Unchangeable Love

    One day I visited an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting. I was expecting a quiet1 of the splendid artwork.

    A young2 viewing the paintings ahead of me3 nonstop between themselves. I watched them a moment and decided the lady was doing all the talking. I admired the man's4for putting up with her5 stream of words. 6 by their noise, I moved on.

    I met them several times as I moved7 the various rooms of art. Each time I heard her continuous flow of words, I moved away8.

    I was standing at the counter of the museum gift shop making a9 when the couple approached the10. Before they left, the man11into his pocket and pulled out a white object. He12 it into a long stick and then tapped his way into the13 to get his wife's jacket.

    “He's a14 man.” the clerk at the counter said. “Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age. During his recovery, he made a promise his life wouldn't change. So, as before, he and his wife come in15 there is a new art show.”

    “But what does he get out of the art?” I asked. “He can't see.”

    “Can't see! You're 16. He sees a lot. More than you and I do,” the clerk said. “His wife17 each painting so he can see it in his head.”

    I learned something about patience, 18 and love that day. I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without 19 and the courage of a husband who would not20 blindness to change his life. And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away, hand in hand.

    A young British woman had shortly arrived in Hong kong and had not yet 1 anything about the Chinese 2. One day she went to the home of a Chinese friend and was 3given a cup of Chinese tea. She was not 4 and she also found this type of tea rather 5 . However, since she had been given the tea, she felt she should drink it. Hoping to finish it 6 so that she would not feel about having to drink this tea which she did not 7 , she started to drink as much of it as she could. But as soon as her cup became half-full, the host8giving her more. Several times she told the host that she had had 9, but it seemed to have no10 . Her cup kept being 11 , and she kept on drinking. During the time of he 12 , she drank about twelve cups of tea. Later she found out that she should have just 13 the tea, and that this would have meant that she had had enough. Influenced by her 14culture, she felt it too 15 to leave the tea and could not understand why the host took no notice of her protests(抗议) that she had had enough!

    When I was eighteen, I couldn't wait to get my first job, which meant I made the first step toward adulthood.

    But it was difficult to get a work permit. One day I was dropped off by my parents at the1, where applicants took their physical tests for work permits. Although I had night blindness, my vision was clearer during the day, which helped me walk 2 by myself. Then the doctor began the 3. He looked into my eyes with a bright light. “I suggest your parents take you to an eye specialist,” he said, “I  4 you have a retinal(视网膜)disease. If you do, you will never 5a day in your life… ”

    My parents did take me to specialists. After much time and money spent seeking an6result，it was determined that I had an eye disease that slowly 7a person of sight. But still, during daylight, I could walk without 8. I could read, but not for hours. My eyes began to 9 and words slipped off the page when I read more than a few pages. However, no matter how tired my eyes became, I never gave up reading. I knew the 10of great writers as well as the most popular music stars. Their words were powerful, which 11 me to try writing. Soon writing brought me a lot of 12each time I completed a paper.

    Then an important phone call from an editor changed my life．An article I 13 appeared in a local newspaper. The newspaper, to my 14, continued to print my work. Next, a book series published several of my essays. I got interested in writing and 15 up with each acceptance. On the pages, readers never knew of my blindness 16I chose to present it. For me, finding my voice through writing gave me the pride and satisfaction I 17 so many years ago. Now, I have numerous essays and articles in 18.

    Should I be thanking that misguided doctor? By falsely predicting that I could never work a day, he fueled my 19 into success. He set the bar too 20 and focused on what I wouldn't be able to do. Yet I proved what I could do.

    Despite being married for over 17 years, Jeff and Angela Hartung are still going through the getting-to-know-each-other stage of their relationship. That's because, close to five years ago, Angela was 1 by a car while crossing a New York City intersection.

    "I do not 2 anything at all. I asked for my two 3 .I thought they were like 2 and 8 years old. They were 17 and 23 years old," said Angela.

    After the accident, Angela was 4 to recall about fifteen years of her life. When she woke up from her coma ( 昏迷), Angela thought she was still 5 to her first husband, who had passed away years ago, and she had zero memory of her present 6 , Jeff. Even after seeing their wedding album, Angela had no 7 who Jeff was. This left Jeff with a difficult  8—how could he 9 his wife's love for the second time?

    First, Jeff covered their house with photos, and reminders of 10 times before Angela's accident. He then 11  courting ( 求婚) her all over again .Most importantly, Jeff refused to leave Angela's 12 , even when she couldn't remember who he was.13, Jeff's efforts paid off and Angela 14 for him all over again. This called for some kind of 15 .

    In order to restart their 16 love story, Jeff and Angela retold their vows in New York City's Central Park. They 17 invited all of their closest friends and family members.

    Jeff truly feels 18 that he was able to earn his wife's love all over again. "I 19 believe that this happened for a reason," he said:"How many times have we said, 'I wish I could go 20 and do something over again?' I've gotten to do that."

    It was a cold and rainy day. I had no 1 to drive up the winding mountain road to my daughter Carolyn's house. But she 2 I come to see something at the top of the mountain.

    3as I was, I made the two-hour journey 4 the fog that hung like veils (面纱). By the time I saw how 5it was near the summit, I had gone too far away. Nothing could be worth this, I 6 as I drove slowly along the dangerous highway.

    "I'll stay for lunch, but I'm heading back as soon as the fog 7." I announced. "But I want you to drive me to the garage to pick 8 my car." Carolyn said. "How far is it?" I asked. She replied:" About three minutes and I'll drive you there."

    After ten minutes on the mountain road, I looked at her 9. "I thought you said three minutes." She smiled. " This is a detour (绕行路线)." Turning down a narrow track, we parked the car and got out. We walked a long path that was thick with pine trees. Gradually the peace and silence of the place began to fill my mind. Then we turned a corner and stopped. I was 10.

    From the top of the mountain to the folds and valleys 11 several acres of daffodils (水仙花) rich in a variety of colors. It looked as if God had painted something gorgeous in front of us. Many questions 12 my mind. Who created such beauty? Why? How? As we approached the home that stood in the centre of the property, we saw a 13 that read: " Answers to the Questions I know you are asking." The first answer was: "One Woman-Two Hands, Two Feet, and Very Little Brain." The second was: " One at a Time." The third: "Started in 1958."

    As we drove home, I was so 14 by what we had seen. I could 15speak. "She changed the world." I finally said, "one bulb (水仙球茎) at a time. She started almost 40 years ago, probably just the beginning of an idea, and she 16at it.

    The 17 of it would not let me go. I said:" Imagine if I'd had a 18 and worked on it, just a little bit every day, what might I have 19? Carolyn looked at me sideways, smiling. "20 tomorrow," she said. "Better yet, start today."

Dino Impagliazzo cuts onions like a professional cook. The old man makes a great vegetable soup,

1 most of his customers can't even 2 a piece of bread.

Impagliazzo, the founder of the RomAmoR association (协会), began cooking for the homeless fifteen years ago. The 3 came to Impagliazzo when a homeless man asked him for 4. After knowing the gentleman, he discovered that many homeless people in Rome 5to find food on Sundays, when homeless associations were closed. "I realized that perhaps instead of giving him a bill to buy sandwiches, 6 some sandwiches would be better, and thus began our 7," Impagliazzo said.

He started out by making sandwiches from his home, and then moved on to hot meals. 8, his organization moved to a fully-equipped kitchen. Volunteers can now be found cooking up food on a(n) 9 basis. Three days a week, he works alongside 300 volunteers, and then the volunteers 10 the work throughout the week. The positive action never stops for a day.

Besides, recruiting (招募) volunteers is very 11. "We try to make more and more people join the activities so that Rome becomes a city of love where people can 12 each other," said Impagliazzo. Impagliazzo 13 food materials from local stores. The workers there greet him warmly and are always 14 to make a contribution.

Finally, Impagliazzo's 15 has earned him the title of Rome's "chef of the poor".