Unit3 Hanging
k EY TO EXERCISES
Text comprehension 1
I. Decide which of the following best states the author's purpose.
B
II. Judge, according to the text, whether the following statements are true
or false.
1. T. Refer to Paragraph 1.
2. T. Refer to Paragraph
3.
3. F. Refer to the passage. Only one prisoner was to be hanged.
4. F. Refer to Paragraph 10. The prisoner began crying out to his god. It was a high, reiterated cry of "Ram! Ram! Ram! Ram!" not urgent and fearful like a prayer or a cry for help, but steady, and rhythmical, almost like the tolling of a bell.
5. T. Refer to Paragraph 11.
6. T. Refer to Paragraph 13.
7. F. Refer to Paragraph 16. The executed prisoner must have been a man of no courage since he pissed on the floor when he heard his appeal had been rejected. III. Answer the following questions.
1. Refer to Paragraphs 2 and 7. The warders appeared quite tense gripping him by arm and shoulder to make sure he was right there, whereas he stood quite unresisting with his arms limply in the ropes, and later walked quite steadily towards the gallows.
2. Refer to Paragraph 4. He was the leader of jailers, a fat Dravidian in a white drill suit and gold glasses, conducting the hanging.
3. It insinuates that the prisoner to be hanged seemed composed, unruffled, and imperturbable.
4. Refer to Paragraphs 7 and 8. It is implied that the prisoner was alive like anyone else, with his brain reasoning quite effectively.
5. Refer to Paragraphs 10 and 11. He did so, perhaps in order to embolden himself facing death.
6. Refer to Paragraph 14. He blew out deep breath, and the moody look had gone suddenly out of his face, and he felt completely relieved from the tension.
7. Refer to Paragraph 15. Everything seemed to have returned to normal.
The warders unfixed their bayonets, and two of them got ready to ladle out rice, and the convicts were getting their breakfast in a homely, jolly atmosphere, in which singing, or sniggering, or chattering was waiting at any moment to start.
8. Refer to Paragraph 18. He was extremely satisfied with the job done that day because the hanged prisoner had died instantaneously without any disagreeable trouble left.
IV. Explain in your own words the following sentences taken from the text.
1. We were waiting outside the cells, where prisoners under the death sentence were jailed.
2. We, government officials and inspectors, walked behind the warders and the prisoner.
3. I found the inexplicable injustice that was being done in putting to an end a prisoner's life, which was still in its prime.
4. The prisoner, who belonged to us now, would be promptly put to death.
5. People had a strong desire to sing, to run and to snigger (after the hanging was over).
6. You can hardly believe that it took as many as six warders to remove him from the cage bars.
Writing strategies .
1. Yes, I do. The story is so full of dynamic verbs that more than 90% of the sentences contain one or two, or even more action verbs. Obvious examples are found in Paragraphs 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15.
2. Flashbacks are found in Paragraphs 16, 18, and 20.
3. The employment of the first person narration renders the events described or the plots narrated more vivid, objective and believable, and makes it possible and convenient for the narrator to express or demonstrate his own thoughts or psychological activities in the process of narration.
4. Both the beginning and the conclusion of the narrative story touch on or briefly describe the hard life and tragic fate of the condemned prisoners.
Language work .
I. Explain the italicized part in each sentence in your own words.
1. who were scheduled to be hanged
2. who was a small, thin, and weak man
3. holding him firmly and continuously in a careful manner
4. carrying rifles that tilted over their shoulders
5. his muscles appeared to be functioning normally
6. we will lose a man who can also think and reason like us, and who is also a unique individual like each of us
III. Fill in the blank in each sentence with a word or phrase from the box, using its appropriate form.
1. She thought she was too homely to get a date.
2. I could hear the note of appeal in her voice as she asked me to talk things over again.
3. In this decade of politics, many more women have become magistrates.
4. I hope that we can settle this issue amicably.
5. This is a far from solemn book -- it is a rich mix of pleasures and information, and is full of surprises.
6. We rushed out of the shop in hot pursuit, but the thief had vanished into thin air.
7. He twisted and turned, trying to free himself from the rope.
8. I tried to excuse myself for missing her party but made the attempts very clumsily.
IV. Make a sentence of your own for each of the given words with meanings other than those used in the text. You may change the part of speech of these words.
1. Those cells divide and form many other different types of cells.
2. Last year 400,000 acres of land yielded a crop worth $1.75 billion in that country.
3. The police beat them up and locked them in a cell.
4. I think we have to stand by what we believe.
5. A wind-up clock ticked busily from the kitchen counter.
6. He calls me twenty times a day and needs me by his side.
V. Put the words in the parentheses into their appropriate tenses and aspects.
1. opened
2. saw
3. had been listening
4. wondered
5. had heard
6. asked
7. had been doing/was doing
8. said
9. had dropped 10. had been looking 11. didn't see 12. found 13. had dropped 14. opened 15. had been taking 16. were 17. turned 18. asked 19. pulled 20. ran 21. recovered 22. had disappeared 23. moved 24. found 25. had been standing 26. had been telling
Note: Both tenses and aspects are verb forms. In spite of the controversy among grammarians over these concepts, many agree that in the English language, there are two tenses, i.e. present and past, and three aspects, i.e. simple, perfect and progressive or continuous.
VI. Put a word in each blank that is appropriate for the context.
1. letters
2. choice
3. whether
4. death
5. killed
6. aware
7. such
8. Abroad 9. abolition 10. same
Translation .
I. Translate each of the following sentences into English, using the words or expressions given in the brackets.
1. My daughter started jumping up and down with rage when she heard she couldn't go.
2. The party was in full tide when the police burst in.
3. Helen reached out and took a glass from the cupboard.
4. Parents are more tolerant of children in public places than at home.
5. The discussion threw up a lot of interesting ideas.
6. It isn't polite to poke fun at your colleagues in public.
7. This room could do with a good cleaning for distinguished guests.
8. The fashion festival passed off peacefully, despite all sorts of fears the local government had.
Unit 1 Part Ⅱ Reading Task Vocabulary Ⅰ1. 1)respectable 2)agony 3)put down 4)sequence 5)hold back 6)distribute 7)off and on 8)vivid 9)associate 10)finally 11)turn in 12)tackle 2. 1)has been assigned to the newspaper’s Paris office. 2)was so extraordinary that I didn’t know whether to believe him or not. 3)a clear image of how she would look in twenty years’time. 4)gave the command the soldiers opened fire. 5)buying bikes we’ll keep turning them out. 3. 1)reputation; rigid; to inspire 2)and tedious; What’s more; out of date ideas 3)compose; career; avoid showing; hardly hold back Ⅱviolating Ⅲ;in upon Comprehensive Exercises ⅠCloze back; tedious; scanned; recall; vivid; off and on; turn out/in; career ; surprise; pulled; blowing; dressed; scene; extraordinary; image; turn; excitement ⅡTranslation As it was a formal dinner party, I wore formal dress, as Mother told me to. 2)His girlfriend advised him to get out of /get rid of his bad habits of smoking before it took hold. 3)Anticipating that the demand for electricity will be high during the next few months, they have decided to increase its production. 4)It is said that Bill has been fired for continually violating the company’s safety rules. /Bill is said to have been fired for continually violating the company’s safety rules. 5)It is reported that the government has taken proper measures to avoid the possibility of a severe water shortage. /The local government is reported to have taken proper measures to avoid the possibility of a severe water shortage. 2.Susan lost her legs because of/in a car accident. For a time, she didn’t know how to face up to the fact she would never (be able to) walk again. One day, while scanning (through) some magazines, a true story caught her eye/she was attracted by a true story. It gave a vivid description of how a disabled girl became a writer. Greatly inspired, Susan began to feel that she, too, would finally be able to lead a useful life. Unit 2 Part ⅡReading Task Vocabulary Ⅰ1. 1)absolutely 2)available 3)every now and then 4)are urging/urged 5)destination 6)mostly 7)hangs out 8)right away 9)reunion 10)or something 11)estimate 12)going ahead 2. 1)in the examination was still on his mind. 2)was completely choked up by the sight of his team losing in the final minutes of the game. 3)was so lost in study that she forgot to have dinner. 4)has come up and I am afraid I won’t be able to accomplish the project on time. 5)of equipping the new hospital was estimated at﹩2 million. 3. 1)were postponed; the awful; is estimated 2)reference; not available; am kind of 3)not much of a teacher; skips; go ahead Ⅱ;on Ⅲor less of/sort of 4. kind of/sort of 5. more or less 6. or something Comprehensive Exercises ⅠCloze up; awful; practically; neighborhood; correspondence; available; destination; reunion; Mostly; postponing; absolutely ; savings; embarrassment; phone; interrupted; touch; envelope; signed; message; needed ⅡHalf an hour had gone by, but the last bus hadn’t come yet. We had to walk home. 2)Mary looks as if she is very worried about the Chinese exam because she hasn’t learned the texts by
上课 时间 上课节次课型Required Course 课题Unit 1 My first Job 教学目的1. Functions: greetings ＆farewells 2. Grammatical points: this/that be + n. or adj. 3. Vocabulary: run, offer, except for, figure, promote, you’d better, how about, as far as … is concerned, take a day off, bring in, beam 教学 方法 Classroom Instruction讲授、问答、讨论、模仿、练习、任务型教学活动 重点难点1. Practice different ways of greeting and introducing /identifying people 2. Learn to understand and talk about value system in western culture, such as team spirit and royalty, through reading, discussion and task-based activities. 时间分配教学内容 板书或课件版面 设计 2 periods Part I Listening and Speaking Activities Step 1 warming-up exercises 1.Duty report Ask the student talk about his or her feelings towards college life. Step2 lead-in 1.bring a few pictures of my family to the class for teaching introduction. 2.explain my family name, given name and what you prefer to be called by my students. https://www.doczj.com/doc/f13526807.html,ing pictures to teach “this is /that is” 4.ask students to play “a passing ball game” to practise these two sentences pattern. Step 3 Listening activity 1.practise the classroom English. 2.Have the students listen to the conversation twice. Work individually to answer the questions. 3.check the answers for the class. Step 4 Speaking activity Conversation 1 1.explain that friendly greetings can be followed by an offer of help: Hi, may I help you? 2.explain that possible responses may be: No. Thank you. I have been helped. I’m being helped. 3.explain the language in conversation one by using Useful Structures and Expressions. https://www.doczj.com/doc/f13526807.html,anize reading aloud practice and correct pronunciation problems. 5.have students make a new conversation by using the substitutes word. 6.have some students present the conversation(s) they have made up. Conversation 2 1.explain the language in Conversation 2 2.have the students read aloud, check their pronunciation. 3.encourage the students to make a new conversation by using the substitutes. Notes Family name: the name shared by the members of a family Given name: the name given to a child by the child’s parents The train will be arriving at Shanghai: will +be +v-ing, the future continuous tense for a scheduled event which is coming soon It’s been nice talking to you: in American English, people also use It’s been nice to talk to you. Have a happy landing: a farewell used only to people who are going to make a plane trip 、 管 路 敷 设 技 术 通 过 管 线 敷 设 技 术 不 仅 可 以 解 决 吊 顶 层 配 置 不 规 范 高 中 资 料 试 卷 问 题 ， 而 且 可 保 障 各 类 管 路 习 题 到 位 。 在 管 路 敷 设 过 程 中 ， 要 加 强 看 护 关 于 管 路 高 中 资 料 试 卷 连 接 管 口 处 理 高 中 资 料 试 卷 弯 扁 度 固 定 盒 位 置 保 护 层 防 腐 跨 接 地 线 弯 曲 半 径 标 高 等 ， 要 求 技 术 交 底 。 管 线 敷 设 技 术 中 包 含 线 槽 、 管 架 等 多 项 方 式 ， 为 解 决 高 中 语 文 电 气 课 件 中 管 壁 薄 、 接 口 不 严 等 问 题 ， 合 理 利 用 管 线 敷 设 技 术 。 线 缆 敷 设 原 则 ： 在 分 线 盒 处 ， 当 不 同 电 压 回 路 交 叉 时 ， 应 采 用 金 属 隔 板 进 行 隔 开 处 理 ； 同 一 线 槽 内 ， 强 电 回 路 须 同 时 切 断 习 题 电 源 ， 线 缆 敷 设 完 毕 ， 要 进 行 检 查 和 检 测 处 理 。 、 电 气 课 件 中 调 试 对 全 部 高 中 资 料 试 卷 电 气 设 备 ， 在 安 装 过 程 中 以 及 安 装 结 束 后 进 行 高 中 资 料 试 卷 调 整 试 验 ； 通 电 检 查 所 有 设 备 高 中 资 料 试 卷 相 互 作 用 与 相 互 关 系 ， 根 据 生 产 工 艺 高 中 资 料 试 卷 要 求 ， 对 电 气 设 备 进 行 空 载 与 带 负 荷 下 高 中 资 料 试 卷 调 控 试 验 ； 对 设 备 进 行 调 整 使 其 在 正 常 工 况 下 与 过 度 工 作 下 都 可 以 正 常 工 作 ； 对 于 继 电 保 护 进 行 整 核 对 定 值 ， 审 核 与 校 对 图 纸 ， 编 写 复 杂 设 备 与 装 置 高 中 资 料 试 卷 调 试 方 案 ， 编 写 重 要 设 备 高 中 资 料 试 卷 试 验 方 案 以 及 系 统 启 动 方 案 ； 对 整 套 启 动 过 程 中 高 中 资 料 试 卷 电 气 设 备 进 行 调 试 工 作 并 且 进 行 过 关 运 行 高 中 资 料 试 卷 技 术 指 导 。 对 于 调 试 过 程 中 高 中 资 料 试 卷 技 术 问 题 ， 作 为 调 试 人 员 ， 需 要 在 事 前 掌 握 图 纸 资 料 、 设 备 制 造 厂 家 出 具 高 中 资 料 试 卷 试 验 报 告 与 相 关 技 术 资 料 ， 并 且 了 解 现 场 设 备 高 中 资 料 试 卷 布 置 情 况 与 有 关 高 中 资 料 试 卷 电 气 系 统 接 线 等 情 况 ， 然 后 根 据 规 范 与 规 程 规 定 ， 制 定 设 备 调 试 高 中 资 料 试 卷 方 案 。 、 电 气 设 备 调 试 高 中 资 料 试 卷 技 术 电 力 保 护 装 置 调 试 技 术 ， 电 力 保 护 高 中 资 料 试 卷 配 置 技 术 是 指 机 组 在 进 行 继 电 保 护 高 中 资 料 试 卷 总 体 配 置 时 ， 需 要 在 最 大 限 度 内 来 确 保 机 组 高 中 资 料 试 卷 安 全 ， 并 且 尽 可 能 地 缩 小 故 障 高 中 资 料 试 卷 破 坏 范 围 ， 或 者 对 某 些 异 常 高 中 资 料 试 卷 工 况 进 行 自 动 处 理 ， 尤 其 要 避 免 错 误 高 中 资 料 试 卷 保 护 装 置 动 作 ， 并 且 拒 绝 动 作 ， 来 避 免 不 必 要 高 中 资 料 试 卷 突 然 停 机 。 因 此 ， 电 力 高 中 资 料 试 卷 保 护 装 置 调 试 技 术 ， 要 求 电 力 保 护 装 置 做 到 准 确 灵 活 。 对 于 差 动 保 护 装 置 高 中 资 料 试 卷 调 试 技 术 是 指 发 电 机 一 变 压 器 组 在 发 生 内 部 故 障 时 ， 需 要 进 行 外 部 电 源 高 中 资 料 试 卷 切 除 从 而 采 用 高 中 资 料 试 卷 主 要 保 护 装 置 。
3.Many products for sale seem to scream at us, "Buy me! Buy me!" Advertising is a big busin ess in our world with many products competing for our attention. Think of the last time you boug ht clothes. You probably noticed the variety of colors, patterns, fabrics and brands you could choo se from. Which kind of soft drink would you like to have today or what kind of computer do you want? Advertisers are skilled in the art of making their products look the best to appeal to our se nses. But products aren't always what they seem. Sometimes advertising is deceptive and as cons umers ,we must be careful about what we choose to buy. It is important to learn to compare prod ucts and identify our purpose in purchasing the things we need. But the good thing about advertising is that it helps people to make decisions and refine thei r choices. In the United States, the Ad Council creates timely public service messages to the nation. Th eir purpose is to raise awareness of public problems that citizens can respond to. Inspiring ads ca use individuals to take action and even save lives. Pollution in America, for example has been red uced over the years because of the creative Public Service advertisements that the council provid es" Please, please don't be a litter bug, 'cause every 'litter bit' hurts." Many families have taught t heir children to place litter in the trash can in response to this catchy phrase, which has affected g enerations as each succeeding generation has taught their children not to litter. 4.Nature imposes difficult conditions upon the earth from time to time . The tornado and fo rest fire destroy natural resources ,homes and other structures ,and very often harm or kill peopl e . Technological tragedies happen with little or no warning as we see trains crash and airplanes f all from the sky shortly after take-off. As tragic as calamities are , they seem to bring out the best in human nature . people trained in em ergency care arrive at the scene and begin assisting the inj ured .Others come with equipment to remove debris. Men , women ,and young people willingly c ome to the scene of an accident , hoping to be of help in some way . These selfless acts of kindne ss make our world a better place . compassion eases the wounds of calamities. American Airlines flight number 587 crashed less than three minutes after taking off from JF K Airport in New York in November,2001. Witnesses s aw an engine fire develop on the plane’s nu mber one engine located under the left wing of the aircraft .seconds later ,the airliner crashed int o eight homes ,completely destroying four of them .All 260 people aboard the airplane were kille d along with six people at the crash site ,leaving many people to mourn the loss of their loved on es .the residents (people who live in the area of the crash ) rallied together to comfort those griev ing, while others removed bodies from the wreckage and did the necessary clean-up. 工程实施困难的条件下在地上的时候。龙卷风和森林火灾破坏自然资源,房屋和其他建筑物,和经常伤害或杀死人。技术的悲剧发生在很少或没有预警,因为我们看到火车事故,飞机起飞后不久就从天空坠落。一样悲惨的灾难,他们似乎显示出人性中最好的。在急诊受训的人到达现场并开始帮助受伤的人则跟设备清除残骸。男人,女人,和年轻人自愿来到事故现场,希望能有帮助。这些无私的善举让我们的世界变得更美好。同情减轻灾害的伤口。 美国航空公司587号航班坠毁不到三分钟后从纽约肯尼迪机场起飞,11月2001。目击者看到一个引擎火灾发展在飞机上的1号引擎位于下飞机的左翼,接着后,客机坠毁八家,完全摧毁了四个260名乘客的飞机遇难连同6人在事故现场,造成许多人悼念失去的亲人,居民(住在崩溃的面积)聚集在一起,安慰那些悲伤,而另一些人则从残骸,并把尸体移走必要的清理。 5.Success can be reached in different ways by people in different careers. Bill Gates began at age to program computers,His vision for personal computing has been central to the success of M icrosoft Corporation, the company he founded with his childhood friend in 1975 . The former CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch, is a business legend. A famous quote by Mr. Welch is,” Chang before you have to. ”He believes in leading by example and encourages his empl oyees to do their best every day. Michael Jordan s aid,”I accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying.” He is one of the best athl etes to ever play team sports. His great smile, athletic achievements, and pleasant personality ha ve made him one of the most famous athletes in the world. Michael Jordan spent a lot of time pla ying basketball as a child but in senior middle school he was taken off the team . Instead of giving up , he worked through adversity and became the greatest basketball player yet .
One way of summarizing the American position is to state that we value originality and independence more than the Chinese do. The contrast between our two cultures can also be seen in terms of the fears we both harbor. Chinese teachers are fearful that if skills are not acquired early, they may never be acquired; there is, on the other hand, no comparable hurry to promote creativity. American educators fear that unless creativity has been acquired early, it may never emerge; on the other hand, skills can be picked up later. However, I do not want to overstate my case. There is enormous creativity to be found in Chinese scientific, technological and artistic innovations past and present. And there is a danger of exaggerating creative breakthroughs in the West. When any innovation is examined closely, its reliance on previous achievements is all too apparent (the "standing on the shoulders of giants" phenomenon). But assuming that the contrast I have developed is valid, and that the fostering of skills and creativity are both worthwhile goals, the important question becomes this: Can we gather, from the Chinese and American extremes, a superior way to approach education, perhaps striking a better balance between the poles of creativity and basic skills?
Book1 课后习题 Unit1 Never Say Goodbye I. Explain the italicized part in each sentence in your own words. 1. When I was ten I was suddenly confronted with the anguish of moving from the only home. 2. … they all have one thing in common: sadness. 3. … in that place in your heart where summer is an always time. 4. Don’t ever give in to the sadness and the loneliness of that word. 5. Take that special hello and lock it away within you. II. Fill in each blank with one of the two words from each pair in their appropriate forms and note the difference of meaning between them. 1. SHUDDER SHAKE a. Seeing the referee drawing out the yellow card, the coach began ————————— his fist in rage. b. She ————————— at the touch of his leathery hand. c. The tree branches were ———————— in that sudden gust of win d. d. He ———————— breathlessly in the doorway until his pursuers had raced past. 2. ANSWER REPLY a. He had hoped that divorce would be the —————— to all his problems. b. We are still waiting for him to ——————— to our requests for further assistance. c. In ——————— to his suggestions, they have decided to consult him for more details. d. He ———————— his critics by claiming that he was responding to the new needs of globalization. 3. COMMON GENERAL a. The ———————— impression we got was that they were not interested in the new project. b. It was claimed in the newly published report that higher education, in ———————— , is financially in trouble. c. It may be said that good health is a ———————— condition, and that occasional sickness is —————— . d. AIDS is becoming the most ———————— cause of death among drug addicts. 4. SMALL TINY a. A ———————— house would do perfectly for the two of them. b. “Get back on board!” I shouted as his ———————— figure struggled up the river bank. c. Displayed at the exhibition were some ———————— toy soldiers that were beautifully carve d. d. The visitor was a ———————— man who would give every appearance of self-importanc e. III. Choose a word or phrase that best completes each of the following sentences. 1. She suffered great mental ——————— after her husband died, and as a result she became mad. A. anger B. discomfort C. Unhappiness D. anguish 2. She offered me some food that had a ———————— taste. A. special B. peculiar C. particular D. Concrete 3. Building the proposed underground railway may ———————— much more than the government could pay. A. spend B. cost C. take D. Waste 4. Realizing the immense international pressure, the President ———————— stepped down. A. conspicuously B. gracefully C. lonely D. truly 5. The audience whistled and shouted, waiting for her to sing one ———————— song. A. last B. final C. ending D. concluding 6. During the war, all the women were left unloved, exhausted, impoverished and ——————— .
Key to Exercises Opener Mary is thinking of getting a tattoo tomorrow afternoon. She asks Mel to join her, but Mel cannot because she has to work tomorrow. And then Mary invites Mel to go to a party tomorrow night. Mel hesitates at first, but finally decides to go with Mary. They will meet at eight o’clock. Abbreviation Meaning 1. TGIF Thank God it’s Friday 2. AMA Ask me anything 3. OMG Oh my God! 4. YOLO You only live once 5. FOMO Fear of missing out 6. FYI For your information 7. LOL Laugh out loud 8. TBH To be honest 9. PPL People 10. ETA Estimated time of arrival Transcript: A: Hey, Mary. B: Hey, Mel. A: TGIF.
B: TGIF. A: Mel, I need some advice on something. B: AMA A: Yeah, thanks. I’m thinking of getting a tattoo. B: OMG! Really Are you serious A: Well, YOLO. B: That’s true. A: Well. B: When are you going to do it A: I’m thinking tomorrow afternoon. Do you want to come B: Oh, I’d love to come, but I’ve got to work tomorrow. Oh, major FOMO. A: What a shame! B: Yeah, A: Well, FYI, there’s a party tomorrow night. And if you are not busy, you can come to that instead. B: I’m not busy, but TBH I really need to take it easy this weekend. A: What That’s so not like you. B: LOL, that’s true. A: Party is in Hackney Wick. It’s gonna be good, good music, good PPL. B: Oh, major FOMO again. Oh, what the hell Yes, why not I’ll go.
BOOK2课文译文 UNIT1 TextA 中国式的学习风格 1987年春，我和妻子埃伦带着我们18个月的儿子本杰明在繁忙的中国东部城市南京住了一个月，同时考察中国幼儿园和小学的艺术教育情况。然而，我和埃伦获得的有关中美教育观念差异的最难忘的体验并非来自课堂，而是来自我们在南京期间寓居的金陵饭店堂。 我们的房门钥匙系在一块标有房间号的大塑料板上。酒店鼓励客人外出时留下钥匙，可以交给服务员，也可以从一个槽口塞入钥匙箱。由于口子狭小，你得留神将钥匙放准位置才塞得进去。 本杰明爱拿着钥匙走来走去，边走边用力摇晃着。他还喜欢试着把钥匙往槽口里塞。由于他还年幼，不太明白得把钥匙放准位置才成，因此总塞不进去。本杰明一点也不在意。他从钥匙声响中得到的乐趣大概跟他偶尔把钥匙成功地塞进槽口而获得的乐趣一样多。 我和埃伦都满不在乎，任由本杰明拿着钥匙在钥匙箱槽口鼓捣。他的探索行为似乎并无任何害处。但我很快就观察到一个有趣的现象。饭店里任何一个中国工作人员若在近旁，都会走过来看着本杰明，见他初试失败，便都会试图帮忙。他们会轻轻握牢本杰明的手，直接将它引向钥匙槽口，进行必要的重新定位，并帮他把钥匙插入槽口。然后那位“老师”会有所期待地对着我和埃伦微笑，似乎等着我们说声谢谢——偶尔他会微微皱眉，似乎觉得我俩没有尽到当父母的责任。 我很快意识到，这件小事与我们在中国要做的工作直接相关：考察儿童早期教育（尤其是艺术教育）的方式，揭示中国人对创造性活动的态度。因此，不久我就在与中国教育工作者讨论时谈起了钥匙槽口一事。 两种不同的学习方式
我的中国同行，除了少数几个人外，对此事的态度与金陵饭店工作人员一样。既然大人知道怎么把钥匙塞进槽口——这是走近槽口的最终目的，既然孩子还很年幼，还没有灵巧到可以独自完成要做的动作，让他自己瞎折腾会有什么好处呢？他很有可能会灰心丧气发脾气——这当然不是所希望的结果。为什么不教他怎么做呢？他会高兴，他还能早些学会做这件事，进而去学做更复杂的事，如开门，或索要钥匙——这两件事到时候同样可以（也应该）示范给他看。 我俩颇为同情地听着这一番道理，解释道，首先，我们并不在意本杰明能不能把钥匙塞进钥匙的槽口。他玩得开心，而且在探索，这两点才是我们真正看重的。但关键在于，在这个过程中，我们试图让本杰明懂得，一个人是能够很好地自行解决问题的。这种自力更生的精神是美国中产阶级最重要的一条育儿观。如果我们向孩子演示该如何做某件事——把钥匙塞进钥匙槽口也好，画只鸡或是弥补某种错误行为也好——那他就不太可能自行想方设法去完成这件事。从更广泛的意义上说，他就不太可能——如美国人那样——将人生视为一系列 的情境，在这些情境中，一个人必须学会独立思考，学会独立解决问题，进而学会发现需要创造性地加以解决的新问题。 把着手教 回想起来，当时我就清楚地意识到，这件事正是体现了问题的关键之所在——而且不仅仅是一种意义上的关键之所在。这件事表明了我们两国在教育和艺术实践上的重要差异。 那些善意的中国旁观者前来帮助本杰明时，他们不是简单地像我可能会做的那样笨拙地或是犹犹豫豫地把他的手往下推。相反，他们极其熟练地、轻轻地把他引向所要到达的确切方向。 我逐渐认识到，这些中国人不是简单地以一种陈旧的方式塑造、引导本杰明的行为：他们是在恪守中国传统，把着手教，教得本杰明自己会愉快地要求再来一次。