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.

    I stood in the yard with my son. He had a 1of bubbles（泡沫） and would dip and dip and blow and blow, but no bubbles. He 2me the bottle and loop and asked me, “Daddy, can you 3bubbles?”

    I hadn't blown bubbles in years. Though as a 4, I have successfully performed various experiments, I was having no more5than my son. I would dip and puff（喷出）,but failed.

    After several 6attempts, I changed ways.7puffing on the loop of soapy water, I gently breathed on it. My son shouted with 8as a big beautiful bubble 9and floated away. He grabbed the loop, dipped and blew, but nothing happened as it was 10. I explained to him, “Son, you can't blow 11.You must so gently breathe on the loop.” He stopped his strong 12to create big bubbles by blowing with a lot of strength and 13my advice. Big bubbles came into being.

    There are some things that you can get with cruel14, but there are other things that only 15with the gentleness of a soft breath. Too often, we try to force 16and affection from whom we like. It won't happen. The greater force we put on it, the 17we will gain. Just like the bubbles, it bursts before it can ever 18because we put too much force on it. It can't be forced and is more often19in the soft things of life. Blow beautiful bubbles; breathe 20.

Three years ago, I was working as a lawyer. For a year or longer, my work was beginning to suffer. I 1 got to the point where I couldn't concentrate — one of the early signs that something was 2. I kept forgetting things. Legal work is complicated, and you have to have a good 3 to do that work. So I 4 my job. I talked to my doctor about my family's 5 of Alzheimer's; my father and grandfather had it. Then I was asked to do some tests. It 6 that I have early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

    Needless to say, my life has 7. My husband Dan retired soon after my diagnosis (诊断) 8 we spend a lot of time together. 9 going to work, I used to spend my days having lunch with my friends and 10 my mother. I could drive up to see her before I started getting 11. The situation wasn't 12, but I'd had to turn around enough times that it frightened me. Now I 13 drive out of town. I stay in town.

    I am an independent person, but now I have to 14 some of that independence. My husband and I mostly do the shopping together because I 15 the list.

    Dan and I are enjoying life while we can. Some people are saving money for trips years down the road. We're not 16, we take a trip every year.

    The one thing I wish I could change is people's 17 when I tell them I have Alzheimer's. They shut down. I can still 18; it's not like suddenly I can't remember anything. This happened with my father. He was very 19, and he had lots of friends. When his friends learned he got Alzheimer's, they wouldn't come to visit him. I think people should learn more about Alzheimer's and 20 that people with the disease can still socialize.

"What's your name? " My fifteen-ear-old daughter, Jessica, asked a stranger on the street. Her eyes sparkled with 1 and her face wore a broad smile. I wish she could make it because she has a disability with autistic (自闭症的). I stood nearby, waiting 2 for any potential result. 

To be honest, the 3 nature of hers is a result of her disability. Ever since Jessica was real young, she had 4 right up to strangers on the street and 5 a conversation, never expecting to be refused. Children with autism don't relate well to others. As her mum, my thoughts are 6 . On one hand, I tried my best to prevent her from 7 others. On the other hand, I don't want her to be discouraged. Happily, when Jessica talks with someone, it always 8 me that people patiently answer her, although they must sense she's a bit different. 

What about this time? Would this man respond kindly or just 9 her and walk away? A few minutes later, Jessica skipped to me. Obviously, it was a successful 10 . Jessica shared with me the 11 they had talked about, which would certainly 12 my daughter's day. The man just treated her like an ordinary girl, nothing special from others. 

As we continued on our way, I felt a renewed sense full of 13 for the future. Despite my daughter's problem, an equal 14 the kind people gave her created a moment of 15 interaction.

English businessman Richard Branson made history on July 11, 2021 as he and three other crewmates became the world's first space tourists. The flight was made by a spacecraft named VSS Unity that was built by Branson's company, Virgin Galactic. The flight lasted slightly more than an hour, and took Branson and crew to an altitude（海拔） of 53. 5 miles above the Earth, just a little above the boundary（边界） of space which lies 50 miles above the Earth.

At that height, the atmosphere turns into the black of outer space and the Earth becomes a bent ball of blue. Travelers also exhibit weightlessness as there is no gravity, the force that keeps our bodies walking on the Earth's surface. Therefore, Branson and his fellows were able to float around in VSS Unity while enjoying the views. They were able to do that for three minutes before the spacecraft began its downward journey. It landed back at Virgin Galactic's space port in New Mexico, United States, which is the same place from where it took off 90 minutes ago.

On landing back, Branson said, "I have dreamt of this moment since I was a kid but honestly, nothing could prepare you for the view of the Earth from space. It was just magical. I'm just taking it all in, and it's unreal."

July 11's flight is the start of space tourism for one and all. In early 2022, customers who could afford a ticket for a quarter of a million dollars could line up for a seat on a trip to space. And guess what—they will have a choice of spacecraft. Jeff Bezos, who owns a famous company, is all set to launch himself into space on July 20 on board a spacecraft built by his new branch company Blue Origin. Blue Origin will also carry tourists to space.

I was at the grocery shop1 last-minute items for Easter dinner when I 2 from the corner of my eye the most wonderful flower I had ever seen. It was, as I later learned, a peony (牡丹).

I was so3 that I was going to buy myself flowers. I'd4 done this before. On the way home, I wondered why I had never really been5 to any flowers before.6 , I'd been on this earth for over half a century.

7 in England, my immigrant (移民) family viewed flowers as 8 since survival was our priority. Dad worked on the railways, and Mom, before her 9 , worked in a factory. Our small garden was filled with vegetables10 flowers, as Mom and Dad often said, "These will keep us alive if we can't get them from the 11 ."

We also built an underground oven (烤炉), where Mom and Dad would make flatbread (薄面饼). The smell of this flatbread12 us and anchored (使扎根) us to our lives in England. When Mother's Day came, Mom would say, "Why waste money on flowers? They'll just die. Buy shoes or coats instead." So, we kids made food for her at home. My mother 13 years ago after a long illness. If she were still alive today, she' d probably 14 her head at me for buying flowers.15 , I still wish I'd had the chance to show her this beautiful flower and buy it for her on Mother's Day