A Grain of Sand
Guidance for Reciting
Something small，trivial，or inconsequential in our life should never be ignored because they may be obstacles on one's way forward.
A participant in the long-distance race got a grain of sand into his shoes. He made no attempt to get the sand out and just continued to run in spite of the pain. Ultimately，he dropped out of the contest just a few yards from the finishing line.
It seems that the greatest obstacle on one's way forward may not be a high mountain or a deep valley but a grain of sand that is hardly visible. To avoid blame on a minor fault one may tell a lie. That adds a burden to a heavy heart and weighs it down. In the days to come he will have to fabricate one falsehood after another to cover the lie he told and the fault he committed. Thus he will never be able to free himself from lingering anxiety，worry and regret，to the ignorance that all his sufferings originate in only a grain of sand―the first lie he told.
Notes
1.weigh （down）压弯
2.fabricate [5fAbrikeit] vt. 捏造，伪造，编造（谎言等）
3.linger [5liNgE] vi. 逗留，留恋徘徊；继续存留，缓慢消失
4.originate [E5ridVineit] vi. 起源于，来自
一粒沙
诵读导言
不要忽略生活中的一些琐碎小事，因为它们有可能成为我们前进道路上的障碍。
有一位参加长跑比赛的选手，鞋子里进了一粒沙子。他没有心思把沙子抖出来，只是忍着疼痛继续跑。最终，在离终点不远的地方，他不得不放弃了比赛。
看来，有时阻挠我们前进的不是高山、深渊，而是极细小的一粒沙子。为了避免因一次轻微的过失遭指责，我们便编出谎言来掩盖。于是从编造第一个谎言开始，我们便背上了沉甸甸的心灵包袱。在以后的日子里，便常常为掩饰这种谎言而不得不再造出新的谎言，从此自己便不得不在紧张、担心、痛苦的岁月中熬过。那第一个谎言，就是一粒沙。
口语点津
谎言会使你背负沉重的包袱，所以我们千万不能轻易说谎，但是white lie倒是可以说上几次，因为white lie是“善意的谎言”的意思。例如，Even though he'd had a bad time on the date，John told a white lie and said he'd had fun. 即使那次约会并不愉快，约翰还是撒了善意的谎言说他玩得很开心。
