Michael' s birthday was coming soon, so he asked his dad for a bicycle so that he wouldn't have to walk to school anymore. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Michael got a book instead but he did not complain ( 抱怨 ).

    One bright and sunny day while Michael was walking past a bookstore on his way to school, he saw a big boy on a bike . The bike was too small for the boy. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    The boy was a student in Michael' s school . Michael recognized him. The boy's name was William. His leg seemed to have broken. Michael picked up William' s bike which was not damaged and rode to the nearby hospital to get help. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Michael rode William' s bike to school so he would not be late for class.

    After school , Michael quickly rode the bicycle to William' s house with a book for him. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} But he had to put some medicine on his leg and stay in bed for some time.

    To Michael' s surprise, William was getting a new bike for his birthday in two months so he let Michael have his old bike . Michael was overjoyed（喜出望外).

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Michael visited William every day until Williams 's leg was better.

A.  Luckily, William was not seriously hurt.

B.  Michael found it interesting and couldn't help laughing.

C.  From then on, Michael and William became good friends

D.  William gave his new bike to Michael to show his thanks.

E.  However, Michael' s dad had lost his job and did not have much money.

F.  As the boy was turning around a corner , the bike crashed into a tree.

G. A few minutes later, an ambulance (救护车)came and took William to the hospital .

    Less is more. This is why we say: reduce things by half instead of doubling them, relax instead of stressing, and slow down instead of speeding up. Apply these principles(原则) in your everyday life. You will then find yourself well along on your journey to simplification.

Separate Your Actions

    When you concentrate on one task, you find you have energy that you didn't even know you had. Just imagine: you have to carry two heavy pigs over 100 yards. If you carry two, it will take forever. But if you tie one pig in a place, pick up the other, gather all your strength and make a dash for the finish line, pause for a moment, run back and get the other one, and carry the second pig to the finish line, then you can be sure of success.

Say “No” Firmly

    If you have the feeling that 24 hours per day are not enough for all the things you need to do, then it's not because the day has too few hours, but because you have too many activities. The solution is equally simple: say no to accept so much work in your private life or your working life.

Allow Yourself to Be Weak

     “I can deal with stress” is regarded as a positive statement in the world of work. People who can deal with stress are given more and more to — until one day they break.

Pay careful attention to the signs that tell you that you are under more stress than you can deal with. If you become ill, or your work efficiency decreases, change your life goals. Say quite openly, “I can't manage that.”

Stop Expecting Everything to Be Perfect

     “If only I were slimmer, more beautiful, richer, more clever, then I would be happier.” This is a dream that makes a lot of people ill, and unhappy. Life is imperfect. Only those who accept this reality can lead a really full life.

    Of course there are activities in which errors are dangerous: driving a car; crossing the road. But life doesn't entirely have these things. In among them there is possibility that you may make small and large mistakes.

Escape Now and Then

    Successful people all have their own places where they can be left alone in order to work. Find out which places improve your creativity. For me it's the train. When I know that I'm going to be traveling for four hours without phone calls or people knocking on my door, I find my mind is free and I can read or write articles.

    Taking a math test can be pretty stressful. Even if you know the material, you can still get the problem wrong. Knowing how to go through your math test and check your work can save you from handing in a test full of mistakes that can be avoided. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

Write it out

    You can also check a math problem by writing everything out on paper. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Writing out math problems reduces your chances of missing anything to the lowest possible level, which is a common cause of incorrect answers.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Make sure your answers work by doing the opposite procedure of what your problem calls for, including the answer you got the first time around. In other words, you would use the opposite of this addition problem—subtraction (减法)—to determine whether or not your answer is the correct one.

Plugging in

    You may find that a variable isn't good enough or have a problem where you have to solve for a variable (变量). {#blank#}4{#/blank#} This is the only real way to assure yourself that the answer you've found is correct.

Check for a reasonable answer

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} For example, if you get an answer in the millions and you know it should be in the thousands, you've likely misplaced a point. Go back through the work on your paper to make sure all of your formulas and calculations are correct. If everything looks okay, do the problem again and compare the result of the second try to what you've got on the first try.

                                                                                                      Ways to save time

    We all wish we had just a bit more time. Just think what you could do with an extra hour or two each day: you could finally stick to an exercise routine, or spring­clean the house, or write your novel, or learn the guitar and so on.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}But I can help you find more hours in your day for the things that really matter.

    Get Out of Bed Earlier

    If you normally get up at 7：30 am, try getting up at 7：00 am. That half­hour might not sound like much, but it could be time that you use to exercise, to read that book you've been meaning to finish.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Do the Important Tasks First

    Once you get to work, get the important ones done first (not the easy ones, or even the urgent ones). You can afford to spend at least an hour working on big, important tasks rather than on all those little urgent ones.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}The urgent tasks will still get done, and you won't miss the important ones.

    Reduce Interruptions

    If colleagues have a habit of hanging around your desk to chat, or if the phone is constantly ringing, you might find that it takes you half the day to finish a simple task like writing a letter. Constant interruptions don't just eat up time, they also break your concentration.When you've got a big task to focus on, let your calls go to voicemail.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}  Wearing headphones makes it less likely that people will try to strike up a conversation.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    A few minutes chatting, browsing the web, and so on, can easily turn into hours of wasted time over the course of a day.

    When you're working, work. If your concentration is slipping, take a proper break, go and get a glass of water, or stretch your legs a bit. And if you're facing a difficult task, try breaking it into small steps or stages so that it's easier to deal with.

A. Or simply to get your day off to a calm and organized start.

B. I can't magically make all your days 25 hours long.

C. Would you want me to make your day longer?

D. Take Breaks When Necessary

E. If you have an office door, close it.

F. If you work like this, you'll usually save time.

G. Stay Focused on Your Work

    Kids who are old enough to surf the Internet can get to know the world. But it can also bring problems. For example, some of the websites are not proper for kids, which can lead to kid's growth problems. That's why it's important to know what your kids see and hear on the Internet.

    When it comes to safety problems, it's wise to take advantage of online protection tools. They will control your kids' seeing and using adult material. Many Internet service-providers (ISPs) provide parent-control choices to prevent certain material from coming into a computer. You can also get software (软件) that keeps your child from certain sites based on a “bad site” list that your ISP creates. Besides, keep the computer in a common area, not in their own bedrooms, where you can keep a close eye on their activities.

    Discuss the dangers of talking with strangers online and remind your kids that people online don't always tell the truth. Tell your kids never to give strangers their personal information, such as the address, phone number, school name or location. Tell them never to exchange photos with strangers in the chat rooms online, which will put the families at risk. Tell them never to agree to meet anyone from a chat room in person. Tell them never to reply to a dangerous email, message, post or text. Give your kids some encouragement to let them tell you about any communication or conversation that is dangerous. Nothing can make sure that they'll be kept away from 100% of the risks on the Internet. So it's important for you to spend time online together to teach your kids proper online behavior and educate them about online risks so they can surf the Internet safely. Taking an active part in your kids' Internet activities will help ensure that they benefit from the wealth of valuable information it offers.

    If your child spend long hours online, especially at night, with people you don't know, you should take notice of your kids behavior. If your child suddenly turns off the computer when you walk into the room, ask why. Unwillingness to discuss online activities is another sign to watch for.

    Remembering names is an important social skill. Here are some ways to master it.

    Recite and repeat in conversation. When you hear a person's name, repeat it. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.

    Ask the other person to recite and repeat. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. After you've been introduced to someone, ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you. Most people will be pleased by the effort you're making to learn their names.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Admitting that you can't remember someone's name can actually make people relaxed. Most of them will feel sympathy if you say, "I'm working to remember names better. Yours is right on the tip of my tongue. What is it again?"

    Use associations (联想). {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. For example, you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng—tall, black hair." To reinforce (强迫) your associations , ,write them on a small card as soon as possible.

    Limit the number of new names you learn at one time. When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.

A. Admit you don't know.

B. Recite and repeat names.

C. Free yourself from remembering everyone.

D. You can let other people help you remember their names.

E. If you can't remember someone's name, you may tell him the truth.

F. Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips.

G. Link each person you meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual.