Thanksgiving was just around the corner. The menu (菜谱) had been set. The shopping list was made. 1 seemed perfect. I could taste turkey and mashed potatoes (火鸡和土豆泥). Pictures of different pies, fruit and vegetables came into my mind. I couldn't 2!
The day before Thanksgiving my dad called a family meeting. He said we needed to practice being 3. "We are going to 4 at a homeless shelter (收容所) on Thanksgiving Day." I couldn't believe this was happening. So we wouldn't cook our own Thanksgiving dinner? The holiday wouldn't be the same. I thought the day would be ruined (糟蹋).
The next morning, we got up 5. I followed my father to the shelter with my sleepy eyes. I had no great expectations and felt 6 all the way. As soon as we arrived, we got to work. There was so much to be done. But all I could think about was the dinner I couldn't enjoy.
However, those thoughts soon 7. Over the next few hours, I watched hundreds of people come through the shelter. For some, this was the only hot meal they would eat that week. For others, it was the first time to eat a Thanksgiving meal. The shelter was filled with 8.
Through this experience, I learned that Thanksgiving is a time to think about your blessings (祝福) and look for ways to bless others. When I gave up what I had wanted, I discovered how much I have. It is much better to 9 than to receive. In the end, that Thanksgiving became an 10 experience.
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LAUGH YOUR HEAD OFF!!! If you are a huge fan of stand-up comedy (脱口秀), you'll have an amazing afternoon at EZ Comedy Club! The greatest live show ever is coming to town! Do you want to be part of the live audience (观众)? Recording Time Friday, July 12th, 2019 Recording Location (位置) 361, 3rd Ave, New Haven, CT How to join the audience? Please email us the following information at: ezccaudience2019@yahoo.com Name, ID number, phone number, one recent photo. PS: Please check your inbox for our email. Please show this email to the ticket office. |
Recently, a junior high school sent several students back home because they broke the school uniform (校服) rules. Should students wear school uniforms? The Young World magazine held a discussion on this topic (话题).
Kennedy: The school uniform is very important, because it always reminds me that I am supposed to go out of my way to study hard. It also helps prevent school bullying (欺凌). If everyone wears the same clothes, it is impossible to laugh at other people's clothing.
Manson: The uniform has to be earned (获得) through efforts. Students should start school with no uniforms. As they make progress at school, they start wearing it. I always think children need to be proud of their school. The uniform is important for that. So, make students earn it! If they don't perform well, they should not be allowed to get one.
Moorhead: In my opinion, kids don't have to wear uniforms. There should be more choices open to kids in education. They ought to develop their own independence and just be themselves.
Their personalities would be expressed through their own clothes at school. And different dress could be one way of showing their understanding of beauty. Besides, they make the school lively and colorful.
Patrick: I can see the advantages of wearing school uniforms. They play a very important role in managing schools. However, a school should not depend heavily on uniforms to improve students' behaviors. Teaching them how to express themselves with confidence (信心) is more important.
It is believed that Huck Finn is based on (基于) a childhood friend of Mark Twain's. In fact, Twain was not alone in basing a fictional character (虚构的角色) on a real-life person.
Severus Snape/ John Nettleship
Severus Snape is a skillful wizard (巫师) teaching magic in Harry Potter. The writer, J.K. Rowling, once said that the character was based on a teacher of hers.
The teacher turned out to be John Nettleship, who taught Rowling chemistry. At first, Nettleship felt surprised. "I know I am a strict teacher," he said. "But I don't think I am as bad as Snape!" On second thoughts, however, he said that he was so ill-tempered that most of his students avoided making him mad. Also, he used to wear long hair and have an untidy lab. That sounds familiar to Harry Potter fans.
Alice /Alice Liddell
Famously, Lewis Carroll's Alice in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is based on Alice Liddell.
Carroll was close to the Liddell family. One day, ten-year-old Alice asked Carroll to tell her a new story. Carroll began to create his famous tale of Alice and what happened after she fell through the rabbit hole. The little girl liked the story so much that she asked him to write it down. And the rest is history.
Dill /Truman Capote
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee based Dill on her childhood friend, Truman Capote. Capote once said, "Lee was my best friend. Have you ever read To Kill a Mockingbird? I'm a character in that story! The story takes place just in the town where we lived!"
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A. skilled kids may forget green hands B. so an adult should always be present C. But swimming can also be dangerous D. a few seconds can make a big difference E. Or you could hit your head on the bottom |
Summer is here. One of the best ways to cool off on a hot summer day is to jump into a swimming pool. Swimming is great exercise, and a trip to a pool or beach is a good way to have fun with friends. , so it's important to stay safe as you do it. Here are a few things you can do to swim safely.
●Swim only in areas set for swimming.
Don't swim unless there is a lifeguard (救生员) on duty. If you're on a beach near the ocean, this is especially important. In some places, fast currents (急流) can sweep swimmers away without warning. So if a sign says "no swimming", please take care.
Be careful when diving (跳水) into the water headfirst.
Most pools have deep ends where diving is safe. In natural water, don't dive unless you know that the water is deep enough. , causing injury (伤害) or death.
●Make sure you have a partner with you.
Nobody knows what will happen while you are swimming. If something goes wrong, you can get help from that person as soon as possible. In this situation, .
●Pay close attention to children's safety.
Kids who don't know how to swim should wear life jackets. But by themselves they are not enough, . If you have a pool at home, put a fence (围栏) around it in case children fall in. And if a child disappears, check the pool first.
I am Canadian. I started learning French when I was 10 years old. But my whole experience with the language was in the classroom. All of that changed, however, during my last summer of high school. As a 17-year-old girl, I flew across the country by myself for the first time! I headed for Quebec to live in the province with a French-speaking host family, who didn't speak any English. And I would learn French at a local school.
On the first day of school, all of us students were given a test to determine (测定) our language level. We were required to speak only French all summer.
I made every effort to communicate in a second language by making new friends, seeing movies and even ordering food from restaurants in French. Though I couldn't understand most of it at the very beginning, the whole experience was exciting and refreshing.
On weekends, my classmates and I took trips to different places around the province. On one trip, we went whale watching on the St. Lawrence River. Even though it was raining, we could see huge whales swimming around our boat. The most memorable part of our trip was a visit to historic Quebec City. I walked along the stone streets, took pictures of the European-style (欧式的) buildings, and learned some stories there.
Finally my efforts paid off! At the end of the summer, I was able to communicate pretty well. I couldn't wait to go back to school and talk with my French teacher. Being fully immersed (沉浸)in a French-speaking environment was a valuable learning experience. And it could be the main reason for my improvement in French.
Do you enjoy hitting the books? It doesn't mean you enjoy beating your books with your hand. That may be reasonable if you don't understand something inside your books. Hitting the books just means that you are studying hard. You can learn a lot when you hit the books. Especially before exams, most students spend a lot of time hitting the books to get good grades.
This is just one example of expressions that can't be understood by taking them apart (分开) word by word. Expressions like this are called idioms (习语). They are an important part of a culture's language. Languages and cultures are closely connected. One example of an idiom in the Chinese language is "dui niu tan qin", or "to play the lute (拨弦乐器) to a cow." 这意味着某人在说话或写作时不考虑其听众或读者。
Let's get back to idioms that begin with the word "hit". There are many of them in English, but it's not that easy for you to understand.
One common idiom you may hear in English is "hit the road". It means to leave or to go. You can say, "Hey, I need to hit the road. Can we talk about this another time?" Or simply, "It's time to hit the road." When you are tired and you want to go to bed, you can say, "I need to hit the hay (干草)." It means you want to go to sleep. That's because a bed was often a big bag with hay inside in the past.
习语使你的语言生动而有趣。 Let's hit the road to learn some and try to use them.
A: Hey, Joy. This is Steve, calling from the Tianmenshan Mountain of Zhangjiajie!
B: Hi, Steve. You are already in Zhangjiajie? Great to hear you! So ?
A: Oh, amazing! You know, Zhangjiajie is famous for its steep (陡峭的) mountains, which are quite different from those in our country.
B: Really? ?
A: No. Instead of walking, we took the cable car (缆车).
B: That was also an exciting experience, I suppose. ?
A: For five days. My dad will have an important meeting next Monday. Work comes first.
B: What a pity! Given more time, you could visit more places of interest. How about the food there?
A: ! As a real foodie (吃货), I enjoy all kinds of traditional food here. And so do my family.
B: You do?
A: Yes. And tomorrow we are going to visit Huanglongdong. It is said to be one of the most beautiful karst caves (溶洞) in the world and it has interested so many travellers.
B: Fantastic! Could you please tell me more about it when you are back?
A: . I'll see you in a few days. Talk to you soon.
B: Thank you. Have a nice journey!
