I once had a hard time making a living in France. Three years ago, I moved to a new neighborhood and felt an intense(强烈的) need to meet people so I went to the cinema. Outside the cinema was a woman with long gray hair who had a strong smell and was asking for money. I reached for my wallet to give her a Euro and then something made me stop and enter into conversation with her. I said, “Look, all the women going to the cinema here on a Tuesday night are seeing a film that can change your life. I'd rather buy you a ticket than give you money.”

    She hesitated（犹豫） for a moment and then came in with me. She hid behind me because, she said, the people running the theater didn't like her. I got her a ticket and she sat next to me. There were about 80 women there; I noticed some of them were turning around and looking at me with expressions of surprise and curiosity(好奇心).

    I encouraged the woman I had bought the ticket for to come the following night to an event where there would be many representatives(代表) of various social services. I thought they could be of some help to her. She did come and I was able to direct her to an agency that helped women in her situation. At the same time, a woman came toward me and said, “Are you the person who bought a ticket for the woman outside the theater asking for handouts?” When I said yes she said, “I want you to come to the community center where I work. I want the other employees there to meet you.”

    This was the beginning of a deep friendship and colleague relationship. I now have a great job and have more work than I've ever had in my 20 years in France. And the woman I took to the cinema that night? I learned that she was not homeless and that she was a secretary.

C

    A man died and was on his way to another world, either heaven (天堂) or hell (地狱). When he was halfway there, he saw a beautiful, huge palace. The owner came out and asked the man to stay and live in the palace.

    "And now I just want to eat and sleep without doing any work."The man said: "I have been working hard my whole life.

    The owner of the palace said: "If so, there is nowhere else better than here for you. There is a wealth of seafood and many other delicious foods in my palace. You can eat whatever you want without anyone stopping you. And you can rest assured (肯定的) that nothing needs to be done by you."

    "That is great! This must be heaven!" said the man. And he settled down (定居) in the palace.

    At first, the man felt very happy with a life of eating and sleeping. But gradually, he felt a bit lonely and bored.

    So he went to the owner and said: "Just eating and sleeping every day is very boring. Now I'm losing interest in this kind of life. Could you help me find a job?"

    The owner replied: "Sorry, there are no jobs here at all."

    After another few months, the man could not stand it any more and went to the owner again. "I really can't stand this kind of life any more," he said. "If you do not offer me a job, I would prefer (宁愿) to go to hell rather than (也不) live here."

    The owner of the palace smiled. "Where do you think we are now?" he said. "Heaven? We are actually (实际上) in hell!"

    Mr. Smith has a son. His name is Peter Smith. The young boy works in a bank in a city. He asks his father to visit the city. The old man is very happy and takes a train to the city. But he doesn't know where the bank is. He begins to look for but he can't find it.

    At a bus stop he asks an old woman "Excuse me, how can I get to the bank?" "We have ten banks in the city, which one do you want?" says the old woman.

    The old man shows the son's letter to her and the old woman says， "Walk along this road and turn left at the third crossing, then you can see the bank, It's across from a hospital."

    Mr. Smith thanks her and soon finds his son. After three days, the old man goes to the park. But he can't find the bank again. At the same bus stop he meets the same old woman and asks the same questions（问题）. "Oh, dear!" the old woman call out. "Are you still looking for your son?"

Birthday cards and parties are always the most popular ways for children to celebrate their birthdays, but not for Logan Brown in the US. He has serious autism. He can't talk and doesn't have any friends. According to his mother Catherine, he stopped getting birthday cards and having parties years ago. This year was Logan's 12th birthday. His mother loved him and wanted him to have a great birthday, just like other children. She asked Facebook (a website) for help, inviting friends and strangers to send her son cards for his 12th birthday. In Catherine's Facebook post, she wrote, "Will you write Happy Birthday Logan一from

your friend-in Washington，Hawaii …? Help us celebrate Logan's birthday!"

    Then the Browns were excited to receive more than 3,000 birthday cards from all over the world. When one police officer read Catherine's Facebook post, he decided to organize a surprise party for Logan at a local restaurant. On that day, many policemen took part in the party and gave the little boy a birthday cake and some other gifts. "We couldn't let Logan's birthday pass without anything special for him," said the police officer.

    With the help of his mother and the Internet, Logan had a special birthday.

    An English traveller found himself in Norway with only enough money to buy the ticket for his journey back home. As he knew that it would take him only two days to get to England, he decided that he could easily spend the time without food. So he bought a ticket and got on the ship. The man closed his ears to the sound of the lunch bell. When dinner time came, he didn't go to the dining room, saying that he was not feeling very well.

    The next morning, he still didn't have breakfast and at lunch time he again stayed in his room. But at dinner time he was so hungry that he went to the dining room and ate everything the waiter put in front of him. He got ready for the quarrel(争吵).

     “Bring me the bill,” he said. “The bill, sir?” said the waiter in surprise. “There isn't any bill. On our ship meals are included(包括)in the money for the ticket,'' said the waiter.