One afternoon，I went into an art museum while waiting for my husband．I hoped to enjoy the works of art quietly．

    A young couple walked in front of me and talked {#blank#}1{#/blank#}the paintings between themselves all the time．The lady did almost all the talking，but the man kept listening to her．I thought the man was very patient {#blank#}2{#/blank#}nobody would like to be bothered （打扰） while enjoying the paintings．

    I met them several {#blank#}3{#/blank#}as I moved through the different rooms of the art museum．Each time I heard her talking，I moved {#blank#}4{#/blank#}quickly．

    I was {#blank#}5{#/blank#}for some gifts at the museum shop when the couple walked slowly to the exit （出口）．Before they left，the man {#blank#}6{#/blank#}out a cane （拐杖）．Then he tapped （轻敲） his way to the coatroom to {#blank#}7{#/blank#}the jacket for his wife．

    "He is a brave man，"the worker of the shop said．"He decided not to change his life after his eyes got hurt．Though he is {#blank#}8{#/blank#}now，he never gives up．He and his wife come here whenever there is a new art show．"

    "But what can he get out of the art？He can't see!"I asked．

    "You are wrong．He {#blank#}9{#/blank#}a lot，more than you and I do．"The worker said，"His wife describes {#blank#}10{#/blank#}painting so he can see it in his mind．"

    I fell silent．Then I realized that I learnt something about patience，courage and love that day．

    History is the story of us, human beings. Everyone who has lived and everything that has h{#blank#}1{#/blank#} are part of history. But history is not only what happened in the past. The word also means the study of the past, through old w{#blank#}2{#/blank#}records and other kinds of facts.

    Why do we study history? One r{#blank#}3{#/blank#}is that we enjoy it. A good story is even better if it is true, and history is full of good s{#blank#}4{#/blank#}though they can be terrible too. A more serious reason is to understand o{#blank#}5{#/blank#}and the world we live in. To understand events happening now, we need to know their causes. We cannot understand the p{#blank#}6{#/blank#}if we know nothing about the past. History helps us understand why things are the way they are.

    Of course, history books cannot tell us everything about the past, not even everything that i{#blank#}7{#/blank#}recorded. A history of the world has to pick out the people and events t{#blank#}8{#/blank#}changed the world.

    Since ancient times, great civilizations have appeared in d{#blank#}9{#/blank#}countries and regions. Usually, only three or four existed at the same time. While they lasted they changed the l{#blank#}10{#/blank#}not only of their own people, but of their neighbors, today.