Introduction
The old lantern maker uses his wisdom to defeat a thief, and gets rewarded by the king for his great skill at making.
上图是用Word 2019检测出来的本故事文本适用年级信息，其中Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level=5.3。一般来说，中国学生的阅读能力比英美学生落后4-6年。按照最低值，5.3+4=9.3年级，相当于国内使用人教版统编英语教材的十年级学生。上海地区的小朋友八年级即可试读本故事。
The Dragon Lanterns
In China, at the beginning of every year, a festival of lanterns is held. In the days leading up to the festival, every household is busy making lanterns. Making lanterns requires great skill. When the festival begins, people hang their lanterns up high and compete to see who has made the most beautiful one.
A long, long time ago, there lived an old craftsman who was very skillful at making lanterns for the festival. Each of his lanterns was a masterpiece. They seemed so real that if he made a flower lantern, the butterflies would flutter and dance around it. If he made a peacock lantern, birds would fly over and sing beautiful songs to it.
One year as the Lantern Festival approached, the old master set about making a pair of dragon lanterns. The lanterns had fierce heads, long tails, and were painted in fiery colors. They were the most beautiful lanterns he had ever made. Everyone who saw the lanterns was amazed. “Wow, your lanterns look like real dragons.” They all agreed.
The lantern maker worked hard on the dragon lanterns, and after several days, they were finished. He had also made a special ball with colored ribbons tied to it. When the old master moved the ball in the air, he could make the two dragons twist and dance. But as the old master and his assistant practiced with the lanterns, they were not alone. Outside a man called Lee spied on them through the window and saw the magnificent dancing dragons.
Lee was a lazy and dishonest man. He was always trying to make money for himself without having to do any work. Seeing the dragon lanterns gave him a cunning idea.
“If I present these marvelous lanterns to the emperor, I'm sure to be handsomely rewarded,” he told himself. That night, Lee broke into the old master's house and stole the dragon lanterns, but he forgot to steal the ball, with the colored ribbons.
At the emperor’s court. Lee presented the dragon lanterns to the emperor.
“Your majesty, will you do me the honor of accepting these two dancing dragon lanterns which I have made myself?” He lied.
The emperor was very impressed with the magnificent lanterns. He rewarded Lee by making him an official in his imperial court.
The next morning, the emperor summoned his empress and all his ministers and told them about the dancing dragon lanterns. He ordered everyone in his court to assemble in the great hall to watch the dancing display. Everyone was excited. One by one, they crossed the bridge into the great hall to see the dragons dance.
“Begin.” commanded the emperor. Lee had made a ball with colored ribbons, just like the one the old lantern maker had made. He moved the ball in the air as he had seen the old man do. Everyone leaned forward to see the dragons dance, but nothing happened. The dragon lanterns stayed as still as stone. The emperor was furious. Lee had embarrassed him in front of all his ministers and courtiers.
“How dare you lie to me?” He raged and he ordered his guards to take Lee away.
“As a punishment for your lies, you will be thrown into prison for 100 years,” the emperor decreed.
The day before the Lantern Festival began, the old lantern maker’s neighbors came up to his house.
“We heard that your dragon lanterns have been stolen, old master,” they said. “What a shame! Who would do such a thing?”
“Don't worry,” the old man told them, smiling to himself. “You'll still see my dragon lanterns dance tomorrow.”
Finally, the Lantern Festival arrived. The streets outside the emperor’s palace were lined with brightly lit lanterns of all shapes and sizes. The pretty lanterns lit up the street with their delicate yellow glow.
“Look! Aren't they beautiful?” Exclaimed the town’s people who had gathered in the streets. Even the full moon had come out to look at the lanterns.
The old master also came out into the streets, carrying his ball with the colored ribbons. He started to move the ball in the air. In the palace, the two dragon lanterns began to twitch and move.
Suddenly, they flew out of a window and began to dance high in the air above the palace. Everyone could see the dragons dancing against the bright moonlit sky.
The emperor was overjoyed. He realized that the old man was the real maker of the lanterns and congratulated him on his skill.
“What marvelous dancing lanterns!” He said. The emperor honored the old master by asking him to create the palace lanterns every year from that day on. And every year the emperor was delighted with the lantern maker’s skill. Meanwhile, lazy Lee spent the rest of his dishonest days in prison and never saw another lantern as long as he lived.
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