Joe and Della were a new couple. They were both interested in art--one in painting, the other in music. They lived in a small flat. They loved each other and they were happy.
But one day they found that they had spent all their money. One afternoon Della told Joe that she had found a 1 and was to give her three music lessons a week. For that she could get fifteen dollars a week. But Joe was not 2 because he didn't want to stay at home, playing with his art while Della was at work. He wanted to earn some money too.
Every day they parted in the morning and 3 in the evening.
A week 4 , Della brought home fifteen dollars, but she looked a little 5. Joe took eighteen dollars out of his pocket. They were both 6 to have so much money at hand.
The next week, Joe 7 home another eighteen dollars but Della came home with her right hand in a bandage (绷带). Joe asked Della what was the 8. Della said, "It was because of an iron-- I mean a plate of soup spilled on my 9."
"What do you do every day, Della? Do you 10 give music lessons?" Joe asked. "Tell me the 11!"
Della cried. She told Joe that she was working in a laundry (洗衣店), 12 shirts. A girl accidentally 13 an iron on her hand and she got a 14 burn. But Della asked Joe how he had guessed that she wasn't giving music lessons.
Joe told Della that he worked in the engine-room of the same laundry where she worked. They both let out their 15 and laughed.
I noticed two male bluebirds. They appeared to be helping a female with a group of newly-born birds. I wanted to know if one of the males was an invader (入侵者). This is the fun of bird watching — you never know when you'll find something exciting and unusual.
Like 90% of the bird world, one male bluebird pairs with only one female, and together they raise a family. But sometimes a third adult shows up and helps the pair raise the young. Often it is a relative. The most likely reasons a lone bluebird becomes a "helper bird" are that it either has lost its mate (配偶) or failed to get one during the mating season.
Both the mated pair and the helper get some advantages when helping happens. Every time the helper brings food to the nest (巢), one of the parents is free to take care of its own needs for a few minutes. Helpers also protect the nest by driving away possible enemies. The helper's gain is less direct but equally valuable. He or she (helpers can be male or female) learns how to be a parent. Though raising babies is natural, skilled parents usually are more successful.
The Florida scrub jay is a kind of bird living in the U.S. state of Florida. Many pairs of Florida scrub jays "have" one to six helpers. Usually the helpers are older children, and they do their job very well. Nests with helpers have 50% more young than nests without helpers (about half the jays don't use helpers). Helping in scrub jays seems related to a shortage of nesting habitats. Young jays must wait for older birds to die to get a nest. During the time, they help raise their younger brothers and sisters.
Four Films Worth Watching This Year
Peter Rabbit 2
In Peter Rabbit 2, the lovable rabbit is back. Bea, Thomas and the rabbit have created a temporary family, but despite his best efforts, Peter can't seem to shake his mischievous(淘气的) reputation. Adventuring out of the garden, Peter finds himself in a world where his mischief is appreciated, but when his family risks everything to come looking for him, Peter must figure out what kind of rabbit he wants to be.
Spirit Untamed
It is a story of adventure, family and friendship. Free-spirited Lucky Prescott moves to Miradero. She is unimpressed with the sleepy town until she discovers a unique tie to her late mother who was a fearless horse-riding performer. She quickly forms a bond with a wild horse named Spirit. When a heartless hunter captures Spirit, Lucky sets off on a journey to rescue the horse who has given her an unbreakable connection to her mother.
Profile
Inspired by true events, Profile follows an undercover British journalist on her quest to track and expose a terrorist recruiter(招募者) through social media, while trying not to be changed by her recruiter and become a militant extremist herself. The unconventional thriller , directed by Timur Bekmambetov, plays out entirely on a computer screen in the Screenlife format
Joey & Ella
This film, which makes you laugh all the time, begins as two clumsy jewel thieves lose the mysterious Mazinski Diamond. The jewel is pocketed by a baby circus kangaroo that escapes to a nearby farm and is found by Ella, a lonely teen who names the animal Joey. But the magical jewel causes Joey to grow quickly and gain the power of speech! Soon the thieves, the police, and Joey's owners are all hunting for the mischievous creature and the alien jewel. If Ella wants to get Joey to safety in time, they had better jump away quickly!
Once upon a time a man became a great archer(射手). He asked the king to declare him as the greatest archer of the country. The king was about to do so when an old servant of the king said," Wait, sir. I know an old man who lives in the forest. He is a much greater archer. Let this young man go to him and learn from him for at least three years."
The man could not believe that there could be a greater archer than him, but he went and found the old man and he was! For three years he learned from him. Then one day, when he thought he had learned everything, the thought arose in him:" If I kill this old man, then I will be the greatest archer."
The old man had gone to cut wood and he was coming back carrying wood on his shoulder. The young man hid behind a tree, waiting to kill him. He shot an arrow. The old man took a small piece of wood and threw it. It struck the arrow and the arrow turned back and wounded the young man very deeply. The old man came, took out the arrow and said, "I knew that some day or other you were going to do this. That's why I have not taught you this secret. There is no need to kill me. My Master is still alive, and I'm nothing before him. You must be with him for at least thirty years. And he is very old, so go fast! Find the old man!"
a. The old man wounded the young man.
b. The young man learned from the old man.
c. The young man wanted to kill the old man.
d. The young man asked the king to declare him as the greatest archer.
Golden sands and 300 days of sunshine each year mean Barcelona's shoreline is filled with a heated atmosphere year-round. Here's our guide to the city's best beaches.
Bogatell
This beach used to be an industrial wasteland. Sand was imported from Egypt and a center of beach sports was born.
The easy access to two subway stops and the variety of activities make Bogatell a good option for vacationers looking for a more relaxed atmosphere than the packed beaches to the south. At the north end, the Nautica Base offers lessons for windsurfing, kitesurfing and sailing.
Mar Bella
With the cleanest sand and water area in the city, Mar Bella has been appointed as a blue-flag beach. It's less obviously attached to the city, though still well served by public transport.
Mar Bella also exhibits (展示) another example of the city's free attitude. On one end of the beach is a rope pyramid (金字塔) for kids and a small playground with a slide.
Sant Sebastia
Sant Sebastia is one of the oldest swimming areas in the city. Its quiet environment and convenience to the center of town draw an older crowd in the morning. By afternoon, the quite crowd gives way to a noisier gathering of younger people.
Llevant
Some special activities make the northernmost beach an ideal destination for a family to spend a full day. In the morning you could hit up the Bose Urba, an adventure park with bungee and rope bridges. A few blocks away, there's the Museum Blau, a natural science museum where different species of dinosaurs are on show. And a sand-free swimming area called Banys Forum sits just to the north, with steps leading into the water.
