The kite and the string

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难词探意

1. resent /rɪ'zent/ v. 怨恨；愤恨；厌恶

2. ascend /ə'send/ v. 上升；攀登

3. bellow /'beləʊ/ v. 吼叫；（公牛等）发出低沉的吼叫声

4. string /strɪŋ/ n. 细绳

5. constraint /kən'streɪnt/ n. 限制；束缚；约束

6. furrow one's brow 皱起眉头

7. scratch one's chin 挠下巴

“I wish I didn't have to go to school, Grandpa,” complained Alex,throwing his bag on the ground and sitting on the bench beside him.“It's such a waste of time. I'd much prefer to be out working. I could be earning money already.If I started working now at a restaurant like Big Chicken Al's Wing Hut I'd be earning good wages as well as good tips and I'd be able to travel and see the world like you did! ”

Grandpa smiled across at Alex and looked at him a moment. “It reminds me of a story I once heard—an old folk-tale from China.”

“Long ago in China, there was a kite. Although it rose higher than all the other kites, it longed to go higher. It saw the clouds and the birds' way above andresentednot being able to get up there. In fact it blamed the string for holding it back. The string was not happy with this situation and thought it was unfair.

“One day, the wind was particularly strong. The kiteascendedrapidly as the string was let out quickly. ‘Aw, not again, string! 'bellowedthe kite to thestring. ‘Stop holding me back you long streak of killjoy! Let me go higher this time! Let go of me! ' The string let go and dropped towards the earth, no longer pulled up by the kite.”

“Without the tension of the string holding it, the kite dropped quite quickly down. The kite was badly injured. Do you see the lesson in this for your situation?”

“YES! Thanks Grandpa! I understand now,” exclaimed Alex. “What the story is actually saying is that sometimes you needconstraintsin order to reach your potential. Sometimes it's the things you think are holding you back that are actually mostly responsible for your growth. The string is to finish school and the kite is my future potential being realized. And the wind is my education lifting me higher and higher.”

Grandpa smiled back. “Exactly, Alex. Well done. I am proud of you, young man.”

“If school is the string and the kite is my potential, when school runs out, am I not stuck at that level?”

Grandpafurrowed his browandscratched his chin.

“No， Alex, you will just need to find your own string I guess.”

Reading Check

1. Tell the story between the kite and the string in your own words with about 60 words.

2. What did the boy conclude from the story by himself?

Language Study

Sentence for writing

If I started working now at a restaurant like Big Chicken Al's Wing Hut I'd be earning good wages as well as good tips and I'd be able to travel and see the world like you did!

【信息提取】本句体现了虚拟语气中if引导的虚拟条件句的用法。 表示与现在事实相反的情况，从句谓语动词形式为did/were，主句谓语动词形式为should/would/could/might do。

【句式仿写】如果我是你，我不会把电脑留在这里。