Value Now No Longer Missed

    John, a famous musician, took his priceless antique zither(齐特琴)and played it in the crowded subway station. The music emanating from the zither was delicately streaming1the whole station. However, during the one-hour play, only six or seven people were truly2the charming music. John only got 52 dollars for his work that day.

    However, in normal days, when John is about to hold a 3, one ticket can be sold at more than 100 dollars and it is extremely 4to buy a ticket even at such a high price. Therefore, later, many passers-by in the station that day felt deeply5for not recognizing the famous musician and missing such a valuable but6music feast.

    I have a very7friend who had totally changed after knowing that his wife8an acute illness. He cooked by himself for the family and took a walk with his wife every day. Nonetheless, his wife still did not manage to9the illness and passed away after three months. After that, he often sighed 10that due to his past busy life, he had missed a lot of beautiful time with his wife. But now, it is  11to make up for it.

    It is no use crying over spilt milk. We have12a lot of precious things in our life without knowing how to 13them. Actually, I also missed something 14before. The reason is simple: we had thought that we could still own them tomorrow.

    Nevertheless, tomorrow is actually15reliable. There was a famous Buddhist monk saying that in many people's lives, they have only done two things: waiting and 16. The result is that they were always too late to cherish 17they had before they lost it. We would often claim to do something when we 18, or when we have money or when we become old, etc. However, when we reach the19, we could no longer realize our20, because we have lost it by then.

    My parents passed away ten years ago and I miss them terribly. But I know they are with me every day in what they taught me and in the 1 they gave me. Every morning my father's message to me was: Remember that 2 you walk out of this door, you carry responsibility, the good name of this family, the hopes and dreams of your mom and dad. My mother often urged me to3 the high standards she set for me.

    When I was in high school, I played in a rock band with friends in my class. We were devoted and practiced constantly. We moved past the guys - in - a - garage stage and 4 to be pretty good, doing getting - paid gigs (演奏会) most weekends, which made me 5 At that time, though part of me was 6 up in that band, another part of me was the oldest son in the Clark family,7 of my origin and a dedicated student busy applying to colleges. Without even telling my parents, I applied to Harvard. I didn't think I had much chance of getting in,8I wanted to try. So I was riding around being Mr Cool Rock Musician half of the time, and the other half I was focused on family and 9 goals. I was running on parallel 10

    When the group won a city wide Battle of the Bands, things heated up. My band mates had stars in their eyes - we might be able to make it big. However, I began to feel 11 I realized I was on quite different tracks: I 12 was becoming two people,13 identities back and forth depending on who I was with. I had to make an option. As I considered my 14 my parents' words were right there, helping me to see that my dreams weren't about signing a record deal, letting my hair grow, and living in a tour bus. So I 15 out. My bandmasters were 16. They thought I was crazy to withdraw 17the peak of real success. But however successful that band got, I knew it wasn't in line with my 18 with my feeling of what I was 19 to do, with who I was - it simply wasn't me.

    In that instant and in many others throughout my life, my parent's advice has helped me recenter and 20 I could remember who I was - the hopes and dreams I carried.

    On Dec. 13, 2014, Nubia Wilson turned 16. But instead of1with an exciting Sweet 16 birthday party, the California teen devoted this milestone to 2 the lives of orphans in Ethiopia.

    Through several summers of volunteer work at an Ethiopia orphanage（孤儿院）, Nubia learned firsthand the severe poverty so many children3. In an email to The Huffington Post, Nubia said that she was 4struck by the children's lack of5to education — their school only went through the fourth grade.

    Over the course of her volunteer work, Nubia became interested in one 6Hermela. She writes:

    Out of the many students in the kindergarten class, Hermela became close and7 to me to a point where it was becoming8for both of us to leave each other. She is now in the second grade. The thought of Hermela not being able to have her meal and9 education after the fourth grade became 10and I knew I had to do something.

    That's when Nubia decided that she didn't want a traditional Sweet 16.11 she wanted to use the money her parents would have spent on a party to establish12grade class for Hermela and other kids.

    “The money could provide a (n)13 solution that will serve for many years compared to the one-day14of my party, “Nubia wrote to Huffpost Live15 I want Hermela to continue16.”

    After17 friends and family her plan, Nubia 18 a donation page “Keep Hermela Smiling” on CrowRise. Her19will raise funds for the Fregenet Foundation（基金会）, which funds education and community services in Ethiopia.

    So far, Nubia has raised $2,781 of her $10,000 goal. Nubia says her parents have been extremely 20 they're selling most of their Ethiopian artifacts to help raise funds.

    Nubia's birthday may not have been a party, but it's truly a celebration.

    From the first week of high school, my best friend, Trisha, was always going out with the popular girls.1I thought, "It's okay; she's just making new friends." But soon I realized that Trisha wasn't interested in me anymore. I'd 2my best friend. It really hurt.

    One day, I told Trisha that we should 3  pretending（假装）to be friends when we really weren't anymore. I wasn't trying to make her mad, 4 she was. After that, Trisha started talking about me behind my back, telling people that I was 5.Some of our friends 6 with her. I felt like she was taking them away from me.

    The more I thought about it, the 7 I got. Finally, I 8a picture of Trisha and drew lines on her face. I wrote, "I  9 this person" across the bottom. And then I did something I'll always 10 : I put it on a website I thought was 11. I thought people would see it, and it felt good to vent(发泄).

    A week later, Trisha's mom saw the 12.She called my mom, who made me take it off the website right away. However, it was already too 13 .Lots of people had seen it, and I was in a lot of 14.

    That whole day, I felt 15 .I had to say sorry to Trisha face to face. She said she accepted my apology（道歉）,but I felt she was 16 angry with me.

    Posting that picture was one of the worst 17 I've ever made. I realize now I could have found a much better way to deal with my 18 .If I'd just told Trisha how much I 19 her, maybe things would have turned out 20. It's too late for me to change things, but I hope you'll learn from my mistake.

    The following is a true story. It shows that potential(可能性,潜力) discovered may lead to success.

    A young man traveled by train. As it was running across a 1 passengers looked out of 2 idly and aimlessly. When the train came near a bend it 3 and then an unadorned (简陋的)house came into 4. It was so obvious 5 the deserted landscape that everybody on the train turned to " 6 " it with eyes wide open. Some passengers 7 began a discussion about it.

    The young man was also 8 by the scene. On his return he 9 the train at the nearest station and found his 10 to the house. Its  11 told him that troubled by the 12 of the train he wanted to sell the house but 13would buy it.

    Soon after the young man 14thirty thousand dollars for the house, regarding it as a 15 site for advertisement. It was facing the railway 16 where the train had to slow down and the 17 passengers would cast their eyes at the house to 18 themselves.

    He managed to get 19 to big companies and tried his best to convince them of the advantage of the place for 20 . Finally the Coca Cola Company took a lease on(租用) it to put up promotion signs. The young man was paid 180 thousand for a three year rent.

A Welcome Gift

    Dario and his mother loved their new apartment. The living room was large enough for their piano. That night, the two of them 1 side by side at the piano. They played jazz music to celebrate their new home. The loud 2 filled the room and made them feel very happy.

    The next morning, 3, their happiness disappeared. Someone had left a 4 under their door during the night. One of their neighbors had written to complain about the sound of the piano. Dario's mother asked the building superintendent (管理员) if he knew anything about it. But he said that they were all 5 people and he couldn't imagine any of them had done that. Later that morning, Dario suggested that they write a letter to their 6 and apologize for their playing.

    "Maybe we could go and 7 everyone in person." his mother said.

    "What if we invited them to come here for a 8 instead?" Dario asked.

    They both loved the 9. Over the next few days, they sent out invitations and prepared desserts 10 their guests. They decorated the apartment with streamers (彩带) and party lights.

    Finally, the day of the party 11. Some guests brought presents. Others brought flowers. Some even brought desserts to 12. One woman, Mrs. Gilbert, 13 Dario's mother with a book of piano music by Chopin.

    "I heard you playing the other night," she said. "The sounds woke me out of bed. I 14 that you might play like this every night. So I wrote a short note. I hope you don't think I disliked the playing."

    Dario's mother smiled at Mrs. Gilbert. "I think maybe we 15 you an apology." she said. "I didn't 16 how late it was when we were playing. Maybe we should play some quieter music at night.

    "You play, you play!" Mrs. Gilbert said. "I like what you play! Just not so loud at night." She pointed to the book she had given them. "These songs are not such 17 music."

    "These songs are beautiful music." Dario's mother said. "We will be 18 to play them in the evening."

    "And we won't play so loud or late!" Dario said. He was already looking forward to 19 the new music. More than that, however, he was happy to see the big smile on his mother's face. It gave him a feeling of 20 and made him feel that they were home at last.