It was a summer evening almost 30 years ago.I was rocking my baby boy in my arms and when he fell asleep I put him1down into his crib for the night.My wife, 2 from a long day of work,was half napping（小睡）and half watching TV in the living room.Not caring for the 3 ,I poured myself a glass of iced tea in the kitchen,took a lawn（草坪）4off our porch（门廊）,and walked into the front yard to5the stars.
As soon as I stepped onto the6 ,I heard the sweet sound of 7 floated through the air.On the hill next to our house,the neighbor's children were8fireflies,hoping to catch one in a jar.I sat down in my chair and9 them for a while.They ran very fast,10 ,they couldn't seem to catch the slow moving lighting bugs. 11,exhausted they both sat down in the grass and12 watched the little guys flying through the air,blinking their lights on and off.I13my tea and joined them in their14It felt so good getting to see one of many miracles lighting up my front yard on a 15 night.It made me feel a part of something far greater than myself.
Over the years since then,I have appreciated and16all of the glorious light in this world.I have taken it into my heart and welcomed if into my soul.I have found it in nature,books,music,animals,prayer,and most of all in the lives of those around me.I have never tried to catch this17,however.I have learned that true light and true love must come from18 .It must flow freely between us and can't be19 in a jar.The next time you see some fireflies then,take a seat and enjoy their light.Let them remind you to shine your own light as well.Let them remind you that you,too,are one of20in this world.
Dutch masters exhibition in Beijing
The 17th century Dutch Golden Age had several significant artists and a range of great pieces produced during the period—including Jan Vermeer's Young Woman at Virginal, Jan Lievens' Boy in a Cape,and Turban and Rembrandt's Self-Portrait with Shaded Eyes.
Some of the most refined examples of the time,including the three pieces mentioned above,will make their debut（首次亮相）in China as part of a world tour of The Leiden Collection.
If you go:
9 a.m.-5 p.m.,June 17-Sept 3 (closed on Mondays).National Museum of China,I Wusi Avenue,Dongcheng district.010-6400-1476.
Ticket: 50 yuan ($7)
The Age of Mechanical Reproduction
The Age of Mechanical Reproduction,the latest exhibition at the Riverside Art Museum,features 41 artworks of US pop icon Andy Warhol,covering art installations,paintings and photographs.Warhol's well-known installation Electric Chair is a highlight of the show,which is also its debut in Asia.
If you go:
10 a.m.-5 p.m.,through August 28 (closed on Mondays).The Riverside Art Museum,Hongyan Road,Chaoyang district.010-5309-2062.
Ticket: 60 yuan
Back with a bang
Beijing-based hand Escape Plan will hold a concert in Beijing this weekend.The band is most famous for the song The Brightest Star in the Night Sky.
If you go:
7:30 p.m.,June 17.Beijing Worker's Gymnasium,Gongti Beilu,Chaoyang district.400-610-3721.
Ticket: 280-980 yuan
Purple clay teapots
Yixing purple clay potteries are a vital part of Chinese pottery culture and have been included in China's list of national intangible cultural heritage（国家非物质文化遗产）.A selection of more than 80 purple clay teapots will go on display at the Poly Art Museum starting Friday.The exhibit will include a range of delicate teapot works of Ji Yishun,Wang Xiaolong and Gao Lijun,who are all inheritors（继承人）the time-honored（历史悠久的）pottery handicraft.
If you go:
9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.(closed on Sundays),through June 30.Poly Art Museum,New Poly Plaza,1 Chaoyangmen North Street 9.010-6500-8117.
Ticket: 20 yuan
Sometimes your expectations don't survive.But you have to make it through.
After a lengthy visa application procedure,I left my father with our dog,jumped on a flight,and there I was in London.Since Europe is an aspiration in my country,I had imagined it as a place where things always worked perfectly.I was alone in dealing with all kinds of problems as they arose,that was alright and this is how I became my own "special person" during my Erasmus exchange.
The accommodation I could afford was far from the city.To make things worse,I was new to many things,and definitely an outsider.But it wasn't an exception to carelessness,I found out.My dorm was in a silent neighborhood. Little did I know that those calm streets would he visited by loud fire trucks...And because of me!
That morning,I closed the kitchen door after placing some bread in the toaster.I was still half asleep and looking for what to wear.For some reason,the automatic mechanism of the toaster to push the slices up didn't work. When I went back to the kitchen,it was full of thick white smoke.Coughing hard,I opened the windows,stepped outside the door for a breath,and then went in again to reach for the fire extinguisher（灭火器）.It was the first time I used one,and had to get out of the kitchen to be able to see how to unlock it.It was only then the fire alarm went off!I went in again and made sure I put off the fire.
Nothing was like how I planned.A few times I hung out in the school cafeteria,but couldn't make friends.I went to discover the city,alone.Independence wasn't something to be ashamed of after all.I wish I had made friends with people,but it turned out that I had to learn I wasn't in need of others' company to enjoy life.I tried to make the best of my time,thinking that being alone is a blessing too,just like being with friends is.My international experiences that followed definitely made me more social,but now I know that being alone is not a weakness,but a part of life to embrace.Just like our mistakes,carelessness or bad luck,I can say it was during my time in London that I learnt I was,despite everything,a strong and special person who can cope with（处理）anything that comes her way.
White-collar workers increasingly unhealthy
An increasing number of white-collar workers in Shanghai are getting failing grades on their physical examinations, according to a white paper on the health of white-collar workers in Shanghai.
Carried out by Shanghai Foreign Service Group,a human resources company,the report indicated that more than 53 percent of males are overweight,46 percent suffer from a fatty live and about 26 percent have elevated blood lipids（血脂）.However,females are more often diagnosed as having breast lesions（乳房病变）that could lead to cancer (85 percent),thyroid（甲状腺）disorder (34 percent) and hemorrhoids（痔疮）(23 percent).
Though the report also found that white-collar workers were paying increasing attention to their health—with about 84 percent saying they followed their condition closely or very closely—those with healthy lifestyles dropped to 64 percent last year from 77 percent in 2015.
The report came from about 500,000 physical exams taken by while-collar workers in Shanghai over the past five years.“I always eat and drink too much and never exercise,”said Wei Ruoxi,a 26-year-old working in finance who is struggling with being overweight.“I know what a healthy lifestyle looks like,but the job just brings too much pressure and squeezes out exercise time,”she added.Hu Xiaolong,30,an accountant in Shanghai,said he was determined to live healthily from now on.“My recent physical examination shows a little shadow in the lung,which startled me when I heard it.I really need to quit these habits like smoking and staying up late.”
The white paper also showed that more people are turning to commercial health insurance to cope with financial risks caused by health problems.The popularity of insurance purchases among the participants reached 15.3 percent last year,a rise of 4 percentage points in just one year.Most participants also expected their companies to help them with effective health management,such as offering membership cards for gyms,flexible working schedules and regular physical examinations.
Technology offers conveniences such as opening the garage door from your car or changing the television station without touching the TV.
Now one American company is offering its employees a new convenience: a microchip implanted in their hands. Employees who have these chips can do all kinds of things just by waving their hands.Three Square Market is offering to implant microchips in all of their employees for free.Each chip costs $300 and Three Square Market will pay for the chip.Employees can volunteer to have the chips implanted in their hands.About 50 out of 80 employees have chosen to do so.The president of the company,his wife and their children are also getting chips implanted in their hands.
The chip is about the size of a grain of rice.Implanting the chip only takes about a second and is said to hurt only very briefly.The chips go under the skin between the thumb and forefinger.With a chip in the hand,a person can enter the office building,buy food,sign into computers and more,simply by waving that hand near a scanner.The chips will he also used to identify employees.Employees who want convenience,but do not want to have a microchip implanted under their skin,can wear a wristband（腕带）or a ring with a chip instead.They can perform the same tasks with a wave of their hands as if they had an implanted chip.
Three Square Market is the first company in the United States to offer to implant chips in its employees.Epicenter,a company in Sweden,has been implanting chips in its employees for a while.
Three Square Market says the chip cannot track the employees.The company says scanners can read the chips only when they are within a few inches of them.“The chips protect against identity theft,similar to credit cards.”The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the chips back in 2004,so they should be safe for humans,according to the company.
In the future,people with the chips may be able to do more with them,even outside the office.Todd Westby is Chief Executive Officer of Three Square Market.He says,“Eventually,this technology will become standardized allowing you to use this as your passport,public transit,all purchasing opportunities,etc.”
Tips for making small talk
Some people are not good at small talk.Making small talk doesn't have to be either awkward or boring.
Have some conversation starters ready.
When you are sharing the same experience with someone,it's easy to start a conversation.If you are at a party and a song comes on that you like or that reminds you of something,you can talk about that.
Ask open-ended（开放式的）questions.
These types of questions require more thought and more than a simple one-word answer.If you ask questions that need more details to answer,the conversation will go on longer.If you are at a summer pool party,don't ask people if they like summer.
Become a student.
Nobody knows everything.So,as someone is answering one of your open-ended questions,they raise something about which you know nothing.So,tell them!They feel good about sharing their knowledge and you get to learn something.It's a win-win situation.
Some people do not like their jobs or maybe they don't want to talk about them.So,instead of asking,“What do you do for a living?”ask something like,“So,what have you been doing these days?”or “So,what have you been up to?”One general question can contribute to an opportunity to share something you have in common.Ask people about their families,their passions,their ambitions or even their fears.However,balance these questions with comments about yourself.Asking too many questions may make people feel they are in an interview rather man in a conversation.
A.Don't ask,“So,what do you do?”
B.This lets the other person become the teacher.
C.By doing do,you can show that you are a modest person.
D.Here are some tips to improve your small-talking ability.
E.Instead,ask them what they like or dislike about summer.
F.It can be a lot of fun if you practice doing it,again and again.
G.You simply notice and comment on what's going on around you.
During my first year in China,I spent the summer holidaymy family at the seaside in Beidaihe.The hotel we were staying in was near the sea,so we used to spend most of our time(swim).Now,my wife is from Switzerland and when she was at home,she bought me a watch aspresent.The watch she bought(be) waterproof（防水的）and I never took it off,even when I was having a bath.When I went swimming at Beidaihe,I didn't take my watch off either.On the last day of our holiday,I went swimming and(come) out of the sea without my watch.As I was leaving,the manager of the hotel said,“Leave your address and phone number so that we can send your watch to you if we can find it.”I did so but I wasn't very(hope).One week later,I got a phone call from the hotel.The man who(find) my watch was a PLA man.He picked it up when he was out(walk) on the beach one day and handed it in at the police station.After several(day),I got my watch back and it was still working.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
The other day,I was on my way back home from school while I found a lime boy crying on the road.I stopped and asked him what is the matter,and he told me he couldn't find his mom.Luckily,he remembered his mother's telephone number.So I called him immediately.Ten minute later,the boy saw his mom and became exciting.His mom was so much thankful that she wanted to buy me a small gift,and I refused.At that time,I felt quite happily because I did something really good.
To my opinion,the world needs love and we should be willing to help others without expecting any repay.If we wanted repay,as matter of fact,a “thank-you” is enough.
注意：1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；3.邮件的开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Jack,
I hope everything is going on well with you.
Looking forward to your early reply.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
