英语美文：We're raising children

 　这位著名的科学家随后讲到，就在那个时候，他知道他无需担心会犯错误。相反，他意识到错误恰恰是我们学习新知识的一个机会，而这一点，正是科学实验的本质。即使实验完全失效，我们依然能从中学到一些有价值的东西。

　　如果所有的父母都能像那位母亲一样去教育引导自己的孩子，那将会多么的激动人心。

　　I recently heard a story from Stephen Glenn about a famous research scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs. He was being interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked him why he thought he was able to be so much more creative than the average person. What set him so far apart from others?

　　He responded that, in his opinion, it all came from an experience with his mother that occurred when he was about two years old. He had been trying to remove a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his grip¹ on the slippery² bottle and it fell, spilling its contents all over the kitchen floor - a veritable sea of milk!

　　We're raising children 育人不是养花

　　When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling³ at him, giving him a lecture or punishing him, she said, "Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge puddle⁴ of milk. Well, the damage has already been done. Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?"

　　Indeed, he did. After a few minutes, his mother said, "You know, Robert, whenever you make a mess like this, eventually you have to clean it up and restore⁵ everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge⁶, a towel or a mop. Which do you prefer?" He chose the sponge and together they cleaned up the spilled milk.

　　His mother then said, "You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two tiny hands. Let's go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can discover a way to carry it without dropping it." The little boy learned⁷ that if he grasped the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful lesson!

　　This renowned⁸ scientist then remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to be afraid to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning⁹ something new, which is, after all, what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment "doesn't work," we usually learn something valuable from it.

　　Wouldn't it be great if all parents would respond the way Robert's mother responded to him?

1 grip   

v.握紧，紧握；吸引；引起；n.紧握，控制

参考例句：

• He keeps a firm grip on his children.他对孩子们管得很严。
• The brake doesn't grip properly.煞车不灵。

2 slippery   

adj.滑的；油滑的，狡猾的，不可靠的

参考例句：

• We found it very slippery under foot.我们感到地上很滑。
• Mind out,the steps are slippery!注意，台阶很滑！

3 yelling   

v.叫喊，号叫，叫着说( yell的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The coach stood on the sidelines yelling instructions to the players. 教练站在场外，大声指挥运动员。
• He let off steam by yelling at a clerk. 他对一个职员大喊大叫，借以发泄怒气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 puddle   

n.(雨)水坑，泥潭

参考例句：

• The boy hopped the mud puddle and ran down the walk.这个男孩跳过泥坑，沿着人行道跑了。
• She tripped over and landed in a puddle.她绊了一下，跌在水坑里。

5 restore   

vt.把…恢复原状；归还，交还

参考例句：

• A good rest will restore you to health.好好休息一下可使你恢复健康。
• His recent success has helped to restore his faith in his own ability.他最近取得的成功使他恢复了对自己能力的信任。

6 sponge   

n.海绵，海绵状的东西；v.用海绵擦拭，吸收掉， 抹掉

参考例句：

• The child is screwing water out of a sponge.小孩正把海绵中的水挤出来。
• You should try to sponge out the memory of the accident.你该努力抹除那次事故的记忆。

7 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

8 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

9 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。