A
One day Vimala and her new friend. Mary, were playing at school. Mary was a very quiet and shy girl but Vimala liked her. While jumping, Mary's glasses fell off and broke. Just then the bell rang and they had to hurry to their science class.
“Oh dear, I'm going to be as blind as a bat. But we'd better hurry. It's Miss Lee's class, "said Mary.
At the start of the lesson, Miss Lee explained how to do the experiment to produce large eye crystals. Then she started to question the class. Nobody dared to give a wrong answer because Miss Lee was a very strict teacher Miss Lee held up a clamp(夹具) and said, "What do we use it for? What do we call it? All the girls looked down, while she looked at their heads for one to pick on. "Mary?" she finally asked.
Mary was sitting at the back of the class. She stood up and peered at Miss Lee, but she could not see clearly what the teacher was holding. She was nervous a bit and did not answer.
Miss Lee repeated her question. This time she spoke more slowly and there was anger in her voice.
"What is this used for?" she asked
Vimala saw storm clouds climbing up to Miss Lee's face. She knew that the storm was about to burst on Mary, so she put up her hand. Miss Lee paid no attention to her and stared through narrowed eyes at Mary, waiting for an answer.
Mary did not know what to say. She looked to her left and right for help. Too scared to say out that she couldn't see clearly, Mary hoped that if she kept quiet Miss Lee would ask somebody else.
Vimala guessed what was wrong, so she decided to take a risk. She jumped to her feet and said, "Excuse me. Miss Lee. Mary broke her glasses just before the lesson started. I don't think she can see the clamp clearly. "Then she sat down, praying (祈祷)that the ceiling would not fall on her.
“Oh!” Miss Lee said, a little surprised. She had thought that Mary was refusing to answer. Now that she understood, her anger faded away. “Thank you, Vimala.” she said. Then she turned to Mary and said, “Come and look at this.”
Mary left her chair and went to the front of the class.
“It's a clamp.” she said. "We can put it on a metal stand(支架) and use it to hold things in place.”
"Well, you got it right at last." Miss Lee said with a brief smile. But you'd better not do any experiments until your glasses have been repaired. You can watch Vimala while she does the experiment.
The storm clouds disappeared. The smile disappeared from Miss Lee's face and she continued with the lesson. Vimala winked at Mary who peered at her and smiled weakly.
B
Amanda Kitts is one of “tomorrow's people” people who have artificial (人工的) body pats. She has a bionic(电子操控的)arm.
Now, Kitts runs a day-care center. Children run up to her happily as she comes into the classroom. She bends over to talk with a small girl. As she bends Kitts puts her hands on her knees. For most people, this would be easy. However, just a few years ago, this was impossible for Kitts.
In 2006, Kitts was in a car accident. A truck crushed(挤坏) her left arm and the doctor had to cut it off. "I was angry, sad, depressed. I just couldn't accept it," she says. But then she heard about a new technique that could use the remaining nerves(神经) in her shoulder to contort an artificial arm.
In a difficult operation, a doctor moved Kitts's nerves to different areas of her upper- arm muscles. For months, the nerves grew. Millimeter by millimeter, they moved deeper into their new homes. “At three months I started feeling little tingles and twitches(刺痛和抽搐),”she said. A month later, she got her first bionic arm. A research engineer worked with Kitts to make the computer programs match her real movements more and more closely.
Today, Kitts's arm is great, but it's not yet perfect. She wants feeling in her hands. For example, she needs to feel whether something is rough or smooth. She also needs feeling to do one of her favorite things-drink coffee "The problem with a paper coffee cup is that my hand will close until it gets a solid grip,” she says. One time at a coffee shop, her hand kept closing until it crushed the cup. But Kitts says positively, "One day I'll be able to feel things with it, and clap my hands… to the songs my kids are singing”
①Kitts heard about a new technique
②Kitts crushed a paper coffee cup
③Kitts had two human arms
④A truck hit Kitts's car
⑤Kitts got her first bionic arm
⑥Doctors moved some of the nerves in Kitts's arm
C
Bangladesh (孟加拉)is an agricultural country between India and Burma. Storms from the Indian Ocean sweep across the country every year, and large areas of farming land are flooded(冲毁). The people are very poor.
Fewer than half of the country's children complete their primary education. When they are six or seven years old, many children leave school to work in the fields or at home. The rest of their "education" consists of looking after cattle, collecting firewood or doing household jobs.
Not long ago, an experimental school was opened near the capital, Dacca, to help poor children. There are only 120 children in the school, which has three classrooms. In each class, forty pupils are divided into four groups of ten. Each pupil is free to decide which group he or she wants to join.
The most able pupils do a great deal of the teaching. They act as group monitors. Their duty is to ensure that all pupils in their group understand and practice what the teacher has taught.
There are a number of unusual features in the Bangladesh school. Children do not move up a class automatically when they grow older. Each group is promoted (升级)only when EVERY pupil in it has succeeded in getting to the right standard. As a result, all members of a group work hard to help the less able pupils. Nobody is left behind.
Lessons are extremely practical and include work on farming, carpentry, health and running a home, as well as lessons on the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic. At school, pupils prepare for adult life by learning to carry out almost all the tasks which they will face when they grow older.
If pupils have to look after cattle or young children, they are allowed to bring them to school. If a child has to stay at home to help his parents, there is no scolding or punishment (责罚) at school. Children enjoy their lessons and the school is cheap to run. It is so successful that other schools in Bangladesh are beginning to imitate (模仿) its methods. Visitors are even coming from other agricultural countries to see if they can use a similar method.
Complain(抱怨) Politely
Not everything goes the way you want it to. You may go to a restaurant and order a nice meal. But your order is wrong or not cooked properly. You may buy a product that breaks the next day.However, if you speak angrily to people, they will become defensive(自卫的). Then they are less likely to help you. A more effective (有效的)way to get what you want is to stay calm.
Use polite language and a friendly tone of voice. Start with phrases such as, " I'm sorry to bother you, but. "or" Excuse me, but could you.?" For example, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I ordered potato soup, not vegetable, "Phrasing your complaint as a question also helps. Could you help me? I just bought this phone case yesterday, but it's cracked."
There is no faster way to make someone defensive than by blaming them. Use the phrase." I know this isn't your fault, but…"or"There has been a misunderstanding." Blaming people isn't as important as getting a problem fixed!
There are honest mistakes, but at times someone may try to take advantage of you. In that case, don't say "Hey! You're trying to cheat me! "Instead, use the phrase, "I understood that…" For example. "I understood that the service charge was included in the price. Then give the person a chance to answer.
If you don't get what you want with polite conversation, ask to speak to a manager or supervisor. .
A. When trying to comet a problem, don't blame (责备)the person you're talking to. B. People like to be asked rather than told! C. But usually, you'll find that polite words and a smile will resolve a situation. D. These kinds of experiences make you want to complain. E. These phrases let people know you are only angry at the situation |
E
Sara wants to buy a motorcycle. She sees an ad in the newspaper for a used one. She calls the telephone number in the ad. The person who is selling the motorcycle lives on Flag Street in Clifton, about 15 miles from Fairview where Sara lives. She'll take a bus to get there on Sunday.
At the bus station. Sara looks through the bus schedules(时刻表). She sees one that says “Fairview, Clifton" on the front. That's what Sara needs.
Please look at the bus schedule carefully. Then help Sara make her decision, and answer the following questions.
When you're sitting in class, have you ever drawn pictures in the margins of your notebooks? If so, your teacher might have told you (stop). Many people think of doodling(涂鸦) as a distraction(精神涣散) from more important things. But it might be just the opposite.
One study shows that doodling may help you remember things you hear. In 2009 researchers asked two groups of people to listen to a phone message. One group (encourage) to doodle, but the other was not. Neither group knew that it would be asked to remember information from the message. But the group that doodled remembered 29 percent more.
Other people (suggest)other uses for drawing. Jesse Prinz, a professor who studies doodling, says it can help you think creatively. Walking away from a problem to draw might actually help you solve it. When you come back, you (have)a fresh perspective and figure out an answer more quickly.
Two years ago, an author named Sunni Brown (write)a book on doodling. She argues that doodling is a tool that can help people think. She admits that people see doodling as doing nothing, but she wants to change that. In fact, she runs a business that helps companies improve organization and planning through doodling. Brown (believe)doodling is helpful because it incorporates(整合)many ways of learning. You lean in four ways: seeing, hearing, reading or writing, and through movement. The more ways you use, the better you learn.
And when you doodle while you (listen)to a lecture, you use all four.
You might think that being good at (draw)is important for doodling. But if the point of doodling is to help you think, then it doesn't matter what the picture looks like. Even if you're not an artist, doodling can help you. So next time you need help focusing, pick up a pen and doodle away!
A. ride to the gym B. because C. keeping fit D. so E. cheer me up F. enjoy my day off G. healthier H. also I. funny J. coughing and sneezing |
Hi Jake,
How's it going? Sorry I haven't been in touch for a while, but couldn't use my computer for a few days. You'll never guess what happened to me!
A couple of weeks ago, I decided to take up yoga. Yoga is a combination of physical and breathing exercises. It's supposed to be good for relaxation and . I've been feeling a bit stressed about my school work recently and I thought yoga might help.
My dad couldn't give me a lift to the first lesson, so I decided to . The lesson was great and I felt really relaxed afterwards. On the way home, though, it started raining and I got very wet! The next day, I woke up with a bad cold. I couldn't stop .
I couldn't go to school I also had a high temperature. We were having a math test that day so it was great that I could stay at home. I didn't really , though. I felt awful and stayed in bed. Mum brought me cups of hot tea for my sore throat(and you know how much I hate tea! ). She went to the chemist's and got me some vitamin pills. I have to keep taking these for a while I can get stronger.
That afternoon Robbie came to visit me. He said he'd got something to and pretended it was the math test that I'd missed "Mr Bank says you can do it at home instead,” he said, but I knew he was joking. I didn't think it was very , but he did!
The next day, I was still a bit pale and didn't have much energy, but I was feeling better. The day after that, I was able to go back to school.
Can you believe my luck? I went to the yoga class to feel and instead I caught a cold!
Anyway, I hope you're OK. Write and let me know what you've been up to!
Bye for now!
Kate