Goodbye, Columbus by Philip Roth
I had read American Pastoral three times and I was filled with so much respect and fear towards the book that it frightened me when it came to my own writing. Then one day it hit me that it wasn't the first thing he'd written, so I picked up Goodbye, Columbus. It's amazing to think of Roth, published at 26, and to see how much he grew by the time he wrote American Pastoral. The fact that you could have people just be extremely excited was a really calming, influential thing for me. It made me want to write.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
I connected so much with that character as a young girl. As I got older, I realized that the settings of books that I love most are always the spiritual description. I still come back to this book all the time because of the vulnerability (脆弱性) in there. Every time I write now I think about that feeling that you get from some books, that you've really been let into the most frightened and quiet corners of someone's soul.
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
I remember reading The Silence of the Lambs. There's nothing more terrifying than someone who is intelligent and dangerous. He even had that longing to eat humans, which was terrible, but the magic was that he'd then say these really insightful things. I wouldn't have written anything if I hadn't read the line, "We strongly want to have what we see every day," in my head. I loved the frightening insights into the possibilities of what's existing unseen around you.
As a child, Emily Blunt had a stutter (结巴) that made it difficult for her to even say her own name. "I started noticing it at 6 or 7," the London-born actress says. "My grandfather, my uncle and my cousin all stutter. It feels like you've got this pretender living in your body." After a teacher noticed her stutter disappeared whenever she would start to play energetically, he suggested she try performing for the school play. She found that the more she lost herself in characters, the less uncomfortably nervous she felt and the less she would stutter.
Now the star aims to help kids going through the same thing by working with the American Institute for Stuttering. "They understand that how these kids relate to their stutter is usually the issue," says Blunt. "You've got to fall in love with the fact that you've got a stutter to accept it. But it's not all of you. Everyone's got something－and this is just your thing."
Blunt's personal experience has inspired her to help girls everywhere, regardless of the trouble they may face. The A Quiet Place Part II and Jungle Cruise star also supports Malala Fund, created by Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai to break down the barriers preventing more than 130 million girls worldwide from receiving an education. "She's the most moving, impressive person I've ever met,” Blunt says. "What she says is true: When women are given more power in communities, those communities develop quickly and successfully. I want to support Malala until the day I die."
Giving back is a quality Blunt and husband John Krasinski also hope to pass on to their daughters Hazel, 6, and Violet, 3. "Empathy is highly thought of in our house," Blunt says. "We tell them all the time, 'Be brave, be kind.'"
The Great Barrier Reef has seen its third mass bleaching (大规模白化) event in five years. For the first time, all three sections of the Australian reef have been badly affected. The damage happened in February when the area was exposed to the hottest month of water temperatures on record.
Surveys conducted by Terry Hughes at James Cook University in Australia and his team during March made it known that 25 percent of the reef had been badly bleached and 35 percent bleached to some degree. The northern, central and southern sections of the reef were all hit.
Terrible bleaching also struck in 1998, 2002, 2016 and 2017, but was limited to one or two sections. This is the first time that all three sections have experienced terrible bleaching at exactly the same time, says Hughes. "It's heartbreaking."
Some of the damaged corals (珊瑚) will survive, including more heat-resistant (耐热的) species. But many others were probably "literally cooked" at the peak of the heatwave in early 2020, says Hughes. Others will die more slowly from stress over the next few months, he adds. Hughes has serious concern about the southern reef, which was mostly unaffected in former bleaching events and hasn't developed the same heat resistance as other parts.
The 2016 and 2017 events killed about half the coral on the reef. It usually takes a decade for even fast-growing corals to recover, meaning the latest damage will seriously weaken the reef's ability to recover, says Hughes. The high frequency of mass bleaching in recent years has been driven by climate change, which results from human activity and is steadily raising ocean temperatures. The only way to deal with the problem is to immediately reduce the release of greenhouse gases, says Hughes.
Getting back into a routine can be a challenge. If you ever wanted to understand how you could succeed in school, you're in luck. Here are some of the tips from the teachers to help you succeed in the next school year.
Use a calendar or chart (图表).
Hang a calendar on your refrigerator or somewhere else. This helps you remember things you need to do. You can also make a chart. Then, use colorful pens to circle or draw a line under your homework, reading tasks or other activities. By using a chart, you learn how to plan for your studies.
Visit the bookstore or library every few weeks to find a new book to read on your own. The more kids get excited about reading on their own, the more their self-confidence will rise. They'll also be better equipped to deal with challenging homework assignments.
Unplug for success.
Families should have a no electronics period when everyone turns off their devices (设备). It's amazing how you can reconnect with yourself and others when you're not distracted (分散注意力) by technology.
Stay current.
Take a current-events article and look at the history of the event in an attempt to better understand its importance.
A. Book is a treat.
B. Stay up-to-date on some events.
C. Do keep papers and notes organized.
D. We already went straight to the source.
E. This way, families can spend time together.
F. Communicate with the teenagers outside school.
G. Write down special tasks, activities and important dates on it.
I was 11. Standing outside in just my shorts, I watched the house rapidly 1 to the ground. A few minutes earlier I had been in bed when I heard a 2 from my grandma's bedroom where a fire had 3 Hearing her, my elder brother jumped into4 , quickly waking everyone in the house. Before we could do anything the fire5 it. We all just made it outside before flames had 6 every room. I watched 7and my mom cried. I stood there 8 while the fire burned my books, clothes and toys. I wondered what would happen to us since we had 9all of our things.
As I looked around, 10, I realized something for the first time: The things that 11aren't things. I saw my elder brother running to get12. I saw my eldest brother on walking sticks from an earlier13 standing unsteadily on one leg. I saw my grandparents give each other a 14 and my mom holding our little dog. I realized at that moment that we were all 15. Everything that was essential had 16the fire. Our lives would 17 without the “stuff” that was burning. I still think of that fire, which helped me to learn that the 18 we share is far more important than the things we 19.
Live your life then for the valuable things and let the “fire” inside of you make this world a 20 place. Let your soul shine bright.
参加了辩论赛之后，他建立了自信。
虽然衣衫褴褛，但他拥有大笔财富。
犯了如此大的错误，你务必解释清楚。
当我第一次看到珠穆朗玛峰时，我感到非常震撼.
任何危害国家安全的人都不能逍遥法外。
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时间 |
8月1-3日 |
|
主题 |
创建文明城市 |
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内容 |
劝导不文明行为、清扫公共场所等 |
|
你对参加本次活动的看法 |
…… |
注意：
1）词数 80 左右；
2）可以适当增加情节以使行文连贯。
参考词汇： 社会实践 social practice；文明的 civilized
Dear Chellie,
……
Yours,
Li Hua
Being a high school student is probably one of the hardest things in the world. From the countless classes to the endless homework, your school may seem stressful some days. So, it's understandable if you feel under pressure sometimes.
However, by making a few changes, your high school life could become easier. First, as starters, try to build a better relationship with the most important people in your life: your parents. "To succeed, teens need love, acceptance and support from their parents,” psychologist Sara Villanueva wrote on Psychology Today website. With this in mind, try to explain your difficulties to your parents. That way, they'll understand you better. To do this, simply talk to your parents and share your feelings with them and they may be able to help you. Having a good relationship with your teachers is important too. If you're finding a certain class too hard, talk to your teachers and ask them for help. It's teachers' job to make sure their students understand what they teach, so they'll be more than happy to help you.
And then, you also should start by helping yourself to become more successful at anything you do. To start with, set yourself some realistic goals, like "I'll improve my math grade by next semester," or "I'll join one more after-school club." And rather than just tell yourself these goals, plan them out carefully－and stick to them. You can get yourself a calendar, and mark every piece of school work you have on there, for example. That way, you can see exactly what you need to do and when you need to finish it by.
Another thing to remember, however, is that relaxation is just as important as working hard. "It is good to take time to relax during heavy periods of work to stay energized (精力充沛的) and focused," US student Anna Pohoryles wrote on university website Odyssey. So, if things get too difficult, taking a break may be the best solution of all.
