2021年英语四级美文赏析：The Story of Sissa思维导图

TherewasonceavictimofoverwhelmingnumberscalledKingShirhamofIndia,who,accordingtotheoldlegend,wantedtorewardhisgrandPrimeMinisterSissaforinventingandpresentingtohimthegameofchess.Thedesireofthecleverministerseemedverymodest.“Majesty,”hesaidkneelinginfrontoftheking,“givemeagrainofwheattoputonthefirstsquareofthischessboard,andtwograinstoputonthesecondsquare,andfourgrainstoputonthethird.Andso,ohKing,doublingthenumberforeachsucceedingsquare,givemeenoughgrainstocoverall64squareoftheboard.”“Youdonotaskformuch,ohmyfaithfulservant,”exclaimedtheking,secretlyenjoyingthethoughtthathisliberalproposalofagifttotheinventorwouldnotcosthimmuchofhistreasure.“Yourwishwillcertainlybegranted.”

Andheorderedabagofwheattobebroughttothethrone.Butwhenthecountingbegan,itwasfoundthatthebagwasemptiedbeforethetwentiethsquarewasaccountedfor.MorebagsofwheatwerebroughtbeforethekingbutthenumberofgrainsneededforeachsucceedingsquareincreasedsorapidlythatitsoonbecameclearthatwithallthecropofIndianthekingcouldnotfulfillhispromisetoSissa.Todosowouldhaverequired18，446，744，073，709，551，615grains!Assumingthatabushelofwheatcontainsabout5milliongrains,onewouldneedsome4×1012bushelstosatisfythedemandofSissa.

Sincetheworldproductionofwheataveragesabout2×109bushelsayear,theamountrequestedbytheministerwasthatoftheworld’swheatproductionfortheperiodofsometwothousandyears!ThusKingShirhamfoundhimselfdeepindebttohisministerandhadeithertofacetheincessantflowofthelatter’sdemands,ortocuthisheadoff.Wesuspectthathechosethelatteralternative.