Mr. C Watch & Clock Repair Has Been Fixing Timepieces Since 1995
Mr. C Watch & Clock Repair has been a family business since its establishment. That has been consistent from its start on Bellaire's east side to its current location, said Kira Carroll, whose mother and father, Adelaida and Homero Capetillo, have co-run the repair shop since 1995. "It's a passion that we all have," Carroll said.
The idea for the shop did not come until after 1986 when Homero graduated from Houston Technical College with a diploma in horology, the study of time and making timepieces. He also earned a certification in 1985 from the Omega SA watch company and would later become a member of the American Watchmakers Institute.
Homero heard about an opportunity from a member of his family's church. He had just been laid off by Brown & Root Industrial Services, where he worked as a mechanic. Then he worked at a local watch shop for several years before deciding on becoming an independent horologist (钟表师).
Since then, the shop has focused on providing consistent quality. Also, there are other products, such as jewellery. The owners had considered getting out of the clock repair business because of the time and effort but decided against it because of customer demand. "We get people to come here through word of mouth because we provide good service," Carroll said. The shop has adapted in other areas, such as with remodels in 2001 from Tropical Storm Allison flooding and a break-in a few years ago.
Homero's son, Homer CapetilloⅡ, is slated to take over in the future. He is also a horologist who graduated with a certification from Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Education Program in 2014. He was the first in the family to attain that professional distinction. The aim is to keep the shop family-run because of its importance to the Capetillos.
"You don't just wake up one day and decide, 'Oh I want to be a horologist,' " Carroll said.
Kids begin as natural scientists, eager to explore the surrounding world. Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there's no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only have to share your children's curiosity. Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a classroom of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me "textbook questions" about schooling, salary and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence. Finally I said, "Now that we've finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?"
After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, "Have you ever seen a grasshopper（蚱蜢）eat? When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?"
This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.
Secondly, give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. When adults increase their "wait time" to three seconds or more, children give more logical, complete and creative answers.
Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child in a science discussion, don't jump in with "That's right" or "Very good". These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior. But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by saying, "That's interesting" or "I'd never thought of it that way before," or coming up with more questions or ideas.
Never push a child to "think". It doesn't make sense; children are always thinking, without your telling them to. What's more, this can turn a conversation into a performance.
Lastly, show; don't tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass(放大镜), and they'll understand why you want them to wash before dinner.
Peacekeeping has proven to be one of the most effective tools available to the UN to assist host countries to navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace.
Peacekeeping has unique strengths, including legitimacy(合法性), burden sharing, and an ability to deploy (部署) and sustain troops and police from around the globe, integrating them with civilian peacekeepers to advance multidimensional mandates (指令).
UN peacekeepers provide security and the political and peace-building support to help countries make the difficult, early transition from conflict to peace. UN peacekeeping is guided by three basic principles: agreement of the parties, fairness, and non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate. It is flexible and over the past two decades has been deployed in many frameworks.
Today's multidimensional peacekeeping operations are called upon not only to maintain peace and security, but also to facilitate the political process, protect civilians, assist in the disarmament of former combatants, support the organisation of elections, protect and promote human rights and assist in restoring the rule of law.
Peacekeeping has always been highly dynamic and has evolved in the face of new challenges. Former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon established a 17-member High-level Independent Panel on UN Peace Operations to make a comprehensive assessment of the state of UN peace operations today, and the emerging needs of the future.
As a unique global partnership, UN Peacekeeping brings together the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Secretariat, troop and police contributors, and the host governments in a combined effort to maintain international peace and security. Its strength lies in the legitimacy of the UN Charter and in the wide range of contributing countries that participate and provide precious resources.
Success is never guaranteed because UN Peacekeeping almost by definition goes to the most physically and politically difficult environments. However, over 60 years of existence, UN Peacekeeping has built up a demonstrable record of success, including winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Amazon's Alexa will be able to revive the voices of deceased relatives, allowing users to feel as if they are speaking to lost ones beyond the grave.
In a video shown on stage, Amazon demonstrated how, instead of Alexa's signature voice reading a story to a young boy, it was his grandmother's voice.
Rohit Prasad, an Amazon senior vice president, said the updated system will be able to collect enough voice data from less than a minute of audio to make personalization like this possible, rather than having someone spend hours in a recording studio like how it's done in the past.
The concept starts from Amazon looking at new ways to add more "human features" to artificial intelligence, especially "in these times of the ongoing pandemic, when so many of us have lost someone we love," Prasad said. "While AI can't rid that pain of loss, it can definitely make their memories last. "
Amazon has long used AI recreations of people's voices to voice Alexa. But they have also increasingly improved over the past few years, particularly with the use of AI and deep-fake technology.
However, Amazon's attempt at personalized Alexa voices may struggle most with the weird valley effect——recreating a voice that is so similar to a loved one's but isn't quite right, which leads to rejection by real humans. "For some, they will view this as creepy or outright terrible, but for others it could be viewed in a more profound way, perhaps for the first time and in a way that isn't a strict recording from the past. " said Michael Inouye of ABI Research. He believes, however, the varying reactions to announcements like this speak to how society will have to adjust to the promise of innovations and their eventual reality in the years ahead.
The technology is also likely to lead to fears that it could be used to impersonate living people, which could be used to bypass security systems. In 2019, a manager at a British energy company lost almost £ 200,000 after criminals used AI to fake his boss's voice, directing him to transfer the company's funds to a foreign bank account.
Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the greatest leaders of America by many Americans. Yet people alive when Lincoln was elected in 1860 would probably be surprised by modern-day opinions about him. He had little formal education or government experience. During the presidential campaign, people made fun of his appearance and his simple way of talking.
Born in a poor family, Lincoln taught himself by reading books and eventually became a lawyer. He was known for being tall and strong. And he was honest. After he became a politician, Lincoln believed slavery violated the American Declaration of Independence, which said all men had the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Due to his political beliefs, the support of anti-slavery northerners gave him the presidency. In response, 11 southern states withdrew from the Union and formed a new government. Then the American Civil War broke out between the South and the North. Neither side expected the fighting to last very long——a few weeks or maybe months.
The war involved the entire country. At least four million men fought in it. Among the soldiers were African-American and Native-American men. The conflict divided families. And hundreds of thousands of people died. However, the war changed the country. It completely affected American politics, economics, and society. Abraham Lincoln was the US president through all of it.
|
A. As promised, Lincoln sent the supply ships. B. Brothers, fathers, and sons fought against each other. C. The people he defended in the court called him "Honest Abe". D. But the southern, slave-holding states did not support him. E. To everyone's surprise, the American Civil War lasted more than four years. F. Some of his opponents—— especially in southern states——had even bigger concerns. G. They warned that he was not very intelligent and would harm the nation's image. |
The sun was beginning to sink as I set off into the Harenna Forest. I was on my way to1a unique honey harvest. Here, in south-east Ethiopia, hand-carved beehives are placed in the2. Reaching them to get the honey is difficult——and often3.
I4beekeeper Ziyad over a wide stretch of grassland before entering a thick jungle. Ziyad began preparations. He5handfuls of damp tree leaves, wrapped them with string, and6the bunch to create a torch(火把). Then, with one end of a rope tied to his waist and the other end around the trunk of a tree, Ziyad began7. He stopped every few minutes to move the8higher up the tree trunk.
9, Ziyad got close to the hive which was around 20 meters above the ground. Sitting on a branch, he10towards it and blew smoke from his torch into a tiny hole in the hive. Suddenly, Ziyad let out a sharp cry. Within seconds, he'd11the trunk and was back on the ground.
It was too12to collect the honey. A cool summer had delayed13. Baby bees were still in the honeycombs（蜂巢）. The adult bees were14and kept attacking as Ziyad escaped from the tree. He had to wait for the right15to go back up.
Dear John,
Yours,
Li Hua
My husband Erik and I had promised the kids a Labrador puppy.
I'd seen the ad at the local hardware store. "Thirteen puppies in all," Sally, the owner, said when I called. "There're only three left." I decided to take a look the next day. The boys jumped and shouted excitedly as I copied down directions and hung up the phone.
Early the next morning, still discussing names, we wound our way through the mountains to meet our family's new best friend. Our boys had simple names: Ike, Sam, Ben, and Dom, so they preferred simple names like Rosy, too. Finally, we met the sweet little dog. "Rosy," the boys called it softly. Our little puppy cocked her head. "She likes it," they cheered and set about making Rosy comfortable for the long drive home. They offered her a chew toy and lifted her up so she could see out the window. They took turns holding her in their arms lovingly and offered her a snack.
Though small, Rosy grew strong and healthy beneath her shiny black coat. And, just as I'd hoped, she was a calming addition to our houseful of noisy boys. But something was wrong. "It's like she doesn't know how to play," Sam commented one day after school. "Dogs have different personalities, just like people," I said. "Besides, she's still very young. " "But her legs aren't very long, and one eye is smaller than the other," Ike added, trying to make sense of why Rosy was different from other puppies he'd met.
I looked across the room to where Rosy sat between the boys. The last golden rays of autumn sunshine shone brightly on her face. Sure enough, one eye was misshapen. Not only that, it didn't glint（闪光）in the afternoon light. I drew in a breath. Rosy, our puppy with a name as short as her four little legs, was blind in one eye.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。3. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Everyone in the room became serious and sad.
Surprisingly, the boys refuses to give the little puppy back.
