Karl was standing before the queen (女王). "You saved my horse," the queen said. "Now I want to give you a gift." The queen showed him two " boxes. In one box, there were lots of beautiful jewels (宝石), and in the other, there were two chickens.
"Only one box can be yours," the queen said. "Make a wise choice (明智的选择)."
"That's easy," Karl said. "I'll take the chickens." Some of the people around them laughed. They thought he made a foolish choice.
"And why did you choose the chickens?" the queen asked. "Well, I don't know much about jewels," Karl answered. "But I do know about chickens. The chickens will give eggs to my family for a long time."
The queen smiled. "The jewels you see are only colored glass (玻璃). The chickens are much more valuable ( 宝贵的)," she said. "You made a wise choice." Karl thanked the queen and got the box of chickens.
"You are a smart man," the queen said. "I need a smart man to help take care of my horses. Would you like the job?" Karl smiled and said, "Yes. Thank you!"
The job paid well. Now Karl's family could have a good life all because of his choice.
Sometimes talent runs in families. Let's look at some famous (著名的) brothers and sisters.
Andy Murray and Jamie Murray are very famous brothers. They are both professional (职业的) tennis players and they play in competitions all over the world. Jamie is older than Andy, but only by about a year. They look very similar. They are the same height and they have the same dark hair. Jamie became a professional player in 2004, one year before his younger brother Andy. But Andy wins more competitions than his brother!
Kylie Minogue and Dannii Minogue are famous Australian sisters. Kylie began her career (事业) as an actress on Australian TV, then she began singing when she was 19 years old. She soon became famous all over the world. Dannii is younger than Kylie. She is also taller than her sister and she has darker hair. She began singing after Kylie, but she is also very famous. Dannii is also famous as a judge (评判员) on TV talent shows. Sometimes Kylie and Dannii sing together, and they sing really well.
Mrs. Brown lives in London.She has two sons.One is James and the other is Bill. They were born on the same day and they look the same. Mrs.Brown likes them very much and always dresses them in the same clothes，hats，shoes and even socks.
One day James lost(丢失)his hat when he played football on the playground after school.His mother didn't blame(责备)him because she loved him so much.The next day after lunch she went to a shop with Bill's hat.She hoped to buy the same hat for James as Bill's.She wanted them to have the same kind.She asked the shopkeeper to bring out most of the hats.It took her more than an hour to find the same one.At last she chose(选择)one and said happily，"Excuse me，sir.Could you take it to my car，please？”
"I'm afraid I can't，madam，" said the shopkeeper in a polite(有礼貌的)voice.
"Why？"the woman asked in surprise.
"It's your hat，madam，"the man said with a smile."You don't have a new one here."
Do you know oil platforms (石油钻井平台)? They pump out (大量生产) oil from under the ocean (海洋). There can be over 100 people living and working on an oil platform.
The people on oil platforms do a number of different jobs. There are engineers, cooks, doctors, cleaners, etc. But the roughnecks (石油钻井工人) have the hardest job. It's hard, dangerous work.
There are no weekends on oil platforms. Usually, people work every day for two weeks. Then they go back to land to have two or three weeks off from work.
The people on oil platforms can play games and watch TV when they don't work or sleep. There's not much space, and you can't just go for a walk.
Oil platforms are dangerous places. Everyone needs to work carefully.An accident (事故)on the platform Deepwater Horizon in 2010 killed eleven people and a lot of oil went into the ocean.
After that accident, some people said that oil platforms were just too dangerous.So we still need people to work in these difficult, dangerous places.
A. But the world needs a lot of oil. B. But accidents can still happen. C. They are like small towns on the ocean. D. Sometimes they work twelve hours a day. E. However, living on an oil platform is not a lot of fun. |
A group of adults, highly succeeded in their jobs, went to visit their old professor. Soon they began to1 the stress in work and life.
The professor went to the kitchen and returned2a pot of coffee and all kinds of cups —crystal (水晶), glass, plastic; some nice looking, some simple looking; some 3some cheap. And he told them to help4to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, “I've noticed that all the nice looking expensive cups were 5 leaving behind the simple and cheap ones. While it is
6 for you to take only the best for yourself, that is the root of your 7 and stress.
You know that the cup itself adds no quality (品质) to the coffee8 you really wanted was coffee, not the cup9 you went for the best cups without thinking.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee. The jobs, money and 10 in society are the cups. They are just11 to hold life, and the type of cup doesn't change the quality of our life. Sometimes, by 12 attention to the cup only, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has 13 us. God offers us the coffee, not the cup. Please enjoy your coffee!”
The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make 14 of everything. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak15 And leave the rest to the God.
