The famous Spanish painter Pablo Picasso once said, “I always do what I can’t do so that I can learn how to do it.” It strikes a chord with me because that’s exactly what I’ve done these years.

One of my earliest memories of doing before learning is of baking scones (烤饼) when I was about 10 years old. I wanted to bake them to surprise my mother when she returned home.

Before that I’d observed how my mother baked them many times. As I started to try, I didn’t know I shouldn’t handle the dough with my hands too much once I’d added the baking powder. However, I knew exactly how to roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter to cut the scones, because my mom had already taught me.

By the time my mom arrived home, the smell of freshly baked scones welcomed her into the kitchen. They were baked to golden brown perfection-flat, as a result of over handling the dough, but they tasted OK. My mom sweetly praised me for my attempt, rather than scolding me for the state of the kitchen, which was like a tornado had just blown!

Have my attempts always been successful? I wish! Some of my kitchen disasters were of such proportions that even the dogs wanted nothing to do with them. My gardening failures didn’t live to see another season.

But my habit of doing before learning is still helpful. Whatever computer program or application I have to learn, I do so by simply starting to use it. I do, learn, and improve. So if you ask me whether I regret that I tend to do first and learn later, I’d say I don’t, because what I have discovered from those is the wisdom to know when it’s OK to do and then learn, and when it’s probably better to learn and then do!

【小题1】What can we learn about the author’s first experience of baking scones?

A．She practiced hard before actually trying.

B．She turned to her mom when necessary.

C．She wanted to perform better than her mom.

D．She managed to do it despite a little imperfection.

【小题2】How did Mom respond to the author’s attempt?

A．She made improvements to the scones.

B．She expressed her appreciation for the job.

C．She shared her first experience of baking.

D．She was surprised by the mess in the kitchen.

【小题3】What does the author think of her practices of “doing before learning”?

A．Most of them have ended up in failure.

B．They are just a barely usable method.

C．They contribute a lot to her self-improvement.

D．They only apply to the learning of specific skills.

【小题4】What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To stress the importance of keeping learning.

B．To show the benefits of doing before learning.

C．To encourage people to do something they can’t do.

D．To call on readers to change their way of learning.