Passage 16 童言无忌 As Kids Say It
Step 1 阅读行不行
Tell a Story with a Moral1
A primary school class was asked to tell a story with a moral. Kathy went first.“Once, we were driving a basket of ten eggs to market and we had a big bump2 in the road. The eggs broke. The moral is don't put all your eggs in one basket.”
Tammy was next.“Once, we had a dozen chicken eggs, but when hatched, we got only ten chicks. The moral is don't count your chicks before they are hatched.”
Then it was Johnny's turn.“When my Aunt Karen was in Desert Storm, her plane was hit. She bailed out over enemy territory3 with only a bottle of whisky and a machine gun.”
“She drank the liquor on the way down so it wouldn't break, and landed in the middle of 100 enemy soldiers. She killed 70 with the machine gun. When she ran out of bullets, she killed the rest with her bare hands.”
“What's the moral of that terrible story? ” the teacher asked, horrified.
“Stay away from Aunt Karen when she's been drinking.”
“Cheese! ”
The camera is always in use when our three-year-old grandson, Tyler, comes by. I didn't realize how much until the night of a large thunderstorm. Our son called to tell us that when a bolt of lightning lit up their flat, Tyler turned to the window and said, “Cheese! ”
Turning Forty
I recently turned 40, and on that day I took my nine-year-old daughter, Kelsey, shopping. As we crossed the car-park, she exclaimed, “Happy 40th birthday, Mum! ”
“Thank you, honey, ”I said, “but don't broadcast the 40 part, please.”I went on to explain that I wasn't upset about turning 40, but if people thought I was younger, that was fine with me.
“Why don't you tell people you're 50 then? ”Kelsey asked.“Then you'll look really good! ”
Worry
The night before I was scheduled to have major surgery4 , Jeremy, our nine-year-old son, became worried.“I'm scared, Mum. What if the doctor makes a mistake? ”
I calmly explained that the doctor had years of experience and mistakes were unlikely5 .
But what if he does? ”Jeremy persisted.
Then he'd be in a lot of trouble.”I teased.
You mean we could sue6 him, ”Jeremy brightened, “and could I get a new bike? ”
keywords and phrases
1 moral /ˈmɒrəl/ n. 寓意；教训；道德（规范）；品德；品行
2 bump /bʌmp/n. 碰撞，撞击；肿块v. 碰撞，冲撞；颠簸
3 territory /'terətrɪ/ n. 领土，版图；领地
4 surgery /'sɜ:dʒərɪ/ n. 外科学，外科手术
5 unlikely /ʌn'laɪklɪ/ adj. 未必的，不一定有把握的；不太可能的
6 sue /su:/ v. 控告，控诉，和……打官司
phrase to know
Don't put all your eggs in one basket. 这个谚语的意思是“切忌孤注一掷”，这也是股票投资中常见的一句话，意思是不要把所有的资金投注在一种股票上，要做好规划，尽量规避风险。不过后来钢铁大亨Andrew Carnegie也说过，“The wise man puts all his eggs in one basket and watches the basket.”意思是聪明人是把自己的资源集中在一起，然后精心呵护，这才是发财之道。
Don't count your chicks before they are hatched. 字面意思是“小鸡孵出前，先别忙点数”，引申为“办事尚未果，不把成功言”。意思是告诫人们不要过早乐观。
bail out 指（从飞机上）跳伞逃生，表达飞行员安全跳伞逃生可以说：The pilot bailed out safely. 此外，美剧里经常出现的bail sb out，意思是“保释某人”。
Step 2 手写行不行
★ 我想这个故事的寓意是“金钱是万恶之源”。(moral)
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★ 我感觉到了猛烈的碰撞，便立刻意识到发生了什么。(bump)
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★ 我国土地辽阔，资源丰富。(territory)
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★ 他父亲刚刚从外科急救手术中康复过来。(recover from)
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★ 她在七点前到达的可能性极小。(be highly unlikely)
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★ 该公司可能会被起诉违反合同。(be sued for)
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Step 3 口语行不行
Q1 Give an example to explain “Don't put all your eggs in one basket. ”举例说明“不要孤注一掷”。
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Q2 Give an example to explain “Don't count your chicks before they are hatched. ” 举例说明“办事尚未果，不把成功言”。
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Q3 Share some cute things kids say. 分享一下童言趣语。
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试题解答篇
Step 2 手写行不行答案
1．I think the moral of the story is“Money is the root of all evil”.
2．I felt a violent bump and I knew instantly what had happened.
3．Our country has a vast territory and abundant resources.
4．His father has just recovered from emergency surgery.
5．It is highly unlikely that she'll arrive before seven.
6．The company could be sued for breach of contract.
Step 3 口语行不行答案
1．Investments like eggs are fragile. In the world of investing, potential investors are encouraged to diversify their investments rather than put all of their money into a single, and possibly volatile, investment option. It is never advisable to put all the eggs in one basket when it comes to financial markets. Investors should have some money put aside in more stable funds in order to survive any sudden downturns in more volatile markets.
2．For instance, your boss just told you that you might get a promotion and a big raise. Now you plan to go out right now and get the new sports car that you have always wanted. And you even begin to prepare for the down payment of the expensive penthouse apartment. Your plan even covers the fur coat your girlfriend wanted. Then your friend told you, “Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.”You should wait until you actually get the promotion before you go spending all that money.
3．My dad has always had a beard. One day, he decided to shave it off. He came into the room where my 5-year-old sister Lisa was and asked her, “Notice anything different? ”To which she replied, “No”with a puzzled look on her face. My dad then said to her, “My beard's gone." Now the puzzled look disappeared and the innocent eyes appeared when she said“I didn't take it! ”