Win $ 50 in the Coolest Gadget (小机件) of the Week
Look at what's the coolest gadget (vote for a chance to win $ 50).
Cryo S: A Cool Netbook Cooler
Like the other devices(装置,设备) of NZXT, the Cryo S was designed to provide a competitive advantage at PC gaming. It has two adjustable 20mm fans (风扇) that provide powerful cooling.
The full post can be found on Trends Updates.
Starry Night Bed
Are you having trouble getting good night's sleep that you're needing? Well, not any more. Why not take a look at the Starry Night Bed? The Starry Night Bed is a great new invention which will change the way in which you sleep. Not only is this bed fashionable and comfortable but it's also a gadget heaven. With this bed you get many added gadgets including anti-snore technology, movie projector with speakers, temperature control and many more.
The full post can be found on Tech Styling.
Fugoo—talking gadgets
While checking traffic conditions online to tell you how long it will take you to get to work, Fugoo gets all your appliances (电气用具) talking to each other so your alarm clock could first wake you up and then tell the coffee machine to start working.
The full post can be found on Decide What to Buy.
Click here toVote: What is this week's coolest gadget?
〇 A Cool Netbook Cooler
〇 Starry Night Bed
〇 Fugoo—talking gadgets
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon. They don't feel hurt. If the same two people meet again, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand. Friendships between us develop more slowly but may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸) deeply into both families.
There is another difficult point for us to understand. Although Americans treat friends warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don't show their politeness to them if it requires a great deal of time. But in China, we are usually generous with our time. We, as hosts, will appear at an airport even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off from our work to act as guides to our friends: It is opposite in America. Americans can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily plans. They will probably expect the visitors to get themselves from the airport to the hotels. And they expect that the visitors will phone them from there. Once the visitors arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real.
For Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to restaurants, except for business matters. Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. So accept their hospitality(好客) at home and enjoy your visit in America!
Dear daughter,
You are a wonderful person and your mother and I think the world of you. It will not be long before you leave home to make your way in the world. Can I please give you some friendly advice? Here are some things that you should never do.
1. Never Look Down Upon Yourself.
You are great and able to achieve great things so believe in yourself. When things go badly, never stop believing. Some girls get upset, blame themselves and lose self-esteem. All kinds of problems can follow.
2. Never Get Obsessed With Your Appearance.
We think you look great (though some of the clothes you wear worry us!). Please be happy with the person you are and the body you have. Eat reasonably, take exercise and be healthy. Some girls show too much concern about losing weight or getting the perfect shape. You look fine.
3. Never Compromise(妥协) Your Personal Safety.
Never put yourself at serious risk. This means that you cannot trust people until you really know them and that sometimes you have to avoid things that look like they might be fun. Never get drunk or take drugs. Unluckily there are some bad people out there and it is best not to take risks.
4. Never Give Less Than Your Best.
We are very proud of what you have achieved so far. You should be proud too. Keep doing well. Keep trying your hardest at everything you do. No one can ask for more than that.
5. Never Forget That Your Parents Love You.
Whatever happens in life, your family will still be your family. Whatever difficulties you meet with, you can always talk to us and we will try to help. We are here for you.
Bicycle frames (车架) are usually made out of materials like carbon fiber (纤维). But in Ghana, a businessman has developed another way to make bicycle frames from a natural product – bamboo (竹子).
Bamboo does not get much respect in Ghana. Farmers think of bamboo as an unwanted plant that needs clearing from their land. Workers use it to support buildings. But Kwabena Danso thinks bamboo is much more valuable. He operates a business called Booomers International which makes bicycle frames out of bamboo and sells them to other countries.
Kwabena Danso states bamboo can help Ghana in many ways. He says he wants to, in his words, "get the local people to know that there's a great advantage of bamboo." Actually, Booomers International provides good jobs to young men like Abdul Razak. He serves as a supervisor (监工) for the company. Mr. Razak says that without this job, he would still be living at home with his parents. He adds that the job helps him a lot.
Kwabena Danso has sold only a few of his bamboo bicycle frames within Ghana. Walter Kudzodzi is one of his customers. He bought a bicycle earlier this year. Mr. Kudzodzi says his bike gets a lot of attention when he rides around his neighborhood.
"For example, one Saturday, I rode about five kilometers around my neighborhood and everywhere I went, people were just looking at me. And from time to time you hear, 'Hey, it's made out of bamboo. Hey, that's the bamboo bicycle.' And every time I stop to take a break, people come close to me and say, 'Wow, we heard about this, but this is the first time we've seen it. Does it work?' I say, 'Yeah, try it.'"
Mr. Danso's business has received lots of orders for his frames. He says Booomers is ready for expansion(扩展). He hopes to have more of his bamboo frames not just in foreign countries, but also on the roads of Ghana.
If you want to keep fit, please refer to the following:
Move More
Make it a daily activity to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs instead of taking the elevator. Walk your dog; play with your kids. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute dance class. But that's great when you're up to it. At the same time, move more.
Quit Smoking
Ever since 1960 when it was announced that smoking was harmful to health, Americans have been reducing their use of tobacco products. Just recently, we've seen more and more teens smoking. Could it be the Hollywood influence?Take care! Warn your children against smoking.
While recent studies show a glass of wine or one drink a day can help protect against heart disease, more than that can cause other health problems such as liver and kidney(肝肾) disease and cancer.
Reduce Stress
Easier said than done, stress comes in many ways. Sometimes you can
turn to experts for advice.
Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like such as walk on the beach or in a park, read a good book, visit a friend, listen to relaxing music, and watch a funny movie.
Protect Yourself from Pollution
If you can't live in a smog-free environment, at least avoid smoke-filled rooms. Exercise indoors in air conditioning when air quality is bad outside.
A. Keep a Positive Mental Outlook.
B. Avoid Over Drinking.
C. Think carefully about what you will do.
D. It seems that the stars in every movie smoke cigarettes.
E. Exercise outside when the smog rating is low.
F. There are many things you can do to move your arms and legs.
G. Some skills given by experts are to think positive thoughts.
James shook his money box again. Nothing! He carefully counted the coins that lay on the bed. $24.52 was all that he had. The bicycle he wanted was at least $90! 1 on earth was he going to get the 2 of the money?
He knew that his friends all had bicycles. It was 3 to hang around with people when you were the only one without wheels. He thought about what he could do. There was no point asking his parents, for he knew they had no money to spare.
There was only one way to get money, and that was to 4 it. He would have to find a job. 5 who would hire him and what could he do? He decided to ask Mr. Clay for advice, who usually had opinions on most things.
"Well, you can start right here," said Mr. Clay. "My windows need cleaning and my car needs washing."
That was the 6 of James's odd-job(零工) business. For three months he worked every day after finishing his homework. He was amazed by the variety of jobs that people found for him to do. He took dogs and babies for walks, cleared out cupboards, and mended books. He lost count of the 7 of cars he washed and windows he cleaned, but the 8_ increased and he knew that he would soon have 9 for the bicycle he longed for.
The day 10 came when James counted his money and found $94.32. He 11 no time and went down to the shop to pick up the bicycle he wanted. He rode 12 home, looking forward to showing his new bicycle to his friends. It had been hard 13 for the money, but James knew that he valued his bicycle far more 14 he had bought it with his own money. He had 15what he thought was impossible, and that was worth even more than the bicycle.
Adam is a freshman at senior high school. (go) from junior high school to senior high school is a really big challenge. First, he had to think very (careful) about which courses to take. The school adviser (help) him choose the suitable ones. He knows that Chinese is a very difficult language, but he hopes to be fluent when he graduates. His adviser suggested that he should sign up for (advance) literature because he likes English and he is good at it. He had to choose extra-curricular (activity), too. He couldn't join the school football team but he will find a way to improve his own so that he can make the team next year. He joined a volunteer club . Every Wednesday, they work at soup kitchen and hand out food to homeless people in the community. He will have to study harder and get used to (be) responsible for a lot more. Studying harder isn't always fun, but he will be well prepared for university or else comes in the future.
