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.”

A friend’s grandfather came to America from England. He went into a cafeteria（自助餐厅）in Manhattan to get something to eat. He sat down at an empty table and waited for someone totake his order. Of course nobody did. At last, a woman with a plate full of food sat down in front of him and told him how a cafeteria worked. “Start out at the end,” she said, “Just go along the line and pick out whatever you want. At the other end they’ll tell you how much you have to pay.”

“I soon learned that’s how everything works in America,” the grandfather told a friend. “Life is like a cafeteria here. You can get anything you want only if you like to pay the money. You can even get success, but you’ll never get it if you wair for someone to bring it to you. You have to get up and get it yourself.

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.

I was poor when I was young. But when I was 16, I could beat anyone on the football field. My high school coach was Ollie Jarvis, who not only believed in me but also taught me how to believe in myself. One particular incident(发生的事情)with Coach Jarvis changed my life forever.

It was during the summer vacation, and there was a chance to get a summer job and earn some money that I wanted very much. Then I realized I would have to give up summer football camp to earn the money. When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as angry as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work,” he said, “Your playing days arelimited. You can’t afford to waste them.” I stood before him with my head hanging. “How much are you going to make from this job?” he asked. “$3.25 an hour.” I replied. “Well,” he asked, “Is $3.25 an hour the price of a dream?” That question made me think about the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I dedicated (献身)myself to football that summer, and within the year I was chosen by a professional (职业的) team.

I finally achieved my goal in life because I insisted on chasing(坚持追求) my dream. The point is that no matter who you are and no matter where you are, you should always have a dream. And this dream will show you your direction like a beacon to a ship at sea at night.

Many people ask me what my favorite invention is. I find it very hard to answer them，because there are so many things in my life that I can choose. However，I have chosen a pen. Don't you think it's surprising?

I know that to most people a pen is very boring，but，to me，it stands for possibility(可能).There are so many things you can do with a pen. You can write a novel or a song，record information，or draw a picture.

A pen is like the beginning of something amazing to me. Every day，I write a new page with my pen，and I am slowly making a path(路)for my future. Maybe I will be a scientist and change the world with my discoveries. Maybe I'll become a musician and touch people's hearts with my music. Or perhaps I will be a writer and move people through words，or a teacher to help children grow into the kind of people that they want to be.

There are so many possibilities as to what I will do with my life，but I know that with the pen in my hand，I will write a good future for myself. Tell me what future you will write for yourself.

"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.

Do you get angry when your friends sing loudly while you are trying to work, or when your best friend does not wait for you after school? If you do, you need to take control(控制) of your feelings and stop getting angry. Getting angry with people can cause you to lose friends.

   Cary Egeberg, an American high school teacher, has written My Feelings Are Just Like Wild Animals to help control(控制) feelings. It tells teenagers how to stay cool when bad things hap pen to them. The book says that getting angry only makes problems worse. It can never make them better. "Getting angry is not a natural way to act," the book says. It is just a bad habit(习惯) like smoking. The book says you can control you anger easily—all you have to do is to tell yourself not to be angry.

   When a baby falls over, it only cries if people are watching it. Like a baby, you should only get angry if you are sure it is right to do so.

   The book gives many tips to help you if you get angry easily. Here are the top three:

   1Keep a record. Every time you get angry, write down why you are angry. Look at it later and you will see you get angry too easily.

   2Ask your friends to stop talking to you when you get angry. This will make you not angry.

   3Do something different. When you get angry, walk away from the problem and go somewhere else. Try to laugh!

A famous teacher was speaking to the students at our school. He began his lesson by holding up a ¥100 bill. Then he said to the three hundred students, “Who would like this ¥100 bill?” The students began to put up their hands at once.

Then he said, “I am going to give this ¥100 to one of you, but first, let me do this.” He then made the bill into a ball. Then he said, “Who wants it now?” The hands went back into the air.

“Well,” he said, “What if I do this?” and he dropped it on the floor and stepped on it. He picked up the dirty, crumpled (弄皱的)bill and said, “Who still wants it?” Hands went back into the air.

“My friends,” he said,“you have learned a valuable lesson today. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not go down in value. It was still worth ¥ l00!”

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and stepped on by the chances we take and the things that happen to us. We feel as if we are worth nothing. But remember, no matter what has happened to you, you will never lose your value: you are always valuable to those people who love you. Your value doesn’t come from what you do or whom you know, but WHO YOU ARE.

You are special and valuable. Don’t ever forget it!

Life is like four seasons. Now I am very old, but when I was young, it was the spring of my life. I was born, I played a lot, and then I started school. I learnt many new things. Like a flower, I grew bigger every day. There were happy days and sorrowful days: some days the sun shone, and some days it didn’t.

In my twenties, I had a good job. I was strong and happy. Then I married and had a child. In those days, I didn’t have much time to think. Every day I was busy and worked very hard. And so, I started to get some white hair. The summer of my life passed quickly.

Then the days got shorter. Leaves fell from the trees. My child was a university student, and then an engineer. My home was much quieter. I started walking more slowly. One day I stopped walking. I had more time. I understood this was my autumn, a beautiful time when the trees change color and give us delicious fruits.

But the days kept getting shorter and colder. Winter has come. I am getting older and older. I know I do not have many days left, but I will enjoy them to the end and try to make my winter a warm one.

 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.”