Jenny, from Germany, spent some time traveling in India. While she was there, she stayed with her Indian friend, Leela. However, there was a1barrier (障碍) for her there. It was very2for her to communicate in the new environment, which was very different from that of her own country.
One day, together with Leela, Jenny went to3an orphanage (孤儿院). All the children there were very young. At first, Jenny was not sure if she could have a way to communicate with them. She went over to the children4and sat beside them. After some time, one of the children5at her. She felt a little relaxed and smiled back. Then she went close to the child. She slowly put her arm around the child and started6a song in German. The child kept smiling and started repeating the words after her. Jenny sang a little more and the child followed her again. Wanting to join in the7, another child went up to Jenny- and started singing. Then more children joined. They8many smiles together.
From the other side of the hall, Leela was smiling and watching them. Noticing Leela's eyes on her, Jenny had an9feeling from her heart: "See, I don't have any language barriers here. We can speak and communicate!" At that moment, she understood: we're all simple human, and we have the ability to10with each other.
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings (缺点). Sometimes she said I was thin. Sometimes she said I was lazy. Sometimes she said I wasn't a good student. Sometimes she said I talked too much, and so on. I tried to put up with(忍受) her as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes. He listened to me quietly, and then he asked, "Are the things she said true or not? Mary, didn't you ever wonder what you're really like? Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said." I did as he told me and to my surprise, I found that about half the things were true. I brought the list back to my dad. He refused to take it. "That's just for you," he said. "You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. When something said about you is true, you'll find it will be helpful to you. Don't shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you think is right. "Many years have passed. The situation often appears in my mind. In our life we often meet with some trouble and we often go to someone and ask for advice. For some advice you will treasure all your life!
In the most southern part of our planet, there's a place that's covered with snow and ice all year round. But it has the clearest and cleanest air. Amazingly, in this place, the sun sometimes hangs even in the midnight sky. This place is Antarctica (南极洲): the coldest, windiest and harshest (恶劣的) place on the Earth.
As the world's least-known place, Antarctica is of great interest to scientists around the world. During 30 years, China has sent many scientists to Antarctica. They mostly look at the resources under the icy land and do research about climate change and marine (海洋的) biology.
Antarctica is a place with fantastic views. However, life there is very hard. Food is one of the biggest problems. Frozen food which can be heated easily is people's daily food. Fresh vegetables are hard to grow in the cold weather.
Sleep is also difficult. In Antarctica, summer lasts from November to March. During this period, Antarctica points to the sun and receives sunlight 24 hours a day. In order to get some sleep, scientists cover the windows with black plastic cloth to create "night".
Working in Antarctica is dangerous, especially when meeting gale-force (七级以上的) winds. They can easily blow people away. So there are ropes that connect buildings of some research stations. People can hold these ropes to keep their balance in forceful winds.
What's morel communicating with others is difficult. Without cables and Internet in some research stations, two-way radios are the only tools to communicate. If people want to say hello to friends and relatives, they can use satellite phones.
Although it is challenging to work in Antarctica, scientists' passion to learn about this mysterious land will never end. It is hopeful that one day they will step every corner of this icy land.
