Zhang Heng was a famous scientist in the history of China. His invention Hou Feng Seismometer was a great success and it helped us understand the world better.

    Eric didn't know he was going to help a blue whale today. As soon as he finished his homework, Eric jumped onto his bicycle and rode off in the direction of the beach. While he was riding along, he thought about the blue whales. He hoped he would see them again today.

    After he got to the beach, Eric hid his bicycle behind a bush (灌木丛) so that no one could see it from the road. Then he ran down onto the sand. The sky was growing dark. Eric frowned (皱眉). If it rained, he wouldn't be able to see the blue whales because they would stay in deeper water. He hurried along the beach to the rocks. They were the best place to watch me blue whales because of their height. Before Eric reached the rocks, he felt a drop of water on his head. "Oh, no! Now the blue whales will stay in the deep water and l won't be able to watch them!"

    But just then he saw a large shape on the beach. It was a young blue whale! The whale had come too close to the shore and got stuck (被困) on the beach! At first the blue whale didn't move at all and Eric thought it was dead. Then he saw its tail move weakly. Eric turned and ran through the rain as fast as he could back to his bicycle. He had to get help to get the blue whale back in the water soon, or it would die and Eric couldn't let that happen…

    Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches!

    The driver of the other car, who almost caused a big accident, started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call "The Law of the Garbage Truck."

    Many people are like garbage (rubbish) trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy with what you did.

    I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets? It was that day

    I said, "I'm not going to do anymore."

    Successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? If you let more garbage trucks pass you by, you'll be happier. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't.

    I remember one day in primary school, there were five of us who wanted to sit together and only one four-seated table. I, sadly, was the last to get my lunch, so I had to eat my food all alone at a table. Watching them laugh and have a good time while I was sitting by myself, I cried hard. Now, I am quite sure I overreacted a little bit that day, but my tears (眼泪) just show what everyone feels when he or she is alone at lunch or even in life.

    I had another lonely lunch situation in high school. There was not enough room for me at my usual table, so I had to sit with another group of students I had never talked to in my life. Now, I am not saying I heard some wonderful ideas that day, but I did hear quite new ones on life. It was really one of my most interesting lunchtime experiences.

    The point is, at least I sat with someone that day. I did not have to suffer (忍受)through eating my cold turkey sandwich all alone. No one felt pity for me, and I was not shy about having no friends.

    This lunch table is the same as life. No one wants to go through life on his or her own whether it is at lunch, class, or work, we all want to be included. So the next time you see one quietly sitting alone, you can invite him to sit with you. You could hear some interesting stories, and you could even possibly find a new great friend.