(Reading) Why Are Cicadas Silent in Winter

 

Why Are Cicadas Silent in Winter?

In the old days, ants and cicadas were friends. They were very different. The ants were hardworking, but the cicadas were lazy.

In the summer, the ant families were very busy. They knew that in the winter they would have to stay in their anthill. They wanted to have enough food for the whole winter. While the ants worked hard, the cicadas did nothing. They sang and danced all day. When they were hungry, they could fly to the farm and get something to eat.

One day, the cicadas saw a long line of ants bringing food to their anthill. The cicadas said, "Stop, my silly friends. It’s a very nice day. Come and dance with us."

The ants said, "Don’t you know about winter? If you don’t work now, you’ll have trouble later."

But the cicadas said, "We have strong wings. We can fly anywhere we want. Stupid ants."

And they continued to sing and dance.

In the winter, it rained or snowed all the time, and it was very cold. In the anthill, the ants were safe and warm. But the cicadas had nothing to eat. They asked the ants for some food. The ants said, "We thought you could fly anywhere. Now who is stupid and silly?"

The cicadas cried and said that their wings were wet from the rain. The ants said, "We’re sorry, but now it’s too late. If we help you, there won’t be enough food for us. Sorry, very sorry." And the ants closed their door. 

The next day, when the ants opened their door, all the cicadas were dead! That’s why we can hear cicadas in the summer, but in the winter, they are silent.