"Why do we have to learn this useless thing?" Of all the questions I have heard from my students during my years in the classroom, this was the one most frequently asked. I would answer it by telling them about an experience I once had.  It was an experience I had with a students, who I shall call Alan, early in my teaching career. When Alan was in the eighth grade, he majored in "trouble". He had studied how to be a bully  and was getting his master's degree in "thievery". Every day I had my students memorize a famous saying from a great thinker. No one complained about this daily routine more than Alan -- right up to the day he was dismissed. Then I lost touch with him for five years. Then one day, he called.  He told me that after being sent to juvenile prison , he hated himself so much that he had cut his wrists with a knife.  He said, "You know what? Mr. Schlatter, as I lay there with my life running out of my body, I suddenly remembered that useless saying you made me write twenty times one day. 'There is no failure except in no longer trying.' Then it suddenly made sense to me. As long as I was alive, I wasn't a failure, but if I allowed myself to die, I would most certainly die a failure. So with my remaining strength, I called for help and started a new life." At the time he had heard the saying, it as a pebble  which made no sense to him. But when he needed guidance in a moment of difficulty, it had become a diamond. And so it is to you. I say, gather all the pebbles you can, and you can count on a future filled with diamonds. When Alan studied at school, he was probably good at   _  .
memorizing sayings complaining routine work communicating with others stealing things and threatening others
Question: "Why do we have to learn this useless thing?" Of all the questions I have heard from my students during my years in the classroom, this was the one most frequently asked. I would answer it by telling them about an experience I once had.  It was an experience I had with a students, who I shall call Alan, early in my teaching career. When Alan was in the eighth grade, he majored in "trouble". He had studied how to be a bully  and was getting his master's degree in "thievery". Every day I had my students memorize a famous saying from a great thinker. No one complained about this daily routine more than Alan -- right up to the day he was dismissed. Then I lost touch with him for five years. Then one day, he called.  He told me that after being sent to juvenile prison , he hated himself so much that he had cut his wrists with a knife.  He said, "You know what? Mr. Schlatter, as I lay there with my life running out of my body, I suddenly remembered that useless saying you made me write twenty times one day. 'There is no failure except in no longer trying.' Then it suddenly made sense to me. As long as I was alive, I wasn't a failure, but if I allowed myself to die, I would most certainly die a failure. So with my remaining strength, I called for help and started a new life." At the time he had heard the saying, it as a pebble  which made no sense to him. But when he needed guidance in a moment of difficulty, it had become a diamond. And so it is to you. I say, gather all the pebbles you can, and you can count on a future filled with diamonds. When Alan studied at school, he was probably good at   _  .
A. memorizing sayings
B. complaining routine work
C. communicating with others
D. stealing things and threatening others
Answer: