In one of the old buildings near our school,one could see an old man sitting by a large window on the first floor,His name was James.During the three years at school,I had hardly ever found him missing from his usual position.

He was a high-ranking government official and lived happily with his wife .Once there was a bus accident,in which a number of passengers were seriously injured and taken to the hospital for treatment.James was responsible for the rescue operation.It was a big hospital,but James was shocked to notice how ill-equipped it was.There was no enough life-saving drugs and life-supporting equipment.The injured and their companions had to struggle there .James attempted to help .However,though he emptied his pockets,many of them died that day.

That was a turning point in his life.He made a decision to devote his life to helping others,particularly the poor and needy patients and their companions.He began to spend much of his income on these people.Since this required much time and energy,he found it difficult to fulfill his official duties and therefore chose to retire,which,in turn,reduced his income considerably.

His wife was deeply worried.Most of the time,James was out and paid least attention to home affairs.Meanwhile,as he was spending a lot helping others,she had struggle even to meet the household expenses.Though she was not against his helping the poor,she urged him not to ignore his own home and life,but it had no effect on him.She decided to leave him ,never to return.Though he continued his work, this was a great blow and did serious harm to his health and enthusiasm and he was soon forced to stay indoors.That was when he took his position by the window,spending his time looking outside.

    A few weeks after my graduation,I returned to school,only to find the building gone.I heard that they were torn down.Everyone left except James.He refused to go and the next morning,he was found at his usual place by the window,dead.

How Women Were Freed From Their Homes

    As late as 1800, a woman's only place was in her home. Women in business were unheard of. No respectable woman would dream of entering what was strictly a “man's world”. Even if she would, what could she do? Men were sure that no woman could do a job well outside her home.  This was a widely-accepted idea. When the famous Bronte sisters began writing books in 1846, they had to resort to using men's names as aliases.

    Teaching was the first profession opened to women, soon after 1800. But even that was not easy for women to take because most high schools and colleges were open only to men. Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in America to take in women.

    Nursing was regarded as a respectable profession for women only after Florence Nightingale won high credit for her nursing career and became famous. Miss Nightingale opened the first training school for nursing in 1860 in England.

    The invention of typewriters in 1867 helped to bring women out of their homes to join the business world. Because women are careful and have nimble fingers, businessmen found that they were well suited to this kind of work.

    By 1890, tens of thousands of women were working in schools, hospitals, shops, offices, and factories both in England and the States. Some even managed to become doctors or lawyers. The idea of women working in business and other circles was accepted. 

    As a Fulbright（富布莱特法案基金）scholar at Yale, I wanted very much to get some individual help from some famous professors, but their office-hours were only once a week and there were always students waiting outside. At first, I was too polite to get their help. Then I realized that Chinese politeness does not work in this society. I needed to be aggressive to get what I wanted. I also noticed that Chinese students or Asian students were very polite in class while American students often interrupted the professor, asking questions and dominating the discussion. The Chinese students were not as aggressive as American students.

    I was impressed by the role of the professor in the class. The professor didn't act as an authority, giving final conclusions, but as a researcher looking for answers to questions together with the students. One linguistic feature of his interacting with his students was that he used many modal verbs-far more than I did in Beiwai. When answering questions, he usually said: “this is my personal opinion and it could be wrong. It would be a good idea if you could read the book I mentioned the other day.” Or,“ You may find the book I recommended helpful.” Or,“You could be right, but you might find this point of view also interesting.” When making comments on students' performances, the professor usually said:” It might have been much clearer if you had taken in some of the ideas we discussed earlier this semester.”

    In China, authorities are always supposed to give wise decisions and correct directions. Therefore students always expect the professor to give an answer to the question. I still remember how annoyed they were when foreign teachers did not provide such an answer. Their expectations from authorities are much higher than those of American students. Once the Chinese students got the answer, they were sure about it. That is why they make far more certain statement than American students. That is why Chinese students find it difficult to use modal verbs because the function of modal verbs is to provide room for negotiation and different ideas.

    Six years ago at the age of 35,I suddenly decided I wanted to learn the cello（大提琴）.Straight away I rented an instrument and appeared before Wendell Margrave,professor of musical instruction.

    "You can be as good as you want to be,"Margrave said rather mysteriously.On a piece of paper he drew the notes E and F.He showed me where to put my fingers on the neck of the cello and how to draw the bow.Then he entered my name in his book: 10 am,Tuesday.Tuesday followed Tuesday,and soon it was spring.

     Thus began my voyage out of ignorance and into the dream.E-F,E-F,we played together—and moved on to G.It was a happy time.I was again becoming something new,and no longer trapped as the same person.Surely the most terrible recognition of middle life is that we are past changing.We do what we can already do.The cello was something I couldn't do.Yet each Tuesday this became less and less true.Riding home on the bus one snowy night and learning the score of Mozart's C-Major Quintet(莫扎特的C大调五重奏),I felt the page burst into music in my hands.I could by then more or less read a score,and was humming（哼唱）the cello line,when suddenly all five parts came together harmonically（和谐地） in my head.The fellow sitting opposite stared.I met his glance with tears,actually hearing the music in my head for the first time.Could he hear it too, perhaps?No,he got off at the next stop.

    As the years slipped by,my daughter grew up,playing the piano well.My goal was that she and I would one day perform together.I also wanted to perform in public with and for my peers,and to be secretly envied.I continued to play,to perform,but it is not the same. Before, when I heard a cello,it was all beauty and light.Now,as the TV camera gets close to Rostropovich's face,I recognize that his smile shows his incredible determination.Even for him,the cello is a difficult instrument that doesn't respect your ambitions.I picked up my cello and practiced.As good as I wanted to be,I am as good as I'm going to get.It is good enough.

    Spend a pleasant day exploring the Georgian city of Bath during a day tour by rail. This package includes return train tickets to Bath from Paddington, central London, plus an open top bus tour in Bath and entry to the Roman Baths.

    London to Bath by Rail

    Make sure you arrive at London's Paddington Station before 8:30 am as your train to Bath leaves at 9:00 am! Please get on the train through Platform One. The countryside will fly past as the train travels to west, arriving in Bath after 1 hour 24 minutes.

    Hop-on Hop-off Open Top Bus Tour

    Once the train arrives in Bath, you can enjoy the view of the city during a hop-on hop-off bus tour. This bus tour has convenient stops near Bath Abbey, the Roman Baths and Jane Austin Centre, all must-see Bath destinations.

    Roman Baths

    The Roman Bathing Complex in the center of the city gave Bath its name, making it a key place to visit during your day in the city!

    The Roman Baths were built around Britain's only hot spring and were used primarily as a place to relax in the warm water! The Baths are located below the modern street level and you will be able to explore four fantastic parts of the attraction: the Sacred Spring, Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum, holding finds from the Roman Baths.

    How you spend the rest of your day in Bath is up to you! You could visit the Jane Austen Center, a wonderful exhibition which reveals Jane Austen's life in Bath, or wander along Great Pulteney Street, a magnificent-looking road that dates back to 1789. Bath is yours for the taking.

    Return to London

    Your train ride back to London takes 1 hour 26 minutes, arriving in London at 7:39 pm. Remember to arrive at Bath Spa Station at least 30 minutes before departure time.

World Poetry Day takes place each year {#blank#}1{#/blank#} March 21 to promote the teaching of poetry, as well as the publishing, writing, and reading of this form of writing around the world.

It {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (declare) by UNESCO in 1999 in the hopes of supporting language diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (hear). World Poetry Day was about giving fresh drive and {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (recognize) to international, regional, and national poetry movements. It also focused on promoting a return to the oral (口头的) tradition of poetry recitals, as well as {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (strengthen) the association between poetry and other forms of expression, such as dance, music, and painting.

The day is celebrated {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (global). Government agencies, community groups and individuals get involved in promoting or participating in the day, which enables children to learn and enjoy {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (variety) of poetry. It is a time {#blank#}8{#/blank#} students are busy examining poets and learning about different types of poetry. Poets may be invited to read and share their work to audience at book stores and schools. Ceremonies are held to honor poets of {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (remark) achievements.

All in all, it's a day for poetry: {#blank#}10{#/blank#} ancient art form that still enriches our understanding of humanity today.