8.
请认真阅读下面的短文,根据要求选出正确答案。
One day, a famous
magician foretold (预言) the death of a man. The man was the king's friend. The
man did die on the day foretold. The king was angry. He said it was all because
of the magician.
When the magician
came to the palace, the king said, "You could foretell the death of my
friend. Can you foretell the date of your own death?" "The magician
was scared. He thought the king was going to kill him. After a while, he had an
idea.
"Your
Majesty," he said, "I cannot foretell the exact(确切的) date
of my death, but I can foretell that I shall die one day before you. "This
time, the king was scared. He asked the best doctors to take care of the
magician and the strongest soldiers to protect him. He wanted the magician to
live longer and longer.