A sea turtle was brought in by the waves to the shore and started his new life as a land dweller.The turtle visited some of his neighbors,and told them the mysteries of the beautiful sea.Soon the fame of this knowledgeable sea creature spread widely.Reporters from all kinds of media pushed their way to his door,and various colleges and associations invited him to give speeches.Our turtle now believed that he was a real expert,and became a little bit cocky.

One day,the sea turtle was to give a speech at the invitation of the Ox Association.With inexhaustible passion,the turtle described to his audience how boundless the ocean was,how well the seatizens got along,and how free the life was there.However,he did not mention the scary oceanic predators,much less the destructive deep-sea eruptions and tsunamis.Anyway,the oxen were all attracted by the remote utopia,and even began to despise the polluted land they lived in.

When the speech came to an end,a calf asked the turtle a question.

“Most respectable expert,since the sea is such a wonderful place,” said the young animal,“why don’t you go back there?”

“I’d like to,” our expert said with a sigh,“but no.I don’t want to be a common turtle again.”

(FromWe Live to Be Happy: Hou Changxi’s Jokes,Tianjin People’s Publishing House.Translation: Wang Xiaoke)