Once upon a time a teacher and his student lay down under the big tree near the big grass area. Then suddenly the student asked the teacher.
"Teacher, I'm confused, how do we find our soul mate? Can you please help me?"
Silent for a few seconds, the teacher then answered, "Well, it's a pretty hard and an easy question."
The teacher continued, "Look that way, there is a lot of grass, why don't you walk there? Please don't walk backwards, just walk straight ahead. On your way, try to find a blade of beautiful grass and pick it up and then give it to me. But just one."
The student said, "Well, OK then... wait for me..." and walked straight ahead to the grassy field.
A few minutes later the student came back.
The teacher asked, "Well, I don't see a beautiful blade of grass in your hand."
The student said, "On my journey, I found quite a few beautiful blade of grass, but I thought that I would find a better one, so I didn't pick it. But I didn't realize that I was at the end of the field, and I hadn't picked any because you told me not to go back, so I didn't go back."
The teacher said, "That's what will happen in real life."
What is the message of this story?
In the story, grass is the people around you, the beautiful blade of grass is the people that attract you and the grassy field is time.
In looking for your soul mate, please don't always compare and hope that there will be a better one. By doing that, you'll waste your lifetime, cause remember "Time Never Goes Back".
这则小故事想要告诉我们什么道理呢？
故事里面的草地就是你周围的人，美丽的草就是吸引你的人，而草地就是你一生拥有的时间.在寻找人生伴侣的时候，请不要总是比较，希望将来会有更好的选择。如果这样做的话，你就会浪费一生的时间，因为请记住：时间一去不复返。
注释：
1. soul n. 灵魂，心灵
2. mate n. 伴侣
Great Expectations 最高期望值
不想当将军的士兵不是好士兵。一个人如果只想把事情做到最低的标准，那么他也许永远不会把一件事情做好；相反，如果事事都指望达到最好的标准，即使不是所有的事都能达到预期的效果，也会得到一个较好的结果。两者的区别在于一个是消极被动的接受，另一个是积极主动的努力。皮特o罗斯就是这样一个积极的人。
Pete Rose, the famous baseball player, whom I have never met, taught me something so valuable that changed my life. Pete was being interviewed in spring training the year he was about to break Ty Cobb's all time hits record. One reporter blurted out, "Pete, you only need 78 hits to break the record. How many at-bats do you think you'll need to get the 78 hits?" Without hesitation, Pete just stared at the reporter and very matter-of-factly said, "78." The reporter yelled back, "Ah, come on Pete, you don't expect to get 78 hits in 78 at-bats, do you?"
Mr. Rose calmly shared his philosophy with the throngs of reporters who were anxiously awaiting his reply to this seemingly boastful claim. "Every time I step up to the plate, I expect to get a hit! If I don't expect to get a hit, I have no right to step in the batter's box in the first place!" "If I go up hoping to get a hit," he continued, "then I probably don't have a prayer of getting a hit. It is positive expectation that has gotten me all of the hits in the first place."
When I thought about Pete Rose's philosophy and how it applied to everyday life, I felt a little embarrassed. As a business person, I was hoping to make my sales quotas. As a father, I was hoping to be a good dad. As a married man, I was hoping to be a good husband. The truth was that I was an adequate salesperson, I was not so bad of a father, and I was an okay husband. I immediately decided that being okay was not enough! I wanted to be a great salesperson, a great father and a great husband. I changed my attitude to one of positive expectation, and the results were amazing. I was fortunate enough to win a few sales trips, I won Coach of the Year in my son's baseball league, and I share a loving relationship with my wife, Karen, with whom I expect to be married to for the rest of my life! Thanks, Mr. Rose!
13. salesperson n.售货员
Winners and Winners 谁是真正的胜者
在人生路途之上，我们的诚实在不时地接受着考验。公理自在人心。当诚实遭遇利益冲突，而又和亲情联系时，一个人还能保持诚实吗？在本文中，儿子在父亲指导的球队参加比赛时作计时员，他能否公平公正地完成自己任务呢？
As a high school coach, I did all I could to help my boys win their games. I rooted as hard for victory as they did.
A dramatic incident, however, following a game in which I officiated as a referee, changed my perspective on victories and defeats. I was refereeing a league championship basketball game in New Rochelle, New York, between New Rochelle and Yonkers High.
New Rochelle was coached by Dan O'Brien, Yonkers by Les Beck. The gym was crowded to capacity, and the volume of noise made it impossible to hear. The game was well played and closely contested. Yonkers was leading by one point as I glanced at the clock and discovered there were but 30 seconds left to play.
Yonkers, in possession of the ball, passed off — shot — missed. New Rochelle recovered — pushed the ball up court — shot. The ball rolled tantalizingly around the rim and off. The fans shrieked.
New Rochelle, the home team, recovered the ball, and tapped it in for what looked like victory. The tumult was deafening. I glanced at the clock and saw that the game was over. I hadn't heard the final buzzer because of the noise. I checked with the other official, but he could not help me.
Still seeking help in this bedlam, I approached the timekeeper, a young man of 17 or so. He said, "Mr. Covino, the buzzer went off as the ball rolled off the rim, before the final tap-in was made."
I was in the unenviable position of having to tell Coach O'Brien the sad news. "Dan," I said, "time ran out before the final basket was tapped in. Yonkers won the game."
His face clouded over. The young timekeeper came up. He said, "I'm sorry, Dad. The time ran out before the final basket."
Suddenly, like the sun coming out from behind a cloud, Coach O'Brien's face lit up. He said, "That's okay, Joe. You did what you had to do. I'm proud of you."
Turning to me, he said, "Al, I want you to meet my son, Joe."
The two of them then walked off the court together, the coach's arm around his son's shoulder.
One of my patients, a successful businessman, tells me that before his cancer he would become depressed unless things went a certain way. Happiness was \"having the cookie.\" If you had the cookie, things were good. If you didn\'t have the cookie, life wasn\'t worth a damn. Unfortunately, the cookie kept changing. Some of the time it was money, sometimes power, sometimes sex. At other times, it was the new car, the biggest contract, the most prestigious address. A year and a half after his diagnosis of prostate cancer he sits shaking his head ruefully. \"It\'s like I stopped learning how to live after I was a kid. When I give my son a cookie, he is happy. If I take the cookie away or it breaks, he is unhappy. But he is two and a half and I am forty-three. It\'s taken me this long to understand that the cookie will never make me happy for long. The minute you have the cookie it starts to crumble or you start to worry about it crumbling or about someone trying to take it away from you. You know, you have to give up a lot of things to take care of the cookie, to keep it from crumbling and be sure that no one takes it away from you. You may not even get a chance to eat it because you are so busy just trying not to lose it. Having the cookie is not what life is about.\"
My patient laughs and says cancer has changed him. For the first time he is happy. No matter if his business is doing well or not, no matter if he wins or loses at golf. \"Two years ago, cancer asked me, \'Okay, what\'s important? What is really important?\' Well, life is important. Life. Life any way you can have it, life with the cookie, life without the cookie. Happiness does not have anything to do with the cookie; it has to do with being alive. Before, who made the time?\" He pauses thoughtfully. \"Damn, I guess life is the cookie.\"
4．prestigious adj. 有威望的，受尊敬的
5．diagnosis n. 诊断，诊断结果
6．prostate n. 前列腺
7．ruefully adv.悲伤地, 可怜地
8．crumble v. 碎裂，破碎
The Best Time of My Life 一生中最美好的时光
拥有丰富多彩的人生是一个人的幸福，但人往往身在福中不知福，不知道珍惜生命中的美好时光。智者对生命中最美好的时光的定义或许能对我们有所启示：幸福就存在于我们平凡的生活中的点点滴滴。
It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty. I was insecure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.
My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy-nine years old and in terrific shape. As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed I wasn\'t full of my usual vitality and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on my life once I reached Nicholas\'s age, so I asked him, \"What was the best time of your life?\"
Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, \"Well, Joe, this is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question:
\"When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured 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 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.
\"The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for 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 seventy-nine 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.\"
11. bound for 驶往
A Million Dollar Lesson 一课千金
每天我们都忙忙碌碌，为生存而奔波。可是，工作对我们而言，不只是谋生的手段，它占去了我们人生中的很大一部分时间，应该是生活中最适合我们的位置。一个人能力有大小，但只要在自己的本职岗位上踏踏实实工作，用心用力就能把工作做好，让大家都满意。
A cab driver taught me a million dollar lesson on customer satisfaction and expectation. Motivational speakers charge thousands of dollars to impart his kind of training to corporate executives and staff. It cost me a $12 taxi ride.
I had flown into Dallas for the sole purpose of calling on a client. Time was of the essence and my plan included a quick turnaround trip from and back to the airport. A spotless cab pulled up.
The driver rushed to open the passenger door for me and made sure I was comfortably seated before he closed the door. As he got in the driver\'s seat, he mentioned that the neatly folded Wall Street Journal next to me was for my use. He then showed me several tapes and asked me what type of music I would enjoy.
Well! I looked around for \"Candid Camera!\" Wouldn\'t you? I could not believe the service I was receiving! I took the opportunity to say, \"Obviously you take great pride in your work. You must have a story to tell.\"
\"You bet,\" he replied, \"I used to be in Corporate America. But I got tired of thinking my best would never be good enough. I decided to find my niche in life where I could feel proud of being the best I could be.\"
\"I knew I would never be a rocket scientist, but I love driving cars, being of service and feeling like I have done a full day\'s work and done it well. I evaluated my personal assets and... wham! I became a cab driver.\"
\"One thing I know for sure, to be good in my business I could simply meet the expectations of my passengers. But, to be GREAT in my business, I have to EXCEED the customer\'s expectations! I like both the sound and the return of being \'great\' better than just getting by on \'average\'.\"
22. average n. 中等的水平或程
What You Are IS as Important as What You Do 行如其人
在人生的旅途上，诚实就像一张可靠的通行证，无论走到哪里都畅通无阻，无论去到何地都会受到热情的招待。做人做事，只要做到正直诚实，便能问心无愧，更能取得成功！在这个道德缺失的年代，诚实的意义尤为重要！
It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in Oklahoma City. My friend and proud father Bobby Lewis was taking his two little boys to play miniature golf. He walked up to the fellow at the ticket counter and said, \"How much is it to get in?\"
The young man replied, \"$3.00 for you and $3.00 for any kid who is older than six. We let them in free if they are six or younger. How old are they?\"
Bobby replied, \"The lawyer\'s three and the doctor is seven, so I guess I owe you $6.00.\"
The man at the ticket counter said, \"Hey, Mister, did you just win the lottery or something? You could have saved yourself three bucks. You could have told me that the older one was six; I wouldn\'t have known the difference.\" Bobby replied, \"Yes, that may be true, but the kids would have known the difference.\"
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, \"Who you are speaks so loudly I can\'t hear what you\'re saying.\" In challenging times when ethics are more important than ever before, make sure you set a good example for everyone you work and live with.