An old man was dying. One by one his relatives visited him. Even relatives and friends he hadn't seen for years  1  him to say farewell. They all2their deep love for him. 3   each came to him, the old man held each person by their  4 and spoke to each. To one he said, “Yes, I love you.” To  5  he said, “I go without any ill will.” To a third one he said, “Peace be with you.”

        And so to each person he said such 6  words. Then the old man7Nasrudin (a wise man in the Middle East). When Nasrudin came in, he stood on one side,  8  everyone and listened to what they said and what the dying man said to them. After a while, Nasrudin 9  his hands in the air, and when everyone 10 to hear him, Nasrudin said , “Fools! Why didn't you visit him in his good  11? You didn't love him when he was healthy, but you love him when he is dying!”

After that, Nasrudin turned to the 12 man and shouted, “Fool! Why didn't you live with such nice feelings all the days when you were13 and fully alive?” With that, Nasrudin left the 14. The old man 15 and said, “At last I've heard the 16 . It is a blessing to 17 having heard the truth.” The old man died 18 .

       What about the others? They returned to their  19   business of life and continued as they always had been. And Nasrudin? When he returned to his 20 just outside the old man's house, the donkey made a long high sound, “Hee-haw! Hee-haw!” Nasrudin said, “Yes, I know... You're right... Live well; die well...”

    Cathy and I met a few days after I first arrived in China. I was walking around the English academy which had 1me, introducing myself to my new colleagues, most of whom were Chinese. I entered Cathy's2 , saw her, and immediately felt some 3 and happy emotions. She 4 so kind, yet professional. I couldn't stop smiling like a (n) 5 . After introducing ourselves and exchanging6 questions, I asked whether she knew anyone who could7 me in Chinese. She said she could, and 8 to meet after work.

    We sometimes exchanged non-romantic texts in the evening. After a couple9, I invited her to my apartment. I was very nervous. Later, I asked if she would consider 10 me. She didn't immediately 11, but said she would tell me the next day. I found it very difficult to 12, but wait I did.

    This was a13 difference. In American culture, starting to date someone is not a bit important 14, but I think in Chinese culture it is. Well, she said “yes”, and so we spent lots of time together, and 15 love. I asked her to 16 me about 6 or 7 months later.

    We had a Chinese style 17 in Cathy's hometown. My parents came, and it was great. It went really 18. Everyone was very 19. It was a very fun and interesting 20 for me, very different from a Western style wedding.

    The famous composer, Albert Roussel, didn't have a good start in this career. However, he achieved a great deal of success as a result of a 1.

    Roussel's parents died when he was eight and he went to live with his 2. As a little boy, he fell in love with music and 3himself about it by reading through the family collection that his mother kept,  4 which there were a lot of related books. Three years later, Roussel's grandfather died, and his mother's sister decided to5 him. Her husband was a kind man and6for young Roussel's music lessons. One summer vacation at a Belgian seaside added a second 7to his life—the sea. Then he studied to be a naval cadet（海军学员）, but still took time to study 8.

    In the French Navy, he and two friends found the time to 9a band, playing the works of Beethoven and other 10. Roussel also began composing. On Christmas day 1892, he had his first chance to  11as a composer, which turned out to be a success．

    That success 12 Roussel to write a wedding march（婚礼进行曲）, and one of his navy friends 13to show it to a famous conductor, Edouard Colonne. When Roussel's friend 14with the manuscript（手稿）, he reported that Colonne had advised Roussel to 15his naval career and devote his life to music.

    Not long, 16, at the age of 25, Roussel decided to 17Edouard Colonne's advice. He gave his heart and soul to his composing and 18 a major force in twentieth century French music. Because of Eduoard Colonne's inspiring 19, Roussel devoted his life to music, but Rousssel's 20friend later admitted that he had made it up. He said he had never even shown Roussel's manuscript to the famous conductor.

    My elder brother,Steve,in the1of my father who died when I was six,gave me important lessons in2that helped me grow into an adult.For example,Steve taught me to face the3of my behavior.Once when I returned in4from a Saturday baseball game,it was Steve who5the time to ask me what happened.When I6that my baseball had flown through Mrs.Holt's basement window,7the glass with a crash,Steve encouraged me to apologize to her.After all,I8not have played in the path between buildings.9my knees knocked as I explained to Mrs.Holt.I10to pay for the window if she would return my ball.

    I also learned from Steve that11property is a sacred（神圣的）thing.After I found,a silver pen in my fifth-grade classroom,I wanted to12it,but Steve explained that it might be important to13else in spite of the fact that it had little value.He reminded me of14I'd hate to lose the small dog my father gave me to someone else.I returned the pen to my teacher,Mrs.David.

    Yet of all the15Steve gave me,his respect for16is the most vivid in my mind.When I was twelve,I killed an old brown sparrow in the park with a BB gun.17with my accuracy,I screamed to Steve to come from the house to have a look.I shall never forget the18he stood for a long moment and stared at the bird."Did it19you first, Mark?"he asked.I didn't know what to answer.I really felt terrible then,but that moment20out as the most important lesson my brother taught me.

    I had just arrived in this Asian country for a one-year teaching position. One day, I took the subway to visit some ancient palaces and temples in the downtown. The following account of what happened to me has taught me much about culture 1.

    Since all the 2 were taken, I stood. Suddenly, I felt someone pulling on my bag. 3 I probably was in someone's way, I moved over slightly. But in one quick motion(动作), I felt my bag removed from my back, and in a flash it was 4. I turned around to see who the thief was. I looked at the people standing behind me, but didn't see my bag or any 5. My heart sank and I began to 6.

    I glanced around the car only to find directly across from me was an elderly lady, and sitting on her lap was my 7. I tried to get it back from her lap. But as I began to 8 it up, she quickly grabbed(抓住) it back and held onto it. I looked around at the people standing beside me, and those sitting beside her, but no one took any 9 of the situation. Trying not to cause a(an) 10, I tried to negotiate through gestures. I used my hands as best as I could, but she 11 my requests for my bag and pointed to my back. She picked up my bag, showing how 12 it was. I finally began to understand. She was holding my bag to13 me.

    At the next stop, a middle-aged woman got on the crowded subway. Another elderly woman sitting down took her bag, 14 it on her lap. They didn't talk; 15 this older woman was more than pleased to sit with this stranger's bag on her lap throughout her journey.

    As the subway pulled into the main downtown station and I was getting ready to get off, the woman 16 handed me back my bag. But 17 I had a chance to thank her, she had disappeared into the crowd.

    Sadly, this considerate custom was more 18 to me than if I had been robbed. Everyone back home had heard of being robbed—that was 19 city behavior—but having a stranger hold onto someone's bag out of 20, in a city of twelve million people—that was truly unusual.

    When most of us get a text message on our cell phone from an unknown person, we usually say "sorry, 1 number!" and move on. But when Dennis Williams 2 a text that clearly wasn't intended for him, he did something 3.

    On March 19, Dennis got a group text 4 him that a couple he didn't know were at the hospital, waiting for the 5 of a baby.

    "Congratulations! But I think someone was mistaken," Dennis 6. The baby was born and update texts were 7 quickly from the overjoyed grandmother, Teresa. In her 8, she didn't seem to realize that she was 9 the baby's photos with a complete stranger. "Well, I don't 10 you all but I will get there to take pictures with the baby," replied Dennis before asking which room the new 11 were in.

    Much to the family's surprise, Dennis stuck to his 12! He turned up at the hospital 13 gifts for the new mother Lindsey and her baby boy. Lindsey's husband was totally 14 by the unexpected visit. "I don't think we would have randomly invited him over but we 15 it and the gifts."

    Teresa 16 a photo of the chance meeting on a social networking website 17 by the touching words: "What a 18 this young man was to our family! He was so 19 and kind to do this." The post has since gained the 20 of social media users all over the world, receiving more than 184,000 shares and 61,500 likes in just three days.