— __________! I'll tell dad there's nothing serious.
—Oh, yes, enough and to spare.
—Oh, really? I ____________. I _____________ go and visit him.
—Sorry, I don't have a watch with me.
— ___________
My parents fixed in me the ideas of family, faith and patriotism(爱国主义) when I was young1we struggled to make ends meet, they2 to me and my four brothers and sisters how 3we were to live in a great country with 4 opportunities.
I got my first real 5 when I was ten. My dad injured his back working in a factory and had to be6as a hairstylist. The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a(n)7on his rent for cleaning the parking lot(停车场) three nights a week, which meant a little 8that looked like a lawn mower(割草机). Mom and I emptied garbage cans and 9 waste by hand. It took two to three hours to clean the lot. I'd 10in the car on the way home because of tiredness.
I did this for two years, but the11I learned have lasted a lifetime. I 12discipline and a strong work ethic(道德准则), and learned at a(n)13age the importance of balancing life's 14interestsin my case, school, homework and a job. This really15during my senior year of high school, when I worked 40 hours a week at a fastfood restaurant while taking collegepre 16.
The hard work 17I attended the U.S Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degrees in 18and business from Harvard.19 I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California State Assembly(议会). In these jobs and in everything else I've done. I have never forgotten those20in the parking lot.
The Adventure Guides Program
New Member Information for the Adventure Guides Program (for children aged 4-12)
What Is the Adventure Guides Program All about?
The objectives of the program are:
Fostering companionship and setting foundation for positive, lifelong relationships between parent and child
Increased understanding of one another
Expanded awareness of spirit, mind and body
Great memories
Fun!
Parent and Child Will Be Joining…
The nationwide affiliated(隶属的) program sponsored by local YMCA's and part of the National Council of YMCA's
A smaller group of families called a "circle"
What Is the Time Commitment?
Program runs from October to May (ending with the Memorial Day Parade)
One "circle" activity per month (one circle decides on fees and dates)
Additional all participant activities (scheduled by Wilton Family Y) —additional fees and registration required.
Outing Dates: To Be Announced
What Do I Do Now?
Registration is on-going. Registration forms are available online under "Registration".
You will be notified by the Wilton Family Y of which "circle" you and your child are in and who your "circle" leader is.
You will be notified by your "circle" leader as to when your first parent/child "circle" meeting will take place.
Fees:
Participant: Full Child or Family member $110. 00 / Program member $200. 00
Sibling(兄弟姐妹): Full child or Family member $75. 00 / Program member $150. 00
Adult: Family member FREE / Program member $125. 00
Wilton Family Y Contact Information:
Geoff Malyszka Teen Director 762-8384 ext. 224
E-mail: gmalyszka@wiltonymca. org
Kim Murphy Early Childhood Ed. Director762-8384 ext. 214
E-mail: kmurphy@wiltonymca. Org
Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mum, I can't peel(削皮) potatoes. I have only one hand.”
Mum never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “And don't ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”
In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod(杆) to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.
That night I told Mum about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we'll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, mum looked carefully at the bars.
“Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow. Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung(横杠) I reached.
I'll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs; I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.
One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mum came into my room. “Mum,” I said, weeping, “none of the boys would dance with me.”
For a long time, I didn't hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you'll be beating those boys off with a bat.” Her voice was faint and cracking. I peeked(偷看) out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf. She had never let me see her tears.
New research, attempting to throw light upon how male and female brains differ, has found that timing is everything. American Vanderbilt University researchers Stephen Camarata and Richard Woodcock discovered that females have a significant advantage over males in timed tests and tasks. The study involved more than 8,000 males and females ranging in age from 2 to 90 from across the US.
“We found hardly any differences in overall intelligence. But we discovered that females performed better than men in time limited situations,” Camarata said, “It is very important for teachers to understand this difference in males and females when it comes to assigning work and tests.”
Many males can do a better job without strict time limits, added Camarata.
“Consider that many classroom activities, including testing, are directly or indirectly related to processing speed,” the researchers wrote in their report. “The higher performance in females may contribute to a classroom culture that favors females, not because of teacher bias(偏见)but because of inherent(与生俱来的)differences in gender processing speeds.”
The researchers found that males scored lower than females in all age groups in tests measuring processing speed. However, the study also found that males consistently outperformed females in some language abilities, such as identifying objects and knowing antonyms(反义词)and synonyms(同义词). The research contradicts the popular belief that girls develop all communication skills earlier than boys.
The researchers found no significant overall intelligence differences between males and females in any age groups.
“We believe there are fundamental differences in how male and female brains end up getting organized,” Camarata said, “Our next studies will give us some insight into where these processing differences are occurring.”
The ninth week of SEAL(Sea, Air, Land) training is referred to as Hell Week. It is six days of no sleep, physical and mental suffering and one special day at the Mud Flats (泥沼）where you will sink into the mud.
It is on Wednesday of Hell Week that we came down to the mud flats and spend the next 15 hours trying to survive the freezing-cold mud, the cold wind and the strong pressure from the instructors to give up.
As the sun began to set that Wednesday evening, my training class, having broken some of the rules, was ordered into the mud. We sank into the mud until only our heads could be seen. The instructors told us we could leave the mud if only five men would give up—just five men and we could get out of the cold.
Looking around the mud flat, it was clear that some of us were about to give up. It was still over eight hours till the sun came up--eight more hours of coldness. Our cries were so loud that it was hard to hear anything. And then, one voice began to fly through the night--one voice raised in song.
The song sounded terrible, but it was sung with great power. One voice became two, and two became three, and before long everyone in the class was singing.
We knew that if one man could rise above the suffering then others could as well. The instructors warned us of more time in the mud if we kept up the singing—but the singing went on and on. And somehow, the mud seemed a little warmer, the wind a little weaker and the morning not so far away.
If I have learned anything in my time traveling the world, it is the power of hope. The power can change the world by giving people hope.
So, if you want to change the world, start singing when you're up to your neck in mud.
Be careful what you say around your dog. It might understand more than you think.
A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany. The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child. Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee(黑猩猩).
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects. Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back. In four tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words.
In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names the dog already knew. The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before.
The correct object was chosen in seven out of l0 tests, suggesting that the dog had worked out the answer by process of elimination(排除法). A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive.
Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog. For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed (品种) known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months.
It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can't talk back. Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!
1).鼓励同学们坐公交车或者选择共享单车上学；环保便捷；
2).提醒家长有序停车；
3).各年级可以分时间放学。
注意：词数100左右；开头已给出，不计入词数。（共享单车Bicycle-sharing）
Mr. Zhang,
I'm writing to you to share my opinions about the problem of heavy traffic every day after school at our gate.
Yours,
Li Jin
