It was time for graduates to hunt for jobs. The majority of them didn’t have working experience for they had spent most of their time at school studying academic subjects. It was not until they graduated from college that they realized it was a challenge for them to land jobs.

Jimmy, one of these job hunters, was a young academically excellent person. One day, after making good preparations, he went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. In spite of fierce competition, he managed to pass the first interview. What a lucky dog! Jimmy was informed to come for the next round in a few days — the last interview for the company to make the final decision.

The big day finally came. He dressed neatly, the grey tie matching perfectly the decent suit. Blood rushing to his face and heart pounding heavily, he tried to calm down, and then took a few deep breaths. It was his turn.

The interviewer, an elegant lady, discovered from the CV that the youth’s academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research. After several rounds of questions related to the position, she asked, “Have you ever done any part-time jobs?” “None.” After a while, the interviewer asked who paid for Jimmy’s school fees. The youth answered in a low voice, “My father passed away when I was one year old, so it was my mother who paid for all my school fees.”

She continued, “What did your mother do?” “My mother worked as a clothes cleaner.” The lady requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The interviewer paused for a second, leaning against the chair, “Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?” Ashamed, Jimmy replied, “Never. My mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.” She nodded, adding, “I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother’s hands, and then see me back here tomorrow morning.”

Back home, Jimmy requested his mother to let him clean her hands.

The next morning, Jimmy went to the interviewer’s office.

“Can I see my baby?” the happy new mother asked. When the baby was lying in her arms, she moved the fold of cloth gently to look upon his tiny face. Dumbfounded (目瞪口呆的), she held her breath and tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. The doctor turned his head quickly and looked out of the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears. Time, however, proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was a pity.

One day, when he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother’s arms, he cried out bitterly and told his mum in a choked voice, “A boy, a big boy… called me a freak (怪人).” The mother sighed, knowing that his life was to be full of endless unfortunate heartbreaks.

Though the misfortune happened to him, he grew up into a handsome boy. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for the ears. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. Yet he felt ashamed when he communicated with others. “But you might communicate with other young people,” his mother blamed him, with a kindness in her heart.

The boy’s father talked with the family doctor about his ears. “Could nothing be done?” the father asked. “I believe we could transplant on a pair of outer ears, if they could be donated.” the doctor replied. From then on, the search for a person, who was willing to make such a sacrifice, began.

How time flew! Two years went by. One day, the father said to the son, “You’re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have found someone who will donate the ears you need. But remember it’s a secret.”

Paragraph 1: The operation was a great success, and a new person appeared.

Paragraph 2: He stood with his father over his mother’s casket (灵柩).

It was 11 p.m. when Alex Conrad saw the woman on the Main Street Bridge. She was standing by the railing, peering down at the rushing Chippewa River below. At her feet was what appeared to be a backpack.

Maybe she’s fishing, Conrad, then 20, thought as he continued driving his car to his home a short distance away. His friend’s car had broken down, so Conrad was making a quick pit stop to grab some tools before heading out to help.

Tools in hand, he climbed into his car. Instead of taking a shortcut, though, he chose to head back over the bridge. Something about that woman didn’t sit right. Why would she be fishing this late at night— in May, when it’s still cold in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin?

As he crossed the quarter-mile-long bridge, Conrad saw the woman standing in the same spot. He pulled a U-turn and parked on a zebra crossing some 20 feet away with the hazards lights flashing, blocking one of the four lanes. In case there was trouble, he hoped another driver would take note and help.

He stepped out of his car and got a clearer picture of the scene. The woman was in her 20s,dressed in pants and a heavy coat. What he’d thought was a backpack was in fact rope pooled by her feet. One end was tied to a bridge post. The other, around her neck.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Conrad called out. He pretended not to see the rope although he knew exactly what was going on.

She spoke unwillingly, but he kept probing(追问), eventually pulling from her that she was going through a particularly rough difficulty. She was jobs, not doing well in school—in short, life wasn’t working out as she’d hoped.

“Not everything goes as planned,” agreed Conrad.

Just then, bright lights appeared and it was the police.

Recently a piece of news about a child pouring ink and his parents’ education method has aroused a heated discussion among netizens. A 7-year-old naughty boy poured some ink out of a window on the 7^th floor, not only dirtying the clothes on the neighbors’ balconies downstairs, but also staining the windows, walls and floors. Hearing about the situation, the parents made apologies from door to door with their son. Meanwhile, they brought home the neighbors’ stained clothes to wash and compensated for their losses. In addition, the parents paid for professionals to clean the polluted walls, in front of which their son was kept standing in the sun and watching them being cleaned.

The news resonated (共鸣) with netizens in that many families have such children, who often   make mistakes. High praise has been given to the couple for the method of educating their son. Instead of beating or scolding him, the couple took their responsibility as parents and punished their son to make him aware of the consequences of improper behavior.