“Three apples have changed the world. One is for Eve, one is for Newton. The third is in the hands of Steve Jobs.” said someone.

Steve Jobs was the former CEO of the Apple computer company in his parents' garage (车库) on April Fool's Day, 1976. Through many years' hard work, Jobs and his Apple product s were a great success. People believe he has made the world a better place. Many young people also think of Apple products as a fashion icon.

    Because of his great achievements in this area, he was honoured(给予荣誉) with a number of awards, including the National Medal of Technology in 1985, the Times cover character(封面人物) and the Most Successful Manager in 1997.

    Jobs' road to success wasn't an easy one. He experienced several ups and downs, but he was still standing. Just as Hemingway in The Old Man and the Sea said, "A man can be destroyed, but not be defeated (打败). So he was considered as an American hero.

What did Jobs' workers and family members think of him?

    On one hand, some workers described him as a strange, bad-tempered boss. They said he was impatient with those who disagreed with him or didn't understand his ideas. On the other hand, his family members thought of him as a home-loving dad with each of his four children. He worried about all the things of them, such as their boyfriends, travel, safety and even skirt length. Though he was quite busy, he still attended his daughter's graduation party.

Wind is a powerful force in nature. Wind energy may cause great waves in the world's oceans. Its power can be used to create electricity for cities and the countryside.

Wind can also power many expressions in American English. Let's start with a simple one. If you run like the wind, you can run very fast. After running, sometimes you can be full of energy.

If you are doing something difficult, it is good to have the wind at your back, for example, when you are sailing. In this way, it is easier to go forward.

Knowing the direction of the wind is one of the most important parts of sailing. When wind fills a sail, it makes the boat go faster. If you take the wind out of someone's sails, you prevent them from reaching their goals.

Let's turn from sailing to music. Many songwriters use the image of wind in their songs. If an idea is blowing in the wind, it is under discussion but has yet to be decided. When a singer sings"you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows", he means you know what is going on, and he tells you to trust yourself as you can find something out on your own.

Now you know which way the wind blows. Then how can you use these expressions properly? First, read them aloud and keep them in mind. Then, practice using them and test yourself. You know, practice makes perfect.

①In ancient(古代) China, people have three names: their family name, given name and courtesy name(字).

②Take the famous poet Li Bai as an example. His family name is Li, his given name is Bai and his courtesy name is Taibai.

③People use their given names when they are with their family or friends. And your elders like your grandparents and parents call your given name at home. But in the workplace, people use their courtesy names.

④Men get their courtesy names when they are 20 years old while women at 15 years old.

⑤People's courtesy names have something to do with their given names. For example, Zhuge Liang's given name is Liang. It means "bright". His courtesy name is Kongming. And the meaning is "very bright".

What does a lifelong learner look like? Lifelong learners never think of themselves as the greatest experts(专家)in anything. They continue to learn and bring a great deal to the groups they belong to. What does a lifelong learner look like? Here are some of their main characteristics(特征). 

They are knowledge seekers. They are always searching for much information on a topic they're interested in and looking for new experience or opportunities to improve their knowledge or skills. 

They are social and self-directed learners. They like taking different courses and taking part in discussions around subjects they are interested in. ____ They also know their own learning styles, and their strengths and weaknesses. They can plan and organize their own learning. 

They are critical(批判性的)thinkers. They always use a lot of ways to analyze(分析)and synthesize(合成)information. From their research they judge the information to see if it is useful for the question at hand. 

They are problem solvers. They will meet different problems while learning. However, they usually see problems as challenges and life experiences and try to stand above them. 

Vacation is coming to an end. How many of you have burn    the    midnight    oil to finish your homework over the last few days? What about during the school year- when you get home from school, do you start working on your homework right away?

It can be hard to be this responsible. A lot of people usually put off difficult or annoying tasks until they have to be done. They' re called procrastinators.

Procrastination is a common problem for many people. In fact, sometimes it just feels easier to wait until the last minute to do certain things. However, this is not a good thing, as you have to work hard er and faster if you wait until there is little time left. This means your work will probably be of less quality (质量).

I myself am a bit of a procrastinator. But most of the time, I try to finish my work earlier rather than later. It just makes more sense - if I finish my work now, I'll have more time to relax or work on other projects later. It can be hard to motivate (激励) myself to get started sometimes. But once I do, the work gets done quickly and with little stress.

Everyone procrastinates from time to time. It's a natural thing to do. You don't have to beat yourself up over it - after all, we still need time to relax and take a break from our busy lives. Just make sure you still get your homework done on time!