It started 30 years ago with a squirrel. A few months after I had moved into a downtown1 my next-door neighbor, Nicole Figaro, knocked, asking for help with a squirrel that had gotten into her flat.
I frightened the unexpected 2 away and made a new friend. Soon Nicole was inviting me over for dinner or3home-made food at my door. When I went to my beach house, Nicole helped4my mail and water my plants. And when she traveled as a flight attendant, I did the same for her. Wherever she went, she'd5to bring me wonderful gifts, but her smile has been the greatest of all.
In 1997, I had a lovely child and it was Nicole who took care of me and him. Years later, I returned the favour. I helped out when her husband was sick, 6 her and giving her support. More and more, we drew inspiration from each other.
7, the pandemic hit. My husband was out of work and my son couldn't be back to Britain because of the virus. I was 8 about them. Nicole helped my family to prepare for the pandemic and shared necessities with me. Without her, I couldn't go through9times.
A10might separate our flats and masks can separate the viruses, but nothing is able to separate our hearts.
Shashiyu was once a poor village in Hebei Province, but now it has changed into a rich and livable place.
In the 1940s, villagers in Shashiyu had little food and few clothes, but they had a strong wish for a better life. Zhang Guishun, the Party secretary of Shashiyu, encouraged his villagers to do their best to pull themselves out of poverty. "In the ancient Chinese story, Yu Gong could move mountains with his strong will and hard work, why can't we? Nobody was born to be poor?" Hearing his words, the villagers decided to make a difference.
Led by the Communist Party of China (中国共产党), the villagers carried water and soil to their village from faraway places to improve their land. From 1966 to. 1971, they reclaimed (开垦) lots of land and greatly improved their life.
However, the village encountered a new problem two decades later as the environment became heavily polluted by chemical plants and mine refineries built in 1990s.
The polluting factories were shut down in 2004, and villagers started grape cultivation, which soon became a main industry in Shashiyu.
In 2009, the city-level government invested over 1 million yuan($152, 723) to change the village's exhibition hall into a museum in memory of development efforts made by earlier generations.
After 10 years, the village was called "National Forest Village".
Zhang said that the village started a yearly tourism festival in 2015 to attract travelers to pick grapes. "The grapes could be sold at a better price once Shashiyu becomes famous through this festival. Our villagers can then live even better lives, "he said.
When I was a girl growing up, I cannot once ever remember either my mum or my grandma wasting food.
Anything we didn't eat at one meal was leftovers (剩菜). I can remember my grandma making a huge pot of potatoes. We would all eat until we were full enough, but there were always about half of the potatoes leftover. A few days later, Grandma would take those potatoes out of the fridge, boil some noodles, add some vegetables and mix them all together. And I also remember when I watched my mum fry bacon (煎培根) for us in the mornings, she would always take the oil carefully and pour it into a bottle. Then she would use it later to add flavor to so many other dishes. I was an adult before I realized that potatoes didn't actually taste like bacon!
I learned their lessons well, and after I grew up, I tried to never waste food myself. I always planned the week's meals ahead of time and only bought what was on my shopping list so that nothing went to waste. Every meal went into our stomachs and any leftovers were later eaten by either myself my boys, my husband or my dogs. To me, throwing food into the bin was just wrong.
However, when it comes to living, there are no leftovers. Life is just like a feast. Each moment that you don't live is lost forever. Life cannot be saved or stored. Each day is a fresh beginning. Live each moment of your life to the fullest, then.
Can plants talk? Modern research has found something amazing: they do communicate with each other.
It has been known for some time that plants use chemicals to conunicate with each other. This happens when a plant gets atacked by insects. The plant gives out chemicals from the leaves that are being eaten. This is like a warning, or a call for help:" I'm being attacked!" When another plant gets the chemicals, it starts to give out its own, different chemicals. Some of these chemicals drive insects away. Others attract the wasps (黄蜂；蜜蜂)! The wasps kill the insects that are eating the plants. Scientists hope to learn more about this plant warning system, so that we can use it to grow more crops.
More surprisingly, plants also use sound to communicate. People can't hear these sounds; but plants are making them. Some plants make noises with their roots. Com and chili plants do this. Some trees make clicking noises when there is not enough water.
Most surprisingly of all, plants have an amazing system of communication that can link nearly every plant in a forest. Scientists call this system the "wood wide web". The wood wide web is linked underground by fungi (霉菌). It links the roots of different plants to each other. It is in some ways similar to the Internet we use. Using the wood wide web, plants can share information and even food with each other. However, it may lead to bad effects. Plants may use it to steal food from each other, or spread chemicals to attack other plants. Perhaps one day scientists will learn how to create a "firewall" to help prevent these attacks within the wood wide web.
Scientists are learning more every day about the secret ways in which plants talk to each other. Maybe one day we will know enough about plant communication to be able to "talk" with them ourselves.
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A. Take a back view photo. B. Not every photo needs to have you stand. C. This is a fantastic way to increase your beauty. D. But what if the photos are not as pretty as you expected? E. But how do you choose and share your photographs properly? F. For example, you can look into the sky and let the camera catch your side face. |
If you have planned a trip during summer holiday, certainly you will want to share some photos on WeChat. Don't worry! Here are some tips you can follow to take wonderful photos.
Turn back and smile.
While on the road, the moment you turn back with a smile is the most impressive. Just walk away from the camera and do a turn-back for the most natural effect. You can also pretend to hear your name called, turn back, and run your fingers through long hair.
Look away from the camera.
There are many ways for you to avoid looking at the camera. Looking down into the distance or looking out of the window is a good option. If there is nothing to see, you can also choose to close your eyes and enjoy this moment of quietness.
Are you a little shy when facing the camera? Taking a back view photo is a good choice, which can leave room for imagination and bring a different feeling as well.
Take a seat
If there are good places to sit down, please do it! You can pose in a variety of positions with your arms and legs.
Taking the perfect photo takes time and practice. If you follow these simple tricks above, your photos will start coming out beautifully! Do not hesitate to go out with your friends and take more photos.
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A
Future Astronaut Do you want to be an astronaut in the future? If you do, our club is your best choice! Here you can explore the universe and the unknown mystery behind it! |
B
Cooking Lesson Are you good at cooking? Do you enjoy delicious food? Learn to cook inRoom401 every Tuesday. Come here for more information if you are interested in it. |
C
English Corner Are you an English lover? Come and join our English corer It's a good place for you to practice spoken English and share experience in learning English. |
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D
A Music Video Show Do you like music? You can have a great time in our music club. We'll make a music video show together! |
E
Basketball Club Do you like playing basketball? Welcome to join us! We'll invite Yi Jianlian to playa basketball match with us. |
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Beijing Opera Lesson Do you want to learn Beijing Opera? Join us at Shenzhen Grand Theater! We'll have teachers here to share professional skills. |
In an old building in Peking University, a yellow light shone into the old and dark hours of the night. The famous translator Xu Yuanchong, (sit) behind the window and staring at the computer screen. He enjoyed working by (he) from 10:00 p. m. to 4:00 a. m. For him, the quiet night was a (value) time to focus on translation. He was exploring how (spread) Chinese culture abroad by translating Chinese beauty into Western beauty.
Xu was born into a literary family in Nanchang April 18th, 1921. When he was little, he (influence) by his mother who was interested in literature. Xu began to translate Chinese poetry into both English and (France) when he was still a teenager. He soon learned that Chinese and European languages were very different. Only about half of the words in these languages could be translated word-for-word. This is why translators should have creative mind. They are always trying to improve their translations to make sure they are correct and beautiful.
Xu's motto is: Good, better; best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better; you're your better best. Xu was widely considered to be the best, he never stopped trying to become better.
The more you learn and the (hard) you study, the better you will become. There is always room for improvement.
