Wondering what the meaning of life is? Good news-you'll probably feel like you know when you're around age 60. That's the age when people report feeling that there's the most meaning in their lives, and they have the least need to search for meaning, according to a recently published research.
The research also found that as people's sense of meaning in life rises, so does their well-being. "People with purpose in life are physically and psychologically healthier," said Dr. Awais Aftab, a psychiatrist, who led the research.
Aftab and his colleagues used data from a study of adults in San Diego County that recruited (招募) a large number of people aged 70 and older. This survey included a question about the level of meaning people found in their life and the level of their search for meaning. The 1, 042 adults included in the study also answered questions over the telephone about their mental and physical health.
The results showed that both sense of meaning and search for meaning tend to be U-shaped over a person's lifetime. Presence of meaning starts low in the 20s and gradually rises to a peak around age 60, on average, before declining again. The search for meaning is a mirror image: It starts high in people's 20s and drops to an all-time low around age 60 before climbing in older age.
"Young adults in their twenties and adults in their thirties are actively seeking out careers, friendships, and romantic relations hips," Aftab wrote in an email to Live Science. People in their forties and fifties usually have more established careers and relationships; many of them have families and children. After age 60, with retirement and increasing health issues, the established sources of meaning in their lives begin to fade and people tend to start searching for other sources of meaning.
At 5:12 am on April 18, 1906, people living in San Francisco were awakened by a 40-second earthquake. After a 10-second stop, an even stronger earthquake struck, lasting 25 seconds. Survivors saw the ground move in waves as high as three feet. The earthquake damaged streets, and streetcar rails.
Fires broke out soon after the earthquake, caused primarily by overturned stoves (炉子) or damaged electrical wiring. Because the city's water mains had suffered more than 300 breaks, no water was available (可用的) to fight the fires, which rapidly burned beyond control. To control the fire, firefighters began to dynamite (炸毁) buildings in its path. Unfortunately, this method sometimes spread the fire. By the evening of April 18, 1, 700 soldiers had arrived in San Francisco to help both local people and the firefighters.
After burning uncontrolled for three days, the fire finally burned itself out by the morning of April 21. More than 28, 000 buildings had been destroyed, resulting in about $500 million in damage.
Although the official number of deaths was 311, it is now believed that about 3, 000 people were killed. About 250, 000 people (two-thirds of the city's population) were left homeless. They were forced to live in tents (帐篷) in public parks.
Among the earthquake's survivors was the famous Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso. On the night of April 17, he had performed (表演) the role of José in Georges Bizet' s 1875 opera, "Carmen," and had been scheduled for another performance on April 18. Caruso was so shocked by the earthquake that he made up his mind never to return to San Francisco again.
Ansel Adams, age 4, survived the earthquake along with his family, though their house and many things were damaged. An aftershock threw young Adams face-first into a garden wall, giving him what his friend Cedric Wright would call an "earthquake nose. " Describing his broken nose, which was never repaired, Adams would later joke," My beauty was damaged forever. But he felt the power of the quake, which he called his "closest experience with terrible human suffering. "
The Pharos, the great lighthouse of Alexandria, was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It stood on the island of Pharos, in the harbor of the city of Alexandria. In 290 B. C, Ptolemy I Soter, the ruler of Egypt, ordered the building of the lighthouse. Twenty years later, it was finished−the first lighthouse in the world and the tallest building on Earth except the Great Pyramid of Egypt.
The Pharos was designed by Sostrates, a Greek architect. Sostrates wanted to leave his name on the base of the lighthouse. But Ptolemy refused, ordering that only his own name appear on the building. But Sostrates found a way to do that. At the base of the Pharos, Sostrates left a message containing his own name. Then he covered it with plaster (建筑石膏) and left Ptolemy's name over it. After many years, the plaster disappeared and people knew the true architect of the lighthouse.
In 1302 and 1323, two strong earthquakes hit Alexandria, and the lighthouse was damaged. In 1326, it finally fell into the sea. Much of what we know about the lighthouse comes from the writings of Arabs who once visited the Pharos.
The Pharos was about 384 feet tall, the same height as a modern 40-storey building. At the top of the lighthouse stood a large statue of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Under it was a beacon, the source of light for the lighthouse. The Pharos used two kinds of beacons. At night, a large fire created the light. During the day, a huge mirror made use of the sunlight to create the light.
It was said that the mirror was also used to set enemy ships on fire as they entered the harbor by directing the sun's rays (sunlight) at them. Although it is clearly impossible, the idea is interesting.
We humans used to think that our ability to use tools made us different from all other animals. But then we found out that chimps use tools, too, such as sticks to gather distant snacks and rocks to hammer open nuts. And some birds use tools — like brainy New Caledonian crows (乌鸦), which can collect multipart tools to solve puzzle boxes presented to them by researchers.
Now we've learned that a different group of birds — seabirds — can also use tools. Scientists spied on Atlantic puffins, the distinctive birds with bright orange beaks (鸟喙). And in 2014 the observers spotted one floating on the sea off Wales, scratching (抓挠) its back with a stick. Then, in 2018, the researchers caught another tool-using puffin on camera, on Iceland's Grímsey Island. In the short video clip, a puffin can be seen grabbing a stick with its beak and then using it to scratch its chest — perhaps to remove one of the seabird ticks (蜱虫) living on the island that summer.
The details about puffins' superb ability are in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Study author Annette Fayet told Scientific American in an e-mail that these two instances don't prove that seabirds are highly intelligent — though they could be smarter than we thought. But what is certain, she says, is that puffin populations are crashing, and it's largely the fault of us and our tools — which have led to overfishing, climate change, marine pollution and the presence of invasive species, all of which make seabird life harder. It would be nice to keep puffins and other birds around and find out just what else we don't know that they're able to do.
A powerful magnitude 7. 1 temblor rocked Southern California at 8:19 PT on July 5, 2019, just 34 hours after a magnitude 6. 4 earthquake hit the same area. This latest event was widely felt. Aftershocks are expected to continue.
Earthquakes are also called temblors. It's hard to imagine they happen by the thousands every day around the world, usually in the form of small tremors. Some 80% of all the planet' s earthquakes happen along the rim (边缘) of the Pacific Ocean. That is because of a lot of volcanic activity there, as well.
Scientists give a magnitude rating to earthquakes based on the strength and duration of their seismic (地震的) waves. A magnitude of 3 to 4. 9 is considered minor or light; 5 to 6. 9 is moderate (中等的) to strong; 7 to 7. 9 is major; and 8 or more is great.
Some 10, 000 people die in earthquakes every year. Earthquakes may also lead to other natural disasters. Smaller temblors that usually happen in the days following a large earthquake can cause further death and damage.
A. It is called the "Ring of Fire".
B. They can cause huge damage.
C. Protect yourself as quickly as possible.
D. In fact, a magnitude 8 quake strikes somewhere every year.
E. Loss of life can be avoided through planning and education.
F. One important way is to try to make your home as safe as possible.
G. It caused several fires and damage to buildings and roads in Ridgecrest and nearby.
Every family should have an emergency kit in their home. If there is an earthquake or a hurricane, for example, there could be a 1 cut, or the water could get polluted. You might be 2 at your home for several days because of a storm or a flood. Having an emergency kit 3 could help if anything like this 4 .
Your emergency kit might include the following 5 :
The first aid kit should include alcohol, cotton wool, bandages, painkillers, clean bottled water and burn ointment.
It is 6 to keep non-perishable (不易腐坏的) food supplies. In other words, food that won't spoil (变质) out of the fridge, such as canned food. There should be 7 food for three days. It is better if the food does not have to be cooked. Don't 8 the can opener!
It's a good 9 for each family member to have a 10 change of clothes, including waterproof shoes and a raincoat, as well as some warm blankets in case you have to 11 outdoors, just as if you were camping!
Other things you can 12 the kit are: flashlight and spare batteries, paper and pencils, mobile radio, matches and candles. Don't forget these things need to be checked regularly (定期地) to be sure that they 13 well. Check the expiry (期满) 14 on any canned food. You can also put in a backpack some of the things that are 15 to you, such as a toy or something else that you care about.
The Chinese Writing System: Connecting the Past and the Present
China is (wide) known for its ancient civilisation. There are many reasons this has been possible, but one of the main factors has been the Chinese (write) system. the beginning, written Chinese was a picture-based language. By the Shang Dynasty, these symbols (become) a well-developed writing system. By the Qin Dynasty, the Chinese writing system began to develop one direction. The writing system was of great (important) in uniting the Chinese people and culture. China's present is (connect) with its past by written Chinese. Today, the Chinese writing system is still important part of Chinese culture. And more and more people are beginning to appreciate China's culture and history through this (amaze) language.
"I hate them! I really hate them!" shouted Tom angrily.
Tara and Mike looked at their friend. They couldn't believe it. He was really furious!
"Andy is OK now," said Tara, trying to calm Tom down.
The three friends were in the park after school. They were talking about their friend Andy. Andy was the youngest in the class and today two bullies (欺凌者) pushed him against a locker and hurt him. Andy fell and cut his head. Now he has five stitches (缝针) in his forehead.
Their school was a nice, peaceful place until Brian and Mark arrived a few months ago. Brian and Mark were bullies and their favorite trouble spot was the locker room. That morning their victim was Andy, maybe because he was smaller and younger than everyone else in the class.
The teachers knew that there were some bullying incidents at school. But most kids didn't want to report the incidents. So bullying at their school wasn't an" official" problem.
During the incident Andy cut his head. As soon as the bullies saw the blood, they disappeared. Andy called for help and a teacher came and took him straight to the hospital. But Andy didn't tell the teacher about the bullies. When the head teacher asked him, he simply said, "I fell and cut my head"
"Brian and Mark must pay!" repeated Tom. He was walking around in circles and hitting the palm of his left hand with his right fist. "Can't you see? You are behaving like the bullies," Tara said sadly. Mike looked at Tom, too, and he knew Tom very well, Tom hated violence. "bullying is not cool, ”said Mike, waving his arms like he was dancing. "We have to tell someone about this," said Tara. "Andy was hurt."
But right now, Tom had other things on his mind. He not only hated the bullies but also hated violence. He was in a dilemma-he wanted to fight Brian and Mark but he didn't want to fight with the bullies by violence.
注意：
1）所续写短文的词数应为150 左右:
2）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph1:
"What can we do?" Tom and his friends decided to find a way out. Paragraph2:
The three friends started to put their anti-bully plan into practice.
