【推荐1】One day, our psychology(心理学) teacher, Miss Wang, taught stress management principles(压力管理原则) in a classroom filled with students. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “glass half empty or glass half filled” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?”

Students shouted out answers going from 500g to a couple of kilograms.

She replied, “In my opinion, it doesn’t matter how heavy this glass of water is. It all depends on how long I hold it. If hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will be uncomfortable, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”

As the class nodded their heads in agreement, she continued, “Your stresses and worries in life are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little. Think about them all day long, and you will feel terrible—unable to do anything else until you drop them.”

The principles tell us on days when we’re stressed out, we should learn to hold the unavoidable and let go. Something cannot be controlled and no more worrying could put all your trouble away. Instead of letting stress get to you, hold it and overcome it.

【推荐2】Each nation has many good people who help take care of others. For example, some high school and college students in the United States often spend many hours as volunteers in hospitals, orphanages(孤儿院) or homes for the aged(老人). They read books to the people in these places, or they just visit them or listen to their problems. Other young volunteers go and work in the homes of people who are sick or old. They paint, clean up, or repair houses, do shopping and mow(割草) their lawns(草坪). For boys who no longer have fathers, there is an organization called Big Brothers. College students and other men take these boys to basketball games or on fishing trips and help them get to know things that boys usually learn from their fathers.

Some cities have a number of clubs where boys and girls can go to play games or learn crafts(手艺). Some of these clubs show movies or organize short trips to the mountains, the beaches, museums or other places of interest. Most of these clubs use a lot of high school and college students as volunteers because they are young enough to remember the problems of younger boys and girls.

Volunteers believe that some of the happiest people in the world are those who help bring happiness to others.

【推荐3】New rules and behavior standards for middle school students came out. Middle schools used a new way to decide who the most excellent students are. The best students won’t only have good grades. They will also be kids who don’t dye (染) their hair, smoke or drink.     1    

Tell the truth. Have you ever copied others’ work during an exam? Don’t do it again.     2     If you played computer games for two hours in your room, don’t tell your parents you were doing your homework.

Do more at school.     3     April is Bird- Loving Month in China. Is your school doing anything to celebrate? You should join! That way, you can learn more about animals and learn how to protect them. And when your classmates are in trouble, remember to give them a hand. You know a friend in need is a friend indeed.

    4     Try to stay away from web pages that are bad for you. Find good websites and use them for homework.

Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought that people could live on the moon?     5     Don’t look down on new ideas. You should welcome them because new ideas can make life better.

【推荐1】Ned wanted to escape (逃跑) from the Nautilus while we were in the Mediterranean. However, he had no chance. The submarine (潜水艇) mostly stayed deep under the water.

Between Sicily and Gibraltar, I saw many shipwrecks. Some of them were very old. Others were more recent. I thought about all the bad memories that these shipwrecks had brought to people. So many men had died! As it surfaced, I wondered where it would go next on this strange journey.

Ned Land came to my room. “Tonight!” he said. “Tonight?” I was not ready for this. “Tonight,” he repeated, “we are a few miles off the Spanish coast. It will be dark, and the wind is blowing in the right direction. You agreed, Dr. Aronnax, to escape with me. Remember your promise!” I said nothing. “At nine o’clock,” continued Ned Land, “I will go to the staircase with Conseil. You will wait in the library for our signal.” “The sea is far from calm,” I said. “Yes, but if we don’t go tonight, we will soon be too far from land!” I knew he was right.

At seven o’clock, I was so nervous that I felt sick. Only two hours to go! As I looked around, I saw that Captain Nemo’s bedroom door was open. The room was empty. I saw pictures of famous liberators like Abraham Lincoln and John Brown on the walls. Was Captain Nemo a liberator, too?

It was eight o’clock. I dressed in my waterproof clothes and boots and went to the dark library. I waited for Ned’s signal. Just then, the engines stopped and came to rest on the ocean floor.

The library door opened, and Captain Nemo entered. He told me that we were in Vigo Bay. A Spanish commander had burned his own ships there in 1702 to prevent the British Navy from taking a great deal of gold they were carrying. He took me to the window. The people working on the Nautilus were bringing the gold to the submarine. Now, I knew how Captain Nemo had become so rich.

“But of what use is all this gold to you?” I asked.

“It is of no use to me!” he replied, “but it can help people who are oppressed ( 受 压 迫 的 ).” He stopped. Perhaps he thought he had said too much. However, I now understood what those liberators meant to him.

Ned Land came to my room the next morning. “We were unlucky,” he said, “the Nautilus stopped just as we were about to escape. Perhaps we can try again tonight.” Early in the afternoon, the Nautilus surfaced. We went onto the board, but the land was already out of sight. Escape was impossible now.

【推荐2】Shameem was born in a small village in Pakistan. In her village, it was a tradition to keep girls inside their homes. They were not allowed to get an education.

Fortunately, Shameem’s uncle, a university teacher, wanted to give her a chance to see the world. He offered Shameem a chance to attend school. So she became the only girl student in her class.

However, Shameem struggled to complete her schooling. To get permission for college, she went on three-day-hunger strike. After graduating from college, Shameem got a position in non-profit organization working to help women in rural (农村的) areas.

There, she saw a Pakistan that she didn’t know. Until then, she thought she had a difficult life. But there, she saw what women in other parts of Pakistan were experiencing. Some women had 11 children, but nothing to feed them. They would walk three hours every day to get water. Shameem found that the position was more than just a job for her. She discovered her power. By setting an example, her experience could encourage more people to understand the importance of education and send their daughters to school.

Now, Shameem teaches in a rural school in her hometown. “The first day I walked into the school,” she said, “I saw all these little Shameems staring at me with dreams in their eyes, the same dream of freedom which I had in my childhood.”

Today, there is not a single girl in her village who doesn’t go to school.

【推荐3】Mr. Brown got up late this morning. He was going to be late for work. It was raining hard and the streets were wet. He drove so fast that he didn’t see the red lights. He couldn’t stop his car and hit a car. An old man got out of the car and called out angrily, “What are you doing? How can you drive so fast?”

“I’m sorry, sir.” said Mr. Brown. “I didn’t see the lights turn red,” Then he brought out a bottle of wine and gave it to the old man.

“It’s cold today, sir,” said Mr. Brown. “Please drink a little, and then you’ll get warm,” The old man drank some wine and became happy. He asked, “I’m feeling much better now. Why don’t you drink any?”

“I can’t drink anything now, sir,” answered Mr. Brown. “I’m waiting for the policeman. Only drunkards（酒鬼）cause accidents, you know!”

【推荐1】Scene (场景): (At salesman’s home)

Narratage (画外音): In a dark dirty house, there lived a small, dirty salesman. He always makes unhealthy candies and sells them to the students. He has a lot of money now. But how does he make the candies? Oh, sh! He is coming!

Salesman: Hello, do you know me? No? Oh, let me tell you. I’m the famous candy salesman at the school gate. My students always come here, I’ll be a boss soon! Candy, money, candy, money...

Oops! It’s time to make candies now.

First, put the flour ( 面粉) on the table.

Then, water, sugar, flour.

Now press (按压)，press... Oh, my dirty hands! Never mind! Just do it!

Press, press, the children will not know it. It’s OK, hehehe...

Now let me cut it into pieces!

【推荐3】My father loved me when he was alive and I love him a lot as well. Several years after my father’s death, my daughter was born. I called her Myles, the name from my father. However, my family warned me a lot because the name was too masculine（男性化的）. They were worried that my daughter might dislike this name when she grew up.

Years later, when I felt my daughter was old enough to understand, I explained to her one day “Your name is very special. I named you after my own father because I love him so much. I think he would be proud of you.”

Myles thought carefully about this and then she said, “I know all about that, mum. I love him too. But I don’t understand why my grandfather had a girl’s name.”