A  father  of  six  children  had  been  out  of  work  for  six months.  In  desperation, he was reading through the  want  ads  in the paper and came across an ad for someone to work at the zoo. The man called the zoo and asked if he could have the job, but was told that he would need to come in for an interview.

　　The next day he went to the interview, but before beginning, he was told by his potential employer that he would need to raise  his hand  to  the  square and promise that the proceedings of the interview would be kept confidential, whether he got the job or not. The man reluctantly took the oath, then asked what this job and oath were all about.

　　The zoo owner asked the man what he thought the zoo's main attraction was. Without hesitation the man replied, 'Everyone knows that. It's the big ape!'

　　'Well,' said the zoo owner, 'this is the part you cannot divulge, because we would lose our business. The big ape died, and we need to keep it a secret by putting the ape skin on someone who can imitate  the ape--at least until the new ape arrives in three months.'

　　 'That's me!' said the man. 'I can do that! I was a gymnast in high school and college.'

　　The zoo owner then challenged the man to audition by acting like an ape. The man assumed crouched position and began running, jumping, and swinging around the room, imitating the actions and sounds of an ape. 'Wow! You're really good!' said the owner, and immediately gave the man the job.

　　The next day the man, dressed as the ape, went into the cage and was an instant hit. Everyone heard how the ape was preforming and came to the zoo to see him. The crowds got bigger and bigger as time went by, and the front page of the paper proclaimed, 'The ape has gone ape!'

　　About two months before the new ape was to arrive, the man had about five hundred people in front of his cage, and he was waxing eloquent. He was flipping and jumping and swinging everywhere, when all of a sudden, at the top of a swing, his rope broke and threw him into the lion's cage. He rolled a few times, coming to rest against the bars, and turned to find himself across the cage from the king of beasts, who lay across the cage with his head down on one paw.

　　He knew right away that he was in trouble, so he began screaming like an ape and running back  and  forth along the bars in hopes that someone would rescue him from this situation. No one moved. As he looked again, the lion began to move slowly and stalk him. The lion then growled, curled his upper lip over his teeth, and assumed a position to leap. Just at this moment, the man decided that his family was more important to him than his promise to the owner of the zoo.

　　He looked up and started screaming, 'Help! Help! I'm not really an ape, I'm a man. Get me out of here!'

　　The lion looked at him and said in a loud whisper, 'Hush up, you fool! You'll get us both fired!'

Key  words：

want  ads　徵人啟事

interview　（n.）面談　click  發音

raise  his  hand  to  the  square　信誓旦旦

reluctantly　（adj.）不情願地

hesitation　（adj.）猶豫、遲疑

ape　（n.）猩猩　click  發音  

divulge　（v.）洩露　　 click  發音

imitate　（v.）模仿　click  發音      

gymnast　（n.）體操選手　click  發音   

audition　（v.）試演　click  發音  　

crouch　（v.）蹲伏、彎腰屈膝　click  發音  

cage　（n.）圍籠

wax　（v.）漸漸變得越有

eloquent　（adj.）富於表現力的　click  發音  

flip　（v.）翻筋斗

swing　（v.）搖擺、盪鞦韆　click 發音  

bar　（n.）鐵柵欄

back  and  forth　前後來回

stalk　（v.）悄悄靠近、悄悄追蹤　click  發音   

growl　（v.）低沉的怒吼、咆哮　click  發音  

whisper　（n.）低聲說話　click  發音