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高考英语写作素材积累
晨读美文记背 Day 37-39
Day 37 Permission to Fail
Each of us fails from time to time．If we are wise，we accept these
failures as a necessary part of the learning process．But all too often，as
parents and teachers we deny this same right to our children ．We
convey either by words or by actions that failure is something to be
ashamed of，that nothing but top performance meets with our approval
．
When I see a child subject to this kind of pressure ，I think of
Donnie．
Donnie was my youngest third-grader ．He was a shy ，nervous
perfectionist ．His fear of failure kept him from classroom games that
other children played with joy ．He seldom answered questions—he
might be wrong．Written assignments，especially math，reduced him
to nail-biting frustration ．He seldom finished his work because he
repeatedly checked with me to be sure he hadn't made a mistake．
I tried my best to build his self-confidence．And I repeatedly asked
God for direction ．But nothing changed until midterm ，when Mary
Anne，a student teacher，was assigned to our classroom．
She was young and pretty，and she loved children．My pupils，
Donnie included，adored her．But even enthusiastic loving Mary Anne
was baffled by this little boy who feared he might make a mistake．
Then one morning we were working math problems at the
chalkboard．Donnie had copied the problems with painstaking neatness
and filled in answers for the first row．Pleased with his progress，I left
the children with Mary Anne and went for art materials ．When I
returned，Donnie was in tears．He'd missed the third problem．
My student teacher looked at me in despair ．Suddenly her face
brightened ．From the desk we shared ，she got a can filled with
pencils．
“Look，Donnie，”she said，kneeling beside him and gently lifting
the tear-stained face from his arms ．“ I've got something to show
you．”She removed the pencils，one at a time，and placed them on his
desk．
“See these pencils，Donnie．”she continued．“They belong to
Mrs. Lindstrom and me ．See how the erasers are worn ？That's
because we make mistakes too ．Lots of them ．But we erase the
mistakes and try again．That's what you must learn to do，too．”
She kissed him and stood up．“Here，”she said，“I'll leave one
of these pencils on your desk so you'll remember that everybody makes
mistakes，even teachers．”Donnie looked up with love in his eyes and
just a glimmer of a smile — the first I'd see on his face that year．
The pencil became Donnie's prized possession ．That ，together
with Mary Anne's frequent encouragement and unfailing praise for even
Donnie's small successes，gradually persuaded him that it's all right to
make mistakes — as long as you erase them and try again．
Words and Expressions
deny v． 剥夺，否认
convey v． 传达
approval n． 赞同
perfectionist n． 完美主义者
assignment n． 任务
frustration n． 挫折
self-confidence n． 自信
baffle v． 抵制
painstaking adj． 辛苦的
neatness n． 整齐，整洁
despair n． 绝望
eraser n． 橡皮擦
glimmer n． 闪光，闪烁
possession n． 财富
frequent adj． 频繁的
unfailing adj． 可靠的，经久不衰的
Read and recite the following sentences：
（1 ）We convey either by words or by actions that failure is
something to be ashamed of ，that nothing but top performance meets
with our approval．
（2）His fear of failure kept him from classroom games that other
children played with joy．
（3）That，together with Mary Anne's frequent encouragement and
unfailing praise for even Donnie's small successes，gradually persuaded
him that it's all right to make mistakes — as long as you erase them and
try again．
Now try to translate them into Chinese：
Which sentence(s) do you like most？Write it（or them）out here：
参考译文
孰能无过
我们每个人都会不时出错。聪明人承认自己的错误，并将其视为
学习过程中的必不可少的一部分。但是我们作为老师和家长，却又
常常不能接受孩子们和我们一样有犯错的权利。我们用语言甚或行
动告诉他们犯错是件丢人的事，只有最好的表现才能得到我们的赞
赏。
我一看见有孩子遭受这种压力，就会想起唐尼。
唐尼是我三年级班里年龄最小的学生，他腼腆，惴惴不安，事事
求全。他害怕出错，从不参加班里的游戏，可别人都玩得不亦乐
乎。他从不回答自己没有把握的问题。写作业，尤其是数学作业急
得他抓头搔耳，手足无措。他为了作业不出错反反复复和我校对答
案，所以他经常不能完成作业。
我想尽办法让他建立自信，都无济于事。我也无数次向上帝寻求
方向，但总也无济于事，直到学期中段，玛丽·安妮，一个实习教师
分配到了我们班。
她很年轻又漂亮。她爱孩子，我的学生们包括唐尼也都非常喜欢
她。可是就连这位热情、充满爱心的玛丽老师也觉得这个小家伙害
怕出错的行为难以理解。
后来有一天早晨，我们在黑板上做数学题。唐尼煞费苦心工工整
整地在黑板上抄写题目，并且把第一行的答案填了出来。看到他的
进步我很高兴，放心地把孩子们留给玛丽照顾，我去拿了一趟美术
用品。回来发现唐尼正在哭哭啼啼，原来他把第三题落了没抄。
我的实习教师失望地看着我。突然她眼前一亮，从我们共用的讲
台的抽屉里拿出一筒铅笔。
“唐尼，你看，”玛丽老师说。一面蹲下身子靠近唐尼，一面轻
轻地把他沾满泪水的小脸从他胳膊上抬起来。玛丽老师把一支支的
铅笔摆在了唐尼的课桌上。
玛丽老师说道：“看到这些铅笔了吗？唐尼，这是我和林德斯特
伦老师的铅笔。你知道为什么上面的橡皮磨下去许多吗？那是因为
我们也犯错，也会犯很多错误。但是我们把错误擦掉再写一次。这
也正是你要学会的啊。”
玛丽老师亲了一下小家伙站了起来。她说：“瞧，我给你的桌上
留一枝铅笔，这样你就会记住每个人都会犯错了，就连老师也一
样。”唐尼抬头微微笑了笑，眼中带着感激，看了看老师，那一年
我还是第一次看到他露出会心的微笑。
那枝铅笔成了唐尼的奖赏。它和玛丽老师不断的鼓励，再加上无
论多小的成绩都能得到持久的表扬，渐渐地唐尼明白了犯错很正
常，只要知错能改就是好孩子。
Day 38 Top 10 Things I Know for Sure
1．We Are Responsible for Our Life．And nobody else．Although
all success requires the assistance and cooperation of others，our success
can never be left to anyone else．Luck is not a strategy ．
2．Life Is Short．Whether we live 20 years or 100，our lives pass
quickly．All the more reason to spend our life doing what we love ．
Since we never know how much time we have left，we should live each
day as if it is our last—for it just may be．
3．You Can't Learn Less．We can only add to our knowledge．We
don't have to give some of it up in exchange for new knowledge．Our
ability to absorb and retain knowledge may just be unlimited．
4 ．Clarity Leads to Power ．When we're clear ，we're more
effective．Our clarity reduces our mistakes and enables us to enlist the
help of others．We are more powerful when we are clear，and we are
weaker when we are confused．
5．What You Sow，You Reap．This is also called The Law of the
Farm or The Law of Reciprocity ．In order to continue to receive，we
must give．
6 ．You Can't Un-ring a Bell ．No one can change what's already
happened．Whatever is done is done．It's up to us whether we use the
experience to learn or allow ourselves to be run by the experience．
7 ．It Takes a Long Time to Build a Good Reputation and Only a
Short While to Ruin It．Trust and credibility is built slowly but can be
lost almost instantly．
8．If You Don't Believe in Yourself ，No One Else Will ．People
don't respect or follow anyone who doesn't have confidence in
themselves．I think the Universe tends to trust us to the degree we trust
ourselves．
9 ．It Doesn't Take Guts to Quit ．Anyone can quit ．And most
people do—on their dreams and on themselves．
10 ．We Can Accomplish Anything We Want ，Just Not
EVERYTHING We Want ．It's too big a world ．There are too many
options，too many things and only a certain amount of time．
Words and Expressions
strategy n． 战略，策略
all the more 更加
add to 增加
in exchange for 交换
enlist vt． 获得
reciprocity n． 相互性，互给，互惠
credibility n． 可靠性，可信性
tend to 朝向，趋向
gut n． 勇气，胆量
Read and recite the following sentences：
（1）We can only add to our knowledge ．We don't have to give
some of it up in exchange for new knowledge．Our ability to absorb and
retain knowledge may just be unlimited．
（2 ）No one can change what's already happened ．Whatever is
done is done ．It's up to us whether we use the experience to learn or
allow ourselves to be run by the experience．
（3 ）Trust and credibility is built slowly but can be lost almost
instantly．
（4 ）I think the Universe tends to trust us to the degree we trust
ourselves．
Now try and write out the sentences here：
（1）We can only __________ our knowledge．We don't have to
give some of it up __________ ．Our ability __________ may just be
unlimited．
（2 ）No one can change __________ ．Whatever is done
__________．It's up to us whether we __________ or allow ourselves
__________．
（3）Trust and credibility __________．
（4）I think the Universe tends to trust us __________．
Which sentence(s) do you like most？Write it（or them）out here：
参考译文
我深信不疑的十大人生哲理
1．我们要对我们的人生负责。这不是别人的责任。尽管所有的
成功都需要别人的帮助与合作，但我们的成功不能依赖别人来替我
们取得。等待好运降临并非上策。
2．人生短暂。不管我们活到20 岁还是100 岁，我们的人生都过
得很快。所以我们更加要在有生之年做自己热爱的事情。既然我们
还剩多少时日都是未知的，我们应该把每一天当成自己的最后一天
来过——况且很有这个可能。
3．知识只会越学越多。我们只会增加我们的知识。我们不用放
弃一些知识来交换新的知识。我们吸收和掌握知识的能力很可能是
无限的。
4．思路清晰能够产生能量。当我们思路清晰时，我们的效率会
更高。清晰的思维能够减少我们的错误，并争取到别人的帮助。当
我们思路清晰时，我们就更加强大；当我们烦恼困惑时，我们则变
得弱小。
5．种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。这叫农场定律，也叫回报定律。如果
你想继续获得，你就要学会付出。
6．覆水难收。事情既已发生，谁也无法改变。木已成舟，夫复
奈何？我们是从事情中吸取教训，还是一直为其所困，这些都取决
于我们自己。
7．信誉建难毁易。信任和声誉是慢慢建立起来的，但却能毁于
一旦。
8．如果你不相信自己，没有人会相信你。人们是不会尊重或者
追随那些没有自信的人的。我认为，你有多自信，世界就有多相信
你。
9．放弃并不需要勇气。每个人都可以放弃。而且大部分也在这
么做——放弃梦想和放弃自我。
10．我们能够完成任何我们想做的事情，但不是所有的事情。世
界这么大，有太多的选择，太多的事情，而我们只有有限的时间。
Day 39 The Missed Blessings
A young man was getting ready to graduate from college．For many
months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer 's showroom，
and knowing his father could well afford it，he told him that was all he
wanted．
As Graduation Day approached ，the young man awaited signs that
his father had purchased the car ．Finally ，on the morning of his
graduation，his father called him into his private study．His father told
him how proud he was to have such a fine son，and told him how much
he loved him ．He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box ．
Curious，but somewhat disappointed，the young man opened the box
and found a lovely，leather-bound Bible ，with the young man's name
embossed in gold．
Angrily，he raised his voice to his father and said，“With all your
money you give me a Bible ？”He then stormed out of the house，
leaving the Bible ．
Many years passed and the young man was very successful in
business ．He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family ，but
realizing his father was very old，he thought perhaps he should go to see
him．He had not seen him since that graduation day．Before he could
make the arrangements，he received a telegram telling him his father had
passed away ，and willed all of his possessions to his son．He needed
to come home immediately and take care of things．
When he arrived at his father's house ，sudden sadness and regret
filled his heart．He began to search through his father's important papers
and saw the still new Bible ，just as he had left it years ago．
With tears，he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages．As he
was reading，a car key dropped from the back of the Bible ．It had a
tag with the dealer's name，the same dealer who had the sports car he
had desired ．On the tag was the date of his graduation ，and the
words…“PAID IN FULL ”．
How many times do we miss blessings because they are not packaged
as we expected？Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have
not；but remember that what you now have was once among the things
you only hoped for ．Sometimes we don't realize the good fortune we
have or we could have because we expect“the packaging”to be
different．What may appear as bad fortune may in fact be the door that is
just waiting to be opened．
Words and Expressions
dealer n． 经销商
approach vt．& vi． 接近，走近，靠近
await vt． 等待；期待
Bible n． 圣经
emboss vt． 压印浮凸字体（或图案）；凹凸印
storm vi． 狂怒
pass away 过世
will vt． 将（财产等）遗赠某人
tag n． 标签
paid in full 款已付清
spoil vt． 损坏；毁掉；破坏；搞坏
Read and recite the following sentences：
How many times do we miss blessings because they are not packaged
as we expected？Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have
not；but remember that what you now have was once among the things
you only hoped for ．Sometimes we don't realize the good fortune we
have or we could have because we expect“the packaging”to be
different．What may appear as bad fortune may in fact be the door that is
just waiting to be opened．
Now try and write out the sentences here：
How many times do we miss blessings because __________？Do not
spoil __________ by desiring __________；but remember that what you
now have was once __________．Sometimes we don't realize the good
fortune we have or we could have because__________ ．What may
appear as bad fortune may in fact __________．
Which sentence(s) do you like most？Write it（or them）out here：
参考译文
错过的祝福
一个年轻人快大学毕业了。几个月来，他一直渴望拥有那辆陈列
在某汽车经销商展厅里的漂亮跑车。他知道，买这样一辆车对他那
富有的父亲来说根本不成问题。于是，他便把愿望告诉了父亲。
毕业典礼在即，年轻人期待着父亲给他买跑车。终于，在毕业典
礼的那天早上，父亲把他叫到书房，告诉他，他为有这么优秀的儿
子而骄傲和自豪，他是多么爱他。然后，父亲递给他一个包装精美
的礼品盒。年轻人很吃惊，他失望地打开盒子，看到里面是一本精
装版的《圣经》。他的名字用烫金的凸字印在上面。
他愤怒地对父亲吼道：“你那么富有，却只送我一本《圣
经》？”说完，便丢下书，跑出了家门。
多年以后，年轻人事业有成，拥有漂亮的房子和温馨的家。他想
到父亲年岁已高，应该去看看他老人家。自从毕业那天起，他就一
直没与父亲见面。就在动身启程时，他收到了一份电报——父亲已
过世，并立遗嘱将所有财产留给了他。
他来到父亲的房间时，伤痛和懊悔立即充斥了他的心。在寻找父
亲遗留下来的那些重要文件时，他发现了那本《圣经》，还和几年
前一样新。他含泪打开它，一页页翻看起来。这时一把车钥匙从书
里掉了出来。钥匙上的标签写着汽车经销商的名字——正是他曾想
要的那辆跑车的经销商。标签上还有他的毕业日期和“款已付清”
的字样……
多少次，我们与幸福擦肩而过，只因为它们的包装不是我们想象
中的样子。我们相信你本该会喜欢它。不要为渴望得到没有的东
西，而伤害你所拥有的，要谨记一点：你现在所拥有的正是你曾经
迫切想得到的。有时，我们并未意识到自己曾经或身处幸运之中，
只因它的外表与我们梦想中的有所不同。事实上，表面的不幸或许
正是等待开启的幸福之门。
