America's Most Beautiful Places to Visit in Spring
Washington, D. C.
Every spring, Washington, D. C. is blanketed in pink with cherry blossoms. To celebrate the event, come to the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which takes place from the last week in March to the second week in April. You can view the flowers or take part in festival events.
Charleston, South Carolina
No list of beautiful spring cities would be complete without mention of Charleston, South Carolina. Delight in hanging plants, cobblestone streets, and historical castles. And because of yearround pleasant temperatures, you might even hit a beach day in March or April.
North Cascades National Park, Washington
The North Cascades is home to everything from mountains to forests to grassland, and the scenery changes seasonally. In spring—the snow disappears to bring strong waterfalls, and wildflowers spot the land. Different areas will present totally unique plants, so give yourself a few days to take in the sights.
Central Park, New York
New York is the city that never sleeps, no matter what the season, but springtime is the best time to take a walk through Central Park. It is one of the most filmed locations in the world. A spring time promises walks past Victorian houses, a brief visit to ancient shops, and of course long walks by the lake.
When high school student Katie Shipley was born with a serious brain disease, doctors said she wouldn't live to go to school.
Now, Katie is not only about to graduate from Southridge High School in Oregon, but she was also named the school's prom (高中毕业舞会) queen.
Knowing Katie's wishes for prom queen, her friend Courtney Travis began reaching out to find her the prom king she needed to make her a queen. Courtney found Michael Parks, who also thought it was a great idea.
"I really got to know Shipley," said Michael. "When you take the time to get to know other people, it really gives you a great chance to live for more than yourself."
Courtney took a picture of the couple together and put it on her Twitter, explaining their plans for the prom. "It became very popular in the school," she said.
Their efforts paid off, and Katie was very excited to be named prom queen.
On the day of the prom, Katie wore a very beautiful dress. Her grandmother, Joan Fraley, who also went to the prom, said the night will stay with her always.
"I was standing there and the children were shouting her name," she said. "They called her name as the new prom queen—I started crying. I'm greatly thankful to the students of Southridge High School. "
Katie repeated that feeling.
"I just want to say thank you to my friends for all they did for me. I love you all."
Todd Corsetti, the principal (校长) at Southridge High School said that seeing Katie as prom queen and the energy and help of his students is one of his "proudest moments. "
"I think teenagers have great hearts and are really looking to make the world a better place," Todd said. "As we finish our school year, it's a great legacy (遗产) to leave the other classes who come after them. "
One of the most important things in the world is friendship. In order to have friends, you have to be a friend. But how can you be a good friend at school?
Listen—Listen when they are talking. Don't say anything unless they ask you a question. Sometimes it's not necessary for you to have anything to say, they just need someone to talk to about their feelings.
Help them—If your friend is ever in need of something, be there to help them. You should try to put them first, but make sure you don't do everything they want you to do. Try to take an extra (额外的) pencil or pen with you to classes in case (以防) they forget one. Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need.
Be there for them—Try to make something for your friend to help make them feel better in hard times. Making cards and encouraging them are among the nicest things you can do for a friend. Marilyn Monroe, a famous US actor, once said, "I often make mistakes. Sometimes I am out of control. But if you can't stay with me at my worst, you are sure not to deserve (值得) to be with me at my best." Always remember this! If you don't want to stay with your friends when they're in hard times, then you don't deserve to be with them when they're having a good time!
Make plans—Try to make plans with your friends. Go shopping, go for ice cream, have a party, go to a movie and so on. Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy. By planning things together, you both can have a good time. And you'll remember these things when you're all old!
A famous education expert performed an experiment. Three teachers were told they had been selected for a special program because they were the best teachers in the education system in their city. They were asked to teach 90 highIQ students at their own pace in another city and see how much they could learn in a year.
The result was excellent as they expected. The specially selected students achieved 20 to 30 percent more than the other students in grades in the city a year later. The teachers were surprised when they told that the 90 students were not highIQ students, but were actually randomly(任意地) selected out of the common students. Of course, the teachers were feeling pretty good about themselves because they were getting such great results from average students. Then they were told that they were not the best teachers, and what they were told at first was pulled out of the hat.
Above average results were achieved by average students who were taught by average teachers. How? These teachers were operating from the mindset(心态)of As If. They taught as if they were the best teachers and teaching students who were highly able or gifted. Therefore, they got unexpected results. The mind is powerful and it doesn't know the difference between what is real and what is imagined. The teachers believed what they were told so they acted upon that belief. The results were the same as if what they believed was fact.
What results do you want in your life? Go ahead. Live as if you are already in that professional job by playing and acting the part. Live as if you are at the weight you want by making healthy food choices and behaving in a confident manner. Live as if you are financially sound by saving and spending wisely. Our thoughts decide our actions. Think in the mindset of As If and you will achieve success sooner or later.
In life, everyone wants to have friends who he or she can trust forever. It is scary because in most cases you have to get out of your comfort zone and put yourself out there.
However, once the strangeness becomes a thought of the past, it becomes much easier to talk to potential new friends. Get over the shyness of meeting new people and be yourself. Start out with a simple conversation like "Hello, I like your coat" or a discussion about the weather. Those icebreakers will give you the time to feel comfortable and help you open the floor for future conversations.
It can be attending a book club or maybe just enjoying a cup of coffee. Making new friendships means learning about someone and sharing stories about each other's life. Think of your new friendship as a plant. In order to grow, you have to water it and provide it with sunlight. If you want to make new friends, you have to be willing to make the effort. Keep in mind that some people are more outing than others and it's okay to be reserved(矜持). But it's necessary to make use of opportunities to develop your newlyfound friendship.
One thing to be cautious about, when you meet new people, is to be always genuine(真诚的). If you don't like fishing or running, then don't pretend that you do just so someone will be friends with you. Find people that share common interests and goals and build your friendship. Then you'll find it's much easier to keep friendships.
A. Friendships are quite similar.
B. Friendships are great support systems.
C. In most cases, you are your biggest road block.
D. Be true to yourself and don't be someone that you are not.
E. However, making new friends is much easier said than done.
F. Building new friendships means spending quality time together.
G. Then find a common ground and build your friendship around that.
If failure is like a day without the sunshine, I'll still smile at it, as clouds may be dancing in the sky. Success does not 1 every person, just like the sun doesn't shine every day.
Do you give up your plan to go hiking just because the weather isn't as good as you had hoped? No, of course not. I would rather go on trying no matter what I 2 and enjoy on the way to my destination. Actually, failure is like a naughty boy who plays with us on the way to our goals. Not only does he want to 3 us, but he wants to help us become braver. The more we 4, the braver we'll be.
If failure is the 5 without the moon, I'll still smile at it, as stars may twinkle on us still. Of course, we all like the moon, but should we ignore the stars? There is always something more important than 6. In other words, we shouldn't only focus on whether we succeed or fail. In fact, we learn a lot from failure. It is really helpful. The more we learn from failure, the 7 we'll be.
If failure is a bird without 8, I'll still smile at it. Flying isn't the only thing a bird can do. If we can't be 9 by the wide blue sky, why don't we 10 adapting ourselves to the forest through our beautiful singing? Failure 11 us that we should believe in ourselves. We may fail in one area, but we may 12 in another. Maybe we'll find that we have a talent for something we never knew about before. Who knows?
Life is like a box of chocolates, and you 13 know what you're going to get. Just keep on trying. The process of trying is much more valuable than the 14.
Smile at 15 and smile at life.
My wife and I like watching plays, so we will go to the theater whenever we have time. But before we buy tickets, we would like to know if the play is good or bad. When a new play comes, we (usual) read the newspaper to get information about it. Last week a new play was put on at the theater. The newspaper said it was very (interest) so we decided to go on Saturday night. My wife took a long time to make her (decide) about what to wear and we left our house a little late. the time we got to the theater, the first act had already (begin). After the play was over, we met some friends, lived next to us several years ago. Then we went dancing. By the time we got home, it was about two o'clock in the morning. I'm not used to (stay) out so late and I was (extreme) tired.
When I was younger, I did not have the money to go out for evening like this. Though I can afford it now, I don't have the energy(enjoy) it.
About ten years ago, my wife and I left home and took a trip to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. I didn't like to carry all my keys in my pocket during a long walk so I took off the car key and left the rest in the car. We came back, and I put the key somewhere in the car without tying it to the key ring. We made a fire and went to sleep in the back of the SUV.
The next morning, we were cleaning up our campsite when I saw a magpie (喜鹊) inside my car. It was the only time I had ever seen a bird of any kind inside the car. I walked over, and it flew away. When we got in the car to go home, I couldn't find the key. We searched and searched, even emptying out the car completely, but it was gone.
Then it hit me. The magpie must have taken it. After all, they were known for stealing shiny things to make their nests nicelooking. Keys were shiny. The magpie was the stealer! It made perfect sense to me. So, I set out in search of its nest.
The next problem：As everyone knows, the Grand Canyon is quite large. So I didn't like my chances of actually finding a certain nest belonging to a certain magpie in a certain tree in all that space. But what other choice did I have?
My wife was not encouraging. She said, "Are you crazy? You'll never find it! The Grand Canyon is the biggest hole on Earth!"
I didn't say a word and marched purposefully onward. I tried hard with hope as I searched dozens of trees and tracked every singing bird. Two hours later, I finally gave up and returned to the car only to find my wife relaxing in a chair, drinking a hot cocoa and wondering why she married me. The next challenge was making out how to get a new key made.
Paragraph 1：
Luckily, another family came through the campsite.
Paragraph 2：
I didn't know who put it there－maybe I or maybe my wife
