When Mr. David retired(退休), he bought a small house in a village near the sea. He liked it and hoped to live a quiet life in it. But to his surprise, many visitors came to see his house in summer holidays, for it was the most interesting building in the village. From morning to night, there were visitors outside the house. They kept looking into the rooms through the windows and many of them even went into the house. He decided to drive the visitors away. So he put a notice on the window. The notice said，“If you want to satisfy your curiosity(好奇心), come in and look around. Price: twenty dollars.”Mr. David was sure that the visitors would stop coming, but he was wrong. More and more visitors came and Mr. David had to spend every day showing them around his house. “I came here to retire, not to work as a guide(导游)”, he said angrily. In the end, he sold the house and moved away.

    I have a little dog. Its name is Jim. Every morning Jim goes to the shop in the village. The girl in the shop gives him two things: a sweet（糖） and a newspaper. Jim eats the sweet and takes the newspaper in his mouth. Then he runs home.

    I like reading my newspaper in bed before I get up. Jim knows that and he brings the newspaper to my bedroom. When I am eating my breakfast he brings all the letters to me. After that he goes outside to wait for the bus. When he sees the bus coming down the road, he makes a noise（噪音）. I run out, and the bus stops for me. Jim never lets me miss the bus.

    One day. Many years ago, when I was working as a psychologist in England, David was brought into my office. His face was pale(苍白)and he looked at his own feet.

    David lost his father when he was two years old and lived with his mother and grandfather ever since. But the year before he turned 13, his grandfather died and his mother was killed in a car accident. His teacher told me that he refused to talk to others from then on.

    How could I help him?

    David didn't say a word. As he was leaving. I put my hand on his shoulder.

    "Come back next week if you like, "I said.

    He came and I suggested we played a game of chess. He agreed. After that we played chess every Wednesday afternoon in complete silence. Usually, he arrived earlier than he agreed. It seemed as if he enjoyed my company. But why didn't he ever look at me?

    "Perhaps he simply needs someone to share his pain with." I thought.

    Months later, when l was looking at his head, he suddenly looked up at me. "It's your turn, "he said. After that day, David started talking. He finally had friends in school and he even joined a bicycle club. He wrote to me a few times. Now he had really started to live his life.

    Maybe I gave David something. But I learned a lot from him. I learned how time makes it possible to overcome(克服)what seems to be so painful. David showed me how one without a word—can reach out to another person. All it takes is a shoulder to cry on, a friendly touch and an ear that listens.

    John and Jack met at the old bench every afternoon. Then they played football. But they didn't have enough money to buy a real football. So Jack made a ball out of old socks covered with a piece of plastic, Every time, the two friends didn't stop kicking and running until very late.

    On Monday afternoon, John and Jack met again at the old bench. Soon the home-made ball was running across the grass. The boys laughed and shouted happily. The ball was stopped by a boy wearing a nice pair of sports shoes. John was upset when he saw the boy was Steven.

    The next morning, John's mother gave him a bill." Your uncle sent you a birthday present, she smiled. John's eyes grew big when he saw the $100 bill. Later that day，his mother bought a new pair of sports shoes and a real football.

    That afternoon Steven invited John to play football. Steven did not want Jack to join them only because Jack's sports shoes were dirty. When the game was over, John and Steven walked past the old bench where Jack was sitting. Steven picked up a stone and threw it at him. John, holding his new football in his hands, walked on and did not look back.

    Several days later. As John walked. Past the old bench, he saw something lying under it. He looked closer and saw it was the home made ball, John was full of sadness when he saw the ball. As his sadness turned to anger, he picked up his new football and kicked it into the air. Then he walked to the bench, sat down and waited.