【推荐1】There was a famous American painter named Winslow Homer. Since Art History class in college, I had always admired his works and I was lucky to see a large exhibition of his works when I was in my early 30’s. It was at this event that I bought a print of his painting, Snap the Whip. Until I retired from teaching it always hung in my classroom.

I thought it truly captured(捕捉)the freedom and fun of childhood. In the painting,a group of young boys are playing a game arm in arm on grass ground in front of a farm house. They are jumping and laughing wildly with great joy. One of the boys is falling down to the ground. They are not even wearing shoes!

During my last year of teaching, there was a young woman in her first year of teaching right next door to me and we got to be good friends. She had been an art student before switching to education. Her eyes were drawn immediately to this print when she entered my room. So on my last day of teaching, after the students had left, I took the painting off the wall and walked next door and gave it to her.

She was really surprised, but very pleased to have it. I was pleased that she liked it and all the students she would have would treasure it as much as I had. We found the perfect place for it on one of her walls and hung it together. Thank you for bringing back this wonderful memory for me.

【推荐2】Hundreds of years ago, a Roman army came north from England to make war on Scotland. The Scots, a brave people, love their country. They fought hard to drive the enemy out of Scotland. But there were too many of the Romans. It looked as if the Romans would win.

One night, the leader of the Scots marched his soldiers to the top of a hill. “We will rest here tonight, my men,” he said, “Tomorrow we will fight one more battle. We must win, or we will die.”

They were all very tired so they ate their supper quickly and fell asleep. There were four guards on duty, but they were very tired, too, and one by one, also fell asleep.

The Romans were not asleep. Quickly they gathered at the foot of the hill. Slowly they went up the hill. Closer they came to the sleeping Scots. They were almost at the top. A few minutes more the war would be over. Suddenly, one of them put his foot on a thistle (蓟). He cried out and his sudden cry woke the Scots. In a minute, they were on their feet and ready for a battle. The fighting was hard, but it did not last long. The Scots wiped out the Romans and saved Scotland.

The thistle is not a beautiful plant. It has sharp needles all over it. Few people liked it. But the people of Scotland liked it so much that they made it their national flower.

【推荐1】After years of observing human nature, I have decided that two qualities make the difference between men of great achievement and men of average performance: curiosity and discontent. I have never known an outstanding man who lacked either. And I have never known an average man who had both. The two belong together.

    1     Galileo was not merely ambitious when he dropped objects of varying weights from the Leaning Tower at Pisa and timed their fall to the ground. Like Galileo, all the great names in history were curious and asked in discontent, “Why? Why? Why?”

Fortunately, curiosity and discontent don't have to be learned. We are born with them and need only recapture them. “The great man.” said Mencius, “is he who does not lose his child's heart.” Yet most of us do lose it. We stop asking questions.     2     We jus follow the crowd. And the crowd desires only the calm and restful average. It encourages us to occupy our own little corner, to avoid foolish leaps into the dark. to be satisfied.

Most of us meet new people, and new ideas,with hesitation.     3     We will probably have to force ourselves to awaken our curiosity and discontent and keep them awake.

How should you start? Modestly, so as not to become discouraged. I think of one friend who couldn't arrange flowers to satisfy herself. She was curious about how the experts did it. Now she is one of the experts. writing books on flower arrangement. One way to begin is to answer your own excuse. You haven't any special ability? Most people don't: there are only a few geniuses. You haven't any time?     4     Harriet Stowe, mother of six, wrote parts of Uncle Tom's Cabin while cooking. You' re too old? Remember Thomas Costain was 57 when he published his first novel, and that Grandma Moses showed her first pictures when she was 78

However you start, remember there is no better time to start then right now. for you'll never be more alive than you are at this moment.

【推荐3】One day, when I was a boy, my classmates and I were going to pick berries (莓果). Before I left, my father said, “Harry, when you find a good bush, don’t leave it to try to find a better one. The other kids will run about, picking one or two berries here, and one or two there, and getting very few in the end. If you want to get more berries, stick to your bush!”

I went with my classmates and we had a good time. But it was just as my father had said. Once one of my classmates found a good bush, he called to the others, and they would leave their places and run off to see what he had found.

But I remembered my father’s words, and I stuck to my bush. When I had done with one, I went to another. When night came, I had a large basketful of nice berries, and more than all the others put together. And I was not so tired as they were. I went home happily that night.

Now I have worked for 6 years, but I never forget the lesson my father taught me. I always stick to my bush. When I had a good place and was getting on well, I wouldn’t leave it and spend days or weeks trying to find a better place. When my friends said, “Come with us, and we will find you something better to do.” I shook my head, and stuck to my bush. Now I’m running a big company. I owe(归功于) all I have to the lesson my father taught me.