My sister recently started a blog, and I wanted to gift her a book on writing — "Elements of Style". There are many websites that sell books online in India, and I will list down the information about this book. My friend told me that Amazon. com sells this book for $7. 00,which is Rs. 350(350 卢比). Let's see if I will get something close to that price or not.
⒈Rediff Books. The first site I discovered was Rediff Books. I was able to find this book easily on this site, and there were three different choices of these. The top result was the hardcover(精装本),which was priced at Rs. 2,831. They have the paperback edition(平装本) as well, which was priced at very reasonable Rs. 191; only one problem— they would take 45 business days to ship!
⒉NBC India. Next, I went to the site of NBC India, and found the book there too. They had a list price on the paperback edition of Rs. 366, and the picture of the book was exactly like the one I have. The price and picture pleased me quite a bit, but the results page did not show me the shipping days.
⒊Flip Kart. I have heard of Flip Kart before, but never actually used it. They had this book listed at Rs. 175, and they said it would be shipped in 4-6 business days. This was a paperback edition that was printed in 2006, and it looked quite promising.
⒋Amazon. com. Amazon. com can ship books to India. They charge another $3. 00 for shipping one. They said that it can take anywhere from18 to 31 business days.
After going through the information, I felt that Flip Kart is the best one, and I went ahead and ordered the book. I hope it reaches within the stated time, and is in good condition.
While most TV stations try to attract viewers by producing reality shows, Henan TV has become famous by promoting (推广) traditional culture through Chinese dance. Henan TV produced seven dance pieces introducing traditional culture for traditional festivals, such as "Rhapsody on the Luo River Goddess (《洛神水赋》)", a two-minute underwater dance for the Dragon Boat Festival. "Guardian Warriors of Longmen (《龙门金刚 》)", a dance piece supported by AR technology against the backdrop of the Longmen Grottoes(石窟).
"These pieces have gotten nearly 30 billion hits," said Yao Wei, director of the TV station. "It's a huge success for Henan TV. "
On Nov 1, 2021, Yao was invited to talk about how the TV station had produced the hit dance pieces at a three-day forum (论坛) centering on the research of Chinese dance.
The pieces were popular with audiences, most of whom are members of Gen Z, (people born between 1995 and 2009), Yao said.
"It's been over forty years since the country's reform(改革) and opening-up and the younger generations have grown up with open minds. They love Chinese culture and are proud of it," said Yao. "What we need to do is present Chinese culture and tradition in interesting ways for those young people. "
Yao added that Henan TV has been producing shows promoting traditional culture, such as traditional operas and kung Fu, for nearly 30 years.
"To allure younger audiences, we are also changing our shows. One of the keys is to produce them with creativity," Yao said. "For example, the latest technology and special stage settings, like underwater scenes, have become our new ways of telling stories about traditional Chinese culture. "
Another key to successfully reaching younger audiences is using social media to promote their shows.
"Social media is being shaped and driven by young people. It's a powerful form of communication. When they watch short videos, they easily become interested in an eye-catching video," Yao said.
Years ago, as a business reporter, I interviewed an advertising manager. I was there to ask about the latest campaign. But when I sat down, he wanted to talk about writing novels.
He spent hours meeting with clients(客户), but he dreamed of being a novelist instead. I remember thinking: Sure, everybody dreams to be a novelist. Who doesn't?
A decade later, however, I was surprised to see the same person on TV, holding up his new book. James Patterson had developed into a best-selling author. He has since published more than 100 New York Times best sellers.
"I never thought of myself as an advertising person," he told me when I asked how he'd done it. "I always planned to be a writer. " Mr. Patterson's ability to sec himself as a writer shows a term(术语) "possible selves. " It describes how people envision their futures: what they may become, or want to become, etc.
The term, created in 1986 by the social psychologists Hazel Markus and Paula Nurius,grew out of research on self-concept and self-perception(自我知觉). While self-concepts, like "I am a kind person" or "I am a good parent", are based on the present, the researchers found that people are also influenced by possible selves - what they might become in the future and how they might change.
These possible selves,both positive and negative,are closely related to motivation (动机). In a small study, when young adults were made to envision themselves as either regular exercisers (hoped-for selves) or inactive (feared selves),both groups exercised more in the weeks afterward. But researchers have found that imagining positive possible selves can improve health and reduce depression by holding out the hope for a better future.
A possible self can help you realize daydreams, which seem to be unrealistic, "if you build a bridge from your ‘now' self to the possible self," Dr. Markus said. But how do we build that bridge?
Whales are important animals in the sea. The organizations of the world are calling all nations not to kill or eat whales any more. But Japan's new whaling(捕鲸) plan is a great danger to the living of these large animals. It will also do harm to the sea interests (利益) of other surrounding countries including China, experts said.
After the Japanese government made its decision clear on Nov. 8, 2016 to catch 100 more whales in 2017, many animal experts in the world voiced their angry answers. According to a Japan News report, Japan caught 174 minke whales and 140 sei whales totally in the northwest Pacific Ocean in 2017.
"After years of overfishing(过度捕捞),the population of minke whales in the northwest Pacific Ocean has been reduced to a dangerous level. Therefore, Japan should stop whaling in the area," said Wang Yaming, a leader of the International Whaling Organization. According to Wang, most whales living in the northwest Pacific Ocean are migratory(迁徙的)animals，and their traveling way is very close to the land of Russia, South Korea, North Korea, Japan and China. Japan's whaling will also have a terrible influence on those countries.
Although the world has stopped to catch and kill whales, Japan lies to others that its killing of whales is just for scientific purposes. However, many experts don't agree with it completely. "Japan should not kill more whales, as doing so would harm the international whale resources(资源). Japan's whaling in the northwest Pacific Ocean hasn't drawn much more attention because it hardly influences the interests of western countries. " Wang explained.
It is really high time for Japan to stop its whaling from now on.
Change Your Routines(日常生活)
It can be difficult to move forward in a new direction if you just keep following the same routines day in and day out. People tend to(倾向于) be creatures of habits, and sometimes that feeling of being stuck in a rut (墨守陈规) can result from a sense of boredom(无聊). Here are some things you can try:
This can be a great way to enrich(使丰富)your social connections and learn interesting things about the people who are around you. So you can choose a person around you and then talk with him.
Have some fun. For example, you can hang out with friends or take up a hobby that you are always interested in. Set aside some time during the week, during which you can spend your energy in having a good time.
Try something new. Whether it is taking a new way to work, watching a new show, or signing up for some kind of class, This can help add the beautiful scenery to your life and may give you a totally new life.
Be spontaneous (自发的). If you are bored with some part of your life, start trying to live in the moment. Say yes to the experiences that are without any plans and do not be afraid to do the unexpected things.
A. Start a conversation.
B. accept what you are feeling.
C. Try to head outdoors for a walk.
D. Do things that are not carefully pre-planned.
E. Spend some time on an activity you truly love.
F. explore the world around you in new and different ways.
G. So look for ways you can add some different experiences to each day.
When I was a boy, my parents owned a small grocery store. As I 1 those days, many people come to mind. One such person was Nick.
I still remember the first time I saw him—or perhaps "experienced" him is a more 2 term. The moment he entered the store I could feel a rush of 3 fill the place. Singing at the top of his lungs, Nick made quite a(n) 4 .
Nick had great enthusiasm for life. I really admired him for his ability to be completely himself and at 5 with everyone he met and in every situation. For me his 6 wasn't really what he did or how he did it, but rather that he was absolutely comfortable simply being himself — a true free spirit. The memory of Nick 7 me of the encouraging phrase, "Dance like no one is 8 . "
Countless times I've resisted expressing myself simply because I didn't want to 9 looking silly or foolish. I often 10 my true self behind a wall of insecurity, but respect those who 11 this inhibition (压抑). No 12 this is why I remember Nick so fondly, for he was who he was, and didn't for a second 13 any of it back. Whether you loved him or hated him, Nick most certainly danced to his own 14 and never apologized for it.
Perhaps someday I, too, will have the courage and confidence to 15 the steps to that dance.
In Lanzhou, Gansu province, the day begins a hot bowl of beef noodles.
According to a recent archaeological (discover) in Qinghai Province where a 50-centimeter-long noodle was unearthed, the noodles have a history of about 4,000 years.
Recently the first recipe (菜谱) for Lanzhou beef noodles was discovered in unusual form of a poem (古诗) by the late 18th century scholar Chen Weijing. Few (write) recipes survive from the Qing Dynasty, because cook (consider) a lower-end profession (职业) then, which hardly attracted educated people. The poem listed two ingredients per line, although without further (instruction) such as the amount of each ingredient or the cooking time.
The second person (improve) Lanzhou beef noodles was a cook named Ma Zilu, lived in the early twentieth century. By that time, hundreds of beef noodle restaurants had opened in Lanzhou, and the taste in each location differed (significant). After achieving a form of unity among the different restaurants in Lanzhou, Ma later opened a small food cart and traveled around China, (introduce) the dish all the way to the southeast port city of Guangzhou.
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。
As he lay awake that night, Tony could hear his parents discussing his sister Alice's birthday. It was just two days away. Birthdays were always a lot of fun, even though there was no money for store-bought gifts. Nearly all of toys he and his sister had were homemade. There was nothing wrong with that, he knew. Like many families in this part, they were poor.
This birthday would be different, though. Alice was older now, and he'd seen how her eyes lit up when she saw the new doll at Honey House, a neighborhood store just down the road from their house.
How he longed for her to have it! An idea finally came to him just before he went to bed. After a quick breakfast the following morning, he tied a bag to the handlebars of his bike and headed toward a village hill.
After a long journey, he reached his destination, the mango forest. There were already two other boys there. Tony grabbed his bag and set to work immediately.
The sun was high overhead. The weather was hot and nearly all of the taller trees held ripe mangoes but they were well beyond reach. Tony struggled to climb the trees to pick mangoes, though he fell off many times.
His efforts were sometimes rewarded when a mango dropped into the bag. After a while his neck ached from looking upward, and his arms grew sore. He kept at it, though, and by late afternoon his bag was nearly full.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右。
2. 续写部分分两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1：
Tony rushed back to Honey House, out of breath, only to find the owner of the store was going to close the door.
Paragraph 2：
The following morning, Alice walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the breakfast table.
