Have you just been fired? Don't worry. Cheer (you) up and send your wings. Perhaps another much   (good) opportunity is awaiting you. Though sometimes you don't realise it, you are asking to be fired.  

    Dan Zawacki was a happy camper,(sell) computers for Honeywell. One holiday he was thinking up creative gifts and then   good idea came to him—selling dinner live lobsters(龙虾) to his favourite customers. He packaged them himself with butter and put them in the trunk of his car between the computers and started delivering. It was a huge success. As a result, one of his customers suggested they go  the lobster business together. Dan laughed. Still, this landlocked computer salesman couldn't get the idea of lobsters out of his mind. Why not turn this into a hobby   make a few extra dollars? While on a job assignment in Chicago, he persuaded a local radio station  (give) him a few ads in exchange for lobsters.(fortunate), his boss's boss heard his prize salesman selling lobsters, not computers. No surprised, Dan was let go. After returning the company's car, he (start) to think maybe this was a sign. Playing with his phone that night, Dan tried dialing 1-800-LIVE-LOB. The number was available, and Dan the lobsterman was born. Today, twenty (year) later, Dan is still selling dinners, through his company, Lobster Gram. And he couldn't be happier.  

    A foreign student graduated with honors from a finely university in Germany. He expected to find a good job and have a bright future.But in his disappointment, he wasn't even giving the chance for an interview! The third time he was refused, he phoned the company to ask how.“We don't employ dishonest people in Germany” is the answer. What was wrong? Shortly before he arrived in Germany, he found easy to steal subway rides. But he often rode without a ticket and was caught up three times. Now he had to pay a high price for his own behavior. We should all keep in minds: honesty is the best policy.

活着

刘传珍

昨日出游耽搁，借宿在姐姐家。事先，姐夫已申明过，在他家没有懒觉睡，姐夫是做小生意的，起得早很正常。我当时就笑笑，表示理解。不想他半夜就起来了，起床的动作轻轻的，丝毫没有吵醒我的意思，可我还是醒了，我看了一下手表，才三点多。

姐夫出去后，屋外传来轻微的器具碰撞声，我知道，他们开始忙活起来了，我也不好意思再赖在被窝里了，便翻身起来。

已是初冬时候，屋外寒气逼人。天下着蒙蒙细雨，他们正在把东西往三轮车上装。他们摆的是小吃摊，东西很多，如炉子、桌椅盆罐之类的，要运到很远的闹市区路口去，姐姐的头发被雨沾湿了，紧贴在额上，但她似乎也觉察不到，更不觉得冷，在雨中穿来穿去，忙个不停。我搓了搓两只冻得瑟瑟缩缩的手，轻轻地问：“姐，需要我帮忙么？”

“咦，你起来做什么？”她似乎这才注意到我。这时，姐夫说了一声：“好了，出发了，“我也去。”“你去做什么，天冷，睡觉去！”姐姐的话语近乎于命令，但我执意要去，她便未再拦我。姐夫推出一辆自行车，我骑上，跟在他们的后面，出发了。

这一路并不好走，陈街破巷被离迷的雨雾和街灯延绵得老长、老长，仿佛永远也走不到尽头。路面已有积水，左一洼、右一洼，映着昏黄的灯光，仿佛少年含羞的脸庞刚刚褪去红晕，白一阵、黄一阵，不知如何是好。姐夫缓缓地蹬着三轮车，一下一下，很是吃力，姐姐在后面紧紧跟着，一步一步地推，稍有不小心便会踩进水洼里，溅起很高的水线。我一声不吭地推扶着自行车，任凭溅起的浊水点上我的衣裤。

巷子拐了个弯，路稍稍好走了些。姐姐这才舒了口气，见我没有骑自行车，又埋怨起来：“怎么啦你？看，裤子都脏了。”其实她的裤子比我要脏得多。我没有作声，只是略略抬了抬头，望了一眼前方。

前方除了灯光还是灯光，除了雨雾还是雨雾。街上半个人影也看不到，除了偶尔闪过一两只夜行汽车的眼睛。我不由得问姐姐：“赶这么早，会有生意吗？”姐姐苦笑，“哪会有什么生意？不过跟人家抢地盘罢了。”原来姐姐的摊位是固定在那个街口的，但不知从何时起又来了一对下岗夫妇，说城管办也同意他们在那边设摊。于是双方就吵起来，闹到城管办，城管办也没办法，说你们谁先到地盘就归谁。从此双方就这样开始了“拉锯战”。

好不容易到了地头。天虽然很黑，但起早的生意人都陆陆续续赶来了，有的摊子防雨篷都搭好了，有的还在忙碌着。幸好，姐姐他们的地盘还没被“占领”。姐夫迅速地跳下三轮车，从车里抖出一块油毡布，与姐姐一起，三下两下，防雨篷便搭好了，把我这个外行看得直瞪眼。接着，他们又忙碌起来，桌子、椅子、炉子等件件卸下，又一件件摆放好，一切动作都是飞快的，仿佛是搞什么竞赛似的。而我却只能愣愣地站着，不知该怎样才能帮上他们的忙。

等到他们收拾妥当，我才发现我去帮忙实在是多余，他们配合得那样默契，我又何苦去“画蛇添足”呢？姐姐招呼了我一声，问我冷不冷。我冷!大清早起来，又淋了这么多雨，哪能不冷？但我不能说，也不会说。不光是我冷，姐姐、姐夫，还有许许多多夜半起床的人，他们都冷，他们说冷了吗？我的鼻子有点发起酸来，有股想哭的味道，我咬了咬牙，“不冷！”

就在这时，姐姐拽了拽我的衣袖，说，你看。我随她的目光望去，在街的对面，一对中年夫妇正拨弄着一辆相似的三轮车，慢慢地掉过头，悄悄地隐逝在烟雨迷蒙、灯火阑珊的地方。我心里泛起一阵莫名的难受，“是他们吗？”姐姐点点头，没有说话。我知道，她的心里也不好受，但是却也无可奈何。

我在椅子上小睡了会儿，醒来的时候街上行人依然很少，不过汽车多起来，发动机的震颤、鸣笛的呜咽愈来愈响，愈来愈“雄浑”了，这座年迈的城市渐渐地从睡梦中醒来。由于是雨天，姐姐的小吃生意很是清淡。姐姐似乎很有耐心，安详地坐着、等着。我却坐不住了，看了看表，也该走了。

“姐，我走了。”姐姐站起身来，恋恋地看了我一眼，“有空常来玩。”“一定。有空你也到我那边去，别忙坏了身体……”后面的话就没再说下去，因为我知道，此时任何的话语都只是一种形式，说多了反而有点自欺欺人。真的会有“有空”的那一天吗？

我抬头看了看微亮的天空与蒙蒙的雨雾，匆匆向车站走去……

(《文艺生活(精选小小说)》)

—___________

    I often read of incidents of misunderstanding or conflict. I'm left 1. Why do these people create mistrust and problems, especially with those from other 2?

    I was growing up in Kuala Lumpur in the early 1960s, 3 children from different races and religions played and studied 4 in harmony. At that time my family lived a stone's 5 from Ismail's. And no one was bothered that Ismail was a Malay Muslim and I was an Indian Hindu—we just 6 our differences. Perhaps, our elders had not filled our heads with unnecessary advice, well 7 or otherwise.

    We were nine when we became friends. During the school holidays, we'd 8 the countryside on our bicycles, hoping to 9 the unexpected. At times Ismail would accompany my family as we made a rare shopping trip to town. We would be glad of his 10.

    When I was twelve, my family moved to Johor. Ismail's family later returned to their village, and I 11 touch with him.

    One spring afternoon in 1983, I stopped a taxi in Kuala Lumpur. I 12 my destination. The driver acknowledged my 13 but did not move off. Instead, he looked 14 at me. "Raddar? "he said, using my childhood nickname(绰号). I was astonished at being so 15 addressed(称呼). Unexpectedly! It was Ismail! Even after two 16 we still recognized each other. Grasping his shoulder, I felt a true affection, something 17 to describe.

    If we can allow our children to be 18 without prejudice, they'll build friendships with people, regardless of race or religion, who will be 19 their side through thick and thin. On such friendships are societies built and 20 we can truly be, as William Shakespeare once wrote, "we happy few, we band of brothers".

    Millions of people visit Yosemite National Park every year to see the tall waterfalls and mountains. These mountains are a splendid sight when viewed from the valley floor. Lots of stores, hotels, and restaurants are needed to handle the crowds. Also, water, roads, and other service systems are part of the infrastructure(基础设施)that must be maintained.

    Unfortunately, these systems are starting to break down. It is not just in Yosemite but in national parks around the nation.

    Yosemite is thirty years old according to Dennis Galvin, a National Park Service worker. The park is not only old but worn out. Two or three times as many visitors come every year. That is too many visitors for the park to deal with.

    Four years ago a storm washed out a water pipeline in the Grand Canyon. The National Park Service had to send water trucks to provide water for the visitors. Last month pipe almost broke again and roads had to be closed for a while.

    Why hasn't the National Park Service kept up the park repairs? There is lack of money. The United States has 378 mountains, parks, and wilderness areas. Between three and four billion dollars are needed for repairs.

    Yosemite is one national park that does have money for repairs. It has two hundred million dollars but cannot spend it any way it chooses. When the park workers started widening the road, they were forced to stop by the Sierra Club. The club claimed that the road work was damaging the Merced River that runs through the park. A Sierra Club lawyer, Julia Olson, feels that the infrastructure needs to be moved out of Yosemite. That way less pressure will be put on the already crowed park.