I was coming back from home late at night in a 'Sharing' mini van(厢式货车). In Hydera- bad, India, it is a cheap and quick form of 1. The van driver picked up as many as 13 people at times in a vehicle which is 2 for the transport of 8. So our van was very3.
Making her way to the 4 of the van, a school girl with a bag 5 the driver to stop. While getting down, she slipped and fell. None of us 6 it, as it was dark outside. The driver was 7 for her to pay. It was then that we saw that the girl was on her 8 by the side of the road. Another passenger and l got down9and held her up.
Even in 10, she held up a note and asked us to pay the driver. The other 11 passenger took the note and paid the driver. My 12 was a few hundred meters away. As a girl, I knew I'd get off and stay with her in the 13. So I paid up the driver for 14 and he drove away with the other passengers.
I neither 15 her nor did I know what to do. But I was there, giving some 16 words to another girl in pain. I asked her to stand 17 for a few while. I then looked for a place for her to sit. Then I 18 her friend and waited there. She was rushed to a nearby clinic later. Before leaving, she thanked me for 19 and we hugged goodbye.
The night breezes were blowing 20 upon my cheek as I walked home，with a feeling of relief.
“I failed to protect you.” That was the message posted online by Du Yijun's boy friend. He was with the 21-year-old Fudan University student as she died in the crush of the New Year's Eve crowd on the Bund.
Du was one of the 36 people who died that night when a holiday celebration 1 into a terrible tragedy. Authorities say over crowding and the 2 of the police to control the crowds were the main reasons why it happened.
For the last three New Year's Eve celebrations, a light show on the Bund had 3 large crowds and a large police presence, but this year the light show was cancelled and there were fewer police on hand. But the crowds came 4 About 300,000 people were on the Bund by 8:30 that evening and more kept 5 until all hell broke loose around 11:30.
For some unknown reason, on a stairway 6 up to the riverfront viewing platform, a sense of 7 overtook the crowd and they began to stampede(蜂拥). Some people 8 on the stairs and were stepped 9 to death. More lives would have been 10 had it not been for a group of brave young men who urged the crowd to 11
Crowd 12 like the one on the Bund happen all over the world and they are becoming more 13 .According to one study, human stampedes have more than doubled in the past two decades. In recent years, hundreds of people have died at 14 festivals, football games and rock 15 all caught in the crush of panicked crowds.
In Shanghai, authorities have reacted to the Bund tragedy by cancelling or scaling back big events. But this isn't really necessary. Better planning and better crowd 16 can ensure safe celebrations.
17, if you're going to a place where there will be a big crowd, you should take notice of where the exits are and, if the crowd becomes large, 18 away from the center. And most 19 , if the crowd seems too big and makes you feel uncomfortable, just leave. No celebration is 20 losing your life.
My fiance (未婚夫）and I were excited about shopping for our first home. But our funds (资金) were1, and none of the houses in our price range seemed satisfactory.
One agent (代理人)2a house in particular. Although her description sounded wonderful, the price was3our range, so we declined (拒绝). But she kept urging (催促) us to have a look4.
We finally did and it was5at first sight. It was Our Home, small and charming, overlooking a quiet lake. Walking through the rooms and talking with the owners, a nice elderly couple, we felt the warmth and6of the marriage within that home. As perfect as it was, the price remained too high for us. But every day, we would sit by the lake, looking at the house and dreaming of7 it would be like to live there.
Days later, we made a(n)8—far below the asking price. Surprisingly, they didn't9us. They renewed their offer 10 It was also much more than we could afford but far 11than the original asking price.
The next day, we got a 12message that another buyer had offered a much higher price. Even so, we decided to talk with the 13directly. We made our final offer, which 14was thousands of dollars less than the other buyer's bid. We knew it, 15 we had to try.
“Sold!” said the owner. Then he16: He'd seen us sitting by the lake all those times; he knew how much we loved the place and that we'd17the years of work they had put into their home; he realized he would take a18by selling it to us, but it was worthwhile; we were the people they wanted to live there. He told us to consider the 19in the price as “an early wedding present.”
That's how we found our home and how I learned that when people are 20 they are not strangers, only friends we haven't yet met.
I was required to read one of Bernie Siegel's books in college and was hooked on his positivity from that moment on. The stories of his unconventional1and the exceptional patients he wrote about were so2 to me and had such a big3on how I saw life from then on.
Who knew that so many years later I would look to Dr. Bernie and his CDs again to4my own cancer experience?
I'm an ambitious5, and when I started going through chemo(化疗), even though I'm a very6 person, I lost my drive to write. I was just too tired and not in the7. One day, while waiting to go in for8, I had one of Dr. Bernie's books in my hand. Another patient9what I was reading and struck up a conversation with me10 he had one of his books with him as well. It11that among other things, he was an eighty-year-old writer. He was 12a published author, and he was currently13on a new book.
We would see each other at various times and14friends. Sometimes he wore a duck hat, and I would tell myself, he was definitely a(n) 15of Dr. Bernie. He really put a 16on my face. He unfortunately17 last year due to his cancer,18he left a deep impression on me and gave me the 19 to pick up my pen again. I20to myself, "If he can do it, then so can I."
“I just think a year ago, at 54 years of age, I couldn't swim. I was terrified at the thought of going into the water. Now, I have just1my 200 meters. It feels like a2 and it is all thanks to Everyday Swim.”
It's never too late to learn swimming. Angela King, 55, is a perfect3of it .For years, she had to4sting on the side of a pool watching her family splash(拍水)around. Then in August 2016, the family went to an attraction they hadn't5for 15 years. Angela thought, “All this time, I still can't6When I get back home tomorrow, I'm going to find out more about swimming7”
In the cold light of day, she felt a little8but her husband David searched the Inter-net for swimming classes. He found Everyday Swim at the local Hadleigh pool and9Angela to sign up. When she turned up for her first training, she says, “I felt a bit sick and10but this soon passed. The instructor11put me at ease, as did the other people in the class. They were all shapes and sizes12they were all feeling like me.”
As the lessons13she learned to become more14in the water. At first, it was a simple15of learning she wasn't going to sink. Then during the third lesson, the Olympic gold medal winner Duncan Goodhew turned up to offer16“I couldn't believe it. He held my hand and we all held hands in a circle and splashed under the water. What he did made me believe that I could17it.
When the 10 lessons for £100 offer finished at the pool, she18to sign up for lessons. In fact, from initially(开始) being19of the water, Angela was now becoming a regular swimmer and20some certificates along the way.
Dr. Lee was one of my favorite professors in college. He was 1because of a trick he employed at the beginning of his first class. “I will put a2into each of my lectures. Your job is to try and3me in the Lie of the Day.”
That was a 4way to focus our attention at the dry and 5subject—Capital Markets. On those days we actively6Dr. Lee's statements. Every once in a while, a lecture would end with 7seeing through the lie. Dr. Lee would say, “Ah ha! Each of you has a lie in your notes.8among yourselves what it might be, and I will tell you next Monday.”
What made Dr. Lee's teaching 9smart was that there was no lie during the most technically10lecture. He offered the same challenge to11 our lecture notes. On the following Monday, he would hear our 12for almost ten minutes before he finally said, “Do you13the first lecture—how I said that every lecture
Has a lie?”
Tired from having our best theories shot down, we14.
“Well, that was a lie. My previous lecture was completely true and15. But I am glad you reviewed your notes 16 this weekend. Moving on …”
While my knowledge of the Capital Markets has17over time, the lessons hay stayed with me. “Experts” can be18and say things that sound right—so build a habit of 19new information and check it against things you already accept as 20.
When I was a young man I had much ego (自负). I thought I 1 everything. I looked forward to fame and success. I can even remember once in college2 telling one of my friends: “If only everyone listened to me, then they would all be happy.” I 3 left school, ready to take on the world. Little did I know the world was about to take on me.
In the 4following college, instead of success, I found struggles. I had 5 in finding work. My jobs were either temporary or were 6 badly. When my wife and I had children, we were 7 to learn that both of our sons had Autism (自闭症) and would need to be 8 for the rest of their lives. I had no 9why this had happened to us.
In time, however, I began to 10. My ego was decreasing fast. Instead of success, I found my 11 in moments of love. Playing and 12 with my sons brought me so much happiness. My boys 13me more about peace, patience, joy and love than I could have ever learned on my own. I began to share the 14I learned through my writings and my life. I finally realized that my 15 in this world had nothing to do with fame or success.16 it had everything to do with allowing love and light into my life and 17 it with everyone I could.
You may not be happy 100% of the time18 can be in this world. Yet, you will find a joy no earthly (世俗的)19 could ever give. Put all of your moments, days, and years to good use then20 them with love.
The late Booth Tarkington always said, “I could take anything that life could force upon me except one thing: blindness. I could never 1 that.”
One day, when he was along in his sixties, Tarkington 2 down at the carpet on the floor. The colors were not clear, so he went to a 3, and he soon learned the truth: he was losing his sight. What he4 most had come on him. And 5 did Tarkington react to it? To his amazement, he felt quite 6. When total darkness closed in, Tarkington even said, “I found I could take the 7 of my eyesight, just as a man can 8 anything else. If I lost all five of my9, I know I could live on inside my mind. For it is in the mind we see, and in the mind we live, whether we know it or not.”
To 10 his eyesight, Tarkington had to go through over twelve operations within one year. He knew he couldn't 11 it, so the only way to lessen his 12 was to accept. And when he had to have 13 operations, he tried to remember how fortunate he was. He said, “How wonderful it is that 14 now has the skill to operate on anything so 15 as the human eye!”
A(n) 16 man would have been nervous if he had had to tolerate over twelve operations and 17 Yet, Tarkington said, “I wouldn't 18 this experience for a happier one.” It taught him 19. It taught him that nothing life could bring him was 20 his strength to tolerate.
One month ago, my daughter started kindergarten. As usual, I wished her success. I was telling a lie. What I actually wish for her is 1. I believe in the power of failure.
Success is 2 in a sense. Success is proving that you can do something that you already know you can do, or doing something correctly the first time, which can 3 be a problematic victory. First-time success is usually a fluke (侥幸). First-time failure, 4, is expected; it is the natural order of things.
Failure is how we learn. I have been told of an African phrase 5 a good cook as “she who has broken many pots”. If you have spent enough time in the 6to have broken a lot of pots, probably you know a fair amount about 7. I once had a late dinner with a group of chefs, and they spent time 8 knife wounds and burn scars. They knew how much credibility (可信度) their 9 gave them.
I earn my 10 by writing a daily newspaper column. Each week I am 11 that one column is going to be the worst column of the week. I don't just set out to write it; I try my best every day. 12, every week, one column is inferior (较差的) to the others, sometimes extremely so.
I have learned to 13 that column. A successful column usually means that I am treading (踏) on14 ground, going with tricks that work, or dressing up popular ideas in fancy words. Often in my inferior columns, I am trying to 15 something I've never done before, something that I'm not even sure can be done.
My daughter is a perfectionist. She will feel her failures, and I will want to 16 her. But I will also, I hope, 17 her of what she learned, and how she can do 18 next time. I probably won't tell her that failure is a good thing, because that's not a(n)19 you can learn when you're five. I hope I can tell her, though, that it's not the end of the world. Indeed, with luck, it is the 20.
The life of George Washington was well-known for punctuality. For him, being on time was a way of showing 1 for others, and he 2 to be treated with the same level of respect 3.
Once Washington asked a man to bring some 4 he was interested in buying at five in the morning. 5, the man arrived fifteen minutes late. Washington's groom（马夫）told the man that the general had been 6 there at five, but had now moved on to other business. Washington said that he wouldn't be able to 7 the horses again until the following week. The man left with his horses, feeling a deep sense of 8.
When he told Congress（国会议员）that he'd meet with them at noon, he could almost always be found walking into the meeting room just as the clock was 9 twelve.
Washington's punctuality extended to his 10 as well. He ate dinner each day at 11 four o'clock. When he 12 members of Congress to dine with him, and they 13 late, they were often 14 to find the president halfway done with his meal or even leaving the table. To his shocked, late 15 he would say, "We are punctual here. My cook never asks whether the guests have arrived, but whether the hour has 16."
And when Washington's secretary arrived late for a meeting, and blamed his 17 for his lateness, Washington quietly replied, "Then you must get another watch, or I another 18."
Washington, one of the most respected presidents in American history, is a good example to us all. Today, punctuality is still a(n) 19 part of the character of a nice person. So next time when you are struggling with arriving 20, think of these stories about the punctual president.
Experts say boredom is good for kids. It forces them to be creative, 1their imaginations and helps them discover new things. A (n)2in point is 13-year-old Luke Thill from Dubuque, Iowa.
Luke was3of playing video games and riding his bike, so he decided to build a tiny house in his backyard instead. He made money from cutting lawns(草坪)and4exchanged some services, such as gaining the help of an electrical engineer5sweeping his garage. Luke also6spare materials from his grandmother's house and other7materials from his neighbors for some of the windows and the door.
The 89-square—foot home cost $1,500 to build and 818 months. Inside there's a kitchenette, a back sitting room, a table and a mounted(镶嵌的)TV, and an upstairs bedroom can be easily9by stairway.
Although Luke did the10and learned how to do all the work, he had his father's11throughout the project. Greg Thill was very happy that his son learned to stay on12and deal with grown-ups.13 ， he had some simple rules when Luke14the house: “You 15the money. You build it. And you own it."
Luke is now in love with 16. He has a YouTube channel and hopes to 17other kids to start building.18, he wants to build a bigger tiny house to live in, but for now, he19in his new home a few nights a week, does homework there, and uses it to take a20from his twin brother.
A 17-year-old girl was heading abroad, with her close relatives sending her off at the airport. She had six suitcases. All the relatives were 1to see such a young child carry the heavy luggage alone. But they knew she would have to2 it all by herself when transferring in California to New York, so it was better for her to get used to it now.
For her worried parents, the two-hour wait seemed endless. They were extremely careful about their words3a single question might induce (引起)tears. The mother kept silent while the father4small talks with his daughter now and then.
“Have you forgotten anything?”
“No, Daddy, why don't you trust my ability to 5 to a new life?”
A 17-year-old who speaks fluent English is much like a horse galloping out of the gate during a race. They think everyone will stand up and clap for them. This child didn't even 6 when passing the boarding gate.
The father repeated, “She is 7 of cutting her own hair, so what do you have to worry about?”
Just then, the mother suddenly ran 8the French window of the lounge (候机室). She wanted to be closer to see her child board the plane and 9 catch a final glance of her daughter. As expected, the girl 10 when boarding. She even walked down several steps and looked in the 11of the lounge. The mother 12 desperately knocked at the reflection glass curtain wall and almost drew the security guards attention. The seemingly hard-hearted child dashed into the cabin and disappeared from sight.
Two minutes later, the father received a 13 from his daughter. He read it to all the family members, 4iDear mommy and daddy, although I am faced with 14 and possible difficulties, I have learned how to wash, cook，etc.; I've also cut your hair,15 awkwardly. I will cope with all the 16difficulties with my skills. Please send me a happy face, I need 17but encouragement.”
Before a child sets out on her own, ail the family members suffer from this spiritual separation. The process is hard and 18, However,19 ， this day will come. When it comes, try your best to 20 and don't cry.
If you have been to Harbin in winter, but didn't have a 1 to see people do winter-swimming, I am sure you will feel it's a(n) 2. Can you imagine swimming in a river with the temperature being about 10 degrees below zero? This would be 3 to the people from the South. If you were on the Songhuajiang River, you could not help 4 those brave swimmers.
I felt greatly excited as well as 5 when I first saw the winter-swimming, though it was very cold that day, the swimmers were only wearing 6 clothes, while all the people watching were having heavy clothes covering all their bodies with only two 7 visible. I had thought that the river was warm, but it 8 much cold when I dipped my hand into the river water. What excited me most was the way they 9 into the river from the high ice-platform and the styles in which they swam, 10 butterfly-stroke and back-stroke.
My uncle has been 11 about winter-swimming for several years. Now he is a member of the Winter Swimming Club. Once I asked him, “Aren't you afraid of cold? Have you got a 12 from it?” Smiling, he said, “13 we have a strong will, we can surely overcome any 14 and difficulties. I haven't got a cold at all. On the contrary, I have become 15 than I was before “That's true, he 16 suffer from bronchitis. However, since he began to like swimming, he has been fully 17 from the disease.
Today, more and more people are 18 joining in the winter-swimming, including women and children. This activity shows the great 19 and strong will of the people in Harbin which I think is just what we 20 in our work and study as well.
Haus was a godsend to the DaLuca family in Florida. When the dog arrived, their daughter Molly and he became best friends in no time. 1Molly was around, Haus was always by her side. In fact, the family said his sweet 2made him a "fan favorite" around the neighborhood.
One day, Molly was in the backyard playing, and 3, Haus was right by her side. Then, suddenly, Molly's grandma saw Haus jumping forward frantically （发狂似地） at a（n） 4 snake.
When the snake 5its way over to the pair, Haus put himself between Molly and the snake. After the first bite, many dogs would have 6. But Haus stood his ground. Bite after bite, he 7 the tiny human he loved so much.
Grandma put Molly and Haus into the car and 8the brave dog to the vet immediately. It9that the snake bit Haus three times, and he had blood pouring from his leg.
At the animal hospital, Haus went downhill 10. His body had so much venom（毒液）inside that he couldn't even raise his head. For a time, it was 11 whether or not Haus would pull through. 12though, he did!
In addition to the antivenom, vets also 13muscle damage to Haus' leg. The treatments and week-long stay were 14. But people from all across the country 15 the furry hero, donating more than ＄52,000 to 16his medical bills.
Molly prayed for her 4-legged best friend, and to her 17, Haus made a full18! Haus really proved his deep 19 for this family when he protected Molly from a(n)20 that most certainly would have been deadly!
It was 9 P.M. on a cold night in November 2015. Powell was walling home along an empty road when he noticed a person, probably in his 20s, 1 on the bridge railing (栏杆), legs hanging over the Merrimack River.
"At first I thought he was just 2. But as I got closer, I clearly heard Tm just gonna jump." says Powell.
"Hey, buddy, what are you doing?" Powell asked He kept his 3, standing about six feet away so as not to 4 the stranger.
"I'm gonna jump," the guy sad.
"His voice had 5 in it, but I could tell he didn't really want to do this," says Powell.
Powell tried to draw his attention. "You have any 6?"
Without 7 to look at Powell, the stranger pulled up a picture of his daughter on his cell phone. "Think about how 8 her dad at a young age will affect her," Powell suggested.
"My heart was 9, but I stayed calm," says Powell. By doing so, he learned about the stranger's trouble.
"I am having a 10 time," the stranger said, "I can't make any 11, I am hungry, and I can't live without heroin (海洛因).
Powell, who by this point had 12 closer to the stranger, made him believe that he 13 if he jumped into the river. The stranger 14 turned and looked at him. Powell, now about two feet from him, held out his hand and 15 it there. To his surprise, the stranger 16 his hand and climbed down.
Fifteen minutes later, Powell watched the police 17 the stranger away. He never did get his name, 18 does he know what became of him. But Powell will always 19 the last words the stranger said to him. 20 he climbed into the police car, he turned to Powell. "Thank you," he said. "You really are a hero to me."
It was raining. I went into a café and asked for a coffee. 1 I was waiting for my drink, I realized that there were other people in the place, but I sensed 2. I saw their bodies, but I couldn't feel their souls 3 their souls belonged to the 4.
I stood up and walked between the tables. When I came to the biggest computer, I saw a thin, small man 5 in front of it. "I'm Steve", he finally answered after I asked him a couple of times what his name was. "I can't talk with you. I'm 6", he said. He was chatting online with somebody - probably someone he didn't know - and, 7 he was playing a computer game - a war game. I was 8.
Why didn't Steve want to talk with me? I tried 9to speak to that computer geek (怪人), 10 not a word came out of his mouth. I touched his shoulder, but no 11. I wasunhappy. I put my hand in front of the monitor, and he started to shout, "12!"
I took a few steps back, wondering if all those people in the café were looking at me. I13, and saw nobody showed any interest.
14, I realized that the people there were having a nice conversation with their machines, not with people. They were more 15 having a relationship with the 16, particularly Steve. I wouldn't want to 17 the future of human beings if they preferred sharing their lives with machines 18 with people.
I was worried and I sank in my thoughts. I didn't even 19 that the coffee was bad,20 Steve didn't notice there was a person next to him.
When I came to my new school three years ago, I was surprised at how lonely I felt. Then one of my classmates invited me to her house for a dinner1I was a little anxious, but finally I gladly2.
Not really knowing how3the bus ride should be,4when I saw the landmarks5on my friend's hand drawn map. But when I got close enough to the6. I found none of the streets were shown on the map. I was7on a busy road with cars driving past without a person in sight. I had no8when the next bus would come,9when a bus did come by, I 10got on. I told the bus driver where I wanted' o go and he said that I had caught the 11bus, but he let me stay on. After he had finished his scheduled bus route, he12 to help me out. I grateful showed him my little hand--drawn map but13did not help much.
He finally14 me off at a main road to catch a different bus and was15that he could not help me more. After a few minutes of walking, I noticed a bus pull up near me. It was the 16bus driver. He explained that he didn't want to leave me there17. He sent out a call and someone radioed back, saying that the bus I needed to catch was about ten minutes away. At last I made it to the dinner party18. I was over an hour late, I am forever thankful for the19that this bus driver had for me. His act of kindness left a20on my heart.
I hated travelling by plane.1I was on board, I could see the other passengers fear: "Don't let that fat guy sit next to me!" After I2squeezed( 挤 ) into my seat, the seat belt wasn't 3enough to fit around my4. I once wished my life would just end.
I knew I needed to5. A doctor recommended I adopt a dog to6 for exercise. So there he was: a black-and-white dog with a big round body. He looked up at me and then dropped his head with a clear look of7, as if saying "Really? This loser?" I looked at him, 8him in silence. He was a poor thing just like me. I named him Peety.
We walked together every day and it9. I could roll out of bed10. He appeared thinner too.
Then he looked up at me and smiled.
I started taking Peety to different parks. He kept choking( 使呛住，窒息) himself at the end of the11, trying to run ahead. Maybe it was time to let him experience what12really felt like. I removed his rope. Peety took off like a13at the Olympics, beaming(笑容满面) with14and excitement.
At that moment, I realized I loved him. He looked up at me like I was the greatest guy in the world.
He'd come into my life, and he15me. "Want to keep walking?" I asked him.
Passion, like life, is about the journey, not the destination. Kimberly and I have been planning a trip to Europe for a year. This was a1of ours.
The most exciting part of the journey started with a train ride that had some2. We took a train from Zurich (苏黎世) to Croatia (克罗地亚), where no one3us, though. In addition, we had a tough time4a taxi around the station to make it to the ship.5, they waited for us there.
Once we got onto the ship we6it was not like a large hotel with great service. It was tight quarters. The7was very small. The shower was a spout (喷头)8to the bathroom sink (洗涤池). You turned it on and sprayed (喷洒) yourself,9the rest of the room.
The week-long ship ride was full of10. There were people from different11speaking different languages. We stopped on islands of all sizes for fun. Then there were high winds—so high that the buses couldn't run because they might 12. So we took an expensive taxi, and headed back to13our flight home.
While we loved the more14parts of the trip, our real passion was in the unexpected—the missed rides, the15ship, the mixture of cultures, and even the16.
Sometimes people are so17that it scares them to do something different. Yet when they do18their comfort zone, the different experiences that they once thought were19are what stand out. Mixing things up, trying new things, seeing something through another person's eyes, being open to adventure—this is how you create20.
On my third birthday, we moved to this neighbourhood. Arlene and her husband, Bill, lived next door, who had no children. There weren't any 1 my age nearby, so I mostly played in the yard alone. Arlene and Bill spent a lot of time working in the 2, and I was always talking to them from our yard. They were never tired of listening to me. I think what 3 me to them is that they saw a lot of themselves in me—we were all lonely kids. It was a wonderful 4.
When I was about five, I had an idea 5 I took Bill and Arlene into our family as my grandparents. My parents made the 6 that I should ask them directly and so I did. They started crying and 7 accepted. It is truly wonderful for a child 8 her love and adults being so overjoyed to accept it. Every child in this world 9 enthusiastically repaid love.
From the day I accepted them, I called Bill and Arlene Grandpa and Grandma and my parents called them Mom and Dad. Over the years, Bill and Arlene 10 me in all my dreams. They encouraged me to 11 college, even though I didn't have the money to go. And when I was 12 to a university, they presented me with their savings. They told me they'd been 13 money since the day I called them grandparents. Four years later, I 14 and now work as an official.
Arlene passed away in 2013. Bill told me that Arlene thought the greatest 15 of her life was me, her granddaughter.
