正文
For long, a little boy was wondering why his next-desk pal could rank 1st in the class whenever he wanted to, whereas he himself failed to：he only ranked 21st.
很长一段时间，小男孩一直很想知道，为什么隔壁桌的朋友总是能在班里名列第一，而他自己却做不到。他只排在第21名。
At home, he asked his Mom, “Mom, am I more stupid than others? I feel I am as obedient（听话） and as careful as him, but how come I always lag behind?”
回家后，他就问妈妈：“妈妈，我是不是比别人笨？我觉得我和那个朋友一样乖巧认真，可为什么我总是不如他呢？”
Hearing the words, Mom was aware that her son began to gain amour-propre（自尊） , which was now being undermined by the ranking system. Staring at him, she went wordless, not knowing how to explain.
听了儿子的话，妈妈感觉到儿子开始有自尊心了，而学校里的成绩排名伤了他的自尊心。她望着他，一言不发，不知如何解释。
In another test, the son ranked 17th, while his pal remained 1st. Back home, he raised the same question.
又一场考试过后，男孩排第17名，而他的朋友还是第一名。回到家后，他又问了那个问题。
Mom really wanted to inform her son that intelligence differs, which means that students ranking 1st are supposed to be cleverer than normal ones. However, was this disillusioning answer the one that her son was constantly curious about? Thank goodness she did not open her mouth.
妈妈真的很想告诉儿子，每个人智力不同，所以第一名的学生就是比一般的学生聪明。然而，这个令人失望的回答是她的儿子一直苦寻的答案吗？谢天谢地，这话她没说出口。
How to answer her son’s question? There were times she felt an impulse to equivocate（含糊其辞），“You are too lazy. You are not as industrious（勤勉） as others ...”
那该怎样回答儿子的问题呢？有时，她有一种冲动，想搪塞了事：“你太懒了，你没有别人勤奋……”
but she stopped when envisioning（想象） her son suffering from the pains of unsatisfied grades and rankings. She thought it cruel to inflict（造成） any additional burden on his son and was trying to find out a perfect answer.
可一想到儿子因为成绩和排名不理想而遭受的痛苦，她就忍住了。她觉得再给儿子增加负担就太残忍了，所以她一直想找到一个完美的答案。
Time elapsing swiftly（时光飞逝）, the son finished primary school. Despite studying harder and better, he was still unable to keep up with his pal. To show her pride of him, Mom decided to take him to the sea. During the trip, she managed to give out an answer.
时光飞逝，儿子小学毕业了。尽管他学习越来越努力，成绩越来越好，但他还是跟不上他的朋友。为了让儿子知道妈妈以他为傲，她决定带他去看一次海。就是在这次旅行中，她终于回答了儿子的问题。
Now, the son no longer worries about his rankings, and there are no longer boring guys who would inquire his rankings in primary school, because, with the 1st ranking, he is accepted by the best university.
如今，儿子再也不用担心他的排名，也不再有无聊的人去问他小学时候的排名了，因为他以第一名的成绩被最好的大学录取了。
Back home in winter vacation, he was invited to address the students and parents in his high school. In the speech, he mentioned an valuable experience in his childhood.
寒假回家的时候，他给高中母校的学生和家长做演讲。在演讲中，他提到了童年时的一次宝贵经历
“When my mother and I was lying on the beach, she pointed to the front and said，‘Do you see the seabirds scrambling（争夺） for food over there? When the waves come near, little birds can rise quickly while‘ clumsy ’sea-gulls（海鸥） would take more time to complete the process.
他说：“我和妈妈躺在沙滩上，妈妈指着前方问我有没有看到那边争抢食物的海鸟。当海浪靠近时，小鸟可以快速起飞，而‘笨拙’的海鸥则需要更多的时间才能飞起来。
However, have you noticed birds that finally fly across the endless ocean are none other than‘clumsy’sea-gulls?’” The moving speech provoked many mothers present into tears, including his mother.
可是妈妈说，你看到了吗，那些最终飞越无边无际的大海的，正是‘笨拙’的海鸥！”这番感人的话让在场的许多母亲流下了眼泪，也包括他的母亲。
有智慧的父母要学会赏识、鼓励自己的孩子，静待花开。
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