I have a memory of being about five years old, picking up a beautiful grilled(烧烤的) cheese sandwich made for me by my hard—working mother and turning it over to see that the other side was burned. Suddenly, what I thought was the perfect sandwich was not so perfect. Mom had tried to hide that fact from me. There was no question; I ate it anyway without complaining. However, that moment has stuck in my mind for many years. Now, at the age of 43 as a mother of two children and as a biology professor where I am routinely the “academic mother” of hundreds of students every year, I find that I believe in The Grilled Cheese Principle. Here is what I mean.
Making a grilled cheese sandwich is easy, right? But when I think of how many burned grilled cheese sandwiches I have eaten, or I have made myself, I realize that most of the grilled cheese sandwiches I have known have had at least one burned side. The thing is that although it is a relatively easy thing to make I can also easily lose focus, and before long the sandwich is burned. For my mother, the first side was usually perfect and the second side got burned due to her being distracted. For me, I have tended to burn the first side, but then I more carefully monitor the second side. Either way, the grilled cheese sandwich suffers because it has not been given the attention it deserves.
So, I have learned that even the simplest task deserves my full attention. When I am multi-tasking, I am doing none of the tasks well. And when I allow myself to be distracted, I am not in the present moment—not paying attention to the small details of living or enjoying the process.
So now, I believe the best way to make a perfect grilled cheese sandwich is to make only one at a time and give it my full attention.
【小题1】How did the writer react to the sandwich with burned side?| A．He ate it with full complaints. |
| B．He showed no interest. |
| C．He thought it was still perfect. |
| D．He was deeply impressed with it. |
| A．Even simple things deserve full attention. |
| B．Losing focus makes the sandwich burned. |
| C．Self-made sandwiches are always burned. |
| D．we should make only one sandwich at a time. |
| A．serve | B．watch | C．burn | D．sell |
| A．Never do multi-tasks. |
| B．Learn to appreciate the burned sandwiches. |
| C．Nothing is perfect. |
| D．Devote yourself to one thing at a time. |
