The cost of living in countries like the U. S. , Britain, Australia or France has skyrocketed (飞涨) in recent years. However, if you are willing to leave your country and explore life in other areas, there are many countries boasting an extremely cheap and low cost of living. Check out the following countries when planning your next move.
Ecuador
Ecuador is similar to the United States in many ways, and as a result has become a popular American getaway. They even use the U. S. dollar for their currency. In this country, it is cheaper to eat out every day than cook for yourself on a budget in the U. S. You can even buy a property for around $50,000 and hire someone to tend to it while you are away.
Mexico
Although the country is known for its poverty-ridden streets, there are many wealthier areas that provide every facility you might need. You can live off a mere $700 to $800 a month in Mexico, and this includes rent for a nice place, facilities, food, and any sightseeing.
Argentina
Argentina has been a popular tourist destination for many years. It has great restaurants, a rich history, and many places to explore. Not to mention, it is not very expensive to live there. A decent sized home can cost around $139,000, which is relatively cheap in relation to homes in the United States.
Vietnam
Vietnam has also become a popular tourist destination in recent years. There are many million-dollar luxury homes by the beach, but you can find a modest flat or small home for around $25,000 to $50, 000 if you search in the right areas.
By the time I reached junior high, I was sure I wanted to be a nurse. If you didn't study Latin, you couldn't be a nurse, so I enrolled (登记). Many Latin words were familiar to me. The hard part turned out to be the usage and creating sentences with the words that seemed so easy to pronounce. Several weeks into the course my teacher came to me, saying, "I think you should withdraw (退出) from this course. It seems to be too hard for you. "
That was the day I learned I wasn't smart enough to become a nurse. With shame, I handed in my Latin textbook.
After high school, the years raced by. I married and had children. Then one day my husband John came home, "Carol, Max died this afternoon." I looked at my husband with disbelief.
John was touched by this tragedy (悲剧). Finally one evening he said, "Carol, Jackie has never worked and now she's alone with four children. I've been thinking—if anything happens to me, I want you to be able to take care of yourself and the children. Why don't you think about what you'd like to do and get the training you'll need to do it?"
I signed up for the entrance exam for nursing programs. One day I received a letter from the school. I wanted so badly to open it, but with my lack of confidence, I laid it on the kitchen counter, saying, "I'm not in the mood for a rejection letter today."
Finally I forced myself to open it. "Dear Carol," I read. "We are pleased to inform you that you successfully passed the entrance exam."
An insensitive (冷漠的) teacher once stole my dream. If you have a dream, exhaust every effort to reach it. I've worked thirty years now as a nurse and I've never been more certain that this is what I was meant to be.
A scientist turns out to be able to see the future by offering each of some four-year-olds a piece of candy and watching how he or she deals with it. Some children reach eagerly for the candy they see. Some last a few minutes before they give in. But others are determined to wait until the last moment.
By the time the children reach high school, something amazing has happened. A survey found that those who as four-year-olds had enough self-control to hold out generally grew up to be more popular，adventurous, confident and dependable. The children who gave in to temptation (诱惑) early were more likely to be lonely, easily upset.
Actually, the ability to delay reward is a sign of emotional intelligence which doesn't show up on an IQ test.
The hardware of the brain and the software of the mind have long been scientists' concerns. But brain theory can't explain what we wonder about most, like the question why some people remain upbeat in the face of troubles that would defeat a less resistant (有抵抗力的) person.
Here comes the theory of Daniel Goleman, writer of Emotional Intelligence: when it comes to predicting people's success，brain ability measured by IQ may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once thought of as "character".
EQ is not the opposite of IQ. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they work together, and how one's ability handles stress, for instance, affecting the ability to concentrate and putting intelligence to use. Among the ingredients (要素) for success, researchers now generally agree that IQ counts for about 20%, the rest depends on everything from social class to luck.
While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues finally taken seriously, some few fear EQ invites misuse.
Bored with your life? Dreaming of something different? When I feel like that I look up and wonder what life would be like 400 km above my head. That's where the International Space Station travels around the Earth, with six astronauts living and working on board for months at a time.
How do they sleep? They spend the night floating in a sleeping bag inside a small room on the ceiling. American astronaut Sunita Williams explains, "It's like a little phone booth but it's pretty comfortable and it doesn't matter if I turn over and sleep upside down. I don't feel I'm upside down. "
Brushing your teeth in a place where you can't have a tap or a sink will be a challenge. Can you imagine the mess that running water would make in zero gravity? Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield uses a straw to put water from a bag onto an ordinary toothbrush and adds a little toothpaste—which he has to swallow when he's done.
Daily exercise is necessary. The lack of gravity makes bones more fragile(易碎的)and muscles lose strength—so astronauts are encouraged to work out for at least two hours a day.
The role of astronauts in the International Space Station is to act as lab technicians(技工)for scientists on Earth. So they spend their time protecting their environment and performing and monitoring experiments in a limited space about the size of a Boeing 747. Almost every task is carefully planned by control—although most astronauts spend their first days losing things until they get used to sticking everything they use to the walls.
One of their most valued things is the view from the office controlled by that big blue ball down there，sitting in the darkness of space. Wow！Completely breathtaking!
Leonardo da Vinci is often thought of mainly as an artist, with world-famous works like The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. But his notebooks, filled with his strange writing, show that his main interests were in engineering and technology.
If his pioneering work on anatomy (解剖学) is also taken into consideration, it is not hard to see why Leonardo is considered to be one of the greatest geniuses of all time.
Born in 1452 to a Florentine lawyer and a local village girl, Leonardo was given only a very basic education. After ten years in the workshop of the artist Verrocchio, he began to work for himself. The work he did shows an unbelievable combination of technical skill and very careful observation.
At the age of thirty, he left his hometown and moved to Milan, where he spent seventeen years working for the Duke of Milan. In fact, his painting was increasingly influenced by his interest in mathematics. During this period, he painted The Last Supper and developed his ideas for chemical weapons (化学武器).
In 1506 he returned to Milan and became increasingly interested in science. He also studied many other animals, comparing their bodies to the human body. From then on, Leonardo spent the rest of his life mainly on his scientific studies.
A. Before long, he returned to his painting.
B. Of course, his place in art history is certain.
C. It also shows his great interest in technology.
D. The notebooks are full of drawings for all kinds of inventions.
E. He began to study human bodies and the movement of the blood.
F. Here he continued to combine his scientific work with his painting.
G. It was a good chance to make some money with his new inventions.
Growing up, I learned how to be stronger and be a better version of myself. 1, how I felt or the pain I felt was really2within each passing day but I longed for it. It made people think I was 3. I could do nothing for people and felt useless about everything in my life. People never really 4 to me any more as I started caring less. As a result, the sympathy and soft mind I had for people started to 5.
Waking up one bright morning and looking through the windows at the left, I saw the 6 as the sun brightened up the clouds and people went to and from 7 locations. I forgot my 8 and felt quite happy. Although the previous night I had 9 ， this morning I thought tears 10 could solve nothing.
I began to think 11 me that I was better. I was 12 and deserved more than silver or gold. I 13 in myself and I said just this one thing I was not going to die. Why? Because the hope of being a better version of myself was within one thing kept me 14 forward. I believed I would be truly happy and get a real 15, meet the perfect dreams.
I started to work in the operating room after nursing school (complete). I was excited about my new job that I was willing to take turns between being tired and not being able to sleep properly. Like many jobs, the newness and excitement disappeared and I found (me) in drudgery(繁重乏味的工作).
One night I was feeling very tired, since I hadn't slept well night before. I didn't like the doctor charge, my feet hurt, it was very late, and I was "doing eyes". Every nurse has a favorite (and least favorite) task. My least favorite was eyes—I thought it was always either boring unpleasant.
My patient was an old man who was there to have his cataract(白内障) (remove). As the (operate) neared a close, I started to take the operating cloth off, and put drops (眼药水) in the patient's eyes. We made eye contact and I stumbled(发愣) slightly when he said, "I can see! You are so beautiful. "
I realized then how (true) thankful he was and I helped him see! I realized at the moment that no matter how I was feeling, it was what I was doing was important.
Steve was the most amazing person in all of Minneapolis, and he was my cousin. By the age of 19, Steve was a star baseball player at the University of Minnesota. I wanted to be exactly like him. So when Steve asked me to go with him on a spring fishing trip in northern Minnesota, I was excited!
After planning the trip, we gathered clothes and supplies, and began our great adventure. We reached the Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota by early evening. On our way to the campsite, Steve pointed to a small house faraway in one of the mountains, saying that it was the ranger station (护林站) where the forester worked.
Finally, after a long walk, we reached the campsite and set up the camp as the sun was setting. Steve knew all the tricks of an experienced wilderness camper. After we gathered enough wood from the forest, he started the campfire using only stone and steel—no matches. For supper we feasted on freeze-dried beef, wild rice and pea soup. I ate greedily after all that work.
Tired enough, we climbed into our sleeping bags early and talked about our plans for fishing the next day. We were still talking quietly when a sudden north wind picked up; the temperature dropped and it began to snow. Steve found a way to increase the temperature inside the tent. He dragged a log (原木) from the forest to the opposite side of the campfire. Then he wrapped aluminum foil (铝箔) around the log. The heat from the fire reflected off the foil and into the tent. Soon images of lake fish were filling my dreams.
The snow had stopped, but sometime later a powerful wind must have kicked up the flames of our dying fire. I was abruptly awakened by Steve. Our tent was on fire. Frightened, I ran out of the tent immediately. The tent collapsed (倒塌) with Steve inside. Without any thought of endangering myself, I reached into the burning tent and pulled him to the icy lake. Fortunately, we were not seriously hurt.
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Later, as we stood by the burning tent to keep warm, we considered our difficult situation.
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Suddenly, we heard a noise in the forest.
