Fast food has become indicative of our thoughtless, throwaway society. Yes, it may taste good to some people, but the truth is, it is terrible for health. For those who live in a fast food fantasy world, eating it every day, believing that it is fast, convenient and inexpensive, it can be catastrophic (灾难性的).
Contrary to being cheap, fast food is very expensive on many levels. To start with, a homecooked nutritious meal will cost a lot less than any fast food meal and you will know exactly what ingredients are in your food.
However, the expense is not only in terms of the money you spend at the restaurant. There are hidden costs. Not only does it cost money to pay for the petrol to go and get this nutritionally poor food, but also it is very wasteful of paper, plastic and styrene (苯乙烯), all of which do serious damage to the environment: plastic and styrene cannot be got rid of, but break up into small particles (颗粒) and end up in our water supply or our air, and therefore in our food chain. It is a very serious circle.
Besides not being good for you, fast food is also addictive (上瘾的). The more you eat, the more you want, and so, more and more kids are suffering from fatness. Fast food restaurants have become a favorite hangout for teens, and not just for something to eat. If fast food was designed to be quick and easy, why do many of them have cafes, a Wi－Fi zone and an eatin restaurant? Those are not things a person in a hurry would use. The goal now is trying to attract customers to stay longer and thus spend more money. Their marketing is aimed at attracting kids because they are the ones who have money to spend and are customers of the future.
Fast food is dangerous to your health, hard on your wallet, addictive and harmful to the environment. Through the power of the media (媒体), children, teens and adults are attracted to "fit in and be cool", be part of the fast throwaway lifestyle it promotes. How to resist the hype (促销广告)? Just take a good look at the results on those who eat it. Then look at yourself.
Do you think the United Kingdom and the United States are alike? Winston Churchill once joked that the people of Britain and the people of America are separated only by their language. Do you think that is true? The British and the Americans both speak English as the official language. However, each uses some different words. We Americans are similar to the British. After all, our country was once owned by the UK, so we have a lot in common. But there are many differences between us.
The UK has a king or queen, and the leader of the government is the Prime Minister. The US has no kings or queens. Our leader is the President.
Both the British and Americans use pounds and ounces, pints, quarts, and gallons. Both use miles, yards, and feet. Our money is different, though. The British use pounds and pence. Americans use dollars and cents.
Driving in a car is very different in the UK. They drive on the left side of the road. We drive on the right. What we call the hood of the car, the British call the "bonnet". British cars run on "petrol", which we call gasoline.
In our everyday life, we do many of the same things as the British. But we describe them differently. A young mother here might push a baby in a baby carriage. A British mum pushes a "pram". The British watch "telly", while we watch TV. We like to eat French fries, but the British call them "chips". Millions of Americans drink coffee, but most British prefer tea.
So we are different in many ways. But we stay friendly anyway.
Ways to Create Calm in Your Daily Life
Most of us need some space for calm in our lives. A few simple minutes can create much needed moments of calm. You can use these skills to create calm in your busy schedule.
Go walking. Walking is perfect and you can do it well anywhere. Simply walking and taking in the view is stressreducing. It makes room for new ideas to take root. Appreciate nature. When we think of nature we think of getting out into the open air, and that's great if you can. Actually, natural is everywhere. Find a park or a small patch (小块地) of great green, or just stick your head out of the window! You have many ways to appreciate nature.
Listen to music. Many people listen to music to calm themselves down. Music actually lifts us out of ourselves. Discover what music works for you. .
Do some activities. Certain activities like yoga and tai chi need quiet focus. They are good for the body, mind and spirit. Classes are a good place to begin, but once you learn the skills, you can practice anywhere: home, school or even on the road.
Try out some of these ways and you'll soon be practicing "moments of calm".
A. But what if you are in the city?
B. Notice the animals around you.
C. They are perfect for active calming.
D. Music is a way to express the way that they are feeling.
E. It's a time to get stressful thoughts out of your head.
F. With enjoyable music even work can be "music to your ears".
G. You don't have to find a mountain to sit on, or empty your mind of all thoughts for hours.
I can still remember one of the first times someone changed my world. She was the music teacher at my elementary school and the1at our church. I had a strong feeling of love on her too and wanted to 2 her more than anything. I had no 3 at any instrument, however. My singing was quite 4 though I was enthusiastic. One day she let me try playing her guitar. I did my best 5 could only stumble (不流畅地演奏) along. When I was 6, I put my head down. "I guess I am not very 7," I told her. She looked at me with her kind eyes, 8, and said: "We are all good at something. You just need to 9 what you are good at. Then you can 10 it with the world."
Those simple words changed me. They 11a seed in my soul that continues to grow to this day. They made me 12 that I had something to give to others. I had something 13 me that was good and that could change this world for the better. I just had to find it, 14 it out and share it. And that is what I have tried to do all of the years since that 15 day.
Keeping a diary in English is one of the effective ways (improve) our English writing ability. Compared with other forms of writing, it is shorter and (take) less time. It can help us to develop the habit of thinking in English. If we keep practicing, gradually we'll learn how to express (we) in English. In keeping a diary in English, we (certain) run up against many (difficult). In the first place, often happens that we have trouble (find) suitable words and phrases to give expression to our mind. Secondly, there are many idiomatic ways of saying things in Chinese. And it is extremely hard for us to put them into English properly.
As far as I am concerned, my (suggest) is that we should always have a notebook and a ChineseEnglish dictionary within easy reach. Whenever something beats us, we can first put it down in our notebook and then look it up in our dictionary. We can also turn our English teacher for help, if necessary. In short, I believe that it is of great use to keep a diary in English for development of our writing skills.
On a bright, warm July afternoon, Mac Hollen, a primary school teacher, was cycling from his home to Alaska with his friends. One of his friends had stopped to make a bicycle repair, but they had encouraged Mac to carry on, and they would catch up with him soon. As Mac pedaled (骑行) along alone, he thought fondly of his wife and two young daughters at home. He hoped to show them this beautiful place someday.
Then Mac heard quick and loud breathing behind him. "Man, that's a big dog!" he thought. But when he looked to the side, he saw instantly that it wasn't a dog at all, but a wolf, quickly catching up with him.
Mac's heart jumped. He found out his can of bear spray. With one hand on the bars, he fired the spray at the wolf. A bright red cloud enveloped the animal, and to Mac's relief, it fell back, shaking its head. But a minute later, it was by his side again. Then it attacked the back of Mac's bike, tearing open his tent bag. He fired at the wolf a second time, and again, it fell back only to quickly restart the chase (追赶).
Mac was pedaling hard now. He waved and yelled at passing cars but was careful not to slow down. He saw a steep uphill climb before him. He knew that once he hit the hill, he'd be easy caught up and the wolf's teeth would be tearing into his flesh.
At this moment, Paul and Becky were driving their car on their way to Alaska. They didn't think much of it when they saw two cyclists repairing their bike on the side of the road. A bit later, they spotted what they, too, assumed was a dog running alongside a man on a bike. As they got closer, they realized that the dog was a wolf. Mac heard a large vehicle behind him. He pulled in front of it as the wolf was catching up fast, just a dozen yards away now.
注意：
1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2）至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1：
The car abruptly stopped in front of him.
Paragraph 2：
A few minutes later, the other two cyclists arrived.
