On Thursday October 3, Adam Harper decided to stop drinking coffee. Adam is a MBA student at Harvard University. He studies long hours, gets very little sleep, so he drinks a lot of coffee—anywhere from five to six cups a day. Recently, Adam felt that drinking thus much coffee was making it hard for him to sleep at all. He also began having problems with his concentration(注意力), and complained of stomachaches. Adam's doctor made this suggestions: stop drinking coffee altogether.

    When Adam got up on October 3, he began his day without his morning coffee. By 11:00 a.m., Adam was in a terrible mood. He was tired and had a headache. At 11:30, he had a meeting with his student advisor. In the meeting, he found it almost impossible to continue. What was going on?

    Caffeine, a chemical found in coffee, was most likely the reason for how Adam felt. Caffeine is a stimulant that boosts(增加) energy levels and improves concentration- but only for a short time. Lowering caffeine consumption(减少摄取咖啡因) often makes a drop in blood pressure and the result is a “coffee headache”. People who stop drinking coffee often say they feel tired and moody, and find it hard to focus.

    The good news is that these feeling usually pass after four and five days. During this time, doctors suggested taking some aspirin for the headache. So, if Adam can wait, in less than a week, he may be feeling much better.

    What about my plans for the summer vacation? First, I will go to Shanghai with my sister Kate. There are many interesting places in Shanghai, and we can also taste the delicious food there. After that, I will spend some time reading books. I will play tennis with my friends, too.—— Peter

    I made some plans for my summer vacation. First, I will help more at home. My parents are always busy, so I'll help them with the housework and let them have more time to relax. Second, I will practice the violin every day. Third, I think the vacation is a good time for me to do some sports, such as running and swimming. I am sure my summer vacation will be wonderful.——Tom

    After about four months' study, the summer vacation is coming. Here are my plans. First, I will leave enough time for my new lessons. I will also read some great books. Second, I will go to Xi'an and stay there for two weeks. I think the trip will be wonderful. Then, I will come back and enjoy myself with my friends. We will go swimming, shopping, etc.——Amy

    Once there was a piano player in a bar. People came just to hear him play. But one night, a girl asked him to sing a song.

    “I don't sing,” said the man.

    But the girl told the waiter, “I'm tired of listening to the piano. I want the player to sing! ”

    The waiter shouted across the room, “Hey, friend! If you want to get money, sing a song!”

    So he did. He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody had ever heard the song!

    He had skills(技能) he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. But once he caught the chance, and found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.

    You, too, have skills. You may not feel that your skills are great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills can be improved(提高).

    My teacher said to a student: "Give me your phone."

    We all looked in surprise. Kyle, a student who I never saw text (发信息) in class, gave the teacher his phone.

    When the teacher left, two students who I often saw text in class started boasting (吹牛) about how they sent text messages and never got caught.

    "Kyle, you don't text in class that way!" one of them said. "I put my phone under my desk so it looks like I'm looking at my textbooks."

    "Isn't it funny that we always text and never get caught, but the first time Kyle does it, he gets caught?" the other one laughed.

    They must have thought they were smart, because they never got caught and Kyle did. But which situation is worse: getting caught, or getting away with it? Rules are there for a reason. These two students might not have got caught, but neither of them had good grades. They keep texting in class, not paying any attention. I think they will keep breaking the rules in the future.

    People don't just break the law and get thrown into jail (监狱) right away. They take it one step at a time, starting with smaller rules. Kyle might have got caught, but at least he learned a good lesson. He will not break the rules in the future, so he will learn more in class and stay out of trouble. It's smarter not to break the rules.

When I was a child, watermelon (西瓜) was too expensive for my family. One of my father's friends, Bernie,was a rich businessman. He owned a large fruit store in another place.

Every summer, when the first watermelons arrived, Bernie would give us a call. My father and I would go to Bernie's place. We would sit on the dock (码头) happily and get ready for a big meal.

Bernie would take a big watermelon out, cut it up, give us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we three would put our faces into the watermelon, eating it happily.

In my father's eyes, Bernie was a real rich man. I always thought it was because he was a successful businessman. Later I learned that it was not Bernie's money that made my father think like that. My father thought he was rich because of the way he lived his life. Bernie knew when to stop working, get together with friends and enjoy his "watermelon".

When I grew up, because I was too busy making money as a doctor, I forgot the lesson I once learned on the dock. Well, now I've relearned it. Though (尽管) I'm still busy working as a doctor, I will try to slow down and take the time to enjoy the small pleasures (快乐) of my life.

Once upon a time, there was an old man who usually went to the seaside to do his writing. He had a habit of walking {#blank#}1{#/blank#} the beach before he began his writing.

One day, he saw a figure(身影) moving like {#blank#}2{#/blank#} dance r while walking along the seaside. He smiled to {#blank#}3{#/blank#}( he) and thought maybe he could see a dance here. And so, he walked faster.

As he got {#blank#}4{#/blank#}( close), he noticed that it was a young woman. She was not dancing at all. Instead, she bent down(弯腰) to pick up something and then she {#blank#}5{#/blank#}( throw) it into the sea.

So the old man called out," Good morning! May I ask {#blank#}6{#/blank#} you are doing?"

The young woman paused, looked up, and answered," I am throwing starfish into the sea."

"{#blank#}7{#/blank#} really surprised me a lot. Why are you throwing starfish into the sea?" asked the old man.

To this, the young woman {#blank#}8{#/blank#}( reply)," The sun is up and the tide is going out. IfI don't throw them in, they' ll die."

Upon hearing this, the old man said," But there are {#blank#}9{#/blank#}( mile) of beach and there are starfish all along every mile. You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the woman picked up another {#blank#}10{#/blank#}( one) and put it into the sea. As it met the water, she said," It made a difference to that one."