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at the moment, look forward to, adapt to, come up with, as a result, be cut off from, make a living |
Snowbirds are people who leave their homes when the temperature drops and head to warmer climates. They are mostly retirees (退休人员) and business owners who can afford to take the winter off. While it is snowing in the Northern states, they are enjoying golf, sailing and barbecues in mild temperatures in the South. Then, after winter passes, they return to their homes in the North.
Most snowbirds are away from Canada and the Northern states between the middle of October and the end of November. They pack up and head to Florida, Alabama, Texas, California, and all of the other Southern states. Some may even go as far as Australia or Italy to escape the cold winter weather. There are special communities for snowbirds in many areas. Snowbirds are also offered special discounts in some restaurants, hotels and area attractions. Several states even have special snowbird resorts (度假胜地). There are several online communities and local resources to help snowbirds get set in their seasonal homes.
Some snowbirds own homes both in the South and in the North. Both homes have everything they will need for their stay, minimizing the amount of packing necessary when moving from one to the other. Other snowbirds will rent apartments for their stay outside their home state.
RVs (房车) are a huge part of the snowbird lifestyle. RVs allow snowbirds to move from place to place on a whim (奇想), bringing everything they need with them. They spend nights in RV parks, large parking lots or anywhere else they choose to stay. RVs have beds, bathrooms, and most other modern conveniences at home. Although the space is small, there is more than enough room for a couple to live in.
My husband and I used to live in the city, but we often faced a lot of problems there. There was a lot of latenight noise. It was difficult to find parking. And the rent of the apartment was high. Finally, my husband and I decided to move to the suburbs (郊区) outside Boston.
We started looking for our new home. It turned out that many other people were also moving to the suburbs and it wasn't easy to find a nice house there. Finally, we went to see a small and dark house. It needed a lot of work. But it was well built and it was on a street where we could walk to Starbucks, restaurants and bus stops. Well, before I knew it, we had made an offer and the house became ours.
On our first night in the house I cried for five hours. I thought we had made the wrong choice and I wanted to go back to the city. The house was smelly and old. And many families and old people lived around it. But after thinking of the problems we had when we were living in the city, I calmed down. Besides, our new home wasn't that bad, after all. I had a driveway of my own. There were three big bedrooms and a backyard for my dog. Oh, how lovely the sound of_nothing was. I changed the house inch by inch and it became a very comfortable home.
We have been in our house for over two years until now and it's the best move we have ever made. While I'm glad I can drive into the city in 15 minutes and enjoy all it has offered, I'm always happy to return home.
As the saying goes, "One good turn deserves another." Liz's life was changed forever over the course of that year. It all started with a single act of kindness towards two strangers who walked into her diner (小餐馆) early one morning.
After they fought a horrible fire for 12 hours, Tim and Paul stepped into the 130 Diner for breakfast. When the time came to pay the bill though, there was a surprise for them. The young waitress who had served them had overheard their conversations and paid their bill, leaving a sweet message on their check instead, "Your meal is on me today. Thank you for serving others and running into the places everyone runs away from."
Touched, the two firefighters shared her kind deed on social media where it quickly went viral. And that was when they found out the true story of the beautiful waitress who had paid for them. Liz Woodward had been struggling to make ends meet for the last few years after her father suffered a brain disease that left him paraplegic (瘫痪的). Determined to help the woman who had showed such kindness even if she was suffering, they set up a campaign to raise $10,000 for a wheelchairaccessible car for her father. The donations, however, did not stop pouring in when the campaign ended. Having heard of her kind deed, Mobility Ventures, which made the wheelchairaccessible car, refused to take the money and gave the family one for free as a Christmas gift.
Liz couldn't be too grateful to the two firefighters and many strangers who have reached out to help her, saying, "The kindness and generosity the campaign supporters and Mobility Ventures have shown is really incredible, and I hope it brings hope to others in similar situations, and inspires people to help those in need in any way possible."
As we all know, friendship is of great importance in our daily life. A friend can give us help and share our difficulties and happiness. But how to make friends is still difficult for some of us.
Be friendly to others. You should try to make a stranger feel at home wherever he happens to be. Think more of others than of yourself and never judge a person by his appearance and clothes.
Be reliable. If you and your friends agree to meet somewhere, don't be late. If you're not going to make it on time or make it at all, call them as soon as you realize it. Be someone that people know they can depend on.
Listen carefully to what people say, remember important details about them (their names, their likes and dislikes), ask questions about their interests, and just take time to learn more about them.
Encourage and support your friends: A true friend always gives encouragement to his friends. Never make fun of or laugh at your friends in front of others. Never leave your friends when they are in trouble. You should come to support them.
A. Be a good listener.
B. A friend to all is a friend to none.
C. When you say you'll do something, do it.
D. He will stay with them in good as well as bad times.
E. The following information can give you some tips.
F. Smile at others and you are sure to get a smile in return.
G. A true friend should always share the same interest with you.
Cities are (excite) and wonderful places to live. I have always enjoyed (live) in them, as there is so much (do) and see. There are museums, cinemas, theatres, art galleries, parks, clubs and many other places where people can meet and exchange (idea). But there are times I need the peace and quiet of the countryside. Cities are (interest), and they can be beautiful, they are never beautiful in the way that the countryside is. By this I mean that they do not have the (beautiful) of nature, trees and hills, lakes and streams. I love cities, but sometimes I need to get out into the countryside. I think that there (be) many people who feel same way.
The influence of America is increasing in Spain. Spanish people drink CocaCola, wear blue jeans, watch Hollywood movies, listen to American music, and eat fast food, and they do all these things daily.
I think that American movies are a good way to spread American culture because often people are influenced by what they see in the movies. Most of the entertainment programs and documentaries we watch on TV are from America, and most of the movies we go to are made in Hollywood.
In the last few years, the government has tried to protect the Spanish movies. Now, in our cinemas, at least twenty percent of the movies which are shown must be from Spain or from a country of the European Union.
American culture is very much a part of Spanish life. It's certain that many things from America are as much a part of their lives as Spanish things. For example, CocaCola is as familiar to everybody as any typical Spanish product. I've known CocaCola my whole life.
However, it's different with Western fast food. For example, I don't think McDonald's is as successful in Spain as it is in other countries. In my opinion, one of the reasons may be the lifestyle of the Spanish people. The Spanish people normally eat at home.
It may be that McDonald's hamburgers will eventually replace the famous Spanish tapas because in every city in Spain you can find a McDonald's, and they are more popular among the Spanish children than among the adults. In any case, it's obvious that American culture is more and more a part of our everyday life.
