As the hot tears rolled down her face, I knew I had asked the wrong question. The words reverberated (回响) in my mind: Widowed or divorced?
"Well, you could call me widowed," she replied. "My husband died five months ago today."
"I'm so sorry," I said. "I needed it to fill out your credit application."
"Don't worry about it, honey," she said. "If I never thought about it, I would not remember the love and the memories we shared. Even after 50 years of marriage, each passing moment would bring a deeper meaning to the word 'love'."
I began to deal with her credit application, words hung in the air. My mind was not focused on the task, and I was unsuccessful in my first few attempts. After I finally completed it, she continued in a heart-to-heart. I couldn't believe someone could open up to a perfect stranger.
"Have you ever been married?" she asked.
I couldn't help but laugh. I hadn't even thought about getting married. Besides, I looked nothing like a married woman.
"Ah, no," I replied. "I'm only 16."
"Sixteen?" she murmured (嘟囔)."That's a great age, an age of lessons. There's so much worth learning."
She then spoke in a whisper, sharing the one lesson that I will carry with me the rest of my life. "Never, ever take anyone for granted. If you are in love with someone, let it be known as often as you feel it. Otherwise, life may pass you by. Don't spend your life angry. The ridiculous arguments you think are important won't even be remembered in a short time."
I have never seen that woman again, but her words of inspiration still live in me.
A monk lived with his brother, a one-eyed idiot(a very stupid person).One day ,when the monk was scheduled to have an interview with a famous theologian(a scientist who studies religions) who had come from far away to meet him, he needed to take care of some matters and would therefore be absent when the theologian arrived. He told his brother: "Receive this scholar and treat him well！Don't say a word to him，and everything will be OK."
The monk left the temple. Upon returning, he went to meet his guest.
"Did my brother receive you properly?" asked the monk.
"You brother is outstanding. He's a great theologian!" exclaimed the theologian with great enthusiasm.
"What do you mean? My brother—a theologian?" stuttered(结巴地说)the surprised monk.
"We had a passionate conversation," replied the scholar." We communicated professionally by means of gestures. I showed him one finger and he replied by showing me two. Logically, I answered with three fingers and then he astonished me by raising a closed fist, ending the debate. With one finger, I implied the unity of Buddha. With two fingers, he expanded my point of view by reminding me that Buddha was inseparable from his theory. Delighted by the reply, with three fingers I expressed: Buddha and his theory in the world. Then he suggested a wonderful response, showing me his fist: Buddha, his theory and the world, all together as one whole. "
A little later, the monk went to look for his one-eyed brother.
"So how did it go earlier with the theologian?" he asked.
"Very simple," said the brother. "He made fun of me; he show me one finger emphasizing that I have but one eye. Not wanting to fall into the conflict, I showed that he was fortunate enough to have two eyes. Critically, he continued, 'Be that as it may, between us, we have three eyes.' That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Showing him a closed fist, I threatened to lay him out right then and there if he didn't stop his insulting challenges."
Ongoing conflicts across the Middle East have prevented more than 13 million children from attending school, according to a report published by UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund.
The report states that 40% of all children across the region are currently not receiving an education, which is a result of two consequences of violence: structural damage to schools and the displacement (转移) of populations, also called “forced migration.” Both issues result from the violence that has crossed the region in recent years. The report examines nine countries where a state of war has become the ordinary state. Across these countries, violence has made 8,500 schools unusable. In certain cases, communities have relied on school buildings to function as shelters for the displaced, with up to nine families living in a single classroom in former schools across Iraq.
The report pays particularly close attention to Syria, where a bloody civil war has displaced at least nine million people since the war began in 2011. With the crisis (危机) now in its fifth year, basic public services, including education, inside Syria have been stretched (竭尽所能) to breaking point. Within the country, the quality and availability of education depends on whether a particular region is suffering violence.
The report concludes with an earnest request to international policymakers to offer money and other resources to help ease the regional crisis. With more than 13 million children already driven from classrooms by conflict, the educational future of a generation of children are in the balance. This is destroying the future for an entire region.
Ever walked to the shops only to find, once there, you've completely forgotten what you went for? Or struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years we've accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of ageing as wrinkles and grey hair. But now a new book suggests that we've got it all wrong.
According to The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain, by science writer Barbara Strauch, when it comes to the important things, our brains actually get better with age. In fact, she argues that some studies have found that our brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s— much later than previously thought.
Furthermore, rather than losing many brain cells as we age, we retain （保留）them, and even produce new ones well into middle age. For years it's been assumed that brain, much like the body, declines with age. But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise.
This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every seven years. It has found that on average, participants performed better on cognitive （认知的）tests in their 40s and 50s than they had done in their 20s. Specifically, older people did better on tests of vocabulary, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving.
Where they performed less well was number ability and perceptual speed－how fast you can push a button when ordered. However, with more complex tasks such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond. In short, researchers are now coming up with scientific proof that we do get wiser with age.
Neuroscientists are also finding that we are happier with ageing. A recent US study found older people were much better at controlling and balancing their emotions. It is thought that when we're younger we need to focus more on the negative aspects of life in order to learn about the possible dangers in the world, but as we get older we've learned our lessons and are sub-consciously aware that we have less time left in life: therefore, it becomes more important for us to be happy.
How to Survive and Thrive
Here are some tips to help you learn not only to survive, but to thrive (成长) and grow in a chaotic world.
Try to build on strengths rather than focus on limitations. Maybe you'll become an auto mechanic (技工), or maybe you'll make good use of your ability to classify detailed information to build a career as a biologist or druggist.
Realize that few mistakes are disastrous. Did you fail a course? Most of us can't avoid an occasional failure, but we can learn bounce-back attitudes through failures.
Cecilia, a shy twelve-year-old, became livelier when she won the lead in a school play. “We want you to improve your grades, but not spend time on plays!” said her worried mother. To everyone's surprise, Cecilia's grades improved. Most importantly, no matter what happens, Cecilia can return to that feeling of success whenever she gets discouraged.
Getting into a top university — or any university — will not guarantee success. I've met people from top universities who have experienced unemployment and even homelessness. Career-changers who face the future with an attitude of “I can handle anything” are the ones who win today. While in difficulties, they keep up their spirits till they figure out what to do next.
A. Have no idea about your future plan?
B. Face rejection from a first-choice college?
C. Life is hard at the moment, but we're surviving.
D. Try to experience success in any area of your life.
E. I've met high school drop-outs who became very successful.
F. Do you spend hours studying models of cars for the last twenty years?
G. And she made new friends with the "good kids" who were also achievers.
When I first entered university, my aunt, who is an English professor, gave me a new English dictionary. I was 1 to see that it was an English-English dictionary, also known as a monolingual (只用一种语言的) dictionary. 2 it was a dictionary intended for non-native learners, none of my classmates had one 3, to be honest, I found it extremely 4 to use at first. I would look up words in the dictionary and5 not fully understand the meanings. I was used to the 6 bilingual dictionaries, in which the words are 7 both in English and Chinese. I really wondered why my aunt gave me such 8 to make things so difficult for me. Now, after studying English at university for three years, I 9 that monolingual dictionaries are 10in learning a foreign language.
As I found out, there is, 11, often no perfect equivalence (对应) between two 12 in two languages. My aunt even goes so far as to 13 that a Chinese “equivalent” can never give you the 14 meaning of a word in English! 15 she insisted that I read the definition (释义) of a word in a monolingual dictionary when I wanted to get a better 16 of its meaning. 17, I have come to see what she meant.
Using a monolingual dictionary for learners has helped me in another important way. This dictionary uses a(n) 18 number of words, around 2,000, in its definitions. When I read these definitions, I am19 exposed to the basic words and learn how they are used to explain objects and ideas. 20 this, I can express myself more easily in English.
Moving silently through Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's "FlyZoo" hotel, black disc-shaped robots about a metre in height deliver food and drop off fresh towels.
The robots are part of a set of high-tech tools that Alibaba (say) extremely cuts the hotel's cost of human labour and removes the need for guests to interact other people.
Inside the hotel, softly-lit white panelled walls bring to mind insides of Hollywood spaceships. Guests check in at reception desks that scan (they) faces, as well as passports or other ID. (visit) with a Chinese national ID can scan their faces using their smartphones to check in ahead of time.
At the hotel's restaurant, taller capsule-shaped robots deliver food that guests (order) via the FlyZoo app while at a separate bar, a large robotic arm can mix more than 20 different types of cocktails. Facial recognition cameras add charges to the room rate (automatic).
The hotel does employ humans, Alibaba refused to tell how many. This includes chefs and cleaners as well as reception staff, will assist with conventional check-in procedures for guests unwilling to have their faces (scan) and want to use electronic key cards.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下面划一横线，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。
My son and I went to the cafe this morning. I order a cup of nice coffee and a cake. And I bought to my son a cup of hot milk. My son soon started a conversation to a man sitting next to us. I was very surprising because he was not real outgoing. After the man left, I asked my son when he talked with that man. My son said, “He looked lonely, and I wanted make him feel a little better.” After hear what he said, I was very proud of her at that moment.
