I have my mother's desk since I was just tall enough to sit above the top of it. Mother sat writing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be a most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, Mother kept different things for my sister and brother. "But the desk," she said again, "is for Elizabeth."
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed in action. But as a young girl, I wanted to have heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was "too emotional". But she lived "on the surface".
As years passed, I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.
My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace – it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn't be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
But the present of her desk told me, as she'd never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside — a photo of my father and a one-paper letter, folded and refolded many times. It was my letter.
"In any way you choose, Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words."
Do you know the following expressions?
Homeric laughterThe "Homer" in this expression is the Greek poet who wrote The Iliad and the Odyssey. People laugh differently. Some laugh silently, while others tend to laugh loudly. "Homeric laughter" refers to laughter of the latter ( 后 者 ) kind. It is at times uncontrollable, and the entire body shakes during the process. This kind of laughter is called Homeric laughter because this is how the gods laughed in Homer's classics.
Faustian bargainAccording to most stories, Faust was a German scholar who was rather unhappy with his life. The devil(魔鬼), Mephistopheles, promises him that in exchange for his soul, he will give Faust unlimited power and knowledge. Faust agrees and experiences all kinds of pleasures, but, in the end, his soul is condemned to the hell ( 下 地 狱 ). A "Faustian bargain" therefore is a deal that finally results in one's ruin. It means a bargain made for temporary gain without taking future consequences into consideration.
A three-ring circus (马戏团)When you refer to a situation as being a three-ring circus, you are saying that it is a situation of complete confusion. There are so many activities taking place all together that they leave you confused or annoyed. The expression comes from the world of entertainment — the circus. The area where the artists perform their acts is called the "ring". In the past, some of the circuses were so grand that they had three acts taking place simultaneously in three different "rings". The audience had to decide which "ring" they wanted to focus on.
In the swim (of things)When someone is in the swim of things, the individual is actively participating in the things happening around him, as in "I've been ill, but soon I'll be back in the swim of things." In the world of fishing, fishermen use the word "swim" to refer to the section of the lake/river where fish can be found in plenty. So, if you are a fisherman and wish to catch a lot of fish, where would you be? You would be "in the swim"!
No matter where you go in the world, you will notice something unusual about the trees —their trunks (树干) are painted white.
People whitewash trees for a variety of reasons, depending on the area they live in. In Mexico, the purpose of whitewashing is to protect the tree and fight against a specific type of ant. Greece is another country where you can find trees painted white. According to tradition, during Easter, everything gets whitewashed. Make sure to plan your next trip to Greece if you won't want to miss this interesting and unique tradition. Generally speaking, the main purpose of whitewashing is to protect the tree from heat and insects. And few are as effective and accessible as whitewashing. When the tree is exposed to too much sun in the daytime, the tree cells become more active; however, the roots as well as the other unexposed areas of the tree remain inactive. If the water that the tree needs cannot be provided from the roots, the tree will have a dry surface. Once you whitewash them, the surfaces of young trees won't get dry easily. If the tree is suffering from being sunburned, the wound can also allow the insects to enter the inside of the tree. Moreover, relative diseases can influence how the tree grows. Whitewash prevents any access to the inside of the tree.
Pure white paint works efficiently (高效地) when it comes to reflecting both heat and sunlight away from the tree. White paint allows the tree to spend more time taking in carbon dioxide (CO2). The more carbon dioxide the trees take in, the more energy they create. Gardeners whitewash trees not only for protecting their trees but also helping produce more fruit.
Painting the trees white won't stop traffic accidents, but it can make them less frequent, because drivers can see the trees much more clearly, even during the night.
Dancing with your grandma for 15 minutes a week promotes positive feelings and improves her state of mind, a study says. Doctors from Israel are urging younger family members to have a regular visit to their grandmas and have a dance with their grandmas.
And they found a 15 minute boogie (布吉舞) once a week lifted the spirits of elderly family members and helped strengthen the family bond. In fact, it is called Dance Movement Therapy (DMT). DMT across the generations, complete with eye contact, was found to promote positive feelings and improve mood for the elderly.
The grandparents reported a bright state of mind, happy memories and uplifted spirits. Dancing has also previously been connected with improved muscle strength, balance and endurance (耐力). For the grandchildren in the study, the weekly boogie changed how they view ageing and allowed them to come to accept the eventual death of their elderly relative.
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, assessed how dance affected the well-being of 16 dance movement therapists (治疗师 )and their grandmothers. Dance movement therapy was paid attention due to the fact it is easily accessible and does not cost more to practice. The researchers were eager to examine a low-cost method to treat issues commonly faced by an ageing population-such as limited mobility and depression. Grandchildren were instructed to make eye contact and encourage playfulness and touch. They were also told to mirror their grandmothers' movements and give them time and space to rest when needed.
The sessions were recorded and then analysed while diaries and interviews recorded the opinions and feelings of the participants. As well as the benefits to the health of the senior, the experiment also changed the idea of the younger family members.
Griffin Kubik spent two years at Chicago Waldorf preschool before his parents pulled the plug on (结束) his formal education. The 6-year-old now spends his days with his parents travelling in their newly bought touring car." , " said Griffin's mom.
Griffin is one of about 3.5 million homeschooled children in the nation. This number has been growing by 3 to 8 percent each year, since 2012, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. , ranging from parents' ideas to more practical issues including globally-focused families who don't want to tie their children to a set way of learning and school-based issues. There are parents who teach kids at home loosely (松散地), and others who do a full homeschool program delivered by teachers in the home.
But homeschooling isn't problem-free. As public school teachers, Genola Johnson and her husband are homeschooling their children." Besides, your child loses interest and is bored, which can be due to no social interaction,'' Johnson said. "You have to find ways for them to socialize with their peers (同龄人) regardless of them having brothers or sisters at home."
In the early years, parents may consider teaching their own children, but as they advance — or as the child needs classes or other opportunities for socializing
— the fees (费用) can quickly add up.
A. Tasks can easily get out of control.
B. Homeschooling is becoming more unacceptable.
C. Homeschooling can also become very expensive.
D. We suggest creating a schedule for homeschooling.
E. That growing popularity can result from a number of things
F. Homeschooling can also be designed to suit a family's lifestyle.
G. For our family, learning while travelling is more beneficial than going to school
Harry Depp will always treasure his experience of getting accepted to Yale Law School.
Harry had a happy life growing up until his mother1 the family and moved out of the county when he was 8. His father then worked several jobs to2 Harry and his older brother, but the family struggled 3. They often had no food or electricity.
Harry's academics significantly suffered. As his grades 4, he channeled his energy into sports. He was5 in boxing and won national and international games, which he hoped would become his way out of6. However, his dream were7 when he suffered a shoulder injury in the 12th grade.
Harry's poor grades as a senior resulted in him being 8 by every college he applied to. So he took a job at Bates Trucking and Trash,9 rubbish and cleaning dustbins.
Rather than add to his despair (绝望), the job marked a10 point in his life. His co-workers found his11 , uplifted him and urged him to go back to school. Finally he was12 to Bowie State University. By the end of his second year, Harry decided he wanted to go to13 school.
Harry was 14 for the support he got from his co-workers. "It was the first time in my life that a group of individuals had really just 15 me, and told me I was intelligent."
In the past few years, more than half of bookstores in China have closed down, is the result of the(compete) from online bookstores. But the success of Sisyphe Bookstore, one of the (big) privately-owned bookstore chains in China, may serve as amazing example.
(found) in 1993, Sisyphe started to transform and upgrade its business in 2009 to seek its profitability. Now, it not only devotes itself to (sell) books, but also combines the functions of bookstore, café and sale of creative cultural products. Sisyphe opens its bookstores in shopping malls in order to take advantage of the large number of consumers of shopping malls to sell its books, and it also(able) people to enjoy spending time reading and drinking coffee.return, bookstores have improved the cultural atmosphere of shopping malls, sois mutually (共同的) beneficial to have such cooperation.
So far, the government (offer) tax reduction for bookstores to encourage the development of physical bookstores. Perhaps it is early to say the boom of physical bookstores has come, but definitely, we see the light.
1）你喜欢的运动项目及原因;
2）现在参加该运动的情况如何;
3）询问对方的体育爱好。
注意：1）词数：100 左右;
2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Peter,
……
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
