There lived a king who liked art. One day an artist offered to paint the most beautiful picture in the world on the wall of his palace. So the king said, “All right, you may work on one of the walls in the new hall.” Just then, another artist said, “ Please allow me to work on the opposite wall. I shall make exactly what that man will make on the opposite wall. Moreover, I shall do so without looking at his work. I would even request you to have a thick curtain put up between the two walls so the either of us cann’t see the other.” Everyone in the king’s court, including the king and the first artist was surprised. So the king decided to give the man a chance. The following day a thick curtain was put into place and both the artists got to work. The first artist brought in a regular supply of paint, oil and water. But the second one would come with a cloth and a bucket of water every day. A month later the first artist said that his work was completed and invited the king to come. So the king sent the message to the second artist, saying he was coming to see their works that evening. After seeing the first artist’s wall, the king was very impressed with the painting and gave him a huge sum of money as a reward. He then asked for the curtain to be opened up. The same painting was seen on the opposite wall too! It was exactly like the one on the first wall. But this man had not seen what was going on, on the other side of the curtain. The man said simply, “It’s very easy I just polished the wall every day!” It was a wall made of white marble. The fellow polished it till it shone like a mirror. The reflection of the painting across the room showed up in it! 小题1:A thick curtain was put up between the two walls in order to _____________.
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