I think the most terrible thing in life for my little brother is getting up in the morning. He is almost sick when my mother calls, "Herbert! It's seven o'clock! Get up!"

    Herbert answers, "I'm coming!" and goes right back to sleep. I'm not at all like my brother. I don't like to go to bed at night but I don't mind getting up in the morning.

    I usually wake up before my mother calls me. I jump out of bed and go into the bathroom to take a shower. I great dressed, brush my teeth, comb my hair, and get ready to go down stairs for breakfast as soon as my mother calls.

    But not Herbert. He just sleeps. A military band (军乐队) in our bedroom could not wake him up. I call him and say, "Get up!" Mum will be up here to pull you out of bed if you don't get up quickly.

    But he just sleeps. After calling a few more times my mother has to come upstairs and pull Herbert out of bed. It's that way every day with my little brother. Perhaps some day he'll learn to get up on time, but I really don't think so.

    This story happened three years ago. Jack was an eight-year-old boy at that time. He was a good pupil. He was good at every subject at school. But he could not get up early. He often slept until nine or ten o'clock in the morning. So he was often late for school.

    Jack's mother didn't want him to be late for school again. So she bought him a clock. She said to him,“ You must get up when you hear the clock ring.”

    “Yes, Mum.” said Jack. After that Jack got up at twenty to seven when he heard the clock ring.

    One day his mother forgot to make the clock ring at the usual time. And the next morning Jack didn't get up. It was six forty-two at that moment. It was time for breakfast. Mother went to see him. Jack was still in bed and his eyes were open.

    “Why didn't you get up?” Mother was angry.

    “You told me to get up when I heard the clock ring. So I am waiting for the bell.”

    “Mum, is the clock still sleeping?” Jack asked.

    Mr. Smith has a son. His name is Peter Smith. The young boy works in a bank in a city. He asks his father to visit the city. The old man is very happy and takes a train to the city. But he doesn't know where the bank is. He begins to look for but he can't find it.

    At a bus stop he asks an old woman "Excuse me, how can I get to the bank?" "We have ten banks in the city, which one do you want?" says the old woman.

    The old man shows the son's letter to her and the old woman says， "Walk along this road and turn left at the third crossing, then you can see the bank, It's across from a hospital."

    Mr. Smith thanks her and soon finds his son. After three days, the old man goes to the park. But he can't find the bank again. At the same bus stop he meets the same old woman and asks the same questions（问题）. "Oh, dear!" the old woman call out. "Are you still looking for your son?"

    Mr Brown got up late this morning. He was going to be late for work.

It was raining hard and the streets were wet. He drove so fast that he didn't see the red light. He couldn't stop his car and hit a car.

    An old man got out of the car and called out angrily, "What are you doing? How can you drive so fast?"

    "I'm sorry, sir, "said Mr Brown. "I didn't see the light turn red." "I will make you drunk(醉的)," he said to himself. Then he brought out a bottle of wine and gave it to the old man. "It's cold today, sir," said Mr Brown." Please drink a little, and then you'll get warm."

    The old man drank some wine and became happy. He asked, "I'm feeling much better now. Why don't you drink any?"

     "I can't drink anything now, sir, "answered Mr Brown." I'm waiting for the policeman. Only drunkards cause accidents, you know! "

Every student knows the importance of taking notes in class. But the skill of note-taking isn't only used in school. Adults also need to take notes in meetings or training courses for work. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

At the beginning of a class or meeting, write down the date and topic in your notebook. It will help you keep your notes organized.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Trying to write down everything the speaker says will only make you angry. Instead, listen for the key ideas the speaker wants to communicate.

If the speaker uses a PowerPoint, you don't need to copy the slides ( 幻灯片) {#blank#}3{#/blank#}If so, you can just write the key words the speaker says. Or you can take pictures with your mobile phone. Sometimes, the PowerPoint is provided before the class or meeting {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

Review your notes as soon as possible. In this way, you can add any information that you didn't t write down. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

Note-taking is a useful skill, so you need to practice more to do it well.

A. Pay attention to the most important points. 

B. If so, print it out so that you can write notes on it.

C. You can also review the material while it' s still fresh on your mind.

D. Here are some ways to help you develop this important skill.

E. Ask if the PowerPoint will be provided later.

①As Daddy's only daughter, I realized what made my Daddy more wonderful than all the other fathers. I'd ever seen or heard of — his large hands. 

②Daddy had long smart fingers that could make lots of paper toys for me to play with. His hands could tie my hair beautifully. That's why I was proud when the other students talked about my hairstyle. I kept this a secret for years. His hands could paint a second- hand bike to look new . I got one on my tenth birthday. His hands could cook a delicious and colorful meal in minutes. I was always interested in watching his hands work. Even as I grew hungrier, I felt happy watching his hands. 

③Daddy's creative hands were also useful and hardworking. They could fly a kite high in the sky as well as to get it down from the top of a tree. They could wash my white dress clean, which became my favorite one. To my surprise, those hands raised(抚养) seven children after mom's death. It was his attitude that showed what he really was, far more than his abilities. 

④Not only were Daddy's hands capable(能干的), they could also send a message full of love. When I was sick, he made me feel better. He would take a small blanket(毯子), warm it up and cover it around my small cold feet with his loving hands. They seemed to understand my pain before I could cry. When I was stressed out, Daddy would often hand me a cup of hot milk and sat next to me. He would say, " The best is always to come, my dear. "

⑤The more I read Daddy's hands, the more stories I sense(感知) from them. Daddy's hands were perfect. They had the knowledge and power to move mountains. They made the impossible possible.