第8章 TRY AGAIN 再试一次

I

“Have you finished your lesson, George?” said Mr. Prentice to his son, who had laid aside his book and was busily engaged in making a large paper kite.

“No, father,” replied George, hanging down his bead.

“Why not, my son?”

“Because it is so difficult, father. I am sure that I shall never learn it. Besides, I could not remember it after I had learned it, my memory is so bad.”

“If I were to promise you a holiday on the thirtieth of the month after next, do you think you would forget the date?”

“No, I am pretty sure that I should not.”

“You are first-rate at skating, and flying your kite, and playing at ball and marbles, are you not?”

“Yes, father.”

“And yet you cannot learn your lesson, My dear boy, you are deceiving yourself. You can learn as well as any one, if you will only try.”

“But have I not tried, father?” again urged George.

“Well, try again. Come, for this afternoon lay aside that kite you are making, and give another effort to get your Lesson ready. Be in earnest, and you will soon learn it. To show you that it only requires perseverance, I will tell you a story:—

“One of the dullest boys at a village school, more than thirty years ago, went up to repeat his Lesson one morning; and, as usual, did not know it. ‘Go to your seat! ' said the teacher angrily. ‘Ii you don't pay more attention to your lessens you will never be fit for anything.’

“The poor boy stole off to his seat, and bent his eyes again upon his lesson.

“‘It is of no use; I cannot learn, ' he said in a whisper to a companion who sat near him.

“‘You must try hard replied the kind-hearted boy.

“‘I have tried, but it is of no use; I may just as well give up at once.’

“‘Try again, Henry! ' whispered his companion, In an earnest and encouraging tone.”

Questions

What reasons did George give for not being able to learn his lesson? What did his father ask him if he was likely to forget? What did he say? To show him that learning only required perseverance, what did his father do? What kind of boy was it about? What had the teacher told him when he failed? What had his companion whispered to him?

Pronunciation

fin'-ished re-mem'-ber thir'-ti-eth per-se-ver'-ance

en-gaged' mem'-o-ry play'-ing an'-gri-ly

re-plied' prom'-ise af'-ter-noon at-ten'-tion

dif'-fi-cult hol'-i-day re-quires' com-pan'-ion

Dictation

A boy who could beat all his companions at their games was unable to learn his lesson, or to remember it after it was learned.

To show him that he was deceiving himself, and that it only required perseverance, his father told him a story.

II

“These two little words gave him a fresh impulse, and he bent his mind again to his task. Gradually lie began to find the sentences lingering in his memory; and soon, to his surprise and pleasure, the whole Lesson was mastered! He then rose from his seat and proceeded to the teacher's desk.

“‘What do you want now? ' asked the teacher.

“‘To say my lesson, sir.’

“‘Did you not try half an hour ago? ’

“‘Yes; but I can say it now, sir.' said the boy.

“‘Go on, then.’

“Henry commenced, and repeated the whole Lesson without missing a word! The master gave him a look of pleasure as he handed back his book.

“From that day,” continued Mr. Prentice, “there was no boy in the school who learned more rapidly than Henry. From that day till the present hour he has been a student; and he now urges his son George to ‘try again, ' as he tried.”

“And was it indeed you, father?” asked his son, eagerly looking up into the face of his kind parent.

“Yes, my child. That dull boy was your owe father in his early years.”

“Then I will try again,” said George, in a decided tone; and, flinging aside his half-made kite, he turned and re-entered the house, and was soon bending in earnest attention over his lesson.

“Well, what success, George?” asked Mr. Prentice, as the family gathered around the tea-table.

“I learned the lesson, father!” replied the boy. “I can say every word of it.”

Did you find it hard work?”

Not so very hard, after I had once made up my mind that I would learn it. Indeed I never stopped to think, as I usually do, but went right on until I had mastered every sentence.”

“May you never forget this lesson, my son!” said Mr. Prentice. “You now possess the secret of success. It lies in never stopping to think about a task being difficult or tiresome, but in going steadily on, with a fixed determination to succeed.”

Questions

What effect had the words “Try again” on the boy? What had he begun to find? What had the teacher said to him when he returned to his desk? How had he succeeded? What had the teacher done as he handed him back his book? What resolution had Henry formed? Had he kept it? Who did Henry turn out to be? What did George do when he heard that? With what result\Wherein lies the secret of success.

Pronunciation

grad'-u-al-ly pro-ceed'-ed rap'-id-ly gath'-ered

sen'-ten-ces com-menced' ea'-ger-ly dif'-fi-cult

lin'-ger-ing re-peat'-ed ear'-nest tire'-some

sur-prise' con-tin'-ued at-ten'-tion mas'-tered

Dictation

The story his father told George was about his own youth. When a boy, he had been idle and dull. Once a companion had urged him to ‘‘try again.”

He had done so, and had succeeded not only then, but ever afterwards. George took the hint, and succeeded as his father had done.

1

“乔治，功课做完了吗？”普莱特森先生问他那放下课本埋头做纸风筝的儿子。

“还没呢，父亲。”乔治低下头回答。

“为什么还没做完？儿子。”

“因为功课太难了，父亲。我肯定我永远也不可能做完。而且我记忆力不好，学完后，很快就都忘了。”

“如果我承诺你下个月十三号放假，你觉得你会把日期忘了吗？”

“不会，我确定忘不了。”

“你在滑冰、放风筝、打篮球、弹弹珠这些方面都出类拔萃，是不是？”

“是的，父亲。”

“但是，你在学习上却不能做到同样出色，我的宝贝，你是在自欺欺人。只要你敢尝试，你可以学得跟别人一样好。”

“但是爸爸，难道我没有试过吗？”乔治又一次恼羞成怒。

“那就再试一次吧。加油，你整个下午都在做风筝，拿出同样的精神状态投入学习中。只要你肯努力，你就能学会。为了证明学习需要持之以恒，我给你讲个小故事。

“三十多年前，在一个乡村的小学里有一个最笨的小男孩。一天早晨，他又在复习功课。像往常一样，他并没有学会。‘回到你的座位上！’老师很生气地说，‘倘若你再不好好做功课，你就什么事情也做不好。’

“‘男孩子回到座位上，盯着自己的课本看。

“‘没用的，我就是学不会。’他小声对坐在旁边的一位伙伴说。

“‘你必须加倍努力。’善良的小伙伴回答道。

“‘我尝试过了，但是不管用，我索性放弃算了。’

“‘再试一次吧，亨利！’同伴用诚挚且鼓舞人心的语气小声说。”

2

“如此简单的两句话给他带来了不同的触动，他又一次投入学习当中。渐渐地，他发现这两句简单的话不停地出现在他的记忆里。没过多久，令他既惊讶又欣喜的是他把功课全都学会了！他从座位上站起来，走到老师的桌子旁。

“‘你想做什么？’老师问道。

“‘把我学会的功课讲出来啊，先生。’

“‘半小时前你不是已经尝试过了吗？’

“‘是的，但是我现在能说出来了，先生。’男孩回答道。

“‘那你继续吧。’

“接着，亨利一字不差的把功课重复了一遍！当他拿着书回去时，老师高兴地看着他。”

“从那天开始，”普莱特森先生继续说道，“亨利成了学校里学习效率最高的孩子。从那天起一直到现在，他都是那名努力的学生，他鼓励儿子乔治要像当时的自己一样‘再尝试一次’”。

“你确定故事里的主角是你吗，父亲？”儿子热切地抬头看着父亲亲切的脸问道。

“是的，我的孩子。那个笨小孩就是年轻时的父亲。”

“那我再试一次，”乔治说，带着果断的语气。他把做到一半的风筝放在一边，转身又走进屋子，很快开始聚精会神地学习起来。

“学会了吗，乔治？”当一家人围坐在茶桌边，普莱特森问道。

“父亲，我学会了！”男孩重复道，“我全都学会了。”

“你认为它非常难吗？”

“一旦我下定决心学习，就不是特别难。事实上我没有停下来想这个问题，而是一直在做，直到我把所有的功课全都掌握了。”

“儿子，也许这一课你会永生难忘。”普莱特森先生说，“你掌握了成功的秘密。成功的秘密就在于千万不要停下来想任务多困难多枯燥，而是带着坚定的信念坚持下去，你必将成功。”