I grew up in a home with a mother who believes that vaccines (疫苗) cause brain damage, and do not contribute to the health and safety of a society. The only shot I received was for tetanus (破伤风) when I was two months old. After that, nothing.
At the beginning of each school year, I was very nervous. Delayed term paper? Mischievous (捣蛋的) behavior? Late for school? None of them. I'd be pulled out of class and brought to the headmaster's office. The school doctor would tell me I hadn't received any of the necessary shots to attend school. But the same thing occurred each time: my mom would free me from the shots and nothing would happen.
After doing a lot of research, I found although people who don't vaccinate their children make up only a relatively small group, they can cause major consequences. People who, for health or age reasons, cannot receive vaccines are at a higher risk of catching a preventable disease.
Eventually, I turned 18. In Ohio, where I live, I had to wait until I became a legal adult to make the decision to receive vaccine shots. A huge factor in taking the step to ensure my health was the message board website Reddit. Last November, I asked Reddit users for advice about what vaccines to ask for and how to go about getting them from a doctor. After my post received more than 1,000 comments, I made an appointment with my family physician. Despite how strongly my mother felt, I went through with it anyway.
I did something every person should do. It wasn't special in any way. Vaccines protect the health and safety of not only yourself but also other people. Vaccination is important because someone could die if you don't get vaccinated. This was the biggest reason I got vaccines despite the opposition.
When did you last buy something? Maybe you are looking forward to a shopping trip at the weekend, but will it make you happy? In the short term, the answer might be yes. However, some people think it might not be good for our health and happiness in the long term.
One of the busiest shopping days of the year in the USA is Black Friday (the fourth Friday of November), which has spread around the world. However, not everyone will be queuing for a bargain. In 1992, Buy Nothing Day started in Canada and now more than sixty countries take part. Their message is simple: "Participate by not participating." For twenty-four hours on the fourth Friday of November, people do not buy anything at all. Some people choose to spend time with friends and family instead. Others join protests. But what's the point?
Every single purchase that you make has some kind of an effect on the planet. Making the products and transporting them to the shops use a lot of natural resources. When they are no longer in fashion, the products will end up in the dustbin. All this contributes to air and water pollution, the destruction of our environment and social inequality.
The social influence of our spending habits is also serious. People in consumerist culture are more likely to suffer from financial problems and stress. In order to buy expensive products, people work long hours and therefore spend less time with family and friends.
Critics of Buy Nothing Day say it's meaningless because people will just buy more the following day. But the organizers argue that Buy Nothing Day makes people think about the consequences of consumption and maybe make some changes to their life style.
Of all the places stray (流浪的) cats can live in Beijing, perhaps none provides greater companionship than an underground facility known as the "Cat Shed". A variety of cats are spread across the shed's 100 square meters. They jump and play on toy towers or rest on cotton blankets on iron-framed beds.
Since the facility was established in 2012, some 150 cats have lived there. More than 100 volunteers attend to the strays. Many claim that they gain greater benefit from the interaction than the cats, because the animals offer not just companionship, but also a kind of healing.
The "housekeeper" is Yin Yi, a doctoral candidate at the Central Iron and Steel Research Institute in Beijing. When the 29-year-old arrived in the capital in late 2015, he faced huge pressure from his studies and personal relationships, while the alien environment exacerbated his feeling of loneliness.
After gaining a master's from a university in Inner Mongolia, Yin relocated to go for a doctorate in material sciences. Accustomed to having friends around, he was not used to a lonely life, especially working by himself and spending up to 10 hours in a lab most days. To improve his mood, he decided to contact animal bases, looking for opportunities to care for stray cats. When he heard that a stray cat basement near his campus was looking for volunteers, he contacted Wu Xinhua, who organizes activities at the Cat Shed, and was soon surrounded by furry friends. His favorite moment is when he dishes out food and a dozen strays gather round, with several rubbing against his feet. When he graduates, Yin plans to house three strays in his apartment.
Eyesight is the sense that you rely upon the most. Since we live in a world that requires your eyes to routinely stare at the small type and images on cell phones, computer screens, and televisions, it is important for you to improve and protect your eyesight.
Eyes are just like any other part of the body. Similar to other organs, a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in sugar and fatty foods will go a long way in maintaining healthy eyes.
Plan to exercise your eyes when you wake up, before going to bed, or when your eyes are tired. Make sure your hands are clean so that you do not hurt your eyes and your mind is relaxed before starting.
Since you use your eyes every waking moment, give them lots of rest and relaxation by taking breaks throughout the day and getting enough sleep every night to fully rest, repair, and recover your vision. In the short term, it can cause eye strain (疲劳) or dry eyes. In the long term, it can lead to damage to the optic nerve (视觉神经), which can cause pain and damage your vision.
Besides, most jobs nowadays involve some degree of computer usage, meaning almost everyone will be spending time in front of a computer. To avoid this, you'll have to properly try to limit your screen time by routinely taking breaks and exercising your eyes.
A. They need nutrition to function well.
B. Close your eyes when exercising your eyes.
C. A lack of sleep will weaken your vision health.
D. You can enjoy your vision for the rest of your life.
E. Unfortunately, this can result in eye strain or injury.
F. There are many ways to keep your eyesight healthy and sharp.
G. Exercising your eyes daily will help you maintain healthy eyes.
Earlier this month, MnkenzeeMeaux and her husband-to-be, Bryan Ballard, booked a photo shoot to celebrate their recent engagement. And they decided to hold a1ceremony next month.
The beautiful pictures they2on the Internet looked just as one would3: a good-looking young couple hugging in the forest.4, halfway through the photo shoot, the young bride-to-be surprisingly5the wig (假发) she was wearing and showed her6beauty — bald head and all.
Like 6.8 million other people in the US, Meaux has alopecia, a condition that causes partial or7hair loss. She spent most of her life8her condition by wearing wigs,9this time she decided to take this courageous step to10millions of others to accept their own — little hair or no hair.
Meaux wasn't always that11. After she was diagnosed with alopecia at the age of eight, she12years of bullying (霸凌). She was so painful that she13all hope of ever feeling beautiful again. Even after meeting her future husband, it took her over two months to tell him of her14.
And Ballard did what anyone should do — he15the woman he loves for who she is and helped her to also accept herself and see herself as16for the first time in a long time.
"He has helped me to be brave and realize that17is not what makes you charming and is not what makes people love you. It is truly all about what's on the18," says Meaux. "He has shown me that the people who love you do not19whether or not you have hair and the ones who do are not worth your time or your love. So this is me, the20me."
The Internet makes shopping at home convenient. However, for many, the attraction of shopping can turn into addiction. Experts believe there is a danger that online shopping can develop into a mental illness.
Researchers from the Hannover Medical School have termed the illness "Buying Shopping Disorder" (BSD). The researchers say this condition should be recognized by the medical profession as an illness and should not (simple) be classed as one of (vary) "impulse control" (冲动控制) disorders. Dr. Megan said: "It really is time to accumulate further knowledge about BSD on the Internet."
Last month, Dr. Megan and her team (carry) out a research on earlier studies on shopping. Their research focused on 122 patients sought treatment for BSD. Dr. Megan said five percent of people might suffer BSD. Younger people are more likely (develop) it. They also have greater levels of (anxious) and depression. People with BSD exhibit negative behaviors. These include (spend)large amounts of money on things they don't need, keeping and never using things they order, buying things for instant satisfaction, and ending up in debt. BSD can destroy (they) marriages, relationships and mental health.
Every country in the world has a flag. A flag is a piece of cloth with a picture or pattern on it. The flag is a symbol that stands for the country. It is a custom in many places for people to fly or hang a flag. The flag tells something about the country and its culture. This may be about its land, its history, or the things that the people do there.
Many flags have patterns of stripes (条纹). The flag of Italy has a green stripe, a white stripe and a red stripe. Each stripe tells something about Italy. The white stripe is symbol of Italy's snowy mountains. Some flags show pictures. The flag of Canada has a picture of a red maple (枫叶) leaf, which is a symbol of the maple trees in Canada. The Mexican flag has both a pattern of stripes and a picture. The picture shows an eagle eating a snake. This picture comes from a very old Mexican story.
A flag may also tell about a country's past. The American flag is called the Stars and Stripes. It has pattern of fifty stars and thirteen stripes. The fifty stars are a symbol of the fifty states in the country and the thirteen stripes are a symbol of the country's first thirteen colonies (殖民地).
However, a flag may be a symbol of a group, a school or an event like the Olympics. The flag of the Olympics shows five rings of different colors that connect. Each ring is a symbol for a part of the world that joins in the Olympics. The Red Cross is a group that helps people who are in trouble. If a person sees the Red Cross flag, which has a red cross against a white background, he knows he can ask for help. People may fly a flag as a custom on a holiday. Children's Day in Japan is a holiday when the country wishes for children's happiness. It is a custom on this day to fly a flag with a picture of a fish.
