When I was about 10 one day, I was walking down the street with my mother. She stopped to speak to Mr. Lee. I knew I could see Mr. Lee anytime around the neighborhood, so I just stood there. After we passed him, my mother stopped and said something unforgettable, "You let that be the last time you ever walk by somebody you know without opening your mouth to speak, because even a dog can wag its tail when it passes you on the street." That sentence sounds simple but it made me become who I am. At work, I used to say hello to the president of the company and ask him how our business was doing. But I also spoke to the people in the cafe and people who cleaned the buildings, and asked them how their children were doing, for every single person deserves to be accepted, no matter how humble they are. I remember that after a few years of passing by the president, I had the courage to ask him for a chat. We had a great talk. At some point, when I asked him how far he thought I could go in his company, he said that if I wanted to, I could get all the way to his seat. I've become vice-president, but that hasn't changed how I treat people. I speak to people wherever I am. Speaking to people creates a pathway into their world, and it lets them come into mine, too. The day you speak to someone who has his head down and then see him lift it up and smile, you will realize how powerful it is just to open your mouth and say hello. For the writer, saying hello to others _ . A) is a way to get what he wants B) has become a habit and a way of life. C) is a way to show respect for his mother D) is important in making him remembered.
B
Like my friend Warren Buffett, I feel particularly lucky to do something every day that I love to do. He calls it "tap-dancing to work". My job at Microsoft is as challenging as ever, but what makes me "tap-dance to work" is when we show people something new, like a computer that can recognize your handwriting or your speech, or one that can store a lifetime's worth of photos, and they say, "I didn't know you could do that with a PC!" But for all the cool things that a person can do with a PC, there are lots of other ways we can put our creativity and intelligence to work to improve our world. There are still far too many people in the world whose most basic needs go unmet. I believe that my own good fortune brings with it a responsibility to give back to the world. My wife, Melinda, and I have committed to improving health and education in a way that can help as many people as possible. As a father, I believe that the death of a child in Africa is no less poignant or tragic than the death of a child anywhere else. And that it doesn't take much to make an immense difference in these children's lives. I'm still very much an optimist, and I believe that progress on even the world's toughest problems is possible -- and it's happening every day. We're seeing new drugs for deadly diseases, new diagnostic tools, and new attention paid to the health problems in the developing world. I'm excited by the possibilities I see for medicine, for education and, of course, for technology. And I believe that through our natural inventiveness, creativity and willingness to solve tough problems, we're going to make some amazing achievements in all these areas in my lifetime. When a person "tap-dances to work", he _ . A) seldom treats his work seriously B) takes delight in doing his job C) compares his work to dancing lesson D) regards work as a great challenge
B
Q: What makes us happy? For 15-year-old Ellie Wilson from London, going through the turbulent period between childhood and adulthood is "a pain". However, she also enjoys happy times with friends, even though they have a lot of arguments. "The thing about me and my friends is that one minute we're up and then the next we're down; one minute I want to shout the house down, the next I feel so happy that I just want to hug everyone in the room at once," she said to British paper The Independent. Wilson's generation have all the latest fashions and electronic equipment. But owning them does not necessarily make them happier. New research shows that it is the simple things in life that please us most. Close friends, playing sport and a stable home life are more important to a teenager's happiness than the wealth of their parents, according to a study published this month by the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex in Britain. Researcher Gundi Knies found families' incomes didn't necessarily play a part in happiness. But happy children tend to have their own bedroom, a bike or other leisure equipment. Children who have friends over for tea once a fortnight and those who go swimming once a month were also happier with their lives than those who do not. A sense of belonging clearly had an influence on how satisfied people were. Children with lots of friends reported higher levels of happiness than those without. Children who live with both their parents were happier than those living in single families and step family relationships. Diet plays an important role too. Children who have fewer than five portions of fruit and vegetables a day or who eat fast food most days tend to be less happy. The study also finds that girls make up both the happiest and least happy groups of children. "Older girls are unhappier because they are going through puberty and their parents become more protective. Girls also become very conscious of the way they look and the way they are treated,"... Why are girls unhappier than boys during puberty? A) Because they are more likely to be under pressure. B) Because they receive more attention from their parents. C) Because they have less sense of belonging at that time. D) Because they experience bigger physical changes than boys.
A: A
Q: The Oil Lamp and the Lighthouse On an island off the coast of a rocky shore stood a great lighthouse. During the day, the white walls of the lighthouse shined under the sunlight, while at night it burned a light for those at sea. Many people visited the lighthouse, and when they did, they commented on its size and strength and admired the beauty that it added to the surroundings. Some told its keeper how its light had saved them during a storm. All loved the lighthouse except a little oil lamp that lived in the lighthouse. By day it hung forgotten at the bottom of the stairs. At dusk it helped the keeper of the lighthouse make his way from the bottom of the stairs to his bedroom. It seemed to the oil lamp that he is not important. To his way of thinking, his shortcomings were made clear by his nearness to one so much greater than he. Always, the oil lamp labored under this heaviness of heart. Then one day, after a brilliant afternoon when many visitors had come to play on the sandy beach, there was a knock at the door. It was a boy, searching for a friend who was lost. The sun had set and what had seemed such friendly shores hours before was now dark and cold. The keeper quickly took the youth inside and hugged him into a blanket. Then he reached to the hook between the door and the stairs and took down the little oil lamp. After carefully making sure that the tank was full of oil, the keeper lit the lamp and whispered, "Burn bright tonight, my dear friend. I cannot take the lighthouse with me. He serves his purpose here, but you were made for times like this. It is now that I need you most!" In that instant, all of the oil lamp's misgivings were replaced by joy---joy in knowing that here was something only he could do. All through the night, through bushes, the oil lamp burned brighter and more steadily than ever before. He had to; the keeper was depending on him. At last the lost boy was found and brought safely back to the lighthouse and his friend. Never again did the oil lamp doubt his place or... What can we learn from the story? A) Every coin has two sides. B) Each one has his strong points. C) A friend in need is a friend indeed. D) Where there is a will, there is a way.
A: B