To Have a Not-to-do List

Like most people, you probably have a to-do list to help you finish a task. However, I would also suggest you make a not-to-do list. This list works well with the to-do list and it might be even more important. Let me explain.

This is Mike. He loves video games and plays them every day. But he also has an important exam coming up. So Mike puts studying on his to-do list. That day, Mike picked up the books and studied for half an hour. Then he took a short break and played some games. However, he got so into the game that he played for three hours.

The next day, Mike took on the challenge of studying in a different way. He decided to make a not-to-do list as well. And what he wrote down was, “No video games until 7:00 pm.” Mike went to study, did it for half an hour, and then took a break. However, he didn’t get on his computer like the day before because he didn’t allow himself to play at that time. Instead, he drank a glass of water. Then he returned to studying for three hours more on that day.

Mike realized that having no restrictions (限制) was the problem. He was always choosing between work and free time. Because enjoying himself was an easier choice, hardly any work got done as a result. So Mike made a not-to-do list.

Sometimes what you choose not to do matters more than what you decide to do. We shouldn’t just limit our “bad” behaviors but our “good” behaviors as well. For example, practicing the piano could be considered a good habit. But when you have other more important things in the moment, the piano becomes nothing more than a distraction (注意力分散). However, there’s one thing that should never end up on your not-to-do list. That is to learn something new every day.

Making a public speech is the thing that most people don’t want to do. The reason is that we are all afraid of making mistakes in front of others. The more important the speech is, the more frightened we will be. But forget it now. Public speaking is easy. It’s just a simple talking, Although Pm a shy man, I’ve been making speeches and talking on radio and television for more than 30 years. Anybody who can talk can speak in public. Here are some of the lessons I have learned.

Keep your speech simple. Your audience(听众) can’t take all of your main ideas, and they can only remember one or two of them, not ten or twenty. So you should prepare one or two of your main ideas very well. But if you can’t express what you want to say, then your speech will not be paid attention to. And if you don’t have a clear idea of what you want to say, your audience won’t, either.

Organize your speech well. No matter how long or short your speech is, you have to organize your speech—how you are going to open or begin, what main points you want to make and how you’re going to close or end. A strong close is usually very important and critical(关键的): the last thing you say is what your audience will most likely remember. If not, they will be confused.

Keep your speech not long. The standard(标准的) length of a speech is usually 12 minutes. Most people can’t put their minds in one thing for too long time, which will make them tired and lose their interest. If you pay no attention to your audience’s reaction(反应), the audience will get bored. Of course, your speech will fail.

Following these suggestions above, you can make a good speech in public, and you will be an excellent speaker, I think.

Money makes the world go around, yet the best things in life are free. 3.A penny saved is a penny earned, but you get what you pay for. You probably have your own idea about spending money. Now is a great time to learn how to spend money wisely.

When you are considering buying something you want, run through this checklist first.

How much do you really want it?

Seeing a $25 (about 159 yuan) gumball(口香糖球) machine, Ben wanted it. But after thinking about it, he decided that it would be exciting only for a day or two. “Besides, it’s not possible for me to chew that much gum,” he said wisely.

Do you still want it a week later?

If the thing passes the “really-wanting-it” test, try to wait for some time to see how strong the desire(欲望) is. This strategy works for grown-ups, too!

How will you pay for it?

After the first two steps, Ben found he really wanted a toy pirate ship(海盗船), but cost $50. He had $22 in his pocket and got $1.50 a week to spend. His mother helped him work out how many weeks he would need to save to get the ship: 19.

Are there ways to earn the money?

Ben agreed to wash the downstairs windows at a dollar each. So he got $10 for himself—and sparkling(闪亮的) sunlight for the rest of the family.

Can you get it cheaper?

After deciding to buy it, it is necessary for you to look for less expensive ways to buy it: search for what you want on the Internet or in shops and flea markets(跳蚤市场). Sometimes you can find the same thing at a much lower price.

If these suggestions work well, they can save you a lot of money. You will be a really smart shopper.

One day a teacher went to her classroom and told her students that they would have a test. The students took their seats and waited for the test to begin. The teacher put a test paper on each student’s desk and she then asked them to turn the paper over and begin.

The students were surprised to see no questions, but just a single dot (圆点) in the center of the page. The teacher said, “I just want you to write down what you see on this paper.”

At the end of class, she took their tests and started reading their answers. Minutes later, the teacher started to explain. “You tried your best to finish the test. All of you wrote something about the dot. Some thought it was a black one. Some thought it was brown. A few thought it was really small. While others believed it was big enough. But no one wrote about the white area around the dot.”

“Imagine that this paper is your life. The white area is all of your life experiences—the black dot just stands for the bad things you’ve gone through. Life provides us with many things—loved ones, happy moments, and even some other good things. However, we sometimes only pay attention to the bad things. Our problems and difficulties can beat us.”

“From now on, I want you to think about the big picture more often. Don’t just focus (关注) on the black dots in your life. Remind yourself how lucky you are sometimes.”

【推荐2】No matter who you are and where you live, the most important thing is what kind of person you are. The following qualities are the most helpful ones.

Have a positive attitude（态度）. Life is not always a bed of roses. When you face difficulties, don't lose heart. Do you know what can help you deal with difficulties? It’s your attitude（态度）. Cheer up!

Life is like a mirror. When you smile in front of it, it will also smile at you.

Keep learning. Maybe you are used to your present life. Every day, you have so much work to do that you can’t find any time to learn. Keeping learning can help you get success in the future.

Be creative. In the modern world, the students who have creative thinking are needed most. Being creative means coming up with new ideas and having creative imagination（想象）. Creative people have more choices in their life.

Be honest and keep your promise. Honesty（诚实）is the best policy（原则）. Nobody likes a person who tells lies（说谎）. The one who keeps his words is popular everywhere.

As long as you have these qualities mentioned above, you will be excellent and make a difference to the world. Albert Einstein once said, “Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value（价值）.”

【推荐3】When I was in a primary school, I argued (争论)with a boy in my class. I believed that was right and he believed that he was right

The teacher decided to teach us a very important lesson. She brought us up to the front of the class and placed him on one side of her desk and me on the other side. In the middle of her desk was a big and round object(物体). I could clearly see that it was black. She asked the boy what color the object was. "White," he answered.

I couldn't believe he said the object was white, when it was clearly black! Another argument started between my classmate and me. This time it was about the color of the object.

The teacher told me to go to stand where the boy was standing and told him to stand where I was. We changed places, and now she asked me what the color of the object was. I had to say, "White". It was an object with two differently colored sides, and from his viewpoint it was white. Only from my side it was black.

My teacher taught me a very important lesson on that day: We must stand in the other person's shoes and look at the situation through their eyes.

Nowadays life has become very busy, and you feel like your timetable always different from your parents’. Maybe you’re too shy to show your love to your parents by saying “I love you”. How about doing it quietly? Here’s some advice.

Leave Notes (in Unusual Places)

Most of you have probably had little notes from your parents in your lunch bags. What about leaving a note for them in the fridge, on the computer screen .…? They’ll be happy to see it.

Give an Unexpected Gift

Have you got gifts from your parents on your birthday? Why not give them some special gifts without telling them first? An unexpected present is a moment of joy the receiver and giver, and it doesn’t have to be anything expensive. Some of their favorite food, a book which you know they’ll enjoy for a few dollars, you have the perfect way to say “I love you”.

Do the Housework

If your parents usually clean the kitchen, why not do it and surprise them? If you normally have to clean your bedroom, get it done without being asked. Find little ways to make your parents’ day smoother and let them know they mean a lot to you.

Give a Shoulder or Foot Rub（按摩）

Everyone is under too much pressure. Perhaps your parents often have aches and pains because of work. A shoulder rub or a foot rub is a wonderful way to tell them “I love you”.

【推荐2】Love is a two-way street

A father sat at his desk and looked at his bills when his young son rushed in and said, “Dad, because today is your birthday and you’re 40 years old, one for each year!” When the boy started making good on his word (履行诺言), the father shouted, “don’t do it now. I’m too busy!”

The boy soon fell silent as tears fell from his big blue eyes. Feeling sorry, the father said, “You can finish later.” The boy said nothing but quietly walked away, “Come and finish the kisses now, Andrew!” But the boy didn’t respond (回应).

Unfortunately, a few days later after the father’s birthday, the boy had an accident and died. His father wrote: “If only(要是……，该多好),   Icould tell him how sorry and sad I am for my thoughtless words, and could be assured that he knows how much my heart is hurting.” He regretted not accepting the boy’s kisses and now he had lost the chance forever.

Love is a two-way street. Any loving act must be warmly accepted, or others will take it as a“NO” and it can leave a scar (伤痕). If we are too busy to give and receive love with love to those who are close and precious to us. If we don’t receive love, our life will lose its true meaning. Nothing is more important than accepting love from those who are near and precious to us.

【推荐3】Mary's parents take her to the beach for a holiday one summer. The weather is hot and Mary likes ice cream very much.   Her parents take her to the shop to buy her an ice cream. Then they go swimming in the sea. There is a wide road above the beach, and there is a short wall at the side of it.   Mary likes sitting on the wall and eating her ice cream and looking at the people in the sea.   Suddenly, a piece of her ice cream falls on one of them, a little boy.   He looks up and sees a big bird flying over.   "Do those birds live in the fridge?" he asks angrily. Mary's face turns red.

It’s lunchtime. You rush into the dining hall. You’ve only got 20 minutes to eat, but you also want time to relax with your friends before afternoon classes. So you quickly get some food, and eat half of it. What happens to the rest of the food on your plate? It may greatly go right into the waste.

Is it common in your school? The answer is yes. Waste happens everywhere in the school. Some students often forget to turn off the lights when they leave the classroom. Others only use the one side of the paper when they do their homework. They say they can afford these things. But that’s not a right action.

Waste can bring a lot of problems. Although China has rich resources（资源）, we are short of something, such as fresh water. It is reported that we will have no coal or oil in 100 years. So if we go on wasting resources, we will use nothing in the future.

We should say no to the people who waste things. Everybody should stop wasting things. In our life, we can do many things to prevent waste. For example, turn off the water taps（水龙头）, don’t order more food than we need, and so on.

Little by little, everything will be changed. Waste can be stopped one day. And our world will become more beautiful. So let’s save more resources from now on!

Should friends be different or the same? Different people have different ideas.

Susan—I like to have friends who are similar to me. Both my best friend Linda and I like traveling. We went to Italy with our family last summer holiday. We stayed there for two weeks.

Mary—I like to have friends who are different from me. I am quiet and I like reading very much. But my best friend Betty likes sports. She plays table tennis well.

Peter—I like to have friends who are like me. I’m a little quiet and my good friend Rick is quiet, too. Sometimes I don’t know what to do with my problems and he can tell me what I should do, because he knows about me better than people who are different from me.

Bill—I have both kinds of friends. I think it is important. That makes my life more interesting.

【推荐3】You may have heard the saying, women are from Venus(金星) and men are from Mars (火星). It's a nice way of saying how men and women are quite different from each other in many ways.

These differences can be seen everywhere, even in how we communicate with friends. A recent study by the University of Oxford suggested that men and women keep relationships with friends far away in different ways.

Researchers questioned 30 students about their friendships just before they left for college. They followed up the questions nine months, and then 18 months later Robin Dunbar, who headed the research, told that how long friendships among women last depended on whether they made an effort to talk more to each other on the phone. Men, on the other hand, tended to (倾向于) do things differently. They went through months of not being with friends by planning meet-ups (见面) sometimes. This was the biggest difference between men and women.

Of course, gender (性别)isn't the only thing that influences how we stay in touch. The way we keep our friendships also depends on the preference(偏好) of each person, and it can take a while to find your own way of making your friendships work. One thing that is pretty clear though is that friends who make the effort to keep in touch, even if it's only through Wechat(微信)once a week, do tend to stay friends, no matter how far it is.