It was only four o'clock, but it was cold and getting dark. I 1 my nose up against the window. Snow! It was 2 and settling on top of the already thick white carpet (地毯).
"Dad!" I yelled 3 . "Dad, come here—look at this snow!" He came in from the 4 .
"Yes, look at that," he said. "It's coming down quite 5 , isn't it?" He put his hand on my shoulder and looked down at me with a 6 on his face. "Well, I'm going back to the living room to read my paper," he said and started to turn away. His smile broadened even further.
"Oh, Dad," I said sadly, shaking his arm. "Please... can we go sledging (滑雪橇)? You 7 we would if we ever got snow."
"Just a joke, dear. Of course we can," said Dad. "I know the 8 place. Go and get ready."
"Really? Great! Let's go!"
Outside, the ground was covered with snow. The snow flew up as we walked through it. We were walking to a place where my dad went sledging 9 he was a boy.
"Here we are then. I used to 10 many happy hours here with my sledge," said Dad. I stopped and looked around me.
"This is it?" I asked 11 , looking at the slight incline (缓坡) that lay ahead of us.
"It certainly is," said Dad. "My friends and I 12 some serious speed on here back in the day. Let me tell you."
I couldn't believe him, but I pulled my sledge to the top of the incline anyway and got in. Dad gave me a 13 , and down I went at a snail's pace (步速). It was so slow. All I could 14 behind me was his laughter.
"OK, OK," he said, catching up to me and walking beside my sledge as it went along. "Maybe it isn't as steep (陡峭的) as I 15 ."
ZSLWhipsnade Zoo
Set in over 600 acres, the Zoo is home to over 2,500 animals. Get the most out of your day by visiting our amazing animal talks, feeds and shows.
PASSAGE THROUGH ASIA
Drive your car or jump aboard our fantastic steam train and find your way through the Passage Through Asia. Keep an eye out for Asian elephants, camels and deer going about their daily business.
The biggest animal at the Zoo is the Asian elephant. Once fully grown they can reach heights of between three and four meters. "What does it take to look after an elephant? Join us for a day in the life of an elephant," Jim Mickie, a zookeeper said.
FEEDING TIME
Whether it's delicious home-cooked food or a sandwich, coffee and a cake, we have several tasty choices for you at the Zoo. Plus, all our food uses local ingredients.
BIRDS OF THE WORLD
Take flight with our feathered (有羽毛的) friends and be ready to duck and dive as hawks, owls over your head in this amazing Birds of the World.
NEW GIRAFFE PLATFORM
See more than ever before of our family of giraffes. The nine-foot-high platform will let you see across the whole giraffe paddock (围场) as well as provide a view indoors on cold days.
LOOKOUT LODGE (小屋)
Stay in the lodge. Spend the night at a sleepover (聚会) like no other, where you see what happens in the Zoo after dark. That would be the most enjoyable and unforgettable thing you can experience here!
Rain or shine, Peter O'Neill always competes in the triathlon (铁人三项运动) of his town. The 72-year-old has competed in every triathlon in the event's 40-year history. He was part of the group that came up with the idea in the 1980s.
"I used to jog around town," Mr. O'Neill said. "I came into contact with an Olympian, David Power, and Dave had a hotel up here. A few of us got together and we discussed it and got it going in October, 1983."
The then 31-year-old suggested one of the group should compete. "Everyone else could either ride a bike or run, but I was the only one who could swim," he laughed. "But I was happy to give it a go."
In the beginning, more than 220 athletes took part in the event, including 79 individual competitors and 48 teams. These days it's a five-day festival—which includes 11 events in all—with more than 13,000 competitors.
Rebecca van Pooss, head of operations for the triathlon there, said the event Mr. O'Neill helped to start was now an international event. "It is the world's largest Olympic-distance triathlon," she said. "That's something we're very proud of."
"Mr. O' Neill's efforts were inspiring. There are a couple of other athletes who have done 38, 39," she said. "But Peter, he is the legend (传奇)—it's pretty amazing to have someone who's done all 40 of our races."
Mr. O'Neill trains year-round for the event, and enjoys the social side just as much as the physical benefits. "I've made so many friends… friends that I ride with and friends I swim with—it's been wonderful," he said. "When you're in your 70s like I am, you're quite happy to just do it because you know it beats the alternative (替代品), which is sitting around doing nothing."
In China, more and more people read at community reading rooms. For example, Luyang district of Hefei has built more than 100 reading rooms in recent years, so people can enjoy the fun of reading at their doorsteps. In the UK, 3,718 libraries provide different kinds of services, including lending out books and offering a free, warm and safe space for people to go to. Some libraries make it easier to borrow books: for example, by delivering books to library users' doorsteps.
Libraries do more than house books. They provide people with other services and tools, such as computers, and create a sense of community. However, many libraries in the UK are at risk of closing because they can't afford the cost of operating. Library fines (罚款) are carried out when people don't return books on time.
Many people in the UK believe that fines are needed because they help libraries improve services, and prevent people from returning books late. Without fines, people might be more relaxed and many more books could be returned late. After all, some books are so popular that there can be a waiting list for people who want to read it next. Libraries only work if people borrowing books return them on time, ready for other library users to enjoy.
However, one third of Britain's libraries are fine-free now. This means some library users who don't return books by the date agreed are not charged (收费). Besides, people who don't have much money really depend on libraries to help them save some money, not spend it. Many libraries have got rid of fines all together, which makes libraries more welcoming environments.
So, should libraries stop fining people? See what we find in other countries.
Classical Chinese gardens are purposely designed so that no matter where you stand, you can never see the whole thing at once. The mystery and the discovery have helped the classical gardens of China, especially those in Suzhou, remain popular attractions after all these years.
Put simply, the aim of a classical Chinese garden is to deepen one's admiration of nature. Besides just relaxing in nature, the classical Chinese gardens have another purpose—to inspire artistic expression like poetry, literature or painting. Nearly all Chinese gardens feature the things in the list below.
Water
Water is a necessary thing that no Chinese garden can go without. The water in a garden typically symbolizes a lake or even the ocean. Water can even symbolize communication, movement and dreams.
Rocks
Large rocks typically symbolize mountains. Many of the rocks in the Suzhou gardens come from Lake Tai, having been shaped by the flow of water over thousands of years. Smaller rocks are often on show in the fancy halls at a garden's entrance. This shows the appreciation the garden owners had of these rocks.
Plants
You can't have a garden without plants. Different plants and flowers are used for either symbolic or aesthetic (美学的) purpose—or both. Bamboo, for example, represents strength. Flowers, meanwhile, add color to a garden, with each carrying a symbolic meaning of its own.
Gates & Windows
Gates of different shapes divide different parts of a garden. The most common type of gate, the moon gate, is simply a circle. Windows are placed throughout the garden to allow the passage of light. You can also catch a glimpse of interesting trees or rocks on the other side from the window.
Pavilions (亭)
In Chinese gardens, pavilions are usually placed in some of the best viewing places. Sometimes a pavilion is placed where one can see the reflection (倒影) of the moon at night, or in the best place to listen to the sound of rain on the leaves above. In the past, pavilions were also used as places for garden owners to reflect, paint and write poems.
(5 minutes later)
(20 minutes later)
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A. How much is it?
B. An orange juice, please.
C. I'd like a cheese omelette (煎蛋卷), please.
D. And the orange juice.
E Can I have the bill?
F. I'd like to see the menu, please.
G. Yes, please. Can I have some strawberry ice cream?
A: Hello, Grace. Your skirt looks good on you.
B: . I bought it on a vacation in Qingdao.
A: Qingdao? Lucky you! ?
B: I went there during the May Day holiday. I had a wonderful time there. It's a great place to have fun.
A: ?
B: Er…Let me see. For four days.
A: ?
B: It was always sunny and warm. The sunshine was bright.
A: What did you do there?
B: .
A: Sounds like fun. I like playing beach volleyball, too. Oh, it's time for lunch. See you.
B: See you.
Students in the French cities of Paris and Lyon recently got the chance to take part in traditional Chinese cultural and sports events hosted by East China Normal University.
The events were held from Thursday Monday. On Thursday, students from five French middle schools (experience) calligraphy (书法) and seal carving (篆刻) under the instruction of professors and students from China. It was first time that they were provided in those French schools.
Tryston Beck, a 12-year-old middle school student from Lyon, was (satisfy) with his work in carving the Chinese character (文字) zhong, or middle. "The teachers from China told me it meant. It was a very cool and fun experience," he said.
A friendly badminton match was held on Sunday between a team of students led by Wang Yihan, who came (two) at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and student athletes from Lyon.
"The match allowed Chinese and French youths (improve) their competitive skills, friendship, and sow the seeds for future cooperation between the two sides," said by a French officer.
To show Chinese kung fu and tai chi, teachers and students from the university also went to three schools in Lyon. Some local people had chances to experience it themselves.
"The movements in tai chi may be practiced very (slow), but they are very (create) and artistic," another French officer said. "It's a lovely beginning. I believe such activities will help more French (teenager) improve their understanding of Chinese culture," he said.
Topic | Volunteer Work in Hongxing Community |
Time | last Sunday |
Activities | made eco-friendly (环保的) products gave out reusable water bottles and bags worked at the learning stalls (摊位) |
注意：1．词数为80左右；2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；3．文中不能出现真实姓名及学校名称；4．短文的题目和开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Volunteer Work inHongxing Community
Last Sunday I worked in Hongxing Community as a volunteer. ……
Waiter: Can I help you?
Helen: 