If social distancing is driving you a little crazy, here are four world's most beautiful natural pools for you to get relaxed.
Devil's Pool
Victoria Falls in southeastern Africa measures 108 metres tall and more than 1676 metres wide. But for some brave people, the top of the Falls, known as Devil's Pool, is just another swimming hole. With water levels at their lowest from September to December, large numbers of swimmers adventure into the pool.
Barton Springs Pool
Barton Springs Pool in Austin, U. S. , covers three acres and maintains a temperature of about 20 degrees year-round. Admission to the 5-metre deep pool ranges from midMarch until the end of September. For local residents （居民）,the cost is $ 3 for adults and $ 1 for kids under 8 （non-residents pay $ 8 for adults and $ 3 for kids under 8）.
Bondi Icebergs Public Pool
A 15-minute drive from Sydney's CBD sits the Bondi Baths at Bondi Icebergs. The historic 50-metre public saltwater pool has been around for more than a century and features a small beach, where you can enjoy the sunshine. The entrance cost （ $ 7 for adults； $ 5 for kids） isn't much considering the million-dollar view.
Dudu Blue Lagoon
Want to float (漂浮) in a quiet 30-metre-deep freshwater pool? Then check out Dudu Blue Lagoon on the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic. The lagoon also features underwater caves, making it a popular diving destination.
I was eleven years old standing outside in just my underwear while I watched the house that I grew up in rapidly burn to the ground.
A few minutes earlier I had been in bed when a scream woke me up. My grandma's bedroom was just next to mine and my elder brother's. A fire had broken out there and awakened her. Hearing her scream, my elder brother jumped to action, running from room to room quickly to wake everyone in the house. However, before we could do anything, the fire had consumed (烧毁) the old and wooden house.
I stood there shivering (颤抖) while the fire destroyed my books, clothes, and toys. I watched helplessly while my Mom cried and my Dad sighed. I wondered what was going to happen to us now that we had lost all of our things. As I looked around, though, I realized something for the first time: What matters aren't things. I saw my elder brother running across the swinging (摇摆的) bridge by our house to get help. I saw my eldest brother who was on crutches (拐棍) from an earlier accident standing unsteadily on one leg. I saw my grandma and dad wrapped in each other's arms and my mum holding our little dog. I realized at that moment that we were all alive. Everything that was essential had survived the fire. Our lives would continue. We would survive without the "stuff" that was burning. We would all be around to love each other for many years to come. And that was all that mattered.
I still think of that fire at night. It helped me to become who I am today. It showed me for the very first time what is truly essential in life. It helped me to learn that the love we share is far more important than the things we possess.
Live your life then for the things that matter, not for the things you own. Love others. Let the fire inside of you make this world a warmer place. Let your soul shine bright.
As the world's population continues to increase, so does the amount of global waste. According to data (数据) collected by the World Bank Group, nations are on pace to produce 4 billion tons of waste every year by 2100. Many experts are calling the problem of global waste a worldwide health crisis (危机) because the waste is polluting the world's oceans, air and soil and is putting the health of all living things in danger.
For years, governments have been telling citizens that living a zero-waste lifestyle is the way to go. Now some stores are helping people do that.
Most grocery stores produce waste when they throw away food and packing material. In some cases, the food consists of fruit and vegetables that don't look good any more. In other cases, it's packaged food that is nearing the "sell-by" date printed on the package. After the "sell-by" date passed, the food is not considered safe to eat. Thus, many stores throw out unsold packaged food before that date arrives.
To solve this problem, business people are opening smaller grocery stores. Instead of selling food in packages, these stores offer it in open containers (容器). Customers bring their own bags or clean containers to the store. There, they fill their bags or containers with everything from nuts and grains to oil and vinegar. They pay for only the amount of each product that they need. Zero-waste stores often sell fruit and vegetables as well. When these goods start to look old, they're sold at a cheaper price or given to the poor people. Inspired by these smaller zero-waste grocery stores, some large supermarkets are taking similar steps to reduce the amount of waste that they produce.
Thirteen-year-old Kaylee has a lot of friends — 532, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.
But is it possible that Kaylee's online friendships could be making her lonely? That's what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.
Could this be true? During your parents' childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not Words With Friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.
Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platforms.
In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger, "There's definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other," says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.
Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. "If we are constantly checking in with our virtual words, we will have little time for our real-world friendships." says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today's kids might mistake the "friends" on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don't need someone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.
Tips to Become More Confident
Our confidence plays an important role in ability to achieve success and happiness. It affects our mental thought patterns, the way we speak and act, and the decisions we make in all areas of our lives. Confident people take more action, perform better, and are more likely to attain their goals. Lucky for us, confidence can be built and strengthened until it becomes natural, just as any other habit. It simply takes a little time, some effort, and a bit of attention.
1 Learn.
The more knowledge you acquire, the more confident you will be. Knowledge is power, and the more powerful you feel, the higher your confidence will be.
2
Keep a list of successes, big and small. It'll help you to see your abilities in a more positive and realistic light.
3 Start a conversation.
When you find yourself in a social situation, don't always turn to those people you're comfortable with. Eventually getting to know new people will become easier.
4 Don't compare.
Stop measuring yourself against others. Making comparisons is a damaging and an inaccurate measure of success anyway.
Confidence helps you to be more secure in your abilities and more positive in your attitude. It also encourages you to be more assertive(坚定自信的) to take on more challenges, and to improve your skills. The end result is a better outlook, more success, and a higher quality of life in all areas.
A. As an added benefit, you'll attract like-minded people.
B. Track your accomplishments.
C. The result you get isn't always real.
D. It may only do harm to them.
E. List your super abilities.
F. What's more, confident people can take more joy from their accomplishments.
G. Talk to someone you don't know very well.
I arrived late one night, so I had dinner in a restaurant. As I was1 my meal，an older couple came in. They were2 hands and had lovely smiles on their faces. I was3 at the love they showed for one another,4 this was shortly after my ending a 20-year marriage and I still had5 in my heart. As I paid my bill，I asked the waiter what their bill was. He told me and I gave him the MYM40 to pay their bill. He6 if I knew them and I told him, "No, I just wanted to repay them for the7 that they were showing to each other," and then I left.
The next day，I8 the same restaurant. After I had been seated, the same waiter told me that a9 thing happened after I left the restaurant. When the older couple went to pay for their meal, they were told another10 had paid for it because of their love for each other. Amazed, the couple11 and asked for the bill of a young couple in their 20's, They paid it and left,12 "Love brings love", to the amazement of the hostess and waiter.
I smiled and said, "That's nice," and continued to order my13 . About 45 minutes later, I walked over to the hostess stand. She smiled and14 that I would not have to pay for my meal. The waiter and she felt they had to pay my bill, she said，due to the15 that was brought to the faces of the elderly couple and the amazement of the young couple from the night before. When I told her that they didn't have to do that, she said with a smile "Love brings love."
This year, Zhang Guimei sent 150 female students to college from a free all-girls high school she had founded in 2008 in southwest China's deep mountains. For the past 13 years, a total of 1,954 female students (graduate) from this school, the first and only one of its kind in the country."To educate a girl is to change the destiny(命运) of three (generation)," Zhang said. 64-year-old teacher from southwest China's Yunnan Province was presented the July 1 Medal by Xi Jinping at a ceremony in Beijing on Tuesday. Because of her efforts to improve female education in China, more girls can change their destiny.When the People's Republic of China (found) in 1949, female illiteracy(文盲) was much higher than that of their male counterparts. In the 1950s, the Chinese government launched campaigns helped some 16 million females become educated.In recent decades, wiping out illiteracy and (improve) the reading skills of women is regarded as one of the (high) priorities in China, according to the government's guideline for helping the country's females. The female illiteracy rate for those above age 15 has decreased from (rough) 90% in the early 1950s to 7% in 2019.In 2021, China scored 0.973 in the Global Gender Gap Report (release) by the World Economic Forum (with a score of 1 being completely equal).
