【推荐1】Two years ago, I got a job in a Chinese-Canadian company in Vancouver (温哥华). One day my new boss said he would invite me to lunch to celebrate my new job in a Chinese restaurant. “A Chinese restaurant? Chopsticks? Oh no! Will I make a complete fool of myself?” I thought.

That evening, I cooked noodles and spent two whole hours trying to learn how to use chopsticks. Try as I might, I didn’t succeed. I called my penfriend and asked her to explain exactly how to use chopsticks. She patiently explained the proper way of holding them. “Louise, it’s not that hard,” she said. “That’s easy for you to say,” I replied. “You’ve been eating with chopsticks all your life. It’s natural for you!” I didn’t sleep well that night. The next day, when my boss took two co-workers and me to the restaurant, he spoke to the server in Chinese. My heart was beating fast, but then I noticed something strange. Instead of chopsticks, we all had knives, forks anid spoons. I didn’t understand at first, but then, it hit me. My boss knew that I would have trouble with chopsticks. To save me from embarrassment (尴尬), he had arranged for us to be served with knives, forks and spoons. I couldn’t believe how thoughtful he was.

Now, we often go out for lunch. After a lot of practice, I’ve mastered how to use chopsticks. And it isn’t really that difficult once you get used to them.

【推荐3】Wu Zongfu is a hard-working farmer in Maguan Town, Chongqing. He grows very good rice, corn and other crops. And he often cleans the road for his villagers.

One day, a newspaper reporter found that Wu Zongfu shared his seed (种子) corn and planting experience with his neighbors. “Why do you share your best seed corn and planting experience with your neighbors? They also want to be rich as you,” the reporter asked. Wu Zongfu answered, “Didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen (花粉) from the corn and blows it from field to field. If my neighbors grow bad corn, my corn will be bad, too. If I want to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn. And my neighbors helped me a lot in the past. I want them to be rich with me together.” The newspaper reporter laughed after hearing that.

This is the truth about life. You can’t improve your corn if your neighbors’ corn doesn’t improve. If you want to live well, you should help others to live well. If you want to be at peace, you should help others to be at peace. If you want to be happy, you should help others to get happiness. Your happiness and the happiness of others go together.

【推荐2】Once, a man sold his well to a farmer. Next day when the farmer went to get the water from that well, the man didn't agree. He said, "I sold you the well, not the water, so you can't get the water."

The farmer became very sad. And he came to the judge in the office alone. He described everything and asked for help. The judge called up the man who sold the well to the farmer. He asked, "Why don't you let him use the water of the well? You have sold the well to him." The man replied, "I have sold the well to the farmer, not the water. That means he can't get the water from the well."

The judge smiled and said, "OK, as long as you have sold the well to him, and you say the water is yours, then you can't keep your water in the farmer's well. Either you pay for the farmer to keep your water, or you must take it out of his well right away."

The man understood that his idea couldn't work. The story tells us we can't cheat others, though we are smart. We can't win in the end.

【推荐3】Tony is an English boy. He is 16 years old. He studies in a middle school. He often watches TV and likes the popular hair（头发）. His parents and teachers tell him not to do so, but he doesn’t listen to them.

One Sunday afternoon, his mother buys him a beautiful T-shirt and he loves it very much. The next morning, it is cold, but he still puts it on. That evening he gets a bad cold（感冒）, so his parents takes him to the hospital.

About thirty minutes later, a nurse（护士）brings him to a women’s ward（病房）.

“Don’t you know I am a boy?” Tony says. “Oh. I’m sorry. I don’t know you are a boy, because your hair is too long.”

【推荐1】For most of my 15 years, my father usually said very little to my mother and me. He preferred watching football matches on TV to talking to his family.

I had never been interested in football, but Dad’s excitement at a match one morning made me more and more peculiar. One day, Dad decided that we should all eat at a little German restaurant so that we could watch the World Cup while eating. The match started a few minutes after we entered the restaurant. As I was eating my meal, a loud noise came from the television. I felt surprised, so I looked up at the TV and asked my father why that man was jumping up and down. Dad patiently explained, “That’s Papa Bouba Diop, my son. It’s normal for them to jump up and down after they’ve scored.”

Dad explained almost everything to me. I watched the rest of the match and became more and more interested. When I told my father that I planned to watch more matches with him, he smiled. Football has really helped Dad and me get closer and form a stronger relationship with each other.

【推荐2】It was a sunny Sunday afternoon. I stopped at a tea house to enjoy a cup of tea. Suddenly, I felt a hand on the back of my jacket and heard someone say, “Hi, David! How are you doing?”

Looking back, I saw a man. He looked familiar (熟悉), but I couldn’t remember where we had met. The young man also held a cup of tea, so I asked him to join me. Very soon, his story began to evoke (唤醒) my memory.

His name is Peter. Six years earlier, Peter was driving back home late on a February night. A heavy snow had arrived that afternoon, and by midnight, the snowdrifts (雪堆) were getting deep. His car was stuck in a snowdrift just down the road from my house.

He walked to my house for help. I helped him pull his car out of the snowdrift and up to the street where the snow had been cleaned away.

This is always happening here during the winter. I couldn’t count the times someone has helped me to pull my car from a snowdrift. However, it was an unforgettable experience for him. He was only eighteen at that time. and he said he was very afraid. No one wants to be stuck in a snowdrift at night.

Sometimes, one simple kindness at the right moment can change the direction of a life. So, be kind and helpful.