(Q = Question; A = Answer)

    Situation I

    Q: If someone sits right next to me in an empty movie theater, is it rude to move?

    A: Maybe, but nobody will fault you for it. Chances are that close sitter doesn't realize he disturbs you, so he may miss your annoyance. You undoubtedly aren't the first person he's met who needs enough room. Forgive his bad judgment, move quietly and enjoy the show.

    Situation II

    Q: If I use the bathroom at a store, do I need to buy something?

    A: Consider frequency and urgency. Is this a one-time or an emergency? If so, you don't have to buy anything, but it would be kind if you did. However, if you regularly use the bathroom at this place, then you are a customer, and you should act like one.

    Situation III

    Q: If someone is talking loudly on the bus, is there a nice way to ask him to keep it down?

    A: No. Try other means.1) Stare at him until he gets aware of it and quiets down. 2) Lift your finger in a silence motion(动作)and smile. 3) Put on earphones and ignore him.

    Situation IV

    Q: If I remember my friend's birthday a day late, should I apologize or just wish her a happy birthday like nothing happened?

    A: This is the reason why the word belated was invented. "Happy belated birthday!" is short for: "Well, I know I forgot, but then I remembered. Forgive me and happy birthday."

    Situation V

    Q: Can I lie about seeing a text because I was too busy or lazy to respond(回复) to it?

    A: Don't lie. Receiving a text does not mean you need to respond to it. Why waste a perfectly good lie when the truth will serve? "Yes," you can say if ever asked, "I saw it." No explanation is needed as to why you don't respond.

    A golf tournament (锦标赛) isn't held every day and thus, as an organizer, you have to put on a great show for those who wait for it.

    Preparations before the Tournament

    An important thing you need to note down at this stage here is that once you start advertising an event, the event has actually begun for the audience. At this stage, you need to decide what you are going to call this event. You should make the name and the advertisement special, so that people will give them a second look. Depending on your economic situation, you need to decide whether you want to hold this event for amateurs or for experts. The next thing is to choose a proper place to hold the tournament.

    Plan of Action during the Event

    While the players are on court, you have to make sure that everything they might need is made available to them. Since golf is a sport that is played in the open, guests should be given drinks from time to time, preferably a drink of their choice. There should also be enough dustbins to keep the court clean. The things the guests need, from extra equipment to drinks, should not be put off for any reason. Announcement of some contests, lucky draws and prizes during the event will add to the entertainment of the tournament. Another one of the successful golf tournament ideas is an auction (拍卖) of some particular things during the game. You can get some equipment signed from the players.

    Post Tournament Necessities

    Now that the tournament is over, you need to keep a small after-party in the form of a dinner. During this party, the guests can actually communicate with the players and congratulate those who won.

A Letter that Changed My Life

    I was about 30 years old and was working as a firefighter in the South Bronx's Engine Co. 82. It was a restful Sunday and between alarms I rushed to the office to read a copy of the New York Times. I read an article on the Book Review section which openly stated what I took to be a calumny – that William Butler Yeats had gone beyond his Irishness and was forever to be known as a universal poet. As I read it, my blood began to boil.

    There were few things I was more proud of than my Irish heritage, and ever since I first picked up a book of his poems from a shelf when I was in the military, Yeats had been my favorite Irish writer, followed by Sean O'Casey and James Joyce.

    I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote out a letter of anger to the editor. Throughout Yeats' poetry, his view of the world and the people in it was basically Irish. He had lived his life and written his poetry through the very essence of his Irish sensibility. It was offensive to think Irishness was something to be transcended(超越).

    I don't know why I felt it my duty to safeguard the reputation of the world's greatest poet. I just knew that I had to write that letter.

    After my letter got published, I received a letter from The New Yorker, asking for an interview. When my article Fireman Smith appeared in that magazine, the editor of a large publishing firm called me, asking if I was interested in writing a book about my life. I had little confidence to write a whole book, though the subject was worthy. I wrote Report From Engine Co. 82 in six months, and it sold really well. In the years that followed, I wrote three more best-sellers.

    Being a writer had been far from my expectations. How had it happened? I often found myself thinking about it, and my thoughts always came back to that letter to the New York Times. For me, the writing was a natural consequence of the passion I felt and the subjects represented the great values burning within me as I wrote.

    Over the years, my five children have come to me with one dilemma or another. My answer is always the same. Think about what you're feeling and measure the heat of the fire in your heart, for that is your passion. Your education and your experience will guide you toward making a right decision, but your passion will enable you to make a difference in whatever you do. That's what I learned the day I stood up for Ireland's greatest poet.

    "I feel unlikable, lonely and hopeless," said Lisa, a bright teenager from a loving home. "It seems that nobody wants to become my friend. What's wrong with me?"

    Like Lisa, many of us experience loneliness. The truth is that all people, no matter what their age or character — even the most outgoing, wealthy and popular — experience loneliness at least sometimes. It's healthy and natural to want to be around people who care. After all, we've all heard "No man is an island." That's true. We all need others in our lives.

    Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, explains that if we want friends, we must be friendly and reach out to others. But it has risk. Because we are often afraid of rejection (拒绝), many of us are unwilling to reach out to others. We take a safer way and wait for others to make friends with us. But if we want friends, we've got to get beyond this.

If making friends is your goal as well, you need to consider taking some measures (措施).

    Be willing to take the initiative (主动权). If you see someone whom you would like to know, don't wait for her to make the first move. Get close to her and begin a conversation. Let her know in a non­aggressive (无攻击性的) way that you are interested in being friends with her.

    Reach out to those who are lonely. When you see someone at school sitting alone, go over and talk to her. And don't let popularity decide whom you reach out to. You'll often be surprised at the beautiful qualities behind a shy appearance.

    Ask questions. Start your first conversation by asking this possible friend what she likes to do or asking about her family. Be sure to ask questions that cannot be replied with "yes" or "no". For example, don't ask "Do you have a dog?" Instead, say "So, tell me about your pets." Avoiding asking "yes" or "no" questions makes your possible friend not end your communication with a one­word answer.

    The saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover, means you should not guess the worth or value of something based on how it looks. That message was clear at a recent event called the Human Library Project. The event took place at the Northern Virginia, or NoVa, Community College, outside of Washington. D. C.

    The Human Library began 19 years ago in Denmark. It grew from a youth organization called "Stop the Violence". Today, it is a worldwide movement. At the NoVa event, students got the chance to learn from a person—a "human book"—instead of a library book.

    Patricia Cooper organized the event. She said that human books celebrate variety by telling their life stories in an easy-going setting. "The goal of the human library is to talk to people in your community who you may otherwise not speak to because you have your own prejudices (偏见) and hopefully to break down some of these barriers."

    This is the third year that NoVa has held such an event. The collection of human books included a civil rights activist, a scientist from the American space agency NASA, and an opera singer.

    Artist Brian Dailey was a human book. He spoke about his travels to 113 countries in seven years. Dailey said that, during his travels, he asked people whom he took pictures of for a one-word answer to a series of other words—such as love, freedom and war. He discovered that people in different countries often had very different reactions to the same word.

    When Dailey asked people in Africa about the word "war" they used words like justice, liberation and peace. When he asked the same question to people in Syrian refugee camps, the answer was: "tears, hunger, fear, destruction".