愛美乃是健全人性不可或缺的一部分。它是道德的一種品質。缺乏這種品質並不能作為責難的真正理由，但是擁有這種品質則是心靈美好生活的永恒標誌。品德之高尚與完美所達到的程度可能與愛美的感受程度成正比。
大自然之美無處不在。整個宇宙就是其殿堂。美，在春日百花中綻放；美，在綠葉嫩枝中搖曳；美，在深海幽穀中遊弋；美，在奇石與貝殼的繽紛色彩中閃爍。不只是這些細微之物，甚至大洋大川，雲朵繁星，日出日落—一切都洋溢著美。這樣的美如此珍貴與我們最溫柔、最高尚的情感是如此相宜。然而，想到很多人置身於美，卻幾乎對它熟視無睹，真是令人痛心不已。
所有的人都應該去感知大自然之美。我們所踩過的小蟲以及秋風拂掠之際飄落飛舞的樹葉，皆值得我們探究和讚賞。具有欣賞美的能力不僅可以使我們快樂的源泉汩汩噴湧—它也可以拓展我們的德性。美，撫平我們心中的不安，也驅散了我們折憂慮。走進田野或樹林，在夏日的海濱或山間度過一天的時光，那麽你所有微不足道的恐懼與瑣碎的猜忌都會消逝無蹤。世間萬物之美總會有助於我們探索與發現善良之美。
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.
The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.
When the carpenter finished his work and the employer came to inspect the house and handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”
What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.
So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.
Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.” Who could say it more clearly? Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.
Many people think that when they become rich and successful, happiness will naturally follow. Let me tell you that nothing is further from the truth. The world is full of very rich people who are as miserable as if they were living in hell. We have read stories about movie stars who committed suicide or died from drugs. Quite clearly, money is not the only answer to all problems.
Wealth obtained through dishonest means does not bring happiness. Lottery winnings 
do not bring happiness. Gamble winnings do not bring happiness. To my mind, the secret to happiness lies in your successful work, in your contribution towards others’ happiness and in your wealth you have earned through your own honest effort. If you obtain wealth through luck or dishonest means, you with taking advantage of others or by hurting others, you will not be happy with it. You will think you are a base person.
Long-term happiness is based on honesty, productive work, contribution, and self-esteem. Happiness is not an end; it is a process. It is a continuous process of honest, productive work which makes a real contribution to others and makes you feel you are a useful, worthy person. As Dr.Wayne wrote, “There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.” There is no use saying “Some day when I achieve these goals, when I get a car, build a house and own my own business, then I will be really happy.” Life just does not work that way. If you wait for certain things to happen and depend on external circumstances of life to make you happy, you will always feel unfulfilled. There will always be something missing.
The phrase “American dream” generally refers to the hopes one has for his own well-being in America. It is not necessarily a selfish notion, because achieving the dream is assumed to make America strong. Because the dream is held by individuals, there can be as many different dreams as there are people to have them. A new immigrant may dream of mastering the language, holding a steady job, and having his own apartment. A successful industrialist may dream of acquiring more companies.
In the past, the most typical components of the American dream for ordinary people are as follows. The first component is a piece of land where one can sustain himself and raise a family. Having the land has to got beyond mere subsistence. It must also provide for a profit and expansion. Most importantly, it must help to give your children better opportunities that you had. A final component is freedom of movement within your geographic area. In our agricultural age, freedom of movement came with horse and wagon.
We remain emotionally tied to our agricultural past. We replace the working farm of the American dream with a suburban house and an urban job. The horse that took our ancestors to town once a month for supplies is replaced by a couple of cars that take us several places everyday.
The essence of the American dream seems to me to be geographic space and physical freedom. One’s efforts allow one to succeed independently while providing an improved future for one’s children and making a contribution to the world that one can be proud of.
The dream has its constants, but it is ever-changing with the people and with the times. For young students today, the dream might include a very high-paying technology job from which one could retire at an early age and devote oneself to helping others. For middle-aged people today, the dream may include voluntary simplicity-a planned reduction in consumption with a potentially more satisfying lifestyle.
東西用得久了，便會磨損。小到一雙鞋子，大到整個天空。於是誕生了修補這個行當。從業人員從街頭古樸的老鞋匠，到誰都未曾謀面的一位叫做女媧的神仙。
只有珍貴的東西，才需要修補。我們不會修補一次性的筷子和菲薄的面巾紙，但若損壞的是一雙象牙筷子和一幅名貴字畫，又是家傳珍寶和友人的饋贈，那就大不一樣了。你會焦灼地打探哪裏有技藝高超的工匠，為了讓它們最大限度地恢復原貌，不惜殫精竭慮。
我們修補，是因為我們懷有深情。在那破損的物件的皺褶裏，掩藏著歲月的經緯和激情的圖案。那是情感之手留下的獨一無二的指紋，只屬於特定的人和特定的刹那。
考古人員修復文物，所費的精力，絕對大於再造一件新品。比如一個陶罐，掉了耳朵，破了邊沿，漏了幫底，假若它是新出廠的，肯定扔在垃圾箱裏，但在修複者眼裏，它們是不可替代的惟一。於是絞盡腦汁，將它復原到美輪美奐。陶罐裏盛著凝固的歷史和永恒的時間。
修補是一個工程，需要大耐心，大勇氣，大智慧。耐心是為了對付那曠日持久的精雕細刻，勇氣是為了在漫長的修復過程中，堅定自己的信念和抵禦他人的不屑。智慧是為了使原先的破損處，變得更加牢靠而美觀。
人們常常擔心修補過的器物，是否還有價值。也許在外觀上會遺有痕蹟，但在內在品質上，修補處該更具強韌的優勢。聽一位師傅說，鋦過的碗，假如再摔於地，哪怕別處都碎成指甲蓋大的碗茬，但被鋦釘箍過的磁片，依舊牢牢地攏在一起。
愛情是我們一生中最需精心保養的器皿，它具備可資修補的一切要素。愛是珍貴的，愛是久遠的，愛是有歷史的，愛是滲透了情感的，愛是無價之寶。
愛情的修理工，不能假手他人，只能是我們自己。當我們簽下愛情契約的時候也隨手填寫了它的保修單。我們既是愛情的製造者，也是它的使用者和維修者。這種三合一的身份，使人自豪幸福也使人尷尬操勞。愛情系統一旦出了故障，我們無法怨天尤人，只有痛定思痛地查找短路，更換原件，改善各種環境和條件……古書上說，假如寶玉有了裂紋，可有錦緞包裹，肌膚，晝夜不離身，如此三年。那美玉得了人的體溫滋養，就會漸漸彌合，直至天衣無縫，成為人間至寶。不知這法子補玉是否靈驗？若以此法修補愛情，將它放進兩顆胸膛，以血脈灌溉，以精神哺育，以意志堅持，以柔情陶冶，它定會枯木逢春，重新鬱鬱蔥蔥。
When we were children, everything we saw was new, wonderful, exciting, and unbelievable. We were happy if it was raining or snowing, if it was hot or cold, if it was night or day. We just wanted to discover all the things that were around us.For us the only big difference was that we were awake or asleep. When we were awake, we wanted to extend the time just for playing with our friends or being with our pet a little more time.But we can’t stop time. Children grow and we become adults; and as adults, we no longer have enough time for little things—discovering a rainbow is not surprising, seeing a building with 50 floors is not amazing, and looking at a giraffe in the zoo is normal. A rainy day is bad day because the traffic will be slow, and the first day of spring make us think about allergies.The first day of the month is not the beginning of new month; it’s the time to think about bills. Going to the supermarket is an obligation; it is not just for the pleasure of walking down the aisles and looking for things and seeing the people around us.Life is a process in which everyone has many obligations, but if everyone tried to see life through the eyes of a child, I am sure that everyday could be better.
小李同一位朋友散步。這位朋友是他們小時候那幫玩伴中被公認為最笨的一位，現在卻成了某鄉鎮企業的一把手。
當他們走到一個岔路口時，從另一方向緩緩走來一個盲人。盲人用竹竿點點探探，走得極緩慢。盲人走向了他們也要去的那一條路。
小李與朋友邊走邊聊。小李談起自己兩年內五次跳槽，直到現在還在困境中掙扎的經歷，朋友點頭微笑不止，卻又始終沉默不語。過了一會兒，小李偶然回首，忽然不見盲人。
“那個盲人呢？”他不禁脫口問。
“他已經走過去老遠了！”朋友微笑著說。
“一個盲人，怎麽可能走得比我們快這麽多？奇怪！“小李驚歎道。
“怎麽不可能？我們東瞧瞧，西望望，三心二意地散步，而他卻是一門心思在走路……”朋友說。
聽這這句話，小李的心猛地被震了一下：多麽簡單而又深刻的道理啊！試想，如果自己以前稍微學一下盲人一門心思走路的精神，又何至落得今日這般潦倒呢？而這位朋友所以還有點成績，也許正是因為他像盲人一樣一心一意呢。
Terry was a middle-aged leather trader whose repeated frustration in career made him a sour and disillusioned man, often complaining that he had been swindled by others. One day he told his wife he was so disappointed with the city that he had to leave.
So his family moved to another city. It was the evening of a weekend. When Terry and his wife were busily engaged in tidying up their new home, the lights suddenly went out and they were forced to stop work. Terry was regretful to have forgot binging mood. Just then he heard light, hesitant knocks on his door that were clearly audible in the quiet night.
“Who’s it?” He wondered. Terry had no acquaintances in the
He was fretting bout it when the door was knocked again. He opened it and found the same little girl outside. But this time she was holding two candles radiating red light like her face-a spectacular sight! She said, “My grandma told me the new neighbor downstairs might need candles. She sent me here to give you these.” Terry was struck dumb by what he saw. When he became fully aware, he said, “Thank you and your grandma. God bless you!”
At that moment he suddenly realized what caused his failure in life. It was his indifference and harshness with other people. The person who had swindled him in life was actually nobody else but himself, for his eyes had been blurred by his unsympathetic mind.
一個月光明朗的夜晚，饑餓的瘦狼遇到了養得肥肥的看家狗。狼很羡慕狗，想和它交朋友。
“你看上去怎麽這麽壯實？”狼問，“你肯定比我吃得好多了。”
“唉，如果你要吃我吃的東西，就得幹我幹的活。”狗說。
“什麽活？”狼問。
“就是盡心盡職地給主人看家、防賊什麽的。”
“我可以試試嗎？”
狗一見狼願意跟自己一樣為主為效力，就領著狼匆匆向主人宅第跑去。它們在一起跑的時候，狼看到狗脖子上有一圈明顯的傷疤。
“你的脖子是怎麽弄傷的？”
“是平時鐵鏈子套在脖子上勒的。”狗不經意地答道。“鏈子？”狼吃驚了，“難道你平時不能自由自在地隨意走動？”
“不能完全隨我的意，”狗說，“主人怕我白天亂跑，因此把我拴起來。不過到了晚上，我還有一定的自由。重要的是我可以吃到主人吃不了的食物，主人非常地寵倖我……怎麽啦，你怎麽不走啦，你要到哪兒去？”狗一見狼正在離開它，急切地喊。
“我要回到樹林裏去，”狼回頭說，“你吃你的美食去吧，我寧可吃得糟糕點，也不願意讓鏈子拴住脖子，失去寶貴的自由。”狼說完一溜煙地跑了。
寄人籬下也許能得到衣食方面的照顧，但卻使自己的自由和發展愛到限制。肯於自強自立的人，會依靠自己的雙腳前行，到自由自在的天空中遨遊。
In modern society, People have to spend one-third of their lifetime on their jobs in order to earn enough money to meet their families’ needs. Moreover, nowadays, emerging profession is on the rise so that there is thousands of works for choosing. Thus, it is worthy for us of thinking of “how to choose jobs”.
In fact, job choosing has almost puzzled everyone. Both money and interests are the main elements that influence people’s decisions. In my opinion, taking your interested job is the better choice. For one thing, working is a part of living. Its’ meaning does not consist only in meeting people’s basic needs, such as clothing, food and entertainment. In US, there was a research on the successful people showing that, among the interviewees， 94% are taking the jobs of their interested. In other words, it tells us that the basis of success is interests. If a person is not interested in his work, he will never be successful even if he makes great effort. As a matter of fact, there is a good deal of people just works for money, not for interests. They repeat their works day after day, year after year. Then after a long time, they all will find their works boring, and demand the job-hopping. For this reason, it is difficult for them to achieve success. Therefore, interest is the motivation of work, and working is the way to realize one’s ideals and the sources of joy and happiness.
For another thing, not everyone can take the jobs of his interested at the beginning. Sometimes, we are forced to take the jobs we do not like so much for many reasons. Under this condition, we can try our best to raise the interests of these jobs. If we have the wide interests, our horizons will be broadened, which will be of benefit to confirm our future developing aims. So, when we are undertaking the jobs we do not like, we should also do our best. This is called work ethics.
As the saying goes, there are a number of jobs, and everybody can find one suitable for himself. Today, the standard for society to judge whether a person are successful or not is not how much money they own but the achievements they make. Thus, we should treat the job choosing seriously.