For so long, failure has been pictured as something negative, something to be ashamed of and something to be kept a secret. But a Swedish psychologist, Samuel West, has decided to put our worst fears on the table. He is opening a museum - the Museum of Failure - in Helsingborg, Sweden, this June.
Instead of showing successes, as museums usually do, the Museum of Failure will display over 60 “failed” products from big-name companies such as Nokia, Apple and Coca-Cola. “I really hope you see that these mega-brands that everybody respects, they screw up too,” West told The New York Times. “I hope that makes you feel less nervous about learning something new.”
West’s opinion isn’t a new one. Albert Einstein once said, “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” And this idea has been embraced by lots of companies in the US. Silicon Valley, for example, is the home of some of the world’s most creative companies, yet its slogan turns out to be, quite surprisingly, “Fail fast, fail often.”
However, there are reasons for his. “The best companies are those that encourage failure, embrace out-of-the-box thinking, and allow employers to make mistakes and see what happens,” wrote Simon Casuto of Forbes.
But some people are doubtful of this so-called “culture of failure”. They are worried that if failure becomes a “symbol of honor”, as Wired magazine put it, it may even be seen as “uncool” when someone tries to reduce the risk of failure. This may push people to care too little and try too little.
“Sometimes people hid behind failure, when they could have prevented it,” wrote Anna Isaac of The Telegraph.
So it’s important that you set apart the two kinds of failure—the kind that makes you a loser and the kind that takes you forward. The key is whether you’ve learned something from your mistakes.
“Learning is the only process that turns failure into success.” West said The Guardian. “If you don’t learn from your failures, then you’ve really failed.”
【小题1】What does the underlined phrase “screw up” in the second paragraph mean?| A．Make a profit. | B．Make a mess. | C．Make a highlight. | D．Make a risk. |
| A．The more failure, the better. |
| B．Accept failure, and try new things. |
| C．The more you fail, the less success you achieve. |
| D．Failure is more important than success. |
| A．Failure’s value lies in learning from it. |
| B．If you fail, you are a loser. |
| C．It’s not necessary to try to reduce the risk of failure. |
| D．Failure is the key to put you forward. |
On entering the main room of the castle, the boy was quite surprised: tradesmen coming and going, people chatting in the corners, and a small orchestra playing soft music. The wise man talked with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn.
The wise man listened carefully to the boy’s explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn’t have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.
“Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,” said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. “As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.”
The boy began to walk up and down stairs of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the wise man.
“Well,” asked the wise man, “Did you see the Persian tapestries（挂毯）in the hall? Did you see the garden that took the master gardener ten years to create?” The boy was embarrassed, and replied that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil.
“Then go back and observe the wonders of my world,” said the wise man. The boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace. This time he observed all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. When he returned, he described in detail everything he had seen.
“But where are the drops of oil?” asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.
“Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,” said the wise man. “The secret of happiness is to see all the wonders of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.”
【小题1】When the boy arrived at the castle, he .
| A．received a warm welcome from the wise man |
| B．had already missed his chance to talk to the wise man |
| C．didn’t expect to see so many people around |
| D．was shown around the palace by the local people |
| A．teach him the secret of happiness |
| B．show him how to observe the wonders in the world |
| C．make him learn from his mistakes |
| D．let the boy enjoy his palace and garden |
| A．the beauty of nature |
| B．the fortune a person owns |
| C．the responsibilities of a person |
| D．the great opportunities in life |
| A．The wise man was satisfied with the way the boy performed the second task |
| B．It took the wise man about 10 years to finish his garden. |
| C．The wise man wasn’t paying much attention to the boy at first. |
| D．The boy took no notice of the surroundings during his first task. |
I stopped at a harvest festival at a small farm outside Louisville, arriving just as people were lining up for a meal.
Nelson Escobar, an immigrant from El Salvador, and Elmer Zavala, originally from Honduras, started the farm. A dozen people from many backgrounds work on the farm. Each person raises three crops, each sharing their harvest with the others in the group.
The food is great, but for Escobar and Zavala, the sense of community is the key.
“What I really love about this is being part of a collective,” Zavala said when I asked why he helped start this farm. “I love sharing the harvest,” he explained.
“Because we’re humans, doing work together is really satisfying.” Escobar added.
However, collectives can have their arguments. Conflicts can tear groups apart. Still, being part of group can teach us about how others see the world, and that can help us learn more about ourselves.
Sometimes, politicians and media make issues too abstract, and we begin to put each other into unfair categories. We begin to judge people we don’t know based on their race, nationality or background. As fear of the unfamiliar takes over, tolerance and understanding get lost. In these situations, we’re more likely to feel isolated (孤立的), powerless and disengaged. Even worse—we’re more likely to die early. Isolation is as dangerous to our health as smoking, Judith Shulevitz wrote in the New Republic in 2013. Lonely people are more likely to get diabetes (糖尿病), high blood pressure, heart disease, and even cancer.
In order to survive, either in a small collective or as part of a countrywide community, we have to be in touch with others and their feelings. Otherwise, we spiral into illness, selfishness and a “me first” attitude.
When we feel connected to a community, big or small. we are more likely to become champions of one another, not just of ourselves.
【小题1】Through the farm that Zavala and Escobar started, the writer intends to show ________.| A．how people can start and manage a collective |
| B．that giving back to society gave a sense of achievement |
| C．that people can gain satisfaction and happiness through cooperation |
| D．that working together enabled them to see how others see the world |
| A．get rid of | B．are involved in |
| C．suffer from | D．run into |
| A．we should learn to avoid arguments when working with others |
| B．isolation in a community is a big problem that should be addressed |
| C．humans are social animals and should make a connection with others |
| D．the advantages of living in a small community outweigh the disadvantages |
On the first day he heard the stereo rocking over, Edward marched downstairs and politely told the newcomer that his stereo was too loud. He asked the new tenant to turn the volume down and keep it down as long as he lived in the building. The tenant appeared surprised and embarrassed, and said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was that loud.”
So, Edward returned upstairs, feeling good, because he had taken a stand and politely let the newcomer know that loud music was not going to be tolerated. The next day all was quiet, and Edward continued to be pleased with himself. The following day, Edward thought it must be Fourth of July, because a marching band was playing on his street. In fact, it was the new neighbor who was playing his music loud again.
Edward was not one to repeat himself, feeling that each time you repeated yourself, you diminished the value of your words. So, he did what he always did with rude neighbors－grinand bear it. Eventually, they would move away. What else are you going to do?
In Los Angles a year ago, a woman had complained to her upstairs neighbor that he was playing his drums too loud and too often. The drummer repeatedly ignored her. One day the woman walked upstairs and shot the drummer in the head and his girlfriend in the chest. The woman was sentenced to prison for 20 years.
The dead drummer won’t bother anyone with his drums, but the woman might be wishing now that she had learned to grin and bear it. If she were still living in her apartment, she could always move. When you’re in prison, you don’t have that option.
【小题1】The man living below where Edward lived was .
| A．a deaf man | B．the owner of the house |
| C．a tenant | D．an old neighbor |
| A．Grinning and bearing it. |
| B．Persuading them to stop repeatedly. |
| C．Shouting them to dead. |
| D．Moving away from the rude neighbors. |
| A．he ignored her advice repeatedly |
| B．she could not stand his playing the guitar too loud |
| C．she could not put up with him any longer |
| D．he played the drums too often |
| A．being in prison means the loss of freedom |
| B．grinning and bearing it is the best policy |
| C．Edward should follow the example of the woman |
| D．the woman was right to kill her neighbor |
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