1.Take a needle in your hand and look at it carefully.
What do you see？There is a sharp point at one end.This makes it easy to push the needle through the cloth when you are sewing.
2.The middle part or shank of the needle is round and smooth.At the thick end there is a hole or “eye”for the thread.
3.The eye end of the needle is rounded，but it is rather sharp.You must use a thimble to push the needle，or you will hurtyour finger.
4.Break a needle across，and you will see that it is white and shining all through.Needles are made of steel wire.They are put up for sale in neat little packets.
5.At first sight，a pin looks very much like a needle；but when we look at it closely，we see a difference.A pin has a point and a shank like a needle；but it has no eye，and it has a head.
6.The use of the head is to keep the pin from hurting our fingers when we push it into anything.It also keeps the pin from going quite through the cloth.
7.We use pins to hold two pieces of cloth together.A needle draws behind it a thread which binds the two pieces together，so that we do not need to leave the needle itself in the material.But we must leave the pin，for it is the pin itself that holds the parts together.
8.Pins are made of many sizes，and are either black or white in colour.They are prepared①for sale by being pushed throughpaper which has been crimped②in a machine.
9.White pins are often covered with tin，and black ones with black paint.Let us rub a pin on a stone，and soon we shall rub off the outside coating；then we shall find that the pin itself is made of yellow brass wire.
10.Pins are now made by machinery，and they have solid heads.Thirty years ago they were made by hand，and the head of each one was made of a bit of thin brass wire coiled③round the shank.
11.Brass pins have been in use in Great Britain for about four hundred years.Before that time，large pins made of bone，ivory④，or wood were used.
12.Both needles and pins are small things，and they are very cheap.But that is no reason why we should waste them.A careful child will pick up，and will place①Prepared，made ready.
②Crimped，laid into folds.
③Coiled，wound；twisted.
④Ivory，the material of the tusks of elephants and some other animals.
in a pin-cushion，any needles or pins that may be found lying about.It is wrong to waste these useful things.If they are left lying about，they may do harm by sticking into some person’s finger or foot.
SUMMARY
Needles are made from steel wire.One end of a needle has a sharp point，and the other end has as eye through which the thread is put.Needles are sold in little packets.Pins are mostly made from brass wire；some are made from steel wire.The pin has a sharp point at one end，and a head at the other.Pins are made of many sizes，and are either black or white in colour.They are made ready for sale by being pushed through paper which has been crimped in a machine.
【中文阅读】
1．小朋友，请你们把一枚缝衣针拿在手里，仔细观察观察。你看见了什么？一头是一个锋利的针尖，这个针尖，让针可以很容易地穿过你要缝的布。
2．针中间的部分，叫“针柄”，又圆又光滑。在针比较粗的那一头，有一个洞，叫“针眼”，是用来穿线的。
3.“针眼”那一端虽然是圆的，但其实也很尖。你得用“顶针”来把针往前推，不然手指头会被扎伤的。
4．把一枚针拦腰弄断，会看见整枚针都是白色的，闪闪发亮。针是用钢丝做的，放在小小的盒子里出售。①5．乍一看，大头针很像缝衣针，但仔细看看，就看出不同来了。大头针跟缝衣针一样，也有针尖、针柄，但没有“针眼”，只有一个“大头”。
6．大头的作用，是在我们把大头针按进别的东西的时候，不让手指头扎伤。大头也用来固定住大头针，不让它整个儿从布里滑出去。
7．我们用大头针来把两块布固定在一起。缝衣针的后面穿上线，用线把两块布固定在一起，所以我们不用把缝衣针留在要缝的东西里面，但是必须把大头针留下，因为两块东西就是让大头针来固定的。②8．大头针有很多尺寸，颜色大都是黑白两色。事先用机器在纸上压出褶皱，把大头针穿过纸，就可以销售了。③9．白色的大头针一般是镀锡的，黑色的大头针则涂上了黑漆。咱们试着把大头针在石头上蹭一蹭，很快，就能把外面一层给蹭下来，然后就能发现，大头针是用黄铜丝做的。④10．现在，大头针是用机器加工的，“大头”和针柄是一个整体。30年前，大头针还是手工制造的，“大头”是用一点儿细细的黄铜线，缠绕在针柄上做出来的。⑤11．黄铜大头针已经在英国用了大约400年。更早的时候，人们用的大型大头针，是用骨头、象牙、木材做的。
12．缝衣针和大头针都是很小的东西，很便宜，但我们没有理由浪费它们。细心的孩子只要看见，什么地方有散放的缝衣针或大头针，都会捡起来，放到插针包上。浪费这些有用的东西是不应该的。要是谁也不管，让它们到处乱放，可能就会扎伤别人的手指头和脚呢！
译注
①中国湖北曾经出土过战国时期的铁针，已经有2000多年的历史了。
②大头针有几个兄弟姐妹：“图钉”，英式英语是drawing pin，美式英语是thumbtack，是一种“大头很大”的大头针，一般认为是埃德温·莫尔（Edwin Moore）在1903年发明的；“钉子”，英语是nail，一般更粗，用在工业生产上。“别针”，英语是safety pin，有一个帽子盖住针尖，防止扎伤人，是美国人华特·亨特（Walter Hunt）在1826年发明的。插图里的toilet pin可能是一种用来固定很厚的纺织品的大头针；此外叫toilet pin的东西，还有一种特殊的螺栓，用来固定马桶水箱，但从插图的形状上看应该不是。
③在欧洲中世纪的时候，大头针的加工成本很高，妇女们有一种专门的花销“针线钱”（pin money），这个短语后来意思发生了变化，指的是个人买小东西花费的统称。
④目前的大头针一般也是钢制的，但为了防锈，要镀上镍一类的金属。
⑤现代文具店里的大头针，“大头”一般是塑料的，而且五颜六色。
THE YELLOW PRIMROSE