The Touchstone

When the great library of Alexandria burned，the story goes ，one book was saved．But it was not a valuable book；and so a poor man，who could read a little，bought it for a few coppers ．

The book wasn't very interesting，but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed．It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the“Touchstone ”！

The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold．The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it．But the secret was this：The real stone would feel warm，while ordinary pebbles are cold．

So the man sold his few belongings，bought some simple supplies，camped on the seashore，and began testing pebbles．

He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold，he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times．So，when he felt one that was cold，he threw it into the sea．He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone．Yet he went on and on this way．Pick up a pebble．Cold—throw it into the sea．Pick up another．Throw it into the sea．

The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months．One day，however，about midafternoon，he picked up a pebble and it was warm．He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done．He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along，he still threw it away．

So it is with opportunity．Unless we are vigilant ，it's easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it's just as easy to throw away．

Words and Expressions

the story goes据说

- copper n．铜，铜币

- strip n．带状地带

- vellum n．上等犊皮纸，皮纸文书，牛皮纸

- touchstone n．试金石

- pebble n．卵石，小圆石，鹅卵石，砾石

- stretch v．伸展；拉紧，延伸

form a habit of doing养成某种习惯

so it is with也一样

- vigilant adj．警惕的；警戒的；警觉的

in hand在掌握中，在控制中

Read and recite the following sentences：

The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months．One day，however，about mid-afternoon，he picked up a pebble and it was warm．He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done．He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along，he still threw it away．

So it is with opportunity．Unless we are vigilant，it's easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it's just as easy to throw it away．

Nowtry and write out the sentences here：

参考译文

试金石

据说当宏大的亚历山大图书馆失火以后，有一本书幸免于难。但这本书并非贵重之物，于是，一个识不了几个大字的穷人花几个铜子就把它买下了。

这本书并没多大意思，但是书页之间却藏着很有意思的内容，在一条窄窄的牛皮上面写着关于“试金石”的秘密！

试金石是一块能够把任何的普通金属变成纯金的一种小鹅卵石。书上写着试金石和许许多多和它看起来一模一样的石头混在一起。但是这个秘密就在于：真正的试金石摸起来是温暖的，而普通的石头摸起来是冰冷的。

于是这个人卖掉了他可怜的几件财物，买了一些简单的生活必需品，在海边住了下来，开始寻找试金石。

他知道如果他捡起来的是摸起来冰冷的普通石头，如果随后丢下它，这样的话，他可能会成百上千地捡起同一块石头。于是，如果发现石头是冰冷的，他就把它扔到海里。他一整天都在做这个事情，但是没有一块石头是试金石。然而他继续重复着：捡起一块一块的石头，发现它是冰冷的，就把它扔进海里。

就这样日复一日，几个星期过去了，几个月又过去了。然而，一天半下午时分，当他捡到那块儿摸起来温暖的石头的时候，他想也没想就把它扔进了海里。他已经养成了把每一块儿石头都扔进海里的习惯，当那块儿他想要的石头出现的时候，他还是把它扔掉了。

机遇也是如此。如果我们不够警惕，即使机遇就在我们眼前，也会很容易地就像那块被扔掉的“试金石”一样与我们擦肩而过。