Staying at home and watching Netflix is quite cozy. To help you figure out what to watch, we take a dive into the collection and list some options released in the last two years or so that are well-worth a watch.
Penguin Bloom (2021) 95 mins, directed by Glendyn Ivin
Naomi Watts stars in this emotional roller-coaster of a film about a woman struggling to recover from a catastrophic injury. After her children bring home an injured bird，her character's efforts to nurse the magpie(喜鹊) nicknamed "Penguin" back to health unfold in parallel with her own healing journey.
Metal Lords (2022) 97 mins, directed by Peter Sollett
Jaeden Martell and Adrian Green smith play a pair of teenage friends who decide to forma heavy metal band and enter their high school's Battle of the Bands competition. What they don't expect，however, is to have their friendship tested and to learn a lot more than about music when they recruit a shy cellist to join them.
The Sea Beast (2022) 115 mins, directed by Chris Williams
Chris Williams directs this animated(动画的) high-sea adventure about a young girl who boards a famous monster-hunting ship secretly, only to discover that everything she thought she knew about monsters and hunters might be wrong. Karl Urban voices legendary hunter Jacob Holland in this all-age feature.
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)117 mins, directed by Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson
One of Hollywood most visionary filmmakers turns his attention to one of the most beloved tales in children's literature in this animated adaptation of Carlo Collodi's 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio. The film records Pinocchio's chase to become a living boy—a journey that brings him through one adventure after another.
Known as the birthplace of hip-hop, the South Bronx in New York City is. a global center for music and art. However, it also suffers from poverty and pollution. Heavy trucks deliver unwanted construction waste to sorting stations, which then transfer waste to distant landfills.
Just graduating from college and working for an environmental group, Omar started to think about redirecting waste to those in need. He wondered, "Instead of destroying things like old doors, why not make this business a 'cooperative' , which means people who work in the business own it and share the profits?"
Omar decided to start his business. He handed out leaflets along the truck-jammed, waste-filled streets to find individuals with similar ideas and interests to join him. Eventually, Omar found four workers and secured a warehouse. They reached out to relevant people, offering to remove items from construction sites for free. Soon, their warehouse was filled with donated materials，including 80 new toilets, unwanted doors，theater seats, and even a giant popcorn machine.
A few years ago, Omar started his first cooperative devoted to reusing construction waste. The cooperative began selling construction supplies at reasonable prices to neigh born hood builders and home owners. With support from city officials, Omar began developing a new training program to equip local residents with the necessary skills for environmental impact jobs.
Omar said, "Think about a wooden door that you've just bought. In order to produce that, someone had to cut down trees. In order to ship it across the country, someone had to pump oil out of the ground. You can avoid all that if you buy a good used door. And at the same time, you can reduce pollution, save money, and create jobs in communities like the South Bronx. "
Omar even had the image of a future with a whole network of green cooperative businesses in the area, which would work together to reuse different kinds of construction materials. "If you have a use for something, "Omar said, " it's no longer waste. "
At the times in my life that I had been upset or angry, a good hug was usually a very quick cure for what was bothering me. After receiving a warm and genuine embrace from a loved one or friend, the tension in my body would melt almost immediately.
How does a hug deliver such a remarkable effect so quickly? Touch is a powerful means of communication and a great way to relieve the response to stress. Through touch, a person's intention is readily discernible-you can tell comfort from potential harm easily. In the positive mode, hugs are one type of touch that relays the message: "I care about you. You matter. " we require touch with other living beings to grow well. Children who are not held or hugged have significant developmental and socio-emotional delay accompanied by smaller brains. This means that physical contact is not only critical for how these children behaved, but for the development of the brain itself.
For adults，touch affects the response to everyday conflict. Some researchersinterviewed404 adults daily for 14 days regarding their health，conflicts，how they felt emotionally (positive or negative), and whether or not they received a hug. People who had received a hug and had an interpersonal conflict reported feeling more positive with less severe negative reactions on that day. It has also been found that hugging may favorably influence the rate of infection from a cold as well as symptoms.
As hugs are a great way to relieve the response to stress, it is not surprising that the number of hugs that a woman receives from her partner is highly related to lower blood pressure as well as higher levels of hormone known as oxytocin(催产素), colloquially labeled the "love hormone".
Hugs, of course, are a form of touch that share elements with other types, like massage(按摩)as well as gentle, light touch. Like hugging, massage is a great way to release tension.
In today's motivational literature, failure is often viewed as something to be celebrated. Inspirational speakers are fond of quoting the words of the novelist Samuel Beckett —"Fail again. Fail better. "It scams that disappointments are an essential stepping stone to success, a turning point in our life story that will ultimately end in victory.
However，psychological researches find most of us struggle to handle failure constructively. In other words, we fail to "fail forward". We find ways to devalue the task at which we failed, and become less motivated to persevere and reach our goals. This phenomenon is known as the "sour-grape effect", which was discovered by Professor Hallgeir Sjastad.
Sjastad explains that" sour-grape effect" "is a self-protective mechanism. "Most of us picture ourselves as competent people, so when external feedback suggests otherwise, it poses a serious threat to that self-image, "he says. "The classiest way out is to deny or explain away the external signal, so we can reduce the inconsistency and preserve a positive sense of self. We do this even without noticing. "
If you have one bad interview for your dream job, you might convince yourself that you don't really want it at all, and stop applying for similar positions. The same goes if you fail to impress at a sports trial, or if a publisher rejects the first submission of your manuscript. "Wet end to explain away our shortcomings and convince ourselves our ‘Plan C' is actually our‘ Plan A', " Sjastad says.
It doesn't mean we should persevere in goals all the time. It can be healthy to change ambitions if the process is no longer making us happy. But the "sour-grape effect' may lead us to come to this decision prematurely, rather than hanging on a little and seeing whether we might learn and improve.
Failures are unavoidable. By learning to face the disappointment instead of devaluing its importance and pretending nothing happened, you may find it easier to achieve your goals.
Writing is enjoyable and rewarding and it can be a hobby, a field of study, and even a career. All it takes is a little creativity, some strong ideas, a command of your Written language, and an understanding of how literature is typically structured. Follow the tips below, and soon you'll be ready to put your work out there for the world to see.
Reading helps you develop a firm grasp on how stories are structured. When you read a book, you should split your attention between the actual events in the book and the way the author composed that piece of literature. By reading, you're also studying how published authors use language in creative and inspiring ways and how a skilled writer handles a certain subject.
Journals are a writer's best friend. When you're out in a bar, or riding public transportation， you will witness all kinds of fascinating displays of humanity. If you keep a detailed journal, it's much easier to jump into writing during your writing time. You'll have ideas, conversations you've overheard, or thoughts that struck you, and you may be able to turn those items into stories or poems.
If readers recognize the connection between your story and something from everyday life, they will be more likely to appreciate your story. Newspapers, news magazines, or news websites can provide you with a steady stream of story ideas in the form of new sevents.
lf you've been writing for a while, chances are good that you keep getting drawn back to a particular style or topic. Practicing a favorite type of writing is a great way to keep yourself motivated, but make an effort to vary your writing exercises once in a while. If your writing projects all sound similar, try a different style, or think of a topic that could never fit into your usual writing project.
A. Good writers are actually good readers. B. No doubt anyone can be a creative writer. C. They can help you better express yourself. D. So always pay close attention to current events. E. As you know, writing is different from reading. F. You can use them as a place to gather your thoughts. G. Taking on new challenges is vital for improvement in any field. |
Getting accepted to Harvard Law School was a feeling that Rehan Staton will never forget.
Staton had a stable life growing up until his mother1 the family and moved out of the county when he was 8. His father then worked multiple jobs to 2 Rehan and his older brother, but the family struggled3 . They often had no food or electricity. Rehan's academics significantly suffered. As his grade4 , he channeled his energy into sports. He was5 in boxing and won national and international competitions which he hoped would become his way out of6 . However, his dream was 7 when he suffered a shoulder injury in the 12th grade.
Rehan's poor grades as a senior resulted in him being8 by every college he applied to. So he took a job at Bates Trucking and Trash，9 rubbish and cleaning dustbins.
Rather than add to his despair, the job marked a 10 point. His co-workers found his11 uplifted him and urged him to go back to school. Finally he was12 to Bowie State University. By the end of his second year, Rehan decided he wanted to go to13 school.
Rehan was14 for the support he got from his co-workers. "It was the first time in my life that a group of individual had really just15 me, and told me I was intelligent. "
Wang Rongbi has been glued to her cellphone, eagerly awaiting updates about the Italian show. "I have never been abroad, but my embroidery(刺绣品) has, "Wang said.
Wang isthe best embroidery designers from Guizhou in Southwest Chinaworks were chosen to exhibit at the just-concluded event. Their exquisite works were selected(show) the traditional artistry of China's Miao ethnic minority and wow international fashion designers.
The Miao are one of China's minority groups, and more than 4. 3 million call Guizhou home. Their embroidered costumes, featuring unique patterns(inspire) by nature and their ethnic history，are recognized as a national intangible cultural heritageregarded as a "living fossil "of Miao culture. In July, Shi Chuanying, 45, another Miao embroiderer, receivedinvitation from the provincial department of culture and tourism to attend Milan Fashion Week. "I was one of 17 embroiderers who worked nonstop for 20 days to complete the 10 pieces. We cherished this opportunity and were committed to(hit) our target no matter how difficult, " said Shi.
Both Wang and Shi are(intense)proud that the traditional costumes of their ethnic group have been presented on the international stage, boosting (confident)in the inheritance and development of Miao embroidery. "Traditional handicrafts can be very fashionable, and our ethnic culture has plenty of(globe)appeal, "said Wang.
注意：1. 词数80左右;2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Jim,
……
Yours sincerely
Li Hua
The neighborhood kids nicknamed the strange old couple Crazy Jack and Ruby Rednose. Rumor was that they sat inside and drank tea all day. The only words we ever heard from them were "Keep out of our rosebushes!"
The rosebushes served as a fence between our house and theirs. 1 was eleven at the time and the oldest of six active girls. We should have played our softball games elsewhere to avoid hurting the roses, but we secretly enjoyed annoying Crazy Jack and Ruby Rednose. One day, we had a neighborhood softball game in our yard. Mary was trying to catch a fly ball. She stumbled(绊倒) over one of Ruby Rednose's rosebushes and fell on top of several more. Just at the moment, Ruby Rednose sprang out and ran toward Mary. She screamed angrily, "Look at what you've done to our family's roses! You've always been a trouble. You have no idea what this rosebush means to me! "
Hearing this, my sisters and I ran into our house. Breathlessly，we told Mom what had happened. "Girls, I have told you not to play softball near those bushes. Come outside right now and help me fix them. ""Mom, we thought you didn't like the couple, " we protested. "They're mean to us. "Mom just glared at us. We followed her outside to help repair the rose fence. While Mom was examining the damaged roses, Ruby slowly walked out. She looked sad. And it wasn't her nose that was red—it was her eyes.
注意：1．续写词数应为150左右;2．请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Ruby walked over to my mother, we girls holding our breath.
……
A few weeks later, the plants all came back to life.
