Last January, my wife received a 1,000-piece jigsaw (拼图) puzzle as a birthday gift from some dear friends. The puzzle was of a cabin by the lake that looked like the one we live in. We were not sure when we would actually do the puzzle, but it was nice to have it in case the need arose.
Then the need arose.
On the 16th day of our isolation (隔离), we cut the box open and ceremoniously (郑重地) dumped (倒) the pieces on the table. We knew the drill. We tackled the frame first and then the large objects with distinctive lines and colors. My wife primarily used the color and shape of the pieces to solve the puzzle; I relied more heavily on the picture on the box as a guide. And so began our odyssey (漫长的历程) of the puzzle.
I came to know every piece of that puzzle more intimately than I have known anything in my life. Some pieces found a home in the puzzle the first time I picked them up. Others hung around for more than a week until the puzzle filled in enough to be properly placed. But once a piece joined the collective (整体), it lost its individuality and blended into the puzzle to complete the picture.
What is a jigsaw? First and foremost, it is a puzzle to be solved. But unlike many puzzles, it can be solved eventually with some talent and a sufficient (充足的) reserve (储备) of stubborn determination. In our case, three to four hours a day for 16 days.
Ultimately (根本上), a jigsaw puzzle is a testament (证明) to one’s character. You usually complete this time-consuming but ultimately useless task for no better reason than not quitting. I documented the odyssey on Facebook and received both encouragement along the way and hearty congratulations upon our eventual success.
So what to do with the completed puzzle? The only reasonable option seemed to be to break it up and put it back in the box. It took 16 days to put the puzzle together and only two minutes to tear it apart.
Once our pieces were back in the box, it became apparent (显而易见的) that the goal was never to complete the puzzle at all. Rather it was merely a mechanism (方法) to kill time. In this way, jigsaw puzzles are like life itself: It’s all about the journey; the destination is, in fact, of little importance.
【小题1】Why did the author and his wife decide to do a jigsaw puzzle?| A．Their friends encouraged them to do so. | B．They were attracted by the picture on the box. |
| C．They wanted to kill time during isolation. | D．They wanted to document it on Facebook. |
| A．How the couple solved the jigsaw puzzle. |
| B．How the couple felt about doing the jigsaw puzzle. |
| C．The support the couple got from friends while doing the jigsaw puzzle. |
| D．The problems the couple came across doing the jigsaw puzzle. |
| A．They made fun of their efficiency. | B．They were pleased for them. |
| C．They persuaded them to tear it apart. | D．They considered it meaningless. |
| A．It is helpful to do jigsaw puzzles. | B．Determination matters in life. |
| C．It takes patience to achieve success. | D．The process matters more than the result. |
| A．A wonderful birthday gift | B．How to play with jigsaw puzzles |
| C．Playing with jigsaw puzzles | D．Ways to kill time during isolation |
