Make the Best of a Bad Situation
Since Covid-19 spreads all over the world, many people have to stay indoors and work from home. For most of us, it greatly challenges our lives and brings boredom. But for a few people, working at home brings more creativity. Here are three famous historical figures who let their creativity flow during past pandemics(大流行病).
Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375)
When a plague(瘟疫) hit Florence in 1348, Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio lost his father and stepmother. In order to survive, he left the city and hid in the countryside. Inspired by the experience, Boccaccio wrote The Decameron(《十日谈》), a collection of short novels containing stories told by a group of friends, while he was quarantined(隔离) inside a house during the plague.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
In the early 17th century, a plague hit London, UK. When the number of deaths grew, the government postponed(延期) many celebrations and closed all the theaters. This meant that the entertainment industry at the time was paralyzed(瘫痪) for much of 1606. As an actor and dramatist, Shakespeare had to stop working in the theaters. But he didn't waste a minute of his time. Instead, he used the time productively and wrote some of his most famous plays. Before the year was over, Shakespeare completed three plays—King Lear, Macbeth and Antony and Cleopatra.
Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
In 1665, when English mathematician Isaac Newton was in his early 20s, one of the last major outbreaks of the plague hit the UK, and many classes were canceled. Newton, as a student, went back home to continue his studies.
He devoted himself to his studies. The young mathematician produced some of his best works during his year in quarantine, writing the papers that would later become early calculus(微积分学), and developing his theories on physics in his bedroom. While working, an apple dropped from the apple tree outside his window and hit him or the head, which may inspired his theory of gravity.
Born in California and representing the United States before switching to China, teenager Guiling will be most likely to be one of the faces of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The 17-year-old is a free skier(自由式滑雪运动员) and grade-A student with an American at her and Chinese mother. She grew up and still lives in the United States, but in June 2019 she made the "quite difficult" decision to compete for China. She wrote on Instagram that she was proud of my heritage and equally proud of my American upbringings(培养)".
As for the decision to compete on behalf of China, she said it is "valuable opportunity to help inspire millions of young people in China where my mom was born."
Gu graduated from a San Francisco high school last year and is focusing on her Beijing 2022 raining. It is reported that he scored 1,580 points out of a maximum 1,600 in the SAT(美国大学考试), and has been offered a place at Stanford.
Gu started on the snow at the age of 3, was competing in national competitions at 9 and won her first World Cup event at 15. She won two gold medals and a silver for China at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland. On Jan. 30th, 2021, Gu made her debut (首次亮相) at the X Games in Aspen, Colorado and won two golds and a bronze.
"My goal is to win Olympic gold," she told the official Olympic website. "It's the top achievement. And that would be rewarding for all the work that I've done to achieve greatness in the sport."
Last week, 84-year-old Janet Fein received her bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Dallas. Fein has had a full life. She has raised five children and then had a career as a secretary until she retired at age 77. But even then, she was not ready to take it easy and rest. She said she decided to major in sociology because she felt it was very important.
Fein grew up in the Bronx area of New York City. She just wanted to get a job in high school. After graduating at the age of 16, she went to work as a secretary. After getting married, she spent 18 years staying home with her children. She held several jobs throughout her life, including 20 years as a secretary at a hospital. She also worked for 20 years on earning an associate degree. But Fein also wanted to earn a bachelor's degree "with all of my heart". Even with all of her life experiences, she still enjoyed reading, writing papers and learning new things.
Health experts say continuing with education later in life is one way to keep fit. Carmel Dyer, director of the UT Health Consortium on Aging at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, says keeping active and giving yourself something to look forward to "is just a really positive move".
Fein kept going to class even as her health conditions worsened. During her studies, it became necessary for her to use a walker to get around and she required oxygen. She also developed knee problems. Therefore, Fein took online classes to finish the last part of her degree requirements. Her college advisor Sheila Rollerson said Fein never showed signs of giving up even with all of her difficulties. "She just kept plugging along," Rollerson said.
You're enjoying a quiet evening at home when suddenly your neighbor's dog starts barking and doesn't stop. Sure, dogs need to bark every now and then, but if the barking is getting in the way of your daily life, you need to do something.
Before you take action, make records of when the dog is disturbing. Record the dates and times when the barking appears to find out the features of the barking. Check them carefully and get your facts straight. You might notice the barking only happens when the owners are at work, or during thunderstorms.
After two to three weeks, visit your neighbors with the facts, your neighbors might not even realize the barking is a problem, for the worst noise may happen when they are not at home.
Explain the times when the barking gets bad, then suggest a way to solve the problem. Ask if the dog can stay inside during storm, or suggest a dog training class. Be open to compromise(妥协) because the owners might have other ideas about how to deal with the noise.
Making friends with the dog could help. Have your neighbors introduce you to their dog. If they become more comfortable in your presence, they're less likely to bark when they see you or when they are in the backyard. You might even be able to use commands such as "quiet" once the dog trusts you.
Avoid gossiping (流言蜚语) with other neighbors about the dog. "That's when things escalate." After all, most people will want to solve the problem.
New rules for middle school students came out in March. Middle schools are going to use a new way to decide who the top students are . The following are some of the new rules.
◆ Tell the truth. Have you ever cheated in an exam? That's not something honest students should do.
◆ Do more at school. Good students love animals and care for other people. April is Bird-loving Month in China. Is your school doing anything to celebrate it? You should join!
◆ Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought people could live on the moon? Maybe you'll find another earth in space in the future.
◆ Protect yourself. Has a thief ever taken money from one of your classmates? Don't let it happen to you. If you have to go back home late, you should let your parents know.
◆ Use the Internet carefully. The Internet can be very useful for your study. But some things on the Internet aren't for children, so try to look at the good web pages.
A. Don't do it again!
B. Everyone's new ideas are important.
C. Students must work hard without playing.
D. Students should not disagree with the teachers.
E. The best students won't only have high marks.
F. You can use the web pages for fun or homework.
G. In that way, you can learn more about animals and how to protect them.
Craig Foster is a diver and wildlife film maker. Once he was1in cold waters when he saw an octopus(章鱼), an unbelievably2creature with many behaviors unknown to science, hiding under shells and stones.
3he began following her without any disturbance. For weeks she 4him, after 26 days of close watching, 5, the octopus realized Craig was not a danger, but a(n)6.
She 7and allowed Craig into her life. Both Craig and the octopus enjoyed a mutual(相互的) learning and exploration.
Before coming across the octopus, Craig was once in a dark and stressful period. "I was8.To help myself out, I felt like I needed to be in the ocean, my go to(必去的) happy place as a child. Luckily, the octopus, my friend, brought a kind9in my heart," he recalled.
Now Craig regards this daily diving 10 as a way of dealing with the depression that once left him 11 and disconnected. He is able to12 intimate(亲密) moments of this octopus' short life by spending two hours 13 her every single day for a year. "Every time I interact(互动) with her, it's 14and healing, because she has 15in me. If you gain her trust, she will allow you to step into her secret world," he said.
Diving hi m self into this freezing underwater world has16calmed him down. Over the years, other animals have offered to make contact, but nothing ha 17 to his" once- in-a-lifetime" 18with the octopus. Craig says the greatest 19she has taught him is that humans are not simple 20, but part of the natural world.
Mahru-Z, a robot developed by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology(韩国科学技术研究所) can clean a home, put clothes in a washing machine and even heat food in a microwave. It (take) the instute two years to develop Mahru-Z, is 4.3 feet tall and 121 pounds in weight. The new robot has a hum an-like body including rotating(旋转的) head, arms, legs six fingers. The most special feature of Mahru-Z is (it) ability to observe objects (物体), recognize tasks, and complete them.
Mahru-Z can also work with an earlier robot (call) Mahru-M. Mahru-M can move on wheels(轮子). Both Mahru-M and Mahru-Z can be_ (remote) controlled by a Computer.
A scientist of the institute regarded Mahru-Z as most advanced robot in terms of (copy) human movements. Apart from doing the housework, it can also be used in conditions too difficult or (danger) for humans. But production for co m metrical use is some way away.
The science institute spends about 3.5 million dollars robot research every year.
It began receiving state funds for the project in 2006.
共有 10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
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。
Here is a good news for you. A writing competition, which theme is "Chinese Dream", will be organized by the Students Union. Everyone is welcome to take an actively part in the competition. You are required to writing a story about "Chinese Dream" within 400 words. We had already invited four of our teacher to be the judges. Of course, your hard work will pay off.
The student who win the first prize will be giving a set of famous ancient Chinese works. In addition, your story will be filmed into a video. As for the deadline, we are expected to hand your story before May 20.
1）行前准备；
2）行程安排；
3）约定见面的时间地点。
注意：
1）词数 100左右；
2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3）开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Mark,
……
Yours,
Li Hua
