One day I was doing a big clean-up when I a knotted handkerchief with an old dark brown coin inside. I took one look and immediately an unforgettable time.
In 1991, I spent five months in Niger, with sandstorms and great heat. Its and beggars were my biggest and most constant complaint. Street beggars would continually reach out their hands, shouting “Gift! Gift!”
One day, I for neighboring Burking to work in a health clinic.
Arriving by taxi at our destination in Burkina, we began to . In darkness, a motorbike with two men approached slowly. Without any , one of them grabbed my pack as the motorbike swept close by. Within seconds, the two were out of sight, up by the night.
The bag had my passport, money, traveler’s cheques, a camera, an airline ticket and other things to me. I was in deep trouble.
In the weeks that followed, I guarded the rest of my valuables and regarded all with suspicion. All I wanted was to leave this place.
Then, walking through Burkina’s streets, I met with an old woman. “Gift! Gift!” she cried. I’d had enough. I was of the country: its poverty(贫困), its thieves, the heat, and the dust. I told her angrily, “A thief stole all my money and now I can’t out of your country. I cannot give you anything.”
The woman beggar listened attentively and my words. Then she reached the folds of her dress.
“Then I will give you a gift,” she announced. Kindly, she placed an old, dark brown coin in my hand. I looked at it in . It was a very small amount of money, but for this woman, the coin a meal. At that moment, I felt a shame. In spit of her , she was able to give me something priceless.
I saw then the beauty of the people of Burkina, and appreciated deeply the quiet of the poor. With the old woman’s gift, I hope never to part with the coin she gave me. With one small coin, she my concept completely.
A.cared about B.came across C.looked for D.focused upon
A.presented B.gave C.recalled D.reminded
A.traffic B.dust C.noise D.climate
A.headed B.struggled C.stood D.came
A.move B.unload C.hide D.pass
A.warning B.planning C.thinking D.arranging
A.hung B.put C.swallowed D.cleared
A.obvious B.expensive C.familiar D.precious
A.elegantly B.cautiously C.dependently D.frequently
A.locals B.thieves C.beggars D.men
A.proud B.conscious C.sick D.aware
A.get B.run C.come D.rush
A.attended to B.looked up C.thought about D.wrote down
A.for B.into C.out D.at
A.order B.vain C.serve D.shock
A.meant B.made C.deserved D.suggested
A.dirtiness B.poverty C.kindness D.safety
A.updated B.unfolded C.broken D.unexpected
A.moment B.action C.dignity(尊严) D.life
A.changed B.damaged C.found D.accepted