I'm Evan Ducker. I'm just like every other 15-year-old boy, except I was born with a red birthmark(胎记).
Some birthmarks are signs of serious medical conditions. I'm very fortunate—mine isn't. I pretty much live a regular life, except for people asking me about it all the time, which can get annoying(恼人的) sometimes.
When I was about 4 years old, I asked my mom why there weren't any characters with birthmarks in the books she would read to me. When we went to the library, we realized there weren't any available for little kids. Worse than that, the books available to older kids and adults described characters with birthmarks as unattractive. So I decided to write my own.
I based the story on all the real things that happened in my life. But instead of people, the characters in the book are real animals from the Galapagos Islands, including red-footed booby birds(鲣鸟). I picked a booby bird as the main character because the birds have red feet due to a vascular(血管的)condition, similar to a human birthmark!
It was really tough to get my book published. It took a long time because a lot of publishers refused to publish it. They would say there wasn't a big enough market for a book about birthmarks.
But my mom never gave up trying to help make my dream come true. And in 2005, she finally took her own money and self-published “Buddy Booby's Birthmark”. After it was published, I got letters from readers all over the world. They all shared their stories and thanked me for sharing mine. Teachers wrote to tell me that my book changed the way classmates treated each other and that my book was helping kids to accept and appreciate their differences.
Then, as more teachers started reading my book, I created a free global reading event, the “International Buddy Booby's Birthmark Read—Along for Tolerance and Awareness.”
Animals can be extremely protective of their young. But when hard times call, animal fathers can be really a danger to their own kids.
Daddy Lion
A combination of laziness, pride, cruelty and anger makes the lion one of the most fearsome and worst dads of the animal kingdom. When not walking proudly across the jungle, the father lion just lazes around under the sun, or waits for one of its lioness(母狮子) partners to bring back food. Once the lioness gets home the food, the lion eats up most of it, and leaves little or nothing at all for the kids. The father doesn't even train the kids for hunting and surviving, it is the lioness who teaches them how to fend for themselves.
The Polar Father
Cute, pure and soft. Protective of young ones and family? Sure. But what makes the polar bears one of the worst dads of the animal kingdom? They don't take care of the young ones, they won't take up the responsibility of feeding them, they won't take care of them like a father should. They just leave that to the mother bear.
The Assassin Bug(猎蝽)
Size matters, you say? This little bug would eat its own eggs to stay strong and fulfill its hunger needs. The male assassin bug is actually responsible for guarding the eggs. The female assassin bug lays eggs in large numbers. The male bug eats the weaker eggs.
Daddy Bass(岩鲈鱼)
Usually, water calms you down. Not so much for this underwater species. The male bass is known to eat up eggs from its own spawn. It guards the spawn(子，卵) laid by its female partner. However, when hungry and unable to hunt for food, the father won't think twice before eating up the eggs.
And do you think your father was strict and hard? After reading this article, I'm sure you think your dad is the best in the whole wide world for not eating you up!
We live in a sweet world. An average American kid consumes(消耗) more than 20 teaspoons of sugar per day, and adults eat 50% more sugar today than they did in the 1970s. We all know that too much sugar isn't good for us. Researchers at the University of Utah used mice to make a study to prove the toxic effects of eating more sugar. They found it could influence people's health seriously.
During the 58-week-long study, mice were fed a diet containing 25% more sugar. This percentage is equal to a healthy human diet along with three cans of soda daily. The team found that these mice were twice as likely to die as mice without eating so much sugar. Though the mice did not show signs of obesity or high blood pressure, male mice produced 25% fewer offspring(后代) than the other mice.
The reason why mice were chosen for research by scientists is not far to seek. “Mice have the genetic(基因)structure similar to humans'. Most substances(物质) that are harmful to mice are also harmful to people; it's likely that those important physical problems that cause the rising death rate among mice can also influence people,” says the study author James Ruff of the University of Utah. Findings from this study reveal negative effects that are not as detectable as weight gain or heart problems. Sugar can contribute to long-term changes in the body that can affect development and even shorten lives.
Different types of sugar have different effects on the human body. Some of the sugar we consume comes from foods we might expect—candy, soda, and cookies. But much of the sugar that we eat is hidden. Food companies add large amounts of sugar to items we may not classify as sweets. To help cut down extra sugar consumption, nutrition experts suggest looking at the ingredients on food packages. Cutting sugar out of the American diet altogether may be difficult, but making every effort to control our nation's desire for sugar will avoid a sweeter future.
Sunday, October 5
Sunny, 66°F
My wife, Ellen, and I traveled by train from Paris to Strasbourg, where we met our driver and guide and the minibus which goes along with the boat. We stopped off in Barn for an hour on the way. Then we were taken to Nancy where the boat was kept.
After the other passengers arrived, we had our first dinner on the boat. After dinner we walked into downtown Nancy, a village with a large square and wooden houses.
Monday, October 6
Rained last night, cloudy in the morning, 69°F
We spent about two hours in Nancy, and then sailed on the Canal de la Marne au Rhine. Kind of a lazy day. Eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, after dinner we watched a tape on Baccarat, where we will visit tomorrow.
It was pleasant to sit out on deck and watch the scenery go by at about 3 mph.
Tuesday, October 7
Light rain, 64°F
This morning we drove over to Baccarat and toured its museum and the church, which has this unbelievable lamp that is going on a world tour the next day. We did lots of shopping, and then walked across the bridge to see a very, very modern Catholic church with special Baccarat windows.
We drove to the top of the Voges Mountains and started down the eastern side. Later we drove to Sorrenbourg to see the 13th century church at the Cordeliers.
Wednesday, October 8
Cloudy, 65°F
Today we sailed from Schneckenbush to Saverne. We went through two caves, an extremely unusual part of the journey. This river scenery is very different. We were in a mountain valley with grassland on one side and a forest beginning to show some color on the other.
Thursday, October 9
Cloudy, 66°F
Our dependable minibus was waiting to load the luggage and take us to the hotel where everyone went their separate ways. Our boating days are over until next time.
April 22nd every year marks the start of Earth Day, a day that is celebrated annually to raise awareness about our home planet and how we can save it from being damaged.
①Green-up your home
This is one of the most common things that people do whenever Earth Day rolls around, that is, switch off(关闭) their lights. Conserve(节约) energy by switching off all power or electricity points whenever they are not in use. In addition, take out all the plugs from plug points even after switching them off.
②
Cars, being the greatest source of air pollution, can be left at home this weekend. Other greener choices are carpooling, riding a bike or you can also walk if you want a healthier choice and if your workplace is not that far away from your home.
③Be a little dirty
No, we don't mean it 'that way'. We simply mean to say, don't take a bath. Yes, conservation of water is super essential. A day or two without a bath won't harm you, but it will certainly do a lot of good for our planet. A daily shower isn't a matter of health; it's a matter of comfort.
The future of our planet is in your hands!
A. Started in the year 1970, Earth Day is now celebrated in more than 190 countries each year.
B. Showering every day can wash away the natural oils that our skin and hair need.
C. Do something every day that will improve your surroundings to make the planet a better place to live in.
D. Traveling via public transport is the better choice.
E. Leave your cars at home.
F. Below, we have made a list of things you can do to celebrate Earth Day.
G. However, this is not something you should do just for a day or for only an hour.
I am anything but an athletic person. So when my boyfriend suggested that I should run the London marathon, I laughed. He laughed too. 1 he laughed too long and too loud. That made me think. I 2 that he didn't believe that I could do it. That made me angry, but 3; I had to show him that I could.
On the day of the race, I 4 up with about 30,000 other runners. The faster runners were at the 5, while slower runners like me were 6 further back. In that way, the professional(职业的) runners and club runners were not 7 down by the amateurs(业余爱好者).
At first, there were so many 8 close together that we were almost falling 9 each other. We could 10 run very slowly but that was a good thing because it meant that we didn't rush off too quickly. Gradually the runners 11 out and there was more space. There were thousands of people watching us along the route and they 12 and clapped everyone, even the slowest runner. It was wonderful.
For the first10km I felt very happy and my legs felt very 13. However, at 15km, I got a pain in my 14 and running became difficult, but I kept going and the pain disappeared. At the 30km 15, I felt extremely tired, and wanted to stop, but I kept on going. I 16 another 3 km and then I began to feel better again.
When I finished 35 km, I knew I was going to get to the end of the course. 17, that confidence made me feel lighter and faster and it seemed as if my legs 18 over the last few kilometers. Finally I came round the last 19 and saw the finishing line. I finished the race in just under four hours. The winner had completed the race in 2 hours and 10 minutes, but I didn't 20! I had run 42km and completed my first marathon!
Do you feel the cold? the answer is “yes”, then why not try a cold bath or shower? This unusual advice comes from a natural health therapist(治疗专家) in Germany, research is about the effects of cold water.
Most people are brought up to believe that it's important for them (keep) warm during the cold weather, with extra clothing and heaters, but research shows that the opposite (be) true. At a German health centre, hundreds of (visit) follow this advice by taking (they)first cold bath at 6 am, and come out feeling much more (relax). This is due to the fact that the cold water (increase) blood sugar levels, the heart beat and breathing rate. Research at the medical centre of Hanover has shown that those taking daily cold baths have 50% (few)colds and breathing problems than those who don't. Studies in London have also proven that such treatment will help protect against heart attacks. For those people who find the idea of such behaviour unthinkable, then doing exercise such as running or cycling regularly is a good alternative. So, next time you're suffering the cold, don't sit and comp lain, take action!
This year, our school called on us students to make a good use of our time and do some socially practice during the holiday, so I found a job and began to work in a small restaurant. I thought it was easy, and it turned out to be a hard one by a matter of fact. I spend the whole morning washing dish and setting tables. I didn't have lunch until it was two in the afternoon. After lunch, I immediately began to work again, does the same things until 11 pm. It took myself more than ten hours in a day to work there! However, through the hard work, I've come to understand the value of hard work. I've also realized what difficult it is my parents to support the family. Therefore, I am now determined to study harder to repay my parents.
假定你是育才中学的一名英国交换生Tom。 为了放松心情、结交朋友并了解中国的文化，你计划这个假期去云南大理、丽江旅游。请根据以下要点撰写一篇博文寻找中国学生作为旅游伙伴：①时间：2月21日–2月26日；②对旅伴的要求；③联系方式：电话：13012345678； E-mail: tommy 1999@163.com.
注意；①词数 100左右；②可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；③开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
I'm Tom, a British exchange student at Yucai High School.
……
Looking forward to meeting you.
