早读英语精华本上册 Unit13

　　Don’t Quit, Keep Playing
Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted¹ a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle² to greet her.
Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked “NO ADMITTANCE.” When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.
Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights³ focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw　her little boy sitting at the key- board, innocently picking out Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy’s ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.”
Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left　hand and began filling in a bass⁴ part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice⁵ transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was mesmerized⁶.
That’s the way it is in life. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren’t exactly graceful⁷ flowing music. But when we trust in the hands of a Greater Power, our life’s work truly can be beautiful.
Next time you set out to accomplish great feats⁸, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.”
为了让儿子能在钢琴方面有长足的进步，一位母亲带着儿子去听帕德瑞夫斯基的音乐会。待她们坐定之后，那位母亲看到一位熟人，就穿过走道过去跟朋友打招呼。
小男孩好不容易有机会欣赏音乐厅的宏伟，他站了起来，并慢慢地摸索到了一扇门旁边，上面写着“禁止入内”。大厅里的灯暗了下来，音乐会马上就要开始了。那位母亲回到座位，却发现自己的孩子不见了。
这时候，幕布徐徐拉开，大厅里的聚光灯都集中到了舞台上的士坦威钢琴上。而让母亲吃惊的是，她的儿子竟然坐在钢琴面前，自顾自地弹着《闪烁，闪烁，小星星》。
这时候，著名的钢琴大师走上台，并且迅速地走到钢琴旁边，并在男孩的耳边轻声说道：“孩子，别停下，继续弹。”
帕德瑞夫斯基俯下身去，用左手在键盘上弹奏低音部分。然后，他的右手绕过男孩的身后，弹奏出优美的伴奏。这位年长的钢琴大师和年幼的初学者一起，将原本紧张的气氛变成了一种全新的体验。全场的观众都听得入迷了。
其实，生活也是如此。我们所取得的成就不一定要多么显著。我们尽力了，结果却不一定能演奏出优美流畅的音乐。但是，如果我们相信大师的力量，我们的生活就会变的非常美丽。
当你准备伟大作品的时候，仔细地侧耳倾听，你会听到大师的声音，在你耳边轻声说道：“别停下，继续弹！”

1 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

2 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

3 spotlights   

n.聚光灯（的光）( spotlight的名词复数 )；公众注意的中心v.聚光照明( spotlight的第三人称单数 )；使公众注意，使突出醒目

参考例句：

• The room was lit by spotlights. 房间被聚光灯照亮。
• The dazzle of the spotlights made him ill at ease. 聚光灯的耀眼强光使他局促不安。 来自辞典例句

4 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

5 novice   

adj.新手的，生手的

参考例句：

• As a novice writer,this is something I'm interested in.作为初涉写作的人，我对此很感兴趣。
• She realized that she was a novice.她知道自己初出茅庐。

6 mesmerized   

v.使入迷( mesmerize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country girl stood by the road, mesmerized at the speed of cars racing past. 村姑站在路旁被疾驶而过的一辆辆车迷住了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• My 14-year-old daughter was mesmerized by the movie Titanic. 我14岁的女儿完全被电影《泰坦尼克号》迷住了。 来自互联网

7 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

8 feats   

功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He used to astound his friends with feats of physical endurance. 过去，他表现出来的惊人耐力常让朋友们大吃一惊。
• His heroic feats made him a legend in his own time. 他的英雄业绩使他成了他那个时代的传奇人物。