【推荐1】While the other kids seemed excited about celebrating the end-of-term party by playing games and sharing treats, Jeremy hated the very idea of the gathering.

Afraid to raise the pressure too high, I decided to contribute something that was easy to purchase on the walk to school.

Off we went the day of the party, approaching his school as if nothing was planned. I reminded him of our need to make a purchase, entered his favorite shop, and asked him to select the ripest bunch of grapes. He shot me an anxious look and insisted none of his classmates ever be able to notice he had something to bring to the party. My vision of a successful parenting method, resulting in delivering a sociable child to his school, diverted（转移）sharply from reality.

Back on route, I did my best to hide the sinking feeling of fear. How could I possibly drop him off and then walk into my own classroom to teach a successful class?

My next move was born in the heat of the moment. I said a quick goodbye at the front gate and rushed to his classroom through the emergency exit. I managed to inform his teacher about the grapes in the backpack and be out of the classroom before I could be spied by my son.

So, what happened on that June day? His teacher, a caring educator, worked wonders. My son and I still laugh about the way Mr. B started the day with an unusual question, “Does anyone have any grapes?” While Jeremy admits feeling a bit uncomfortable, the words encouraged him to take out the fruit. Because of the support he received, he remembers that day with pride for his courage.

A．The teacher inspired Jeremy to share grapes.

B．Jeremy prepared for the coming party.

C．The author taught Jeremy to select goods.

D．The author helped Jeremy to become sociable.

【推荐2】Almost at the same time, my 14-year-old son, John, and I found the coat in the clothes shop. It was hanging on a wall with other coats together—just like a rose among wild flowers. Joy appeared in John’s eyes. He tried it on and turned from side to side, looking at himself in the mirror. Soon he smiled. It was perfect.

John wore the coat to school the next day and came back home with a big smile. I asked him whether his classmates liked his new coat. He nodded his head, carefully hanging it over the back of a chair.

Over the next few weeks, some changes came over John. He became more polite and more thoughtful(体贴的). ''Good night, Mom. '' he would say every day before my sleep. And he would lend his younger brother his radio and patiently tell him how to use it without an annoyed look, he would put in wood to make fire. However, all these things had never taken place before! One day when I advised that he should finish his homework before dinner. John, who wouldn't do anything until the last minute before, said for the first time, ''You're right. Mom. I will. ''

When I talked with one of his teachers and said that I didn't know what caused John's changes, she said with laughter. ''It must be his coat. '' Once she told John that she had given him a high mark not only because he had done well in the test but also because she liked his coat. And from then on, she found that John tried to get along with them.

Quite often, a small change will make others notice you or even praise you, which leads to a lot of good changes in shock. On John, his wonderful coat had this effect.

【推荐3】It was rush hour on the morning of June1. Heather Santellano, 36, was driving her car on Houston Harte Frontage Road with her nine-year-old daughter and ten-year-old son in the back. Suddenly, a red pickup truck cut them off. Santellano turned the wheel hard to the right, sending the car running off the road and down an embankment (路堤) that ended in a drop-off after about 50 feet. If the car didn’t stop, it would go up into the air and slide onto the road some 20 feet below. Then came a bit of luck. As the car raced towards the edge, its undercarriage got stuck on the embankment, stopping it cold. The occupants, however, were far from safe. The car had come to rest on top of a retaining wall, literally teetering on the edge of disaster. One sudden move by anyone inside could send it over.

Jacob Rodriguez, a veteran, watched the scene unfold from the company where he works. Then, he and four other men ran to the car. They leaped onto the trunk to balance the weight as the terrified kids in the back seat watched.

Meanwhile, Julio Vasquez and his nephew, Marco Vasquez, were driving to their jobs at nearby Premier Automotive. Julio jumped out of the car to help while Marco went to the shop, grabbed a heavy-duty strap and returned to the dangling car. He tied the car to and F-350 truck that had been driven over by one of the other rescuers. With the car secured the group carefully opened the back doors and helped the children out.

But their departure shifted the car’s weight, causing it to lean forward. The men, still on the trunk, implored Santellano to jump into the back seat to re-balance the weight. She did and then inched out from the back door. Finally, the men carefully got off the trunk Everyone was safe. “Another foot,” Rodriguez told the media, “and this would be different story.”

【推荐1】“Can’t stop loving you ...” My 3-year-old son was singing along with Phil Collins from his car seat. But I was not in the mood to sing along. My manager at the biotech company where I had been working for a bit more than a year had just told me that, in spite of my excellent performance, he did not foresee giving me more responsibilities in the near future. I was working part time so that I could spend more time with my young children, and he believed the career growth I sought required a full-time employee. The message hit me hard. But it brought on a change that, in the end, taught me the power of embracing opportunities, no matter where they come from.

My manager’s decision planted a seed of self-doubt. Was he right? Was I asking for too much? But I reminded myself that I had already proved I could be an effective scientist on a part-time schedule. A friend suggested that I reach out to senior managers about opportunities in other departments. At first, I resolutely rejected that idea. Didn’t he understand? I wanted to work on antibodies and nothing but antibodies! That was what I knew, where I felt I could add the most value. And yet, I did not want to leave this cool company just because of one unsupportive manager.

With little expectation that it would lead anywhere, I approached the three senior managers. One did not respond. One had nothing to offer. The third invited me to chat. He patiently listened to my story, asked what I was looking for, and then—in the blink of an eye—told me that I was welcome to join him in building a vaeeine research unit. I told him I knew nothing about vaccines, but he waved nonchalantly (不以为意地) and said, “You will learn. You are smart and willing to work hard. You will make it.”

This comfort was exactly what I had been looking for, but I was still shaken by my manager’s lack of confidence in me. Could I really handle a high-responsibility role in a completely new field?

A few sleepless nights later, I decided that taking a chance on the unknown was better than staying in a position that made me miserable. The worst thing thal could happen was that I would fail. But I already felt like a failure, so why not try it?

I soon discovered a new passion. My career path within the company opened up. I took on more responsibilities, developed new skills, expanded my scientific horizons, worked with great people, and led fantastic projects—all because of a change that had felt foreed on me. It had pushed me further than I was willing to go, further than I thought I could cope with, and taught me that when I step out of my comfort zone, I find my most creative, productive self.

【推荐2】As we enter a period of profound economic uncertainty, shown by recent well-known layoffs and a culture of “quiet quitting”, thinking about the future of work might well seem a scary prospect.

Indeed, an ever-increasing digital skills gap threatens to stop businesses adopting the game-changing technologies that will help to power growth in the months and years ahead. For instance, with each exciting new technology comes a growing concern about whether we have a digitally skilled workforce ready to take advantage of it. After all, keeping the workforce up to speed with the latest advances is a key element of the digital transformation process, which will prove essential if we hope to improve business productivity and efficiency alongside our efforts to achieve sustained growth.

Likewise, at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, the cybersecurity skills gap was named as one particular area of concern. There’s good reason for this focus: if businesses can’t protect themselves against external threats, they risk going backwards. And that’s before they even start thinking about achieving growth. This is why we need to address the digital skills gap urgently.

Well, we should change in order to help attract and keep a more diverse pool of talent, giving businesses a far better chance of finding the up-to-date digital skills they need. And, when it comes to engaging and empowering the current workforce, learning and development opportunities will be key, helping employees to enhance their skills for the benefit of both themselves and their employers.

To make this all happen, leaders and employers must demonstrate a commitment to teaching their workforces digital skills by setting clear expectations and providing all the resources required. One approach, for example, would be to focus on the potential in the existing talent pool by identifying those already skilled in digital capabilities and supporting them to upskill their colleagues. Creating a culture of learning, with an emphasis on personal growth, can be an impressive motivator in the workplace.

Of course, it’s all well and good saying that digital skills are paramount, but a workforce with purely hard skills will not future-proof a business. There’s a need for soft skills that support the broader goal, so as not to ignore the other competencies required in a digital transformation: communication, critical thinking, creative design skills, and leadership. To exploit the technology to its full potential, such qualities are equally important.

Fundamentally, getting the interaction right between humans and technology will be vital if businesses are to succeed. As a result, human skills must not be underestimated. Every business will need a range of people with a variety of skills — not only those experts in math, engineering, and science, but also those with creative minds and leadership qualities.