It was Thanksgiving morning and in the crowded kitchen of my small home I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags huddling together.

“Any old papers, lady?” asked one of them.

I was busy. I wanted to say “no” until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals (凉鞋), wet with heavy snow.

“Come in and I’ll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”

They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I served them cocoa and bread with jam to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started cooking.

The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, “Lady, are you rich?”

“Am I rich? Pity, no!” I looked at my shabby slipcovers (沙发套). The girl put her cup back in its saucer carefully and said, “Your cups match your saucers (茶碟).” Her voice was hungry with a need that no amount of food could supply. They left after that, holding their bundles of papers against the wind. They hadn’t said “Thank you.” They didn’t need to. In a special way they had reminded me that I had already had so much for which I should be grateful.

Plain blue china cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they did match.

I tasted the potatoes and stirred the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a good steady job—these matched, too.

I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy prints of small sandals were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should forget how rich I was.

How to Make the World a Better Place

When you think about people who have made the world a better place, you probably think of famous scientists or great leaders.     16     Ordinary people like you and me can also help a lot. An act of kindness can bring a smile to a person’s face even if only for a moment.

Give away your money. Choose charity that has meaning for you. For example, if you want to help hungry children, you can try to find an international organization that provides food for those in poor areas.     17    

Share your knowledge. If a friend needs skills in a certain area, offer your advice. Perhaps she is struggling to set up a computer, and you know how to do that. Offer whatever ability you have, but always remember to be polite.

Help a stranger. Your small actions can brighten the day of others. Hold the door for someone whose hands are full.     18     Give your seat on the bus to an old man. The key is expecting nothing in return for your acts of kindness.

    19     Show the people close to you how much you care about them. Tell them they mean a lot to you. Make a beautiful gift for a friend. Take your husband to his favourite fun place if he has had a hard week. Tell your children how much they mean to you.

Be grateful to others.     20     Thank the waiter. Do you have a very good neighbour who is always there when you need her? Tell her how much you appreciate her being in your life.

Body language is no doubt the quiet, secret and most powerful language of all! It speaks _______ than words. According to specialists, our bodies send out more _______ than we realize. In fact, non-verbal communication _______ about 50% of what we really mean, and body language is particularly _______ when we attempt to communicate across cultures.

Indeed, what is called body language is so much a part of us that it’s actually often unnoticed. And misunderstandings occur because of it. _______ , different societies treat the distance between people _______ . Northern Europeans usually do not like having body _______ even with friends, and certainly not with _______ . People from Latin American countries, on the other hand, touch each other quite a lot. Therefore, it’s possible that in conversation, it may look like a Latino is _______ a Norwegian all over the room. The Latino, trying to ________ friendship, will keep moving closer. But the Norwegian, very probably seeing this as pushiness, will keep stepping backward, which the Latino will regard as ________ .

Clearly, a great deal is going on when people ________ . And only a part of it is in the words themselves. And when parties (当事人) are from different cultures, there’s a strong possibility of ________ . But whatever the situation is, the best ________ is to obey the Golden Rule: behave to others as you would like to be ________ .

Yu Rong, a famous artist, thinks of a new way to introduce     36     ancient story of Hua Mulan in her picture book. In the book, I Am Hua Mulan, she tells the story by     37     (combine) paper-cutting with international artistic styles. She places Shaanxi paper-cuts over western-style pencil sketches (素描)     38     (create) a typical presentation of Chinese elements, which turns out to be a     39     (success) and impressive breakthrough.

Hua Mulan,     40     story has been told by generations in China, was a fighter from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386 -534). As a devoted daughter, she dressed herself as a man to serve in the army in place     41     her father. Mulan’s characteristics, such as courage, kindness and a disinterested attitude toward fame and fortune, made     42     (she) one of the most respected historical Chinese heroines. Mulan’s story has been adapted     43     (frequent) in modern media. For example, in 1998, Disney     44     (produce) a film named Mulan, which was considered a great success by critics and the public.

To better tell the story, Yu Rong draws inspiration from her several     45     (visit) to sites of ancient battles and Henan Opera. After years of preparation she finally makes this extraordinary work.