Why are so many people so afraid to fail? Quite simply because no one tells us how to fail so that failure (失败) becomes an experience that means growth. We forget that failure is part of the human condition and that every person has the right to fail.
Most parents work hard at preventing failure or protecting their children from the knowledge that they have failed. One way is to lower standards(标准). When a child finishes making a table, the mother describes it as “perfect” even though it doesn’t stand still. Another way is to blame (责怪) others. If John fails in science, his teacher is unfair or stupid.
There’s a problem with the two ways. It makes a child unprepared for life in the real world. The young need to learn that no one can be best at everything, no one can win all the time, and that it’s possible to enjoy a game even when you don’t win. A child who’s not invited to a birthday party, who doesn’t make the honour list on the baseball team, feels terrible, of course. But parents should not offer a quick consolations (安慰), prize or say, “It doesn’t matter.” Because it does. The young should be allowed to experience failure and be helped to come out of it.
Failure never gives people pleasure. It hurts both grown-ups and children. But it can be really good to your life when you learn to use it. You must learn to ask “Why did I fail?” Don’t blame anyone else. Ask yourself what you did wrong and how you can improve. If someone else can help, don’t be shy about asking them.
【小题1】How do most parents prevent their children from failure?

Mike makes wonderful cakes for special occasions. You’ll be      36     by what he can do! Mike has been making cakes since he left high school. After working as a chef all around the US, he started his own      37     in 1995. Now his cake are      38     as far away as England and France.
It’s easy to see why Mike’s cakes      39    . They are all personal, and look more like works of art than food.
     40     someone asks Mike to make a cake, he works with him to find the perfect design. Once, some office workers wanted a good      41     for their boss’s 50^th birthday. They told Mike that their boss loved noodles. Can you imagine a cake that looks like a packet of noodles? That’s exactly what Mike did, and      42     thought it was funny as well as tasty.
Mike lets people visit his company, and says that speaking to others helps him think of new designs. Recently, he made a cake that looked just like a car and      43     it next to a real one. Guests at that party had to choose their desserts carefully.
Mike is very busy at Christmas, as many people want special presents for their friends and families. But who knows, he      44     even make a cake shaped as an airplane that can
     45     on your doorstep in China!
【小题1】A. surprised               B. pleased                     C. worried
【小题2】A. organization                  B. restaurant                 C. company
【小题3】A. magic                           B. famous                     C. delicious
【小题4】A. sell out                         B. hand out                   C. stand out
【小题5】A. Wherever                     B. Whatever                 C. Whenever
【小题6】A. strategy                        B. joke                         C. donation
【小题7】A. someone                B. anyone                     C. everyone
【小题8】A. drove                           B. put                          C. sold
【小题9】A. should                          B. would                      C. might
【小题10】A. land                      B. fly                           C. drop