Unchangeable Love

    One day I visited an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting. I was expecting a quiet1 of the splendid artwork.

    A young2 viewing the paintings ahead of me3 nonstop between themselves. I watched them a moment and decided the lady was doing all the talking. I admired the man's4for putting up with her5 stream of words. 6 by their noise, I moved on.

    I met them several times as I moved7 the various rooms of art. Each time I heard her continuous flow of words, I moved away8.

    I was standing at the counter of the museum gift shop making a9 when the couple approached the10. Before they left, the man11into his pocket and pulled out a white object. He12 it into a long stick and then tapped his way into the13 to get his wife's jacket.

    “He's a14 man.” the clerk at the counter said. “Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age. During his recovery, he made a promise his life wouldn't change. So, as before, he and his wife come in15 there is a new art show.”

    “But what does he get out of the art?” I asked. “He can't see.”

    “Can't see! You're 16. He sees a lot. More than you and I do,” the clerk said. “His wife17 each painting so he can see it in his head.”

    I learned something about patience, 18 and love that day. I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without 19 and the courage of a husband who would not20 blindness to change his life. And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away, hand in hand.

    I did very badly at school. My headmaster thought I was 1and when I was 14, he said, "You're never going to be 2 but a failure."

    After five years of 3 jobs, I fell in love with a very nice middle-class girl. It was the best 4 that could have happened to me. I 5 I wanted to do something positive (积极地) with my life because I wanted to prove to 6 that what people said about me was 7. Especially her mother, who had said to me, "Let's 8 it; you've failed at everything you've ever done." So I tried hard with my 9 and went to college. My first novel 10 while I was at college.

    After college I taught during the 11 in high schools and attended evening classes at London University, where I got a 12 in history. I became a lecturer at a college and was thinking of 13 that job to write full time 14 I was offered a part-time job at Leeds University. I began to feel proud of myself — 15 was a working-class boy who'd 16 school early, now teaching at the university.

    My writing career (职业) took off when I discovered my own style. Now I'm rich and 17, have been on TV, and met lots of film stars. 18 what does it mean? I 19 wish all the people that have put me down had 20: "I believe in you. You'll succeed."

    Dad loves fishing very much. Fishing is as much a part of Dad's life as 1. Going fishing with him is a very 2 thing for me and my twin brother. Jumping into a 3 stream on a hot day, sleeping under the bright 4, fishing with Dad and eating freshly caught fish that has been fried over a 5 seems like the heaven to a couple of 10-year-old boys.

    One day, Dad drove us to Cottonwood Stream. An hour after we got there, he 6 some fish. He suggested that we take them back to our camp, 7 we stayed to watch Dad skillfully cast his 8 another time. We sat quietly until Dad's fishing pole 9 and he began winding the line on. Knowing this could be a very 10 fish, we jumped up and down and 11 for Dad to catch that fish. When he did, Dad's wide smile lit up his face like the sun. He 12 the hook, but an unexpected thing happened. The huge fish slipped out of Dad's hands and jumped back into the stream!

    We thought Dad would 13 , but he didn't. Although the sun was dropping 14 the mountains, my father sat down again and waited 15 . At last, the big fish took the bait once more. However, it slipped back into the 16 again as Dad tried to remove the hook. This time, Dad jumped into the stream, 17 for that fish again and again and 18 caught it, wrapping it in his shirt and walking back to the 19. Both my brother and I shouted wildly, cheering for his success.

What Dad did that day taught me a good lesson. I learn that we should never give up if we want to 20 something.

    Today, I was sitting with some other students and teachers as the judges of the annual singing contest of Beijing National Day School(BNDS). Watching the wonderful performances on stage, I could not help 1what happened last year.

    Last year was the first year I came to the BNDS International Department. The first month at BNDS was almost a(n) 2: Curiosity quickly 3, replaced by a heavy workload. To make matters worse, I was

    4a total stranger in a new environment. When I was in trouble, I was too5to turn to anyone for help. I shut the door to the outside world.

    I thought I might continue to 6in darkness by myself, until one day, I saw the7of the annual singing contest. If I was not brave enough to communicate in words, maybe I could 8my heart out. Having made my decision, I joined the audition (试镜). Luckily, I9among more than 100 contestants and entered the top 32. After another three rounds of competition, I made10to the finals together with three other contestants.11more and more students knew that I joined the contest, they went to watch my performance, volunteered to 12for me and then shared my singing videos on social media. It seemed that I became well-known overnight.

    Finally, the big day came. When I13the nerve to walk onstage, I could not believe my eyes. The dark theater was suddenly lit up by14sticks, which were like stars in a dark sky. "Come on, Becky!" A shout broke the silence, followed by kind laughter. When it became15again, I began to sing.

    The music started, which drew me back to16. Now I might not remember clearly what songs I sang last year, but I would never forget the17in the darkness.  From then on, I had my18, made friends, and I even joined the singing club. Singing opens the door19a brand-new world. I know I will stay at BNDS, and I won't be20.

Not everyone around is easy to get on well with in your life. I've always tried to keep my 1 from people who are rude, aggressive and mean. But sometimes we can't 2 having contact with people who might not have our best interests at heart.

Last summer, I became involved with a(n) 3 co­worker who was at a bad spot in his life. I had a lot of 4 for him and decided to help him 5 this tough time, so I tried my best to tolerate his rudeness when he lost his temper. However, just like a swimmer drowning in a pool, he grabbed on and ended up drowning me when I 6 and tried to rescue him. His rudeness gradually was out of 7. One night, when I got up to get a glass of water, he started yelling at me to get back into my bedroom. I did as I was told but I was not happy about it. He 8 my change in mood and asked what was wrong. But when I told him his behavior toward me was 9 and that I was very hurt by the way he had treated me, he was surprised. He could not understand his actions had a bad 10 on me. He told me he didn't have anything 11 me and that there was no need for me to 12 it. I used examples from his life of things that had hurt him and then tried to make the 13 that the same things also made me unfriendly. I said, "I always treat you with patience, understanding and kindness, but you haven't treated me with 14 respect." He was silent after listening to my words. What I had said might 15 him.

People only change if they want to change. I didn't know whether he would change his opinion or not in the future.

"Oswa kitonga?" – "Did you get the vaccine (疫苗) yet?"

My 1 of Lingala-the language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)-is still very poor, but the most important 2 I have already learned. The children proudly 3 me their fingernails, which have been painted black to 4 them as already vaccinated. 5 I move on, they are still calling for me: "Mundele, mundele!" This is the way I am 6 everywhere these days. "Mundele" means "white" in Lingala and after all, it doesn't happen very often that a mundele arrives in this 7 of the deep Congolese forest.

A severe measles(麻疹) epidemic has been8 in the DRC since early 2019. And, as of early March 2020, 334,578 people have been sick and 6,338 have died. The number of unreported 9 is probably much higher though. In10 , MSF(无国界医生组织) is working in various regions of the country to fight back against measles-a disease so easily 11 with vaccines. Our 12 is to vaccinate all children between six months and 14 years old, living in the areas still being badly 13 by measles-that is approximately 23,000 people!

I've been on my feet since 5 a. m. and on my motorcycle for almost seven hours-after we first14 the Tshuapa River in a boat in the early morning. It is a swampy forest, full of small streams. The path is narrow and uneven, branches and plants stretch far, scratching my arms, 15 my knee and helmet. From time to time, there is even a whole tree trunk that 16 the way. Or, just like here, a bridge made of tree trunks 17 which each "moto" has to pass individually. While waiting for the last motos to18 , a woman from the next village comes by. When she hears about our vaccination campaign, she bursts into tears, telling us about her five children she already lost to measles. She begs us to vaccinate the19 ones. I am deeply moved and 20 her that we will vaccinate all of her children, each of them!