It is important to introduce yourself in a creative, memorable way to distinguish yourself from the crowd. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Since being witty(言辞诙谐的) doesn't always come easily, try one of these creative introductions and separate yourself from the rest.

    Write your first or last name on a piece of paper.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} So if your name is Tom, you might say you are tireless, optimistic and mild.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Then say that you will do so in the words of your“best and worst critic”— your mother. By breaking the ice in this way, you can go on in either a humorous or serious fashion.

    Introduce yourself silently, by drawing a picture of yourself on a large sheet of paper.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}  In fact, in some situations, it may be better if you don't. Put a title at the top of your drawing, if you like, such as “Hello! This is me.”

    Turn the traditional introduction upside down by describing yourself in exactly opposite terms of who you are. Have fun with this“back door approach”, and keep people guessing just how much you are exaggerating(夸张).{#blank#}5{#/blank#}  Don't bother calling me tomorrow, because I will be hiding in a closet. Send text messages to my girlfriend while I drink a Bud Light on the job.

A. This introduction requires you to be gifted in art.

B. Freely admit that you don't like talking about yourself.

C. It doesn't matter whether you have artistic abilities or not.

D. For example: I am probaby the laziest person you will ever meet.

E. Use each letter as the first letter in an adjective that describes you.

F. Bring in the surprise factor— sometimes known as the shock factor.

G. After all, anybody can stand up and announce their name, business title and job responsibilities.

A

    In 1812, the year Charles Dickens was born, there were 66 novels published in Britain. People had been writing novels for a century—most experts date the first novel to Robinson Crusoe in 1719—but nobody wanted to do it professionally. The steam-powered printing press was still in its early stages; the literacy（识字） rate in England was under 50%. Many works of fiction appeared without the names of the authors, often with something like "By a lady." Novels, for the most part, were looked upon as silly, immoral, or just plain bad.

    In 1870, when Dickens died, the world mourned him as its first professional writer and publisher, famous and beloved, who had led an explosion in both the publication of novels and their readership and whose characters — from Oliver Twist to Tiny Tim— were held up as moral touchstones. Today Dickens' greatness is unchallenged. Removing him from the pantheon（名人堂） of English literature would make about as much sense as the Louvre selling off the Mona Lisa.

    How did Dickens get to the top? For all the feelings readers attach to stories, literature is a numbers game, and the test of time is extremely difficult to pass. Some 60,000 novels were published during the Victorian age, from 1837 to 1901; today a casual reader might be able to name a half-dozen of them. It's partly true that Dickens' style of writing attracted audiences from all walks of life. It's partly that his writings rode a wave of social, political and scientific progress. But it's also that he rewrote the culture of literature and put himself at the center. No one will ever know what mix of talent, ambition, energy and luck made Dickens such a singular writer. But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is possible — and important for our own culture—to understand how he made himself a lasting one.

    Singapore's public transport system is one of the best in the world, so you should have no problem finding your way around like a local. There are three main forms of public transport that you would find in any other major city—trains, buses and taxis.

    TRAINS

    Trains run from 6:00 am to midnight. Single trip tickets start at 80 cents. If you buy an EZ-Link cars for $15, you can ride the trains and buses as you like.

    If you need more information, just call Transit Link on 1800 525 7333.

    BUSES

    There are several bus services in Singapore and fares start at 80 cents. Be sure always ask the driver the cost of your ticket as he can not give change.

    If you need help, just call Transit Link on 1800 525 7333.

    TAXIS

    There are three main taxi companies—City Cab (6552 2222), Comfort (6552 1111) and Tibs (6552 8888). Booking can also be easily by calling the numbers listed above.

    RENTAL CARS

    Driving in Singapore is a pleasure and if you liked to travel at your own pace, renting a car is a good choice. Renting takes away the hassle of getting to places around Singapore. Just sit back and enjoy the city. It also means you'll get to see a lot more that a train or a bus won't let you see.

    For car rental, call Avis on + 65 6737 1668.

    As time went on, Philip's deformity was accepted like one boy's red hair and another's unreasonable obesity. But meanwhile he had grown horribly sensitive. He never ran if he could help it, because he knew it made his limp more noticeable. He stood still as much as he could, with his badly shaped foot behind the other. Because he could not join in the games which other boys played, their life remained strange to him; sometimes they seemed to think that it was his fault if he could not play football, and he was unable to make them understand. He was left a good deal to himself. He had been inclined to talkativeness, but gradually he became silent.

    The biggest boy in his dormitory, Singer, took a dislike to him, and Philip, small for his age, had to put up with a good deal of hard treatment. About half-way through the term there was a game called Nibs. It was a game for two, played on a table or a form with steel pens. Soon nothing was seen but boys playing this game, and the more skilful acquired vast stores of nibs. But in a little while Mr. Watson made up his mind that it was a form of gambling, and forbade the game. Then he ordered all the nibs in the boys' possession be handed in. Philip had been very skilful, and it was with a heavy heart that he gave up his winning; but his fingers itched to play still, and a few days later, on his way to the football field, he went into a shop and bought a pennyworth of J pens. He carried them loose in his pocket and enjoyed feeling them. Presently Singer found out that he had them. Singer had given up his nibs too, but he had kept back a very large one, called a Jumbo, which was almost unconquerable, and he could not resist the opportunity of getting Philip's Js out of him. Though Philip knew that he was at a disadvantage with his small nibs, he had an adventurous disposition and was willing to take the risk; besides, he was aware that Singer would not allow him to refuse. He had not played for a week and sat down to the game now with a thrill of excitement. He lost two of his small nibs quickly, and Singer was jubilant, but the third time by some chance the Jumbo slipped round and Philip was able to push his J across it. He crowed with triumph. At that moment Mr. Watson came in.

    "What are you doing?" he asked.

    He looked from Singer to Philip, but neither answered.

    "Don't you know that I've forbidden you to play that game?"

    Philip's heart beat fast. He knew what was coming and was dreadfully frightened, but in his fright there was a certain exultation. He had never been swished. Of course it would hurt, but it was something to boast about afterwards.

    "Come into my study."

    The headmaster turned, and they followed him side by side. Singer whispered to Philip:

    "We're in for it."

    Mr. Watson pointed to Singer.

    "Bend over," he said.

    Philip, very white, saw the boy quiver at each stroke, and after the third he heard him cry out. Three more followed.

    "That'll do. Get up."

    Singer stood up. The tears were streaming down his face. Philip stepped forward. Mr. Watson looked at him for a moment.

    "I'm not going to beat you. You're a new boy. And I can't hit a cripple. Go away, both of you, and don't be naughty again."

    When they got back into the school-room a group of boys, were waiting for them. They set upon Singer at once with eager questions. But he did not answer. He was angry because he had been hurt.

    "Don't ask me to play Nibs with you again,' he said to Philip. 'It's jolly nice for you. You don't risk anything."

    "I didn't ask you."

    "Didn't you!"

    He quickly put out his foot and tripped Philip up. Philip was always rather unsteady on his feet, and he fell heavily to the ground.

    "Cripple," said Singer.

    For the rest of the term he tormented Philip cruelly, and, though Philip tried to keep out of his way, the school was so small that it was impossible; he tried being friendly and jolly with him; he abased himself, so far as to buy him a knife; but though Singer took the knife he was not placated. Once or twice, driven beyond endurance, he hit and kicked the bigger boy, but Singer was so much stronger that Philip was helpless, and he was always forced after more or less torture to beg his pardon. It was that which rankled with Philip: he could not bear the humiliation of apologies, which were wrung from him by pain greater than he could bear. And what made it worse was that there seemed no end to his wretchedness; Singer was only eleven and would not go to the upper school till he was thirteen. Philip realized that he must live two years with a tormentor from whom there was no escape. He was only happy while he was studying and when he got into bed. And often there recurred to him then that queer feeling that his life with all its misery was nothing but a dream, and that he would awake in the morning in his own little bed in London.

    Earlier this month, two rock climbers achieved what many thought impossible: They climbed up the 3,000-foot-high Dawn Wall in Yosemite National Park without specialized equipment. Climbing without this equipment is called "free-climbing." Until now, no one had free-climbed to the top of the rock face, which is a part of the mountain EI Capitan.

    EI Capitan, which means "the captain" or "the chief" in Spanish, has always presented a challenge to climbers. But the Dawn Wall, on the mountain^'s southeast face, is a particularly difficult route to the summit (顶峰). It is a rock formation that is both steep and relatively smooth. This makes free-climbing the rock face seem almost impossible.

    About seven years ago, professional climber Tommy Caldwell spotted a possible route up the wall. It took years of planning and preparation, but this month, Caldwell, 36, and his friend Kevin Jorgeson, 30, finally make the climb.

    Free climbers do use ropes and other basic safety equipment to catch them if they fall — and Caldwell and Jorgeson fell often. Before starting their climb, they broke down their route into 32 sections. Each section was based on a rope length called a "pitch." The rope was secured into the rock face to catch the climbers if they fell.

    Caldwell and Jorgeson's goal was to climb the Dawn Wall without returning to the ground. If they fell, they had to start that pitch all over again. The two men started climbing on December 27. They slept in hanging tents, and a team of friends brought them food each day.

    The men had spent years rehearsing (排练) the movements it would take to get through each pitch. They made it through the first half of the climb relatively easily. But halfway up, Jorgeson ran into trouble. In one difficult spot, he fell each time he attempted to climb. After 10 days of trying, Jorgeson finally made it to the next pitch.

    Getting through that troublesome pitch gave both climbers renewed energy. They finished the rest of the climb five days later, on January 14.

    Jane Austen is loved mainly as a charming guide to fashionable life in the Regency period (英国摄政时期). She is admired for describing a world of elegant houses, dances, servants and fashionable young men driving barouches (四轮四座大马车). But her own vision of her task was completely different. She was an ambitious and strict moralist. She was highly conscious of human failings and she had a deep desire to make people nicer: less selfish, more reasonable and more sensitive to the needs of others.

    In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bonnet start off heartily disliking each other and then, gradually realize they are in love. They make one of the great romantic couples. He is handsome, rich and well connected; she is pretty, smart and lively. But why actually are they right for one another?

    Jane Austen is very clear. It's for a reason we tend not to think of very much today: It is because each can educate and improve the other. When Mr. Darcy arrives in the neighborhood, he feels "superior" to everyone else, because he has more money and higher status. At a key moment, Elizabeth condemns his arrogance (自大) and pride to his face. It sounds offensive in the extreme, but later he admits that this was just what he needed.

    Mostly, we tend to think of love as liking someone for who they already are, and of total acceptance. But the person who is right for us, Austen is saying, is not simply someone who makes us feel relaxed or comfortable; they got to be able to help us overcome our failings and become more mature, more honest and kinder—and we need to do something similar for them.