One of the biggest challenges (face) students today is how to concentrate on studies. Almost all of them are struggling for their concentration power. In an age mobile phones and Internet are eating up most of our time and energy, one can understand how different it is to focus attention and energy on studies.
One of the most important (factor) for developing concentration on a task, whether it is study or anything else, (be) to develop an interest in that task. We are able to focus (easy) and more long periods of time on tasks that we find more interesting. If you ever want to concentrate on anything and studies are no (except), you need (ensure) that the environmental around you is distraction (注意力分散) free. So the question is not how to concentrate on studies how to avoid distractions that have swallowed up mankind today. The only way to guarantee distraction free environment is by getting rid of all the unnecessary things around you, (include) the electronic gadgets (小器具) like mobile phones.
"This Friday we'll have the yearly Egg Drop Challenge," said our science teacher, Mr baker. "You can work alone or with a partner."
My friend, Cassie, and I smiled at each other. We always worked on projects 1.
The goal of the challenge was simple—to build a protective container to keep an egg from breaking when 2 the stadium wall.
I made my sandwich that afternoon while waiting for Cassie. 3 the butter-cream gave me an idea.
"I have a brilliant design for our 4 container!" I said when Cassie arrived. "We can protect the egg with some butter-cream."
"Why not put the egg in a basket with a parachute (降落伞) 5?" Cassie rolled her eyes. "The parachute is better than that stupid idea."
I couldn't believe it. Of course, we'd had our little 6 in the past, but she'd never called any of my ideas "7" before.
"Then I'll build mine and you build yours!"
8 words had been out, our friendship was challenged.
When Friday finally arrived, I had to 9 Cassie's Egg Force One looked pretty good. Anyway, my Egg-cellent Egg Cream didn't look quite scientific. We kids carried our containers up three stadium steps and dropped them over the side wall. Those whose eggs broke were out; those whose eggs survived 10 three more steps and dropped them again. This would go on till the last egg broke.
After four rounds, only Cassie and I were 11. I let go of my box. I heard someone say "ew" after seconds. Had my egg broken? I raced down the 12. The side walk was dotted with egg shells from those 13 drops. Finally I found my little Egg-cellent Egg Cream.
"That looks like egg drop soup, Laura," Cassie said. She was holding her Egg Force One. My heart raced. Had she won? I looked at her basket. Empty.
"My egg bounced (弹起) 14."she explained, pointing to a broken shell.
"A tie," Mr Baker said.
Cassie looked at me, and her glare 15. I laughed. She smiled.
On April 14th, 2010, my entire life changed in an instant. One moment I was joyfully riding through the sunshine. The next moment, metal, flesh and bones were spreading against the pavement in a thunderous crash. Another cyclist, biking carelessly, had cut me off and sent me supermanning toward oncoming traffic.
As if to symbolize the accident that had hit my life, another disaster also occurred on April 14th, 2010. It cost the airline industry $1. 7 billion. Ten million travellers were stuck for days. Economics all over the world were disturbed. This was the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull, one of Iceland's many volcanoes.
However, volcanoes are not all bad. In fact, they are necessary. They are responsible for the birth of new earth, and for the creation of rich soil. This eruption gave off 0. 15 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere daily. But cancelling 48% of the world's flight travel saved about 2. 8 million tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, temporarily decreasing our carbon footprint.
Similarly, the accident had badly affected my emotion but it also allowed me to look more closely inside myself and discover things about myself I would never have realized. I learned how not to judge myself for my new limitations.
In 1973, another Icelandic volcano, Eldfell, broke out. Icelanders decided to bomb it with cold water until it froze and chose a different path. After their plan worked, they used the geothermal (地热的) energy for the next 15 years to heat their homes. A good example of life bringing lemons, and making lemonade! One must move on from misfortunes, focusing only on the present moment and being hopeful for the future.
I ran from April 14th, 2010, to every kind of escape. Eventually I ended up in university for a new-found love for Earth sciences.
Many countries have traditional dishes, made with special ingredients and prepared in a certain way. , and when tourists visit, these are the foods they want to try. But why are some foods more popular than others in certain areas?
Traditional ingredients
Typical recipes (菜谱) are usually made with native plant and animal products. For example, Korean dishes often include rice and soybeans because both plants are native to East Asia and grow well in hot, wet areas. In contrast, wheat grows well in drier areas, like the Middle East, where bread is a common staple (主要的) food. , whereas inland cuisines tend to use more meat from farm animals.
Food preservation
Local cuisines often depend on how people traditionally prepared food for storage. In warm weather, meat and fish can go off quickly, so they must be cooked right away or preserved for later. . For that reason, modern Norwegian cuisine includes many smoked foods.
Cooking techniques
. In China, people often fry food in a deep metal pan or steam it in a basket over hot water. In Morocco, people cook traditional dishes in a special pot called a tajine, while in parts of India, people use a large oven, called a tandoor. And some local dishes aren't cooked at all.
Imported (进口的) ingredients
Sometimes local cuisines include ingredients that originally came from another place. , while many Russian dishes are made with potatoes. However, all of these ingredients were brought to Europe from South America in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. But now they are common around the world.
A. Seafood is often a key ingredient in coastal areas
B. There is a danger that local food traditions will be lost
C. Many different cooking techniques are used around the world
D. For example, Italian dishes often include tomatoes and peppers
E. Nowadays, we can buy food products from all around the world
F. These local dishes can become symbols of a place and its culture
G. In Norway, the Vikings used to “cure” meat and fish by smoking them over a fire
