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Successful Failures 乌龙行大运

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Whether it’s making a wrong turn or hitting the wrong key on your computer, we all make mistakes. The only difference comes with how we react to them. While some of us may curse and get angry, others simply smile. To some people, mistakes are not viewed as failures at all, but are instead invaluable tools for learning. As the inventor Thomas Edison once said, “If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed.” I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.”

不管是转错弯，还是按错计算机上的按键，我们每个人都会犯错。唯一的差别在于我们对错误的反应。我们当中有些人可能会咒骂或生气，但是有些人却只会一笑置之。对某些人来说，错误非但不是失败，反而是难得的学习工具。如同发明家爱迪生曾经说过的：「如果我发现一万种方法无效，我并没有失败。我不会沮丧，因为每排除一个错误尝试，我就朝目标更进一步。」

Much more than just steps forward, mistakes have often been breakthroughs in themselves. As the book “Mistakes That Worked” by Charlotte Foltz Jones shows, some of modern life’s most popular and useful goods and gadgets are in fact the results of mistakes.

不仅仅是朝目标更往前迈进，错误本身经常就是一种突破。如同《小错误大发明》作者夏绿蒂．佛尔兹．琼斯所指出的，现代生活中最流行、有用的物品与小巧工具，有些事实上便是错误的结果。

Everybody loves corn flakes, but the popular breakfast cereal started life 100 years ago as a mistake. The Kellogg brothers accidentally left a batch of corn outside for too long. When they came back to it, it was already stale, but they prepared it anyway and were delighted with the result.

大家都喜欢玉米片，但是这种广受欢迎的早餐玉米片在一百年前问世当时，却是误打误撞的结果。家乐兄弟意外地将一批玉米搁置在外头太久。等到他们终于想起来时，玉米已经不新鲜了，但是他们还是把玉米烹制完成，并且对于结果非常满意。

In 1886, a pharmacist named John Pemberton tried to make a medicinal syrup for people suffering from nerves or fatigue. Although the Coca-Cola he produced failed as medicine, as a beverage it went on to become one of the world’s most recognized brands.

1886年，药剂师约翰．潘博顿试着调配一种糖浆药水，让服用者可以提神解劳。虽然他所调制的可口可乐并没有顺利成为药品，但是，作为一种饮料，它却一路成为全世界最知名的品牌。

Vocabulary

单词发音

invaluable [ɪnˈvæljuəbl] adj. 无价的；珍贵的

discard [ˋdɪskɑrd] v. 抛弃，丢弃

breakthrough [ˋbrek͵θru] n. 突破性进展

delighted [dɪˋlaɪtɪd] adj. 高兴的，快乐的[（+at/with/by）][+to-v][+（that）]

fatigue [fəˋtig] n. 疲劳，劳累

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单词发音

come [kʌm] v. 发生；降临；出现

curse [kɝs] v. 咒骂

gadget [ˋgædʒɪt] n. 小巧; 设计精巧的机械[装置]

flake [flek] n. 小薄片

cereal [ˋsɪrɪəl] n. 谷类加工食品；玉蜀黍薄片；麦片

batch [bætʃ] n. 一批，一组

stale [stel] adj. 不新鲜的，腐坏的

pharmacist [ˋfɑrməsɪst] n. 药剂师

medicinal [məˋdɪsn!] adj. 药用的；有药效的

syrup [ˋsɪrəp] n. 糖浆

nerve [nɝv] n. 神经过敏；忧虑，焦躁

beverage [ˋbɛvərɪdʒ] n. 饮料

go on (指情况或状态) 继续下去而无变化  to take place; happen

课文朗读

课文讲解 

History’s great mistakes are by no means limited to food. Some mistakes, like the discovery of penicillin, have helped to save lives. In 1928, Alexander Fleming was conducting an experiment when he noticed that mold had grown on his sample of bacteria. Instead of throwing the experiment away, he examines the samples and discovered that the mold was dissolving the bacteria. The mold was subsequently developed into an effective medicine that is still used to treat infections today.

历史上伟大的错误绝对不仅仅发生在食物上。有些错误，例如盘尼西林的发现，拯救了许多人命。1928年，亚历山大．佛莱明正在进行一项实验时，注意到细菌样本上长了霉菌。但是，他并没有放弃实验，反而仔细检验样本，同时发现霉菌正在吞食细菌。这种霉菌后来发展成为一种有效的药品，直到今日，依旧被用来治疗感染。

Other mistakes have proved to be so useful that you probably can’t imagine life without them. For example, where would we be without “Post-it notes”? You see them everywhere, but the sticky little notes were actually the result of a failure. In 1968, a scientist at the 3M company tried to create a stronger type of sticky tape, but the adhesive he invented was actually quite weak. The tape would stick to things, but could easily be removed again. While his not-so-sticky tape wasn’t what he wanted, other scientists later spotted the product’s great potential.

还有其他错误后来证明大有用途，你甚至无法想象生活如果没有这些东西，会变成怎样。例如，生活中要是没有「便利贴」，那该怎么办？便利贴随处可见，但是这种有黏性的小便条纸事实上却是失败的成果。1968年时，有位3M公司的科学家想要做出黏性更强的胶带，不过他所发明的黏着剂实际上的黏性却相当弱。那种胶带可以贴在东西上，但是也可以很容易被移除。尽管他那种没那么黏的胶带不是原先想要的，日后其他科学家却看出那项产品的极大潜力。

So don’t be embarrassed about your mistakes, be proud. As the Irish writer James Joyce said, “A man of genius makes no mistakes; his errors are volitional and the portals of discovery.” The next time you mess thing up, just tell everyone that you’re a genius and that you meant to do it!

所以不要因自己的错误觉得难堪，要感到骄傲才是。如同爱尔兰作家詹姆士．乔伊思所说：「天才不会犯错。他的错误是有意志的，是通往发现的大门。」下次你把事情搞砸了，就告诉大家你是天才，而且你是故意犯错的。

−by Andrew Crosthwaite

Vocabulary

单词发音

by no means 绝不, 一点也不 certainly not

experiment [ɪkˋspɛrəmənt] n. 实验；试验

subsequently [ˋsʌbsɪ͵kwɛntlɪ] adv. 随后，接着

infection [ɪnˋfɛkʃən] n. 感染

remove [rɪˋmuv] v. 除去; 去掉

More Information

单词发音

penicillin [͵pɛnɪˋsɪlɪn] n. 盘尼西林；青霉素

mold [mold] n. 霉，霉菌

bacteria [bæk`tɪrɪə] n. 细菌 [plural] singular- bacterium

dissolve [dɪˋzɑlv] v. 分解

sticky [ˋstɪkɪ] adj. 黏的

adhesive [ədˋhisɪv] n. 胶黏剂

spot [spɑt] v.【口】认出，发现

embarrassed [ɪmˋbærəst] adj. 窘的，尴尬的

genius [ˋdʒinjəs] n. 天才; 天赋

volitional [voˋlɪʃən!] adj. 自愿做的; 有意志的

portal [ˋport!] n. 入口

mess (something) up  弄坏; 毁掉〔尤指重要物品或精心策划的事情〕to make something disorderly; to create disorder in something

Reading Questions

1. Why did Thomas Edison NOT get discouraged by his “wrong attempts”?

A. Because he had already failed so many times.

B. Because he found 10,000 things that did work.

C. Because they helped him to progress.

D. Because he was always walking forward.

2. According to the article, what is NOT featured in the book “Mistakes That Worked”?

A. A failed drink product.

B. The invention of a popular food.

C. Failures turning into successes.

D. Examples of surprising discoveries.

3. According to the article, what is NOT true about “Post-it notes”?

A. People find them very useful.

B. They are the result of a failure.

C. One scientist created them.

D. They are not very sticky.

4. What is the article’s main message about mistakes?

A. You should try to cover them up.

B. You should forget about them.

C. You should try to make more of them.

D. You should just accept them.

Answer