—________ I'll wait for you. We have enough time.
—No, I ________ computer games.
—Oh, it is very beautiful.
Christmas was always a very special time because I could receive many wonderful gifts. There was one particular Christmas1all I wanted was a pink car for my Barbie doll. I had2all of the commercials (广告) and seen how cool Barbie could look in that car.3that time, I had known that Santa Claus was really my parents, so no surprise there. I didn't4who bought me the car as long as I got it.
Finally, Christmas Eve arrived. I could not fall asleep that night, just5for it to get late enough for me to slip downstairs and open my gifts. Well, I must have fallen asleep at some point,6when I awoke it was Christmas morning. I ran7to a ton of gifts, but I didn't see the Barbie doll car. I was very8for what I had received, but I was still wondering where my car was. After a while, my father9what looked like a garbage bag and handed it to me.
Before I could opened the bag completely, I saw the pink color. I jumped for10and Dad's face lit up. Of course there was11what I wanted. Then I noticed a price tag (标签). I asked Dad why it was on my new toy. He sweetly said that Santa went to a special store for the gift and he was probably short on12and had forgotten to take the price tag off. Hearing this, I just smiled and said, "Oh, cool!" I was happy with my car and my father was happy knowing that I still13in Santa Claus.
To this day, that is my very favourite Christmas14, because it was sweet that there was15who cared about a little kid and the joy and spirit of Christmas.
It's wonderful to have a relaxing bath in mineral water while looking out over beautiful scenery. If you live in the US or are planning a visit, consider going to one of the two natural hot springs (温泉) in the western US:
Travertine Hot Springs
At the edge of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Bridgeport, California lie the Travertine Hot Springs. The orange, green, and red rocks and the mountains create beautiful views for you to enjoy while you bathe. Each pool is a different temperature, so you can find one that's comfortable for you. These springs can easily be reached by car. Take Route 395 south from Bridgeport and turn left onto Jack Sawyer Road. In about a mile you'll arrive at the springs. If you like to camp, you can camp along Jack Sawyer Road.
Bagby Hot Springs
In the middle of an ancient forest you'll find the Bagby Hot Springs. At the springs there are wooden bathhouses, with both private baths and communal baths. Through a system of pipes the spring water is brought to the baths at a temperature of 136 degrees Fahrenheit. If that's too hot buckets of cold water are also available to mix into the bathtub (浴缸) or to cool off with after your bath.
The Bagby Springs are about 45 minutes from Estacada, Oregon, on Highway 224. To get to the bathhouse there is a 1.5-mile walk from the parking lot through the beautiful Mt. Hood National Forest. While in the area, make sure to visit Portland, which is known for its coffee, restaurants, and music.
The best time to visit the two hot springs is in late spring, or in summer or fall. While in the area, check out the Curecanti National Recreation Area, where you can enjoy canoeing, fishing, bird watching, camping, and hiking.
Adrian's "Amazing Race" started early, when his parents realize that he, as a baby, couldn't hear a thing, not even loud noises. In a special school for the hearing-impaired (听觉受损的), he learned sign language and got to mix with other disabled children. However, the sight of all the disabled children communicating with one another upset his mother. She wanted him to lead a normal life. So after speaking to an advisor, she sent him to private classes where he learned to read lips and pronounce words.
Later on, Adrian's parents decided to send him to a regular school. But the headmaster tried to prevent them from doing so, saying regular schools couldn't take care of a special-needs student. His parents were determined to take the risk and push him hard to go through his work every day because they want to prove that, given the opportunity, he could do anything. Adrian made the grade and got accepted. It was a big challenge the pace was faster so he had to sit at the front of the class and really pay attention to the teacher, which wasn't always easy. But he stuck to it and did a lot of extra work after school.
The effort made by Adrian and his parents paid off. Adrian graduated with good grades and got into a top high school. He also achieved a lot in life outside school. He developed a love for the outdoors and went to Nepal to climb mountains. He even entered the World Yacht Race 05/06 — being the first hearing-impaired Asian to do so.
But none of these achievements would have been possible without one of the most important lessons from his mother. "If you believe in yourself and work hard, you can achieve great result," she often said.
Taller women may face a higher risk of many cancers than their shorter ones, according to a US study release Thursday.
Researchers looked at a sample (样本) of nearly 145,000 women aged 50 to 79 for the analysis published in the US journal Cancer Epidemiology. They found that each additional 10 centimeters of height was linked to a 13 percent higher risk of getting cancer.
“Finally, cancer is a result of processes having to do with growth, so it makes sense that hormones (荷尔蒙) or other growth factors that influence height may also influence cancer risk,” said lead author Geoffrey Kabat, senior epidemiologist (流行病学家) at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York.
After 12 years of following women who entered the study without cancer, researchers found links between greater height and higher possibility of developing cancers of the breast, colon (结肠), kidney (肾), thyroid (甲状腺), as well as multiple myeloma (骨髓瘤) and melanoma (黑素瘤).
“We were surprised at the number of cancer sites that were positively associated with height. In this data set, more cancers are associated with height than were associated with body mass index (BMI体重指数),” added Kabat.
Taller women even suffered a higher risk for some cancers, such as a 23 to 29 percent increase in the risk of developing cancers of the kidney rectum, thyroid.
None of the 19 cancers studied showed a lower risk with greater height. The study did not establish a certain height level at which cancer risk begins to rise, and Kabat said it is important to remember that the increased risk researchers found was small.
"It needs to be kept in mind that factors such as age, smoking, body mass index, and certain other risk factors have considerably larger effects," he said, "The association of height with a number of cancer sites suggests that exposures in early life, including nutrition, play a role in influencing a person's risk of cancer."
Meilanfang is good at playing the role of women in Beijing operas, (call) “Dan”.
Mr. Meilanfag increases international communication China and other countries as the forerunner (先驱) spreads Beijing opera abroad. He visited Japan in1919, 1924 and 1956. In1930, he (visit) America. He visited Russia 1935 and 1952, which gained him a high reputation. During this period he knew many famous (artist), singers, dancers, writers painters. Because of his travels, there was an (improve)culture understanding in many countries. From that time on, Beijing opera was (list) into the dictionary of international drama.
Mr Meilanfang (be) the symbol of Chinese acting art and holds with him our pride.
The Christmas of my 16th, when decorating the Christmas tree with Mum, I accidentally dropped and broke an old glass ball. It had been on our tree for as long as I could remember.
Regretfully, I knelt to pick up the pieces and was surprised to find a small piece of paper among them. Unfolding the tiny note, I recognized my father's penciled writing. Lifting my eyes, I saw my mothers smile.
"Your Daddy wrote that and put it in that blue ball during our first Christmas together, just before you were born," she said.
I wouldn't have believed it, if there hadn't been the note in my hands. Daddy always regarded getting the tree decorated as an important task. And yet this bit of yellowed paper proved that long ago my Daddy had done something romantic at Christmas.
Carefully putting the note aside, I cleaned up the pieces, wishing I could reassemble them. "You needn't fit the parts of the old glass ball together again. Pick out another one and put the note back inside." Mum said.
Now, as I celebrate the holidays without Mum, who died of cancer years ago, I feel really sad. Each year as I decorate Christmas tree. I recall the moment I shared with her that winter afternoon and blink away my tears.
As I carefully handle those old glass balls. I love knowing that one of them holds a secret between Daddy and Mum — a secret that was obvious to all who knew them.
The note inside one of those old glass balls on Christmas tree holds the heart of my parents' marriage in three warm words: "I love you."
What's your favorite sport?
Why do you like this sport?
What benefits can you get from this sport?
