Van Gogh painted sunflowers for the first time in the summer of 1886. Two years later, his interest appeared again after he settled in Arles. After he had invited the French artist Paul Gauguin, whom he admired, to join his Studio of the South, he began painting sunflowers to brighten up the whitewashed walls of the yellow house he was living in, not far from the town's railway station.

Gauguin accepted Van Gogh's invitation. When he began dragging his heels(脚后跟), Van Gogh painted the last two of the four original Sunflowers for the modest bedroom where his guest would sleep following his arrival that autumn, "Van Gogh saw the Sunflowers for Gauguin's bedroom as a way of attracting his friend to come from Brittany, " says Bailey.

According to Martin Gayford, "Gauguin was very surprised by the Sunflowers, which he repeatedly praised and asked for as a gift. Years later, Gauguin himself painted some sunflower pictures."

Van Gogh's Sunflowers paintings stand for (代表)his relationship with Gauguin. "I think he painted them for the joy of it," says Jansen. "Van Gogh was at the height of his powers in the summer of 1888, "explains Bailey." He painted the Sunflowers quickly and with great energy and confidence." Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo in late August, "I'm painting quickly now, which won't surprise you when it's a question of painting large Sunflowers. "

Van Gogh recognized at once that he had created something important and that his sunflowers were so different. As he told Theo in January 1889, while other artists were known for painting other flowers, "The sunflower is mine." This, in fact, explains the reason for the popularity of Van Gogh's Sunflowers today.

It's almost a common belief that the best food you can find in a place is not in the fancy restaurants,  in the backstreets. These spots are usually away from popular tourist (attract), which means that to find them you'll need the spirit of an explorer.

That's   I came across roujiamo when I was exploring Beijing. I found  restaurant that sold dishes from Xi'an when I explored the area around my office one day. I decided to try it out.

My roujiamo  (make) fresh, so the bread was still warm. It was soft when I  (bite) into it, and the meat inside was delicious and tender. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I ordered more to take home with me. Though it's just a snack, it's still quite filling and can  (easy) satisfy your appetite.

There are a variety of things you can put inside the "mo", as the bread is called. For example, in certain areas in Xi'an, the meat (use) is usually beef, but in Gansu Province, lamb is more common. And the first roujiamo that I tried was made   pork. However it's made, it's still a tasty snack. And for an American like me who grew up  (eat) hamburgers, it's a perfect combination of East and West.

I remember when I was young, people often asked me, "What are you going to be when you grow up?"

It    1 being a cowboy or some super hero. Later it was a fireman, a policeman, a lawyer. As I grew older, my dreams for the future    2. When I was in college, I set my heart on becoming    3 like my father. 4 I studied and prepared for that. I reached the    5 in the end and I was teaching 6 full-time for much of my adult life. However, there is a "thief" that goes around stealing our    7. Sometimes, the thief will come as a parent, or a friend, but the    8 thief is usually 9.

We find ourselves just about reaching the top, and a "small"10 inside says, "You'll never make     11." "You     12 possibly do this." On and on the "small" voice predicts our failure. Failure, 13 is one of the most important tools we have may teach us valuable    14. When we learn these lessons well, we are ready    15 success.

I always tell my children that you are    16 to do anything that your heart desires. Remember the saying, "Nothing is    17 for a willing heart." There are    18 "overnight" successes, but with determination, they will come. Imagine    19 a life you dream of. Then in your heart, believe it will happen to you. Then work, work, work. You'll get the picture.

So, be true to your dream, and don't let anyone    20 it from you—especially yourself.