【英语文化】初中英语传统文化阅读41:Grind An Iron Rod Into A Needle铁杵磨成针

Grind an Iron Rod into a Needle（铁杵磨成针）

In the Tang Dynasty, there was a well-known poet called Li Bai. He was talented and intelligent from an early age. However, when he was a little boy, he disliked studying and often played truant. He thought school learning was boring and preferred wandering outside to enjoying the scenery.

One sunny day, instead of going to school as usual, Li Bai strolled casually on the street. Looking at the bright sunshine and pleasant scenery, he murmured to himself, "It's such a waste to stay indoors and study on this lovely day."

While walking aimlessly, he noticed an elderly lady with white hair sitting at the entrance of a shabby thatched cottage. The old lady was concentrating on grinding a thick iron rod on a rough stone.

Full of curiosity, Li Bai walked up to her and asked politely, "Granny, what are you busy doing here?" The old lady looked up with a gentle smile and replied, "I'm trying to turn this thick iron rod into an embroidery needle."

Li Bai felt greatly confused after hearing the words. He asked in surprise, "But this iron rod is extremely thick and hard. How long will it take you to finish such difficult work?"

The old lady answered calmly, "Great success comes from continuous efforts. If I keep grinding every day and put in enough persistent effort, why can't I make it in the end?"

Li Bai was deeply ashamed by the old lady’s words. He realized that he had wasted plenty of time being lazy and skipping school. From then on, he completely changed his attitude. He focused on his studies every single day, never skipped school again, and kept working hard persistently. Finally, he grew into one of the greatest poets in Chinese history.

唐朝时期，有一位家喻户晓的诗人名叫李白。他自幼天资聪颖、才华过人。但在年少时，他十分不爱读书，还经常逃学。他觉得寒窗苦读枯燥乏味，总喜欢外出闲逛、游玩散心。

一个天气晴朗的日子，李白没有去上学，独自在街上闲逛。看着明媚的阳光、宜人的景色，他暗自嘀咕：“这么美好的天气，待在屋里读书实在太浪费了。”

他漫无目的地走着，看见一位满头白发的老婆婆，坐在一间简陋茅草屋的门口，正专注地在粗糙的石头上磨一根粗大的铁杵。

李白满心好奇，走上前礼貌地问道：“老婆婆，您在这里做什么呀？”老婆婆抬起头，温和地笑着回答：“我想把这根粗铁杵磨成一根绣花针。”

李白听完十分疑惑，惊讶地问道：“这根铁杵又粗又硬，您要磨成针，得花费多长时间啊？”

老婆婆从容地回答：“成功贵在坚持。只要我日复一日坚持打磨，付出足够的努力，就没有做不成的事情。”

老婆婆的一番话让李白羞愧不已。他幡然醒悟，意识到自己一直偷懒逃学、虚度光阴。从此以后，他彻底改掉了贪玩的毛病，每日专心勤学苦读，再也没有逃学。凭借持之以恒的努力，他最终成为了中国历史上鼎鼎有名的大诗人。

重点词汇与核心短语

核心单词

1. well-known /ˌwel ˈnəʊn/ adj. 著名的，家喻户晓的

2. dislike /dɪsˈlaɪk/ v. 不喜欢，厌恶

3. truant /ˈtruːənt/ n. 逃学者；旷课

4. stroll /strəʊl/ v. 闲逛，漫步

5. shabby /ˈʃæbi/ adj. 破旧的，简陋的

6. grind /ɡraɪnd/ v. 打磨，研磨

7. rod /rɒd/ n. 铁棒，棍棒

8. embroidery /ɪmˈbrɔɪdəri/ n. 刺绣

9. confused /kənˈfjuːzd/ adj. 困惑的，疑惑的

10. ashamed /əˈʃeɪmd/ adj. 羞愧的，惭愧的

11. persistent /pəˈsɪstənt/ adj. 坚持不懈的

中考高频固定短语

1. play truant 逃学，旷课

2. instead of doing sth. 代替/而不是做某事

3. at the entrance of 在……的入口处

4. turn...into... 把……变成……

5. put in effort 付出努力

6. make it 成功，做到（固定口语短语）

7. focus on 专注于……

8. continuous efforts 不懈的努力

阅读理解

1. What was Li Bai like when he was a little boy?

2. Why did Li Bai wander on the street instead of going to school that day?

3. What was the old lady doing at the entrance of the thatched cottage?

4. What did the old lady want to turn the thick iron rod into?

5. What change did the old lady’s words bring to Li Bai?

参考答案

1. He was talented but disliked studying and often played truant.

2. He thought it was a waste of time to study indoors on such a lovely day.

3. She was grinding a thick iron rod on a stone.

4. She wanted to turn it into an embroidery needle.

5. He felt ashamed, changed his bad habits, focused on his studies every day and never skipped school again.

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