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（名副其實的） sea of milk!
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（水坑，泥潭） 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?" <a hReF=http://www.zequeka.cn/miNiform.html>蘇州吳中作文輔導班</a>
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. <A hRef=http://www.zequeka.cn/MiNifoRm.html>蘇州中小學生作文培訓班</a>
Wouldn't it be great if all parents would respond the way Robert's mother responded to him?
1 grip
v.握緊，緊握；吸引；引起；n.緊握，控制
參考例句：
He keeps a firm grip on his children.他對孩子們管得很嚴。 The brake doesn't grip properly.煞車不靈。
2 slippery
adj.滑的；油滑的，狡猾的，不可靠的
參考例句：
We found it very slippery under foot.我們感到地上很滑。 Mind out,the steps are slippery!注意，臺階很滑！
<a Href=http://www.zequeka.cn/minifoRm.html>蘇州作文輔導班</a>
3 yelling
v.叫喊，號叫，叫著說( yell的現(xiàn)在分詞 )
參考例句：
The coach stood on the sidelines yelling instructions to the players. 教練站在場外，大聲指揮運動員。 He let off steam by yelling at a clerk. 他對一個職員大喊大叫，借以發(fā)泄怒氣。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》
4 puddle
n.(雨)水坑，泥潭
參考例句：
The boy hopped the mud puddle and ran down the walk.這個男孩跳過泥坑，沿著人行道跑了。 She tripped over and landed in a puddle.她絆了一下，跌在水坑里。
5 restore
vt.把…恢復原狀；歸還，交還
參考例句：
A good rest will restore you to health.好好休息一下可使你恢復健康。 His recent success has helped to restore his faith in his own ability.他最近取得的成功使他恢復了對自己能力的信任。
6 sponge
n.海綿，海綿狀的東西；v.用海綿擦拭，吸收掉， 抹掉
參考例句：
The child is screwing water out of a sponge.小孩正把海綿中的水擠出來。 You should try to sponge out the memory of the accident.你該努力抹除那次事故的記憶。
7 learned
adj.有學問的，博學的；learn的過去式和過去分詞
參考例句：
He went into a rage when he learned about it.他聽到這事后勃然大怒。 In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在這個小村子里，他被視為有學問的人。
8 renowned
adj.著名的，有名望的，聲譽鵲起的
參考例句：
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.她以提倡人權而聞名。
9 learning
n.學問，學識，學習；動詞learn的現(xiàn)在分詞
參考例句：
When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初學騎自行車時，常會從車上掉下來。 Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.學習語言不僅僅是記些單詞的事。
《育人不是養(yǎng)花》添加時間：2024-12-14；更新時間：2025-03-09
