Some time ago, an old businessman had a large store in Boston. He wanted a boy to work for him, and he put an advertisement in the newspaper. The next morning, many boys came to the old man's office, asking for the job.

 There was a post(柱子)by his desk, and there was a nail(钉子）in it. He took a walking stick and said, "Everyone has three chances. If anyone can hit the nail on the head with this stick more than once, I will give him the job."The boys thought it was easy. They all tried, but nobody could make it. So the old man said, "I'm sorry I can't take any of you."And they left.

  He kept the advertisement in the paper, and the next morning many more boys came, and among them he saw a thin boy who had been there the day before. The boy hit the nail successfully for three times. The old man felt surprised and asked how he did that. "Yes," said the boy, "I failed yesterday, but I thought that if I kept on trying a while, I could do it. So I went home and practiced hitting a nail with a stick till I could do it, and I got up very early this morning, and tried again."

 The old man said, "You are the boy for me." And he gave him the job. Whatever the boy had to do, he tried to do his best. It was not very long before he became the best clerk in the store.

Answer the questions according to the passage.

     John is from London. He is 8 years old this year. His father is a waiter and his mother works on a farm. He is a pupil of Grade One.

     It's Monday today. Miss King is teaching them to count from one to ten. John is working hard in class. Soon he can count them. Miss King is very glad and asks him, “How many people are there in your family, John?” John stands up and says, “Two, Miss King.” “Who are they?” “My father and mother.” “Oh?” Miss King is surprised and says, “There are three people in your family.” “But now I'm not at home. I'm at school, you know!”

Your nose has many important jobs, and is always busy.

Smelling

    Smelling helps you gather information about the world around you. A good scent (气体),like flowers, brings you pleasure. A bad scent, like smoke or sour milk, warns you of danger. Most things around you release scent particles (微粒) into the air. These invisible chemicals enter the nose when you breathe. Nerves in the nose send information to the brain to identify a smell. You are able to recognize thousands of smells.

Breathing

    Most of the air you breathe enters through your nose. The nose uses hair and mucus (粘液) to clean dust and germs (细菌) out of the air. The air that enters your nose contains oxygen. Your body uses oxygen to unlock the energy in the food you eat.  Even when you sleep, your body needs energy to keep your heart beating and your brain working.

Tasting

    Your nose helps you enjoy food. Flavor is a mixture of taste and smell. The smell of the food helps you identify what you are eating. The sense of smell contributes more to (贡献) food flavor than the sense of taste .When you are sick and have a stuffy nose, your food doesn't taste as good because without smell, food loses most of its flavor.

Smell memory

    Smells can bring back memories. Your brain uses a process to create a picture in your mind from the odors(气味)you smell. Smells can affect your feelings because the part of the brain that helps you identify smells is close to the area that affects your emotions, mood and memory. More smell memories are collected as you get older.

    Your nose has many important jobs, and is more than just a smeller!

    In Sydney, Australia, there lived a man called Mark Simon. Mark enjoyed betting so much that he would bet on anything. One day, Mark showed a frog to a stranger. He bet the stranger $60 that the frog could jump farther and faster than any other one in Sydney. The stranger said he would bet Mark if he had a frog. Mark left his frog with the stranger and went to find a frog for the stranger. The stranger opened the frog's mouth and put a bag of sand into it Soon Mark came back with a frog for the stranger. The two frogs were put on the floor and given a push. To Mark's surprise, the stranger's frog jumped off smartly but his frog just sat there. Mark had to give $60 to the stranger. After the stranger left, Mark picked up the frog, and found it quite heavy. He turned it upside down, and the bag of sand came out He knew he had been fooled and started running after the stranger.

    When we are talking to someone, we tend to change someone else's mind to our way of thinking. And we may often find it difficult to do that. So here are five tips on how to change someone's mind.

    The first one is never to turn the conversation into an argument. It should be a conversation where you show your opinions and the facts that you've collected. By showing them the facts, we want to tell other people that we are right. But emotionally, they may not totally agree with what you say. So when you are trying to change someone's mind, try to keep it as a conversation and not an argument.

    The second tip is never to say that you are wrong. If someone makes a statement that you think is wrong, it's better to point it out by saying, “I thought otherwise but I might be wrong, let's look at the facts.” The key is to say that you might be wrong, not that you are wrong. This opens up the other person to look at the data again and shows them that you're not bullheaded (顽固的) and that you're not going to change your opinion. You're showing them that you are open to new ideas and this is super important in changing someone else's mind to your way of thinking.

    Tip number three is to get the other person saying yes as fast as possible. You may begin your conversation on hobbies that you guys have, something that they're crazy about, something that gets them saying yes. Because the more that you get them to say yes now, the more likely they are to say yes in the future. A conversation like this will get them to start to like you and maybe even more open up to ideas that you have. It builds up trust between the two of you.

    Tip number four is to let the other person do a great amount of talking. If you let them talk more, you're going to show that you actually care about their opinions and ideas, which will earn their respect in the end. By listening to them, you're going to create a friendly relationship and build trust. So when you express your opinions, they will also show a willingness to listen. Never interrupt them when they are talking. Just listen patienly with an open mind, encourage them to talk even more and more so that when it's your tum to talk, they'll listen and say nothing.

    The last tip is to let the other person feel like the idea was theirs. It's wiser to make suggestions and let someone else come to the conclusion, then they have a sense of pride that it's their idea. Giving someone the data and letting them come to the conclusion let them feel like it is their idea and they are proud of it.

    Title: How to change someone else's mind

    Earthquakes often happen and you may hear about the earthquake in Songyuan of Jilin Province these days. So we must know some advice about protecting ourselves.

⑴You should do earthquake practice and teach your children about earthquake safety. Everyone in the family should do some earthquake practice often. It's very important.  {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

⑵It's necessary to prepare yourself and your family. All family members should know how to turn off gas, water and electricity and know useful telephone numbers(120, 110, 119, etc)  {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

⑶If you are indoors, quickly move to a safe place in the room such as under a strong desk or a strong table. The purpose is to protect yourself from falling objects. Stay away from windows, large mirrors and so on. If you are cooking, turn off the gas.  {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

⑷If you are outdoors, move to an open area like a playground. Move away from buildings, bridges and trees. If you are driving, stop the car as soon as possible, stay away from bridges and tall buildings. Stay in your car.  {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

⑸Once the shaking has stopped, DO NOT run out of the buildings at once. It's better to wait and leave when it is safe. If your building is badly broken, you should leave it.  {#blank#}5{#/blank#}