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​     Effective teamwork is key to the success of a business. Teamwork helps tasks get completed quickly and efficiently (高效地) . However, poor teamwork can hinder a business' success and make operations much more difficult. Four parts of teamwork can make it effective and lead to business success.

     Effective Communication (沟通)
     Without effective communication, a team will be weak. When a team has open and honest communication, a lot more will be achieved. Communication makes sure that everyone listens to one another's ideas and will help them express their thoughts and feelings. Good communication also helps put together a clear plan of action.
     Different Skills
     The way the team is made up of plays a major role in how well the group works as a team. It is necessary that people with different skills be paired together so that they can make use of one another's knowledge and skills. For example, in a team, there should be a few people who are good at planning, one or two key leaders and several experts in various subjects.
     Strong Leadership
     Leadership is important in a team. A leader is needed to settle disagreements, set goals and keep the team on track. A good leader can lead without being bossy, achieve goals by encouraging the team and stepping in when necessary, and make suggestions for improvements.
     Passion (激情)
     A team without passion will get nowhere. If any member of the team does not have the passion to get the job done and do it well, he or she will become less and less interested in the duties and bring the rest of the team down.

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     Most 11-year-olds are just happy to have finished their first year of middle school. However, Tom is not like most kids. He did not go to elementary (小学) , middle or high school but went straight to college at the young age of eight.
     While Tom's parents knew he was smart, they had never imagined putting him in college this young. However, when they tried to send him to a private (私立的) school at the age of six, he was turned down, because he was so smart that the school was afraid he would feel dull.
     It turns out the school was right. After homeschooling the young boy for two years, the parents realized that he was ready for some real high-level courses. They came to East Los Angeles College, who agreed to take him in. However, until he proved himself, he could take only two courses-math and music.
     Tom did not disappoint. He got A's in both and hasn't looked back since. Last week, he graduated as a top student. In fact, the young boy was so smart that he helped his fellow math students, some of whom were 10 years older than him.
     While the world may cheer him as a genius (天才), his parents think he is just a normal boy who plays football and watches movies for children.

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     This is not a diet (减肥食谱)—or a hard exercise program. Nobody can stick to those for long. Instead, it's a simple way to make weight loss a natural part of the life you already live. And guess what? It's fun! You don't have to give up the foods you love or do regular exercises. It's about balancing calories (平衡卡路里) in tiny ways that add up to big benefits (好处). You just use some tricks the "naturally thin" people do. Pick the ones you like, stick with them, and you'll lose weight and be strong!
     Talk it UP  Every time you pick up the phone, stand up and walk around. Heavy people sit on average two and a half hours more every day than thin people, according to a study.
     Get face time   We use e-mail so much that we've forgotten what our colleagues look like. Pick a colleague or two who sit farthest from you and deliver 10 of those daily messages in person. And go out of your way: go to a bathroom or a copy machine on another floor—and take the stairs, of course.
     Think about your drink   Consider beer or wine instead of a frozen drink: A glass of regular beer has 140 calories and a serving of wine has 126 calories, while a strawberry daiquiri has about 300 and a margarita 340.
     Reduce a total of 100 calories each day and you'll be able to lose about 10 pounds in a year. This is really not difficult to do.

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     Robert Kohout, 39, was working outside his home last October when he heard a frightening noise. He turned round and saw Walter Graham’s car sinking into 8 feet of water of the swimming pool a little distance away from his yard. 

     Kohout immediately called to Graham’s wife, Evelyn, to phone 911. Then he ran back to his house to get Terence Reif and Glenn Fajardo to help, who were at work inside the house. “There was no time for second thoughts,” said Reif, a farmer’s son. “The only thing to do is to get in the pool.”
     The car doors were locked. Graham, 73, was unconscious (失去知觉), and his mercury was rapidly filling with water. Reif struggled to break the driver’s side window with a hammer but had trouble getting it done underwater.
     Finally—some four minutes after the car had fallen into the pool, the glass was broken. By then, Graham was floating at the top of the flooded passenger compartment (车厢).
     The three men pulled Graham out through the broken glass. He wasn’t breathing and his heart stopped beating, so they performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The rescue (急救) team arrived in no time. Doctors supplied him with advanced life support on the way to the hospital.
     “These people were getting to Graham through the glass,” said Dr. Jeff. “All three acted without regard for their own safety.” Added Evelyn Graham, “They were truly angels (天使), watching over us.” 

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     Many people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. But doctors now say babies begin learning on their first day of life. A baby will smile if his or her mother does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care by smiling to please her mother or other caregivers. This is when babies learn to connect and "talk" with other people.
     Language skills are believed to develop best in the first three years when the place is rich with sounds and sights. Scientists say children should hear the speech and language of other people again and again. The first signs of communication (交际) happen during the first few days of life, when a baby learns that crying will bring food and attention.
     Research shows that most children recognize the general sounds of their native language by six months of age. By that time, a baby usually begins to make sounds. By the end of their first year, most children are able to say a few simple words, although they may not understand the meaning of the words. By 18 months of age, most children can say between eight and ten words. By two years of age, most children are able to make simple sentences. By ages three, four and five, the number of words a child can understand quickly increases. It is at these ages that children begin to understand the rules of language.

    Eight years ago, officials in Chicago. Illinois, decided to replace the black roof on the city government building with a planted garden. The aim was to reduce energy costs, improve air quality and control the rainwater entering the city' s waste system（系统）. Green roofs also help reduce a problem called urban heat islands （城市热岛现象）. During hot weather, the building' s root could reach temperatures of up to 76℃. With the garden, the temperature of the root area was reduced by at least 30℃. Workers planted over 150 kinds of plants that could stand bad weather. Now. the area is cooler, the building requires less energy to keep cool, and the root looks nice. Chicago also offers money to help people pay for building their own green roots.

    About five years ago. officials in Thane, India, decided to reduce the city's depending on power from coal. The city often experiences lack of power because of the large numbers of people using electricity. Officials decided to save energy by putting water heaters（热水器）powered by the sun on top of the city’s main hospital.

    The hospital saved thousands of dollars in energy costs each year. Officials then began building this kind of water heater around the city.

    China has announced plans to build a city called Dongtan The company designing the city says it will produce its energy from the wind, sun and waste. The aim is for the city to be an example to the rest of China. 

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     Most musicians agree that the best violins (小提琴) were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments (乐器) like the Italian violins, however, they are not the same. Why are these old Italian violins so special? No one really knows. But many people think they have an answer.
     Some people think it is the age of the violins. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only the old violins from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer.
     Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremona knew something special about wood for violins.
     But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut into the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this is the secret of the Italians.
     Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists make new violins that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new ones still do not sound as good as the old ones. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish (清漆). It makes the wood look shiny, but it also helps the sound of the instrument. Since no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish, no one can make the same varnish today.
     There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. And there are not many of the old violins left. So these old violins from Cremona become more and more precious.

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     My wife and I moved into our home nine years ago. We have a yard and a "rock garden". There the rocks appear to be just thrown up onto the dirt as if someone were in a hurry to finish. Very often when we have more flowers, Denise or I would plant them between the rocks, just to add some color to the area.
     Last summer I found, in the rock garden, a tiny little plant that I could not immediately recognize. I knew I didn't plant it and Denise said she didn't either. We decided to let it continue growing until we could find out what it was.
     Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the strange plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. It looked thin and tall with only one head on it. I decided to baby it along and weed (除草) around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something unusual. The sunflower had not started where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the sun.
     If a tiny little sunflower didn't let a big rock stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability to do the same thing. If we believe in ourselves like that little sunflower, we can reach where we aim to go and get what we need for growth.
     We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the ability to achieve our goals. Like the sunflower, it knew it had the ability to get over the rocks because it had faith in itself that it would succeed. Stand tall like the sunflower and be proud of who and what we are, then other things will begin to support us. We will find a way to go under or around any "rocks" in order to realize our goals.

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     Last fall was a first-of-its-kind season. I did not arrange (安排) any after-school classes for my children. No swimming. No music lessons. No playdates. Nothing.
     Once they finished their homework, they were free to do what they pleased, but only one hour of TV. In the beginning, my sons, Ben, 11, and Nick, 9, were anxious about this sudden, unplanned freedom. I had to push them out of the door with a ball, a bike, and so on. "Play!" I ordered.
     I learned that this new plan takes time, patience and a lot of faith in the theory that having excellent grades isn't really important.
     When my older kids, now in college and high school, were young, I brought in the rules of modern parenting. They are unspoken, but followed carefully. First, you must let your child have a variety of activities. After all, you never know where you'll find a genius (天才). Second, if the child shows the slightest talent (才能), the activity must be pushed with lessons, special coaching (辅导) and practice of several days a week. Every minute should be taken and every minute has a purpose. That was really too much for my children.
     Now with the new plan, we told stories. We listened to music. And the kids played with bikes, balls, and whatever was handy. Nobody kept score. In fact, the boys played outside so much that the lawn was worn down to the soil in places. They've made friends with those who come from all over the neighbourhood to play games.
     We like those peaceful evenings. Ben and Nick have a good time this fall. Maybe that's because the time off has allowed us to enjoy each other's company.

    Probably no other musical instrument（乐器） is as popular around the world as the guitar （吉他）. Almost every kind of music needs a guitar. Country and western music would not be the same without a guitar.  The Spanish music called flamenco could not exist without a guitar. The sound of American blues music would not be the same without the sad cry of the guitar. And rock and roll music would almost be impossible without this instrument.

    People do not agree about where the guitar was first played, but most agree it is very old. Some say an instrument very much like a guitar was played in Egypt more than one thousand years ago. Some others say that an old form of the modem guitar was brought to Spain from Persia sometime in the 12 century. The guitar continued to develop in Spain. In the 1700s it became similar to the instrument we know today.

    Many famous musicians played the instrument. The famous musician Niccolo Paganinni played and wrote music for the guitar in the early 1800s. Franz Schubert used the guitar to write some of his famous works. In modem times Andres Segovia helped make the instrument extremely popular.

    One kind of music for the guitar developed in the southern area of Spain called Adalusia. It will always be strongly connected with the Spanish guitar. 

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     Persons who are overweight should watch their diet carefully in order to lose pounds. The, best way to do this is to start a weight control program. At first it is wise to talk with your doctor. He can advise you of the number of calories you should have in your meals each day. He can tell you about exercising while on your diet. A good rule is to lose slowly. A loss of a pound or two is plenty.
     Plan meals around foods you know. This means that it is wise to include foods that you are used to and that are part of your regular eating habits. When you have lost the weight you wish, simple items can be added to your diet so that you can maintain the weight you want. While you are dieting, try to build a pattern of eating that you can follow later to maintain your desired weight.
     When dieting, choose low-calorie foods. Avoid such items as fats, fried food, sweets, cakes, cream and soft drinks. Try to take coffee and tea without sugar or cream. Snacks can be part of your diet. For example, a piece of fruit or a simple dessert saved from mealtime can be eaten between meals.
     Keep busy! This way you will not be tempted to go off the diet. Make full use of opportunities to exercise. Try walking instead of riding whenever possible. Happy dieting!

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     It may be pointed out that warfare (战争) as practiced by man has no parallel in nature. This is to say that within the more highly developed animal populations of this earth there is not now, not has there been similar destruction within a species (物种) itself. In fact, one has to go to the lowliest forms of animal life, such as certain kinds of ants to find anything comparable to human warfare. It is a curious fact that mankind appears to give the killing of his own kind a good reason by imaging that it is a "law of nature". There are now a lot of wrong ideas about the laws of nature, of which this is one of the most incorrect and fateful (致命的). Political beliefs have been based upon it with results that have come near to destroying human civilization. The theory that war is a biological necessity that it is nature's method of controlling population and believing in the survival (生存) of the strong and the elimination (灭亡) of the weak is totally wrong and insupportable. Within the last century, when wars have been common all over the world the human population of the earth has almost doubled.

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     Not many years ago, a wealthy and rather strange old man named Johnson lived alone in a village in the south of England. He had made a lot of money in trading with foreign countries. When he was seventy-five, he gave￡12,000 to the village school to buy land and equipment for a children’s playground.
     As a result of his kindness, many people came to visit him. Among them was a newspaperman. During their talk, Johnson remarked that he was seventy-five and expected to live to be a hundred. The newspaperman asked him how he managed to be healthy at seventy-five. Johnson had a sense of humor (幽默). He liked whisky (威士忌酒) and drank some each day. “I have an injection (注射) in my neck each evening,” he told the newspaperman, thinking of his evening glass of whisky.
     The newspaperman did not understand what Johnson meant. In his newspaper he reported that Johnson was seventy-five and had a daily injection in his neck. Within a week Johnson received thousands of letters from all over Britain, asking him for the secret of his daily injection. 

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     Moods, say the experts, are emotions that tend to become fixed, influencing one's outlook for hours, days or even weeks. That's great if your mood is a pleasant one, but a problem if you are sad, anxious, angry or simply lonely.
     Perhaps the best way to deal with such moods is to talk them out; sometimes, though, there is no one to listen. Modern pharmacology (药物学) offers a lot of tranquilizers (镇静剂) , antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs. What many people don't realize, however, is that scientists have discovered the effectiveness of several non-drug approaches to make you free from an unwanted mood. These can be just as useful as drugs, and have the added benefit of being non-poisonous. So next time you feel out of sorts, don't head for the drugstore, try the following approach.
     Of all the mood-altering self-help techniques, aerobic exercise seems to be the most efficient cure for a bad mood. "If you could keep the exercise, you'd be in high spirits. " says Kathryn Lance, author of Running for Health and Beauty.
     Researchers have explained biochemical and various other changes that make exercise compared favorably to drugs as a mood-raiser. Physical exertion such as housework, however, does little. The key is aerobic exercise—running, cycling, walking, swimming or other repetitive and tamed activities that boost the heart rate, increase circulation (循环) and improve the body's use of oxygen. Do them for at least 20 minutes a session, three or five times a week.

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     The ordinary family in colonial North America was primarily concerned with sheer physical survival and beyond that, is own economic prosperity. Thus, children were valued in terms of their productivity, and they assumed the role of producer quite early. Until they fulfilled this role, their position in the structure of the family was one of subordination (从属) and their psychological needs and capacities received little consideration.
     As the society became more complex, the status of children in the family and in the society became more important. In the complex, technological society that the United States has become, each member must fulfill a number of personal and occupational roles and be in constant contact with a great many other members. Consequently, viewing children as potentially acceptable and necessarily multifaceted members of society means that they are regarded more as people in their own right than as utilitarian organisms. This acceptance of children as equal participants in the contemporary family is reflected in the variety of statutes protecting the rights of children and in the social and public welfare programs devoted exclusively to their well-being.
     This new view of children and the increasing contact between the members of society has also resulted in a surge of interest in child-rearing techniques. People today spend a considerable portion of their time conferring on the proper way to bring up children. It is now possible to influence the details of the socialization of another person's child by spreading the gospel of current and fashionable theories and methods of child rearing. 

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     Cats are creatures of habit. They like to go to sleep about the same time every day and for a certain length of time. They seem to have a natural clock inside them that tells them when to sleep. 

     Cats increase their regular sleep with occasional cat naps (打盹). Some experts feel that humans could also benefit from this habit. Cat naps help to build up energy in the body. They are also a good way to get rid of trouble! Since cats have the same moods (情绪) as humans, some experts believe that people can improve their moods. People might become happier.
     A number of famous people have copied cats by taking cat naps during the day. The naps would usually last from 15 to 30 minutes. 

     Winston Churchill took cat naps. So did Presidents Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson. These famous men were known for their energy. They were also able to work long hours, often into the night. Napping was their secret.

     Perhaps more people learn from cats and take naps to feel better and live longer!

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     Many people earn their living with their hands. Ed earns his living with his feet! And a very good living it is, too.
     Ed’s story began in a very small town in Brazil. His father and mother were very poor. Seven people lived in their tiny house. Ed’s father often played football. Little Ed wanted to play football too. So his father made a soft ball for him to kick. It was a sock filled with soft materials. The little boy kicked it every day.
     At last Ed learned to kick a real football. By the time he was 11, he played football very well.
     One day Ed was playing with some men. A man passing by saw how fast the boy ran. He stopped to watch. How well Ed kicked the ball!
     After the game, the man called Ed to him. “My name is Mr. Dee.” He said. “I used to play football for a living. Will you let me teach you what I know?”
     “Oh, yes!” Ed answered.
     In the next four years, Mr. Dee trained Ed to be a fine player. The boy worked hard. At last Mr. Dee talked to Ed’s father. “This boy is ready to play with the big teams,” he said. “ Let me take him to a city that has a good team.”
     Mr. Dee took Ed to Santos, Brazil. There, the boy joined the Santos Football Club.
     In his first big game, Ed helped his team win by seven points. He made four of the seven points!
     Many people thought he was the best football player in the world. He was “The King of Football”.

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     Late last year, I needed to transport some furniture from our house in Sussex to my son's flat in central London. I should have paid a man to do it for me, but foolishly confident in my driving ability, I decided to hire a van and drive it myself. It was a Ford Transit 280, long and wide; you couldn’t see out of the back. You never really knew how close you were to anything else on the road.
     Reversing in my home yard, I crashed into a small shed, causing permanent damage. At least I owned the shed.
     I loaded up the furniture and set out. By now it was rush hour. My nerves broke down, as I steered the huge van through ever-shifting lanes, across oncoming vehicles, between distances of buses, at last to Charlotte Street.
     Here, I found an available parking space. As I reversed into it, I noticed three people at a pavement cafe waving to me. I got out, trembling violently, like one who has just endured a stormy Atlantic crossing. “You've shifted the car parked behind you three feet", they said, and it belonged to a disabled person. I examined the car. There were white scratches along its front bumper. It bore a disabled sign. So, now I was a bad driver and a bad man. Under the stern gaze of the three, I left an apologetic note on the damaged cars windscreen, giving my phone number.
     I unloaded the furniture, dripping with sweat. Wanting only to escape the monster, I drove the van back to its base on the Edgware Road. On arrival, the hire man told me I must fill it up with petrol before returning it. "Just charge me." I cried, still shaking with fear. He gazed at me with understanding. No doubt he’d witnessed others in this state before. How about I drive you to a petrol station, you fill up, and I drive her back?" he asked.
     He danced the great van through the traffic so casually that it would have shamed me if I had not been so grateful.

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     Every Chinese-language textbook starts out with the standard phrases for greeting people; but as an American, I always found myself unable to speak freely when it comes to seeing guests off at the door. Just a goodbye would not do, yet that was all I had ever learned from the terrible books. So I would smile and nod, bowing (鞠躬) like a Japanese and searching madly for words that would smooth over the visitor’s leaving and make them feel they would be welcome to come again. In my unease, I often hid behind the skirts of my Chinese husband’s kindness. 

     Then finally, listening to others, I began to pick up the phrases that eased relations and sent people off not only successfully but skillfully. Separating for the Chinese includes a lot of necessary habitual practice. Although as a foreigner, I’m not expected to observe or even know all the rules, I’ve had to learn the expressions of politeness and protest (抗议，反对) at leaving-taking. 

     The Chinese feel they must see a guest off to the farthest possible point—down the flight of stairs to the street below or perhaps all the way to the nearest bus stop. I’ve sometimes waited half an hour or more for my husband to return from seeing a guest off, since he’s gone to the bus top and waited for the next bus to arrive. 

     That’s very well, but when I’m the guest being seen off, my protests are always useless. My hostess or host, or both, insists on seeing me down the stairs and well on my way, with my repeating “Don’t trouble to see me off at the very landing.” If I try to go fast to keep them from following, they are simply out to the discomfort of having to run after me. Better to accept the inevitable (不可避免的). 

     Besides, that’s going against Chinese custom, because haste (doing things quickly) is to be avoided. What do you say when you part from someone? Not “farewell or Godspeed (祝福)”, but “Go slowly”. To the Chinese it means “Take care” or “Watch your step”, or some such caution, but translated literally (照字面地) it means “Go slowly.”