2. Questions for Discussion
(1) How do you understand "I could live with it"?
---He could face the decisions he made, right or not, with peace of mind.
(2) Why did he have a nice feeling?
---He had gained enough knowledge and experience and he had self-confidence.
(四) Lines 25--32
1. Language Points
I'd sweated through my share of stab wounds of belly, of punctured lungs, or compound fractures. = I'd been nervous and filled with anxiety while painstakingly treating the serious injuries that come to every young doctors, such serous injuries as stab wounds in the belly, punctured lungs and compound fracture.
(1) sweat : work long and hard
E.g. The team sweated through the game and managed to keep their trophy.
(2) share : a part
E.g. That is your fair share.
2. Questions for Discussion
(1) Why did he mention these three cases?
--- They were all serious injuries and complicated cases in which it was impossible to anticipate all the problems in advance.
(2) When and why didn't he "sweat" through the operations any more?
---When his five-year residency was drawing to a close. He was no longer nervous because he had gained the knowledge, the skill, the experience and confidence.
(五) Lines 33--41
1. Language Points
when I was out in practice = when I completed my residency period and began to work on my own as a surgeon.
…chances were that no other surgeon could have, either… = …it was most likely that other surgeon could have avoided the same mistakes.
(1) chances are / were that : it is / was likely that
E.g. Chances are that he has already heard the news.
2 Questions for Discussion
(1) What kind of mistakes could a surgeon make?
---He could make a wrong judgement, operate on a wrong person or wrong parts, etc.
(2) What was his attitude toward hid mistakes before the residency?
---He couldn't tolerate or forgive them; he couldn't bear to think he was solely responsible for them.
(3) Are you afraid of making mistakes?
---Mistakes are part of human's life, no one could avoid them. And failure is the mother of success. We could learn lessons from our mistakes.
