My mom only had one eye. I hated her... she was such an embarrassment. My mom ran a small shop at a flea market. She collected little weeds and such to sell... anything for the money we needed she was such an embarrassment. There was this one day during elementary school.

I remember that it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed. How could she do this to me? I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school... "Your mom only has one eye?!" and they taunted me.

I wished that my mom would just disappear from this world so I said to my mom. "Why don't you just die?" My mom did not respond. I guess I felt a little bad, but at the same time, it felt good to think that I had said what I'd wanted to say all this time. Maybe it was because my mom hadn't punished me, but I didn't think that I had hurt her feelings very badly.

    That night... I woke up, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My mom was crying there, so quietly, as if she was afraid that she might wake me. I hated my mother who was crying out of her one eye. So I told myself that I would grow up and become successful, because I hated my one-eyed mom and our desperate poverty.

Then I studied really hard. I left my mother and came to Seoul and studied, and got accepted in the Seoul University with all the confidence I had. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. Then I had kids, too. Now I'm living happily as a successful man. I like it here because it's a place that doesn't remind me of my mom.

This happiness was getting bigger and bigger, when someone unexpected came to see me "What?! Who's this?!" It was my mother... Still wither one eye. It felt as if the whole sky was falling apart on me. My little girl ran away, scared of my mom's eye.

And I asked her, "Who are you? I don't know you!!" as if I tried to make that real. I screamed at her "How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter! Get out of here now!!" And to this, my mother quietly answered, "oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address," and she disappeared. Thank goodness... she doesn't recognize me. I was quite relieved. I told myself that I wasn't going to care, or think about this for the rest of my life.

    Then a wave of relief came upon me... one day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. I lied to my wife saying that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went down to the old shack, that I used to call a house, just out of curiosity there, I found my mother fallen on the cold ground. She had a piece of paper in her hand. It was a letter to me.

She wrote:

My son, I think my life has been long enough now. For you... I'm sorry that I only have one eye, and I was an embarrassment for you. You see, when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with only one eye… so I gave you mine... I was so proud of my son that was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. The couple times that you were angry with me I thought to myself, ‘it's because he loves me.' I miss you so much. I love you. You mean the world to me. So I gave you mine. With all my love to you! Your mom.

My World Shattered. I hated the person who only lived for me. I cried for My Mother, I didn't know of any way that will make up for my worst deeds...

    When you need to see a doctor, surely you will want to see a good one. But there is one important thing you may never have thought about: Has your doctor rested enough?

    Doctors in our country often have to work 34 hours or longer without sleep. Most of them work 104 hours a week, and some even 150. (There are only 168 hours a week!) One report said that a doctor who works such long hours cannot think more clearly than a drunk driver. Another found that doctors who sleep 5.8 fewer hours than the week before might make 22% more serious mistakes. Surely no one wants to get in a car that is driven by a drunk driver. So, how safe would you feel when you are under the care of a tired doctor?

    Sadly this problem has been around for a long time. There are no laws about it yet and hospital bosses don't look like they care either. And that is why we doctors are asking you to join us on the street this Sunday. Fight together with us on the street so we can fight better for your life in the hospital.

Time: 1 p. m. July 15            Place: City Hospital Square

    Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment.

    Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses（球场）in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.

    There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don't need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don't have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.

    Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be "green gyms". They are better replacements（代替物）for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it's free.

    If you have never been on a cruise (乘船游览), it can seem like its own world—with its own rules and secret language. So here we are going to lay out the very basics of going on a cruise.

    Do I need a passport to go on a cruise?

    You may need a passport, but you should take one anyway. Besides the fact that you are going to need an ID card to board the ship in the first place, a lot of ports require one.

    How much luggage can I take on board?

    For the most part, cruise ships aren't like planes—there isn't a strictly regulated amount of luggage you can take with you, and you are not going to be charged for bringing too much. Keep in mind that cabin storage space can be tight. Everything, including your empty luggage, is going to have to fit inside and you don't want to be tripping over it for your whole vacation.

    Things like guns and knives are banned, but regulations vary from ship to ship about things like irons (generally a no) and hair dryers (generally a yes). Some ships allow you to bring a bottle of wine, but nearly all ban bringing your own hard alcohol.

    What's the process for boarding a cruise ship?

    Boarding a cruise ship is like boarding a plane—there are regulations or when to arrive, how to check-in, and what security you have to go through. Most cruise lines have transportation available from the airport; otherwise they normally own a paid parking lot where you can leave your car.

The lantern fair in Zigong, Southwest China's Sichuan province, boasts (拥有) a history of more than 1, 000 years. To mark the Year of the Dragon, many of the lanterns at the show feature the Chinese sign of the zodiac (生肖), but there are also {#blank#}1{#/blank#} wide variety of other lantern designs to meet different needs. Visitors {#blank#}2{#/blank#} prefer traditional lanterns can find lanterns with flowers and birds, and legendary figures, while lanterns with modern patterns such as cultural trends and online games are gaining {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(popular) among young people. 

So far, modern technologies such as 3D printing and artificial intelligence {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(use)to make the lanterns nicer and more vivid. The lantern show is also accepting the concept of {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(environment) protection. A set of lanterns {#blank#}6{#/blank#}(recreate) the famous Chinese statue "Bronze Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow" from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD) was created by using 21 different kinds of waste materials, including {#blank#}7{#/blank#}(tire), and plastics to form its outside decorations. 

This year's show will run until July 30. The sets of lanterns will be updated {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(keep)up with the coming two traditional Chinese festivals-the Qingming Festival {#blank#}9{#/blank#} the Dragon Boat Festival. Visitors can also enjoy folk arts, and Chinese music performances during {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (they)lantern-viewing tours.

Intelligence is traditionally viewed as the ability to think and learn. Yet in a complex world, there's another set of cognitive (认知的) skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink. Therefore, my aim in this book is to explore how rethinking happens by seeking out the most convincing evidence and some of the world's most skilled rethinkers.

The first section focuses on opening our own minds. You'll find out why a forward-thinking businessman got trapped in the past, how a Nobel Prize-winning scientist welcomes the joy of being wrong, how the world's best forecasters update their views, and how an Oscar-winning filmmaker has productive fights.

The second section examines how we can encourage other people to think again. You'll learn how an international debate champion wins arguments and an African-American musician persuades people to abandon discrimination (歧视). You'll discover how a special kind of listening helped an officer convince the opposing side to join in peace talks. And if you're a Yankees fan, I'm going to see if I can convince you to root for the Red Sox.

The third section is about how we can create communities of lifelong learners. In social life, a lab that specializes in difficult conversations will cast light on how we can communicate better about debated issues like climate change. In schools, you'll find out how educators teach kids to think again by treating classrooms like museums, and approaching projects like rewriting time-honored textbooks. I close by examining the importance of reconsidering our best-laid plans.

This book is an invitation to let go of knowledge and opinions that are no longer serving you well, and to establish your sense of self in flexibility rather than consistency. If you can master the art of rethinking, I believe you'll be better positioned for success at work and happiness in life. Thinking again can help you generate new solutions to old problems and revisit old solutions to new problems. It's a path to learning more from the people around you and living with fewer regrets.