Last summer my son, Eric, left for university in another country. Our once lively house became quiet and 1. I missed him so much that I started sending him messages on the phone, mainly to say 2 or to give him a word of warning.
One of my messages says, "So you told me you 3 your credit card (信用卡). If you don't try hard to mend your careless ways, one day you'll 4 and find your brain missing."
I did get Eric's messages, but most of them were about 5. They were no different from the notes he used to leave 6 the white board when he was at home.
"I bought a new pair of shoes. They cost me $90. Please help!"
"Money is running short 7 I've bought some books for my research paper. Help me please!"
8, however, Eric begins to send me all kinds of articles: some funny, some touching and some worth 9. He says they will help me understand young men better and keep up with the times.
I read the articles slowly, like a 10 student, with mixed feelings as well-my kid, who followed me around not long ago, has now become my 11!
So I write back, "I've read all those articles. I'll take 12 as a loving son's expectations towards his mother. He must be thinking that his mother is still 13 enough to accept new things. That makes me feel proud. What we parents lack (缺乏) most is the ability to learn and 14, in both body and mind. Thank you, my son."
In this way we share ideas and 15 each other, with a gentle and beautiful language we seldom use. Every time I read those messages, I feel my heart filled with warmth.
Every year, more than 26,000 children arrive in Britain. We ask some new arrivals what they like best about their new lives and what's different from home.
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Jarek, Poland I don't know anybody from Poland here, but I'm lucky because the English boy next door is very friendly and kind. We are in the same class! I like teachers here. At home, the teachers seem a bit strict and serious. There are a lot of rules, too. Here, teachers are patient and don't give much homework. We students go out of school and buy pizza or burgers at lunchtime. We can't do that in Poland. | Daisy & Luck, the USA My sister and I like living here. It's cool! My sister loves the British accent (口音). Everybody here is very polite. But we don't understand all your strange words-we say "yard" not garden, and "apartment" not flat. The food is better here. There's Chinese, Indian and Thai. At home we eat too much fast food. |
| Zinah, India It's too cold here! I hate doing sports, especially outside in winter. The teacher here is very serious about sports. I prefer science and maths. I love the maths class because the teacher is really funny, just like my maths teacher in India. The school is so big and some students seem unfriendly. I'm from a small village school. I think it's hard to communicate with them. |
Everyone faces difficulties in their life. Daniel Kish was born with a special eye illness and lost his eyesight before he was only 14 months old.
Soon after, however, he started to do an amazing thing. He learned to make clicks (咔哒声) with his tongue to help him move around. Kish now moves about using sonar (声呐). He is so good at it that he can ride a bicycle by himself on public roads. And he started the organization World Access for the Blind (WAFTB) in 2000, teaching others how to use sonar. In the interview with National Geographic, he explains how the sonar works.
"When I make a click sound, it produces sound waves. These waves reflect (反射) off surfaces all around and return to my ears. My brain then deals with the sound and turns it into pictures in my mind. Each click is like a camera flash, which helps me make a 3-D picture of my surroundings for hundreds of feet. It's like having a conversation with the environment."
Kish feels it is exciting to ride a bike using sonar, although he needs to click twice a second, much more than he usually does. "It may sound a bit dangerous to move around the world in this way," he says. "But most people in the world live in fear of things that they imagine. I love hiking and mountain-biking. I go almost everywhere. And I've never had an accident and hurt myself."
He is happy to be able to help more blind children to improve their life. "We've served over 10, 000 students in nearly 40 countries," he tells the reporter. "Many students are surprised how quickly results come. Seeing isn't in the eyes. It's in the mind."
①The sound waves reflect off surfaces.
②The person makes a clicking sound.
③The brain turns the sound into pictures.
④The sound waves reach the person's ears.
Fresh green grass, Hundreds of colorful wild flowers. Water running into little pools. Birds making their homes in boxes. The 9, 500-square-metre Augustenborg Botanical Garden may look just like any other well-organized park but there's a difference. It lies on the roofs (屋顶) of industrial and office buildings in the city of Malmo in Sweden.
Green roofs are not a new invention. And now they are getting popular again. The common roofs of a modern city have endless black surfaces with no life or water. Perhaps that's why a garden on a roof becomes such a perfect choice for more and more people.
Green roofs are not just pretty. They also help to moderate the city temperature. The high temperatures on common roofs in the summer can make top floor flats uncomfortably hot. What is more, they play a part in making the cities hotter than the countryside around them, causing the "urban heat-island effect". On a green roof, however, with its plants and water, temperatures change only a little, as they do in a park. This can greatly cut the costs of heating and cooling in the building below.
Also, a green roof takes in rain water, and protects the city drainage (排水) system. ▲ And small animals and birds can make their homes on it. Thanks to this, the city may become part of nature, rather than something completely separate from it.
While the cost of building such a roof can still be higher, it can be cheaper in the long term as a result of energy savings. And wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to walk out into a garden high above the city's noise and traffic, whether you're at school or in an office or just at home in a ten-floor block?
Mark Zuckerberg, who starts the social network Facebook, often wears jeans and a T-shirt to work, including to important business meetings. Not everyone agrees with him. Some people say he doesn't look serious this way.
Harvard Business School researcher, Francesca Gino, has a different idea. While most people seem to think that dressing differently from those around you generally has a bad influence, she believes it can actually have a positive (积极的) effect. And she's done experiments to support her idea. When her researchers, wearing sportswear, visited the expensive shops in Italy, they were usually viewed as wealthier and more important people than those who were well-dressed in designer clothes.
Do people always view less formal (正式的) clothing more positively? Researchers in France took their research out into the street, to the general public. The video they made shows an actor dressed in a well-cut suit and shiny shoes. While walking along the road, he begins to cough badly, stops to catch his breath and falls down. Before he even calls for help, people rush to help him. In another video, the actor appears at the same crowded place and repeats the actions in exactly the same way. But this time, no one comes to help. What's the difference? He's wearing untidy clothes and looks like a homeless person. In a situation like this, the clothes you're wearing could mean the difference between life and death.
It seems that our clothing doesn't only change the way others view us, but also the way we see ourselves. In an experiment testing students' ability to pay attention to details (细节), the group wearing white lab coats did the best. Why? Researchers told them that they were wearing the doctors' coats. The experiment didn't show whether such influences would last long. More experiments are needed in the future before we decide to make the doctors' coats a must of fashion.
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nine ours beside punish after all |
Cooking was once regarded as a necessary part of education in England. But in recent years, it has become less important in schools. As a result, (基础的) cooking and food preparation skills are being lost. It is also making more children overweight, as parents use too much fast food that is (有害的) to their health.
The government is worried and is looking for ways to (解决) the problem. A new law has been passed. All secondary schools should offer cooking (课程) to students aged from 11 to 14 years old. They hope that this will encourage people to cook instead of eating (准备好的) meals, fast food and snacks.
Students will learn to cook for one hour a (星期) for one term. They will learn to use simple and fresh ingredients (原料) to prepare healthy, tasty food, following (说明). These cooking skills will be helpful in their future life. Schools are also setting up cooking clubs all over the country. The clubs will (提供) more children with the chance to learn to cook.
There are still difficulties. Head teachers are worried about the things they will need for the cooking. And about 15% of schools do not have (厨房) and there are not enough teachers.
The speaker from the government (允诺) to train 800 teachers and to give schools2.5 million pounds a year to help children from poorer families to pay for ingredients.
A group of boys were playing basketball in the park. The playground was great, there was no fence (栅栏) around it. If one boy missed the ball, someone had to catch it at once, so it wouldn't go too far away.
One boy threw the ball too hard and it flew like a rocket over the (head) of all the other boy sand kept on flying.
Anna was sitting nearby and watching the ducks swim in the river. Suddenly, she (hear) some shouting and turned to see a big, orange object coming towards (she).
"Stop the ball," one of them shouted.
The ball landed close to the river. The ducks flew away quickly.
Anna opened her arms, just in time (stop) the ball as it was going to fall into the river.
"Could you please bring it over here?" asked one boy (polite).
Anna walked to them with the ball. She was nervous because the boys were (old) than her. However, they were very nice and thanked her saving the ball.
"Can I join you?" Anna asked.
The boys agreed, but they were not sure he could throw the ball even close to the basket.
Anna took the ball and then had try. The boys watched in surprise as the ball went straight into the basket. Anna smiled as the boys cheered loudly for her.
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A. Bad influences B. Sleeping hours C. The most tiring moments D. Good sleeping habits |
Sleep plays an important role in our life. A lack of sleep can influence our ability to work and study.
Normal people need 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. But for teenagers, a healthy amount (数量) is about 8 to 10 hours. Sadly, only 1/3 of people manage that.
Tiredness usually reaches its highest twice a day, at 2 a.m. and 2 p.m. That explains why students easily fall asleep in afternoon classes. So sleeping at noon for a while helps us work better in the rest of the day
People can make mistakes if they don't get enough sleep. Students cannot pay attention in class or do well in sports. Drivers who have fallen asleep while driving have caused 1%-10% of the traffic accidents in our life. And we can imagine what will happen if a doctor feels sleepy at the operating-table!
There are several ways that can help us sleep better, such as avoiding drinks that make us excited late in the day, going to sleep at the same time each night, and sleeping in a comfortable place that is dark, quiet and warm.
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Project1 Place: A small village in the west of China Activities: ◆teach children English ◆visit the old people's home ◆work on the farm |
Project2 Place: A primary school in the north of Thailand Activities: ◆set up a small library ◆give Chinese lessons ◆play games with children |
注意：①邮件中必须包含招募广告中的信息，可适当发挥。②文中不得出现与你身份相关的信息。③词数：80~100。邮件的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Sir/Madam,
I'm Li Hua, a middle school student from China. I want to be a volunteer
Looking forward to your early reply!
Yours,
Li Hua
