Once there was a piano player in a bar. People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady asked him to sing a song.

"I don't sing,"said the man.

But the lady told the waiter, "I'm tired of listening to the piano. I want the player to sing!"

The waiter shouted across the room, "Hey, friend! If you want to get paid, sing a song!"

So he did. He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung so beautifully!

He had talent he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as an unknown piano player in an unknown bar. But once he found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.

You, too, have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all if you just sit on your talent.

It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning 30. I was afraid that my best years were now behind me. So I asked my neighbor Nicholas, a 79-year-old man:“What was the best time of your life?”

Without hesitation（犹豫）, Nicholas said,“Well, Joe, this is my philosophical（哲学的）answer to your philosophical question:

“When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me by my parents, that was the best time of my life.

“When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life.

“When I got my first job and had responsibilities（责任）and got paid for my efforts, that was

the best time of my life.

“When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.

“When World War II came, my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship to North America, that was the best time of my life.

“When we came to Canada and started a family, that was the best time of my life.

“When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.

“And now, Joe, I am 79 years old. I have my health, I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life.”

I didn’t think the passion（激情）was important for my life until that day.

One day I went out with my mum. I was bored. Then, as my mum stopped at a red light, someone on the side of the road caught my eye. It was a man wearing old clothes. He was homeless. That didn’t interest me, for I had seen many like him before.

But in some way he was different. This man was not sad to sit there. He had a radio in his hand and was dancing happily to the music. The radio seemed to be the most important thing.

“Mum, why does that man have a radio even thought he’s homeless?” I asked.

“He bought it,” she answered. I was still puzzled.

“But if he’s homeless, why doesn’t he use the money to buy food or clothes? He wasted it on something he doesn’t need.”

“Well, Sarah, sometimes food and clothes aren’t the most important things. We need happiness, too.”

That man must care enough about music to buy a radio instead of food or clothes. I soon realized that happiness is the key to life. Without it, there’s nothing to look forward to. A passion gives a person the happiness they need to keep going. We all need a passion.

"No man is an island" is a well-known line from John Donneˈs Devotion, written more than three hundred years ago. Even now people still agree with him. No one can live a completely isolated life. Without other people, life became empty and sad. We all need to have friends.

   For some of us, though making friends is not difficult, feeling sheepish（害羞的）, we may not want to make the first move. It is also difficult at times to keep the friends we already have.

There are many books about friendship, but Dale Carnegieˈs How to Win Friends and Influence People, written in 1936, is the most famous. This "how to" book about getting along with other people became a best seller. It was later put into 28 languages.

   Dale Carnegieˈs advice seems to be simple, but can his advice help you? Do you need to change the way you act? Here is the list of advice from his book:

   (1). Be friendly and polite.

Always greet with a smile. Begin with "excuse me" or "would you please" when you want to ask somebody. Remember to say "thank you" and try to be as helpful as you can.

   (2). Go out of your way to be nice.

Find some time to do special things for other people. Making some soup for a sick neighbour may seem like a little thing to you, but it will make your neighbour feel a lot better.

   (3). Remember names.

They say that the sweetest music to a personˈs ears is the sound of his or her own name.

   (4). Be open-minded.

Try to understand other peopleˈs ways and ideas and learn something from them.

   (5). Listen patiently.

When someone is talking to you, look at him or her, listen carefully and say something when necessary.

 Tom and Joseph are best friends. They spent their summer holiday inAfrica. When they were walking through the desert(沙漠), they started to argue(争吵) about something. Tom became very angry and slapped(掌击) Joseph in the face.

      Joseph felt hurt, but he didn’t say anything to Tom. Then Joseph wrote in the sand(沙地): “Today my best friend slapped me in the face.”

      They kept on walking until they found a small lake. They decided to have a bath. But when Joseph got in the water, he started to sink(下沉). Tom jumped in after him and pulled him out. His friend saved his life.

      After he became well again, Joseph wrote on a stone: “Today my best friend saved my life.”

      Tom couldn’t understand it. “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand. Now you write on a stone. Why?” he asked.

      “When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand, and the wind can take it away.” Joseph answered. “But when someone does something good for us, we must write it in stone so that no wind can ever take it away.”

Miss Green came into the classroom with a piece of paper. There is a big black dot (点) in the middle of the white paper. Miss Green put up this piece of paper and asked, “What can you see, children?” All the children looked at the black dot. “A black dot”. They answered quickly. “But can’t you see this piece of paper? The black dot is like the unlucky things in our life. If we only see the black dot, how can we be happy?” Miss Green said.

   The classroom was very quiet. Miss Green took out another piece of paper. It was a piece of black paper with white dot in the middle.

“What can you see now, children?” she asked the children, “A white dot.” The children answered loudly. Miss Green smiled. “My children, although we may be unhappy or worried in our life, it is just like the clouds in the sky. The clouds can leave quickly and the sun can come out soon. You can be apositive child with the sun in your eyes and feel happy all the time.

You are driving alone in your car on a wild, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1,An old lady who looks as if she is going to die.

2, An old friend who once saved your life.

3,The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be onepassengerin your car?

Think before you read on…

This is a question that was once actually used when you are looking for a job.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and you should save her first; Or you could take your old friend because he once saved your life and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect partner again.

The person who was chosen (out of 200 people) had no trouble coming up with his answer. He simply answered, “I would give the car keys to my old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams.”

Sometimes, we get more if we are able to give up our thought limitation(限制). Never forget to “Think Outside of the Box.”

You are driving alone in your car on a wild, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus:

(1). An old lady who looks as if she is going to die.

(2). An old friend who once saved your life.

(3). The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be onepassengerin your car?

Think before you read on…

This is a question that was once actually used when you are looking for a job.

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and you should save her first; Or you could take your old friend because he once saved your life and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect partner again.

The person who was chosen (out of 200 people) had no trouble coming up with his answer. He simply answered, “I would give the car keys to my old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams.”

Sometimes, we get more if we are able to give up our thought limitation(限制). Never forget to “Think Outside of the Box.”

      Dad never tried to hug or kiss me when I was a child. And of course, he never said

  “ I love you” to me,either. But whenever I felt sad or lonely, dad was always there.

      When I was in high school, dad retired and set up a food stand on the street near my

  school. Every day when I finished school, my classmates and I would pass his food stand.

  But I really hated talking to dad in front of his food stand.

      One night, I couldn’t stand it any more and shouted, “ Dad, could you stop selling your

  stupid noodles? I don’t need a father who sells noodles on the street!” At that moment, dad

  was shocked. He tried to say something but didn’t. His eyes were filled with tears and sadness.

  It was the first time that I had seen dad crying. My mom later told me dad sold noodles to save

  money for my college education. I was so foolish and even today I still guilty for that night.

      Time really flies. I finished college and then left my home. For the past ten years,whenever

  I’ve visited home,dad was always there meeting me and seeing me off quietly at the railway

  Station. Whenever he saw me off, he never tried to hug me. When I was away from home, dad

  never wrote or called me, but he always pushed my mom to call me. That’s the way dad is, and

  how dad shows his love to me.

 A young man wastaking a walk with a professor. As they went along, they saw a pair of old shoes lying in the path. They thought it belonged to a poor man who worked in a field nearby.

      The studentturned to the professor, saying, “Let us play the man a trick: we will take away his shoes, andconcealourselves behind those trees, and wait to see what will happen when he cannot find them. That must be very interesting.”

      “My young friend,” answered the professor, “we should never play jokes on others because of their being poor. Put a coin into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how the discovery changes him.”

      The studentdid so, and they both hid themselves behind the bushes close by. The poor man soon finished his work, and came back. While putting on his coat, he put his foot into one of his shoes. Feeling something hard, he bent down to see what it was and found the coin. He then looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He put the money into his pocket. When he put on the other shoe, his surprise doubled on finding the other coin. He fell upon his knees, looked up to the sky and said aloud some thanksgiving words to the person who gave him the coins.

      The studentstoodthere deeply moved, and his eyes were filled with tears. “You have taught me a lesson which I will never forget. I feel now the truth of these words, which I never understand before: “A small act of kindness brings great joy.” he said.