Charlie is a teacher and his wife, Maria is an artist. The night before last, just before the longest day of the year, Charlie was sitting in a deckchair enjoying the warm summer air when Maria touched his shoulder and he could tell immediately she was a little worried about something. He asked her what the matter was and she replied that there was a strange thing on the jacket that was hanging in the bedroom. They had both lived in the West Indies (西印度群岛) and had seen a lot of strange creatures in their house before. But now they were living in England and so Charlie just laughed and said he would have a look at the "thing".
He walked to the bedroom. He saw a jacket hanging in the bedroom and went up to it to have a closer look at the "thing". The moment he touched it, the thing sprang into life. Now Charlie experiences fear like the rest of us but when this creature opened its wings, he jumped out of his skin and ran screaming from the room like a small child doing about 100 miles an hour.
For a moment the next-door neighbours thought that Charlie was murdering his wife because of the noise they could hear. In fact, it was a bat that frightened Charlie.
Eventually Charlie managed to trap the bat in a box and took it to the garden to let the bat fly. Maria, who had been playing the guitar while Charlie was upstairs, asked Charlie if he had found out what the thing was. "Oh, nothing to worry about", he said casually hoping that the terror could not be seen in his eyes, "it was just a bat."
Teenagers who spend hours in front of the television may have a poorer diet as young adults.
A study, which included nearly 1, 400 high school students, found those who watched TV for five hours or more per day had less healthy diets than peers(同龄人）five years later. Why does this happen? Should the parents take any measures?
On the one hand, people who spend a lot of time in front of the TV, especially teenagers, may snack more, and that may affect their long-term diet quality.
On the other hand, TV ads for fast food, sweets and snacks tempt teenagers to eat more of those foods. And TV time might also replace exercise time for some kids.
Lead researcher Dr. Daheia J. Barr-Anderson, of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, told Reuters Health a clear correlation between TV time during high school and diet quality in young adulthood. While the heaviest TV viewers were eating the most junk food , those who'd watched less than two hours per day had the highest intake(吸收)of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and high-calcium food. In her opinion, parents should limit and monitor TV viewing.
As far as I am concerned, children should watch no more than two hours of television per day. And parents should set a good example by eating right, being physically active and curbing their own TV time.
How Can I Fight Laziness?
Lazy people will never amount to anything in life. However, laziness can be defeated once a few changes have been made in your mind.
Many people lack sleep constantly, since they stay up too late and get up too early to prepare for work. These people have little motivation once they arrive home. Laziness works hand in hand with a lack of motivation and a tendency (趋势) to put off things. By adjusting your sleep schedule to provide a few more hours of meaningful rest, you can fight laziness throughout the day.
Another way to fight laziness is to change your mind from passive to active. Others take a more active approach, viewing each task as a challenge they must overcome alone. Laziness sets in when you no longer feel in charge of your own life.
Some people fight laziness by removing the temptations (诱惑) that surround them. A television in the living room may provide entertainment. However, watching too much TV in your spare time often contributes to laziness. Complete a few tasks and reward yourself with what you enjoy, such as a good dinner or a film. Laziness can also be a lasting problem at home. Couples and children may all have different energy levels, but laziness can be spread if not dealt with immediately.
Be the first to collect and wash dishes after a meal. Others in the home may eventually follow your example and perform their own task. It is difficult to practice laziness when you are surrounded by motivated people.
Enough exercise and a balanced diet can enable you to have more energy and help lift your spirits.
A. To fight family laziness, set an example.
B. Knowing how to fight laziness is important.
C. One way to fight laziness is to get enough sleep.
D. Finally, developing a healthy lifestyle can help you fight laziness.
E. With strong determination (意志力), you will be able to achieve your goal.
F. Some people treat their lives as if they were pushed from task to task.
G. Create a reward system for yourself, just as parents do for a child.
Once upon a time, two young men were spending some time in the country. One day, while taking a walk together, they crossed a large field. (sudden) a bull (公牛) appeared and began to chase (追逐) them. They were very (frighten) and began to run, but the bull kept (run) after them. Finally, one of the men climbed up a tree and other one jumped into a hole. Soon, however, the man had jumped into the hole came out again.
Immediately the bull chased him back into the hole again. This (go) on for five or six times. Finally, the man in the tree came up an idea and shouted to his friend, “Stay in the hole for a while or this bull (keep) us here all day！” he jumped back into the hole again, he said, “It's easy for you to say, there is a bear in this hole.”
