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　　(2018·甘肃重点中学协作体高三联考)In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh (法老) treated the message runner like a prince when he arrived at the palace, if he brought good news. However, if the exhausted runner had the misfortune to bring the pharaoh unhappy news, his head was cut off.

　　Shades of that spirit spread over today's conversations. Once a friend and I packed up some peanut butter and sandwiches for an outing. As we walked light－heartedly out of the door, picnic basket in hand, a smiling neighbor looked up at the sky and said, "Oh boy, a bad day for a picnic. The weatherman says it's going to rain." I wanted to strike him on the face with the peanut butter and sandwiches. Not for his stupid weather report, but for his smile.

　　Several months ago I was racing to catch a bus. As I breathlessly put my handful of cash across the Greyhound counter, the sales agent said with a broad smile, "Oh, that bus left five minutes ago." Dreams of head－cutting!

　　It's not the news that makes someone angry. It's the unsympathetic attitude with which it's delivered (传递). Everyone must give bad news from time to time, and big winners do it with the proper attitude. A doctor advising his patient that she needs an operation does it in a caring way. A boss informing an employee he fails to get the job takes on a sympathetic tone. Big winners know, when delivering any bad news, they should share the feeling of the receiver.

Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this. When you're tired from a long flight, has a hotel clerk cheerfully said that your room isn't ready yet? When you had your heart set on the toasted beef, has your waiter merrily told you that he just served the last piece? It makes you as