Someone asked, “What is the difference between you and a mediocrity?”

Genius said, “There is no genius in the world, but industry plus some foresight.”

“Is there a little difference between the two?” the man asked again.

The genius, pointing at a caterpillar, asked, “What's this?”

“A caterpillar.”

Pointing at a bird egg, the genius asked, “What's this?”

“A bird's egg!” the man answered.

At last, the genius pointed at a child and asked, “Who is he?”

“A newborn baby,” the man replied.

The genius shook his head and said, “Those are respectively a butterfly, an eagle and a genius, but you said they were a caterpillar, a bird's egg and a baby. The different answers may be the difference between a mediocrity and me.”

先逐字讀一遍短文，不認識的不着急查詞典，讀完一遍，不熟悉的生詞大約心中有數了，再回頭仔細讀一遍，有生詞的部分，細讀，根據上下文猜測一下意思。如果手頭有紙筆不妨寫下來。最好通讀三遍，文章的大約意思估計也就明白八九不離十了。再逐字查閱生詞，最後再對照譯文，通讀一兩遍。還有疑難不解的地方做好筆記請教他人。

genius

英 ['dʒiːnɪəs]美 ['dʒinjəs]

n. 天才，天賦；精神

來自詞根gen, 生育，詞源同generate.原義為守護精靈，傳說中每個人出生時都會有守護精靈相伴而生，并一生陪伴成長，引申義天資。參考電影《黃金羅盤》。

Is he a nutter, or is he a genius?

他是瘋子，還是天才？

mediocrity

英 [miːdɪ'ɒkrɪtɪ]美

n. 平庸之才；平常

來自mediocre,普通的，平庸的。

mediocre

/ˌmidɪ’okɚ/ adj. 中等的,普通的

【解詞】med-=mid-=中間的；ocre-=ocris-=山峰，鋸齒狀高山；因此這個詞的根本含義是“半山腰的”，引申為“中的的，普通的”。

His acting career started brilliantly, then sank into mediocrity.

他的演藝生涯開場時轟轟烈烈，然後就變得庸庸碌碌。

Surrounded by mediocrities, he can seem a towering intellectual.

在周圍一群泛泛之輩的襯托之下，他就像一個鶴立雞群的智者。

industry

英 ['ɪndəstrɪ]美 ['ɪndəstri]

n. 産業；工業；勤勉

來自拉丁語industria,行動，勤奮，熱情，來自indu-,在内，在裡，第二部分詞源不确定，可能來自-stru,建造，建設，詞源同structure,instruct,或來自-ust,燃燒，詞源同combust.引申詞義燃燒的熱情，勤奮，後用來指制造，制造業，工業，行業。

No one doubted his ability, his industry or his integrity.

沒人懷疑他的能力、勤奮和正直。

foresight

英 ['fɔːsaɪt]美 ['fɔrsaɪt]

n. 先見，遠見；預見；深謀遠慮

fore-,在前。sight,看，視野。

詞源

foresight (n.)also fore-sight, early 14c., "insight obtained beforehand;" also "prudence," from fore- sight (n.). Perhaps modeled on Latin providentia. Compare German Vorsicht "attention, caution, cautiousness."

He was later criticised for his lack of foresight.

他後來被指責缺少先見之明。

caterpillar

英 ['kætəpɪlə]美 ['kætɚpɪlɚ]

n. [無脊椎] 毛蟲；履帶車

adj. 有履帶裝置的

cat, 貓。-pil, 毛，詞源同peel, depilatory(脫毛)。因其毛如貓毛而得名。

The caterpillar was transformed into a butterfly.

毛毛蟲變成了蝴蝶.

newborn

英 [njuː'bɔːn; 'njuːbɔːn]美 ['nubɔrn]

adj. 新生的；再生的

n. 嬰兒

newborn (adj.)

also new-born, c. 1300, from new born. As a noun from 1879.

Swaddle your newborn baby so that she feels secure.

把你剛出生的孩子用襁褓包裹住，這樣她會有安全感。

respectively

英 [rɪ'spektɪvlɪ]美 [rɪ'spɛktɪvli]

adv. 分别地；各自地，獨自地

respectively (adv.)

mid-15c., "relatively;" 1620s, "relatively to each singly," from respective -ly (2).

Metal, oil and soap contains foreign matter, respectively.

金屬 、 油和肥皂中分别含有雜質.

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有人問：“您和庸人有什麼不同？”

天才說：“世上沒有天才，不過是勤奮加上一點遠見而已。”

“天才和庸人二者一點區别都沒有嗎？”這個人又問。 天才指着一隻毛毛蟲問：“這是什麼？”

“毛毛蟲。”

天才指着一個鳥蛋，問道：“這是什麼？”

“鳥蛋！”這個人回答。

最後，天才指着一個孩子，問道：“他是誰？”

“一個新生兒。”這個人回答。

天才搖搖頭說：“剛才這些分别是一隻蝴蝶、一隻雄鷹和一個天才，但你卻說它們隻是毛毛蟲、鳥蛋和嬰孩。答案的不同也許就是庸人和我的不同之處吧。”

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