On February 3, 1931 the peace of New Zealand's Hawkes Bay region was destroyed when the area was hit by the worst earthquake in New Zealand's history. At 10: 46 am on that summer's day, the quake hit with a magnitude of 7. 9 on the Richter scale(里氏震级). The centre of the quake lied some 15 to 20 kilometers north of the two main centers, Napier and Hastings. The quake lasted for two and a half minutes. Many people died in the earthquake.
A fire broke out immediately after the quake. The fire started in a chemist's shop and spread quickly. Then the Fire Department in Napier came to help, but they were at a loss to control the fire as a result of losing their water supply.
However, the water supply in Hastings, was still usable, allowing them to fight back against the fire.
The force of the earthquake destroyed many of the city's famous landmarks. Chunks of the coastline were thrown into the sea. Napier's Bluff Hill, a popular tourist spot, was completely destroyed and thrown into the waters below.
Most of the major buildings in the city were completely destroyed. Roads and communications across the whole area were cut. People were afraid to enter their homes for days and found shelters at the local Motor Camp or on the beach. There were about 150 aftershocks(余震)in the 24 hours after the main shock. Over the next 2 weeks, there would be 525 such aftershocks.
Christmas Day is for eating, drinking, watching bad TV－and trying to cover up your embarrassment as you realize your husband's aunt Maud has spent her pension on your present while you bought her a set of Christmas cards.
Present buying can be a minefield: from how much to spend, to whether to risk surprising receivers with a gift they don't want, to knowing if you should buy your neighbor you only say hello to a little something.
Here, FEMAIL has asked experts for their top tips on how to select present to ensure the only thing that's red this Christmas is Santa Claus' nose.
"If you've just started seeing someone you don't need to spend a fortune" says dating advisor James Preece.
"It's much better to impress them with your imagination by choosing a gift that's a little bit different.￡20 is about the right amount, with a maximum of ￡50 if you can afford it."
"Or you don't even need to go that far", says relationship expert and founder of BeLoveCurious.com, Helen Rice. "Plan to spend a romantic evening together or have a fun day out. Feel free to give the person you're dating something thoughtful, just don't spend a lot of money."
"If you're in a long-term relationship then your budget really reflects on your personal situation," adds James. "You don't need to go crazy, but it's a great opportunity to show you love and appreciate them."
"It's also best to buy a few cheaper presents rather than big ones. Part of the fun is the mystery and unwrapping, so it will last longer if you give them several to enjoy."
Around this time of year when the weather gets cooler in Arkansas, there are a lot of homeless people, as well as people with different situations who just need help.
Oftentimes our family serves at a soup kitchen where they give out bags of food to needy families in our area. And we'll help put those bags of food together and hand them out, among other things.
There are a lot of reasons why serving the community is important to me, but one of them has to do with my father. My grandfather died when my father was 4 years old and my grandmother had four kids all under the age of 5, all born pretty close together. That was a time when things were so bad in the country. There wasn't work and often the family hardly made ends meet, so my grandmother put the kids in a children's home so that they could at least have food to survive.
My dad said he never forgot the local charity would bring the kids a gift for Christmas. The kids worked hard in the children's home and the only present they got was from the local charity. He never forgot this kindness and always appreciated the local charity for what it did when he was a little boy.
My dad was such a hardworking worker family meant the world to him. I was the seventh baby in my family and my mother had me just after she turned 40. She was one of those high risk pregnancy moms, and I'm so grateful she had me. My mom and dad made a happy home for us, and I'm so grateful for that. I hope my children are catching those lessons, not just from Mom and Dad, but from grandparents and everyone else in their lives.
In the UK, there is a popular route for cyclists: the road from Land's End in England to John O'Groats in Scotland, about 874 miles long. It covers almost the full length of Great Britain. The 12yearold boy named Laurence Chandler became the youngest cyclist to finish the route.
Chandler took 20 days to finish the challenge. Each day, he cycled between 40 to 60 miles. He spent six hours on his mountain bike daily. Chandler had to push through rainy and windy days. Cycling uphill was also hard. "It was much harder than I thought. I wasn't expecting so many hills and how busy the roads were," Chandler said. "But if you put your mind to anything, then no matter how big, you can do it."
Chandler first thought of trying the route when he read an article about it two years ago. Later, as his father's 50th birthday came around, he decided to go for it. He was already used to cycling around his village and to school before starting his journey.
During his ride, Chandler raised 600 pounds for Smile Train, a children's organization that pays for treatment for children in developing countries who have deft lips (兔唇).
It is never too late to develop great study habits. However, starting making some changes is hard. Even if you want to do well enough in school and improve your grades, you're probably having trouble getting started in the first place!.
Plan your time carefully. Make a list of your weekly tasks. Make a schedule of your time. Then decide on good, regular time for studying., but it will make you more aware of how you spend your time.
Find a good place to study. Choose one place for your study area. It may be a desk or a chair at home or in the school library, but it should be comfortable and quiet. When you begin to work, you should be able to concentrate on the subject.
Skim before you read.. As you preview the material, you get some idea of the passage and how it is organized.
. Listening to what the teacher says in class means less work later. Taking notes helps you remember what the teacher says.
Develop a good attitude to tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject.. Tests provide grades, but they also let you know that you need to spend more time studying.
There are other skills that might help you with your study. Share with your classmates some of the skills you have found to be helpful.
A. Study regularly
B. Make good use of your time in class
C. There are several ways that can help you
D. Develop a positive attitude by setting realistic goals
E. This weekly schedule may not solve all of your problems
F. The world won't end if you don't pass a test, so don't worry too much about a test
G. This means looking over a passage quickly before you begin to read it more carefully
A sunny afternoon before Christmas, a little girl was decorating a box with a gold wrapping paper to put it under the Christmas tree. Money was tight, so the girl's father1her for wasting almost all roll of that2paper.
However, the next morning the girl3the gift to her father. "This is for you, Daddy." she said. He opened the box and found it4 , so he became angry again. "Don't you know, that when you give someone a5it is supposed that there would be something inside it." he said6. The little girl looked at her father with7in her eyes. "Daddy, this box is not empty, I8it with my kisses, all for you."
The father was extremely9 . He felt so embarrassed that he could just put his10around his little daughter and beg for her11. For many years of his life the man kept that golden box near his bed. Wherever he felt12and downhearted he opened the box and thought of13 that the little child had put into it.
Each of us have been14a present of unconditional love from our children, family, friends and God. It is the most precious15that anyone could hold.
Joseph is a teacher in New York. He gives lessons to(he) students about American history. But he was bornKenya, an African country where the children lead a very different life. For example, a ten-year-old boy may spend(much) time in taking care of cows than studying at school. The children also learn many(skill) like how to live in the wild.
Unlike many other children, Joseph went to school. And(lucky), when he was 15, he came(study) in America and then became a teacher. Joseph has writtenbook called Facing the Lion. In the book, he talks about his childhood. He thinksis very important for American children to learn about the cultural differences between their countrythe others. He also thinks children should learn to be strong and full of hope. Now Joseph(do) a project, hoping that it will help children face their own "lions".
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In ruins date back to points of view calm down be shocked at be trapped in a variety of take a deep breath be based on refer to |
注意：1、词数 80 左右；2、可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Wang Mei,
I'm writing to give you some suggestions on how to learn English well.
……
Yours, Li Hua
