英语学习中，应努力提高听力。这样可以借助听觉，大量、快速地复习学过的单词和词组，并在此基础上扩大知识面，更多地掌握同一词的不同用法，提高阅读速度与理解能力。
“When I first started this job, it took me quite a while to learn the ropes. I guess many new-comers have the same problem and have to ask their co-workers for help. I didn’t know how to use the system or where to find things. On my first day I wandered around for twenty minutes before I could find the copy room. Fortunately my co-workers were very helpful and supportive, so it didn’t take me long to get the hang of it. I just kept working hard, and in the end all my hard work really paid off. Things are going just great!”
当我刚开始做这项工作的时候，花了很久的时间去学习它的规则。我想很多新来的人都会碰到同样的问题而必须向同事寻求帮助。我不明白公司的运作，找东西也不知道去哪里找。第一天上班我转悠了20分钟才找到复印室在哪里。幸运的是，我的同事都肯帮忙，而且都支持我。不久我摸清了工作情况。我一直以来都努力工作，最终辛苦工作终于有了回报。事情简直棒极了。
An Identity of One's Own
In the eternal universe, every human being has a one-off chance to live---his existence is unique and irretrievable, for the mold with which he was made, as Rousseau said, was broken by God immediately afterwards.
Fame, wealth and knowledge are merely worldly possessions that are within the reach of anybody striving for them. But your experience of and feelings about life are your own and not to be shared. No one can live your life over again after your death. A full awareness of this will point out to you that the most important thing in your existence is your distinctive individuality or something special of yours. What really counts is not your worldly success but your peculiar insight into the meaning of life and your commitment to it, which add luster to your personality.
It is not easy to be what one really is. There is many a person in the world who can be identified as anything ---either his job, his status or his social role---that shows no trace about his individuality. It does do him justice to say that he has no identity of his own, if he doesn't know his own mind and all his things are either arranged by others or done on others' suggestions; if his life, always occupied by external things, is completely void of an inner world. You won't be able to find anything whatever, from head to heart, that truly belongs to him. He is, indeed, no more than a shadow cast by somebody else or a machine capable of doing business.
活出个性
在茫茫宇宙间，每个人都只有一次生存的机会，都是一个独一无二、不可重复的存在。正像卢梭所说的，上帝把你造出来后，就把那个属于你的特定的模子打碎了。
名声、财产、知识等等是身外之物，人人都可求而得之，但没有人能够代替你感受人生。你死之后，没有人能够代替你再活一次。如果你真正意识到了这一点，你就会明白，活在世上，最重要的事就是活出你自己的特色和滋味来。你的人生是否有意义，衡量的标准不是外在的成功，而是你对人生意义的独特领悟和坚守，从而使你的自我闪放出个性的光华。
真正成为自己不是一件容易的事。世上有许多人，你说他是什么都行，例如是一种职业，一个身份，一个角色，惟独不是他自己。如果一个人总是按别人的意见生活，没有自己的独立思索，总是为外在事务忙碌，没有自己的内心生活，那么，说他不是他自己就一点儿也没有冤枉他。因为确确实实，从他的头脑到他的心灵，你在其中已经找不到丝毫真正属于他自己的东西了，他只是别人的一个影子和事务的一架机器罢了。
People give all kinds of reasons for why they started smoking, but none of them are good — not even supposedly altruistic ones.
While some claim that you’re actually saving our overburdened healthcare system money in the long run by smoking because it reduces life expectancy, it’s nowhere near a watertight argument.
First of all, you’re certainly not doing your family and friends a favor by deliberately lowering your life expectancy. In fact, your family will have to absorb the losses incurred when you miss work due to smoking-related illnesses. Second, there is a lot of debate over the best way to measure the economic costs of smoking.
Every study is based on different assumptions, and uses different data and methods. For example, should you measure the cost of smoking by looking at the cost of treating major illnesses like lung cancer and heart disease, or should you also measure the cost of less serious illnesses? Should you take into account the fact that people who live longer also pay more taxes and insurance premiums? Should you look at the overall cost to the healthcare system, or at the cost per individual?
Anyway, regardless of how you calculate them, the economic costs of smoking are inconsequential when compared to smoking’s real price: the misery caused by the deaths of over 400,000 people each year and the illnesses of several million.
【参考译文】
人们总是为开始抽烟找各种理由，但是没有一种是好的，没有所谓的利他理由。
有这样一种声音，从长远利益来说你抽烟是在拯救我们不堪重负的医疗系统资金，减少预期寿命，但严密的论证我们尚未掌握。
首先，刻意降低你的预期寿命，并不是在帮你家人和朋友的忙。事实上，当你患上了抽烟的相关性疾病，你的家人便不得不承受造成的损失。其二，通过的方式去衡量抽烟的经济成本还存在很多争议。
各项研究都基于不同的假设，而且使用了不同的数据和方法。例如，通过观察治疗如肺癌，心脏病等重大疾病的成本，你估量到抽烟的成本了吗？你同时估量到不严重疾病的成本了吗？你考虑到活得更加长久人同时需要付更多的税费和保险的事实了吗？你考虑过医疗系统的总成本吗？或者是每个人的成本吗？
总之，不管你怎样计算，与抽烟实际代价相比，它的经济成本便微不足道了，抽烟酿成了每年40万人的死亡以及数百万人患病的悲剧。
点不亮的蜡烛
A man had a little daughter—an only and much-loved child. He lived for her—she was his life. So when she became ill, he became like a man possessed, moving heaven and earth to bring about her restoration to health.
His best efforts, however, proved unavailing and the child died. The father became a bitter recluse, shutting himself away from his many friends and refusing every activity that might restore his poise and bring him back to his normal self. But one night he had a dream.
He was in heaven, witnessing a grand pageant of all the little child angels. They were marching in a line passing by the Great White Throne. Every white-robed angelic child carried a candle. He noticed that one child’s candle was not lighted. Then he saw that the child with the dark candle was his own little girl. Rushing to her, he seized her in his arms, caressed her tenderly, and then asked, “How is it, darling, that your candle alone is unlighted?” “Daddy, they often relight it, but your tears always put it out.”
Just then he awoke from his dream. The lesson was crystal clear, and its effects were immediate. From that hour on he was not a recluse, but mingled freely and cheerfully with his former friends and associates. No longer would his darling’s candle be extinguished by his useless tears.
一个男人有一个小女儿，那是的孩子，他深深地爱着� 所以，当女儿生病时，他像疯了一般竭尽全力想让她恢复健康。
然而，他所有的努力都无济于事，女儿还是死了。父亲变得痛苦遁世，避开了许多朋友，拒绝参加一切能使他恢复平静，回到自我的活动。但有一天夜里，他做了一个梦。
他到了天堂，看到所有的小天使都身穿白色天使衣，手里拿着一根蜡烛。他注意到有一个小天使的蜡烛没有点亮。随后，他看到那个拿着没有点亮的蜡烛的小天使是自己的女儿。他奔过去，一把将女儿抱在怀里，亲切地爱抚着她，然后问道：“宝贝儿，为什么只有你的蜡烛没有点亮呢？”“爸爸，他们经常重新点亮蜡烛，可是你的眼泪总是把它熄灭。”
就在这时，他从梦中醒来。梦给他上的一课像水晶般透明，而且立竿见影。从那个时刻起，他不再消极遁世，而是自由自在，兴高采烈的回到从前的朋友和同事们中间。宝贝女儿的蜡烛再也没有被他无用的眼泪熄灭过。
我们需要梦想
We all want to believe that we are capable of great feats, of reaching our fullest potential. We need dreams. They give us a vision of a better future. They nourish our spirit。
我们都相信自己有成就伟业的能力，能发挥出自己的最 大潜能，我们需要梦想，它会给我们展现一番更好的前景，它能滋养我们的灵魂。
They represent possibility even then we are dragged down by reality. They keep us going. Most successful people are dreamers Dreamers are not content with being merely mediocre, because no one ever dreams of going halfway.
梦想代表一种可能性，尽管它会受现实的羁绊。梦想让我们勇往直前。多数成功人士都是梦想家。梦想家不满足于平庸，因为谁也不希望半途而废。
When we were little kids, we didn’t dream of a life of struggle and frustration. We dreamed of doing something big and splashy, something significant. We dreamed big.
孩提时，我们不曾梦想过自立而充满挫折的生活，却梦想做一些轰轰烈烈而又意义的大事。我们梦想成为伟人。
We know now that we have to put in the effort to reach our dreams, but the tough part is that most of us don’t know where to start working. We might have every intention of becoming Vice President in five years or running across the finish line in a marathon or completing the novel we started years ago. But often we have no idea how to translate these dreams into actions.
如今，我们知道，要实现梦想必须全力以赴，可多数人却不知从何入手。我们可以有5年后成为副总统，或者马拉松赛中冲过终点，或完成多年前就已经开始创作的小说的梦想。可我们往往不知怎么将梦想转为行动。
In order to make real steps toward fulfilling our ultimate, big, splashy dreams, we have to start with concrete objective. These are our goals.
为了真正付诸实施，实现我们终极、伟大而恢弘的梦想。我们一定要从具体的目标着手，这些就是我们的目标。
home
家
What makes a home? Love and sympathy and confidence. It is a place where kindly affections exist among all the members of the family. The parents take good care of their children, and the children are interested in the activities of their parents. Thus all of them are bound together by affection, and they find their home to be the cheeriest place in the world.
组成家庭的因素是什么？答案即爱、同情和信赖。家是一个所有家庭成员凝结情感的地方。父母亲悉心照料孩子，而孩子们也对他们双亲的活动感兴趣。他们为爱所联结，因而发现家是世界上最令人感到欢乐的地方。
A home without love is no more a home than a body without a soul is a man. Every civilized person is a social being. No one should live alone. A man may lead a successful and prosperous life, but prosperity alone can by no means insure happiness. Many great personages in the world history had deep affections for their homes.
一个没有爱的家便不再称其为家，如同没有灵魂的躯体不再是人一样。每一个有修养的人都是社会性的人。没有人能够脱离社会独自生存。一个人也许过着成功而宽裕的生活，但是荣华富贵决不能保证幸福快乐。在世界历，许多名人都对其家庭怀有深情厚意。
Your home may be poor and humble, but duty lies there. You should try to make it cheerful and comfortable. The greater the difficulties, the richer will be your reward.
你的家也许贫穷而简陋，但那正是你的职责所在。你应该努力使其愉快和舒适。你遭遇的困难越大，所得到的报偿也就越多。
A home is more than a family dwelling. It is a school in which people are trained for citizenship. A man will not render good services to his country if he can do nothing good for his home; for in proportion as he loves his home, will he love his country. The home is the birthplace of true patriotism. It is the secret of social welfare and national greatness. It is the basis and origin of civilization.
家不仅仅是一个供家人居住的地方。它还是一个培养人 一个人假如无法对家庭做出有意义的事情，也就无法为国家提供优良的服务，因为爱家和爱国是成正比的。家庭是爱国主义精神的真正发源地，是社会福利和国家昌盛的秘诀，是文明的基础和起源。
面试
Manager: I’ve just looked over your resume and I must admit I am quite impressed.
我已经看过你的简历了，我得承认我对你的简历印象不错。
Sales Rep: Thank you. I’ve worked pretty hard to be able to list those accomplishments.
谢谢。由于我自己努力才能换来这些成果。
Manager: You’ve got plenty of training and experience. I wonder if you could tell me something about your goals. Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
你接受的培训和工作经验都很丰富。能否告诉我你的目标？十年以后你准备在到什么目标？
Rep: To be honest, I don’t plan in that much detail. My goals tend to be general; I define success according to the job at hand. I see myself advancing as I succeed, but I don’t necessarily dwell on the timing of each step.
说实话，我的目标没有那么具体要。我只有大致的目标，我认为是否成功取决于手头上的工作。我看到自己在不断前进，不断成功，但我觉得没有必要拘泥于每一步要花的时间。
Manager: interesting! And how do you feel about decision-making? Are you an independent thinker, or do you depend more on your superior for direction?
有意思！ 你对“作决定”有什么看法？ 你是个独立思考者，还是更多地依赖上级的指示？
Rep: That depends a bit on the problem at hand. There are certain situations in which a manager can give a general directive, and expect his employees to know how to take the initiative on the details. I am known for taking the initiative, but I believe I also have the discernment to wait for direction when the situation calls for that.
这就要看当时手头上的工作是什么。有时经理会给出大致的指示不，希望员工发挥在具体工作上的主动性。我很善于发挥主动性，但我觉得我也能运用自己的判断，在某些情况下，等待经理的指示。
Manager: Sounds good. Everyone is taking about teams these days. Can you describe your role as a member of a sales team?
很好。人们现在热衷于谈论“团队”。你能描述一下你在销售团队里的角色吗？
Rep: I see myself as an encourager. Of course, sales can be quite competitive and sometimes people in this field have a secret desire for others to fail. In my last job, each representative handled a different region. I developed a system for sharing sales gimmicks that worked. Soon the whole sales team started saving up stories, not just to brag, but to share.
我把自己看作一个鼓动者。当然，销售这个领域的竞争很激烈，有些同行暗地里希望别人失败。我在原来的公司工作时，每个销售代表负责一个地区。我建立了一套制度，让所有业务员共享行之有效的销售策略。很快整个销售团队开始积累成功经验，不是为了吹牛，而是为了分享。
Manager: So, your experience is as impressive in practice as it is on paper.
你的实际经历和你所写的一样吸引人。
老虎
The tiger is a giant cat. His body is nearly covered with black stripes.
老虎像只巨大的猫。它的身上长有黑色条纹。
Unlike the lion, he runs so fast that the swiftest horse can not overtake him.
和狮子不同的是，它跑得很快， 连跑得最快的马也赶不上它。
He goes over the ground by making bounds or springs, one after another.
它一次接一次地跳跃飞奔，越过大地。
By night, as well as by day, the tiger watches for his prey.
在夜里，和白天一样，老虎守候着它的猎物。
With a frightful roar, he will seize a man, and carry him off.
随着一声可怕的大吼，它可以抓住一个人，并致他于死。
Have you ever thought what use whiskers are to cats?
你想过猫是如何使用其胡须的吗？
Lions have great whiskers, and so have tigers and all other animals of the cat kind.
和老虎及其他猫科动物一样，狮子也有很长的胡须。
Whenever you find an animal with whiskers like the cat's, you may be sure that animal steals softly among branches and thick bushes.
一旦你找到了一只长着和猫一样的胡须的动物， 你可能会发现，他们常常安静地藏在树枝和茂密的灌木丛里。
By the slightest touch on the tiger's whiskers, he knows when there is anything in his road.
借助胡须上轻微的触觉，老虎能知晓何时会有东西出现在他的周围。
A few years ago, some English officers went out to hunt.
几年前，一些英国官员外出打猎。
When coming home from their day's sport, they found a little tiger kitten.
当他们结束白天的狩猎回家时，他们发现了一只小老虎。
They took it with them and tied it, with a collar and chain, to the pole of their tent.
他们把它捉住，用衣带和锁链绑在帐篷的杆子上，
It played about, to the delight of all who saw it.
被所有看到它的人戏弄。
One evening, just as it was growing dark, they heard a sound that frightened them greatly.
一天夜里，他们听到了一阵令他们十分恐惧的声音。
It was the roar of a tiger.
那是老虎的吼声。
The kitten pulled at the chain, and tried to break away.
小老虎正在挣脱锁链，试图逃跑。
With a sharp cry, it answered the voice outside.
一阵急促的叫声过后，外面传来了应和声。
All at once, a large tigress bounded into the middle of the tent.
突然，一只大母老虎跳进帐篷中。
She caught her kitten by the neck, and broke the chain which bound it.
它用脖颈吻了吻她的孩子，撕开了绑着的锁链。
Then turning to the door of the tent, she dashed away as suddenly as she had come.
然后，它转身回到帐篷门口，和来时一样迅速地跑掉了。
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the most important festival for Chinese people all over the world. It is also called the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year.
The exact date of the Spring Festival on the Western calendar changes from year to year. However, Chinese New Year takes place between January 1 and February 19.
On the Chinese calendar every year has an animal's name. These animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. A Chinese legend says that these twelve animals had a race. The first year was named after the rat, the winner. The other eleven years were named according to the order in which the animals arrived in the race. The clever rat jumped onto the ox's back, and then at the end jumped over the ox's head to arrive first!
The Chinese believe that a person born in a particular year has some of the characteristics of that animal.