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Red Sorghum
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Mo Yan (Author), George Backman (Narrator), Howard Goldblatt(translator) The acclaimed novel of love and resistance during late 1930s China by Mo Yan, winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature. Spanning three generations, this novel of family and myth is told through a series of flashbacks that describe events of shocking horror set against a landscape of gemlike beauty, as the Chinese battle both Japanese invaders and each other in the turbulent (动荡的) 1930s. |
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Listening Length 15 hours and 25 minutes
Audible.com Release Date December 09, 2013
Publisher Audible Studios
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
Top reviews from the United States
jklm 
It was interesting and vivid, but not...
This is a 'history' of a family recalling various exploits of family members. I liked the realism but the jumping about backwards and forwards from decade to decade makes me confused.
There is a distinct lack of ideals or kindness, but it did lead me to reflect on the charm that gang leaders can have. So it was interesting and vivid, but not a page turner or a pleasant read.
K.N.R. 
A New Classic
War cannot destroy all. This family stretches three generations and the bonds are as strong as the sorghum, though perhaps suffering from storms. His style of writing is very pretty, sometimes too much and sometimes just perfect. The novel switches lawlessly back and forth. The use of third-person always enables the writing to adjust to different scenes with ease. The only bad part is the end. Mo Yan tries too hard to force a feeling of filial (孝顺的) devotion and ancestral respect on the reader. Otherwise it is an exciting, intense book with violence, horror, and shooting. An extraordinary achievement.
I've had private health insurance my entire life. My parents were advocates of it and insisted I maintain my insurance after I left home. To be honest, I'd never really thought about it until I married and started a family of my own.
Pregnant with our first child, health insurance afforded me the doctor of my choice and a private room in the hospital of my choice. Many of my friends chose the public system and, although discharged from hospital (出院) much earlier, were provided daily home visits from a midwife (助产士) in the days following birth.
I'm happy to say all our babies were delivered safe and healthy. And while I have no regrets about "going private", it wasn't cheap despite my health insurance. My friends, on the other hand, paid nothing.
It wasn't until my children turned one year old that I began to question whether health insurance was worth the monthly expense.
On the few occasions when the kids needed emergency care, we were referred to a new public hospital nearby and received first-class treatment. At that point we began to wonder if the money we were spending on private health cover could be better used elsewhere. Before I cancelled our insurance, though, I was diagnosed with cancer and that changed everything.
Thanks to my health insurance, the time between diagnosis and my first surgery was less than a week. I could recover in my own hospital room and know the team of specialists who were caring for me would be the same throughout my journey. Ten years later, they still are.
Other cancer survivors I've befriended along the way went public with their treatment and have no regrets either, which leads me to this conclusion: there's no right or wrong when it comes to health insurance. I've kept it all these years because I like having peace of mind that my family will receive the treatment they need, when they need it. There are pros and cons for both, and only you can decide what best suits your situation.
After winning the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, China has been striving to hold a high-tech Winter Games. Now, as the games are approaching, the viewers can learn how innovative technologies are being used, especially in the construction of venues.
For example, how the National Aquatics Center, also known as the "Water Cube", was turned into the "Ice Cube". The main change is to turn the four-lane swimming pool into a curling rink (冰场). According to Xinhua, the "transformation" will be completed by using a quick-disassembly (快速拆除的) system. Simply put, the water will be drained(抽干) from the pool and then a convertible (可移动的) frame will be built and put inside. The frame is made up of 2,600 H-shape steel columns and has a height of three meters and a length of two meters, China News Service reported.
Another major technology applied can be seen at the National Speed Skating Oval(NSSO), known as the "Ice Ribbon".Traditionally, freon, which harms the ozone layer, was used in the ice-making process. But NSSO adopts an environmentally friendly technology, which uses carbon dioxide to make ice.
For another new venue, the National Sliding Center, the design team was confronted with a tricky problem. The center features a 1.9m sliding track. The center is located on the southern slope of Xiaohaituo Mountain in Yanqing. The sunlight in the southern slope is stronger than that in the northern slope. What's more the Yanqing competition zone has complex terrain (地形) and strong wind," Li Bo, a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University, told CGTN." Wind resistance is the key to the construction of buildings," Li added.
So they studied the wind filed date in the zone, analyzed the sun's height in different seasons, and used computer models to simulate (模拟) and determine the awning (遮阳篷) coverage on the track. Finally, the team developed a system combining the terrain and awning to reduce the impact of solar radiation.
Nearly a week after Stephen Hawking passed away, people even in remote parts of the globe showed up in memory of this great British scientist. Mr. Hawking, best known for his study of black holes, is respected for not allowing a physical disability to limit his mental brilliance. Yet in a sign of the state of humanity, he is also being held up as a hero for humble and intense curiosity, not just for the truth about the physical universe but for universal truths.
In 2017, a Texas-based data company called Global Language Monitor found "truth" to be the "word of the year" among English-speakers. A debate over the nature of truth "is currently quite fashionable," the company's analysis found. Besides, two runner-up words were "narrative" and "post-truth." And in a January report about "truth decay (衰败)",the RAND Corporation, a research organization, found the loss of trust in key institutions has left "people searching for new sources of credible and objective information."
In countries with a free press, journalists have gathered to fact-check comments by politicians. Harvard University now offers a free one-hour online course to help people "better distinguish good information from bad" in hopes that they will not "share the bad." Tech giants such as Facebook are being forced to fix truth filters (过滤器) on their online platforms. A report this month for the European Commission says that the online sites "are becoming increasingly important as both enablers and gatekeepers of information." They should reveal how their algorithms (计算程序) select news items, the report stated.
Many nations have come to see honest information as strategic wealth. "Truth matters", says Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State. "Relying on Twitter feeds and news reports will prove totally insufficient when policymakers have to make some of the most difficult decisions they face."
Giants of scientific discovery such as Hawking have long been role models for seeking truth beyond their profession. "In recent years I realized that Hawking has become a symbol for mankind," says physicist Bobby Acharya. "People looked to him for reason and truth." The tribute rolling in for the man is actually a widespread desire for light over darkness, for truth over all the "black holes" of misinformation campaigns.
A cobra (眼镜蛇) was set free on September 10 in a park in Xiangtan, South China's Hunan Province.And they began hunting for the deadly creature to try to prevent it from hurting anyone.
In the name of mercy, some people free captive (被捕获的) animals, including foreign species, mostly bought from pet shops or markets. Last April, someone freed hundreds of foxes and racoon dogs in a Beijing suburb, causing economic losses to animal farmers and endangering the safety of local residents.
Besides, today people are increasingly aware of the importance of environmental protection and biodiversity. But it is necessary to ensure that acts of freeing captive animals do not violate laws or harm the interests of the public.
In order to regulate the release of captive animals, the government revised the law on wildlife conservation in 2016. According to the updated regulations, no individual ororganization should harm the public interest by freeing captive animals.
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A. And any creatures set free should be local species that have no threat to local biodiversity. B. However, their warm-hearted kindness often causes serious consequence. C. Freeing a cobra in a park reflects the troublemaker's neglect of other people's lives. D. Such news has frequently appeared in recent years. E. Local police immediately arrested the troublemaker. F. Influenced by Buddhism, freeing captive animals is an act that deserves respect in China. G. It is important to protect animals including those set free by people. |
It was a deserted building, which I thought I had a lot in common with. I was divorced; some of my children were depressed. I felt like I was failing as a mother. Worse 1, I became jobless.
Something of the building attracted me inside. It was the words: Life is2; eat dessert first. The fifty job application forms I sent out brought3. I couldn't4to eat out, but when a friend or relative would5me, I always ordered dessert first.
One time, my sister Chris and her husband Mike took us out for my birthday. In the restaurant, I saw a three-inch6chocolate rose. "I'll have that," I told the waitress.
"That's not7; it's just decoration," she said. Mike8himself.9he came back, a waiter arrived with that rose. "Mike! Thank you so much!" I said.
10, luck led me to a great career. And I could afford to buy myself dinners —-still ordering dessert first.
I made a new friend, Audrey. We started having11together every Monday, with dessert first. We never12out of things to talk about. We had the13attitude.
Audrey was full of wisdom, and I shared my faith with her.
Later, Audrey's14weakened and her health gradually15. It became more difficult for her to get16. However, we17to our Monday lunches, with dessert first, until a few weeks before she died.
I decided not to let the dessert-first tradition die. So I had dinners regularly with my granddaughter. For me, eating dessert first is about18change and living in the moment. And in those moments,19its uncertainty, we will find how20life is.
A dozen Chinese dishes have gained fame during the Games, after athletes shared food being served in the athletes village on TikTok and in media interviews. Some (capture) live taking a bite of the delicacies (美味佳肴) during competitions.
Snowboarder Jenise Spiter has become the "red bean bun girl" in China after the scene was livestreamed (global) that she had a big bite of a crushed (压碎的), flattened bun with a huge smile on her face during the breaks of her competition.
Jutta Leerdam, athlete from the Netherlands, posted her favorite spicy hotchpotch on social media. "This is the famous Chinese snack spicy hotchpotch, which is (healthy) than burger and fries."
The menu, (develop) over nearly four years, is designed to meet the athletes' different dietary needs and requirements while also (take) religious diversity consideration, said Song Xueying, operations(direct) of the Yanqing Winter Olympic Village.
The catering services at Beijing Games have won wide appreciation from Olympic family members including International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach. "If I (stay) in the village for three days, I would have gained another 10 pounds," he said visiting the Olympic Village at Yanqing on Feb. 11.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在其下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Yesterday I read a story about a group of explorer who got lost in a desert. The sun was burning hot and everyone quickly ran out water. Later, the group's leader took out the water bottle and said, "I found a bottle of water in my bag. But until we pass through the desert, anybody is allowed to drink it." The bottle was passing around the members of the team; it felt heavier. Finally, the explorers made it out of the desert. With tears of joy run down their faces, they had opened the bottle, but out poured sand. Was it a bottle of sand which really saved them in the desert? The answer was no. Their deep faith in the hope of survival, like a seed, had taken root and grown in their hearts. That was how led them out of the terrible situation in the end.
注意： 词数100左右。参考词汇： 疫情pandemic 隔离lockdown (n.)
Dear Chris,
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
