【推荐1】An old man lives with his little grandson. Every day the old man gets up early to read books.

One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I want to read books as you do. But I always forget what I read. What are the advantages of reading?”

The grandfather didn’t answer him, but said, “Take this little basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water.” The boy did as his grandpa said, but all the water leaked out before he got back home. The grandfather laughed and said, “You’ll have to walk faster next time.”

The next time the boy ran faster, but the basket was still empty before he returned home. The boy said, “See, Grandpa, it’s no use!”

“Is it no use?” the old man said. “Look at the basket.”

The boy looked at the basket and found that the basket was different. It was cleaner, inside and out.

“That’s what happens when you read books. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read them, you will be changed, inside and out.”

【推荐2】An old man lives with his little grandson.Every day the old man gets up early to read books.

One day the grandson asked,“Grandpa,I want to read books as you do.But I always forget what I read.What are the advantages of reading?”

The grandfather didn’t answer him,but said,“Take this little basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water.” The boy did as his grandpa said,but all the water leaked out before he got back home.The grandfather laughed and said,“You’ll have to walk faster next time.”

The next time the boy ran faster,but the basket was still empty before he returned home.The boy said,“See,Grandpa,it’s no use!”

“Is it no use?” the old man said.“Look at the basket.”

The boy looked at the basket and found that the basket was different.It was cleaner,inside and out.

“That’s what happens when you read books.You might not understand or remember everything,but when you read them,you will be changed,inside and out.”

【推荐3】There was once a famous scientist who made several important discoveries. Once he was asked how he could be so creative. He replied that it all came from an experience he had with his mother when he was 2 years old. He was trying to take a bottle of milk out of the refrigerator. But the bottle was too slippery（滑的）and he dropped it. The kitchen floor was covered in milk.

Instead of shouting at him or punishing him, his mother said, “Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have never seen such a huge puddle of milk. Would you like to play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?”

So he did. After a few minutes, they cleaned it up together. Then his mother said, “This was a failed experiment in how to carry a big bottle of milk with two tiny hands. Let’s fill the bottle with water and see if you can find a way to carry it without dropping it.”

The little boy learned that if he held the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful lesson!

The scientist then added that it was at that moment that he knew he didn’t need to be afraid to make mistakes. He learned that mistakes are just opportunities to learn something new.

【推荐1】In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain   qualities (品质) of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).

Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person's place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.

At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults (过错) in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.

Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.

There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience (经验) and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor (幽默), too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.

When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I've found a friend!

【推荐2】We all long for friendship, but how to make a friend? "The best time to make a friend is before you need one," Joy Steven said. The following are some tips for you.

Friends are from strangers.

Friends usually begin with strangers. Getting in touch with other people is the first step to make a friend. Friends can’t be made in empty air. Best friends take time to make.

Friends understand friends.

Friends understand each other when talking. Many unpleasant personal quarrels can be avoided if you will take time to understand othersˈ feelings and points of view.

Friends touch friends.

Touching is a warm form of communication between friends. When you see best friends communicating, you will notice they stand close together, touch each other comfortably and listen to each other carefully. Sometimes a friendly touch is more powerful than words.

Friends praise friends.

Praise is a powerful tool to make a friend. Honest praise can affect your friendsˈ lives. So try to praise your friends, including your general ones.

Friends can be loyal and trustworthy.

Trust and loyalty go hand in hand for friends. Friends can share secrets with you, because good friends never break confidence and are loyal forever.

【推荐3】I think a close friend is someone you get on well with，who helps you when you have problems, who gives you advice，and who always has time for you. I didn't use to have many close friends when I was at school because I was very shy，but now I have several. They are all women. I think it's difficult to have a close friend of the opposite sex（异性）.

---Marie

I think a close friend is someone who you've known for a long time，and who you still get on with. They have similar hobbies to you so you can do things together. I've got three close friends who I was at middle school with and we often go out together （without our parents of course）. We often go camping，play football，or walk outside in the open air．

---David

I'm not sure how to answer the question because I don't really have any close friends. I know a lot of people but mainly through work，and the social occasions（场合） when we meet are business dinners, things like that. I think if you come from a really close family，friends are a bit unnecessary. I like spending my free time with my family．

---Richard

For me close friends are the people you spend your free time with. I go out at weekends with a group of people，and they are all my close friends. They're also people who live near me. I don't think you can have close friends at a distance because you need to be able to see each other often. But I don't think you need to be doing the same things. I mean I'm at school but none of my friends are．

---Anna

【推荐3】“O gentle sleep!\Nature’s soft nurse, how have I frightened thee\That thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down.”Henry IV, as portrayed by Shakespeare, would have sympathized with people who struggle with insomnia (失眠). Now a major publisher has come up with a novel idea.

In a project to be launched this week, Penguin Random House has cooperated with the Sleep Council and the Children’s Sleep Charity in creating collections of “Sleep Tales” for adults and children. Combining “cutting-edge technology and the ancient art of storytelling to help solve an age-old problem”, these audiobooks are part soundscape, part descriptive narrative, with softly spoken voices to calm anxieties and take listeners to the land of nod.

Each story lasts about 15 minutes, enabling listeners to set their sleep timer. The stories draw on the Sleep Council’s research into sounds that help people wind down, such as waves lapping on a shore, soft rainfall and birdsong.

Richard Lennon, publisher at Penguin Audio, told the Guardian the project was inspired partly by the realization that increasing numbers of people were listening to audio books “as they’re going to sleep or as part of their bedtime routine”. He said both adults and children respond to something comforting and familiar as they are nodding off.

Asked whether a boring story could have the same effect, he said the stories needed to be “engaging enough not to put you off”: “This is about creating the right environment and headspace for you … to go to sleep. Strangely, if you’re bored, it doesn’t have that effect.” Audience research had been very positive, Lennon said. One listener reported: “The story made my mind stop racing.”