When treating some friends to dinner, we Chinese often say, “The dishes are not good. Please forgive me.” In fact, it is a Chinese way of {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (be) modest. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} he really means is that all the dishes here are really wonderful! What he really hopes is compliment from the guests! But {#blank#}3{#/blank#} English would not understand it at all! Now that it is not very good, why should you present the dishes in front of us? The English would say to their guests “ Enjoy yourselves!” when eating and “hope you've enjoyed!” after eating.

    While {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (eat), we Chinese often say to the guests, “Eat slowly.” This would be very {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (puzzle) to the foreigners: Am I eating very violently? Am I eating too {#blank#}6{#/blank#} or too much?

    And now comes the end of the dinner when your guests {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (leave). The Chinese would say, “Walk slowly!” This is a very polite saying in Chinese, but will also be confusing to the foreigners: why can't I walk fast? Does it matter {#blank#}8{#/blank#} I walk slowly or not? Are you worrying that I may fall over? {#blank#}9{#/blank#} change your words {#blank#}10{#/blank#} a simple “Bye!” or “See you next time!”

    One of my fondest {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(memory) as a child is going to the river and sitting on the bank. There I would watch the bamboo trees bend{#blank#}2{#/blank#} the pressure from the wind and then watch them return {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(elegant) to their original position when the wind{#blank#}4{#/blank#}(die) down.

    When I think about the bamboo trees' ability {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(return) to its original position, the word “resilience (适应力)'' comes to mind. Have you ever felt like you were at your breaking point? Life is {#blank#}6{#/blank#} mixture of good times and bad times, and happy moments and unhappy moments. Always keep{#blank#}7{#/blank#} in mind that a measure of hope will take you through the unpleasant situation. With hope for a better tomorrow, things may not be as bad as they seem to be. The unpleasant situation may be much {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(easy) to deal with if the result is worth{#blank#}9{#/blank#}(have).

    The next time you are experiencing one of bad times or unhappy moments,{#blank#}10{#/blank#} take you close to your breaking point, bend but don't break!

    The Amber Room {#blank#}1{#/blank#}to the great wonders of the world. It was originally {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(design) for the palace of Frederick Ⅰ. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}took the country's best artists about ten years to finish it. Everyone thought {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(high) of its style and design. Several tons of amber as well as gold and jewels were used to make it, so no wonder it is worth a lot of money. But later, the next King of Prussia decided to give it as a gift to Peter the Great, {#blank#}5{#/blank#} gave Prussia a troop of his best soldiers in {#blank#}6{#/blank#}. Unfortunately, during the Second World War, the Nazi Germany was at war with Russia. In 1941, Germany invaded (入侵)Russia, and the Russians had no time to {#blank#}7{#/blank#}anything from the Amber Room except some furniture and small art objects. When the Nazis saw the Amber Room, there was no {#blank#}8{#/blank#}that they liked it so much that they took it apart and in less than two days 100,000 pieces were put inside twenty-seven wooden boxes. The boxes were then put on a train for Konigsberg. Since then, the whole world has been in {#blank#}9{#/blank#} of the Amber Room. No one knows what {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (happen) to it and whether it still exists now. Maybe it will remain a mystery forever.

    Once there was a wise landowner who had two sons. After a few years, the landowner fell ill badly. So he considered {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (select) one of them to rule the family according to their abilities. He called both of them and gave each one a room. He said，“You must fill your room completely with anything you wish. It can be anything! But there should not be any space {#blank#}2{#/blank#} (leave) behind and you should not seek advice {#blank#}3{#/blank#} others! "

    The next day, the landowner visited the {#blank#}4{#/blank#} (old) son's room. The room was completely filled with hay (干草). The landowner sighed on the {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (foolish) of the son. Then he went to the room given to the younger son. But it {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (keep) closed. The landowner knocked at the door. The younger son asked {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (he) father to get in and closed the door again. It was darkness everywhere and the landowner shouted at his son {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (angry). But the younger son lighted a candle {#blank#}9{#/blank#} said, “I have filled this room with light! Now the landowner felt very happy and hugged his son proudly. He understood that the younger would be the right person {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (rule) the family.

    When someone has deeply hurt you, it can be very difficult to let go of your anger. But forgiveness is possible ­ and it can be surprisingly {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (benefit) to your physical and mental health. So far, research {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(show) that people who forgive can have more energy, better appetite and better sleep. "People who forgive show {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(little) anger and more hopefulness," says Dr. Fre deric Luskin, who wrote the book Forgive for Good. So it can help reduce the tiredness out of the immune system and allow people {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(feel) more energetic."

    So when someone has hurt you, cool down first. Take a couple of breaths and think of something {#blank#}5{#/blank#}gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, or someone you love. Don't wait for an {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (apologize). "Many times the person who hurt you may never think of apologizing," says Dr. Luskin. "They may have wanted to hurt you or they just don't see things in {#blank#}7{#/blank#}same way. So if you wait for people to say sorry, you could be waiting a very long time."

    Next keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(accept) the action of the person who upsets you. Instead, learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you. Finally, try to see things from the other person's perspective. You may realize that he {#blank#}9{#/blank#}she was acting out of ignorance. To gain perspective, you may want to write a letter to {#blank#}10{#/blank#}(you) from that person's point of view.