulary
noun
grasshopper
베짱이, 메뚜기
The grasshopper sang all summer instead of working.
베짱이는 일하지 않고 여름 내내 노래만 불렀어요.
Your Summary
In 1–2 sentences, explain what the ants did that the grasshopper did not, and why it mattered when winter came.
Source: Adapted from Aesop's Fables (public domain, c. 6th century BCE). This retelling and its Korean translation are original text written for SeoJae Story; the ending has been gently softened for new readers.