Nicholson had planned a months-long solo bike trip through Europe and Asia, but he ended up with a furry sidekick ( 死 党 ). While cycling through Bosnia in southeastern Europe, he noticed a tiny gray-and-white kitten running after him, meowing for him to stop. He decided to take her to a vet in the nearest town to see if anyone had lost their pet. No one had, so he placed her in the basket attached to the front of his bike and pedaled toward the border of Montenegro. The kitten tried to escape, but not to run away: She just wanted a better seat.
"She climbed up my arm and fell asleep on my shoulder behind my neck," said Nicholson, who previously worked as a welder(焊工) in a fish factory. "'That was the moment, 'I thought, 'she's going to come around the world with me, ' because I fell in love with her instantly."
Since their encounter, the pair have visited more than 20 countries. Nala, whom Nicholson named after the lioness in The Lion King, even has a passport. While Nicholson pedals, Nala naps in the basket, on a bed of clothes and pillows, or hangs her paws over the side, causing strangers on the street to stare in wonder.
"Having her opens up so many conversations with people," he said. "It's a talking point." Nicholson and Nala spent their first winter together in Santorini, a Greek island. After Greece, they biked through Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan.
During their stay in Hungary, Nicholson finished his book about their adventures called Nala s' World: One Man, His Rescue Cat, and a Bike Ride Around the Globe.
This fall, they arrived in Austria where Nicholson plans to stay until spring, when he hopes that they can head to Russia and eventually Thailand. One of Nicholson's main reasons for picking Thailand is that he really wants to drink from a coconut. Now he may have to order two.
The Arctic, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific are the four oceans we learned about in the geography class. But now we have a new ocean.
On World Oceans Day, which falls on June 8, the US National Geographic Society announced it would recognize the Southern Ocean in Antarctica, bringing the global total to five.
Unlike the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans—which are defined by the continents that bound them—the Southern Ocean is instead characterized by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC， 绕 南 极 洋 流 ). According to the National Geographic, the Southern Ocean includes most of the waters surrounding Antarctica out to 60 degrees south latitude (南纬).
"Rimmed (环绕边缘) by the powerful swift ACC, it is the only ocean to touch three others and to completely embrace a continent rather than being embraced by them," Sylvia Earle, US marine biologist and oceanographer, told the Daily Mail.
Those familiar with the Southern Ocean know it's unlike any other." Anyone who has been there will struggle to explain what's so attractive about it, but they'll all agree that the glaciers are bluer, the air colder, the mountains more intimidating(使人望而 生畏的) and the landscapes more captivating than anywhere else you can go," Seth Sykora-Bodie, a marine scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told National Geographic.
Due to the ecologically distinct environment of the Southern Ocean, it's home to thousands of unique species. The ocean also has wider ecological effects. For example, humpback whales are known to feed on small shrimp off Antarctica during the summer before migrating north to the warmer climates of Central and South America for the colder winter months, according to the Daily Mail.
National Geographic hopes their revised maps will bring public awareness to the region, thereby encouraging Southern Ocean conservation— but its significance is beyond that.
"We think it's really important from an educational standpoint, as well as from a map-labeling standpoint, to bring attention to the Southern Ocean as a fifth ocean," Alex Tait, National Geographic Society geographer, told The Post." So when students learn about parts of the ocean world, they learn it's an interconected ocean, and they learn there are these regions called oceans that are really important, and there's a distinct one in the icy waters around Antarctica. "
The deadliest disease in modern history, perhaps of all time, was the 1918 Flu. Worldwide it killed an estimated 50 million or even more people. The exact death toll is unknown because medical records back then were not kept in many areas.
The pandemic hit during World War Ⅰ and destroyed military troops. In the United States, for instance, more servicemen were killed by the flu than by the war itself. The 1918 Flu was fatal to a higher proportion of young adults than most flu viruses.
The pandemic started mildly, in the spring of 1918, but was followed by a much more severe wave in the fall of that same year. The war likely contributed to the devastating mortality numbers, as large outbreaks occurred in military forces living in close quarters. Poor nutrition and the unsanitary (不卫生的) conditions of war camps were also contributing factors.
A third wave hit in the winter and spring of 1919, and a fourth, smaller wave occurred in a few areas in spring 1920. Initial symptoms of the flu were typical: sore throat, headache and fever. The flu often progressed rapidly to cause severe pneumonia and sometimes hemorrhage (出血) in the lungs and mucus membranes(黏液膜). A characteristic feature of severe cases of the flu was heliotrope cyanosis, where the patient's face turned blue from lack of oxygen in the cells. Death usually followed within hours or days.
Inventions of modern medicine such as vaccines, antivirals and antibiotics for secondary infections were not available at the time, so medical personnel couldn't do much more than try to relieve symptoms.
The flu pandemic ended when it had infected enough people that those who were susceptible (易受感染的) had either died or developed immunity.
Empathy (同理心), the ability to understand and co-experience the feelings and thoughts of other people, is probably one of the most important skills a person can have.
Humans are social animals.
There are very few activities that humans take part in that don't involve others. It allows you to perceive others' motives, treat them the way they want to be treated, understand how others perceive you, and so on.
It lets you better understand non-verbal components of communication.
People who are not empathetic have a hard time reading between the lines of conversations. They cannot understand that what the other person means to communicate is different from what they actually say.
When you unconsciously perceive what the other party wants and needs and can understand exactly why they want it, reaching a" win-win "solution gets easier. You don't have to blindly search for a way out.
It broadens your horizons.
Seeing the world from other people's perspectives lets you perceive it to a fuller extent. When you are able to look at life from other people's point of view, you are able to live a more fulfilled life.
Thus, achieving higher levels of empathy often means achieving greater fulfillment as human beings.
A. It makes you better at handling conflicts.
B. It helps you introduce your ideas to others.
C. Empathy basically is what makes us human.
D. Humans always live and work with each other.
E. So why exactly is empathy so important for us?
F. Communication is so much more than what words express.
G. Therefore, the ability to better understand others and read their feelings is an advantage.
Every year, Steve does something that few would even consider. He climbs the Hancock Building, in the name of charity and1his donor (捐赠者).
Steve's story is 2, considering that for many years, he struggled 3 to breathe. "I was born with cystic fibrosis (囊肿性纤维化). Before the transplant, I was on oxygen. All treatments, just to keep me alive, were 4. To clear my lungs, doctors had to 5 on my chest for hours every day."
With perhaps only weeks to live, Steve received the gift of a lung transplant and the donor was a young college 6. Overcome with gratitude, he stayed in touch with her sports teammates to keep her memory 7.
All the efforts resulted in second gift. When Steve learned that his kidneys were 8, his donor's former teammates 9 to become kidney donors and one happened to match. With two organs, Steve 10 that he was one-sixth a member of the team.
When asked how it feels to 11 again, Steve says it's 12 to answer— he had never been in a satisfactory13 state in the first place. "I've never dreamed about breathing air14. I've never known breathing could be so15, or that life could be this wonderful." In order to help patients who are 16 a donor to save their lives, Steve now works with a charity. He 17 everyone in his community to18to be donor. "Wouldn't you like, when you left this beautiful19, to change a few lives?" he asks. "It's your 20 for people in need."
There's no doubt that in today's digital world, computer games are extremely capable of creating virtual reality experiences. So I am interested to see that the old simple games with I grew up are popular again. But why?
In the 1970s, people played a computer game at an arcade （电子游戏厅). It was the only (afford) way to play them. But in the 1980s and 90s, gaming arrived in our homes and people like me got (addict) to it. The sound of beeping from bedrooms came to our ears and names such as Tetris, Sonic and Street Fighter (become) popular language in the playground – and now they are being talked about and played again. One of the reasons is the cost is low. Gemma Wood, European gamer, says that: "Newer consoles and their games are (incredible) expensive."
Simplicity might be another reason. The graphics (图表) on old games are fun and easy to use by children and adults. And of course, nostalgia( 怀 旧之 情) plays (it) part. Some people want to relive their childhood while for , it is a chance to show their children the computer games they grew up with.
This craze for using retro hardware is certainly catching on. And (persuade) those of us who are not sure about downgrading the gaming experience, manufacturers are bringing back some of their older consoles in new style casing. So it seems like it's not 'game over' for old-school technology!
I am Russian, but for the last five years, I've lived in Kansas. What brought me to this country was my American husband, John. I work in a department store, where my coworkers pronounce my Russian name so sweetly. Every time I hear it, I feel as though my mom is embracing me.
In my native country, people believe that Americans always keep big smiles on their faces even if they don't have a real reason to do so. The American smile, the Russians have decided, is not genuine.
Last year, John encouraged me to go see my mom back in Russia. My manager even gave me a month off for the trip. (When you live an ocean apart from your family, you need at least a month to visit them.) I bought a plane ticket and packed my suitcase. Then came COVID- 19. My mood became gray as I realized I couldn't go to see my mom.
A couple of weeks later, my sweet coworker Miss Donna, asked me. "So what's happening with your trip to Russia?" I told her that I had to cancel it and that I wouldn't be able to see my mom this year.
Miss Donna didn't say anything at first. Then she put on a big American smile and said, "Well, you can come over and see my mom!"
Oh, my Lord! (That's what my husband always says when he's at a loss for words.) Imagine, a mom for loan! I honestly don't know whether I would offer the same to someone in need of a mother's warmth, but my new people sure would do it for me. I know that because of the virus you shouldn't hug friends, but you can still embrace someone's heart. That's how my heart felt at that moment: hugged. So, yes, believe me, the American smile is genuine.
注意：
1）续写词数应为150左右；
2）应使用5 个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
It didn't take long before Miss Donna invited me to call on her mom.
Paragraph 2:
When the dinner was ready, I was surprised to find there were several Russian dishes.
