It's Community Day again!
The event that Map le Estate residents are eagerly looking forward to is just around the corner! As usual, the Map le Residents' Committee has planned a programme that is designed to promote community spirit. Maple Estate has been celebrating Community Day every month for more than a year. By now, we hope all our residents understand the importance of forming strong bonds with our neighbours. If you have just moved to our lovely estate and have not had the opportunity to know your neighbours, you can do so by joining at Community Day!
August Highlight: Map le Estate Chefs Call all residents who are keen to practice your cooking skills and let your neighbours sample your cooking! You will be the stars of the upcoming event! Visit www.maplerc.sg for more information and to register for this activity. Kitchen equipment and basic ingredients will be provided. You will receive a $50 shopping voucher that you can use to purchase other ingredients from MapleMart the day before the event. Remember to register before 21 July, 2024! We are sure everyone will enjoy the delicious dishes! Time: From 10 a.m.to 6 p.m,6 Aug.,2024 Place: Maple Community Club Entry: Flash your Maple Resident Card |
"My wife and I moved to Maple Estate when we got married. For a few months, we spent all our free time after work doing up our house. Even though we knew that our neighbours were friendly and would sometimes invite us for their gatherings, we were occupied with getting things ready. However, it wasn't long before we grew curious about the Community Day celebrations. After we started attending them regularly, we met many neighbours. The first time we invited some of them over, we played games that helped us to get to know one another better!"
—Mr. Wang, a Maple Estate resident since 2022
"I first saw the Great Wall on a map in 1967 when I was only 11 years old. I spent a long time trying to work out how long the Great Wall was, but I failed. I thought I would surely go there one day," said William Lindesay, a Great Wall researcher from the UK.
The Englishman did what he said. He came to China in 1986 with a plan to run the whole length of the Great Wall. But that year his goal was not achieved. William came back a year later and realized his dream. In 1990, he decided to live in China. Then he bought a farmhouse near the Great Wall.
"Many people wonder why I'm obsessed greatly by the Great Wall. The first reason is that it's beautiful, and the second thing is that it's outdoors. There's history in the outdoors. You need to move to discover it. And the third point is it's fun. The Great Wall is in my mind every day," said William.
William's younger son Thomas said, "I often describe my childhood as 'wild', staying at the foot of the Great Wall almost every weekend. It's amazing because not many people get to see such world heritage all the time, and I got to see it all year around." His elder son James said, "Living here has a lot of effect on how I see the Great Wall. It's almost like my backyard, so I should protect it."
William has published 11 books about the Great Wall in 30 years. He has also completed several photo projects on the Great Wall. "It made me so happy when our film was shown on the BBC. For the first time we got an hour and a half to open the eyes of the British , and show them what the Great Wall is. We received lots of emails from people saying that they really enjoyed it and didn't know that China was so beautiful. I became a 'Great Wall ambassador (大使)',"said William.
Groundhog(土拨鼠) Day falls on February 2! Every year on this day, a crowd gathers in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to see whether a groundhog named Phil will come out of his hole. If the sun is shining and he sees his shadow before going back into his hole, it means winter will last six more weeks. But if the day is cloudy and he remains outside, spring will come early. Curiously, Phil is not alone. In the region around Milan, tradition has it that if the bear comes out of his hole on this day and sees its shadow due to clear weather, he will be able to make himself a nice dry bed and then he'll want to keep on sleeping. This will show that the winter will continue. But if it's a rainy day, the bear will have to stay out—and spring will come soon.
"These traditions can be traced back to Indo-European civilizations 3,000-5,000 years ago," says Venetian historian Elena Righetto. "That's why they are spread all over Europe," she explains. The deepest meaning of the tradition, according to Righetto, is in its seemingly contradictory (矛盾的) nature. It might seem illogical (不合逻辑的) that cold days mean the coming of spring, or that groundhogs and bears would decide to stay out just when the weather is bad.
"The idea is that the darkest moment, when everything seems to go wrong, is when we experience a rebirth, a new life," explains Righetto. There is a thought that life comes from darkness, just as plants start to grow from the seeds left underground during winter. This thought is so powerful that it crossed countries and survived centuries.
These traditions don't protect people from bad weather, death, or illness, but they protect them emotionally from some of the anxiety related to those coming realities. They don't solve the real problem, but they solve the mental problem—they help you live through the hard times of life. In a way, if we can believe in the magical powers of groundhogs and bears, we might find even a longer winter a bit warmer and friendlier.
Marian Bechtel sits at West Palm Beach's Bar Louie counter by herself, quietly reading her e-book as she waits for her salad. What is she reading? None of your business! Lunch is Bechtel's "me" time. And like more Americans, she's not alone.
A new report found 46 percent of meals are eaten alone in America. More than half (53 percent)have breakfast alone and nearly half (46 percent) have lunch by themselves. Only at dinnertime are we eating together, 74 percent, according to statistics (数据) from the report.
"I prefer to go out and be out. Alone, but together, you know?" Bechtel said, looking up from her book. Bechtel, who works in down town West Palm Beach, has lunch with coworkers sometimes, but like many of us, too often works through lunch at her desk. A lunchtime escape allows her to keep a boss from tapping her on the shoulder. She return s to work feeling energized. "Today, I just wanted some time to myself," she said.
Just two seats over, Andrew Mazoleny, a local videographer, is finishing his lunch at the bar. He likes that he can sit and check his phone in peace or chat up the barkeep er with whom he's on a first-name basis if he wants to have a little interaction (交流)."I reflect on how my day's gone and think about the rest of the week," he said. "It's a chance for self-reflection. You return to work recharged and with a plan."
That freedom to choose is one reason more people like to eat alone. There was a time when people may have felt awkward about asking for a table for one, but those days are over. Now, we have our smartphones to keep us company at the table. "It doesn't feel as alone as it may have before all the advances in technology," said Laurie Demeritt, whose company provided the statistics for the report.
Have you ever thought of the reasons why we had better learn a second language? As a matter of fact, in today's highly-connected world, it has many benefits. Here are a few of them.
It helps you better understand the world.
Learning a language isn't just about learning words and grammar. Learning new languages can broaden your horizons and bring you closer to people of different nationalities. You may develop a deep app recitation for another culture, or become friends with some one totally different from you.
As you learn and get better at the language, you'll find that you have increased self-awareness and more confidence using your second language, which can also make you more attractive to others! Truly, people will respect the fact that you're learning another language. Native speakers will be impressed with your efforts; friends and family will be proud of you; and strangers will be interested in your story.
It makes you smarter.
Believe it or not, it is said that learning a second language improves your memory and strengthens your problem-solving abilities. The more you use your brain to learn, the more powerful your brain will become.
You can help more people.
Perhaps it's obvious, but speaking another language allows you to help more people. There are volunteer programs around the world where multilingual (多语言的) speakers are valuable to the team. Being the bridge of communication between cultures is a great feeling, and the joy you'll get from helping someone in need will make all the hard work of learning the language worth it.
There are so many positive effects of learning a second language.
A. It improves your creativity. B. It can build up your self-confidence. C. It allows you to connect on a deeper level. D. Studying a foreign language doesn't have to be all about you. E. So choose a language that you find exciting and benefit from it. F. This is because learning languages helps your brain exercise. G. It's also about learning about the history and culture of a country. |
With spring approaching, a foot of snow that had fallen rapidly melt (融化). The runoff from the hills had filled the rivers and formed little 1 of water in the road. Broken tree branches were everywhere. I was 2 home and suddenly saw one of these branches 3 across the road. It was big enough to damage my car if I didn't 4 in time so I stepped on the brakes(刹车) and5 my emergency flashers. 6 there were no other cars there yet. But I knew that it would only be a matter of 7 before one crashed into that branch, causing a(n) 8 and even death.
I 9 my car and tried to pull the branch to the roadside. It was a lot 10 than I thought but I started to 11 it. I pulled it off the road slowly. When it was finally moved to the side I stood up and felt 12 . Just as I did, though, a little red car passed by 13 , hit a pool of water in the road and made my pants wet. I wasn't 14 but laughed at the absurdity (荒谬) of it all.
Sometimes we all do good things in this life only to get dirty water. When this happens just remember that the real reason you do good is because of the 15 inside of you.
To be in memory of Li Qingzhao, one of the best known female poets in Chinese history, the 1stInternational Qingzhao Poetry and Arts Festival will be held June 20 and 27, 2024 at the poet's birthplace, today's Zhangqiu of Jinan in Shandong province.
During the festival, famous poets, artists and translators from home and abroad will gather at the ancient city to join in (variety) activities, including poetry readings, and international poetry salons.
(stress) poetry as a medium connecting many kinds of art forms, the festival also contains painting, music, theater, and cinema, content reflects petiteness (诗意). And two poetry awards for young poets and university students (present) after selection. Therefore, a host of public-facing activities, including poetry theaters, poetry and folk music (concert),poetry film screenings, art exhibitions and a poetry market will be held during the event.
"Regarding the young poet awards, we'd better not make it a general award for good poets or poetry achievements," said the festival's director Jiang Tao, Chinese language professor at Peking University. "Instead, we should use our judging process ( discover) and encourage those who have true achievements in concepts, language, and even in terms of the relationship between poetry and society. We also expected to discover youngsters who can ( true) break new ground in the (exist) landscape of modern poetry," he added.
When I started karate (空手道) class a few years ago, I didn't know a single person. I felt ashamed of having no idea how to do any of the moves. Even though I liked the learning part, I did not like the feeling-worse-than-everyone part!
But one day after class while I was putting my shoes on, a girl named Abigail said, "That last kick we practiced is so hard for me, and you're so good at it."
"You must have confused me with someone else," I replied. "I'm not good at any of it."
"In that case, I'm in trouble," she joked, "because you're the one I stand behind and copy in class."
I laughed, "Seriously?"
"Seriously!" she laughed, too. After that, we became great friends. However, a few months later when Abigail's mom got a job in a different state and she had to move away, I was rather sad. I had a tough time going to the karate class for a while after that because I missed Abigail so much.
Then, a girl named Ava joined my class. She was always quiet. Until one day we finally had a conversation.
"It must be weird (怪异的) being the new one in class." I said.
"So weird!" said Ava. "You do things really differently than we did at my old dojo (柔道馆)."
I suddenly realized she'd been silent only because she was new. We started talking more , and we got along so well that we started hanging out after class. Then, almost a year later, guess who showed up at karate.
"This is so cool." I said, giving Abigail a huge hug. "What are you doing here?"
"My mom's job in New York didn't work out," she explained. "So we got to move back."
"That's the best news ever!" I said. "You have to meet my dear friend Ava. And Ava, meet my dear friend Abigail."
I put my arms around their shoulders. Feeling very excited, I told them I hoped we could get along well and be close friends, while Abigail and Ava stared at each other with some hesitation and an uncertain smile.
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。
Things seemed all right at first.
One day, I simply could not stand it anymore.
