Do you want to go to Spain to experience its festivals in spring? If you do, here are some that are worth experiencing.
15-19 March: Las Fallas Festival, valencia
Huge cardboard, wood, and plaster statues are made into the shape of traditional figures or even modern cultural figures like Shrek and former American President Obama. The creations are on display all over the city before being burned in one of the many bonfires, which takes place among much partying.
23 April: Saint George Festival, Barcelona
Sant Jordi, or St George, is the patron saint of Catalonia (as well as England and about 10 other countries and regions). But St George's Day in Barcelona is also the city's version of Valentine's Day when romance sweeps the city. The tradition is for the man to give his lady a rose in return for a book.
30 April to 7 May: Feria de Sevilla, Seville
Spring Fair, the Feria, is a joyful festival with masses of food, drink, music and dancing. To the west of the city a huge area is given over to the creating a small ''town'' of tents for drinking, eating and socializing. Most of the tents are private and invitation only but there are seven public ones.
Mid-May: Fiesta de San Isidro, Madrid
It's Madrid's largest festival. Music and dancing is everywhere with Latin rhythms happening at concerts all over the city. The festival starts with a grand procession of giants, followed by an opening speech in the Plaza Mayor. Over the next few days, entertainment takes over the city's public spaces.
One day, the sewer line（污水管道）under my house burst. My first response was to call the plumber, but when he heard what had happened, he said he couldn't help. “We don't do that,” he said, as if to suggest that even plumbers have their dignity. He did, however, recommend someone. I made the call, expecting the man to complain at such a miserable job. Instead, he simply asked, “The address?”
And that was it. An hour later, Steve arrived in his truck. I watched as he walked down into the damp depths. A few moments later he appeared, saying, “Yes. It's broken.”
“Can you fix it?” I asked with a strange mixture of doubt and hope.
Steve looked at me strangely as if rebuking my lack of faith, and then said, “Sure.” Then he told me that he had to get a backhoe（反铲挖土机）and dig up the street to the main sewer line.
I showed appropriate panic. “How long will all this take?”
“I should have it done by evening.”
I didn't want to watch the excavation（挖掘） of my property unfold. All I wanted was to leave, go somewhere, and, upon my return, have everything the way it was before the damage.
I felt somewhat guilty upon driving off in my clean car, leaving Steve to such a disagreeable task. I went into town and visited a few friends. Eventually, around 6 p.m., my curiosity got the better of me. I went home, and a sweeter sight I never saw: a patch of newly-paved street and a covered-up excavation across my front garden. I opened the basement door and—all was tidy and relatively dry.
I sat down on the back garden, lost in thought. I was taken by the very idea that, whatever crisis might happen to an unlucky homeowner, there is somebody, somewhere, who is practiced in its resolution. If that's not reason for thankfulness, I'm not sure what is.
The Little Baby Face Foundation（LBFF）is an NYC-based nonprofit organization with a great deal of controversy. Founded in 2002, it provides free plastic surgery for children born with facial deformities（畸形）. Many teenagers who have been teased for their looks are now applying to have their problem areas “fixed” by LBFF.
Nadia, one 14-year-old teenager, had her face greatly changed in June when she went under the knife. Her classmates had been constantly making fun of her appearance. “They said I have the biggest ears that they've ever seen. They called me elephant ears,” Nadia said. Those comments hurt her a lot. She even considered how to end her own life.
But Nadia tried to keep the bullying a secret from her mother, Lynda. Her mother was already dealing with mounting medical bills for her 9-year-old son, Josh, who had a serious brain disease. When her mother did finally find out about the bullying, she was heartbroken.
Nadia decided to end her bullying problems with plastic surgery. Then her mother turned to the LBFF, which accepted Nadia's application. The surgeries were very painful and it took months for her face to heal, but she did manage to return to school with a new face, a face she was finally proud of.
Nadia's surgery may have helped her overcome her emotional pain, but should teenagers go to those extremes just because they are being bullied?
Experts warn if the deformities are not really a problem to the child, plastic surgery is not the answer! In fact, when a teen decides to get plastic surgery because he or she is being bullied, it can send the wrong message. By surgically changing the victim of a bully, it is as if you support the bullying and agree the victim is in fact worthy of all those names he or she has been called. It is like saying to teenagers: “Yes, there is something wrong with you, and you should get it fixed!”
The study, published today in the journal PLOS Biology shows that the average body size and number of sharks and other marine predators—vital to maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems—fell significantly near cities with more than 10,000 people and associated fishing boats.
The minimum distance from people and fishing which had no measurable effect was 1,250 kilometers. This is far further than previous studies have suggested and probably reflects the increased distances fishing boats can now travel. As a result, sharks were only observed at 12% of sites monitored.
Lead author Dr. Tom Letessier said, ''Human activity is now the biggest influence on sharks' distribution. Just 13% of the world's oceans can be considered 'wilderness' but sharks and other predators are much more common and significantly larger at distances greater than 1,250 kilometers from people. This suggests that large marine predators are generally unable to thrive near to people and is another clear example of the impact of human overuse on our seas. ''
To collect their data, the team analyzed videos taken at 1,041 sites across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, selected to test the biggest possible range of conditions and habitats. Sharks and other free-swimming predators were studied using cameras attached cannisters(炮筒)filled with bait. In total, the team recorded 23,200 animals representing 109 species. These included 841 individual sharks from 19 different species.
Dr. Letessier added, ''Our study also found that shallower water environment, of depths less than 500 meters, were vital for marine predator diversity. We therefore need to identify sites that are both shallow and remote and protect them. However, there are still numerous shallow hot spots near human markets that are not appropriately protected, and this must change. ''
How to Break the Anxiety Cycle
People who suffer from anxiety tend to be stuck in an ongoing loop of avoidance. It's the classic dynamic of anxiety: , our symptoms tend to increase, and in turn this drives the anxiety up and makes the things we're afraid of scarier. Here are some techniques on how to slowly overcome this mental health challenge. . Words have power. For example, saying “I am panicked about going to this party tonight” will put you in a more negative state of mind compared to saying “I'd prefer if I didn't have to go to this party.” Start by putting your words to the positive and to a point where you still feel it resonates（共鸣）.
Let go of perfectionism. People with social anxiety feel as if they are walking on a social tightrope. . We have unrealistic high standards where we think we must be cool, positive, and witty while carrying the entire conversation—it's too much. And keep in mind that you are not expected to be someone you're not in order to get people to like you.
Make small gestures. Instead of “jumping off a cliff” and walking straight into a situation that makes you anxious, start becoming more expressive in situations that you feel are less threatening.
, say good morning to a neighbor you rarely speak with, or tell your hairstylist the exact look you' re going for instead of agreeing with their suggestion.
Shift your awareness. Our attention is like a spotlight and we choose where to point it. Those with social anxiety tend to point that spotlight inward and state the commentary of our inner critic.
.
A. Choose your words carefully
B. Pay attention to your health condition
C. For example, ask a stranger for directions
D. When we avoid the things we're afraid of
E. If the things reduce feelings of social anxiety
F. It's this idea that we need to perform perfectly
G. Focus on what's happening around you, not inside you
My grandfather insists on getting me coffee. He is ninety-two years old, but he 1 my help and rolls his wheelchair over to the 2 in the corner, filling a cup with boiling black 3.
His room at the nursing home is 4, nothing more than a bed and a bathroom. His walls are covered in 5 of his six children and nineteen grandchildren. I 6 my own face, seven years old and covered in chocolate. When I 7 the photo, he laughs. “You were the fattest little kid. Your mom was so 8.”
I tell him that I'm here for a piece for my journalism class, that the assignment is to 9 a family member and that I pick him because he has the best 10. This gets a small, almost childlike smile. He is proud of being 11. My grandfather has many fine 12, but wisdom is not one of them.
I ask about his experience in the war. He makes a face, 13 on the wheels of his chair as he thinks. “Have I told you about Noel?” I say no. I remember 14 the name, maybe fifteen years ago. He 15 me a lot, which are so 16 that it makes me all the more excited to visit him. Noel was Grandpa's best friend. As Grandpa talks about him, his eyes glaze a little and his mouth lifts up at the corner. You can see in his 17 that they are the kind of friends whose relationship 18 an admirable, platonic（柏拉图式的）sort of love affair.
This is the story I get today in this dirty and messy bedroom with only one table and it lives up to those of my 19. I think, suddenly, that he has just 20 an amount of time unimaginable to me. I think, the rest of my life, the stories I will live, are unimaginable to him.
Climate change is bad news for the world's coral reefs. As global temperatures increase, the world's glaciers melt, （cause） sea levels and ocean temperatures to rise. These conditions have led to coral bleaching（白化） events, the coral turns white and slowly dies, unable to survive in its changing environment.
Global sea levels （expect） to rise about 1.5 feet by 2100, meaning coral reefs will be deeper underwater than they were （previous）in. The deeper the coral, the less light it receives, and the less （able） it has to make food. This has potential to change the entire ecosystems of reefs and the marine life they support.
But a new study from a team of （researcher） at the National University of Singapore （NUS） provides a ray of hope. They studied nearly 3,000 corals from 124 species at two reefs off coast of Singapore: Pulau Hantu and Raffles Lighthouse. The water where these reefs live is （cloud）, murky and thick with sediment（沉淀物）.
The light reaches down about 26 feet, yet there are corals growing well that level and below. They've adapted to surviving under the changing conditions. Researchers say it's likely that these corals will survive sea-level rise, according to the findings （publish） in the journal Marine Environmental Research.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
With the college entrance examination approaches, many of my classmates suffer from much pressure. Some of them are burying in endless homework day and night, which robs them of happiness and do them harm physically and mentally.
Although pressure, to some extent, can provide motivation, but too much pressure has a seriously negative effect. Therefore, we should learn to relieve pressure. First, we should have a right evaluation of us in order to make use advantages and avoid disadvantages. Second, we'd better set aside some times for fun such as listening to music. Sometimes even cry is an efficient way to release stresses. Besides, we can turn to our teachers, friends and parents, that will give us guidance and comfort.
1）表示欢迎；
2）具体回复入学的相关事宜（护照、租房证明、体检证明）；
3）接机的具体时间和地点。
注意：1）词数100左右；
2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：体检证明 Health Certificate
Dear Tom,
……
Yours,
Li Hua
