Every man wants his son to be somewhat of a clone, not in features but in footsteps. As he grows you also age, and your ambitions become more unachievable. You begin to realize that your boy, in your footsteps, could probably accomplish what you hoped for. But footsteps can be muddied and they can go off in different directions.
每个男人都希望他的儿子在某种程度上是他自己的克隆，不是在外貌上，而是在足迹上。随着他的成长，你也在变老，你的抱负变得越来越难以实现。你开始意识到，你的儿子，跟随你的脚步，可能真的能实现你所希望的。但足迹可能会变得模糊，它们可能会走向不同的方向。

My son Jody has hated school since day one in kindergarten. Science projects waited until the last moment. Book reports weren’t written until the final threat.
我的儿子乔迪从幼儿园的第一天起就讨厌学校。科学项目总是拖到最后一刻。书报告直到最后威胁才写。

I’ve been a newspaperman all my adult life. My daughter is a university graduate working toward her master’s degree in English. But Jody? When he entered the tenth grade he became a “vo-tech” student(技校学生). They’re called “motorheads” by the rest of the student body.
我成年后一直是一名新闻工作者。我的女儿是一所大学的毕业生，正在攻读英语硕士学位。但乔迪呢？当他进入十年级时，他成为了一名“技校”学生。他们被其他学生称为“汽车迷”。

When a secretary in my office first called him “motorhead”, I was shocked. “Hey, he’s a good kid,” I wanted to say. “And smart, really.”
当办公室的一位秘书第一次称他为“汽车迷”时，我很震惊。我想说：“嘿，他是个好孩子。”“而且真的很聪明。”

I learned later that motorheads are, indeed, different. They usually have dirty hands and wear dirty work clothes. And they don’t often make school honor rolls(光荣榜).
我后来了解到，汽车迷确实与众不同。他们通常手脏，穿着脏工作服。而且他们很少登上学校的光荣榜。

But being the parent of a motorhead is itself an experience in education. We who labor in clean shirts in offices don’t have the abilities that motorheads have. I began to learn this when I had my car crashed. The cost to repair it was estimated at $800. “Hey, I can fix it,” said Jody. I doubted it , but let him go ahead, for I had nothing to lose.
但作为汽车迷的父母本身就是一种教育经历。我们这些在办公室穿着干净衬衫工作的人没有汽车迷所拥有的能力。我开始意识到这一点是在我车祸后。修理费用估计为800美元。“嘿，我能修好它，”乔迪说。我怀疑，但还是让他试试，因为我没有什么可失去的。

My son ,with other motorheads, fixed the car. They got parts(零件）from a junkyard, non-toasting toaster have been fixed. Neighbours and co-workers trust their car repair to him.
我的儿子和其他汽车迷一起修好了车。他们从废品场弄到了零件，一个不能烤面包的烤面包机也被修好了。邻居和同事都信任他的汽车修理。

Since that first repair job, a broken air-conditioner, a non-functioning washer and a non-toasting toaster have been fixed. Neighbors and co-workers trust their car repairs to him.
自从第一次修理工作以来，一个坏掉的空调、一个不能工作的洗衣机和一个不能烤面包的烤面包机都被修好了。邻居和同事都信任他的汽车修理。

These kids are happiest when doing repairs. They joke and laugh and are living in their own relaxed world. And their minds are bright despite their dirty hands and clothes.
这些孩子在修理时最开心。他们开玩笑、笑，生活在自己轻松的世界里。尽管他们的手和衣服脏，但他们的头脑很聪明。

I have learned a lot from my motorhead: publishers need printers, engineers need mechanics, and architects need builders. Most important, I have learned that fathers don’t need clones in footsteps or anywhere else.
我从我的汽车迷那里学到了很多东西：出版商需要印刷工，工程师需要机械师，建筑师需要建筑工人。最重要的是，我学到了父亲不需要在任何地方有克隆的足迹。
My son may never make the school honor roll. But he made mine.
我的儿子可能永远不会登上学校的光荣榜。但他登上了我的。

1. What used to be the author’s hope for his son?
   A. To avoid becoming his clone.
   B. To resemble him in appearance.
   C. To develop in a different direction.
   D. To reach the author’s unachieved goals.
   答案：D

2. What can we learn about the author’s children?
   A. His daughter does better in school.
   B. His daughter has got a master’s degree.
   C. His son tried hard to finish homework.
   D. His son couldn’t write his book reports.
   答案：A

3. The author let his son repair the car because he believed that_.
   A. His son had the ability to fix it.
   B. it would save him much time.
   C. it wouldn’t cause him any more loss
   D. other motorheads would come to help.
   答案：C

4. In the author’s eyes, motorheads are _.
   A. tidy and hardworking
   B. cheerful and smart
   C. lazy but bright
   D. relaxed but rude
   答案：B

5. What did the author realize in the end?
   A. It is unwise to expect your child to follow your path.
   B. It is important for one to make the honor roll.
   C. Architects play a more important role than builders.
   D. Motorheads have greater ability than office workers.
   答案：A