A Boy and His Nail 男孩和钉子

Once there was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence.

The first day the boy hammered 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily dwindled down.He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and his father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and one day the young boy told his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.The fence would never be the same.“When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like those nails，”his father said.

从前，有一个小男孩，他的脾气很坏。他的父亲送给他一袋钉子，并告诉他，每发一次火，就必须将一颗钉子钉在栅栏上。

第一天，男孩将37颗钉子钉进了栅栏。又过了几周，随着他学会控制自己的怒火，钉钉子的数量日益减少。他发现控制自己的脾气要比往栅栏上钉那些钉子容易得多。

最后，男孩再也不发火的日子终于来了。他把这件事告诉了父亲。父亲建议他现在如果一整天都能控制住自己的脾气，就拔掉一颗钉子。

不久，男孩告诉父亲所有的钉子都没有了。男孩的父亲拉住他的手，将他领到了栅栏边。栅栏再也不是从前的样子了。“当你生气地说事情时，它们就像那些钉子一样留下了伤疤。”他父亲说。

Practising&Exercise 实战提升篇

单词注解

siege[si：d?]n.围攻；围困

approach[?'pr?ut?]v.接近；靠近

advocate['?dv?kit]v.提倡；主张

temper['temp?]n.脾气；性情；心境

fence[fens]n.栅栏，篱笆，围墙

scar[ska：]n.伤痕，伤疤

实用句型

It is said that people are accustomed to from their own point of view.

这是说，人们都习惯于从自身的角度去考虑问题。

His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence.

他的父亲送给他一袋钉子，并告诉他，每发一次火，就必须将一颗钉子钉在栅栏上。

智慧点津

The frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean.

井底之蛙，不知大海。

To be angry with a weak man is a proof that you are not very strong yourself.

对弱者发脾气证明你自己并不是很强。