A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor.

The conversation soon turned into complaints about 1 in work and life. To offer his 2 coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and 3 with a large pot of coffee and a 4 of cups—plastic, glass, metal, porcelain (陶瓷), crystal, some plain-looking, some beautiful. The professor told his students to 5 themselves to hot coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, “lf you have 6, all the nice-looking expensive cups have been 7, leaving behind the plain and 8 ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the 9 of your problems and stress.”

    The professor continued, “Believe that the cup itself adds no 10 to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases it even 11 what we drink. What all of you 12 wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went 13 the best cups.”

    Now 14 this: life is the coffee; the jobs, money, and 15 in society are the cups. 16 are just tools to hold and contain life, and the different types of cups we have don't decide, nor 17 the quality of life. If we concentrate only on the cups, we will 18 to enjoy the coffee in it. So don't let the cups 19 you enjoy the coffee instead." At these words, the graduates looked at each other in 20 embarrassment.

    If you think your woman would never lie to you, guess again. From little 1 lies to the more serious variety, most women will hold back the 2 at some point in a relationship. Her motivation 3 lying can stem (起源于) from wanting to protect your feelings or, sure enough, to save her own butt (抵触).

    One day, when a seamstress（女裁缝师）was sewing 4 sitting close to a river, her thimble（顶针）fell into the river. When she cried out, the Lord 5 and asked, ‘My dear child, why are you crying?' The seamstress replied that her thimble had fallen into the water and 6 she needed it to help her husband in making a living for their family. The Lord dipped his hand into the water and 7 a golden thimble set with sapphires(蓝宝石).

    “Is this your thimble?” the Lord asked. The seamstress replied, ‘No.'The Lord again dipped into the river. He 8 a silver thimble.

    “Is this your thimble?” the Lord asked. Again, the seamstress replied, “No.”

    The Lord 9 down again and came up with a leather thimble.

    “Is this your thimble?” the Lord asked. The seamstress replied, “Yes.” The Lord was pleased with the woman's 10 and gave her all three thimbles to keep, and the seamstress went home, much 11 .

    Some years later, the seamstress was walking with her husband along the 12, and her husband fell into the river and disappeared under the water. 13 she cried out, the Lord appeared and asked her, “Why are you crying?”“Oh Lord, my husband has fallen into the river!”

    The Lord went down into the water and came up with George Clooney. “Is this your husband?”the Lord asked.

    “Yes” cried the seamstress. The Lord was 14. “You lied!” ”That is a(n) 15 !” The seamstress replied, ‘Oh, forgive me, my Lord. It is a 16. You see, if I had said ‘no' to George Clooney, you would have come up with Brad Pitt. Then if I said ‘no' to him, you would have come up with my husband. Had I then said “yes,” you would have given me 17. Lord, I'm not in the best of health and 18 be able to take care of all three husbands, 19 THAT'S why I said “yes” to George Clooney.'

    And so the Lord let her keep him.

    The 20 of this story is: Whenever a woman lies, it's for a good and honorable reason, and in the best interest of others.

    A long time ago there was a boy. He was smart, talented and handsome.  1, he was very selfish and his temper was so 2 that nobody wanted to be friends with him. Often he got angry and said various 3things to people around him.

    The boy's parents were very 4 about his bad temper. They considered what they could do and one day the father had an idea. He called his son and gave him a hammer and a bag of5.The father said: “Every time you get angry, take a nail and 6 it into that old fence as hard as you can.”

    The fence was very7and the hammer was heavy, nevertheless the boy was so angry that during the very first day he drove 37 nails.

    Day after day, week after week, the number of nails was gradually8. After some time, the boy started to understand that 9 his temper is easier than driving nails into the fence.

    One day the boy didn't 10 hammer and nails any more as he learned to hold his temper perfectly. So he came to his father and told about his11. “Now every time, when you hold your temper all day long,12 one nail”.

    Much time has passed. At last the boy could be13 of himself as all the nails were gone. When he came to his father and told about this, he14to come and take a careful look at the fence. “You did a good job, my son,15 pay your attention to the 16 that were left from the nails. The fence will 17 be the same. The same happens when you say hurtful things to people, as your words leave18 in their hearts like those holes in the fence. Remember, we need to 19 everyone with love and respect. It doesn't 20 that you say you are sorry, because the scars will not disappear.

    When I saw Yosemite National Park for the first time at the age of 13, I was crazy about it. My parents took us there for camping. On the way out, I asked them to wait while I ran up to El Capitan, a 1 rock of 3,300 feet straight up. I touched that giant rock and knew 2 I wanted to climb it. That has been my life's passion (钟爱) ever since —— 3 the rocks and mountains of Yosemite. I've long made Yosemite my 4.

    About 15 years ago I started seeing a lot of 5, like toilet paper, beer cans, and empty boxes, around the area. It's 6 me why visitors started respecting the place 7 and treated such a beautiful home-like place this way.

    I tried 8 trash myself, but the job was too big. I would 9 an hour or two on the job, only to find the area trashed all over again weeks later. Finally, I got so 10 it that I decided something had to change.

    As a rock-climbing guide, I knew 11 about organizing any big event. But in 2004, together with some climbers, I set a date for a 12. On that day, more than 300 people 13. Over three days we collected about 6,000 pounds of trash. It was amazing how much we were able to 14. I couldn't believe the 15 we made —— the park looked clean!

    Each year volunteers come for the cleanup from everywhere. In 2007 alone, 2,945 people picked up 42,330 pounds of trash and 16 132 miles of roadway.

    I often hear people 17 about their surroundings. If you are one of them, I would say the only way to change things is by 18 rather than complaining. We need to teach by 19. You can't blame others 20 you start with yourself.

    Everyone has something that he or she cherishes a lot.

    Dad had a green comb. He bought it when he married Mum. Every night, he would hand me his 1 and say, "Good girl, help Daddy clean it, OK?"

    I was 2 to do it. At age five, this dull task brought me such 3. I would excitedly turn the tap 4 and brush the comb carefully. Satisfied that I'd done a good job, I would happily return the comb to Dad. He would 5 affectionately at me and place the comb on his wallet.

    Two years later, Dad started his own 6, which wasn't doing so well. That was when things started to 7. Dad didn't come home as early and as much as he used to. Mum and I became 8with him for placing our family in trouble. With 9 , an uncomfortable silence grew between us.

    After my graduation, Dad's business was getting back on track. On my 28th birthday, Dad came home 10. As usual, I helped him carry his bags into his study. When I turned to leave, he said, "Hey, would you help me 11 my comb?" I looked at him a while, then 12 the comb and headed to the sink.

    It hit me then: why, as a child, 13 Dad clean his comb was such a pleasure. That routine meant Dad was home early to 14 the evening with Mum and me. It 15 a happy and loving family.

    I passed the clean comb back to Dad. He smiled at me and 16 placed his comb on his wallet. But this time, I noticed something 17. Dad had aged. He had wrinkles (皱纹) next to his eyes when he smiled, 18 his smile was still as 19 as before, the smile of a father who just wanted a good 20 for his family.

    I believe that life's toughest lessons are best learned through personal experience. Throughout my childhood, my grandmother 1 me with unconditional love but always stressed, "You're not 2 than anyone else, but you're just as good as anyone. Treat others with 3, and you would earn respect 4.

    However, I never really 5 it until I was seventeen and got a summer job as a janitor. As I 6 floors and toilets, I watched people walk right by me and ignore my 7. This made me feel angry and wonder why they treated me so poorly.

    When I 8 to my grandmother, she offered me some words of 9 and reminded me never to forget the feeling of being "10" and to do the best job, because it was still my work, 11 which I should take pride. She added that it would make me a better man someday.

    Make me a better man someday? She must be 12, I thought to myself. But I needed the job to 13 college and there were few other jobs available, 14 I bit my tongue and kept on working as best as I could for the 15 of the summer.

    Today, when asked what job helped prepare me to gain the 16 of a key university, I tell people it was my summer job cleaning restrooms that 17 me as a man and, down the road, as an educator.

    As you can see, 18 can only be understood by walking in a lot of different shoes. So I suggest students 19 of their comfort zones and get deeply involved in different work and community experience. It's essential for people to find 20 in every person, no matter who they are or what they do for a living.