学进去

Kristin Schell turned a delivery mistake into a way to connect with neighbors. Ten years ago, her family ________ to a new home in Texas. One day, Kristin ________ a few picnic tables online for a party in her backyard. The deliveryman set one table down in her front yard ________ , and Kristin couldn’t get the ________ out of her head. “After the party, I painted the table turquoise (青绿色) — my favorite color — and put it in the front yard, just a few feet from the sidewalk,” she said.

That turquoise table became the place where Kristin and her kids ________ . They used to do activities at the kitchen table, but they now did them out front at the picnic table. “We got ________ about where we spent our time,” Kristin said.

Neighbors began to stop by to introduce themselves and sit down for a chat. Kristin asked people to ________ her at the table for coffee. “It was a simple ________ to slow down and connect with others,” she said. The turquoise table was ________ and had a shared feeling.

People often ________ to invite others into their homes. They think their house is not spacious, or they don’t have enough time. Kristin’s picnic table takes away the pressure and the excuse. ________ by the act, neighbors put a picnic table in their front yard too. A movement was ________ .

A decade after their Texas beginnings, thousands of Turquoise Tables ________ in the country. Not all of them are actually turquoise. Texas Christian University in Fort Worth has several purple tables to ________ their team color. “No matter what ________ it is, it’s a friendship table,” Kristin said.