Why did the e-mail from an Iraqi catch the author’s attention [A] The subject line was not written in standard English. [B] It was not completely written in English. [C] The sender’s name seemed familiar. [D] It had a short subject line.
A couple of days later, his reply appeared in my inbox. It read, in part: "hi dear Dr. I’m very happy to hear good news from you and your help, also I’d like to thank you for your feelings towards me and my family… thank you very much for help I want to tell you that I’m ready to help you in mosul university/iraq if you need that. "
Mailer also explained in his broken English that he was interested in a paper I’d written on the use of lactobacillus acidophilus (a healthy product that can be found in yogurt (酸奶) and other foods). It was his hope that he could use my findings to help find a treatment for gastrointestinal (消化系统的) illness. He signed off: "warmest regards to you and lovely family. "
Despite his difficulty with the language, he had painted a picture for me that was far more than a simple request for information. The humanity displayed (流露出的) in his message made me want to both smile and cry.