Black or White

When I was in elementary school, I got into an argument with a boy in my class. The teacher_______ to teach us a very important lesson.

She brought us up to the front of the _______ and placed him on one side of her desk and _______ on the other. In the middle of her desk was a large, round object. I could _______ see that it was black. Sheasked the boy what color the object was. “White,” he _______.

I couldn’t _______ he said the object was white, when it was clearly black! Another _______ started between my classmate and me, this time about the _______ of the object.

The teacher told me to go _______ where the boy was standing ________ told him to come stand where I had been. We changed ________, and now she asked me what the color of the object was. I ________ answer, “White.”

It was an object with two ________ colored sides, and from his viewpoint (视角) it was white. Only from my ________ it was black.

I have never ________ the lesson I learned that day. Sometimes we need to look at the problem from the other person’s viewpoint in order to truly understand his / her view.

   A little boy went into a shop, reached for a box and pulled it over to the telephone. He climbed onto the box so that he could get the phone. The shop-owner watched and listened to the call.

Boy: Lady, can you give me the job of cutting your lawn(草坪)?

Woman: I already have someone to cut my lawn.

Boy: Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now.

Woman: I’m very satisfied with the person who is now cutting my lawn.

Boy: Lady, I’ll even sweep your sidewalk, so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in the town.

Woman: No, thank you.

With a smile on his face, the little boy put down the phone. The shop-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy, “Son, I like your attitude(态度) and would like to offer you a job.”

“No, thanks, sir. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to!”

You may get the idea once or twice a year. You come home on a hot summer day, hoping to have a cool bath, and find out there is no water. Then you see how important water is in your everyday life. However, in many parts of the world, water is not just about one’s everyday needs.

In countries like Tanzania, water is hard to get, and the job of collecting water falls on women’s shoulders. Girls are often kept home from school to collect water while their brothers stay at school studying. More time spent collecting water means less time for learning. For these girls, “Knowledge is power” is not just words; it is a sad fact in real life. With less time spent at school, their chances of getting well-paid jobs are small. And they often have no voice in important matters, like who to marry. These girls are often married into poor families. They have little money or knowledge to take care of their children, so the children often die young. For the baby girls who are lucky enough to live, their life may still center around “water,” just like it did for their mothers.

Teacher: What do you want to do in your future?

Lily: I like shopping and talking to people.
42． Maybe selling clothes is a good business for me.

Ryan: My hobbies are playing computer games and making friends online.
43． I guess I will learn more about computers and make super-smart computer programs.

Bill: My parents have kept lots of pets since I was little.
44． Those stories have always stayed in my mind. One day, I will share them with people by drawing and writing books.

Anna: Though my mom and two sisters are all doctors, I’m sure I will stay as far away from a hospital as I can.
45． I’ll keep strong by playing my favorite sport, tennis, every day. One day I’ll join the national team.

A couple decided to go on a holiday. The wife was on
46． business trip so the husband went to the destination (目的地)
47． and his wife would meet him the next day.

When he reached his hotel, he decided to send his wife a
48． email. But when he typed
49． address, he typed a wrong letter and his note was
50． to an elderly woman. Her husband had died only the day
51． and she had just come back from the funeral (葬礼).

When the sad woman checked her
52． , she let out a shout, and
53． to the floor in a dead faint (昏厥). At the sound, her family rushed
54． the room and saw this note on the screen:

Dearest
55．,

Just got checked in. Everything prepared for you to arrive tomorrow.

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be posted to his mother, who lived two hundred miles away.

As he got out of his car, he noticed a young girl standing by the road sobbing (哭泣). He asked her what was wrong and she replied, “I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother and I don’t have enough money.” The man smiled and said, “Come with me. I’ll buy you a rose.” He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother’s flowers.

As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home. She said, “Yes, please! You can take me to my mother.” She asked him to take her to a new grave (坟墓), where she placed the rose.

The man returned to the flower shop, canceled (取消) the post order, picked up the flowers and drove the two hundred miles to his mother’s house.

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Looking forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua