Key words：turtle, cook, shell, drown, water
Genre：folklore	Topic：turtle	Words:170
"That'll never work," said the turtle, "Why don't you throw me in the water and drown me?!"

Why the turtle lives in water
　

Author：Unknown	Source：www.zhugao.cn
Nation：West Africa	Date：2008-8-31

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Turtles used to live on the land, they say, until the time a clever turtle was caught by some hunters. They brought him to their village and placed the turtle before the Chief, who said, "How shall we cook him?"

"You'll have to kill me first," said the turtle, "and take me out of this shell."

"We'll break your shell with sticks," they said.

"That'll never work," said the turtle, "Why don't you throw me in the water and drown me?!"

"Excellent idea," said the Chief. They took the turtle to the river and threw him into the water to drown him.

They were congratulating themselves on their success in drowning the turtle, when two little green eyes poked up in the water and the laughing turtle said, "Don't get those cooking pots out too fast, foolish people! As he swam away he said, "I think I'll spend most of my time from now on, safely in the water."

It has been that way ever since!

　

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Discussion：

1. What was the turtle's suggestion for the hunters?

2. Why did the turtle say the hunters foolish?

3. Why do turtles live in water?

　

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