在人工智能时代，做一个有趣的人
这一章里，作者利用弗恩和父母之间提问与回答的方式推动和展开故事。最让人拍案叫绝的是对每一个问题的回答都能巧妙的引出下面的问题，可谓环环相扣，无懈可击。我把问题和回答摘录如下，我们可以先领略一番作者的精心设计和巧妙构思，相信你一定会感受到那一气呵成的畅快。
Fern: Did you know that Uncle Homer's goslings had hatched?
Father: How many?
Fern: Seven, There were eight eggs but one egg didn't hatch and the goose told Templeton she didn't want it any more, so he took it away.
Mother: The goose did what?
Fern: Told Templeton she didn't want the egg any more,
Mother: Who is Templeton?
Fern: He's the rat, None of us like him much.
Father: Who's 'us'?
Fern: Oh, everybody in the barn cellar. Wilbur and the sheep and the lambs and the goose and the gander and the goslings and Charlotte and me.
Mother: Charlotte? Who's Charlotte?
Fern: "She's Wilbur's best friend. She's terribly clever.
Mother: What does she look like?
Fern: Well-l, she has eight legs. All spiders do, I guess.
Mother: Charlotte is a spider?
Fern: A big grew one. She has a web across the top of Wilbur's doorway. She catched flies and sucks their blood. Wilbur adores her.
Mother: Does he really?
Fern: Oh, yes. Wilbur adores Charlotte, Do you know what Charlotte said when the goslings hatched?
Father: I haven't the faintest idea, Tell us.
Fern: Well, when the first gosling stuck its little head out from under the goose, I was sitting on my stool in the corner and Charlotte was on her web. She made a speech. She said: 'I am sure that every one of us here in the barn cellar will be gratified to learn that after four weeks of unremitting effort and patience on the part of the goose, she now has something to show for it.' Don't you think that was a pleasant thing to for her to say?
语言精华：
1.“我不知道。”除了可以说“I don't know.”之外，还可以怎么说？
2.“她聪明极了。”除了可以说“She is very clever.”之外，还可以怎么说？
仔细阅读原文，你会找到答案。
语法点滴：
一般过去时和过去完成时的比较
Did you know that Uncle Homer's goslings had hatched?
这是弗恩问父亲的一句话，里面既有一般过去时（Did you know..），也有过去完成时（...had hatched）,那么该如何理解这两种时态呢？
一般过去时表示的是说话者说话时间之前发生的动作，这里弗恩是想知道在她询问父亲时，他是否已经知道小鹅出生的事，所以用了一般过去时，而只有小鹅出生后，父亲才可能知道，所以小鹅出生应该发生在父亲知道小鹅出生之前，所以小鹅出生就用了过去完成时。
也就是说，对于都是发生在过去的动作，为了能表达动作彼此的前后顺序，就需要同时使用一般过去时和过去完成时。
查词乐趣：
slingshot: 这是一种玩具，用树枝或铁丝做成“丫”形，然后在顶部两端绑上橡皮绳，可以把小石头弹射出去。你也许猜到了，这个词的意思的“弹弓”。那么用英语该如何解释呢？
现在我们看看字典是怎么用英语解释这个词的：
朗文字典：
slingshot: a small Y-shaped stick with a thin band of rubber across the top used to throw stones
柯林斯字典：
slingshot: A slingshot is a device for shooting small stones. It is made of a Y-shaped stick with a piece of elastic tied between the two top posts.
于是，我们就可以知道，“a thin band of rubber” 和 “a piece of elastic” 都是“弹性绳”的意思。
“between the two top posts” 和 “ across the top”，你觉得哪一种说法更好呢？
通过查字典不但了解了如何用英语解释“弹弓”这个词，而且还发现同一个词可以用不同的方式去解释，这本身就是一种乐趣。
也许单从读书速度，或者读书数量方面，我们远远不是人工智能的对手，所以从今往后别那么焦虑于读书速度和读书量了。我们可以在读书过程中沿着自己的好奇心去探险，从而获得自己的趣味和收获，我想这也是一种选择。
附第八章原文：
Chapter 8 A Talk at Home
On Sunday morning Mr and Mrs. Arable and Fern were sitting at breakfast in the kitchen. Avery had finished and was upstairs looking for his slingshot.
"Did you know that Uncle Homer's goslings had hatched?" asked Fern.
"How many?" asked Mr. Arable.
"Seven," replied Fern. "There were eight eggs but one egg didn't hatch and the goose told Templeton she didn't want it any more, so he took it away."
"The goose did what?" asked Mrs. Arable, gazing at her daughter with a queer, worried look.
"Told Templeton she didn't want the egg any more," repeated Fern.
"Who is Templeton?" asked Mrs. Arable.
"He's the rat," replied Fern. "None of us like him much."
"Who's 'us'?" asked Mr. Arable.
"Oh, everybody in the barn cellar. Wilbur and the sheep and the lambs and the goose and the gander and the goslings and Charlotte and me."
"Charlotte?" said Mrs. Arable. "Who's Charlotte?"
"She's Wilbur's best friend. She's terribly clever."
"What does she look like?" asked Mrs. Arable.
"Well-l," said Fern, thoughtfully, "she has eight legs. All spiders do, I guess."
"Charlotte is a spider?" asked Fern's mother.
Fern nodded. "A big grew one. She has a web across the top of Wilbur's doorway. She catched flies and sucks their blood. Wilbur adores her."
"Does she really?" said Mrs. Arable, rather vaguely. She was staring Fern with a worried expression on her face.
"Oh, yes. Wilbur adores Charlotte," said Fern. "Do you know what Charlotte said when the goslings hatched?"
"I haven't the faintest idea," said Mr. Arable. "Tell us."
"Well, when the first gosling stuck its little head out from under the goose, I was sitting on my stool in the corner and Charlotte was on her web. She made a speech. She said: 'I am sure that every one of us here in the barn cellar will be gratified to learn that after four weeks of unremitting effort and patience on the part of the goose, she now has something to show for it.' Don't you think that was a pleasant thing to for her to say?"
"Yes, I do," said Mrs. Arable. "And now, Fern, it's time to get ready for Sunday School. And tell me more about what goes on in Uncle Homer's barn. Aren't you spending quite a lot of time there? You go there almost every afternoon, don't you?"
"I like it there," replied Fern. She wiped her mouth and ran upstairs. After she had left the room, Mrs. Arable spoke in a low voice to her husband.
"I worry about Fern," she said. "Did you hear the way she rambled on about the animals, pretending that they talked?"
Mr. Arable chuckled. "Maybe they do talk," he said. "I've sometimes wondered. At any rate, don't worry about Fern---she's just got a lively imagination. Kids think they hear all sorts of things."
"Just the same, I do worry about her," replied Mrs. Arable. "I think I shall ask Dr. Dorian about her the next time I see him. He loves Fern almost as much as we do, and I want him to know how queerly she is acting about that pig and everything. I don't think it's normal. You know perfectly well animals don't talk."
Mr.Arable grinned. "Maybe our ears aren't as sharp as Fern's." he said.
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