The Other Side of the Wall

    There was a young woman who took great pride in her flower garden. She was raised by her grandmother who taught her to love and take care of flowers. So her flower garden was the 1.

    One day, while she was looking through a flower list she often 2 the flowers from, suddenly a picture of a plant caught her eyes. She had never 3 blooms(花) on a flower like that before. “I have to have it,” she said to 4, and she ordered it at once.

When it arrived, she already had a 5 prepared to plant it. She planted it at the back of her yard. It grew well, with beautiful green leaves all over it, 6 there were no blooms. Day after day she continued to water it, feed it, and she even talked to it, trying to make it bloom. However, it was 7.

    One morning, a few weeks later, when standing before the vine(藤), she felt very 8 that her plant had not bloomed. She was giving thought to  9 it down and planting something else in its place.

    It was at this point that her neighbor, whose 10 joined hers, called over to her. “Thank you so much! You can't imagine how much I have 11 the blooms of that vine you planted.” The young woman walked 12 the gate into her neighbor's yard, and she saw that on the other side of the wall the vine was 13 with blooms.

    They were indeed the most beautiful blooms she had 14 seen. The vine had grown through the crevices (缝隙) and it had not flowered on 15 side of the wall, but it had flowered on the other side.

    Sometimes one may not see the good result of his effort (努力), but that doesn't mean it isn't successful.

    Once upon a time, there was a teacher and his student lying down under a big grass area. Suddenly, the student asked the teacher, “Teacher, I wonder 1 I can find my soul mate（灵魂伴侣）? Can you please tell me?”

    2 for a second, then the teacher answered, “Well, it's a pretty hard and easy question.”

    The student 3 hard.

    The teacher continued, “Look that way, there is a lot of grass there. You just walk there but please 4 walk backwards(向后地), just walk straight ahead. On your 5, try to find a beautiful grass and pick it up and then give it to me. But just one.”

    The student replied, “OK ，wait for 6.” Then he walked straight ahead to the grass field.

    A few minutes later the student came back.

    The teacher said, “Um, I don't see any beautiful 7 on your hand.”

    The student explained, “On my journey, I 8 a few beautiful grass, but I thought that I would find a 9one, so I didn't pick it up. But I didn't realize that I was at the 10of the field, and I hadn't picked up any 11you told me not to go back so I didn't go back.”

     “That's what happened in 12life,” the teacher told the student.

    What is the message of this story?

    Grass is people 13 you. Beautiful Grass is people that draw your attention. Grass field is time.

    In looking for your soul mate or your right job, please don't always 14and hope that there will be a better one. By doing that, you'll 15 your lifetime ,because “Time Never Goes Back.” So the moral (寓意)of the story is LOVE & take the chance that you have now! Treasure it, don't wait until you lose it.

    Mr. White with his wife was now living at a small Italian hotel. Last year they had stayed in Italy for months on holiday. One night he went out for a walk1. It was late. The small street was dark and 2. Suddenly he heard steps behind him. He 3 his head and saw a middle-aged woman with wild hair， who quickly walked past him. The woman was 4 out of sight when Mr. White suddenly found that his watch was 5. He thought it was the passing woman who had taken his watch， 6 he ran quickly after her and soon caught up with her. As he knew 7 Italian， Mr. White had to ask the woman to8 the watch in another way. He showed the woman his strong arms and pointed to her watch pocket. The woman thought a while and gave the watch to Mr. White.

    Mr. White returned home and told his wife 9had happened. He was greatly 10 when Mrs. White pointed to the watch on the table. Now he found it was he himself that had taken the Italian's watch.

    Mr．and Mrs．Black want to go to Beijing．But their dog Bobby1go there with them.So they2him in a pet shop．

    Mr．and Mrs．Black get back home3Beijing very late at night on Sunday,4they leave Bobby at shop.On Monday morning，Mr.Black5dog back in his car．When he gets home，he says to his wife，“Bobby is barking(吠叫)all the time．I think he wants to6me something．Doesn't he like the7or doesn't he feel well?”

    Mrs．Black8 the dog carefully(仔细地)and then says.“You're9 ． He wants to tell you something．He wants to tell10that he isn't Bobby．”

    Sometimes, I doubt(怀疑) whether there is any love between my parents. Every day they are busy trying to 1 money. They don't act in the romantic(浪漫的) ways that I read in books or I see on TV. They never say, “I love you”. My father has a bad temper(性情, 脾气), and it is 2 for him to be angry in his daily life.

    One day, my mother was sewing a quilt (缝被子). I sat down beside her.

    “Mom, I have a question to ask you.” I said after a while.

    “What?” she asked, still working.

    “Is there 3 between you and Dad?” I asked her 4 a very low voice.

    My mother stopped her work and 5 her head with surprise in her eyes. She didn't answer immediately. Then she bowed(低下) her head and went on sewing(缝).

    I thought I had hurt her. At last my mother said: “Susan, look at this thread(线). Sometimes it appears, but most of the time, it disappears in the quilt. It makes the quilt 6 . If life is a quilt, then love should be a thread. It can hardly be seen anywhere 7 it's really there.”

    I listened carefully but I didn't understand her 8 the next spring. My father suddenly got sick. My mother had to stay with him in the 9 for a month.

    After they got back, she helped my father walk slowly down the road every day. My father had never been so weak. “Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day.

    “Susan, don't worry about me.” he said gently. “I just like 10 with your mom.”

    Once I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses. Now, I know that love is the thread that holds a family together.

    A few days ago, I ran into a stranger as he passed by. I said sorry1him, and he said, "Excuse me too, I wasn't even noticing you,"2this stranger and I were polite. Then we went on our way after saying goodbye

    Later in the kitchen at home,3I was cooking our supper, my daughter Betty walked up to me, very4. When I turned around, I nearly5her down. "Get out of the way! "I shouted angrily. She ran away, crying.

    That night, when I6in bed, my husband said to me, "You were so rude to Betty. Go and look around on the kitchen floor, and you'll find some7 there. Betty brought those for you. She picked them,8— pink, yellow, and your favourite blue."

    When I heard this, I thought deeply. While9with a stranger, I was calm and polite. But with my daughter, I was not10. I felt sad and tears began to fall.

    Then I went to Betty's11, "Wake up, my dear," I said." Are these the flowers you picked for me? "She smiled." I found them by the tree, I knew you liked them,12the blue ones." I said, "I was so rude13I treated you that way today. Betty, I am so sorry." And she said, "Mummy, that's okay--I still love you anyway." I kissed her and said, "I love you too and I do love the flowers."

    That day Betty gave me a special14on how to get along with each other in the family. I spent much time on work before and didn't15how important family life was. I decided to do better in the future.