Genius at Work
Guidance for Reciting
Genius is nothing but labor and diligence. It is the constant curiosity and diligence in work that make Henry Ford a genius.
Henry Ford didn't always pay attention in school. One day，he and a friend took a watch apart. Angry and upset，the teacher told him both to stay after school until they had fixed the watch. But the teacher did not know young Ford's genius. In ten minutes，his mechanical wizard had repaired the watch and was on his way home.
Ford was always interested in how things worked. He once plugged up the spout of a teapot and placed it on the fire. Then he waited to see what would happen. The water boiled and，of course，turned to steam. Since the steam had no way to escape，the teapot exploded. The explosion cracked a mirror and broke a window. The young inventor was badly scalded.
Ford's years of curiosity and tinkering paid off. He dreamed of a horseless carriage. When he built one，the world of transportation was changed forever.
Notes
1.plug [plQg] vt.封住
2.scald [skR：ld] vt.使烫伤
天才在工作
诵读导言
天才不过是勤奋而已。正是永恒的好奇心和勤奋的工作造就了亨利？福特的天才。
亨利？福特在学校里常常心不在焉。有一天，他和一个小朋友把一块手表拆开了。老师很生气，让他们放学后留下来，把表修好才能回家。当时这位老师并不知道小福特的天才。只用了十分钟，这位机械奇才就把手表修好，走在回家的路上了。
福特对各种东西的工作原理总是很感兴趣。曾有一次，他把茶壶嘴用东西堵住，然后把茶壶放在火炉上。他便站在一边等候着会出现什么情况。当然，水开后变成了水蒸气。因为水蒸气无处逸出，茶壶便爆炸了，因而打碎了一面镜子和一扇窗户。这个小发明家也被严重地烫伤了。
多年后，福特的好奇心和他的动手能力使他得到了回报。他曾经梦想着去制造一辆无马行进的车。他造成了一辆这样的车后，运输界就发生了永久性的变化。
口语点津
“使人热血沸腾”可以表达为“to make one's blood boil”。另有习语to boil down to，类似于“水落石出”的意思。例如二人在讨论功课，好不容易终于把这个问题给弄懂了，这时你就可以松一口气道：So that's what it boils down to.（原来是这样啊！）