【推荐1】A gentleman once advertised( 做广告) for a boy to help him in his office, and nearly fifty persons asked for the place. Out of the whole number he chose one in a short time, and sent all the other boys away.

“I should like to know,” said a friend, “on what ground you chose that boy. He didn't even have a recommendation(推荐信）with him.”

“You are mistaken,” said the gentleman, “he had a great many sides.

“He made his shoes clean when he came in, and closed the door after him; showing that he was orderly.”

“He gave his seat to the disabled old man; showing that he was                   .”

“He took off his cap when he came in, and answered my questions quickly and respectfully； showing that he was polite.”

“He lifted up the book which I had purposely(故意地）laid on the floor, and put it on the table, while all the others stepped over it or pushed it aside; showing that he was careful.”

“And he waited quietly for his turn, instead of pushing the others aside; showing that he was modest.”

“When I talked with him, I noticed that his clothes were carefully brushed, his hair in nice order, and his teeth as white as milk. When he wrote his name, I noticed that his fingernails were clean; instead of having some untidy personal habits.”

“Don't you call these things letters of recommendation? I do; and the things that I can discover a boy by using my eyes for ten minutes, is worth more than all the fine letters that he can bring.”

【推荐2】My uncle is a bus driver. He goes to work at a quarter to six in the morning. Every day he is very busy and gets home very late. Sometimes he comes back at about 12 at night. He likes helping other bus drivers do more work. He is the first driver to come to the bus station, and the last one to leave.

My uncle has a son. He and I are in the same class. He is taller than I. He says he loves his father and wants to be a bus driver like his father. But his mother wants him to be a scientist and wants him to study hard like his two sisters.

【推荐3】Chen Penbin has completed ultramarathons (超级马拉松)on all seven continents (大洲).The Antarctic Ice Marathon last November is one of the hardest races Chen has ever run. However，he finished the race in 13 hours，57 minutes and 46 seconds，taking the first place. Although he was unable to break the record of about 11 hours，he achieved an amazing life goal by completing ultramarathons on seven continents during four years and five months.

Chen was born in a fishing village on an island. He joined his brother in the fishing boat when he was 13.After working as a fisherman for nine years，he found another job in a factory and developed the hobby of jogging between his home and the factory，a 10－kilometer trip，every day. Chen came to realize he had a special talent for running.

“I have many goals to achieve since there are so many contests in different countries. I hope that I can run until I'm 60 years old，and if I fail to do so，I have no problem going back to be a fisherman again.”

【推荐1】My friend, Emma Daniels, spent the summer of 1974 traveling in Israel. During her month-long stay in Jerusalem she often went to a café called Chocolate Soup. It was run by two men, one of whom, Alex, used to live in Montreal. One morning when Emma went in for coffee, while chatting with her new friend Alex, she mentioned that she had just finished the book she was reading and had nothing else to read. Alex said he had a wonderful book she might like, and that he'd be happy to lend it to her. As he lived just above the café, he quickly ran up to get it. The book he handed to Emma just minutes later was Markings, a book by a former Secretary General of the United Nations (UN).        

Emma had never read it, nor had she ever bought a copy. But, when she opened it up, she was surprised to see her own name and address inside the cover in her own handwriting. It turned out that the summer before, at a concert back in Montreal, Emma had met a Californian who was in town visiting friends. They decided to exchange addresses, but neither of them had any paper. The man opened up a book he was carrying in his backpack and asked Emma to write her name and address inside. When he returned to California, he left the book behind in Montreal, and his friend Alex kept it. When Alex later moved to Jerusalem, he took the book along.

【推荐2】March 5 is Lei Feng Day. People are encouraged to help others and to learn from Lei Feng.

This year, my classmates and I went to do some cleaning in a street. We finished our work, took photos and talked with some people about their lives. One old lady said she remembered how all students used to do helpful work in the street. Another told us that when she was young, she and her friends would do a lot of simple things to help others. They would help people carry things or fix broken chairs at school.” But things have changed over the years. The young students don't really understand the spirit of Lei Feng,” she continued, “To do good things because they are told to and take photos to put on the school websites.”

Her words made me think. We have been told to do things to help others on Lei Feng Day. But none of the love and care came from our own hearts. We should believe that everyone can make a difference. We don't need cameras or praise(表扬). We can do better if we keep spirit of Lei Feng inside ourselves. “ Learn from Lei Feng” should not be a yearly fad. Everyone should carry out their good behaviors（行为）all year around and we will have a better life.

【推荐3】Good advice can help people make better decisions(决定). When someone asks you for advice, you should take it seriously and try your best to give good advice. Sometimes you should remember what your mother taught you: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all, because bad advice may have terrible results. There are some ways for you to give advice.

☆Listen to the person asking you for advice. Every situation(情况) is special, so never think you know all about a problem. Listen to the person who wants advice, and learn as much as possible about the situation.

☆Put yourself in others' shoes. Think about what you will do if you are in the same situation. Don't just depend on(依赖) your experiences to give advice.

☆Think about the results of taking and not taking your advice. When possible, think twice about all the possible results. This is more important for really difficult problems.

☆Understand that the person may not take your advice. Someone asks for your advice, but he or she may not take it. When you give advice, the idea is to give someone the tools( 方法) to make their own decision, not make the decision for them. The person knows more about the situation than you do, so your advice may not be the best. Don't be surprised when a person doesn't take your advice. Live with it, and let the person live with his or her decision.

☆Don't be afraid to let the person know that you don't have anything to say if you are not able to give any advice. Take some time to think about it. You may share your thoughts later.