1 . Eugenie George was a financial writer and educator from Philadelphia. When she first heard that her friend Jean passed a financial counseling exam, her heart _______ . She’d failed the same test weeks earlier, and she _______ the certificate to advance her career.

But then, instead of being _______ , she called Jean. “I told her I failed and _______ I was envious,” she said. George hoped that being honest would reduce her _______ and she was surprised that when she shifted her _______ she could share her friend’s happiness and experience her own, in turn. “I congratulated her and told her she _______ me,” she said. Jean was impressed by George’s honesty and _______ that George would share her joy. Jean expressed her gratitude and shared with George her _______ in preparing for the exam and offered some practical methods. “You can ________ me whenever in need. And I am ________ sure that you can do it next time,” Jean told George. Although the two were in different states talking on the phone, they felt they had never been so ________

Finding pleasure in another person’s good ________ will make the relationship more close and enjoyable. ________ someone else’s joy can also develop resilience(适应力), improve life ________ and help people cooperate during a conflict.

Ali and his younger sister, Zahra, lived with their parents in a poor neighborhood. Their mother was very sick and their father was struggling to find a job, and they had only a little money with which to buy food. As they had not paid the rent for several months, the landlord was breathing down their necks.

One day, Ali took Zahra's shoes to a shoe repairman to be fixed, but he lost them on the way home. It wasn’t until he got home that he realized he had lost the shoes. He was afraid that his parents would be angry and disappointed, so he begged his sister to keep it a secret. Zahra agreed and the two decided to share Ali’s running shoes. Zahra's school hours were in the morning, so she would wear them first. After school, she would rush back and give them to Ali. He could then run to his school, which began in the afternoon. Although he ran as fast as he could, Ali often arrived late and was warned by the school.

Ali heard about a long distance race that was held for the boys in the city.When he learned that the third prize was a new pair of shoes, he decided to take part. He ran home excitedly and promised his sister that he would win her the new shoes.

The day of race arrived. Ali had a strong start, but halfway through the race he began to get tired and his legs began to ache. Getting more and more exhausted he thought only of Zahra and his promise to her. Dreaming of the new shoes he would win for his sister gave him strength, and he stayed right behind the two fastest runners, determined to finish third. Suddenly, as the finish line drew near, another runner collided(碰撞) with Ali from behind and he crashed to the ground.

Ali looked up and saw the other boys rushing ahead.

Filled with delight, Ali walked home quickly.

6 . How to Make Friends

Friendship is a very important human relationship and everyone needs good friends. Good friendship has many benefits. It offers companionship, improves self-worth and promotes good health. There are times in our lives such as when we have recently moved into a new town, or changed our jobs or schools. Such changes often leave us without a friend.     1     But for many of us the process is difficult and requires courage. Below are some helpful suggestions on how to make and keep friends.

1. Associate with others.

The first step to making friends is associating with other people. You can go to public places to meet new people. Besides, you will need to make yourself known by becoming an active member of such places.

2. Start a conversation.

Starting a conversation is the second most important step in making new friends.     2     You can always start the conversation. Being able to make small talk is a very useful skill in relating with other people.

3.     3    

Choosing friends with common interests is important in building friendship as these interests would always bring you and your friend together. Hanging out will always be a pleasant experience.

4. Let it grow.

It is a good thing to stay in touch. However, try not to press your new friend with calls, messages or visits as this would likely wear him or her out and finally you may lose your friend.     4     The best friendships are the ones that grow naturally.

5. Enjoy your friendship.

The best way to enjoy your friendship is to allow your friends to be themselves.     5     Try not to change them from who they are to what you want them to be. Become the kind of friend you will want your friend to be to you.

8 . Once upon a time, a daughter________to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to________it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon________.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He________three pots with water and placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter complained and________waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes, he________the turners (开关). He took them out of the pot and put them in a bowl. Turning to his daughter, he asked, “Dear baby, what do you see now?”

“Potatoes, eggs and coffee,” she quickly replied.

“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were________. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she________ the hard-boiled eggs. Finally, he asked her to sip (抿) the coffee. “Dad, what does this really mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and the coffee beans had each faced the same boiling water. However, they________differently. They went in strong, hard, but in the boiling water, they became soft and weak. The eggs were fragile (易碎) with the thin outer shell protecting their liquid inside until they were put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the ground coffee beans were ________ . After they were________to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

“Which one are you?” he asked his daughter. “When the________ knocks on your door, how do you________? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

“Dad, I want to be a coffee bean,” said the daughter.

All his________paid off and the daughter realized that in life, challenges happen to us all, but the only thing that truly ________is what happens within us.

9 . Why do only famous people have biographies? This is the question two young sisters. 7-year-old Aishvarya, and 11-year-old Vaishali, asked their parents. They were reading famous people’s biographies in school and realized that they knew more about Beyonce, a famous singer than about their own grandparents. So they decided to do something about it.

They created “Grand Stories”, a workbook that helps grandchildren learn about their grandparents. Through answering a list of guided questions and telling stories, Grand Stories helps families learn more about each other.

This family came from India to the US, and all four grandparents live very far away. Obviously through modern technology and some family visits, these young girls know their grandparents and love them very much — but they wonder why they don’t know more about their grandparents. For example, where did they grow up, and go to school? How they married and raised their families? What were their stories? Perhaps not surprisingly, many of the stories the family wanted to know reflect the “Do you know” questions that my workmate, Marshall Duke, and I developed to study how much people know of the family history.

The sisters’ father told about the visit to India when the girls asked their own grandparents to write their biography. Because of his character, the grandfather didn’t share much during the interview. But then he stayed up all nights writing his stories, and when the father looked through the stories, he realized there was so much he’d never known about his own father! Through these stories the father felt closer to his own family.

What these two young sisters have already discovered is how much we depend on knowing our family stories to understand who we are in the world and what our strength is. You can see more about Grand Stories at www. grandstories, bigcartel. com. Whether you’re 7 or 70, it’s never too early or too late to start sharing family stories.

One day, when I was a first-year student in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kris. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, “Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd (书呆子).”

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a gang of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up, and I saw terrible sadness in his eyes.

My heart went out to him. So I jogged over to him, and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw tears in his eyes. As I handed him his glasses, I said, “They are bad guys! They really should be punished.” He looked at me and said, “Hey, thanks!” There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.

I helped him pick up his books and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to a private school before. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before, but we talked all the way home, and I carried his books.

He turned out to be a pretty cool kid.

We always hung out on weekends, and the more I got to know Kris, the more I liked him.