ARTICLE · 1040188
初中英语阅读:What's the value of a person?
初中英语阅读:What's the value of a person?Li Ming's father managed (管理) an iron (铁) shop. He used to help his father with the work in the shop.
One day, Li Ming asked his father, "What's the value of a person?" Father thought for a while. "Son, it's difficult to decide the value of any person because his or her value is priceless."
Li Ming couldn't understand it. "How come? If the value of a person is priceless, then why some people get less respect (尊重) while others get more?"
His father took out a piece of iron and asked, "What do you think is the price of this piece of iron?" Li Ming replied, "20 yuan."
Father asked again, "What will happen if I make small nails (钉子) with it?" Li Ming said, "Doing this will increase its price, and it will be worth (值……钱) 50 yuan."
Father smiled and said, "So you see, just because we turn the iron into some different things, its value is different too." After hearing this, Li Ming felt like he understood what his father said.
We often make mistakes in thinking about our value. Seeing our present, we start seeing ourselves as valueless and meaningless. However, our value is not in what we are now but in what we can become in the future. So we should always keep improving ourselves and try to understand our true value. 
语言是语言，不是数学，也不是记忆游戏。仅凭本能感觉就能理解母语，甚至不想听的时候都能听懂。所以如果方法错误导致努力方向错误，那么最后的结果就是把语言学成了逻辑学，学成了记忆术，而非语言本身，自然也没有真正的语言能力，这是最可怕的。
One day, Li Ming asked his father, "What's the value of a person?" Father thought for a while. "Son, it's difficult to decide the value of any person because his or her value is priceless."
Li Ming couldn't understand it. "How come? If the value of a person is priceless, then why some people get less respect (尊重) while others get more?"
His father took out a piece of iron and asked, "What do you think is the price of this piece of iron?" Li Ming replied, "20 yuan."
Father asked again, "What will happen if I make small nails (钉子) with it?" Li Ming said, "Doing this will increase its price, and it will be worth (值……钱) 50 yuan."
Father smiled and said, "So you see, just because we turn the iron into some different things, its value is different too." After hearing this, Li Ming felt like he understood what his father said.
We often make mistakes in thinking about our value. Seeing our present, we start seeing ourselves as valueless and meaningless. However, our value is not in what we are now but in what we can become in the future. So we should always keep improving ourselves and try to understand our true value.