Once upon a time, there was a scholar who wanted to gain more knowledge each day even though he had already gained enough knowledge. One day, he came to visit a saint and wanted to be his student. The saint provided some tea. He slowly filled the scholar’s cup: the cup was full, yet he kept pouring and pouring. The scholar burst out, “Stop! You can’t add anything to something that’s already full!” The saint set down the teapot and replied, “Exactly.”
Whether it’s the silence between notes in music, or some open time in your schedule, you need space to act effectively. Yet most of us, myself included, tend to stuff as much as possible into whatever room is available－closets, schedules, budgets, relationships, and even the mind itself.
However, some people know how to avoid overstuffing their life. For example, in Australia, it seemed that most people there operated at about 85% of their capacity（能力），unlike Americans pushing as close to 100% as possible. So when you run into Australians you know in the street, they have time to hang out and talk with you.
Remember the cup: its value is in the space, the emptiness it holds. How to empty your “cup”?
Be mindful of the element of space, openness , and emptiness in your life. This includes room in a drawer, the volume of air in a kitchen, and open-mindedness in a friend. Sometimes you’re just stuck with a big bucket of tasks yet to do. But at least empty the bucket faster than you fill it with new tasks. Put some space between finishing one thing and staring another. For example, after sending one email, take a breath before replying to another one. Drop the stuff you can no longer afford to lug around. At sea level, you can run with a brick in your backpack, but if you’re hiking on a mountain, that brick has got to go.
小题1:By pouring water into the cup, the saint most probably wanted the scholar to know that .
A．he should pay attention to details
B．he should keep learning every day
C．he had already gained enough knowledge
D．he should be very careful in order to succeed小题2:We learn that compared to Americans, Australians .
A．work much harder
B．know less about their capacity
C．spare more time for themselves
D．spend less time with their friends小题3:The underlined word“lug”in the last paragraph probably means“ ”.
A．reach
B．carry
C．see
D．show小题4:What’s the structure of the passage?
A．Example →advice→ conclusion →story.
B．Topic→ example →advice→ story.
C．Story→topic →example→advice.
D．Reason →topic →advice →example.小题5:What would be the best title for the passage?
A．The art of life.
B．Value every minute
C．The art of drinking tea
D．Empty your“cup”at times
