It was very cold, Amaya was warm in her house, thinking about an article she'd read at school. The article was about kids who 1 out their communities, and she thought it would be really cool to help her own town, Harvard.
The only2 was that she wasn't sure how to help. In the article, the kids had grown food for people who needed food, but it was winter. She couldn't start a garden. Amaya was deep in thought when her mom said it was time to go shopping.
As they drove along the road, Amaya saw a family wearing only light jackets. The cold wind blew 3 outside. How cold they must be! That gave her an idea! She could 4 winter coats, hats and gloves for people who needed them.
She shared her idea with her mom, who thought it was great. But how would they 5 the idea to get plenty of winter clothing? Amaya decided to talk to her teacher, because then she could share her idea with her classmates at least.
Ms. Monroe agreed when Amaya talked about her idea. They decided to call the 6 Hats in Harvard. Then they wrote a letter explaining the project. They also met with the headmaster during lunch time. He was excited about the idea, and said he would make sure copies (复印件) of the letter went home with all the students.
They collected enough winter clothing in only one week. Then they left the clothes around two parks, so families who needed clothes could get them there. Three days later, Amaya and her mom went shopping again. She saw the same family that had given her the7for Hats in Harvard. This time, though, the family wore some new coats, hats and gloves. Amaya felt 8 in her heart, and was very glad she could help others.
Mother Tongue (语言)
My name is Jiniku but everyone calls me Joey, including my parents. My father is American but my mother is not. My mother grew up in a country whose name I cannot pronounce correctly. She was educated in French and Latin, Spanish and German.
My mother wrote all day, but never showed anyone what she wrote. She had notebooks she would write in, and a typewriter to straighten out (整理) the final copy.
When she had typed (打字) pages, she put them in a box. This box was deep under the bed that she and my father shared.
There were only two words that she ever said in the real voice, with her real accent (口音), real tongue. I heard her say them only three times in her life. She taught them to me one night as I lay on her legs, sweating (出汗) with fever.
"Jiniku," she said in a low voice. "Jiniku." I focused (集 中) on her voice through my fever, realizing that something had changed. She was speaking from a part of her that she had not opened for a long time. She took my hand, and placed my palm (掌心) over her heart. "Juriszu." She stared out the window. There was a long silence. I could feel her heartbeat, which was calmer and slower than my own. "My name," she said at last, speaking once more in English, "means „dark ocean (海洋).‟ And you, Jiniku, my baby, yours means „life.‟" She looked out the window again. "„Ji‟ is the word for a happy birth. One where everyone lives and there is little pain. „Ni‟ is a tree that had its roots (根) spread far and whose branches (树枝) shelter (庇护) all. „Ku‟ is spirit. You have this all-encompassing (包罗万象的) life." She placed her hand on my heart. "The first and last letters of our names are the same," she said. "Don‟t forget that, Jiniku."
The 21st century discoveries about the human brain and its functioning have showed the surprising fact that human abilities are not fixed at birth. In other words, what you are able to do with your life is not fixed when you are born. It is not all in the genes (基 因 ). It is not just nature: nurture (教育, 培育) plays an important part in the moulding (塑造) of what a person is, and what he/she can be.
Brain plasticity (可塑性) or neuroplasticity (神经可塑性) refers to the amazing ability of the human brain to modify (修改) its structure and functions according to the changes within the body and/or in the outer environment.
In his book „The Brain that Changes Itself‟ psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge, M.D., offers an introduction to the great scientists strongly supporting neuroplasticity and the people whose lives they've changed. The book describes real life stories of stroke( 中 风 ) patients learning to speak again, and the amazing story of a woman born with half a brain that restructured itself to work as a whole. It is a book that changes the way we think about our brain, its nature, and its potential (潜能).
The genes we receive from our parents are finite (有限的), no doubt about that. However, our brain's ability to develop is infinite. New brain cells are being born all the time, and to keep them alive and growing, we have to stimulate (刺激) them.
Here lies the promise of neuroplasticity in the moulding of children into adults who are capable of realizing their potential. For, genius is nothing but a human being who has realized his /her inborn potential! What Mozart, Einstein and da Vinci had was inborn potential plus (和，外加) the right environment.
All geniuses started life in exactly the same way. They had parents who supported the development of their individual gifts and talents. They had the right environment and stimuli (刺激， 刺激物) that led to the best development of themselves.
You can think about your child's gifts as the merging (融合的) colours of a rainbow. The possibilities are endless. All children are born with three natural abilities that provide them with the potential to think like a genius: the abilities to think, to learn and to develop their own individual way of thinking and learning.
Can your child be a genius? Yes, he/she can be, if you give him/her the right environment, the right stimuli and the right guidance.
Future astronauts could travel with emotional support robots
To help astronauts of the future survive (幸免于) the mental (精神的) challenges that come with staying in space for quite a long time, space travelers‟ tasks could soon be accompanied(陪伴) by AI-powered, empathetic (有同理心的, 同感的) robotic helpers.
Not only does space travel present astronauts with lots of physical stresses, spending months or years in such a physically demanding (要求高的) place with limited space and the same people can also raise many mental tests as well. According to MIT Technology Review, scientists are working to alleviate astronauts from some of the latter challenges by creating "an AI assistant that's able to feel human emotion and respond (做出反应) with empathy."
While such a technology would prove itself useful by being able to predict the needs of the
crew members in space and "intervene (干预) if their mental health is in danger," it has the potential to be life-saving when humans choose to explore beyond Earth's gravitational field (引力场) and towards deep space.
Though astronauts currently on the International Space Station have an intelligent robot to interact with called CIMON, it is short of proper emotional intelligence according to NASA CTO Tom Soderstrom. As a result, a team at the organization's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is working on a more complex (复杂的) emotional support companion that can control a spacecraft's functioning in addition to tracking the crew members‟ behaviours.
Right now in the lab, an AI-equipped robot called Henry the Helper can be found walking around the grounds assisting visitors who appear confused or lost based on their facial expression. Two more emotionally intelligent robots are expected to be introduced later this year, one of which is said to be able to take part in conversations more complex than giving navigation(导航) assistance.
The team's final goal is to make a companion named Fiona the Future a reality, an emotionally intelligent cross-platform system. Fiona, if all goes according to the JPL's plans, will help keep astronauts of the future stay mentally fit as they start their journeys to deep space.
Canada is the second-largest country in the world, with almost 10 million square kilometres of landmass. Due to (由于) its size, it is divided into four different regions(地区).
The Atlantic Provinces
Fishing is the old industry in this region. Agricultural crops, such as fruit and potatoes, and forests, which produce paper and lumber(木材), form part of the industry. Traditionally depending on fishing and farming, they are developing other natural resources, such as oil and copper.
Central Canada
Ontario and Quebec form the industrial and manufacturing (制造业的) heart of Canada. They produce three quarters of Canada's goods. More than half of Canada's population lives in the cities in the southern part of Ontario and Quebec. Most of the people living in Quebec speak French.
The West Coast
The British Columbia Coast is Canada's western continental coastline (海 岸 线 ). Europeans settled (定 居 ) in British Columbia in the early 1800s. The railroad built by the government in the late 1800s made moving much easier. Thousands of Chinese came to British Columbia during this period to work on the railroad. British Columbia has the most valuable forest industry in Canada.
Salmon (鲑鱼) fishing is not only a popular sport, but also an important part of the industry. Pacific salmon are exported (出口) all over the world.
The North
The Yukon and the Northwest Territories (领土) cover a third of Canada. This huge region has a very small population. Most of the people are natives. There are several native languages, which are equal (平等的) in status (地位) to English and French. During the Gold Rush at the end of the 1800s, thousands of miners (矿工) came to make their fortune (财富). Mining is still an important industry in this region.
题目①
中考在即，有的同学信心百倍，摩拳擦掌；而有的同学信心不足，满怀担忧 ……
假如你是李华，你们学校准备开展"充满信心 战胜自我"的心理疏导活动，旨在帮助大家消除紧张情绪，保持备考阶段心态的平稳。你们班交换生 Peter 给你发邮件询问相关事情，请用英语回复一封电子邮件，告诉他活动的时间和地点，并分享一下你对此次活动的一些想法。提示词语：psychological guidance(心理疏导), release the pressure(缓解压力), relax, build
confidence, keep trying
提示问题：
When and where will the activity on psychological guidance be held?
What would you like to share with Peter about the activity?
