I went out to breakfast this morning to meet a friend. It was lovely. But what wasnˈt so lovely was the lady who took our_(1)__.She spoke in a way that was frustrated, unhappy, _(2)__not friendly, and sort of rude.

When it came to my___(3)___to approach her and order, I thought to myself, “What can I do here to make her day, to__(4)___her, and to make her smile？”

I had nothing. Surely there must be something I can__(5)__praise her. Then there it was and I knew immediately. It was her__(6)__.She had the most extremely well spoken and clear voice. It was so good. Professionally good. I had it. That was it. That was what I would__(7)___her up.

So after she took my order and gave me the same unfriendly___(8)_, I told her, “I must say you have the most___(9)__voice. Itˈs so clear, well spoken and sounds so___(10)__.”I told her how she honestly had one of those voices that would be perfect for announcements or__(11)___radio broadcasts.

I saw her whole face__(12)__, she smiled(the first time I had seen her do so)and as I__(13)__and walked away, I noticed her whole attitude change.The__(14)__behind me received a totally___(15)__kind of service. A happier one. And all was ___(16)___ what I did. Something so simple!

There was a time when this sort of thing would have__(17)__me. Or Iˈd have been shy and___(18)_to say such a thing. Not now. Now I must！Why？Because I have the power. The power to___(19)_change someoneˈs day by something as simple as a few kind__(20)__and being kind. And you have this power too. We all do.

Life in the Slow Lane

I always seemed to be rushing through my life. I’d  (1)   my seat belt and slam(猛踩)the accelerator to get where I wanted to go. Or, at the mall, I’d  (2)  the stores like a runner in the hundred-meter dash. There just weren’t enough hours in the day and I was afraid I might  (3)  something if I didn’t hurry up.

And then one day, as fate would have it, I ran out of  (4)  . As my car coasted off the road, I looked at my watch and hit the steering wheel  (5)  . I had a meeting in fifteen minutes and I hadn’t even finished  (6)  for it.

But as I got out of my car, a(n)  (7)  thing happened. I looked out towards the east, and the  (8)  was just beginning to shine over the horizon. There was a low misty  (9)  hanging over the river, and some ducks were cutting thick, smooth trails(痕迹)across the otherwise glass-like surface of the water. A few sailboats  (10)  at anchor, their mirror images extending out before them.

I was shocked. This  (11)  scene had been going on right outside my car every morning and I had never  (12)  time appreciating it. I had been rushing around in such a  (13)  that I had been missing everything!

I was quietly,   (14)  ， patiently watching as the sun painted a brand new day when a co-worker finally  (15)  my car and stopped for me. I had somehow been transformed. Life went from a fast break dance into a slow waltz. I began taking long, slow walks  (16)  my yard and neighborhood, noticing for the first time all the neighbors, mysteries and wonders  (17)  were right there for me to see all the time. Not only were there sights that I had been missing, but I began to hear entire  (18)  all around me：birds singing, wind blowing and leaves rustling.

  (19)  one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass，it becomes a mysterious, beautiful and indescribably magnificent  (20)  in itself.

There were two childhood friends who went through school and college and even joined the army together. War broke out and they were fighting in the same unit. One night, they were ambushed (伏击).

There was firing throughout the night. Bullets (子弹) were flying all over and out of the darkness came a voice, “Harry, please come and help me.”

Harry immediately recognized the voice of his friend, Bill. He asked the captain if he could go. The captain said, “No. I am already short-handed and I cannot afford to lose one more person.”

Again and again, the voice came. Harry could not contain himself any longer and told the captain, “Captain, this is my childhood friend and I have to go and help.” Harry crawled (爬行) through the darkness and found that Bill was dead.

Now the captain got angry and shouted at Harry, “Didn’t I tell you he was not going to survive? You could have been killed!”

Harry replied, “Captain, I did the right thing. When I reached Bill, he was still alive and his last words were, ‘Harry, I knew you would come.’”

Harry did not regret risking his life to see his friend for the last time.

The alarm clock was ringing! I got out of bed, walked over to my desk and   (1)   it off. It was 6：30 in the morning, and I was very tired. It was very   (2)   outside, and I couldnˈt see anything! I walked over to the ​  (3)  ，took a shower and then I came out, grabbed my towel and dried myself. Then I put all my   (4)   in my backpack so I wouldnˈt forget them when I went to school.

I went into the kitchen and ate the food my mother had cooked for me. But when I had finished, my   (5)   still wasnˈt downstairs to drop me off at the school bus, so where was she? I went to my parentsˈ bedroom and saw my mother   (6)  ！She must have gone back to bed! I woke her up and said,“Iˈm going to be late for   (7)  ！”She looked at me and said,“Go and look   (8)  ．”

I felt   (9)   so I immediately went to the window and opened the   (10)  . It was lighter now and I could see outside. But I didnˈt see the green grass or the black road. Instead, I saw white   (11)  . I couldnˈt believe it when I   (12)   that my mother had tricked me! She wasnˈt   (13)   sleeping just now; she was just pretending(假装)．

It was a snowy day,   (14)  there was no school! I ran up to my mother and   (15)   her because I was so happy. She   (16)   me a jacket, boots, and a pair of gloves and told me to play in the snow for a little while. It was really   (17)   but really cold, and I came inside after an hour.

My dad was sitting at the table with two cups of hot   (18) ，and one was for me! I drank my hot chocolate (19)   so that it would last longer, and I felt warm again. It was a wonderful day!  (20)   the weather when you think there could be some snow, because you never know what could happen!

A Toronto man is offering a free round-the-world air to the right woman. But __(1)_ apply. You must be named Elizabeth Gallahgher and have a Candian ___(2)___ .

Jordan Axani, 28, said he and his then girlfriend, Elizabeth Gallagher, booked heavily discounted round-the-world air tickets in May, but their   (1)   ended and he did not want her ticket to   (2)  . The ticket had a strict no-transfer（不可转让）  (3)  , but since passport information was not required when   (4)   , any Canadian Elizabeth Gallagher can

  (5)   it.

“I just want to see the ticket go to good use and for someone to   (6)   a lot of joy,” said Axani. He posted his   (7)   on a social networking website, and received thousands of e-mails, including thirty from actual Elizabeth Gallagbers with the   (8)   passports, “More   (9)   , there are hundreds of Canadians who are interested in   (10)   their name to Elizabeth Gallagher,” Axani said. “It was absolutely out of   (11)   , thousands of e-mails, people around the world   (12)   their stories of travel.”

Axani wrote in his post that he is not   (13)   anything in return and that the woman who uses the    (14)  ticket can choose to either travel with him or   (15)   the ticket and travel on her own.

The   (16)   is scheduled to start on December 21 in New York City and continue on to Milan, Prague, Paris, Bangkok and New Delhi before   (17)   in Toronto on January 8. He said the   (18)   woman will be announced on the website and the trip will be shared online.

  When I was young, I had a friend named Mark who loved to make friends. He always   (1)   how many friends he had at school. One day his grandfather said to him, “Mark, I bet you a big bag of popcorn that you don’t have as many friends as you   (2)  . I’m definitely sure many of them are   (3)   but companions.” Mark accepted the   (4)   without hesitation. However, he wasn’t sure how to test   (5)   his schoolmates were real friends or not, so he asked his grandpa. The old man   (6)  , “Wait a minute.” Then the old man left, returning soon as though   (7)   something in his hands. Mark could see nothing there   (8)  .

“Take it. It’s a most special chair, which is rather hard to sit on,   (9)   it is invisible to the eyes, but if you take it to school and   (10)   to be seated on it, you will make its magic happen and you’ll be able to   (11)   who your real friends are.”

Mark, brave and   (12)  , took the chair and set off for school. At break time he asked   everyone to   (13)   a circle, and he put himself in the middle, with his chair. Having difficulty seeing it, Mark tried to sit on it and fell straight onto his   (14)  . Everyone surrounding him had pretty good laugh.

“Wait! Let me try again,” Mark said. But again, he   (15)   the seat, causing more surprised looks and a few catcalls. Mark didn’t give up and kept trying to sit on the   (16)   chair. Yet he kept falling on the ground… until, all at once, he tried again but didn’t fall. Looking around, Mark saw three of his best friends holding him up. Meanwhile, many others he had viewed   (17)   friends had done nothing but made fun of him.

And there, the show came to an end. Mark   (18)   that true friends were those who   (19)   him, and not just the companions that happened to be passing by. And someone who took   (20)   in his misfortunes was even less of a friend.

We convey (传达) information through the position and movement of the body. We often use gestures or body movements to stress what we are saying. For example, when I lecture , I often use my hands to emphasize (强调) points or point to something on the blackboard. Some people use them more than others. The victory sign, the OK sign, the goodbye wave and the blowing of a kiss are all popular gestures in America. It is important to recognize, however, that most gestures are not universally recognized. For example, although the OK gesture means acceptance in America, it has other meanings in other cultures. In France it means worthlessness. And in Greece, it is considered obscene .

   There are some sex differences in nonverbal behavior. In American culture, men tend to sit or stand with legs apart and hands outward, while women tend to keep legs together and hands at their sides. Women are also better than men at understanding nonverbal gestures.

   A nonverbal behaviour is to have the tongue just slightly protruding (突出) from the mouth. A study showed that people were less willing to approach others who had their tongues showing. Perhaps this is why people often tend to avoid individuals with bad nonverbal behaviours. When we make decisions about other people, we learn to recognize nonverbal cues (提示) and interpret (理解) them along with verbal information. 

   Students these days often have a lot of worries. Sometimes they have problems with their schoolwork, and sometimes with their friends. ________ .

   Some people think the worst thing is to do nothing. Laura Mills, a teenager from Washington, agrees. "Problems and worries are normal in life, " says Laura. "But I think talking to someone helps a lot. If we don't talk to someone, we'll certainly feel worse. "

   Laura once lost her purse, and was worried for days. She was afraid to tell her parents about it. She even walked three miles to school each day because she didn't have any money. She just kept thinking. "If I tell my parents, they'll be angry! " But in the end, she talked to her parents and they were really understanding. Her dad said he sometimes made careless mistakes himself. They got her a new purse and asked her to be more careful. "I will always remember to share my problems in the future! " Laura says.

   Robert Hunt advises students about common problems. He feels the same way as Laura. "It is best not to avoid our problems. We should always try to solve them. " He thinks that you can first find someone to talk to. This person doesn't need to be an expert like himself. Students often forget that their parents have more experience than them, and are always there to help them.

   In English, we say that sharing a problem is like curing it in half. So you're halfway to solving a problem if you talk to someone about it!

Benjamin West, the father of American painting, showed his talent for art when he was only six years of age. But he did not know about brushes before a visitor told him he needed one. In those days , a brush was made from camel’s hair. There were no camels nearby. Benjamin decided that cat hair would work instead. He cut some fur from the family cat to make a brush.

The brush did not last long. Soon Benjamin needed more fur. Before long, the cat began to look ragged（蓬乱）. His father said that the cat must be sick. Benjamin was forced to admit what he had been doing.

The cat’s lot was about to improve. That year, one of Benjamin’s cousins, Mr. Pennington, came to visit. He was impressed with Benjamin’s drawings. When he went home, he sent Benjamin a box of paint and some brushes. He also sent six engravings（版画）by an artist. These were the first pictures and first real paint and brushes Benjamin had ever seen. In 1747，when Benjamin was nine years old，Mr. Pennington returned for another visit .He was amazed at what Benjamin had done with his gift. He asked Benjamin’s parents if he might take the boy to Philadelphia for a visit.

 In the city, Mr. Pennington gave Benjamin materials for creating oil paintings. The boy began a landscape (风景) painting. Wiliams,a well-known painter, came to see him work .Wiliams was impressed with Benjamin and gave him two classic books on painting to take home .The books were long and dull. Benjamin could read only a little，having been a poor student. But he later said,“Those two books were my companions by day, and under my pillow at night.”While it is likely that he understood very little of the books, they were his introduction to classical paintings.The nine-year-old boy decided then that he would be an artist.