Birmingham Writers' Group welcomes members from all walks of life from the West Midlands — we're a mixed group, and we always enjoy new views. Well support each other's writing, and provide constructive and critical advice during our group meetings which take a variety of forms. All we require is that our members are regular writers and that they treat each other with respect.
What we write
Our current membership features many fiction writers with a little knowledge of poetry for good measure, but we're open to non-fiction writers too. Preference will be given to the fiction with a small length. We do ask any material read out at our meetings should be suitable for diverse audiences. Furthermore, we welcome second language writing but we're not equipped to teach writing if you're only just starting out.
When we meet
We generally meet once a week. After the official meetings, some members might go to a nearby pub for a chat. We also arrange additional social evenings elsewhere. Because were a private group with no external funding, we have to rely on some membership fees. However, you may attend two meetings at no charge to determine whether the group is suitable for you. A per-meeting attendance fee of $5 is asked when you attend a third meeting.
So if you like what you've read here, please contact us and we'll let you know when the next meeting will be and how to join. We do not wish to miss potential members out. Welcome to talk to us if you have difficulty in participating.
You Mi, a lovely and confident 17-year-old student, is the first Chinese high school student to appear on the cover of the popular young adults' fashion magazine Seventeen.
"You is IN," said Wang Lihua, Editor-in-Chief of Seventeen. "She is active and mature (成熟的) because of her knowledge on everything from academic studies, to books on art, to movies. We found she's the very style we're looking for to represent young people's attitudes."
You also impressed Wang with her fluent English when they first met last year. As the hostess of an English broadcasting programme at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University, You is always praised for speaking English almost like a native speaker. "I've built up my English by watching thousands of English DVDs since I was 10," she explained.
But for You, watching isn't enough. Last year, while in Senior 1, she met a talented boy who showed self-made DV movies at the English Corner in her school.
"I thought it was so cool and I knew that I should start making my own films," she said. So she wrote a campus (校园 ) story, persuaded schoolmates to star in it and then began shooting a 30-minute DV movie, all in English. "I played one of the leading roles, actually I was everything in my film. I worked on it every single day during the SARS holidays," she recalled. The movie finally became a big hit on campus, earning You a strong reputation (名气) as a DV movie director.
But this is not the only field she wants to master. Despite being a science student, You likes art, literature and fashion design very much.
"There are people who can be artists，there are people who edit books, and there are people who become film producers. But I just hope to mix all the things up!" she said. "There is an old saying I believe: Chance favours only the prepared mind."
Tell a joke. Give a speech. Sing a rock song. You can do all these things at Planet Word, a museum of language in downtown Washington. The dream and effort of former teacher Ann Friedman, Planet Word fills three floors of the historic Franklin School with play areas that invite visitors to think about the origins and development of English and explore qualities of other languages. Through its galleries, visitors can use their sounds to interact and engage with exhibits. Such a museum has never been seen before anywhere else.
Friedman had the idea of Planet Word after a visit to the National Museum of Mathematics, which makes math fun by high-tech, hands-on activities. "I think a museum like that could work for one more important thing," said Friedman. "In the time of misinformation and texting, a literate(有文化的) society is way too vital. We need a higher level of ability to read and write, and literate people who have a wide vocabulary, understanding of motivation and ability to read people." That inspired her to make Planet Word a reality.
At the core of the museum, the magical Library exhibition is filled with books that come alive with videos. But Planet Word is not just about showing language in its spoken and written form. Public speaking is accessible in Lend Me Your Ears where people can test their own speaking skills in a recording area. The Karaoke room invites visitors to sing songs. On a more serious note, the Words Matter gallery presents lengthy videos of people telling personal stories.
"Planet Word is centered on ideas but not collections, putting visitors in control of every experience," explained Jake Barton from Local Projects, which designed Planet Word. In one exhibit, visitors can "paint" with words using a digital paintbrush, turning learning new words into beautiful experiences. To take the word "autumnal" as an example, the entire scene changes from spring to fall. "It's a place where children cry when their parents try to make them leave. It makes people wish this were how they had learned in school."
It could be said that the northernmost part of our planet holds the secrets of our past as well as our future.
The icy land is, in fact, not a place for the weak. This vast land of wilderness is where people can get up close to nature's extremes. The place is "no joke", US photographer Mark Mahaney told PLAIN Magazine. "When midnight sun is replaced by polar night, everything's different Eyes to the horizon and it's nothing. And then more nothing, in every direction. "
One of the most harsh, yet most pristine (原始的) places on Earth, the Arctic has been affected by human activities-exploration, booming tourism and most importantly, global warming-in recent decades.
But the impact of these changes is not restricted to the inhabitants of this area alone. In fact, it could be said that the weight of the world relies on this icy region.
The Earth's steady climate depends on the Arctic's sea ice, which acts as a huge white reflector at the top of the planet, bouncing some of the sun's rays back into space. The more Arctic sea ice melts, the less light is reflected, and the more the dark oceans will absorb the sun's radiation. The Arctic also helps circulate ocean currents, moving cold and warm water around the globe.
With visible changes in the global climate, the Arctic has given us a wake-up call-what happens up in the North doesn't just stay there. It comes with a high cost to the world at large. It's time for us to pay attention to this chilly region and learn more about what's happening there, as well as its past and possible future.
Memory loss: 4 tips to improve your memory
Can't find your car keys? Forget your shopping list? Can't remember the name of the personal trainer you liked at the gym? Everyone forgets things occasionally. Still, memory loss is nothing to take lightly.
Although there are no guarantees when it comes to preventing memory loss, certain activities might help. Consider four simple ways to sharpen your memory.
1
Exercising increases blood flow to your whole body, including your brain. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity (有氧运动), such as walking, preferably spread throughout the week.
2 Stay mentally active
Just as physical activity helps keep your body in shape, mentally active activities help keep your brain in shape — and might keep memory loss at bay. Do crossword puzzles. Play bridge. Take alternate routes when driving. Volunteer at a local school.
3 Socialize regularly
Social interaction helps keep depression and stress away. Look for chances to get together with loved ones, friends and others — especially if you live alone.
4 Eat a healthy diet
A healthy diet might be as good for your brain as it is for your heart. Eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Choose low-fat protein sources, such as fish, beans and skinless meat. Too much alcohol can lead to confusion and memory loss. So can drug use.
A. It is so terrible.
B. You are not alone.
C. What you drink counts too.
D. Learn to play a musical instrument.
E. Both of them can contribute to memory loss.
F. Include physical activity in your daily routine.
G. Set aside a place for keys, glasses and other essentials.
It is indeed true that age is not a barrier (障碍) to learning. Priscilla Sitienei, a 90-year-old woman, has 1 it and is an inspiration to all of us who tend to give up so 2.
Priscilla, as a young girl, did not have the 3 to read and write. What she could not do then did not stop her from dreaming and 4 making those dreams come true. She has 5 Leaders Vision Preparatory School in her village in Kenya for the past five years. What is even more 6 is that she goes to school with her great-grandchildren! She says that she has big7 and that she'd like to be able to 8 the Bible (圣经). She also wants to 9 children to receive schooling and to follow their 10.
Her day at school is the same as any other student's. She wears her 11 to school and attends English, Maths, Drama, Singing, Physical Education, and Dance classes. Above that, she lives in one of the school dormitories, where she12 the room with her great-great-grandchild. All pupils 13 her and want to play with her. She sets an example to those who have 14 and think they are too old to get 15. She says, "Well, I am at school, and so should you!"
The home crowd erupted when China's Eileen Gu won the women's big air freeskiing gold in Beijing. Gu jumped into the top position with her third run, (score) 94.50. Her total score was 188.25 in the event's debut at the Winter Olympics. The 18-year-old, also goes by her Chinese name, Gu Ailing, is a freestyle skier, model and grade-A student with American father and a Chinese mother. She grew up in the United States. It was there she grew to love skiing. By 2018, she was representing the US in the world cup for the sport. Then, she decided to switch from representing the US representing China. It was a decision met with shock and (confuse) from her growing fan base, but Gu was (determine), sharing her reasoning on Instagram at the time. "This was an (incredible) tough decision for me to make. Through skiing, I hope to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between (nation). If I can help to inspire one young girl (break) a boundary, my wishes will have come true."
具体内容：1）表达关心；
2）具体建议；
注意：
1）字数100词左右；
2）可适当增加细节
My mom only had one eye. I hated her. She was such an embarrassment.
She ran a small shop at a flea market (跳蚤市场) and collected old clothes and some other things to sell for the money we needed. Once during elementary school, it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed and wondered how could she do this to me? I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school, my schoolmates asked me, "Your mom only has one eye?" and laughed at me.
I was so angry with my mom and wished that she would just disappear from this world. So I said to my mom, "Why don't you have the other eye? You're only gonna (将要) make me a joke!" My mom trembled with shock, and said in an apologetic tone, "I'm so sorry that I only have one eye, and I was an embarrassment for you. But I was so proud of my son to see a whole new world for me with that eye. I will leave right now. Sorry!" My mom turned around and staggered away.
For the words I had said to her earlier, there was something biting at me in the corner of my heart. Even so, I hated my oneeyed mom and our desperate poverty. Maybe because my mom hadn't punished me, I didn't think I had hurt her feelings very badly.
I told myself that I would become successful in the near future, so I studied very hard. Later I got accepted by the Seoul University. I left my mother and came to Seoul to study. I never went back to visit my mom.
Then I got married there. I bought a house of my own. Then I had kids, too. Now I am living happily as a successful man. I enjoy the life in Seoul because it's a place that doesn't remind me of my mom and my past. This kind of happiness was getting bigger and bigger, until one day someone knocked at my door.
注意：1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2）至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1：
It was my mom! And still with her one eye！
Paragraph 2:
Holding the letter, I cried for the person who only lived for me.
