In July, I took my kids on holiday to Los Angeles. A month after our trip, a(n)1suddenly came to me. Why couldn't I have a two-week European holiday alone? I once thought, if it did ever happen, it would be when I was2. At that time, I wouldn't have to3 my kids and I would have enough time.
I drove alone across the US before, but I never travelled to other countries. Their4 weren't the same as mine. I was worried that I would be unable to communicate with anyone.
5, I soon realized if I wanted to follow my dreams, T had to walk out of my comfort zone(舒适区). If I let fear get in the way, I'd never get anywhere.
Finally, I tried to do it. When I6Europe, it was like I was inside a dream. I couldn't7what I was seeing and what I was experiencing.
The best part was the bus ride to Venice. It was nice to8quietly and see people riding their bikes to wherever they needed to go through the window.
Some people might9 it's not a big deal thousands of people visit Europe every day. But it was more than that to me. It was about having a dream and when it was time for it to come true, I wasn't10 to let it happen.
|
|
Hongye qipao is one of the traditional Chinese clothes making techniques spread in Shandong and has a history of more than 100 years. Niu Yuye has been practising qipao making for nearly 30 years. She has introduced hand-painted style qipaos and offers high-end personal tailoring (定制)services. |
|
|
Tangchang cloth shoes, with a history of over 700 years, are strong, breathable and environmentally friendly. Bom in Tangchang, Lai Shufang is a master of making cloth shoes. The 63-year-oldhas been making shoes for 41 years. Lai learned to make shoes in a factory after finishing high school. Her family is the only one left still making Tangchang cloth shoes. |
|
|
Tie-dyeing (扎染), an old cloth dyeing method, appeared in the 3rd to 4th century in China and is still used today. The technique of the Bai ethnic group(白族) in Dali was listed as National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006. The Bai people make blue dye from a plant to create beautiful patterns. Traditional tie-dyeing products are inspired by local scenery. |
|
|
Guangdong is the birthplace of the Lingnan style of landscape painting. For over a century, painters have been reinventing the traditional Chinese paintings of mountains and water. And Liang Shixiong is one of them. The 88-year-old artist often goes to building sites and places of interest to do outdoor sketching. His works are held in the collections of many famous museums. |
Sign language, based on sight instead of sounds, is a type of language that uses hand movements, facial expressions and body language to communicate. It is used mainly by the deaf and people who can hear but cannot speak. But it is also used by some people without any hearing problems, most often families and relatives of the deaf, and interpreters (翻译员) who help build connections between the deaf and wider communities.
Sign language has several main visual (视觉的) parts that work together to express meanings. The first part is the shape made by the hands. The way of moving the body parts like hands also affects (影响) the meaning. The place where the sign is made and the direction the hands face are important, too.
Many people think sign language is universal(通用的), however, sign languages, like spoken languages, develop naturally out of groups of people; region(地区) and culture play a large role in the development. Therefore, sign languages differ from place to place. Take British Sign Language (BSL) and American Sign Language (ASL) for example --the sign languages used by the deaf in Britain and America are very different. Although the hearing people from the UK and the US perfectly understand one another, deaf persons from the UK and those from the US cannot communicate as fluently as normal people from the two countries.
Chinese Sign Language (CSL) has been developing mostly since the late 1950s and its signs are like written Chinese characters. Schools and workshops for the deaf in China help spread CSL. The Chinese National Association of the Deaf (CNAD) helps improve the quality of living for the deaf in China, promote the deaf community, and encourage the education of deaf people using sign language.
Political adviser Chen Zhihong suggested the city government think of a complete and unified translation (统一翻译)rules for English signs in Shenzhen.
Before making the suggestion, Chen, vice chairman of Shenzhen Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, did a wide research on the English signs (标识) at major public areas in the city and service providers, such as Futian Railway Station, Shenzhen Book City, Shenzhen Concert Hall, Shekou Port and so on.
"There are a large number of unclear and wrong translations," said Chen. "The poorly-translated English signs have seriously harmed the image of the city."
Chen pointed out the main reasons behind this problem. First, there is not enough professional (专业的)guidance. Second, not having a deep understanding of English culture also leads to poor translation. In addition, it is difficult for the public to find ways to report mistakes.
As early as 2010, the Shenzhen Municipal Foreign Affairs Office made a guide for English translations for signs in public spaces in Shenzhen. It provided rules for translating place names and business activities into English. That guide, Chen thought, is no longer enough for the city today. "The guide needs to have more content(内容), such as the standardized translations for business areas, transport hubs and tourist attractions, " Chen said.
He also advised taking citywide action to clear up the wrong and misleading signs through collecting the examples from the public.
You may see people in need on the news after a typhoon. Perhaps you've walked past homeless people on the streets. Or maybe you've come across lost dogs and wished you could give them a home.
The answer is to be volunteers! Volunteering means spending some of your free time and energy to help others. December 5'is International Volunteer Day. It calls for people around the world to volunteer to help those in need.
People volunteer to help others in many ways. Volunteers visit homes of old people and sick children. They read books to them and chat with them. In Shenzhen, school students volunteer to teach children with brain diseases. Their classes include painting and learning numbers.
For example, many children in China volunteer to become narrators(讲解员) in museums. They need to receive history and communication lessons first, so they can tell the stories behind works of art to visitors.
A person can also volunteer to protect the environment.
Although volunteering lakes up our time, it shows our care for others. When people get your help, you will find your life more meaningful.
|
A. The traditional way is to give away your free time. B So what can you do to help these people and animals? C. The United Nations announced the special day in 1985. D. Some volunteering asks for special knowledge or training. E. Volunteers need to find the right way to help people in need F. You can join some organizations to plant trees and clear rubbish. |
A. Birds are colorful and nice to watch. Some birds can even say hello to the master. They are safe and stay in their cages, but training a bird is not easy.
B. Hamsters (仓鼠) don't need a large place to live in and can be easily taken care of. You can play with them. But if you touch them with your fingers, you may get hurt.
C. lf you prefer a quiet home, fish may be your best choice. They are beautiful and won't stop you from sleeping. But cleaning the fish tank needs much time.
D. Many families keep dogs because they are smart and faithful. They can play with you and even understand your words. But you need to spend time walking them.
E. Keeping a rabbit as a pet is fun. Rabbits, with lovely red eyes and white fur all over their bodies, are pleasant to hold in arms. But they need cleaning every day.
F. Cats may be many children's best choice. They are both cute and independent. You don't need to spend too much time looking after them. However, keeping cats may cost much money because you need to buy some toys for them.
Sam likes to play with the pet. If it can follow his instructions, he must be very happy. He hopes they can do exercise together.
Tina wants to keep a nice pet at home. She likes holding her pet in her arms when she is watching TV. She thinks cleaning pets is of great fun.
Mike is a student. He wants to play with the pet in his free time. But he knows little about looking after pets. His room isn't big enough, either.
Mr. Green is a businessman. He is busy working every day. He wants to choose an interesting pet for his little girl. He doesn't care the price
Mrs. Brown is a housewife. She is busy with housework at home. She wants a pet that can talk. She hopes it can make her life lively.
Jim Halsey, 83, has always dreamed of travelling around the world alone. But it's very difficult for him (make) his dream come true because he uses a wheelchair to get around. Thanks to virtual reality (虚拟现实) (glass), he is able to enjoy the trip without leaving his home. The special glasses let him see travel videos on a small screen that makes him feel as if he were there. So far, he has travelled to Europe, Central America and Japan and South Korea Asia.
Carleigh Berryman who is 22 years old had the idea two years ago she was in college. She leant that a lot of older Americans were often sad or (worry), so she decided to start her own company called Viva Vita. She (use) virtual reality, or VR, to help older people tour around online.
“This type of activity is just what they (actual) need. They can't travel like they used to, but they still have the chances. We can bring something exciting to them so that they can keep (learn) and exploring the world," Berryman said.
"It's wonderful project," Jim Halsey said. "It's good to see all the things without getting out of my chair. It has brought (I) too much joy and pleasure. "
