阅读理解
Frank
was a very talkative little boy. He never saw a new thing without asking a
great many questions about it.
His
mother was very patient and kind. When it was proper to answer his questions,
she would do so. Sometimes she would say, "You are not old enough to
understand that, my son. When you are ten years old, you may ask me about it,
and I will tell you." When his mother said this, Frank never bother(烦扰)her
any more. He knew she always liked to answer him when he asked proper questions.
The
first time Frank saw an hourglass, he was very much interested, but he did not
know what it was. His mother said, "An hourglass is made in the shape of
the figure 8. The sand is put in at one end and runs through a small hole in
the middle. As much sand is put into the glass as will run through in an hour."
Frank
watched the little stream of sand. He was impatient, because it would not run
faster. "Let me shake it, mother," said he, "it is lazy, and
will never get through."
"Oh,
yes, it will, my son," said his mother, "The sand moves by little and
little, but it moves all the time. When you look at the hands of the clock, you
think they go very slowly, and so they do, but they never stop. While you are
at play, the sand is running, grain by grain(一粒粒). The hands of the
clock are moving, second by second. At night, the sand in the hourglass has run
through twelve times. The hour hand of the clock has moved all around its great
face. This because they keep at work every minute. They do not stop to think
how much they have to do, and how long it will take them to do it."
Now,
Frank's mother wanted him to learn a little hymn(赞美诗), but he said, "Mother,
I can never learn it."
His
mother said, "Study all the time. Never stop to ask how long it will take
to learn it. You will be able to say it very soon."
Frank
followed his mother's advice. He studied line after line, very busily; and in
one hour and a half he knew the hymn perfectly.
