There is so much I have not been, so much I have not seen. I have not thought and have not done or felt enough—the early sun, rain and the seasonal delight of flocks of ducks and geese in flight, the mysteries of late-at-night. I still need time to read a book, write poems, paint a picture, look at scenes and faces dear to me. There is something more to be of value—something I should find within myself—as peace of mind, patience, grace and being kind. I shall take and I shall give, while yet, there is so much to live for—rainbows, stars that gleam, the fields, the hills, the hope, the dreams, the truth that one must seek. I’ll stay here—treasure every day and love the world in my own way.
2A Tale of Two Cities (excerpt)
It was the ^ best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the ^ age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct^ the other way. —— Charles Dickens
3Youth
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a ^vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life. Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more^ than a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust. Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every being’s heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what’s next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the infinite, so long are you young. When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch^ the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty. —— Samuel Ullman
4Jane Eyre (excerpt)
“No. You must stay! I swear it — and the oath shall be kept”. “I tell you I must go!” I retorted, roused to something like passion.“Do you think I can stay to become nothing to you? Do you think I am an automaton? — a machine without feeling? and can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips,and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! — I have as much soul as you, — and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities,nor even of mortal flesh — it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet, equal — as we are!” —— Charlotte Bronte
5Winner Never Quit
A little girl—the 20th of 22 children, was born prematurely and her survival was doubtful. When she was 4 years old, she contracted double pneumonia and scarlet fever, which left her with a paralyzed left leg. At age 9, she removed the metal leg brace she had been dependent on^ and began to walk without it. By 13 she had developed a rhythmic walk, which doctors said was a miracle. That same year she decided to become a runner. She entered a race and came in last. For the next few years every race she entered, she came in last. Everyone told her to quit, but she kept on running. One day she actually won a race, and then another. From then on she won every race she entered. Eventually this little girl—Wilma Rudolph, went on to win three Olympic gold medals. Winner never quit!
6Persistence
Persistence is the key to success, whether for a single person or an organization. The lack of it would mean failure in reaching a certain goal. Success seldom comes ^easily on the first try. What separates the successful from the unsuccessful is persistence. Successful people also fail from time to time, but they don’t let their failure defeat their spirit. Successful people^ learn from defeats, ^revise their strategy as needed and try again and again until they succeed. Unsuccessful people try something once or twice and when it fails, they give up, usually passing the blame on to someone or something else, and learn nothing from their own experience. Successful people expect periodic defeats, learn^ what went wrong and why, don’t waste looking for someone to blame, make necessary adjustments, ^and try again. If you are persistent, you will almost inevitably succeed. If you are not persistent, you will almost certainly ^fail.
7A Courageous Leader
Koffi Annan has a tough job. As Secretary-General of the United Nations, he has made it his goal to fight against ^poverty, disease and war in the world. He has called upon the nations of the world to step in and try to solve these problems together. In Annan’s view, seeing a crime and failing to prevent it is as bad as committing the crime. He believes that the idea that states can do^ as they please ^within their borders is nonsense. Many people support Annan’s goals, but wonder if they are realistic. The United Nations has little power ^to act on its own. It has to receive permission from its member nations, but powerful countries like the United States often disagree with, and sometimes ^actively oppose, Annan’s ideas. Despite the difficulties, Annan has succeeded in restoring a sense of respect to the United Nations. Though he speaks with a soft voice, and is known at the United Nations for being polite and elegant, he is also often praised for his toughness and courage. Annan’s goals may be difficult to achieve, but that hasn’t kept him from trying. Courage, he believes, will win out over cowardice in the end.
8Habit
Like everyone else, I have good and bad habits. Most of my habits don’t have a very serious effect on my daily life. Unfortunately, one of them does. I am a procrastinator. I always put off doing things until the last possible moment. I picked up this bad habit from my brother. This habit really causes me problem, especially when I have many assignments due^ about the same time. My life seems to run in cycles of leisurely heaven and incredibly frantic hell. I wish I could get rid of this terrible habit.
9Learn Constantly
Learning intelligibly is one of the characteristics that distinguish humans from other animals. In other words, learning spontaneously is one of man’s unique traits. Throughout the history, human have even learned acculturation, handing down their cultural heritages from generation to generation. Therefore, we can conclude that all forms of learning, inclusive of the acquisition of skill, the shaping of views, the absorption of knowledge, take a very essential part in the course of human civilization. Once learning stops, vegetation arises. To each of us, the process of learning may be full of frustrations and boredom, yet the fruit is often sweet and satisfactory. In terms of learning, I am convinced that it’s better late than never. In this knowledge explosion era, in particular, no one should withstand the trend and concept of “lifelong learning”. The more efforts we make to learn, the more we can keep life, nature and the universe in perspective. Learning is the surest way to eternal joy.
10Keeping Pleasant
In these grim times, weighed down with tension and pressure from the realities of life, many people have lost their sense of humor. They tend to keep a straight face all day long and fail to keep life in perspective. They forget how to smile and finally become physical and mental wrecks. They regard life as a burden, and tend to look on the dark side of things. Well goes a saying, “Laugh, and grow fat.” Laughter releases tension, and smiling helps create a pleasant social atmosphere. And, thus, in a way,a sense of humor is an elixir that helps cure mental diseases. Some patients even improve their physical and mental health by reading humorous stories or watching funny movies. This proves that a sense of humor helps us look at the world in a true and healthy light and make sour life worth living.
11Home—A Joy Forever
Home means a lot to me. “Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home.” I appreciate the warmth of my home, and regard it as one of the brightest and dearest spots on earth. It is the place where I can take refuge whenever I meet with difficulties, failures and even frustrations in my daily life. At home, my dear parents and brothers and sisters will comfort me and cheer me up. And with their concern and encouragement, I will regain my self-confidence and muster up all my strength and courage to face the stern realities of life. To me, home is forever a joy where I can always find love, understanding, care and help.
12Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know, His house is in the village though. He will not see me stopping here, To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer, To stop without a farmhouse near, Between the woods and frozen lake, The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake, To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep, Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. —— Robert Frost
13Winston Churchill’s Address
Victory in spite of terror, victory, however long and hard the road maybe, for without victory there is no survival. We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and the oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender...
14Summer
I chanced to rise very early one particular morning this summer, and took a walk into the country to divert myself among the fields and meadows, while the green was new, and the flowers in their bloom. As at this season of the year every lane is a beautiful walk, and every hedge full of nosegays, I lost myself, with a great deal of pleasure, among several thickets and bushes that were filled with a great variety of birds, and an agreeable confusion of notes, which formed the pleasantest scene in the world to one who had passed a whole winter in noise and smoke. The freshness of the dews that lay upon everything about me, with the cool breath of the morning, which inspired the birds with so many delightful instincts, created in me the same kind of animal pleasure, and made my heart overflow with such secret emotions of joy and satisfaction as are not to be described or accounted for. —Joseph Addison, Tulips
15How to Be Happy
At the airport bookstore, there are only about a dozen free standing shelves of books. It’s Darwinian selection at its most brutal: only the most popular authors, the newest novels, and the most recognizable classics survive. You won’t find the lesser-known works of Oscar Wilde or Voltaire or even Hemingway — there isn’t space for them. Jane Austen makes only the briefest appearance, and Edgar Allen Poe shows his face only at Halloween. There are no collections of poetry beyond Dr. Seuss. There is, however, a whole rack of self-help books. Americans are obsessed with making ourselves better, smarter, thinner. You can buy books to improve your vocabulary. You can devour as tack of books that will teach you to work more efficiently, more ruthlessly, and claw your way to the top — and then you can read books on how to stop and smell the roses and enjoy your life more fully. There are even books that will teach you how to organize your closets. All of these things dance around the essential truth: we want to behappy. We want to be loved. We want to find meaning in our lives and feel that our contributions make a difference. This, then, is the Rusty Brain Guide: How To Be Happy. ◆ Eat more cookies. Abstaining from a single cookie isn’t going to make you look svelte and toned. Go on, eat some cookies. I recommend the double chocolate ones with chocolate chips inside. ◆ Sing. In your car. In elevators. At the mall, especially at Crate &Barrel and Pottery Barn. In hospital corridors. Before important client meetings. When people give you that patronizing look, wink at them. ◆ Make Popsicles. ◆ Stay home on the weekend and disconnect your phone. ◆ Bring a plastic straw to a fancy restaurant. Make loud gurgling sounds when you get to the bottom as you attempt to drink every last molecule of diet Coke. ◆ Order the stuff on the menu that you’ve never heard of—like GkaengCheud Bplah Meuk Yad Sai (Stuffed Squid Soup with Napa Cabbage orSquash). ◆ Talk to strangers. ◆ Collect something weird that isn’t expensive but is relatively hard-to-find. ◆ Wear odd hats in public places. ◆ Amass a jar of coins. Bury them in your back yard. Draw a treasuremap and give it to a friend. ◆ Walk to the park near your house. Do some somersaults. When was the last time you did a somersault, anyway? ◆ Eat pickles out of the jar. ◆ Build a Web site and write your own Rusty Brain column. ◆ Spend a day by yourself. Leave your cell phone at home. Wander the streets, muttering to yourself and occasionally disagreeing with what you’ve just muttered. ◆ Buy a puppy. Name it Charo. ◆ Get your teeth capped. Move to Hollywood. Become a star. (Isn’t that what you’ve been dreaming about anyway?) ◆ Throw a surprise birthday party for a friend. Invite lots of people. Make sure that your friend’s actual birthday is nowhere near the date of the party. ◆ Belch in public. Then sigh contently. ◆ Quit your worthless job and dedicate your life to the study of the Moroccan flute. ◆ Fly a kite. ◆ Stop wasting your life with the Moroccan flute and get a real job. ◆ Volunteer at your library, or church, or your local soup kitchen, or Habitat for Humanity. ◆ Wear clothes so ratty that you are often mistaken for one of the“needy.” ◆ Use the word “Jonesing” as often as possible. As in, “Man, I’m Jonesin’ for some homemade Popsicles.” Studies have shown this will make you happy. ◆ Join a bowling league. Buy a large red bowling ball. Name it“Gorbachev.” ◆ Drive to the nearest national forest. Hike a mile with a backpack fullof cold fried chicken and biscuits. Find a clearing where you will notmeet a single human and have a picnic. ◆ Stare at the clouds for a full afternoon and dream. ◆ Think about the things you love to do. Now go do those things more often.
16Three Days to See
Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life. … I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound. Now and then I have tested my seeing friends to discover what they see. Recently I was visited by a very good friend who had just returned from a long walk in the woods, and I asked her what she had observed.“Nothing in particular,” she replied. I might have been incredulous had I not been accustomed to such reposes, for long ago I became convinced that the seeing see little. How was it possible, I asked myself, to walk for an hour through the woods and see nothing worthy of note? I who cannot see find hundreds of things to interest me through mere touch. I feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch, or the rough, shaggy bark of a pine. In the spring I touch the branches of trees hopefully in search of a bud the first sign of awakening Nature after her winter’s sleep. I feel the delightful, velvety texture of a flower, and discover its remarkable convolutions; and something of the miracle of Nature is revealed to me. Occasionally, if I am very fortunate, I place my hand gently on a small tree and feel the happy quiver of a bird in full song. I am delighted to have the cool waters of a brook rush through my open finger. To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug. To me the pageant of seasons is a thrilling and unending drama, the action of which streams through my finger tips. ——Helen Keller
17Who Moved My Cheese
The book by Dr Spencer Johnson that Who moved my cheese features four imaginary characters: “Sniff” and “Scurry” (who are mice) and two little people “Hem” and “Haw”. Cheese is a metaphor for what makes you happy—this is the cheese of life (a good job, health, spiritual peace of mind, a loving relationship) dealing with anticipating, adapting and enjoying change and to be always ready for new changes. The story goes that the four little characters ran through a maze (the organization) daily, looking for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. Sniff and Scurry used their instincts and a simple trial-and-error method, while Hem and Haw used their brains, filled with many beliefs and emotions but also learning from past experiences, developing more complicated methods. This often made their lives complicated and challenging. The lessons Haw learned which we could use are: 1. Laugh at your own folly—then you can let go and quickly move on. 2. Keep life simple (don’t overanalyze or overcomplicate things). 3. Envision yourself (in realistic detail) finding something better. 4. Learn from mistakes made in the past and learn to deal with change. 5. Do not overcomplicate matters or confuse yourself with fearful beliefs.6. Notice when little changes began so that you would be better prepared for the big change that might be coming. 7. If you do not adapt in time, you might as well not adapt at all. 8. The biggest inhibitor to change lies within yourself and nothing gets better until you change. 9. There is always new cheese out there, whether you recognize it at the time or not, and you are rewarded with it when you go past your fear and enjoy the adventure. 10. Some fear should be respected as it keep you out of real danger —most of our fears are often irrational and keep us from changing when we need to. 11. Change is often a blessing in disguise, as it leads us to finding better cheese.
18I Have a Dream
I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor’ slips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall英语晨读精华137be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair as tone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. ——Martin Luther King
19The Wisdom of One Word
Isn’t it amazing how one person, sharing one idea, at the right time and place can change the course of your life’s history? This is certainly what happened in my life. When I was 14, I was hitchhiking from Houston, Texas, through El Paso on my way to California. I was following my dream, journeying with the sun. I was a high school dropout with learning disabilities and was set on surfing the biggest waves in the world, first in California and then in Hawaii, where I would later live. Upon reaching downtown El Paso, I met an old man, a bum, on the street corner. He saw me walking, stopped me and questioned me as I passed by. He asked me if I was running away from home, I suppose because I looked so young. I told him, “Not exactly, sir, since my father had given me a ride to the freeway in Houston and given me his blessings while saying, ‘It is important to follow your dream and what is in your heart, Son.’” The bum then asked me if he could buy me a cup of coffee. I told him, “No, sir, but a soda would be great.” We walked to a corner malt shop and sat down on a couple of swiveling stools while we enjoyed our drinks. After conversing for a few minutes, the friendly bum told me to follow him. He told me that he had something grand to show me and share with me. We walked a couple of blocks until we came upon the downtown El Paso Public Library. We walked up its front steps and stopped at a small information stand. Here the bum spoke to a smiling old lady, and asked her if she would be kind enough to watch my things for a moment while he and I entered the library. I left my belongings with this grandmotherly figure and entered into this magnificent hall of learning. The bum first led me to a table and asked me to sit down and wait for a moment while he looked for something special among the shelves. A few moments later, he returned with a couple of old books under his arm sand set them on the table. He then sat down beside me and spoke. He started with a few statements that were very special and that changed my life. He said, “There are two things that I want to teach you, young man, and they are these: “Number one is to never judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you.” He followed with, “I’ll bet you think I’m a bum, don’t you, young man?”I said, “Well, uh, yes, I guess so, sir.” “Well, young man, I’ve got a little surprise for you. I am one of the wealthiest men in the world. I have probably everything any man could ever want. I originally come from the Northeast and have all the things that money can buy. But a year ago, my wife passed away, bless her soul, and since then I have been deeply reflecting upon life. I realized there were certain things I had not yet experienced in life, one of which was what it would be like to live like a bum on the streets. I made a commitment to myself to do exactly that for one year. For the past year I have been going from city to city doing just that. So, you see, don’t ever judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you. “Number two is to learn how to read, my boy. For there is only one thing that people can’t take away from you, and that is your wisdom.” At that moment, he reached forward, grabbed my right hand in his and put them upon the books he’d pulled from the shelves. They were the writings of Plato and Aristotle—immortal classics from ancient times. The bum then led me back past the smiling old woman near the entrance, down the steps and back on the streets near where we first met. His parting request was for me to never forget what he taught me. I haven’t.
20
Time is what you make of it. (Swatch) Make yourself heard. (Ericsson) Start ahead. (Rejoice) A diamond lasts forever. (De Bierres) Connecting People.(Nokia) Let's make things better.(Philips) Mosquito Bye Bye Bye.(RADAR) Good to the last drop. (Maxwell) Obey your thirst. Things go better with Coca-Cola. (Coca-Cola). The choice of a new generation.(百事可乐)Take time to indulge.(雀巢冰激凌)The taste is great.(雀巢咖啡)To me, the past is black and white, but the future is always color.(轩尼诗酒)Just do it.(耐克运动鞋)Feel the new space.(三星电子)Intelligence everywhere.(摩托罗拉手机)Let’s make things better. (Philips)让我们做得更好。(飞利浦电子)No business too small, no problem too big. (IBM 公司)