Volunteer Opportunities
Ring the bells
The Salvation Army needs bell ringers for its annual Red Kettle Christmas Campaign. Two hour shifts begin on Nov. 12 and run Mondays through Saturdays. Volunteers can contact Jim Evers at jimevers@usc. salvationarmy. org or at 764-0962, or sign up online at ringbells. org.
Read to children
Join the United Way and Child Care Aware in supporting the development and learning of young children. Volunteers are needed to spend 30 minutes a week reading to children and guiding related activities using literacy kits(识字工具包) provided by Childcare Aware of Eastern Kansas. A two-hour literacy training will be provided. To ensure continuity for the children in the program, we are asking that volunteers make a six-month commitment. Please contact Shelly at 865-5030, ext. 301 or at volunteer @unitedwaydgco. org.
Garden with a neighbor
Douglas Country Housing Inc. is looking for volunteers to assist a senior man in need of help with an overgrown garden before winter arrives. One to two hours of your time will make a huge difference in someone's quality of life. No previous gardening experience is required. Please e-mail rsovista@ldcha. org or call 842-1533.
Feed your friends
Just Food fights hunger in our community. Help Just Food kick off the holiday season by packing Thanksgiving meal boxes for families in need. Every year Just Food provides Thanksgiving meals to families in Douglas Country that will otherwise go without. Your help is needed for distributing these meals in advance of Thanksgiving. Help is needed on the following days and times:
9 a. m. -7 p. m. Monday, Nov. 21.
9 a. m. -7 p. m. Tuesday, Nov. 22.
The maximum number of volunteers is 15 at a time. To sign up, click here.
On the way home from his job at a cake shop on one August evening, Craig Schum stopped his car at the East Hampton Airport for a break. He got out of the car and kicked off his shoes to relax.
Within seconds, though, Schum saw something shocking: A small plane dived and crashed into the woods at about 100 yards from the run-way. "I don't remember making the decision that I should go help out," he says. "I just started running. " Schum rushed across the street barefoot before taking off his apron(围裙). Then he climbed over a six-foot-high fence and ran toward the woods.
When he got there, he discovered the pilot, Stephen Bochter-his head was covered in blood-beside the burning plane. Brochter's only passenger, his wife, Kim Brillo, was on the ground, unable to move. "She had blood all over her," says Schum. "I thought she was dead. "
Without a second thought, Schum struggled to lift the fence and brought Brochter and Brillo out from under it. There was only one thought in Schum's mind that he must bring the couple to safety as quickly as possible. Moments later, the entire plane exploded(爆炸). After the ambulance arrived, Bochter and Brillo were taken to a nearby hospital and treated for injuries.
Brochter, an experienced pilot, later said that the plane's electrical system had failed shortly after take-off. He had been trying to land at the East Hampton Airport when the plane began to fall. He managed to level the wings before crashing into the woods. "Everything was on fire, and Schum came out of nowhere to save us," says Bochter. "We are extremely lucky to have lived through it because of him. "
Here's a simple question-answer it honestly, because your response could boost the level of pleasure in your daily life, put off dementia(痴呆), and even help you live longer. How many hours did you spend reading last week?
Recently, when researcher Mathew P. White and his workmates at the Yale School of Public Health dug into 12 years of information about the reading habits and health of more than 3,600 men and women, a hopeful pattern became known. Book readers who report more than three hours of weekly reading are 23 percent less likely to die than those who read only newspapers or magazines.
To understand why and what each of us can do to get the most out of our words, start by asking the same question the Yale team did. What is it about reading books that increases our brain power while reading newspapers doesn't?
For one, the researchers suggest that chapter books encourage "deep reading". Unlike, say, looking through a page of headlines, reading a book forces your brain to think creatively and make connections from one chapter to another, and to the outside world. When you make connections, so does your brain. Over time, these neural networks(神经网络) can promote quicker thinking, which provides greater protection against dementia.
Secondly, reading books, especially novels, has been shown to increase empathy(共鸣) and emotional intelligence. Developing social tools such as empathy and emotional intelligence can lead to more (and more positive) human interaction, which in turn can lower stress levels-both of which are proven to help you live longer and healthier.
That's not to say that magazines, newspapers, and online articles are of no good. Reading anything that fills your mind seems to bring about mental benefits. When it comes to words, addiction is encouraged. Because it pays to increase your word power-today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life.
Think back to when you were in a maths classroom, and the teacher set a difficult problem. Which of the two following responses is closer to the way you reacted?
A: Oh no, this is too hard for me. I'm not even going to seriously try and work it out.
B: Ah, this is quite tricky, but I like to push myself. Even if I don't get the answer right, maybe I'll learn something in the attempt.
Early in her career, the psychologist Carol Dweck of Stanford University gave a group of ten-year-olds problems that were slightly too hard for them. One group reacted positively and loved the challenge. She says they had a ‘growth mindset' and are focused on what they can achieve in the future. But another group of children felt that their intelligence was being judged and they had failed. They had a ‘fixed mindset' and were unable to imagine improving. Some of them looked for someone who had done worse than them to boost their self-esteem.
Professor Dweck believes that there is a problem in education at the moment. For years, children have been praised for their intelligence or talent, but this makes them vulnerable (脆弱的) to failure. They become performance-oriented, wanting to please by getting high grades, but they are not interested in learning for its own sake. The solution, according to Dweck, is to lead them to become mastery-oriented (i. e. , interested in getting better at something). She claims that the ever-lasting effort over time is the key to outstanding achievement.
Psychologists have been testing these theories. Underperforming school children on a Native American reservation were exposed to growth mindset techniques for a year. The results were nothing less than incredible. They came top in regional tests, beating children from much more privileged backgrounds. These children had previously felt that making an effort was a sign of stupidity, but they came to see it as the key to learning.
Most people think Chinese martial arts (武术) are all about kicking and fighting. It is slow, calm and peaceful.
Tai chi dates back to the mid-17th century in Wenxian county in Henan Province. UNESCO added it to its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2020. Although tai chi is an ancient martial art, it is still quite popular today.
People do tai chi as a way to stay fit. Unlike other exercises, it is "soft"—the muscles are not tense, the joints are not fully bent, and you don't need to stretch (伸展) your body too much. You can practise it almost anytime and anywhere without equipment. It is believed that practising tai chi can help us have better control of our bodies so that we can stand, walk and run better.
You can control them better. Slow movements also allow you to take deep, long breaths. This is good for your bodies.
But the benefits of tai chi go beyond the physical side. Tai chi has taught them the value of living more slowly. Just as a Peruvian woman who has practised tai chi for more than 10 years says, "Practising tai chi is like speaking with my soul. "
A. This means many can do it.
B. But tai chi is the other way around.
C. It's a practical way for one to further balance.
D. You need to keep a healthy balance in all things.
E. It has over 100 million fans in more than 150 countries.
F. For some people, it's not only a sport, but also a way of life.
G. During slow movements, you can concentrate on your hands and feet.
There were times when I wanted to be a fashion designer, a model, or a rock star but I gave up all of them halfway. The one thing I stuck with was drawing. That's why this "100 Days of Self Love" project was both a joy and a1 .
The rule I2 for myself was simple: one self-portrait(自画像) a day for 100 days. 3 my own advice, I wanted to achieve something outside of my job. In our4 of selfie(自拍) addiction, we take pictures of our faces all the time without a second5 I wanted to6 the meaning of "self" and see what I could learn. I quickly7 that I never looked at my face so8 .
By about Day 20, I had got a good9 of what I look like—I could draw myself pretty well. My face was familiar to me—instead of just being the10 in the mirror. I also got tired of looking at myself and I wanted to draw something else other than my face. The last 40 days were very hard. All I could do was tell myself never to give up. Finally I11 to myself that I could do it.
Drawing my face every day for 100 days was difficult, but I made it! I'm proud that I finished this12 . It was a good13 that if I set my mind on something—and if I'm14 crazy about it—I can do it. And if I can do this, what else can't I15 ?
Computer games represent the first digital media technology and often most of the teenagers in other countries are using these games. But on the other hand, (play) these games too much has caused some worries about the something bad. Major concerns about these games(be) two main factors（因素）. First, the amount of time kids spend and second, the nature of these games. Some kids
spend most of their timecomputer games and ignore other educational-social
(activity). They are potentially(harm) to children, and it has been seen that children (addict) to computer games tend to play more and avoid social contact, has became a big problem. Luckily, the government is paying (much) attention to it than in the past , making a rule that online game companies will only offer hour of service to children each Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
1）节日介绍；
2）喜欢理由。
注意：
1）词数80左右；
2）题目和首句已给出，不计入总词数。
My Favorite Chinese Festival
Good morning, everyone,
The familiar smell of garlic and onion filled the air as I opened my lunch bag to see what my mom had packed for me. On any other occasion, I would have been delighted to eat my mom's pan-fried tofu: a Chinese dish that I often ate for dinner. But not today, the day a nice girl had invited me, the new girl at school, to sit with her friends during lunch.
"Charis, over here!" My new friend was waving her arms, trying to get my attention.
As I prepared to walk over to the table, memories of elementary and middle school lunch times resurfaced. I remembered my embarrassment as my friends would hold their noses when I brought homemade Chinese food. I remembered how my embarrassment shifted to anger when I complained about the smell to my mom.
I had argued with my mom that I wanted "normal" food for lunch. I remembered the look on my mom's face, a mix between disappointment and confusion. But I was determined and she gave in. So for the remainder of middle school, my mom packed odorless(没有气味), non-Chinese food like ham and cheese sandwiches. However, that day, she was in a rush and packed me leftovers from dinner.
As soon as I got to my new lunch table, I tried to hide my lunch bag down under my seat. I sat quietly, trying not to be noticed when Katrina, a new acquaintance, asked where my food was. "I'm not really hungry," I replied in an insecure voice. But Katrina had already seen me carry my lunch so she spoke out, "Then, I'll eat it!" The other girls laughed-apparently Katrina was known to be a big eater.
I didn't want to be rude to a potentially new friend, so I reluctantly dragged out my lunch bag. The moment I lifted the cover of my lunch container, I could practically taste the garlic and onion.
The girls, piqued(激起好奇心) by the smell in the air, all curiously looked at the oval-shaped container. I expected an "Ew" or a "What is that?"
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I had expected them to turn away-and turn me away before Katrina grabbed a small piece of tofu and enjoyed it.
……
When I arrived home, my mom asked how my day went.
