When Erin Shields sang "Being Alive, " a popular song from the Broadway show "Company, " the song had extra levels of meaning.
Shields and her husband David Shenton are touring musicians. They could not perform around the world during the coronavirus pandemic. So they broadcast virtual concerts from home to raise money for the Mosaic West Queens Church in New York City. The concerts brought thousands of dollars to the church to help feed hungry people living in the neighborhood. They also gave the two musicians a chance to continue their artistic lives.
It began when they saw the long lines of people waiting for food outside the church near their home. Several of their friends had lost jobs after Broadway theaters closed. And they felt the need to help.
In September, they volunteered at the church to give away boxes of food to families two times a week. As time passed, they felt the need to do more for others during the pandemic. "I'm not a doctor ... I don't really have much to offer. But you know, we can perform," said Shields.
She is an opera singer from the American state of Illinois. Her husband Shenton is a British composer, pianist and violinist. And their artistic friends were willing to join for a good cause.
"We have all these connections to Broadway singers outside of their work on Broadway so we wanted to capitalize on that," Shenton said.
During a recent virtual concert, smiling families, watching on their computers at home, clapped and sang along. Among the performers were Broadway musicians known for their work in shows such as "Hamilton" and "The Little Mermaid" as well as "Les Miserables."
Shields said volunteering became especially important last year when New York turned into the center of the pandemic. "If you're feeling low, volunteer, give back to other people, because it will make you feel better, " Shields said.
A pair of earth scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpu are calling for flood prevention and warning systems in areas around the Himalayan mountains to protect people from floods or to warn them of the potential disasters. In their Perspectives piece published in the journal Science, Tanuj Shukla and Indra Sen point out that rising temperatures due to global warming are leading to an increase in flood danger for people who live in the area.
As Shukla and Sen note, the Himalayas hold the most ice anywhere on the planet outside of the polar regions-snow-covered mountains and glaciers hold on to massive amounts of water. In the past, as snow and ice have melted in the warmer months, mountain lakes have formed with natural dams holding them in place. But previous research has shown that increases in the amount of water buildup in such lakes and melting of the ice in the rocky material that makes up natural dams can lead to massive floods. Just eight years ago, they note, melting ice in northern India led to an avalanche (雪崩)that pushed the natural dams past its breaking point. The water rushing down the mountain, carrying with it large rocks, trees and other debris, wound up killing over 5, 000 people. Such events are common enough to have been given a name-glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). They can also be caused by extreme rain events during Monsoon season, which, due to global warming, are happening more often.
Shukla and Sen point out that as the planet grows warmer, more GLOFs are certain to occur. But they also note that the same outcomes are not inevitable. They suggest that the construction of reservoirs to hold extra rain, structures to change the course of water, detention basins along with embankments (堤岸)could prevent such flooding. They also suggest improvements in technology could help-upgrading cell service in the region, for example, would allow people upstream to call and warn those living downstream. They also suggest building a satellite network that could be used to monitor troublesome areas. Taken together, such technology could form the basis of an early warning system. Without such action, they warn millions of people could lose their lives in the coming years.
The International Day of Happiness, March 20th, is a United Nations project which has a serious purpose. The UN thinks happiness will only be for everyone when the people of the world are equal.
On this date, the centre of the sun is directly above the Earth's equator, which is called an equinox (春分). On the equinox, day and night last for almost equal time all over the Earth. The equinox is felt by everyone on the planet, which matches perfectly with the idea behind the Day of Happiness. Since 2013, the Day of Happiness has been celebrated in all 193 United Nations member states. The United Nations invites each person of any age to join in celebration of the International Day of Happiness.
The idea goes back to 1972, when the King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, said that they should measure a country's progress by its happiness and not just how much it produces or how much money it makes. He called it Gross National Happiness (GNH). Again, it is more than just a nice idea. Bhutan developed a system to measure happiness based on things like people's psychological health, their general health, how they spend their time, where they live, their education and their environment. People in Bhutan answer about 300 questions, and the results are compared every year to measure progress. The government uses the results and the ideas behind GNH to make decisions for the country.
In 2011, a UN adviser called Jayme Illien suggested the idea of an international day to increase happiness. His plan was accepted by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2012. Jayme was born in Calcutta, India, and he became an orphan when he was a child. He was adopted by an American nurse, Anna Belle Illien. She travelled the world to help orphans and she took Jayme with her. He saw children like him, but who were not as lucky as him because they were often escaping wars or they were very poor. He wanted to do something about it, so he worked in the areas of children's and human rights.
The UN measures and compares the happiness of different countries in the World Happiness Report. It bases its report on social, economic and environmental well-being. The UN also sets goals for countries to achieve to increase happiness because it says happiness is a basic human right. Happiness should not be something people have because they are lucky to live in a place where they have basic things like peace, education and access to healthcare.
More than ever before, students all over the world are turning to online learning to further their education. In order to help you as an online learner develop better study skills, keep reading to see some of the best study tips.
Practice Good Time Management. Time management is possibly one of the most important and valuable skills for online learners. If you are busy with online studies as well as other commitments, avoid a study session right before an exam. It's recommended that you plan ahead and be responsible for your own time.
Remove Distractions. This might be a hard step to conquer. From social media to kids playing in the next room, you're bound to face countless amounts of distractions. The best advice is to try your best to lessen all the distractions and stay focused! Of course, distractions are unique to each individual and may also depend on circumstances.
Build Your Network. Many online courses are developed around the concept of cooperation with professors and educators who encourage students to work together to achieve their end goals. This is why it is important to build as many relationships as possible not only with your peers but with professors too. Don't be afraid to create a virtual study group either.
Create A Dedicated Study Space. You needn't recreate a proper university lecture room. Instead set up a study space to which you dedicate (致力) your studies to. Whether it's in your own home or at the local library, it doesn't really matter. What is important is that you create a space that is not only quiet but will be effective as well.
A. This tip is actually a whole lot simpler than people think.
B. You need regular access to a computer to take online classes.
C. Engage in as many discussions and group sessions as possible.
D. Ultimately, you will need to find what exactly works best for you.
E. The better you manage your time, the easier it will be to achieve your goals.
F. Make sure that your space is well lit with the right supplies necessary for your study.
G. Despite its huge benefits like added flexibility, this route can be overwhelming for people.
Gina was dressed, all ready for her very first dance performance. Yesterday she 1her dance for the first time on the stage. With only a few moms 2, it wasn't too bad. But she did not like the 3of dancing in front of lots of people tonight. It 4her.
"Mom, I don't feel so 5. I'm kind of afraid." Gina said.
Mom sat beside Gina. "Remember yesterday when you practiced and I was in the 6row? You did just fine! When you go out on the stage, I will be in that 7seat. Look at me and it will be just like yesterday!"
Mom was always right, but Gina wasn't 8about this time. She still 9the thought of dancing in front of all those people.
When it was time for her to dance, Gina 10what Mom told her. She sure 11Mom was right. The music played. She followed the other girls onto the stage and took her 12. Right away, she looked for Mom.13, Mom was right in the front row where she was 14yesterday! Mom smiled and gave Gina a thumb up. Gina 15back and started dancing, 16looking away from Mom. Before she knew it, the dance was done and she ran up to mom.
"You were absolutely 17, Mom! It was like I was dancing just for you!"
"You did so good! I'm so 18of you! You can dance for me any time!"
Gina walked out of the school, holding Mom's hand. She could still 19the smile on Mom's face as Gina20. Sometimes, Mom was just the best!
Kenya on Tuesday launched a virtual safari (游猎) live stream campaign to present the (country) wildlife to global audiences.
Najib Balala, cabinet secretary of Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, said in a statement that the six-week tour across the country is aimed at ensuring that the world and travelers remain (connect) to destination Kenya even during the current COVID-19 lockdown period there is restricted movement.
"Our international tourism business is (complete) cut off and we still have to share destination (memory)with travelers and that is why we are showing a virtual tour safari to connect visitors with the destination, " Balala said.
He (add)that the COVID-19 pandemic has taught players in different sectors to be more creative to keep their businesses afloat during these difficult moments.
He noted that online tour in some of the parks and reserves across the country is aimed (ensure) that Kenya remains top of mind among visitors and investors alike.
"This campaign which begins here at the Nairobi National Park (allow) us to document our diverse wildlife in the national parks and game reserves, thrilling adventures, beautiful lodges and unique cultures and conservation projects that Kenya has become world-famous" Balala said.
When I was 19, I spent part of my summer at an adventure camp on Vancouver Island, supervising (照料) a group of 10-year-old girls. Towards the end of the first week, I took them on a camping. By six in the evening, we'd climbed a small mountain. The peak had trees on one side and bald rock on the other. I let the girls play in the wooded area while I arranged things for dinner.
When the screaming started, I wasn't too alarmed-I could see my group tearing through the bush and thought they'd just disturbed a bees' nest. As the first girl appeared, I asked what was going on. "Wildcat!" she gasped. The image in my head was of a house cat gone wild, but with her next breath she added, "It's attacking Alyson." I told the girls to climb on to the rocks and then ran to where they'd been playing. Alyson was lying by bush. She was on her back, eyes wide, staring at a huge cat beside her. The cat was watching me.
Anyone familiar with westerns will have seen a cougar (美洲狮) — the mountain lion that springs from the rock face on to the passerby. We'd been told how to deal with bears: "Keep still, back up, make yourself look big." But we hadn't covered cougars. I grabbed a stick and swung it into the animal's face. Startled, it took off into the bushes.
Seeing that Alyson was hurt, I set off for the first-aid box, but hadn't gone four steps when I heard a moan. Turning back, I saw the cougar crouched (蹲伏) by Alyson's head. It appeared to be eating her. This time I used a bigger stick, hit harder and held on. Once again, it disappeared, and I knelt by Alyson.
"There's no way someone can live through this, " I thought. The cat had torn deep into her neck. She had long cuts on her face. "Am I going to die?" she asked. Her heartbeat was racing but weak, the sign of a heart trembling from shock.
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:
"You're not going to die," I said.
Paragraph 2:
From my branch I could see some people moving on a nearby mountain.