Dear friend,

　　I have a great news to inform here. Through long efforts, Beijing has been granted the right to host 2008 Olympic games. As a resident in Beijing, I feel quite excited and like to share with you my happiness.

　　This success means a lot more than a game to me. In the first place, this Games will definitely promote the development of our economy. According to a recent survey by some experts, this games will raise our GDP by about 3%, and offer about 10,000 jobs. What’s more, our culture will be widely recognized and accepted all over the world through the Games. People will come over from every corner of the world, and experience Chinese culture in every aspect. Besides, through the games, our living environment will be greatly improved. For example, the public transportation system will be up-dated. Moreover, it’s known that more trees will be planted, and grassland will be considerably expanded.

　　My friend, I really look forward to the coming of this great Games. As an individual, I’m all ready to offer my help in any way I can. I also hope to invite you all to come here, and watch the games in 2008.

　　Sincerely yours,

Paradox of Our Times
我们这个时代的尴尬

[1]We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less common sense; more knowledge, but less judgement; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

[2] We spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get to angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too often, and pray too seldom.

[3] We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too little and lie too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.

[4] We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

[5] We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space. We've split the atom, but not our prejudice; we write more, but learn less; plan more, but accomplish less.

[6] We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies, but have less communication. We are long on quantity, but short on quality.

[7] These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men and short character; steep profits and shallow relationships. More leisure and less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition; two incomes, but more divorce; fancier houses, but broken homes.

在马萨诸塞州北安普顿市的一家出售二手服装的店里，我和我14岁的儿子约翰同时盯上了那件大衣。它就挂在衣架上，夹在劣质的军用风雨衣和各式各样寒酸的羊毛大衣当中，然而它却像荆棘丛中的一朵玫瑰。

While the other coats drooped, this one looked as if it were holding itself up. The thick, black wool of the double-breasted chesterfield was soft and unworn, as though it had been preserved in mothballs for years in dead old Uncle Henry's steamer trunk. The coat had a black velvet collar, beautiful tailoring, a Fifth Avenue label and an unbelievable price of $28. We looked at each other, saying nothing, but John's eyes gleamed. Dark, woolen topcoats were popular just then with teenage boys, but could cost several hundred dollars new. This coat was even better, bearing that touch of classic elegance from a bygone era. 

其他的大衣都显得没精打采，惟独这件衣服趾高气扬。厚厚的黑色羊绒柔软而蓬松，这件双排扣暗钮长大衣显然还没上过身，看样子，就像用樟脑球在老亨利叔叔的扁平旅行箱里保存了多年。其做工精细：领子是黑天鹅绒的，商标是第五大街的，价钱让人难以置信，只卖28美元。我们彼此看着对方，一言不发，可约翰的眼里却闪着欣喜的光。黑色的羊绒轻便大衣那时在小伙子们中很流行，买一件新的要花好几百美元，而这一件质地更好一些，还带有一种逝去年代的古典美。

John slid his arms down into the heavy satin lining of the sleeves and buttoned the coat. He turned from side to side, eyeing himself in the mirror with a serious, studied expression that soon changed into a smile. The fit was perfect.

约翰将胳膊伸进了袖管里——衬里是厚厚的缎子，系上了扣子。他在镜子面前转过来调过去地打量着自己，脸上的严肃表情不一会儿就变成了微笑。衣服合身极了。

John wore the coat to school the next day and came home wearing a big grin. "Ho. did the kids like your coat?" I asked. "They loved it," he said, carefully folding it over the back of a chair and smoothing it flat. I started calling him "Lord Chesterfield" and "The Great Gatsby."

第二天约翰就穿着它去上学了。放学回来他笑逐颜开。我问他：“那些孩子觉得你的大衣怎么样？”“他们非常喜欢。”他一边说，一边在椅子背儿上把衣服仔细地叠起来，并甩手把它展平。我于是就开始叫他“切斯特菲尔德大人”和“了不起的盖茨比”。

Over the next few weeks, a change came over John. Agreement replaced contrariness, quiet, reasoned discussion replaced argument. He became more judicious, more mannerly, more thoughtful, eager to please. “Good dinner, Mom," he would say every evening.

在接下来的几周内，约翰慢慢地变了：变得听话而不再故意作对，遇事能心平气和地商讨而不再强词夺理。他变得更明事理、更有礼貌，也更体贴人了。他也乐于讨人欢喜。每天晚上都要说：“妈妈，晚饭好极了。”

在马萨诸塞州北安普顿市的一家出售二手服装的店里，我和我14岁的儿子约翰同时盯上了那件大衣。它就挂在衣架上，夹在劣质的军用风雨衣和各式各样寒酸的羊毛大衣当中，然而它却像荆棘丛中的一朵玫瑰。

While the other coats drooped, this one looked as if it were holding itself up. The thick, black wool of the double-breasted chesterfield was soft and unworn, as though it had been preserved in mothballs for years in dead old Uncle Henry's steamer trunk. The coat had a black velvet collar, beautiful tailoring, a Fifth Avenue label and an unbelievable price of $28. We looked at each other, saying nothing, but John's eyes gleamed. Dark, woolen topcoats were popular just then with teenage boys, but could cost several hundred dollars new. This coat was even better, bearing that touch of classic elegance from a bygone era. 

其他的大衣都显得没精打采，惟独这件衣服趾高气扬。厚厚的黑色羊绒柔软而蓬松，这件双排扣暗钮长大衣显然还没上过身，看样子，就像用樟脑球在老亨利叔叔的扁平旅行箱里保存了多年。其做工精细：领子是黑天鹅绒的，商标是第五大街的，价钱让人难以置信，只卖28美元。我们彼此看着对方，一言不发，可约翰的眼里却闪着欣喜的光。黑色的羊绒轻便大衣那时在小伙子们中很流行，买一件新的要花好几百美元，而这一件质地更好一些，还带有一种逝去年代的古典美。

John slid his arms down into the heavy satin lining of the sleeves and buttoned the coat. He turned from side to side, eyeing himself in the mirror with a serious, studied expression that soon changed into a smile. The fit was perfect.

约翰将胳膊伸进了袖管里——衬里是厚厚的缎子，系上了扣子。他在镜子面前转过来调过去地打量着自己，脸上的严肃表情不一会儿就变成了微笑。衣服合身极了。

John wore the coat to school the next day and came home wearing a big grin. "Ho. did the kids like your coat?" I asked. "They loved it," he said, carefully folding it over the back of a chair and smoothing it flat. I started calling him "Lord Chesterfield" and "The Great Gatsby."

第二天约翰就穿着它去上学了。放学回来他笑逐颜开。我问他：“那些孩子觉得你的大衣怎么样？”“他们非常喜欢。”他一边说，一边在椅子背儿上把衣服仔细地叠起来，并甩手把它展平。我于是就开始叫他“切斯特菲尔德大人”和“了不起的盖茨比”。

Over the next few weeks, a change came over John. Agreement replaced contrariness, quiet, reasoned discussion replaced argument. He became more judicious, more mannerly, more thoughtful, eager to please. “Good dinner, Mom," he would say every evening.

在接下来的几周内，约翰慢慢地变了：变得听话而不再故意作对，遇事能心平气和地商讨而不再强词夺理。他变得更明事理、更有礼貌，也更体贴人了。他也乐于讨人欢喜。每天晚上都要说：“妈妈，晚饭好极了。”

        A  Goodbye  Kiss

The  Board Meeting  had come to an  end .Bob started to stand up and jostled the table ,spilling his coffee over his notes ."How  embarrassing .I  am getting so clumsy in my  old age ." Everyone  had a good laugh  ,and soon we were  all  teeling stories of our most embarrassing moments . It came  around  to  frank who sat puietly listening  to  the others  .Someone  said ,"come  on ,frank . Tell us your  most embarrassing moment ."

 frank  laughed and began to tell us of his childhood. "I  grew up in San Podro. My Dad  was a  fisherman ,and he loved  the sea . he had  his own doat , but it  was hard  making a living on the  sea . He  worked hard and  would  stay out  until h e caught enough to feed the family ,Not just enough for our family , but also  for his Mom and Dad and the other kids that were still at home ." he  looked at us and said,"I wish you  could have met my Dad .He was a big man ,and he was strong  from  pulling the  nets and finghting  the seas for his catch  . When  you got close to him ,he smelled like  the  ocean. He  would  wear his  old canvas , foul-weather coat and his bibbed overalls . his rain hat would be  pulled down over his  bow. No  matter  how much my Mother washed  them , they would still  smell of the sea and df fish.' Frank's  voice dropped a  bit.

 "When  the  weather  was  bed he would drive  me to  school .He  had this old truck that he  used in his fishing business. That  truck was older than he  was , It would wheeze and  rattle down the road . you could hear it coming  for blocks.As  he  would drive toward the  school.  I would   shrink down into the seat hoping to disappear. Half the  time ,he would slam to  a stop and  the  old truck would  belch a cloud of  smoke. He  would pull right up in front, and it seemed like everybody  would be standing around and watching . then he would lean  over and give me a  big kiss on the cheek and tell me to  be a good boy .It  was  so  embarrassing for  me .here ,I was twelve years old ,and my Ded  would lean over and kiss me goodbye!"

He paused    and  then went on ,"I  remember  the day I decided  I was too old for a  goodbyekiss. When we got to the school and came to  a  stop ,he  had his usual big smile .He started to  lean toward me ,but I put my hand  up and said ,'NO Ded ,it was the  first time Ihad ever  talked to him that way , and he  had this surprised  look on  his face .  I said '"Dad , I'm  too old for a goodbye kiss .I'm  tooold  for any kind of kiss.' My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes  started to  tear up  . Ihad  never seen him cry . He turned  and looked out the windshield."you're right,' he  said. "you are a big boy aman. I won't kiss you  anymore.'

Frank got  a  funny  look on his face ,and  the tears began to well up  in his eyes, as  he  spoke. " I t was't long after that when  my Dad went  to  sea and never came back. It was a day when  most of the  fleet stayedin but not Dad . He must have gotten  into  a  gale  and was trying   to  save  the floats."

I  looked  at Frank and  saw that tears  were running down his cheeks.

Frank  spoke again ,"Guys , you  don't know what I would  give  to  have my Dad  give  me  just one more kiss on  the cheek to  feel his  rough old face to smell the ocean on him to feel his arm around my neck. I wish I had  been a man then . If I had been a man , I   would  never have  told my  Dad I  was too old for a  goodbye kiss."