Should you find yourself in possession of an additional sum of $100, how might you employ this financial increment to cultivate an atmosphere of benevolence within your local society? If you possess an imaginative reply to this inquiry, peruse our Frequently Asked Questions below and put forth your application for our recurring competition.
What is the nature of this initiative? Kindness-In-Action is a program dedicated to facilitating the realization of benevolent concepts. Individuals from across the globe proffer their proposals on the actions they would undertake if bestowed with an extra $100, and KindSpring designates a victor on a monthly basis.
What is the operational mechanism?Initially, you are to proffer your concept; upon its selection, you will be contacted by one of our volunteer adjudicators to coordinate a telephonic or Skype conversation. Subsequently, we will dispatch a check to you, and you will be granted a month to actualize your concept within your community. Following the implementation, you are to convey your narrative and photographic documentation to the KindSpring community. Moreover, your endeavor will be highlighted in our monthly bulletin, which has a readership extending to over 100 thousand individuals across 150 nations, thereby enabling the propagation of the concept and the amplification of its compassionate influence.
What are the evaluative standards for selection? The criteria for selection encompass your intrinsic motivation, the innovative utilization of Smile Cards, the prospective cascading impact within the local society, and the endorsements from the KindSpring community—current members are entitled to log in and cast their votes. Fundamentally, our objective is to incite modest acts of kindness, not grand gestures.
What was the genesis of this endeavor?In the month of May, we received an unforeseen contribution. In the spirit of sharing the elation, we posted a succinct announcement within our virtual community soliciting ideas. Within a fortnight, we received more than 50 submissions, and numerous individuals assisted us in the appraisal process by bestowing "smiles". On the first of July, we proclaimed our inaugural winner and pledged to perpetuate this initiative. The ongoing purpose of this venture is to: inspire inventive acts of kindness within local societies, to empower individuals to exercise munificence, to exemplify a trust-based philanthropic approach, and to disseminate beneficial concepts.Click Here to Apply. Or join our community and help us select the next winner.
Upon my arrival at Falconwood Apiary, Kaat Kaye is already engrossed in the meticulous inspection of the apian domiciles, oblivious to my arrival. I find myself privy to her soft murmurings directed towards the bees, their mellifluous drone resonating through the atmosphere, interspersed with her gentle words of encouragement and compromise.
Kaye was born with profound auditory impairment. Although she has the capacity to perceive sounds with the aid of auditory prosthetics, she often dispenses with them during her labors. "Acoustic sensations are alien to my experience," she elucidates. "I revel in the tranquility and stillness. In the company of bees, aural perception is superfluous. My concentration is heightened when not beset by incessant auditory distractions."
Adorned with naught but her cowl, apiarian instrument, and device for the emission of smoke, Kaye proceeds with a measured and deliberate gait. In contrast, I am excessively attired, having donned a comprehensive protective garment for our encounter. She advises me to shed the gloves I've brought along and directs me to a position that will minimize the agitation of the bees. Kaye's tender and cautious methodology instills a sense of calm in my presence among her charges. As our time together accrues, my admiration for Kaye's fervor for apiculture and the manner in which her auditory limitations have sculpted her distinctive methodology deepens.
In her vocation, she champions organic apicultural practices that minimize the utilization of chemical treatments. Moreover, she gathers all the requisite intelligence for the stewardship of the hives by depending on her non-auditory senses. Perhaps most notably, what renders Kaye an extraordinary apiarist is almost metaphysical. Excelling in her vocation is inextricably linked to adaptability, navigating the myriad uncertainties that emerge on any given day. Is precipitation excessive? Scarce? When will the flora reach full bloom? Will it yield a bountiful harvest of honey? She responds with alacrity, ensuring not to disrupt the bees' cadence and equilibrium.
"There is a profound, almost spiritual dimension to the craft of beekeeping," she remarked. "You cannot exert absolute dominion over them, akin to any element of the natural world, indeed. Some years bestow upon us an abundant honey harvest. Other years are fraught with adversity, resulting in the loss of half of the hive. There is considerable sorrow but also considerable delight, too, in simply toiling in the great outdoors with these sentient beings—a living, complex superorganism."
The rejuvenating effects of a restorative nocturnal repose are widely recognized; it can engender a state of enhanced well-being. Academics in the field posit that the excellence of one's slumber may indeed be instrumental in the prolongation of one's lifespan.
Male subjects who enjoy a state of somnolent tranquility could potentially extend their existence by a span of nearly five decades in comparison to those bereft of such repose. The female counterparts stand to gain an increment of two decades. Additionally, it has been observed that youthful individuals who adhere to salutary somniferous routines are less susceptible to a premature demise. However, the mere quantity of repose is insufficient to reap the potential healthful dividends; the caliber of one's slumber is equally pivotal.
The parameters of commendable slumber were delineated by a quintet of distinct criteria. These encompassed an optimal duration of seven to eight hours of repose per nocturnal cycle; experiencing difficulty in the initiation of sleep no more than twice per hebdomadal period; similar challenges in maintaining somnolence no more than twice weekly; abstaining from the consumption of any soporific pharmaceuticals; and awakening with a sensation of invigoration on no fewer than five days per septenary cycle.
The conclusions derived from the study intimate that approximately 8% of fatalities, irrespective of their etiology, could be imputed to inadequate somniferous patterns. Dr. Frank Qian, a resident physician specializing in internal medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, America, remarked, "A distinct proportional response relationship was discerned. Consequently, an increase in the beneficial elements pertaining to the quality of sleep correlates with a progressive diminution in mortality from all causes."
The research collated data from a populace of 172,321 individuals with an average age of 50, of which 54% were female. These participants were engaged in the National Health Interview Survey, spanning the years 2013 to 2018, which sought to scrutinize the well-being of the American populace, inclusive of inquiries into their somniferous habits.
The subjects were tracked for a mean period of 4.3 years, during which 8,681 succumbed to death. Of these fatalities, 2,610 (30%) were attributable to cardiovascular afflictions, 2,052 (24%) to oncological disorders, and 4,019 (46%) to a miscellany of other causes. Among the male and female participants who reported adherence to all five indices of quality sleep (an optimal quintile score), the expectancy of life was augmented by 4.7 years for males and by 2.4% for females, in contradistinction to those who possessed none or a solitary factor.
Further scholarly endeavor is warranted to elucidate the raison d'être for the dichotomy in the enhancement of life expectancy, with males exhibiting twice the increment observed in females despite equivalent somniferous quality.
A caveat of the study lies in the reliance on self-reported somniferous habits, which were not subjected to objective quantification or verification.
Max Du emerged victorious at the Canada-Wide Science Fair with his innovative project: an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to assist individuals experiencing cardiac arrests. His ingenuity was sparked during the Christmas recess of the preceding year. "I received a recreational drone as a gift from my parents, yet I was unable to operate it aloft due to the snowy conditions," Max recounted. "Consequently, I experimented with it indoors, which led me to contemplate the potential for a drone to serve as an automated indoor apparatus that could render assistance to people in need."
Approximately 35,000 Canadians succumb to cardiac arrests annually, with the majority of these incidents occurring beyond the confines of a hospital, resulting in a survival rate of less than 10 percent. Max was convinced that a drone could provide more expeditious assistance and expedite the delivery of vital medical treatments, but to validate this hypothesis, he was compelled to construct the device himself.
The process of refining his drone spanned a period of six months, during which Max's parents had to tolerate the persistent buzzing and crashing of the machine within their domicile. With each innovative feature he devised, such as a telescopic appendage, the drone's overall mass increased, leading to frequent disassembly. This necessitated the procurement of an entirely new set of components. Max persevered, experimenting with more lightweight construction materials until he achieved a more harmonious equilibrium in his design.
Through a methodical process of iterative refinement, the 14-year-old prodigy ultimately perfected his invention. His drone is now capable of manipulating a door handle, navigating through the air, and alighting gently on the ground. An innovative, extendable arm can be deployed to either administer an injection or deliver a life-saving pharmaceutical to a patient. Additionally, an integrated camera facilitates real-time communication with an emergency response team, enabling remote monitoring of the patient's condition.
Max is intent on pursuing the acquisition of a patent to forge alliances within the healthcare sector and bring his invention to fruition. He dedicated his summer to the study of artificial intelligence at Stanford University in California, where he was one of only 32 young scholars chosen globally. Subsequently, he will proceed to the University of Pennsylvania to enroll in a collegiate-level robotics course before resuming his high school studies in September.
It is often a complex and tiring task to live a healthy life, but that isnˈt always the case. Itˈs time to change the classroom environment for the health of the children.
Itˈs not surprising that sitting for long as a child is associated with health problems as an adult. Fortunately, thereˈs a simple, overlooked solution to these problems—standing desks.
Over the last few years, a number of studies have shown that the benefits of the increased range of movement students experience when using standing desks are surprisingly broad. Besides, standing desks encourage higher levels of teamwork and participation among students. Standing desks also help to reduce the risk of some diseases. They can help to prevent fatness, heart disease and low spirits. Sedentary（久坐的）lifestyles are a major reason why teenagers suffer from poor mental health, while higher activity levels reduce the chances of a child experiencing such an illness.
The benefits of bringing standing desks into classrooms are obvious. Otherwise they will likely hurt their muscles when standing for a long time. Standing desks usually offer a full range of motion, which includes the option to sit or lean（倾斜身体）without losing eye-level of the rest of the class, and that full range of motion is important.
Sitting isnˈt horrible. It isnˈt a thing we should never do. The problem is that we do it too much, and so do our children, which makes children less likely to succeed and keep healthy.
A．It is time for us to stand up to stay healthy.
B．But it is important for children to use them gradually.
C．Children spend most of their school day sitting at desks.
D．Thus itˈs necessary to break up the sitting with standing desks.
E．Something as cheap as a desk could be making a major difference.
F．Right now there is something we can do easily to keep our children healthy.
G．For example, they help students keep fit and avoid putting on too much weight.
Volunteering has been a way of life for me for the past five years since I was fifteen.
In 2020 I1 with a newly founded social enterprise, which conducted cooking lessons for visually impaired (视障) trainee2 . I absolutely loved it as it involved meaningful 3 with people and I was fully4 throughout the entire time I was there. This was unlike some other types of volunteering, which may involve mostly behind-the-scenes work that can get5 after a while.
We called ourselves "sighted assistants" and each of us was6 with a visually impaired trainee chef. As a volunteer, I would walk with the trainee to the Enabling Village7 , and then ensure their 8 as they learned to cook a new dish. This included helping them9 the position of the sink, ensuring proper use of electrical appliances,10 boiling and hot objects, as well as being careful with knives among other things.
Being there with them made me truly11 appreciate how difficult life can be when you are partially sighted or completely blind. Every tiny task12 requires massive effort. There are so many people with visual impairments, I realized13 . While medicine still does not have the power to cure all of these conditions, we are never short of ways to empower these individuals by making life14 easier and 15 more meaningful for them.
High on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (lie) China's "water tower" Sanjiangyuan. It is home to the headwaters of China's three rivers: the Yellow River, Yangtze River, and Lancang (Mekong) River. It is the three rivers provide water for about half the population of China. However, human activities are putting this ecosystem risk. Hopefully, though, we can change this damage. In 2016, the Chinese government built Sanjiangyuan National Park in Qinghai province. The park, (schedule) to open in 2020, has increased the area's green coverage and attracted more wildlife. The local government has also made great effort to improve biological diversity. The success of Sanjiangyuan will mark the start of a (green) future. With Sanjiangyuan (take) the lead, nine other regions in China (choose) by a field conservation station to carry out projects over the past three years, will form a national park system together. The idea of a national park system is still new in China, but(it) realization is urgent. After all, building an ecological civilization bears great(important) in the development and progress of human civilization.
注意：（1）词数80个左右；（2）短文的题目已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Control Your Emotion and Be Mentally Healthy
……
Jim collapsed in a state of despondency upon the sofa. The impending celebration of the maternal anniversary, known as Mother's Day, was fast approaching, and he found himself devoid of any gift to bestow upon her. "What avenue is available to me for the procurement of a present when my financial resources are non-existent?" he pondered with a sense of urgency.
In a bid to alleviate his melancholy, Jim retrieved the daily journal of current events that was casually dispersed across the sofa. His attention was arrested by a prominent proclamation on the initial page. A nearby establishment for retail purposes was the progenitor of a competition. "Articulate the unique qualities that render your mother distinguished and stand a chance to acquire an uninhibited foray into our marketplace for her," the proclamation declared.
"This presents a serendipitous opportunity!" Jim exclaimed inwardly. With alacrity, he proceeded to his chamber, clasping the journal in his grasp. From his study desk, he selected a writing utensil and an unmarked sheet of paper, and commenced to inscribe his thoughts.
"Her maternal excellence surpasses that of all other mothers in the terrestrial sphere. She is perpetually in the act of preparing a repast for my scholastic sojourn, and never does she overlook the provision of a sweetmeat. She indulges my desire for tales by reading to me in the twilight hours, and with unwavering diligence, she ensures the sub-lethal inspection of my slumbering quarters for any lurking nocturnal visitants. Furthermore, she bestows the most affectionate embrace, yet with a considerate discretion when in the company of my comrades, who might ridicule such a display of familial affection."
Jim was well-pleased with his composition. He transcribed it with meticulous care and sought an envelope and the necessary postal insignia from his paternal figure. With haste, he made his way to the receptacle for outgoing correspondence, his entry in hand, "Mother will revel in the unrestrained exploration of the marketplace," he mused.
Jim dutifully monitored the mailbox for the arrival of his accolade. Time elapsed—a succession of days, then weeks. The eve of Mother's Day arrived, and still, there was no communication regarding the outcome of the contest.
"What am I to do at this juncture?" he questioned himself. A gift remained elusive, as did the prospect of a shopping extravaganza, and his financial status remained unchanged. He was compelled to devise an alternative. With his eyes tightly shut, his toes curled in concentration, and his mind racing, Jim exerted such intense effort in his contemplation that it induced a sensation of discomfort in his auditory organs.
注意：（1）所续短文的词数应为150左右；（2）续写部分分为两段，每段开头语已为你写好。
Suddenly he had an idea
……
The next morning Jim handed his present to his mom.
……
