Unit 2 Mistakes to Success　　

Spilt Milk

　　① Have you heard of the story about split milk? (1)Well, we all know there is no use crying over split milk. But this story is different. I would hope all parents would respond in this manner.

　　② I recently heard a story about a famous research scientist(研究科学家，高级研究员) who had made several very important medical breakthroughs. (2)He was interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked him why he was so much more creative than the average person; what set him so far apart from others?

　　③ He responded that, in his opinion, it all came from an experience with his mother that occurred when he was about two years old. (3)He had been trying to riove a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his grip on the slippery bottle and it fell, spilling its contents all over the kitchen floor - a veritable sea of milk!

　　④ When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling at him, giving him a lecture, or punishing him, she said," (4)Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge puddle 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?"

　　⑤ 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 restore everything to its proper order. So, how would you like to do that? We could use a sponge, a towel, or a mop. Which do you prefer?" he chose the sponge and together they cleaned up the spilt milk.

　　⑥ 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." (5)The little boy learned 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! (承上总结句)

　　⑦ (6)The renowned scientist riarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to be afraid to make mistakes. (7)Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning 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.

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

　　本文重点及难点：

　　1. Well, we all know there is no use crying over split milk.

　　There / It is no use crying over spilt milk. 覆水难收。

　　2. He was interviewed by a newspaper reporter who asked him why he was so much more creative than the average person; what set him so far apart from others?

　　(1) who asked why … from others定语从句，修饰先行词a newspaper reporter。

　　(2) why he was so much more creative than the average person和what set him so far apart from others都是ask的直接宾语。

　　(3) the average person 普通人

　　(4) set him so far apart from others 使他特别有别于他人，使他和别人有很大不同。far在这里是副词，加强程度。

　　注意区分：so far迄今为止，到目前为止。相当于by now, up to now, as yet。

　　So far he has mastered five foreign languages.

　　3. He had been trying to riove a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his grip on the slippery bottle and it fell, spilling its contents all over the kitchen floor - a veritable sea of milk! 他试图从冰箱里取出一瓶牛奶，却没有抓住光滑的瓶子，瓶子掉了，牛奶洒得厨房满地都是--白花花的一片。

　　4. Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! 感叹句。

　　注意what和how的区别：

　　What a slower walker he is!

　　How slowly he is walking!

　　5. The little boy learned that if he grasped the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it.

　　(1) graspthe bottle at the top

　　v.+sb./sth.+介词+the +身体部位/衣服

　　(2) without dropping it作状语。再如：

　　Tom left without saying good-bye.

　　He ran out (without) saying a good.

　　6. The renowned scientist riarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to be afraid to make mistakes.

　　宾语从句是强调结构it was…that…。注意区分强调结构和it作形式主语或普通代词的结构。例如：

　　It was in this park that they first met each other.

　　It was this park where/in which they first met each other.

　　It is important that we learn a foreign language well.

　　7. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something new, which is, after all, what scientific experiments are all about. 相反，他认识到错误正是学习新东西的机会，毕竟任何科学实验都是如 此。

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

　　该句是个反问句，相当于语气很强烈的肯定句。

　　(1) the way Robert's mother responded to him作状语，相当于in the way …。再如：

　　He learned money was not everything the hard way.

　　(2) the way sb. does/did sth.某人做某事的方式

　　I like the way she dresses herself.

　　People don't the way he talks.

　　III. 部分练习讲解

　　P128 Bridging the Gap

　　Directions: Fill in the blanks with a word or a phrase that best completes the passage. You may choose a suitable one from the list given.

　　解题方法：把词分类

　　动词 　　名词 　　形容词　　　副词 　　　介词 　　　连词

　　fear 　　fear 　unavoidable 　wisely 　　without 　so that

　　reach 　success 　　　　　　　　　　　　 under 　 as long as

　　reach 　　　　　　　　　　　　 　between

　　Lots of people don't dare to make mistakes. They 1 fearthat they will be ridiculed or blamed by others. They fear that they will lose their money and belongings or be 2 undera lot of stress. But risks are 3 unavoidableand they do pave the way you must tread(踩，踏) upon towards 4 succcess. Have you ever heard of someone who achieves success 5 withoutmaking any mistakes before?

　　So it is only natural that making mistakes in your effort to 6 reachyour dreams is considered a must, and you shouldn't worry about that as you may get a lot of advantages out of your mistakes. By making mistakes at least you then can distinguish 7 betweenthe correct and the incorrect portions of what you did. Anthony D'Angelo said: "In order to succeed you must fail, 8 so thatyou know what to do the next time", and Robert Louis Stevenson even went to the extreme as to say: "Our business in life is not to succeed, but to continue to fail in good spirits(精神抖擞，情绪高昂)."

　　You needn't worry about anything 9 as long asyou keep on going by 10 wiselylearning from your mistakes and trying even harder.