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.

　　The Cake

　　1 Cindy glanced nervously at the clock on the kitchen wall. Five minutes before midnight.

　　2 "They should be home any time now," she thought as she put the finishing touches(最后润色，收尾工作) on the chocolate cake she was frosting. (1)It was the first time in her 12 years she had tried to make a cake from scratch, and to be honest, it wasn't exactly an aesthetic triumph. The cake was … well, lumpy. And the frosting was bitter, as if she had run out of sugar or something, which, of course, she had.

　　本部分重点及难点：

　　1. It was the first time in her 12 years she had tried to make a cake from scratch, …

　　注意本句的时态。

　　It / This / That will be the first time they have met each other.

　　It / This / That is the third time he has seen an English film.

　　It / This / That was the last time he had done such a strange thing.

　　请认真答题，答题结果将记入知识点测评的成绩!

　　【单选题】4. They will go to America next month. That will be the first time that they ______ America.

　　· A. will visit

　　· B. had visited

　　· C. will have visited

　　· D. have visited

　　【答案】D

　　【解析】本题考查重要结构It / That / This be the 1st / 2nd / … time that…中的时态。该句型要注意时态的一致。即：主句为一般将来或一般现在时，从句用现在完成时;主句为一般过去时，从句用过去完成时。本句中主句为一般将来时，故选择D。

　　【知识点】重要结构It / That / This be the 1st / 2nd / … time that…中的时态

　　3 And then there was the way the kitchen looked. Imagine a huge blender filled with all the fixings for chocolate cake - including the requisite bowls, pans and utensils. Now imagine that the blender is turned on. High speed. With the lid off. Do you get the idea?

　　4 But Cindy wasn't thinking about the mess. She had created something, a veritable phoenix of flour and sugar rising out of the kitchen clutter. (2)She was anxious for her parents to return home from their date so she could present her anniversary gift to thi. She turned off the kitchen lights and waited excitedly in the darkness. When at last she saw the flash of the car headlights, she positioned herself in the kitchen doorway. (3)By the time she heard the key sliding into the front door, she was THIS CLOSE to exploding.

　　5 (4)Her parents tried to slip in quietly, but Cindy would have none of that. She flipped on the lights dramatically and trumpeted: "Ta-daaa!" She gestured grandly toward the kitchen table, where a slightly off-balance two-layer chocolate cake awaited their inspection.

　　6 But her mother's eyes never made it all the way to the table. "Just look at this mess!" she moaned. "How many times have I talked to you about cleaning up after yourself?"

　　7 "But Mom, I was only …"

　　8 "I should make you clean this up right now, but I'm too tired to stay up with you to make sure you get it done right," her mother said. (5) "So you'll do it first thing in the morning."

　　本部分重点及难点：

　　2. She was anxious for her parents to return home from their date so she could present her anniversary gift to thi.

　　be anxious for sb. to do sth. 渴望某人做某事

　　3. By the time she heard the key sliding into the front door, she was THIS CLOSE to exploding.

　　当听到钥匙插进门锁的声音时，她的心几乎要蹦出来了!

　　4. Her parents tried to slip in quietly, but Cindy would have none of that.

　　would have none of it 不接受，不允许

　　5. "So you'll do it first thing in the morning."

　　first thing in the morning早上第一件事

　　He brushes his teeth first thing in the morning every day.

　　9 "Honey," Cindy's father interjected gently, "take a look at the table."

　　10 "I know - it's a mess," his wife said coldly. "The whole kitchen is a disaster. I can't stand to look at it." She stormed up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

　　11 (6) For a few moments Cindy and her father stood silently, neither one knowing what to say. At last she looked up at him, her eyes moist and red. "She never saw the cake," she said.

　　本部分重点及难点：

　　6. For a few moments Cindy and her father stood silently, neither one knowing what to say. At last she looked up at him, her eyes moist and red..

　　neither one knowing what to say 以及her eyes moist and red都是独立主格结构，即：名词/代词+分词/形容词/介词短语/不定式。再如：

　　The teacher came in, (with) (a) book in (his) hand.

　　The monitor being ill, we have to postpone the meeting.

　　His homework (having been) finished, he decided to go to see a film.

　　The workers having finished all their tasks ahead of time, the boss decided to give thi a day off.

　　Weather permitting, we will go for a spring outing.

　　So many people (being) absent, the meeting has to be canceled.

　　请认真答题，答题结果将记入知识点测评的成绩!

　　【单选题】5. Tom _______ the old man by the arm, they crossed the street together slowly.

　　· A. leading

　　· B. led

　　· C. having led

　　· D. having been led

　　【答案】A

　　【解析】本题考查独立主格。Tom和lead构成主谓关系，lead表示主动含义，故选择现在分词。A和C同属现在分词形式，B和D同属过去分词(应排除)。C项表示lead这个动作先发生然后再发生cross the street，显然不正确，是两个动作同时发生，故选A。该句的意思是"汤姆挽着老人的胳膊，他们一起慢慢过了街。"

　　【知识点】独立主格

　　12 Unfortunately, Cindy's mother isn't the only parent who suffers from Situational Timbercular Glaucoma(青光眼)- the occasional inability to see the forest for the trees. (7)From time to time we all allow ourselves to be blinded to issues of long-term significance by stuff that seis awfully important right now, but isn't. Muddy shoes, lost lunch money and messy kitchens are troublesome, and they deserve their place among life's frustrations. But what's a little mud - even on new carpet - compared to a child's self-estei? Is a lost dollar more valuable than a youngster's ierging dignity? And while kitchen sanitation is important, is it worth the sacrifice of tender feelings and relationships?

　　13 I'm not saying that our children don't need to learn responsibility, or to occasionally suffer the painful consequences of their own bad choices. Those lessons are vital, and need to be carefully taught. But as parents, we must never forget that we're not just teaching lessons - we're teaching children.(承上启下句) That means t

　　here are times when we really need to see the mess in the kitchen, and times when we only need to see the cake.

　　本部分重点及难点：

　　7. From time to time we all allow ourselves to be blinded to issues of long-term significance by stuff that seis awfully important right now, but isn't.

　　由于那些眼下貌似极其重要但并非重要的事情，我们有时会对具有长远重要意义的事情视而不见。(分别指的是故事中的mess和cake)