【推荐1】“The history of the world is but the biography (传记) of great men,” argued Thomas Carlyle, the advocate of what has come to be known as the “Great Man Theory of History.” This theory suggests that the broader movements and outline of history all go back to the leadership of great individuals who had unique influence on their times. Whether or not Carlyle’s theory proves true is debatable, but that certain individuals cast long shadows is not.

As one who is entrusted with a leadership position, I find it profitable to read of others who have led. Wherever you find me, you’ll likely find a good biography nearby. Why is this the case? First, I find good biographies fascinating. I’ll occasionally read a novel, but I’ve never been overly drawn to fiction. I have found myself unable to sleep while in the struggle of the Battle of Britain in William Manchester’s The Last Lion. For me, not to read biographies would rob me of pleasure in my life.

Second, I find good biographies informative. A good biographer tells not only the story of a person, but also of their times. Reading a good biography is like wandering through an intellectual shopping mall. The first store is what drew you there, but you will be pleasantly surprised along the way at what other items grab your attention. You’ll find no better account of the British Empire at its peak than the opening chapters of Manchester’s Visions of Glory, volume one of his The Last Lion. Strictly speaking, a biography is but a slice of history.

Third, I find good biographies relaxing. Winston Churchill once noted a man who works with his hands should have a hobby that engages his mind, and a man who works with his mind should have a hobby that engages his hands. Another way to apply Churchill’s saying is to combine technical, pen-in-hand vocational reading with leisurely biographical reading. Indeed, few things are more relaxing to me than winding down the evening and entering into another world.

This is why I love reading good biographies, and why I pity the person who neglects them. Don’t be counted among their number.

【推荐3】You're never too old to pick up a book and read with a child. All you should do is grabbing a book and a few loved ones, and sharing in the joy of reading. A good habit of reading is very important for you.     1    .

    2    . You should have some time during every day when you'll read for least 5 to 10 minutes. For example, make it a habit to read during breakfast and lunch and even dinner if you eat alone.

Always carry a book.     3     When I leave the house, I always make sure to have my car keys and one book at hand. The book stays with me in the car, and I take it into the office and to appointments and pretty much everywhere I go.

    4    . Find a place in your home where you can sit in a comfortable chair. There should be no television or computer near the chair. If you don't have a place like this, create one.

Reduce television/the Internet. If you really want to read more, try cutting back on time on TV or the Internet.     5    . However, every minute you reduce of the Internet/TV, you could use for reading. This could create hours of book reading time.

【推荐1】I grew up 3 hours outside of Pittsburgh, with my mother and 3 younger brothers and sisters. My mom was a single mother and worked a minimum wage job, so we never had much, but that was OK, we made ends meet anyhow.

In Senior 1, I started saving money for college by taking a part-time job. I was accepted into the University of Pittsburgh and received some scholarships. But I couldn’t afford the housing because it was way too expensive for me. As result, put mattress (床垫) in an old van (货车) and had the windows painted. I bought parking pass on campus, chose spot on the top level of the parking garage and lived there for the next 2 years.

The weather in Pittsburgh was bad Being homeless forced me to take advantage of everything the campus had to offer since I wanted to spend as little time in my van as possible. I ended up spending most of my time throughout the week at the library and studying and reviewing classroom material a lot more than I would have if I had the luxury of going home and turning on the TV or falling asleep for hours in my room. I got close to some of my professors because of visiting them often, which really helped me become outstanding among my classmates. I made lot of new friends by attending social events, plays, charities, student life events around campus too.

Before college I would have considered myself shy, I didn’t really speak much unless spoken to, but I move out of my comfort zone and do new things, then develop an outgoing personality.

I really think that having to deal with the struggles that I had to go through really made me a better person.

【推荐2】I recently came in contact with celebrity magazines. My family isn’t one to give money for pictures of skinny, drunk celebrities with paragraphs about their relationships and shopping cart times. Thus, I was excited to finally get a chance to read about other people’s attractive yet troubled lives.

Right away I noticed how each magazine seemed to be a copy of the other. They had headlines and pictures that were almost the same. Still, the pictures of perfectly constructed faces with cute designers outfits going on with their daily lives made me read on.

Wait, celebrities taking their dogs for walk? Spending an afternoon at a park? All of these things seemed so ordinary—things my own family and I do together often. I suddenly realized how unextraordinary the people in these magazines were. They are simply normal people who happen to have a cool job and much money. For some reason, pictures of them doing things like buying milk at the store appeal to millions of readers. Then, when these regular people mess up, their mistakes is painted onto hundreds of newspapers and internet sites.

What if every time we made a mistake, it was made public? Have you ever failed a test? Imagine seeing pictures of you on the front of a newspaper with headlines like, “Regular Schooling Isn’t Enough”. You’d be embarrassed. Now, I’m not necessarily taking the celebrity’s side. I’m more realizing the fact that these people we were crazy about are just ordinary human beings with many photographs following them around. Role models? I’d think not. Personally, I’d rather look up to people in any community who have accomplished a lot instead of an ordinary person walking his dog in Berverly Hills.

【推荐3】Recently I spoke to some of my students about what they wanted to do after they graduated, and what kind of job prospects they thought they had.

Given that I teach students who are trained to be doctors, I was surprised to find that most students thought that they would not be able to get the jobs they wanted without “outside help”.“What kind of help is that?” I asked, expecting them to tell me that they would need a relative or family friend to help them out.

“Surgery (整形手术)”, one replied.I was pretty alarmed by that response.It seems that the graduates of today are increasingly willing to go under the knife to get ahead of others when it comes to getting a job.One girl told me that she was considering surgery to increase her height.“They break your legs, put in special extending screws, and slowly expand the gap between the two ends of the bone as it regrows.You can get at least 5 cm taller!”

At that point, I was shocked.I am short.I can’t deny that, but I don’t think I would put myself through months of pain just to be a few centimeters taller.I don’t even bother to wear shoes with thick soles, as I’m not trying to hide the fact that I am just not tall!

It seems to me that there is a trend toward wanting “perfection”, and that is an ideal that just does not exist in reality.

No one is born perfect, yet magazines, TV shows and movies present images of thin, tall, beautiful people as being the norm（标准）.Advertisements for slimming aids, beauty treatments and cosmetic surgery clinics fill the pages of newspapers, further creating an idea that “perfection” is a requirement, and that it must be purchased, no matter what the cost.In my opinion, skills, rather than appearance, should determine how successful a person is in his chosen career.