When was the last time someone unexpectedly did something nice for you? Not someone you knew, but a total stranger? It's happened to me a few times, but two instances really stand out.
A few years ago, I was dining in a restaurant with a friend who kept talking about himself, completely not aware of the fact that I was sitting there in misery. It wasn't my friend's talks that made me suffer. I was recovering from a broken heart, and just sitting down to dinner reminded me of my last relationship. I could have burst into tears right there at the table.
When we picked up the check, the waitress said, "Your meal was already paid for." My friend and I didn't have a clue how it happened. Then I remembered a man coming in out of the corner of my eye. He was dressed in mostly white, sat down at the bar, had a beer, and stayed for maybe ten minutes. The waitress said, "Yes, the gentleman in white paid for you." It felt like an angel was saying "I see you, honey. It's going to be okay."
Just last year, I was running a half-marathon. With just 1 mile to go, I was out of gas. Runners call it "hitting the wall". I thought I couldn't move another inch. Out of nowhere, a stranger came up to me and said, "What's your name, sweetie? Jennifer? Okay, Jennifer, let's go! Come on! It's just around the corner! You can do it!" And he ran with me until I picked up my pace. I found him at the finish line to thank him for the encouragement only to learn he wasn't even supposed to be in the race that day.
I still shake my head when I think of these momentary angels that came to me at my point of need. Do you have any experiences like these?
Should I heat the water on the stove or in the electric kettle? Do I start the washing machine in the afternoon or after 10 at night? How do I lower CO2 emissions (排放) by the way I use energy?
Answers to such and similar questions are provided by the online game—RED, which is the short form for Renewable Energy Drama. Researchers from IDMT in Erfurt, Germany, have developed the Web application. The experts see great potential in online games for teaching the subject of "Saving electricity at home" in an entertaining manner and to show that one's own behavior can affect how much electricity costs.
The software is aimed at adults and young people interested in renewable energies who want to know how they can save energy. "How much energy do individual household appliances consume, which ones are the ‘energy robbers' and are the high bills the results of price increases—RED supplies the answers. The game takes only about 10 to 15 minutes," says a researcher.
RED leads you through the daily life of an imaginary family of three. The screen shows all the rooms in a house. The user goes into each room and via mouse click does the regular housework such as cooking food or doing the laundry.
In a second module, the online game informs the users how they can save electricity by using "Smart Meters". Taking the time of day into consideration, they measure the exact actual usage of electricity. This is how the consumers can identify the potential for savings and start his dishwasher only at night when electricity is cheap.
The "Saving electricity at home" module will go online soon and so will the second RED module, "Saving electricity with Smart Meters." The online game can be played at www. resident-project. and is free of charge.
A survey has shown that what you do on a plane can be determined by which nationality is listed on your passport.
According to the results of an international passenger survey, Australians are the biggest drinkers on board with 36 percent choosing to down the hatch, compared to 35 percent of Americans and 33 percent of Brits.
The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) spoke to around 1,500 people, aged 18 and older, who have travelled by plane at least once during the last three months and were living in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Singapore, Australia or Brazil.
The results found Chinese travelers are most likely to nod off once the seat belt sign switches off. They are also the first to reach for their credit card for some inflight shopping and the biggest fans of gaming. Americans on the other hand like to use their time in the air more productively — when not drinking choosing to work while flying at 35,000 feet.
Meanwhile, Brits and Germans are the best at making chat with random(随机的; 任意的) strangers — spending 50 percent more time than any other nationality. Comparatively(对比地; 相对地), Brazilians do their conversations online via email, messaging apps or social media.
Despite plane food having a bad reputation, seven out of ten interviewees said they were happy to eat up the selection of inflight snacks and meals. Inflight magazines were also popular with four out of five passengers claiming to read them.
The international flyers did, however, express their desire for better inflight entertainment. "The industry has greatly improved the comfort, entertainment and onboard service, and passengers are accepting those improvements,"said Russell Lemieux, APEX executive director. "At the same time, passengers are asking for more from their air travel experiences which will drive more improvements touching all aspects of the journey." he added.
How to Make Your Homework Less Work
Homework is a major part of going to school. It's your teachers' way of evaluating how much you understand what's going on in class. However, there're times when you complain about being given too much homework. Luckily, you can do a few things to make homework less work.
Be sure you understand the homework.
Write your homework down in your notebook or day planner if you need to. It's much easier to take a minute to ask the teacher during or after class than to struggle to remember later that night!
Use any extra time in school.
Many schools have study halls that are specifically designed to allow students to study. It's tempting to hang out with friends during study periods or unstructured time.
Take a break.
So take some breaks while doing your homework. Sitting for too long without stretching or relaxing will make you less productive than if you stop every so often. Taking a 15-minute break every hour is a good idea for most people.
If you don't finish your homework during school, think about how much you have left and what else is going on that day, and then budget your time. Most high school students have between 1 and 3 hours of homework a night. If it's a heavy homework day and it seems like you've got an assignment in every subject but gym and lunch, you'll need to devote more time to homework. It's a good idea to come up with some kind of homework schedule, especially if you are involved in sports or activities or have an after-school job.
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A. Settle down to do homework. B. Pace yourself. C. Once your homework is done, you can check it over if you have extra time. D. And it helps digest important concepts. E. Don't be afraid to ask questions about what's expected. F. Most people's attention spans aren't very long. G. But the more work you can get done in school, the less you'll have to do that night. |
The pickle jar (咸菜坛子), as far back as I can remember, sat on the floor beside the dresser in my parents' bedroom. When he got ready for bed, Dad would 1 his pockets and throw his coins into the jar. When the jar was 2, we would take the coins to the bank. He would smile 3, "These are for my son's college money. He'll 4work so hard all his life like me."
The years passed, and I finished 5and took a job. Once, while visiting my parents, I 6 that the pickle jar in my parents' bedroom was gone. A lump(哽咽) rose in my throat as I stared at the spot beside the dresser where the jar had always stood. My dad was a man of few words, and never 7 me on the values of determination, love, and faith. The pickle jar had taught me all these virtues (美德) far more than the most flowery words could have done.
When I 8, I told my wife Susan about the important role the pickle jar had 9in my life. In my mind, it defined, more than 10 else, how much my dad had loved me. No matter how 11 things got at home, Dad continued to drop his coins into the jar.
The first Christmas after our daughter Jessica was born, we spent the 12 with my parents. After dinner, Susan carried the baby into my parents' bedroom to diaper (换尿布) her. When Susan came back into the living room, there were tears 13 her eyes. She took my hand and 14 me into the room. "Look," she said 15, her eyes directing me to a spot on the floor beside the dresser. To my 16, there, as if it had never been removed, stood the old pickle jar, the bottom already 17 with coins. I walked over to the pickle jar, dug down into my pocket, and 18 all the coins. I dropped the coins into the jar, as my father always did. I 19 and saw Dad who was carrying Jessica. Our eyes 20, and I knew he was feeling the same emotions I felt. Neither one of us could speak.
Smoking is certainly one of the greatest concerns all over the world. Every day millions of people die because of illnesses (relate) to smoking, including lung cancer. Many smokers try hard to give up this bad habit, they lack the willpower to stop smoking. If you want to say goodbye to this bad habit, but you are unable to stop, here are a few easy ways (stop) smoking within a few weeks.
Smoking is very addictive, makes it difficult for smokers to stop smoking. In such cases, try (use) some other products to replace cigarettes. Although stopping smoking suddenly is not so easy, these products can make it (easy) to stop.
Several drugs work wonderfully to stop smoking. But you don't have the willpower to stop it, even these drugs won't bring good results, either. It is (main) up to you.
Each day you can slowly cut down on number of cigarettes you smoke. As a result, it (lead) to your cutting down your desire for cigarettes.
1）讲座内容；
2）邀请理由；
3）时间和观看方式。
注意： 1）写作词数应为80左右；
2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Thomas,
Yours,
Li Hua
It's hard to talk to dads sometimes. The roles we often expect our fathers to play—protector, provider—can make them seem impenetrable(不可理解的).That's how it was with my dad. He came to Canada at the age of ten and settled in an immigrant community. He was never much of a talker. He rarely drank, so we didn't get to see him loosen up after a few beers. He didn't tell stories about himself at the dinner table or when we went for walks in the park. He was a private person and seemed to want to stay that way.
Bringing up the many questions I had about life before I was born—his early hopes and dreams, loves and heartbreaks—let alone sharing my own feelings, felt like too much for us to handle. I didn't want to threaten the integrity(完整)of his hard shell. I had gotten used to it，and it made me feel secure.
But when my relationship and career took a hit a year ago at the same time, things had to change. I was facing serious questions about my own nature, and I wanted to know that he had faced them, too. I needed to know how he had found his way, because I felt like I had lost mine.
In a severe moment of desperation, it occurred to me that sending an email might be the key. An email can be crafted(精心制作)slowly and carefully. I could speak at a comfortable distance and give him room to adjust. He'd be up in his office—a comfortable place filled with bookshelves, dusty CD-ROMs and piles of old newspapers. I'd be at my desk in an apartment 20 minutes away.
So I wrote to him. I told him about my regrets and fears, and I asked him to answer, if he felt like it, and to share something about himself, something that would give me much-needed perspective on my life, especially on relationship and career.
Para 1:Two weeks later, his response showed up in my email box.
Para 2:I closed the email and started to cry.
