Learn English with American Primary School Textbooks

Chapter 39 Literature and Art (4)
It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.
It doesn't interest me who you are, how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
Vocabulary
Betrayal [bitrei? l] n. (Be) betrayed, betrayed, leaked, seduced
ecstasy ["ekst? si] n. ecstasy, fascination, fascination, intoxication

toe [t? u] n. toes; toes;
vt. to walk on tiptoes;

vi. to tiptoe; dance on tiptoe

accusation ["? kju:"zei? ? n] n. to accuse, to condemn

grief [ɡri: f] n. Sadness, grief; sad things, reason for grief
shrink [? Ri? k] vt. & vi. shrink, retreat

Practice
Write yes if the sentence is true. Write no if the sentence is not true.
1. You shouldn't risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

2. You should opened by life's betrayals.

3. To be careful, be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

4. You can't disappoint another even if lie to yourself.

5. Where or what you have studied is very important.

Translation
I'm not interested in what you do for a living.What I want to know is what you are suffering from, and whether you dare to dream to satisfy your heart's longing.

I'm not interested in your age.What I want to know is if you're willing to be a fool for love, for dreams, for life's thrills.

What rounded your corners doesn't interest me.What I want to know is whether you have ever touched your own broken heart, if you have become open because life has failed you, or if you have become helpless and closed because you are afraid of suffering more pain.

I wonder if you can suffer my pain instead of avoiding it, hiding from it.

I want to know if you can rejoice with my joy, if you can dance wildly and let the joy fill your fingertips and toes, instead of admonishing us: be cautious, be realistic, and remember the limitations of being human.

I'm not interested in whether what you say is true or not.What I want to know is whether you dare to disappoint others in order to be true to yourself, whether you dare to bear the infamy of betrayal without violating your conscience, whether you can be honest and reliable so that you can be trusted.

I want to know if you can appreciate beauty, if you can trace the origin of life because of the existence of life.I wonder if you are willing to accept your failure and mine and still dare to stand by the lake and say yes loudly to the silvery full moon.

I'm not interested in where you live or how much money you have.What I want to know is if after a night of heartbreak and despair, weariness and scars, you get up and do your duty and feed your baby.

I am not interested in what background you have or how you became who you are today.What I want to know is if you will stand with me in the midst of the fire and not flinch.

I'm not interested in where you were educated, what you learned, or who you taught.What I want to know is what holds you up inside after it's all gone, if you can be alone with yourself, if you really like the company you make in the empty moments.

Exercise
True or false:

1.You shouldn't be a fool for chasing love, chasing dreams, and experiencing life's thrills.

2.Be open-minded when life fails you.

3.Be careful, be realistic, and remember your limitations.

4.You shouldn't let others down, even if you lie to yourself.

5.Where you were educated and what you learned is very important.

1．no　2．yes　3．no　4．no　5．no
07 Avoid Being Stubborn

There once were two poor woodsmen who made a living by collecting woods in the mountain. One day, they happened to discover two large bag of cotton in the mountain and felt surprisingly happy. The cotton was light but valuable, so they carried it on their back and went back home.
When they were walking home, one of the woodsmen spotted a large bundle of cloth beside the road. So he discussed with his partner whether to discard the cotton and take the cloth instead. But his partner held a different view that since he had carried the cotton for such a long way, he would not change it with cloth because all his previous effort would turn out to be in vain. Therefore, the other woodsman abandoned the cotton and carried the cloth on his back. After walking for a while, the woodsman who carried the cloth spotted several jars of gold disseminated on the ground not far away. He felt so thrilled that he was going to be a wealthy man. So he gave up the cloth and used his carrying pole to carry two jars of gold, while his partner was still reluctant to abandon the cotton and wondering whether the gold was real or not.
However, when they just went down to the foot of the mountain, it began to rain all of a sudden. Both of them were wet from head to toes. More unfortunately, the woodsman who carried the cotton found that his cotton had absorbed tons of water and became so heavy that he could no longer go on carrying it. Desperately, he had to abandon the cotton and went back home empty-handed with his partner carrying gold.
This story implies that we should deliberately utilize our wisdom and intelligence to make the right choice in face of every critical point in our life. Meanwhile, we should not forget to review all the choices we have carefully and adjust our goal accordingly. We should learn to view a certain issue from different angles and avoid being stubborn. By opening your mind to the right choice, you will be guided to a smoother way to success.
Vocabulary
Discard [dis"kɑ:d] vt. Abandoned, no longer used;
n. Played cards, discarded things
vain [vein] adj. vain, vain, empty

jar [d? ɑ:] n. jar, jar, vibration, harsh sound
disseminate [di"semineit] vt. disperse, spread

reluctant [ril? kt? nt] adj. Reluctant, reluctant
deliberately [dilib? ritli] adv. cautiously, cautiously, deliberately, deliberately

stubborn ["st? b? n] adj. Stubborn, stubborn, difficult to move, difficult to remove
Practice
Write the answer in the blank using the correct word or sentence.
1. Compared with woods, the cotton was light but .

2. The woodsman would not change gold with cloth because ．

3. The woodsman had to abandon the cotton on account of ．

4. We should learn to view a certain issue from different ．

Translation
There were two poor woodcutters who lived by collecting firewood from the mountains.One day, they found two large bales of cotton in the mountains, and they were overjoyed.Cotton is light and expensive, so the two of them hurried home with a bag of cotton each.

As he was walking, one of the woodcutters had sharp eyes and saw a large bundle of cloth thrown on the mountain road, so he discussed it with his companions.Throw away the cotton and carry the cloth back home.His companion had a different opinion, thinking that he had already walked a long way with the cotton on his back, and if he left the cotton here, it would be a waste of his previous hard work, and insisted on not changing the cloth.The woodcutter who found the cloth picked it up as best he could.After walking for a while, the woodman carrying the cloth saw several jars of gold scattered on the ground not far away.Thinking that this time I really got rich, I hurriedly picked gold with a pole for picking firewood.His companions were still reluctant to let go of the cotton and suspected that the gold was not real.The woodcutter who found the gold had no choice but to pick two jars of gold by himself, and hurried home with his cotton-carrying partner.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, it started to rain, and the two of them were drenched thoroughly in the open space.What is even more unfortunate is that the cotton on the woodcutter's back has absorbed the rainwater.It was so heavy that I couldn't carry it on my back. I had no choice but to leave the cotton that I had worked hard all the way and was reluctant to give up, and went home empty-handed with my gold-picking companion.

At every critical moment in life, use wisdom carefully to make the most correct choice, and don't forget to review the angle you choose in time and adjust it in due course.We must learn to study problems comprehensively from different angles and let go of unnecessary stubbornness.Make the right choice calmly and with an open mind, and every correct choice will guide you on the smooth path to success.

Exercise
Choose the correct word to fill in the blank:
1.Compared with firewood, cotton is light and durable.

2.The woodcutter does not want to exchange cotton for gold because.

3.In the end the woodcutter had to give up the cotton because.

4.We should individually and comprehensively research questions.

1. valuable;

2. all his previous effort would turn out to be in vain;

3. his cotton had absorbed tons of water and became so heavy
that he could no longer go on carrying it;

4. angles
08 Run Freely
One afternoon, many years ago, I went to pick up my mother from work. I got there a little early so I parked the car by the curb, across the street from where she worked, and waited for her.
As I looked outside the car window to my right, there was a small park where I saw a little boy, around one and a half to two years old, running freely on the grass as his mother watched from a short distance. The boy had a big smile on his face as if he had just been set free from some sort of prison. The boy would then fall to the grass, get up, and without hesitation or without looking back at his mother, run as fast as he could, again, still with a smile on his face, as if nothing had happened.
(End of this chapter)