The Turning Point

轉捩點Big or small, short or tall, we can all make a difference
小猪究竟能不能帮助农夫完成艰巨任务呢？Can the little pig help the farmer with a big task? by Hazel Johansen

Wow!” said Farmer Turner one evening as he walked through his garden. “Look at that turnip! Why, it’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen. I’ll take it home, and my wife can turn it into a wonderful stew.”

The farmer tried pulling the turnip out of the ground. But it was too big and wouldn’t come out. So he turned to his wife for help. Together the farmer and his wife pulled on the giant vegetable. But it remained in the ground. “Now what?” the farmer sighed. That night Farmer Turner couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned all night thinking about the big turnip.

The next morning his wife had an idea. “Let’s ask one of the farm animals to help,” she said. “Surely together we can pull the turnip up.”
“Yes" said the farmer, turning the idea over in his mind. "But which animal?" just then Pinky the piglet turned up. "Wh-wh-what about me? he squealed. " I'll help." But the farmer turned him down. "You're too little," he laughed. " I'll ask the ox. He's big and strong." "But he's dangerous," warned his wife. "He may get upset and turn on us."
"Yes," said Farmer Turner, "But we need him. " So together the farmer, his wife and the ox pulled on the stubborn turnip. But it would not come out.
"We need more help," said the farmer. "H-h-how about me? Pinky cried. But the farmer paid no attention. "How about the horse?" he said instead. "She's had a hard day," said the farmer's wife. "She's tired."
"Yes, " said Farmer Turner, "but we need her." And so together the farmer, his wife the ox and the horse pulled. But they failed to get the turnip from the garden.
"Run and get the cow," cried the farmer. "But her milk's turned bad," said his wife. "And you said she's no longer useful."
"Yes," said Farmer Turner, "but we need her," So together the farmer, his wife, the ox, the horse and the cow struggled with the turnip. But it didn't go anywhere.
One by one the farmer called upon the other farm animals to help. The goat, the ram and even the rooster joined in. But it still would not come out. Everyone was disappointed. "M-m-my turn!" oinked Pinky.
"Don't turn me away. I r-r-really want to help," he cried.
But again the farmer turned up his nose at the piglet's offer. "You're just too little," he explained.
"Yes," said Pinky, " b-b-but you need me."
That turned the farmer's heart. So together the farmer, his wife, the ox, the horse, the cow, the goat, the ram, the rooster and the piglet tried one last time to pull the giant turnip out of the garden. And it turned out well. Together they did it! "Yahoo!" they all cheered. "The tiny piglet made the difference. He turned everything around." They all pushed and pulled the turnip to the farmhouse. The farmer's wife turned it into a delicious stew. Everyone pigged out! After that, they turned on some music and celebrated. Then happily, at the end of a long day, they all turned in.

Grammar
"Now what?" the farmer sighed.
"Now what?" =" Now what do I do?" =“ Now what should we do?" = " Now what is it?" or
"Now what else is wrong?" -usually when you getting frustrated or upset you can say this words.

Vocabulary
toss and turn (saying) -睡不着觉，翻来覆去的 toss-翻滚 turn-转动
I'm not sleeping well. I toss and turn all night.
*I was tossing and turning all night last night because of today's exam.
*Larry tossed and turned the whole night because he was worried about his presentations.简报
squeal (v)- 尖叫，发出长而尖的叫声The little pig squealed when the farmer picked it up.
* " No way!" the boy squealed when the doctor tried to give him a shot.
*The kids squealed with joy when they heard they were going swimming.
turn on -打开某种电器，此指攻击或是批评某人
Wesley suddenly turned on his little sister and made her cry.　欺负，攻击
* Sam turned on the radio as soon as he started his car.打开
turn the idea over - give it a careful thought.
call upon (phr v)-call for help, asking someone to help. (call on) 要求，请求，
Mrs. Smith called upon the students to move her desk.
call upon someone to do something-号召某人做某事
Greg called upon his whole family to help him move.
*We are calling upon all students to donate money to help the earthquake survivors.
turn up one's nose-look down upon someone or something.瞧不起,不削.对什么不削用"at"
Victor turned up his nose at several job offers and ended up missing out on many good opportunities.
*Ray always turns up his nose at fruits and vegetables. He would rather eat junk food.
pig out (idiom) -大吃大喝，狼吞虎咽．说明吃什么用 "at"
Rick pigged out at the picnic. He ate four hot dogs and three hamburgers!
*We pigged out on the turkey and pumpkin pie during Thanksgiving dinner.
turn in-leave head to where they belong.

Char Room
name the baby animal:
piglet- young pig
puppy / pup - young dog
kitten - young cat
cub - young bear, lion, tiger or fox.
calf - young cow
duckling - young duck
bunny - young rabbit
fry - little young fish
chick - young chicken.
colt - young male horse.
pony - is a small size, full grown horse.
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"Yahoo", "Yippee", "Hurray " are interjection 感叹词．