Have you ever had the following experience? You have been given the task of organizing a conference, which includes a must-do list about a mile long. There are the conference site, the guest list, the materials, the technology and even the food and drink to think about and plan. If you are beginning to feel the stress, slow down and take a breath. 【小题1】

Write down your goals. You will need to clearly define what you hope to accomplish with this conference because this will shape the rest of your decisions.【小题2】

Develop your budget.【小题3】 Then break that budget into different parts such as the conference site, materials and speakers’ fees. Stick to your budget, and make sure your assistants are keeping their monetary limits as well.

【小题4】 When searching for locations, keep in mind the number of participants, the convenience of the location, parking and closeness to public transportation, airports and hotels. Your goal in finding a place to hold the conference should be making it as easy as possible for participants to attend.

Seek help from the staff of the conference site. If you have chosen a site that is known for holding conferences, you can seek help from the staff there as organizing meetings is what they do every day.【小题5】 They should be able to answer any questions or concerns and provide advice when needed.

Of course, full preparations also include a walk-through. Go to the site and meet with the staff the day before to be certain that everything is in place and to take care of any small details.

Joe bought his first white car with dark red leather seat. Before that, Joe studied for six weeks to get a driving license. Lucky, he passed the written test or the test of driving skills. With a permit in hand, Joe still felt drive himself was scary. So he asked his uncle help him to practice driving skillfully. His uncle promised to do that. However, Joe was requiring to commit 100 percent as his uncle had taught. After a month full with struggle and hard work, Joe made a great progress. He finally learned how to drive his car on their own. Although it is scary at first, driving eventually became easy for Joe.

Ariana caught another whiff(难闻的味道) and tried to hold her breath. She moved away slightly, but Ashley only moved closer and continued talking. Ariana felt trapped. She wanted badly to tell Ashley that she didn't smell very good. But how could she do that without hurting her feelings? Instead, she gathered the remains of her lunch to throw in the trash, thankful for the excuse to get some fresh air. She looked back to see Ashley eating quietly. Ashley's hair was tangled(乱糟糟的) , and her clothes were dirty. Ariana forced herself to go back to the table and take her seat, vowing(发誓) that she would not sit with Ashley tomorrow.

When Ariana got home from school, she complained to her mother, ''There's a girl named Ashley who likes to sit next to me in school, but she smells bad. ''

''She's probably having a tough day, '' said her mother.

''No, it's not just one day. She smells bad a lot, '' Ariana explained. ''Nobody else likes to sit next to her, either. ''

''I don't think you understand Ashley's situation, so let me ask you this..., '' Her mother's tone was serious. ''Who makes sure that your hair is combed every morning so you'll look nice when you go to school? ''

''You do, '' answered Ariana.

''Who makes sure you're bathed and cleaned every day? And your clothes are washed and neatly ironed? ''

''You and Daddy, '' Ariana said again.

''Do you live in a nice home? Do you have enough to eat? ''

Ariana nodded, beginning to feel guilty. She was starting to understand now. Ashley couldn’t help her situation because she was only seven years old—the same age as Ariana. Grown-ups are supposed to take care of kids.

''Why doesn't her family take better care of her? '' Ariana asked.

''Not all children live in the best situation, '' her mother said. ''The best thing you can do for Ashley is to treat her with kindness and sympathy. ''

My wife Laura and I were on the beach, with three of our children, taking pictures of shore birds near our home in Alaska when we spotted a bear. The bear was thin and small, moving aimlessly.

Just a few minutes later, I heard my daughter shouting, "Dad! The bear is right behind us!" An aggressive bear will usually rush forward to frighten away its enemy but would suddenly stop at the last minute. This one was silent and its ears pinned back — the sign (迹象) of an animal that is going in for the kill. And it was a cold April day. The bear behaved abnormally, probably because of hunger.

I held my camera tripod (三脚架) in both hands to form a barrier as the bear rushed into me. Its huge head was level with my chest and shoulders, and the tripod stuck across its mouth. It bit down and I found myself supporting its weight. I knew I would not be able to hold it for long.

Even so, this was a fight I had to win: I was all that stood between the bear and my family, who would stand little chance of running faster than a brown bear.

The bear hit at the camera, cutting it off the tripod. I raised my left arm to protect my face; the beast held tightly on the tripod and pressed it into my side. My arm could not move, and I sensed that my bones were going to break.

Drawing back my free hand, I struck the bear as hard as I could for five or six times. The bear opened its mouth and I grasped its fur, trying to push it away. I was actually wrestling (扭打) with the bear at this point. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the fight ended. The bear moved back towards the forest, before returning for another attack — the first time I felt panic.

Apparently satisfied that we caused no further threat, the bear moved off, destroying a fence as it went. My arm was injured, but the outcome for us could hardly have been better. I'm proud that my family remained clear-headed when panic could have led to a very different outcome.