1 . I was about 13 when an uncle gave me a copy of Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World. It was full of ideas that were new to me, so I spent the summer with my head in and out of that book. It spoke to me and brought me into a world of philosophy (哲学).

That love for philosophy lasted until I got to college. Nothing kills the love for philosophy faster than people who think they understand Foucault, Baudrillard, or Confucius better than you — and then try to explain them.

Eric Weiner’s The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers reawakened my love for philosophy. It is not an explanation, but an invitation to think and experience philosophy.

Weiner starts each chapter with a scene on a train ride between cities and then frames each philosopher’s work in the context (背景) of one thing they can help us do better. The end result is a read in which we learn to wonder like Socrates, see like Thoreau, listen like Schopenhauer, and have no regrets like Nietzsche. This, more than a book about understanding philosophy, is a book about learning to use philosophy to improve a life.

He makes philosophical thought an appealing exercise that improves the quality of our experiences, and he does so with plenty of humor. Weiner enters into conversation with some of the most important philosophers in history, and he becomes part of that crowd in the process by decoding (解读) their messages and adding his own interpretation.

The Socrates Express is a fun, sharp book that draws readers in with its apparent simplicity and gradually pulls them in deeper thoughts on desire, loneliness, and aging. The invitation is clear: Weiner wants you to pick up a coffee or tea and sit down with this book. I encourage you to take his offer. It’s worth your time, even if time is something we don’t have a lot of.

What does the author think of Weiner’s book?

An old woman had     1     cat. The cat was very old. She could not run     2    (quick), and she could not bite,     3    she was so old. One day, the old cat saw a mouse. She jumped and     4    (catch) the mouse. But she could not bite     5    , so the mouse got out     6    her mouth and ran away.

Then the old woman became very     7    (anger) because the cat did not kill the mouse. She began to hit the cat. The cat said: “Do not hit your old servant (仆人). I     8    (work) for you for many years, and I would work for you still, but I’m too old. Do not be     9    (kind) to the old, but remember     10     good work the old did when they were young.”

Over the years I     1     (teach) children about a simple but powerful concept — the ant philosophy (哲学),     2     amazing four-part philosophy.

First, ants never quit. If they’re heading somewhere and you try to stop them, they’ll climb over, they’ll climb under, and they’ll climb around. They never quit     3     (look) for a way to get where they     4     (suppose) to go. Second, ants think about winter all summer. They are always gathering their winter food in the middle of summer and they are making     5     (prepare) for the long cold winter. So you have to think about storms in summer, think about rocks     6     you enjoy the sand and sun. Third, ants think about summer all winter. During the winter, ants remind     7     (them), “This won’t last long. We’ll soon be out of here.” On the first warm day, the ants are out. If it     8     (turn) cold again, they’ll dive back down, but they come out again if it is warm. Last, how much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All that it     9     (possible) can.     10     you can learn from the ant philosophy is: Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.

5 . I was driving in my car the other day. The sun was out, the radio was playing, and I was singing along. The song was a _____ one and even my weak voice sounded good singing it. Then it _____,   however. The sweet sound of the music _____ and there came the unpleasant news. Gas prices _____ again. Fans of two sports teams got into fight. I sighed and wondered about this _____ world we live in.

_____,   I could take no more and turned off the radio. Silence seemed preferable to listening to _____ else about the crazy,   competitive society we live in. I slowed down as I entered a town and _____ the people as I drove by. A tall man was _____ an elderly lady out of a car and helping her place her walker so she could go into store in her wheelchair. A smiling woman was ______ food onto the square while a dozen birds flew down to enjoy the food being laid out before them. A young man was walking along,   carrying his ______ safely in his arms. When the daughter pulled the hat off his head,   they both ______. I laughed too as I looked at all of his ______. The radio may have been off in my car,   ______ in my heart I was still singing.

In truth, this world could have more kindness and less ______. Kindness makes us all winners in this life and our life will be full of love and joy.

It was Mother’s Day morning last year. My son, a five-year-old boy     1    ( name) Tom, and I were leaving the supermarket after shopping. Suddenly an old woman    2    (fall)over at the entrance and hit her head on the ground.Her husband was with her,but the woman was    3    (serious) hurt and shaking with pain.

At the front of the supermarket a charity group was selling some beautiful     4    (flower)to raise funds. Tom wanted    5    (buy)the lady a flower. “It will make her feel better” he said. I was    6    (surprise)that he’d come up with such a sweet idea. So we went to the flower seller to buy a flower    7    the lady. By now rescuers had arrived,and they were    8    (take) care of the injured woman. As we walked up to her,my son became scared by all the blood and medical equipment. He said he was just too scared to go up to her.

Instead I gave the flower to the woman’s husband    9    told him,“ My son was very upset for your wife and bought her this flower to cheer her up. ”At that moment,the old man was moved and said,“Thank you so much,you have     10    good son. Happy Mother’s Day to you. ”

The man then gave his wife the flower,telling her who it was from. Although badly hurt,the old lady looked up at Tenyson with thanks in her eyes and gave him a little smile.

9 . I was a shy girl. I didn’t even like to answer the telephone for fear I’d have to talk to somebody I didn’t know. I enjoyed the loneliness of exploring nature. However, at school I had to spend all day in the company of others. My escape was reading. I spend a lot of time studying and was rewarded with good grades. My only failure was Spanish — I’d get all As on my written work and tests, but Ds and Fs on the spoken part.

Eventually I went to college. During my third year of college, I had enough of being shy and determined to change my outlook and behavior. One day while at school, I noticed an advertisement for positions on the local classical music radio station. I had grown up listening to classical music, and I could easily pronounce names such as Tchaikovsky, Albinoni, and Chopin.

I had absolutely no background in radio, and absolutely no hope of getting the job. The idea of talking to thousands of listeners in “radio land” terrified me. However, I luckily survived the interview. I was given brief descriptions of symphonies (交响乐) and a public service announcement to read, and a list of composers’ names to pronounce. It wasn’t hard for me. I left the recording session (录音时段) with a sense of relief and a sense of accomplishment. About two weeks later I actually landed the job. It was a challenging job, but I grew to enjoy it greatly. I began to feel comfortable talking to people.

Although I now spend many hours each week talking with people, I’m still basically a quiet person. Perhaps it is my soft voice and my quiet nature that helps draw people out as they respond to my questions as I interview them. My former shyness is a fortune, as I can relate to people who feel discomfortable when they talk to newspaper reporters. I still enjoy moments of loneliness and the peace found in nature. But I’m also glad I decided to make a change in my life that has opened many doors and opportunities that I never knew existed.