When my brother and I were children, we spent a few weeks in the countryside with our uncle. He was a geologist(地质学家) and loved to go on walks to1 stones. One day, he bought us2 and asked us to go to the mountain with him and carry the stones.
The whole day we walked around. Every now and then he put 3 in our bags. We were a bit 4 that he also took some stones out from our bags at times. But we thought he had just found5 stones than the ones we already had.
Still, 6 we returned to the house, we were very tired. The backpacks were so heavy that we felt great 7 when we took them off. 8 uncle's backpack was half empty.
"Why did you give us so many stones?" we asked.
"l didn't.9 did," he said. "You didn't know it, but I gave you a little attitude ( 态 度 ) test today."
"What do you mean by an 'attitude test'?" we wondered.
"10 you were complaining(抱怨), I added a stone to your bags. Whenever you talked about something with positive( 积 极 的 ) thinking, I11 a stone. And now look at your backpacks."
We did. The bags were almost12.
"Your negative(负面的) thoughts are like stones. You carry them in your 13 just like those stones in a backpack. The more negative thoughts, the 14 your mind. So look at those bags and start paying attention to what you say and how you say things."
With great love, our uncle taught us one of the most important 15 in life—the power of attitude.
Welcome to Thailand! Let's discover this country beyond the usual tourist trip.
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Calendar |
Festivals/ Events |
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January
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Concerts in the Park Location: Lumpini Park A series of free, open-air concerts on Sundays during January and February is hosted by the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra(交响乐团). Starting at 5:30 p.m. and running for around 2 hours. National Children's Day On the second Saturday of January every year Thailand dedicates a day to the future of their country, celebrating children and thanking them by offering discounts and hosting special activities. |
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March
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Red Cross Fair A combination of temple fair and open-air market, the Red Cross Fair usually takes place twice a year to raise money for the Thai Red Cross society. The money raised will be used to help people affected by disasters big and small. |
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April
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Songkran Festival Date:13-15 April Location: Nationwide The hottest month of the year, April sees the whole country have friendly water fights and street parties that last nearly a week. It provides family members a chance to express their respect to their elders by pouring scented water onto their hands. The elders in return wish the youngers good luck and success. |
Andy's South American travel blog: The world's most dangerous road
March 16th, 6 p.m. Today is our last day in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia. Tomorrow Max and I are going to Coroico, a town about 60 kilometers from here. We're taking a bus along the North Yungas Road, also known as "Death Road". It goes along steep hillsides and cliffs. People call it the most dangerous road in the world! There are hundreds of accidents on it every year.
March 17th, 9 a.m. I've found out more about the North Yungas Road. It's only about 3 meters wide, and in some parts there's a drop of at least 600 meters. That's more than half a kilometer! There's no barrier(栅栏) along the side of the road. And there's often rain or fog, which makes it even more dangerous.
I found out another thing. Here in Bolivia, they drive on the right side of the road. But on the North Yungas Road, they drive on the left. Why? Because this means that the driver on the dangerous side of the road can see the edge of the road more easily. The driver's seat is on the left side of the bus, so the driver is close to the edge. Our bus leaves in one hour!
March 17th, 8 p.m. We got to Coroico safely. It was terrifying at times! But there was no rain or fog. Our driver told us the road is safer than it used to be, and he's driven it many times before. He didn't drive fast, and we never went too close to the edge. Thank you, Mr. Bus Driver!
Thirteen-year-old Sean Nichols plays basketball, rides horses, and competes races. That surprises some people because Sean uses a wheelchair.
"If someone has a physical disability, they can still do stuff that other kids can," Sean explains. "They either have to do it in a different way, or it's just a bit harder." He's been sharing that message with kids and adults in his community since he was three.
When Sean was a baby, his family learned that he has a spinal condition that makes walking difficult. As he started school each year, he and his mom would talk with his class to help the kids understand why Sean uses a wheelchair. ▲
He also speaks at a nearby university each year and works with people who are studying
physical therapy(理疗). He helps them understand what it's like to live with a disability and learn how to treat kids with challenges like his. "It's great helping people who are going to help other kids down the line," Sean says. Sean finds lots of ways to increase disability awareness, including through events at school and in Scouts. He and his coaches demonstrate( 演示) wheelchair basketball, then people who are watching get to try out a chair. They see how much arm strength it takes. "It's funny to see all the people say, 'Oh, this is going to be easy,'" Sean says. "Then after, they take back what they said!" If kids want to race, Sean will race them. At times he goes backward—and still wins!
Sean hopes to change how people with disabilities are seen. "My goal is, if a person later sees someone with a disability, they see a person," he says, "like themselves."
Every time you're online, you are bombarded by pictures, articles, links and videos trying to tell their story. Unfortunately, not all of these stories are true. Sometimes they want you to click on another story or advertisement, other times they want to upset people for political reasons. These stories spread quickly, and the result is fake news.
To recognize the fake news, read these tips and don't get fooled!
1 Check the source
Look at the website where the story comes from. Does it look real? Is the text well written? Are there a variety of (各种各样的) other stories or is it just one story? Fake news websites often use addresses that sound like real newspapers, but don't have many real stories about other topics. If you aren't sure, click on the 'About' page and look for a clear description of the organization.
2 Watch out for fake photos
Many fake news stories use images( 图像) that are Photoshopped or taken from an unrelated website. Sometimes, if you just look closely at an image, you can see if it has been changed. Or use a tool like Google Reverse Image search. It will show you if the same image has been used in other contexts.
3 Check the story is in other places
Look to see if the story you are reading is on other news websites that you know and trust. If you do find it on many other websites, then it probably isn't fake (although there are some exceptions), as many big news organizations try to check their sources before they publish a story.
4 Look for other signs
There are other techniques that fake news uses. These include using ALL CAPS(大写) and lots of ads that pop up when you click on a link. Also, think about how the story makes you feel. If the news story makes you angry, it's probably designed to make you angry.
If you know these things about online news, and can apply(应用) them in your everyday life, then you have the control over what to read, what to believe and most importantly what to share. If you find a news story that you know is fake, the most important advice is: don't share it!
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5 Questions for Tanitoluwa Adewumi
At age 6, Tani and his family came to the U.S. as refugees(难民). Now at 10, he's a chess master. |
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When my family came to the USA from Nigeria, we lived in a homeless shelter. My brother and I tried chess for something to do. We didn't know all the rules but wanted to give it a try. |
At school, I saw a notice about a chess club, and it was for free so I could join. I trained on chess websites, read chess books, and worked puzzles to help me get better. I practice for seven to eight hours a night after school. |
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Yes. I failed in my first tournament( 锦 标赛 ), 3 games in a row, then months later won a state tournament. My chess rating this year, after winning over 30 tournaments, made me a U.S. National Chess Master. I am trying to become the youngest grand-master—the highest title rank in chess. |
The pressure of winning or losing. But I try to keep a good mindset and not worry about that. In my mind, I never lose—I only learn. Learning from mistakes is a way of winning for yourself. |
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My family and I wrote the book about our life, and it has facts that some people might not know about us. The money from the book goes to help needy families who don't have much, just like we were helped when we first came to the USA. |
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A. How did you learn more about the game? B. How did you start playing chess? C. Can you tell me about your book? D. You've been competing since you were eight? E. What's the most difficult part of competition? |
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hardly three with cut comfortable |
Jack was a great novelist with a younger brother, who was famous for his cooking skills. Few people know about their family(背景). When they were young, they lived in a community, where noises were heard all day long. Their family was so poor that sometimes they even could not (买得起) to buy daily necessities(日常用品). They did not dare to go (到处), as they had to go without showers for a long time. "It was (令人尴尬的)," Jack said, "to go around with bad smells."
Later, the war(反对，对抗) their neighbouring country happened. They had to move from place to place with their parents. However,( 两者都不) of them failed to teach themselves. Jack liked reading novels, which helped him to get through the hard times. While he was reading, he would(想象) what life would be like in the future. That's probably why he had published a lot of fairy tales, where people enjoy peace and freedom. But his writing style began to change.(最近), he wrote about the suffering that wars brought about to common people.
After the war, both of the brothers settled in the capital. His brother, Peter, became a chef and opened a restaurant there. "As a boy who often went hungry in his childhood", he said (幽默地), "I never thought I would be a chef." Peter had his own secret ingredients of his food. So his restaurant was a great success. On weekends, parents would take their kids there to enjoy a delicious meal. But Jack, who liked to live a(简单的) life, would go to his restaurant and enjoy a freshly cooked pancake.
A long time ago, there lived a man who believed that he could read the future in the stars. He called himself Astrologer(占星家) and spent his time at night watching the sky. He was always busy worrying about the future and the people in his village often came to him, hoping to know their future would be like.
One evening he was walking the open road outside the village. His eyes were fixed on the stars. He thought he saw that the end of the world was near. He got (lose) in his thought about the future. Suddenly, he fell into a ditch(坑) full of mud and water.
He(sink) in the muddy water. Being unable to crawl out and fearing for his life, he started screaming for help. His cries for help soon brought many of the (village) running to him.
They soon pulled (he) out of the mud. Then one of them said, "You pretend to read the future in the stars. , you fail to see what is at your feet!" "What use is it," said another, "to read the stars, when you can't see what's right here on the earth?"
We all want our future (be) good, but time doesn't stop for anyone. Each tomorrow turns into today. And your present is also part of your future. So, keep the balance of your present life while you work for a (happy) and brighter tomorrow.
内容包括：
1）表达真诚的谢意;
2）说明感谢的理由;
3）回顾一件具体的令你难忘且感激的事。
注意：
1）感谢信内容必须包括以上所有信息，可适当发挥；
2）感谢信中不得出现真实姓名和校名等相关信息；
3）词数：80-100。
Dear,
……
Yours,
Li Hua
