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1“Knock it off!” Billy would not cease banging his foot on the tanle. Mrs. Stewart had lost all patience in telling him to stop. Her words were falling on deaf ears. She had asked her son to quit doing something that was borthing her so many times that she hardly even knew the words were coming from her mouth. Billy had got used to this. He just ignored his mom’s expressions like these. He banged on without a pause. She used to try to phrase her words in positive ways like,”When you bang on the table that way, it upsets me. Would you mind doing something else that it is a little quieter?” There was warmth in her voice and she had all of the best intentions. But when she actually managed to get Billy’s attetion in this way, he simply replied,”But I’m bored.” She tried offer him a bunch of alternatives but nothing worked and it all because too tedious. It had become noticeable even to herself that she was increasingly using negative expressions. Mrs.Stewart seems to understand that even if she shouts she ca n’t expect Billy to respond immediatelly. But she still believes that to keep applying the pressures might work someday. Children may learn that arguing no longer works because of her continuous shouting.

2What’s in a name? Your fate could have been entirely different if you had been given a different name at your birth. Some of us recognize that our name does not necessarily fit and start using a different name rather than the one we were given. Many of us choose to use our middle name so we can be true to our parents, and at the same time be more confident. Some people who have changed their name claim that their professional lives improved .They feel better about themselves so they are more likely to achieve more .But those who have changed their names are not just being overly sensitive. Name themselves convey some information causing others to make judgment based solely on them .Here is an example :A magazine declined to print a writer’s name simply because the editor thought it suited a baseball player more than an art critic .Another example: A women at a party became embarrassed when she wanted to be introduced to a man she had declined because of his name .One study showed that teachers give different grades to the identical essays written by boys with different names. Similarly, girls’popularity can be related to their names. Yet, which name works and which does not depend on the times .The good qualities of a well-liked president or actor can often influence how a name is seen .But if a name becomes too well-known ,it might also fall out of favor as parents look for sth. a little more unique for their child.

3I was in a bad temper .I was just like the stress in my life that was running out of control .I could probably attribute it to financial stress .My company was cutting jobs and they were evaluating each worker’s performance .This was inevitable in those days of rising competition and shrinking companies .The companies were getting smaller because of the hopeless economic conditions .I knew I was being considered as one of the workers they would let go though I had been overworking .Or maybe it was my home life .My wife and I had gotten in an argument and my 19-year-old daughter announced that she was leaving the house to move in with her boyfriend. I am usually not a person of quick temper ,but yesterday was different .I rode my bike to work as usual；it’s about 20 kilometers .I had stopped for a red light and then proceeded when the light turned green .I had assumed the car coming from my right would stop,but instead it went right on through the red light and nearly hit me .I barely had time to react .I grabbed my bike lock and threw it at his car ,hitting his rear window and making a crack. The driver stopped and got out of the car. I laid my bike down and picked up the bike lock from the ground for protection .Then he reached for his phone to call the police.

4It is strange that some people tell us the economy is bad and the job market is changing for the worse , especially for young people . This puzzles me. From my perspective the world has never seen so many incredible opportunities for young people exiting college .

Trends toward specialized careers and lower salaries leave economists and sociologists fearful that the next generation of employees will be confined to roles that are too narrow and thus not rewarding enough . Many say corporations are taking advantage of the labor force . But , no one is forcing our youth into such occupations . If a rewarding job does not exist in the current system , they’ll have create to it for themselves . The Internet has already answered students’ cries for more career possibilities . The next breakthrough to create something truly creative is bound to happen anytime now . At the same time let’s ensure that students are prepared for the day when their chances are coming .

By telling our young people everything has already been done and that there is nothing left to dream about , we are robbing them of the opportunity to create a system that is new and exciting , outside the confines of what is currently imaginable .But then again , maybe I’m wrong . Maybe I shouldn’t worry about our youth at all . Their ability to challenge what is before them and defy our unnecessary worries is their greatest strength . Maybe by telling them they can’t , we are in effect encouraging them to create something truly incredible .All in all , the future for the young people is not gloomy;instead ,it is promising .