When you make a mistake, big or small, cherish it as the most precious thing in the world. Because in some ways, it is.

    60 . Most of us have been taught from a young age that mistakes are bad. And we are reminded that we should try to avoid mistakes. We’ve been scolded when we make mistakes — at home, school and work. Maybe not always, but probably enough times to make feeling bad about mistakes an unconscious reaction.

Yet without mistakes, we could not learn or grow.   61   . We don’t really consume information and instantly know it or know how to do it. Instead, we get information about something, from reading or from another person or from observing usually; then we construct a model in our mind, test it out by trying it in the real world, make mistakes, revise the model based on the results of our real-world experimentation and repeat, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, until we’ve pretty much learned how to do it well.

   62   . If you succeed at something, it’s probably something you already knew how to do it. You haven’t really grown much from that success — at most it’s the last step on your journey, not the whole journey. Most of the journey is made up of mistakes. By trial and error, we try out new strategies and make new discoveries, thus leading to higher payoffs. So if you value learning, if you value growing and improving, then you should value mistakes.    63  

A. Just think about how we learn.

B. Everyone can make mistakes in their life.

C. Mistakes are how we learn to do something new.

D. It is natural that we are in a bad mood when we make mistakes.

E. Mistakes are amazing things that make a world of brilliance possible.

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it． From a distance，each horse looks like any horse． But if you get closer, you will   36  something quite interesting ——one of the horses is   37 ．

His owner has chosen not to have him put down（杀死）,   38   has made him a safe and comfortable barn（马棚） to    39  ．This is pretty amazing． But if you stand nearby and listen，you will hear the sound of a  40 ．It is coming from a smaller horse in the field．   41  to the horse is a small bell． It  42   the blind friend know where the other horse is，so he can   43  ．        

As you stand and watch these two friends you'll see that the horse with the bell is always  44 the blind horse，and that the blind horse will   45 for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is，trusting he will not be led the  46  way．

When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the   47 each evening, he will stop  48  to look back，making sure that the blind friend isn't too   49 behind to hear the bell．

Like the owner of these two horses，the kind people around us do not  50 us away just because we are not perfect or because we have   51  ．Sometimes we are the blind horse，being   52  by the little ringing bell of those who come to  53 us． And we are the guide horse  54 other times, helping others to find their   55  ．

1.                A．doubt          B．notice          C．decide   D．recognize

2.                A．strong          B．deaf           C．blind D．lamb

3.                A．so             B．because        C．but  D．as

4.                A．leave out       B．let out          C．decide on D．live in

5.                A．drum          B．trumpet        C．bell  D．violin

6.                A．Added         B．Attached        C．Turned   D．Applied

7.                A．watches        B．feels           C．lets  D．finds

8.                A．follow          B．smell           C．drive D．instruct

9.                A．getting off       B．leaving out      C．checking on   D．breaking down

10.               A．answer         B．listen          C．blame D．account

11.               A．high           B．wide           C．wrong D．crowded

12.               A．barn           B．hotel          C．camp D．garage

13.               A．suddenly       B．occasionally     C．slightly    D．quickly

14.               A．high           B．deep          C．wide  D．far

15.               A．put            B．throw          C．burn  D．blow

16.               A．fames          B．houses         C．problems  D．treasures

17.               A．cheated        B．punished       C．guided    D．taken

18.               A．beat           B．teach          C．help  D．change

19.               A．on            B．at             C．over  D．among

20.               A．job            B．knowledge      C．justice D．way

When you make a mistake, big or small, cherish (珍视) it like it’s the most precious thing in the world, because in some ways, it is.

Most of us feel bad when we make mistakes, beat ourselves up about it, feel like failures, get mad at ourselves.

And that’s only natural. Most of us have been taught from a young age that mistakes are bad, and we should try to avoid mistakes. We’ve been scolded when we make mistakes—at home, school and work. Maybe not always, but probably enough times to make feeling bad about mistakes an unconscious（无意识的）reaction.

Yet without mistakes, we could not learn or grow. If you think about it that way, mistakes should be cherished and celebrated for being one of the most amazing things in the world. They make learning possible; they make growth and improvement possible.

By trial and error—trying things, making mistakes, and learning from those mistakes—we have figured out how to make electric light, to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, to fly.

Mistakes make walking possible for the smallest toddler, make speech possible, and make works of genius possible.

Think about how we learn：We don’t just consume information about something and instantly know it or know how to do it. You don’t just read about painting，or writing，or computer programming，or baking, or playing the piano, and know how to do them right away. Instead, you get information about something, from reading or from another person or from observing usually...then you construct a model in your mind...then you test it out by trying it in the real world...then you make mistakes...then you revise the model based on the results of your real world experimentation...and repeat, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, until you’ve pretty much learned how to do something. That’s how we learn as babies and toddlers, and how we learn as adults. Mistakes are how we learn to do something new—because if you succeed at something, it’s probably something you already knew how to do. You haven’t really grown much from that success—at most it’s the last step on your journey, not the whole journey. Most of the journey is made up of mistakes, if it’s a good journey.

So if you value learning，if you value growing and improving，then you should value mistakes. They are amazing things that make a world of brilliance possible.

1.Why do most of us feel bad about making mistakes?

2.According to the passage, what is the right attitude to mistakes?

3.The underlined word “toddler” in Paragraph 6 probably means ________.

4.We can learn from the passage that ________.

5.What is the best title of this passage?

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it． From a distance，each horse looks like any horse． But if you get closer, you will   36  something quite interesting ——one of the horses is   37 ．
His owner has chosen not to have him put down（杀死）,   38   has made him a safe and comfortable barn（马棚） to    39  ．This is pretty amazing． But if you stand nearby and listen，you will hear the sound of a  40 ．It is coming from a smaller horse in the field．   41  to the horse is a small bell． It  42   the blind friend know where the other horse is，so he can   43  ．        
As you stand and watch these two friends you'll see that the horse with the bell is always  44 the blind horse，and that the blind horse will   45 for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is，trusting he will not be led the  46  way．
When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the   47 each evening, he will stop  48  to look back，making sure that the blind friend isn't too   49 behind to hear the bell．
Like the owner of these two horses，the kind people around us do not  50 us away just because we are not perfect or because we have   51  ．Sometimes we are the blind horse，being   52  by the little ringing bell of those who come to  53 us． And we are the guide horse  54 other times, helping others to find their   55  ．

An “apple polisher” is one who gives gifts to win friendship or special treatment. It is not exactly a bribe(贿赂),but is close to it.
All sorts of people are apple polishers, including politicians and people in high offices ── just about everybody. Oliver Cromwell, the great English leader, offered many gifts to win the support of George Fox and his party, but failed.
There are other phrases meaning the same thing as “apple-polishing” ── “soft-soaping” or “butter-up”. A gift is just one way to “soft-soap” somebody, or to “butter him up”. Another that is just as effective is flattery, giving someone high praise ── telling him how good he looks, or how well he speaks, or how talented and wise he is.
Endless are the ways of flattery. Who does not love or hear it ? Only an unusual man can resist the thrill of being told how wonderful he is. In truth, flattery is good medicine for most of us, who gets so little of it.
We need it to be more sure of ourselves. It cannot hurt unless we get carried away by it. But we just lap it up for its food value and nourishment, as a cat laps up milk, then we can still remain true to ourselves.
Sometimes, however, flattery will get you nothing from one who has had too much of it. A good example is the famous 12th century legend of King Canute of Denmark and England. The king got tired of listening to the endless sickening flattery of his courtiers（朝臣）.They overpraised him to the skies, as a man of limitless power.
He decided to teach them a lesson. He took them to the seashore and sat down. Then he ordered the waves to stop coming in. The tide was too busy to listen to him. The king was satisfied. This might show his followers how weak his power was and how empty their flattery.
【小题1】Which of the following activities has nothing to do with “apple-polishing” ?