There was a king who loved art very much. One day a（n）1 came and said, "Oh, give me a blank（空白的）wall in your palace and let me 2 a picture on it. It will be more beautiful than anything you have ever seen before." The king happened to have a big new hall. So he 3 the artist to work on one of the walls.
At the same time, another artist came and said, "Oh, King! Please allow me to work on the 4wall. I shall make exactly what that man makes on the wall 5 looking at his work," The king decides to give this young man a chance.
The following day they began to work. The first artist brought in some common things, like paint, oil, water and so on. The second one came with a 6 and a bucket（桶）.
A month later, they both finished the works. The king went to 7 the first artist's wall. It was great. He was 8 with it and gave the artist a lot of money. He went to the second man—the same painting was on the opposite wall. The king was quite satisfied（满足的）and gave him double money. However, he 9 how the second man had made it.
"I just polished the wall with the cloth," the man said. The wall was made of white marble（大理石）. He made it shine like a mirror. The reflection（倒影） of the first painting showed up on it!
It is said the 10 is a reflection of you, too. If you are sad, the world will be sad. If you are happy, the world will be happy.
When we see a cigarette（烟）box, we'll see "Smoking is harmful to your health" on it. Children are not1 to smoke by their parents or teachers. But in many countries 2 is becoming a bigger problem for young people. Most smokers 3 in their teens or earlier.
Some students think smoking is very cool, and they can see many people smoking around them. They want to have a 4.
"If young people start smoking early, they will probably get addicted （上瘾的） to nicotine(尼古丁). And it will be very hard to 5 later on, "said a professor. A study shows smoking is a problem for many Chinese teens. 6 can we do to make them7 smoking? Some people think we can make a law（法律）. Teenagers under 18 are not allowed to smoke, or they should be fined（罚款）. Parents should stop smoking. They can set an example 8 their children.
"Every year about four million people die of smoking. And if people 9 smoking, the number will increase 10 million a year from now on, "said the World Health Orgamzation. So we must learn and tell others about the 10 of smoking.
A： How time flies!
B： Yeah! I'm sorry I have to leave this lovely place.
A： Don't be so sad, Jerry. I'm sure we will meet again sometime in the future.
B： I hope so.
A： Me, too. Maybe my parents will take me to visit your country next year.
B： Really? That's wonderful. Then we'll meet again.
A： That's right.
B： Excellent! I can't wait. Thank you very much for your help during my stay here.
A： It's my pleasure.
B： Thanks. See you tomorrow morning.
|
A. What will happen? B. I'll let you know if we decide to go there. C. It's time for us to say goodbye. D. I'm looking forward to our next meeting. E. And I also have to leave you, my best friend. F. I'll see you off at the airport tomorrow morning. G. I have a very good time here. |
|
Sydney Tower Address: 100 Market St, Sydney Phone: 02 9333 9222 Fax: 02 9333 9203 Open time: 9: 00 am to 10: 30 pm( Saturdays to 11:30 pm) Ticket: $60 ( for an adult) 830 ( for a child) Website: www.sydneytower.com.au How to get there: train to Town Hall Station and a short walk along Market Street How to book tickets: by phone / fax or through the web Attraction: Sydney's best views are just the beginning! Sydney Tower takes you to the highest point above Sydney for exciting 360° views of our beautiful city. |
Thanks to double reduction policy（双减政策）comes out, many students may have time to enjoy after-school activities. Some students can play sports. They may play soccer, ping-pong or do Chinese kungfu. Some students go to learn music. They sing, dance or play some instruments. Other students can draw or practice calligraphy（书法） and more. After-school activities are fun and good for students.
But why should students do after-school activities? Here are some good reasons. First, doing an after-school activity is a good short break from studying. After the break, students can better focus on the class or their schoolwork. Next, students can make some friends while doing after-school activities. Finally, students can get some new skills from the activities. They can also learn some important life skills like working with others or dealing with themselves.
Many companies have created apps to help blind people. Microsoft created apps that can describe a photo. Huawei made an app that uses sounds to tell users if people they are talking to look happy, sad or angry. Now, Google is testing an app that will allow blind people to run alone.
Panek, CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, had always loved running. But he started losing his eyesight（视力）when he was 8, and by his early 20s he was blind. Later in life, he started running with other people or a guide dog to help him. But he didn't like this way. He asked a group of experts of Google whether they could create something to help blind people run on their own.
The Google team soon created Project Guideline. The Guideline app uses a smartphone camera to recognize（辨认） a line painted on the ground. Through earphones（耳机）, the app makes sounds when a person moves away from the line. The sounds get louder in either the left ear or the right ear the further the person moves away from the line.
After trying the app, Panek used it while running outside in a park. In November, 2020， when he was 38 years old, Panek successfully ran 5 kilometers around New York City's Central Park using the app.
Panek hopes that the app Project Guideline can help more people like him. And Google will improve Project Guideline to help the blind.
Small talk is a popular way of getting to know someone, getting into a school or job, or just passing the time. But do you think you're good at it? If not, then it's never too late to learn.
Talking about unimportant things like the weather, small talk still plays an important part in our daily life. Brett Nelson gave many reasons in Forbes Magazine.
It's completely free. It doesn't matter if you fail, and you never know where it will go — it "can lead to many results, from a pleasant talk to the signing of a million-dollar business deal", according to Nelson. The benefits to small talk don't stop there. It can also make us smarter, as a study by researchers at the University of Michigan found that friendly, social interaction （互动） could help us solve problems.
You may be wondering how best to break the ice. If you and the other speaker have something in common, that may also be acceptable to talk about. For example, if the bus you are on is full, you might talk about the reasons why. Complimenting（恭维）someone on their clothing or hair is acceptable；however, if you bring up something like death or serious news, you will turn people off.
Pinnick Jack, 31, from Illinois of America, has been working on learning Chinese martial arts（武术）on Wudang Mountains for 11 years since 2010.
He is now a coach of a martial arts center. He is the 16th inheritor（传人） of Wudang Sanfeng Pai（a martial arts college in Wudang Mountains）.
Jack has been interested in Chinese martial arts since he was a kid. He once watched a video about practicing martial arts by chance. At that time, he decided to come to China to learn traditional Chinese martial arts. He not only loves Chinese martial arts but also has a deep love for traditional Chinese culture.
"I love Hubei so much. The martial arts and people here make me feel like this is my hometown. I practice martial arts and go out for fun with my friends. They always offer help to me during my stay here." Jack said.
Now, Jack has not only learnt Wudang Kung Fu, but also can play an instrument, use chopsticks and speak Chinese. Though they were difficult, Jack said, "We all face difficult things in our lives, and we all continue to. The only way to face these things is to be well prepared and make a good plan to follow."
Jack says he wants to open a martial arts center in the US, so more people could learn better about Wudang Kung Fu and Chinese culture.
What time is it? There are many ways you can find out the time. You may have a watch on your wrist（手腕）. You can look at a clock on the wall. You can listen to the radio, watch TV or ring a number on the telephone to get the time. But do you know the history of how people tell the time?
It has not always been easy to know the time. A long time ago people looked at the sun to tell the time. They could tell the time of the day by looking at the sun in the sky：morning, noon and afternoon.
Around the year 1400, people began to use the hourglass（沙漏）. It was made of glass with some sand in it. It was wide at both ends, but narrow in the middle. The sand ran from one end to the other in one hour. At the end of every hour, people turned the glass over and began again. Hundreds of years later, a machine called clock was invented.
After that people made small clocks, so that they could carry them in their pockets. Then during World WarⅠ, men started wearing their watches on their wrists. It was easier to tell the time. Now almost everyone wears a wrist watch.
