Last summer holiday, I got a job working at a coffee shop.

    One rainy day, one of my regular customers(顾客）camein. He looked upset. He said he wanted to get in bed, pull the sheets(被单) up over his head, and stay there for a few years. I knew that he was unhappy.

    Before he left, I handed him a bag along with his iced coffee. He was surprised, since he hadn't ordered anything but coffee. I had given him his favorite type of doughnut(油炸圏饼).

  "It's on me," I told him. "Have a nice day. "

    He smiled and thanked me before heading into the rain.

    The next day, it was still raining. I spent my afternoon hanging out the window handing people their orders. I was wet and cold. Worse, no one was tipping(给小费）that day.

    In the evening, the customer from the day before drove up to the window. He handed me a pink rose and a note. He said that not many people took time to care about others today. With a friendly wave, he drove away.

    I ran to the back of the shop and read the note. It read:

Christine，

    Thanks for being so sweet, kind yesterday. It is so nice to meet someone who's so nice. Please don't change your ways! Have a great day!

—Hank

    After that, whenever I felt upset, I thought of Hank and his kindness. Then I would smile，hold my head up high, clear my throat and ask politely, "How can I help you?"

根据短文理解，选择正确答案。

Who is the greatest teacher in Chinese history? Many people would think of Confucius(孔子), whose birthday was September 28. Although he lived over 2, 000 years ago, people still remember and respect him for his contribution(贡献) to the education today.

Confucius lived in the Kingdom of Lu, which lies in Shandong Province. He lived during the Spring and Autumn Period. He had a hard childhood. His father died when he was only 3. His mother brought him up. As a child, he had to work to help his mother, but young Confucius didn't give up studying. He visited many famous teachers and learned music, history, poetry and sports.

Later, he became a teacher and started the first public school in Chinese history. At that time only children from noble families could go to school, but Confucius believed everyone should go to school if they wanted to learn. He had about 3, 000 students in his lifetime.

Today, people still follow Confucius' lessons. He told us that we all have something worthy to be learned. “When I am with three people, one of them must be better than me in some areas. I choose their good qualities and follow them.”

    He also taught us that thinking is very important in study. “All study but no thinking makes people puzzled (困惑的). All thinking but no study makes people lazy.”

Confucius is not only a great teacher, but also a famous thinker with wise thoughts about the world and society. His most important teachings are about kindness and good manners. “A person should be strict with himself, but be kind to others.” he said.

    A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin (顽童) was walking around the shining car. "Is this your car, sir?" he asked. Paul answered, "Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas."

    The boy was surprised. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it did cost you nothing? Sir, I wish…" He hesitated (犹豫). Paul thought of course he knew what the boy wanted, but what the boy said surprised him greatly. "I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."

    Paul looked at the boy in surprise, and then he said. "Would you like to take a ride in my car?" "Oh yes, I'd love to," the boy answered.

    After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, "Sir, would you mind driving in front of my house?" Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbours that he could ride home in a big car.

    But Paul was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled (残疾的) brother. He sat down on the step and pointed to the car.

    "There he is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I'm going to give you one just like it. Then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about."

    Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed elder brother climbed in beside him and the three began an unforgettable holiday ride.

    A little boy almost thought of himself as the unluckiest child in the world because he was born with a lame (瘸的) leg. He seldom played with his classmates and always lowered his head without a word.

    One spring, the boy's father gave each child a small tree to plant." Whoever grows the best tree will get a favorite gift," he said to them. Seeing his brothers and sisters watering the trees happily in the garden, he had a terrible idea: he hoped the tree he planted would die soon. So he never cared about it.

    A few days later, he was surprised to find it not only didn't die, but also grew some fresh leaves, and it looked greener and healthier than the others. He got a favorite gift and was told by his father: from the tree he planted, he would become a great botanist (植物学家). One night, looking at the bright moonlight outside the window, he suddenly remembered what his teacher once said: most plants grew at night. Why not go to see the lovely tree? When he came to the garden, he found his father was watering his tree carefully. At that time, he understood: his father had secretly taken good care of his shall tree! He returned to his room with tears (泪水) running out.

    Many years passed. The little boy didn't become a botanist, but he was known as a great president of the United States. His name was Franklin Roosevelt.

In 2004, Zhang Guimei saw a girl sitting silently on the side of a road on a cold morning, with a broken basket at her side.

Zhang, a local high school teacher, asked what was wrong. The girl told Zhang that she wanted to go to school, but her family was too poor to afford it. Zhang went to the 14-year-old girl's home and advised her parents to allow their daughter to continue schooling. However, they finally refused her. Unable to help, Zhang left. With the teenager always on her mind, Zhang was trying to work out how to help the local girls.

She came up with the idea of building a girls-only high school where students wouldn't have to pay anything. In 2007, Zhang attended an important meeting. She spoke, through media, to the public about her long-hidden dream. With the support from the local government and warm-hearted people, Huaping Girls' High School was opened in 2008. On the first day of the new school year, 100 students entered the school, most of whom were from mountainous areas. Since she started the school, Zhang Guimei has visited more than 1,600 families, traveled more than110,000 kilometers, and walked to many places to encourage parents to send their daughters to school for more than 15 years, so the girls could improve their education to change their lives.

Thanks to Zhang's efforts to help the students improve their studies, many of them were able to get offers from universities. Zhang Guimei worked silently for years, helping more than 1,800 girls in poor mountainous areas realize their dreams.