Watson entered Mr. Smith's office. The boss was a hard man. He fired people who didn't do well without giving them a second chance.

    “Watson, ” said Mr. Smith, “this past year your department hasn't earned money. We're going to drop that department. It's finished. I'm sorry, —but you'll have to go.” “But, sir—if I just had a little more time. For the moment I need the job to keep my son at Riverside School.”

    “What's that!” said the boss. “Riverside! I didn't know you had a boy there. That's an expensive school for a man with your salary.”

    “I know, sir. But he likes it there so much！He's a star athlete and the best boxer in the school. The boys call him Champ (冠军) there.”

    The boss sat perfectly still for a long time—a faraway (恍惚的) look in his eyes. Then, suddenly, he said, “We've got to close your department, Watson. But you'll take over a new job in another department. It means longer hours—maybe more pay. Now get out. You're here for life.”

    Watson got out, with surprise on his face. Then the boss took a letter from the top drawer of his desk. It was Herbie's last letter from Riverside School—written a few days before he died. He had read it over and over again with sick pain. The letter read:

    I can't say the boys here are any nicer to me than the others were. I guess it's the same everywhere when you're a cripple (跛脚的人).

    But don't worry about me, Dad. They've got a good chemistry department here. And there's one boy here who is really great. He's a track star and boxing champ and just tops in chemistry. The boys call him Champ. He made them stop throwing my books around. And he knocked a boy down who hit me. He is the best friend I ever had. Dad, when I grow up, I want to do something for Champ. Something big—that he won't even know about.

Your son

Herbie

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    The Indian government may use 3D paintings as virtual (虚拟的) speed-breakers on major highways and roads, in an attempt to check speeding and careless driving, and eventually make its deadly roads a little safer. “We are trying out 3D paintings used as virtual speed breakers to avoid unnecessary requirements of speed breakers (减速带),” India's transport minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted.

    The visual illusions (幻象) are supposed to encourage drivers to slow down automatically. Earlier this month, India bad ordered the removal of all speed breakers from highways, which are considered to be a danger to safety for high-speed vehicles.

    India has the highest number of road accident deaths in the world According to the World Health Organization, over 200,00 people are killed by road accidents due to poor application of road safety laws. This is considerably higher than its official figures of 141,526 for 2014.

    The use of visual illusions as speed breakers was first pioneered in the American city of Philadelphia in 2008, as part of a campaign against speeding motorist. The technique has also been tried out in China to create floating 3D crossings.

    India, cities such as Ahmadabad and Chennai have already experimented with 3D zebra crossings in the last one year. In Ahmadabad for instance, two artists, mother and daughter have painted 3D crosswalks in the first few months of this year. The artists say their motto is “to increase the attention of drivers”, and that the concept has been successfully tested in zones where accidents easily occur on a highway.

    However, critics argue that once divers know that these speed briers are visual illusions, they may ignore them. Others also point out that India's decision does not consider the safety of a large walkers. In the end, the new policy may be just one step towards improving road safety.

    Ottawa is the capital of Canada. It is the second largest city in Ontario and the fourth largest city in the country.

    The Centre Block is the main building on Parliament Hill (国会山). There also stand several ceremonial spaces, such as the Hall of Honor and the Memorial Chamber. The present Centre Block is the second copy of the building, after the first was undermined by a big fire in 1916, and it is one of the most recognizable buildings in Canada.

    Downtown Ottawa is the commercial and economic centre of the city. Most of the buildings are office towers. While most of Ottawa's high tech industry is based elsewhere, it has an important presence in the downtown center. The downtown also contains a number of apartments, hotels, and the older single family homes and townhouses along its edges (边缘).

    The National Gallery of Canada is one of Canada's earliest art galleries. The Gallery has a large and varied collection of paintings, drawings, sculpture and photographs. Although its focus is on Canadian art, it also holds works by some well-known American and European artists.

    The Rideau Canal is the oldest continuously operated canal (运河) system in North America. At the very beginning, it was used to provide a safe supply and communication route between Montreal and the British naval (海军的) base in Kingston. It remains in use today mainly for people to boat and enjoy themselves, with most of its original structures undamaged. The locks on the system open for navigation (航海) in mid-May and close in mid-October.

    For a long time being happy was considered natural, and there was nothing special to do about it. Now we know that we can work at getting along well with other people. It is possible to act in such a way that other people will like us better.

    One way is being unselfish, not wanting everything your own way or asking for the best share of everything, including the attention of your friends. Another way is to look for good points, not bad ones in other people.

    You don't have to be spineless(无骨气的)in order to be popular. In fact, you will be liked and respected(尊重)if you are not afraid to stand up for your rights(权利). But do it politely and pleasantly. One way to develop a good character is being friendly and polite to your own group, to older people, to strangers and especially to those who do not look important or do not interest you.

    You cannot expect to be perfect, so you must learn not to be too unhappy when you make a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, and no one is to be blamed unless he refuses to learn from them. Many young people become discouraged(泄气的) when they know their unpleasant qualities—selfishness, laziness, etc. Just remember that we all have some of these faults and have to fight against them.

    When something is wrong, it is best to try to make it right. Perhaps you don't like a teacher or a classmate. Try to see why, and look at yourself, too. Make sure that you are not doing something to make others dislike you. In time, things may turn out all right, then you simply have to learn to get along the best you can with the situation, without thinking too much about it. Worrying never helps in a situation you can't change.

    LaVonn was helping out in her dad's store when a little boy, about five or six years old, came in. He was wearing a brown and oversized coat with dirty, old clothes beneath it. His shoes were broken, and only one had lace (鞋带). The boy looked around the store, picked up several items, examined them one by one and then carefully put them back on the shelf.

    LaVonn's dad walked over to the child and asked if he could help. The little boy said, "I'm looking for a gift for my brother." After 20 minutes, the child picked up a toy airplane. He held it carefully in his hands as if it were made of glass and carried it to LaVonn's father.

    "How much is this?" he asked. "My brother loves airplanes." LaVonn's dad answered, "How much money do you have?" The little boy reached into his coat and pulled out some small change (零钱). He spread his money out on the table and began to count. "I have twenty-seven cents," he answered. Her dad picked up the coins and said, "The airplane costs exactly twenty-seven cents! Wait here and I'll pack it up for you."

    The little boy walked out of the store with the gift and a smile of total satisfaction on his face. LaVonn made her way back to the shelf and she found the plane was priced at $11.98.She never mentioned it to her father. Her father didn't say anything more about it either, but she realized later, "My best gift that Christmas was seeing my dad's love in action."

    It is rightly said one can share any secret with a true friend. He may know your deepest fears and weaknesses and yet will never take advantage of you. However, keeping a friend's secrets to yourself and not telling the world is what makes the bond grow strong and last forever. You need to develop trust and mutual (互相的) understanding before you start sharing secrets with each other. With friends, secret talks never seem to end and it can get really amusing to know what has been going on in your friend's mind.

    There is a certain time in life especially from the teenage years when one starts having a personal periphery (界限) in life and parents are excluded (排斥) from it. It is because there are certain things that they can't understand and we can't discuss with them. That is when friends become the best secret sharers. They are the ones to whom one reveals one's feelings and best kept secrets.

    It is a general belief that only girls share secrets. But boys have their own secrets that they discuss with only closest friends. The secret talks can range (变化) from relationships, talks about fights with parents, secret activities and anything that is not supposed to be known to others! If you think secrets are limited to only teenagers, get your facts right! Secrets can be shared at any age and there is no hard and fast rule that secrets are shared only among youngsters.

    Sharing secrets with a friend is not just fun, but it also helps to develop a lasting trust in one another. Sometimes, sharing secrets will tell you more about the person. You will come to know whether your friend is reliable and trustworthy and whether it is worth sharing your secrets with them. You can call it a test of friendship.