2 . Some high school students think it useless to receive higher education. Therefore, they choose not to go to college. If you're one of them, think again. Here are some reasons why you should go to college and receive a good education there.

Schools and universities are the first places to get knowledge. We take that knowledge later on to build our careers after graduation. More knowledge will be gained after you start working, but without education, that job will not be within easy reach. Knowledge leads to knowledge.

While limited within the walls of the educational places, we openly explore other cultures of the world! We come to know that ours is not the only culture. Other cultures have valuable things to share, enriching our own. Education also makes us want to travel and exchange with various cultures, getting more experience.

When there's a recession in the economy（经济）, those who attended college will be more likely to find a new job than those who only finished high school and have a limited skills set. The more education you have, the more chances you will get to improve the quality of your life as you have a better job and earn a higher salary.

When you're skillful and knowledgeable, you gain access to people of similar backgrounds and tastes. It means a good education leads to excellent networking. Good networking can benefit you a lot in your later life.

A good education makes you a more interesting person. You can talk about ideas and events instead of just other people and what's on sale in stores. An educated person doesn't gossip（说闲话）, having a preference to discuss ideas and listen to what other people have to say.

3 . A couple had a son eleven years after they married. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eye. When the boy was around four years old, one day the father was very tired after work so he asked his wife to pick up their son. The mother, who was very busy in the kitchen, totally forgot about it.

Later the boy lost his way on the street. When the son was found missing, the mother hurried to look for him, but she didn’t find him. The mother felt very sad and didn’t know how to face her husband.

When the father went to the police station after hearing that the son was missing, he looked at his wife and said just four words. What do you think the four words were? The husband just said "I love you, darling."

The son was missing. If he had picked him up earlier, this would not have happened. There is no point in blaming (责备) anyone. His wife had also lost her only child. What his wife needed at that moment was comfort and understanding from her husband. That is what the husband gave his wife. Several weeks later, with the help of the police, the couple finally found their lost son. The family’s relationship became stronger over that time.

Sometimes we spend lots of time asking who is to blame. We miss many chances to give each other support and let each other feel the warmth of human relationships. Get rid of all your unwillingness to forgive, selfishness, and fears and you will find the world is much more wonderful.

4 . Norm Pethrick, a 36-year-old man in Australia’s northern city Darwin, was praised on Thursday for jumping onto a crocodile’s back to save his wife Wendy at Litchfield National Park, a popular tourist spot southwest of Darwin, a local newspaper reported.  Ms Pethrick was standing on a river bank Wednesday afternoon when the saltwater crocodile lunged (扑), locking its jaws on both her legs as it tried to drag her underwater.

Norm Pethrick, who with his wife had been collecting water, immediately went to help her. He jumped onto the back, poked (戳) the eyes of the crocodile and finally got his wife free.

Ms Pethrick was later taken to Royal Darwin Hospital for a medical treatment. The doctors said she was suffering eight puncture wounds (伤口) in her right leg, a puncture wound in her left leg and a serious cut to one of her fingers.

“This could have been a fatal and tragic situation,” said the general manager of Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH), Dr Len Notaras, according to a local report. He said Ms Pethrick was saved by her husband’s “quick and diligent actions”.

Dr Notaras also said she would remain in hospital for three to four days and have an operation to clean the wounds, which are easy to get infected(感染) because of bacteria (细菌) on the teeth of the crocodile.

5 . Our body clock, or natural body rhythm(节奏), influences our energy and alertness（警惕性）. Paying attention to it can help us choose the suitable time of day when we best perform specific tasks.

The reality, however, is that most of us organize their time around work demands, school deadlines, commuting or social events. Doing whatever your body feels like doing is a luxury in today's fast-paced modern society.

But that doesn't mean it isn't worth trying. Obeying our body clock has significant health benefits. Disrupting our natural body rhythm, on the other hand, has been linked to problems such as depression, obesity, or headache, says Steve Key, a biology professor.

When the body clock can synchronize (使……同步) the rhythms of its natural processes, it ''gives us an advantage in daily life'', says Key.

According to him, when it comes to cognitive (认知的) work, most adults perform best in the late morning. As our body temperature starts to rise just before awakening in the morning and continues to increase until midday, our memory, alertness and concentration gradually improve.

However, he adds, our ability to concentrate typically starts to decrease soon thereafter. Most of us are more easily distracted (分心) between noon and 4 pm.

Alertness also tends to fall after eating a meal and sleepiness tends to peak around 2 pm, making that a good time for a nap.

Surprisingly, tiredness may increase our creative powers. For most adults, problems that require open-ended thinking are often best dealt with in the evening when they are tired, according to a study in the journal Thinking & Reasoning.

When choosing a time of day to exercise, paying attention to your body clock can improve results. Physical performance is usually best from about 3 to 6 pm, says Michael Smolensky, a professor of biomedical engineering.

Of course, not everyone's body clock is the same, making it even harder to synchronize natural rhythms with daily plans.

7 . Being a teenager is a difficult challenge. You frequently jump up and down between childhood and adulthood, testing parental(父母的) power and then depending on it. Parents often do not know what to expect. Many often find it difficult to understand your growing need for independence.

Some adults and parents view adolescence as a period of friction, change and problems. For you, it’s a time of concern about acne(粉刺), weight problems, late or early development, or school pressures and so on．

It’s easy to understand why many find this a difficult time．But once it’s over, you realize that most of your parents’ “irritating” behavior was caused by feelings of love and concern. Yes, adolescence can be a suffering time. But how to make this period will less suffering and find more fun．Here are a few tips:

◆Be honest with your feelings．Your parents are a great resource of support and knowledge, but they don’t know what’s going on in your life if you don’t tell them．

◆ If your parents upset you by setting a curfew(宵禁)or by grounding you, don’t immediately take the defensive side. If you start yelling or crying, you won’t be able to express your important feelings. Make sure you talk to your parents when you’re not emotionally upset.

◆Calmly tell your parents what’s on your mind. Try not to use “you” statements like, “You don’t give me enough freedom” or “You’re never happy with anything I do.” These types of criticizing statements will only cause more conflict(冲突)．Instead use “I” statements such as “When I go out with my friends, your early curfew makes me feel as if you don’t trust me,” or “Sometimes I feel hurt when you don’t give me credit for being responsible.”

◆Listen to what your parents have to say.If they say something you disagree with ,don’t immediately overreact(反应过度)．Give them a chance to express their feelings and then calmly explain why you may disagree with them．If you’re getting a chance to express yourself, it’s only fair to give the same opportunity to your parents．

8 . In America, each of the states likes to promote themselves with a slogan(口号). I currently live in Utah, where the slogan is “Life Elevated.” It’s a nod to outdoor entertainment in the high country, including the ski industry. I previously lived in Colorado, a land with red dirt, great mountains and golden plains. The slogan there is “Colorful Colorado.” Years ago I lived in the “Peach State” of Georgia, and I grew up in New Mexico as a little boy, whose slogan is “ Land of Enchantment(魔力).”

We never seemed to get away from dust in New Mexico, so I appreciate the story of a newcomer to the Land of Enchantment who learned about dusty breezes．She was visiting an antique shop and the owner wiped down every item before showing it．The newcomer said, “Everything gets dusty here pretty quickly, doesn’t it?”

“That’s not dust, honey,” the shop owner replied．“That’s ENCHANTMENT.”

Here was a person who took a negative and turned it into something humorous．That made the problem more acceptable, or at least live with．A Hong Kong shopping center manager was informed that an escalator(电动扶梯)broke．He posted a sign to warn customers．He chose not to use the traditional “Out of Order’’ or “Do Not Use” warnings．Instead, his sign read, “This Escalator Is Temporarily a Stairway.” He turned a minus into humor and made it a plus．

And in fact there are some things, like the weather, we can’t change. All we can change is our ways that we think and feel about them. I believe one of the best techniques to do this is to find some humor in the situation. Finding something amusing or enjoyable of a difficulty, an irritation or a troublesome problem can be one of the most creative and effective things we can do. Sometimes the only sense you can make of a situation is a sense of humor.

9 . Americans are pound of their variety and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?

Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian clothes. People have become conditioned to expect superior quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears uniform tends to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a barber, or a waiter to lose professional identity than to step out of uniform?

Uniforms also have many practical good points. For example, they are often more comfortable and more lasting than civilian clothes.

Primary among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they tend to think, speak, and act similarly, on the job at least.

Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes. Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.