Check out these places and have the vacation of a lifetime in Greece!
Lovely Ithaca
Located on the Ionian Sea, Ithaca is a combination of the greenest landscapes in Greece, the most wonderful swimming waters and a lively local atmosphere. When going around the narrow island, you will be attracted by the hilltop village Stavros and the beautiful fishing village Frikes. For motorists, Kaminia beach, hidden in a peaceful cove, is the perfect destination for a day of relaxation.
Breathtaking Meteora
Although when you go to Greece, you often go to the beaches and islands, one of the must-visit destinations in Greece is definitely the breathtakingly beautiful Meteora, located on the mainland next to the village of Kalabaka. It is a natural attraction and the second most important monastic area in Greece, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Meteora's landscape is made special by the rocks shaped like columns (柱状物) over time, on which the Monasteries (修道院) of the area were built around the 14th and 16th centuries.
Ios — the favorite destination of the future
Ios may be left out of many people's plans as it is known as a party island, but in fact the party season only lasts from about half of June to mid-August. In the off-season, the island is very quiet compared to popular destinations such as Santorini. Of course, Ios is an absolute destination for party-goers even in midsummer. Ios is dotted with a number of small churches. What makes Ios interesting is its setting for an ideal holiday without crowds and noise. Here is a guaranteed hit of the future, waiting to be discovered!
Over the years, when a book has spoken to me with particular power, I have put pen to paper and send word off to the author, communicating what their work meant to me.
It all started in my 18th year, when I was entertaining my own imagination of success as a writer. I was full of high expectations, believing that becoming an author was simply a matter of putting my thoughts onto paper, sending the works to a publisher and waiting for fame to come. Then came the great disappointment. I wrote to famous children's author Lloyd Alexander, describing my fruitless yearlong effort at publication and asking him for direction. To my joy, he answered: "Advice is always very easy to give — but very hard to make it specific and meaningful, since we all have to work in our own ways. When you mention that you've been writing for a year without being published, I hasten to tell you that I wrote seven times that long without being published! So, perhaps one piece of advice is: Patience."
I was encouraged by the idea that a well-regarded writer would take the time to offer a bit of advice to an overconfident teen. But Mr. Alexander was not a singular case. But when I did get one, the content was often filled with consideration and even, at times, affection.
I think of the American poet William Stafford, who replied to me from Lake Oswego, Oregon. We actually had an ongoing correspondence (通信) for a while. I wrote to him asking if he would be so kind as to autograph one of his books for me. His reply brought an immediate smile to my face: "I am eagerly ready to autograph and return a book — it makes me feel like an author."
On Wednesday, a search team called Endurance 22 announced that it had located the wreck (沉船) Endurance. The Endurance was found 1. 87 miles below the ocean's surface, about four miles south of its last known location near Antarctica. The ship sank after it got trapped in the ice in the Weddell Sea in 1915.
The discovered ship is still in excellent shape. The name can be clearly read on the back of the ship. Its wheel looks ready to be turned. Even though the ship is made of wood and is over 100 years old, it has survived with little damage. Scientists say that the small organisms (微生物) that normally break down wooden objects underwater don't live in cold water around Antarctica.
The Endurance 22 is led by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust. The team ran the project from an ice-breaking ship which was able to handle the difficult conditions of the Weddell Sea. To locate the Endurance, the team used two underwater robots called Sabertooths, which were especially useful, since they could travel under the ice and go where the ship could not. The robots were looking for anything sticking up above the seafloor. For the last two weeks, the Sabertooths robots have been scanning the seafloor in a 150-square mile area around the Endurance's last known location. Last Saturday, the ship was found. After the ship was located, the Sabertooths used high-quality cameras and scanners to record the Endurance in detail.
The Endurance is expected to remain untouched. Antarctica's waters are protected by an international agreement
which means the ship can't be disturbed. The Endurance 22 team plans to create a digital 3D model of the wreck site, using a careful scan they made. This will allow scientists to study the ship in detail without disturbing it.
As many as 300 million full-time jobs throughout the world could be automated in some way by the newest wave of artificial intelligence that has made platforms like ChatGPT, according to Goldman Sachs economists.
In a report Sunday, they predicted that 18% of work globally could be computerized, with the effects caused more deeply in advanced economies than emerging markets. That's partly because white-collar workers are seen to be more at risk than manual laborers. Administrative workers and lawyers are expected to be most affected, the economists said, compared to the "little effect" seen on physically demanding or outdoor occupations, such as construction and repair work.
In the United States and Europe, about two-thirds of current jobs "are exposed to some degree of AI automation", and up to a quarter of all work could be done by AI completely, the bank estimates.
Further use of such AI will likely contribute to job losses, the Goldman Sachs economists wrote. But they noted that technological innovation that initially displaces workers has historically also created employment growth in the long run.
While workplaces may shift, widespread adoption of Al could ultimately increase labor productivity — and boost global GDP by 7% annually over a 10-year period, according to Goldman Sachs economists.
"Although the impact of AI on the labor market is likely to be significant, most jobs and industries are only partially exposed to automation and are thus more likely to be complemented rather than replaced by AI," the economists added. "Most workers are employed in occupations that are partially exposed to AI automation and, following AI adoption, will likely apply at least some of their freed-up capacity toward productive activities that increase output."
Of US workers expected to be affected, for instance, 25% to 50% of their workload "can be replaced," the researchers added. "The combination of significant labor cost savings, new job creation, and a productivity boost for non-displaced workers raises the possibility of a labor productivity boom like those that followed the emergence of earlier general-purpose technologies like the electric motor and personal computer."
People love to sing! Whether you sing in the shower or with a chorus, raising your voice in song comes with some very surprising benefits. From improving your mood to making you healthier, there is scientific evidence that singing is good for your body and your mind.
It helps relieve stress.
Singing can help relieve stress by reducing cortisol(皮质醇), a hormone that is known as the "stress hormone". Too much cortisol is very bad for your health. A study measured the amount of cortisol in the participants before and after singing. The researchers found that cortisol levels were lower after singing.
People who sing use deep breathing and control the use of the muscles in their breathing systems. While singing cannot treat lung diseases, anything that helps to strengthen the throat muscles could help people breathe easier.
It helps you have a sound sleep.
If your sleep is interrupted by snoring(打鼾), try singing. A 2008 UK study about the effect of singing on snoring compared singers with non-singers. The researchers found that far fewer singers snored, and they recommend singing as a potential treatment for snoring.
It may improve memory.
A study found that besides remembering the lyrics(歌词), singing brought back other memories too. The researchers found that singing songs that were learned in childhood actually caused a return of very specific memories and that gave the participants a feeling of hope and positivity.
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A. It may improve lung function. B. It helps improve mood. C. It makes no difference whether they sing alone or in a group. D. So go ahead and sing to your heart's content. E. Older people with memory loss can often recall song lyrics. F. That's because singing strengthens throat muscles, which in turn reduces snoring. G. It is naturally produced by your body. |
I was waiting in a checkout line. A woman and two boys were ahead of me. At the cash desk, a white-haired man had begun to1 his goods. Then came the question. Sometimes it's a customer with multiple coupons (优惠券), or someone who forgot to2 a piece of fruit. Fair enough. One waited.
But today, it was something else. The man didn't have3 money. So he began the process of choosing which4 to keep and which to hand back. He paused over each one before keeping or5 it. We waited. Longer lines surged ahead.
6 , his7 came to an end. The man turned back to us as he left,8 and apologetic. We waved off his chagrin (懊恼). It could happen to anyone.
But I had no idea just how9 the family of three ahead of me were until their turn came. The woman asked the cashier to add all the10 goods to her bill as quickly as possible. Then the two boys11 through the exit with the small bag of groceries. When they returned, it was clear that their mission had been12 .
Then I13 all it took to witness this flash of14 was waiting a little longer in a checkout line. I could have caught the bus. But I felt so15 on my feet that I walked home instead.
The custom of lighting up flower lamps during the Lantern Festival has a history of over 2,000 years in China. Various kinds of flower lamps with diverse styles are popular in different parts across the country. According to some Chinese folk customs, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, (witness) by a full moon hanging high above the sky, people will light up various lanterns at night to celebrate. It is the time for the whole family (enjoy) the bright moon, fire firecrackers, guess lantern riddles, eat the rice glue balls and celebrate the holiday (joyful). As a form of art, the Chinese flower lamp combines variety of skills, procedures, decoration methods and raw materials. Typical flower lamp includes the dragon lamp, the palace lamp and the dragon- phoenix lamp, etc.
Today, (economy) development and social progress provide the (motivate) for upgrading designs and creative styles of lamps. Whether paper lamps, electric lamps LED lamps, flower lamps have seen the changes of time. has never changed, however, is craftsmanship. Flower lamp is more than a handicraft; It's also an inheritance. Watching flower lamps has become a culture, which (pass) down from generation to generation.
1）倡议的原因和目的；
2）具体做法及号召。
注意：1）写作词数应为100左右；
2）可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3）文章开头和结尾已经写好。
Dear fellow students,
I am Li Hua, a senior three student of our school.
……
Li Hua
"I have to be home earlier than all my friends," my teenage son, Jordan, said. "I' m seventeen years old, and I still have a curfew(宵禁). Legally, I'm practically an adult."
"You're not an adult," I said. "You're still in high school." "None of my friends had a curfew. You don't trust me." "It's not about trust," I said. "It's about wanting what's best for you. I want to protect you." "Protect me from what? Having fun?"
I sighed. How could I make Jordan see that I only wanted the best for him? I decided to go for a walk. I opened the front door and nearly stepped on him: a small black cat with a white-tipped tail. "Hi, Meatball," I said, scooping him into my arms. "Are you ready to come back inside?"
Meatball usually seemed happy enough to come in the house, but after an hour or two, he sat by the door, meowing to go back outside. "Why won't he just stay in with us all the time?" Nathan asked. "Because he's used to living outside," I said.
Jordan's curfew had become an ongoing discussion that rarely ended well for either of us. I decided to ignore his comment. Thankfully, he didn't say anything else.
One night in January, temperatures were usually low. Meatball stood at the door, meowing to go outside. "It' s too cold out there, Bud," I said. "You'll freeze." He stared at me and meowed again. "Mom's not being mean to you," Nathan told the cat. "She's just trying to keep you from turning into a frozen Meatball." We both laughed at his joke.
The next morning, I couldn't find Meatball. Jordan said, "I let him out last night." It took me several minutes to find him curled in a tiny ball beneath my husband's car. I picked him up, unsure if he was alive or dead. While I called the vet, Jordan warmed towels in the dryer and wrapped them around Meatball.
"I'm sorry, Buddy," I heard him say over and over again. "Mom was right. Even though you didn't want to, I should have made you stay inside where it was safe."
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。
As I drove to the vet's office, Jordan sat in the back, holding Meatball inside his coat for warmth.
On the drive home, Jordan surprisingly apologized to me.
