Lesson45Whosemistake?
Ithadbeenalongday.Thejudgeshadchosenfourteensculpturesfortheexhibition.Theywantedafifteenth,andtheywantedtogohome.Theylookedattwomorepieces.Onewasaman’shead.Theydidn’tlikeit.Theotherwasasquare,modernpiece.Thejudgeschosethemodernpiece.Thentheywenthome.
Thenextday,theartistreceivedaletter.Itsaidthatthejudgeshadchosenhissculpture.Butwhenhewenttoseetheexhibition,hecouldn’tseehissculptureanywhere.‘Wherecanitbe?’hesaid.‘Itmustbehere!’
Atlast,hesawsomethingwithhisnameonit.Itwasthesquarebaseofhissculpture.Butthetoppart,thehead,wasn’tthere.‘Itmusthavebeenamistake!’hesaid.
Thejudgesinsistedithadn’tbeenamistake.Theylikedthebaseonitsown,buttheythoughttheheadwasawful.
Lesson55Monkeybusiness
SomeUSscientistshaveshownthatmonkeyscanbequitecleverwithmoney.Inonestudy,themonkeysaregivensilver‘coins’,andaretaughttousethemasmoney.Theygettheideaveryfast.Themonkeyscan‘buy’piecesofappleorpiecesofbanana.Whenapieceofapplecoststhesameasapieceofbanana,themonkeysbuyeachfruitthesamenumberoftimes.Butwhentheapplepiecesgo‘onsale’,themonkeysloseinterestinbanana.Theychooseapple,becausetheygetmorefruitforthesamemoney.
Whenpiecesofcucumberwereofferedaswell,onegroupofmonkeysdidsomethinginteresting.Theydidn’teatthecucumberpieces.Theysawthatthecucumberpieceswerethesamesizeastheirsilvercoins.Theyhidthesilvercoinsandtriedtousethecucumberpiecesasmoney.
Thescientistsareveryinterested,buttheyarealsogettingabitworried.Theyhavediscoveredthatthemonkeyscanbecomeenthusiasticgamblers,too!
