I had very good parents. My mother came to this country from Scotland by herself when she was 11, and she didn't have much of an education. My dad was kind of a street kid, and he eventually went into the insurance business, selling nickel policies (五分钱保险单)door-to-door. It was the 1930s, a time when America was a lot more racist (种族主义的)than it is now.
One day, my dad asked his boss, "What's the toughest market to sell?" and the insurance guy replied, "Well, black people. They don't buy insurance." My dad thought: but they have kids; they have families. Why wouldn't they buy insurance? So he said, "Give me Harlem." He went to Harlem and sold nickel policies there; every Friday, he would go around and collect the nickel and give his customers a receipt on the policy.
When my dad died in 1994, I talked about him when I was invited to The Tonight Show. I told the story of how he worked in Harlem and how he always taught us to be open-minded and not to say or think racist things. Then one day, I got a letter from a woman who was about 75 years old.
She wrote that when she was a little girl, a man used to come to her house to collect on policies, and he would always bring her a lollipop. She said this man was the only white person who had ever come to dinner at their house and the only white person she had ever had dinner with until she got to be almost an adult. The man was very kind to her, she said, and his name was Angelo—was this my father?
The letter made me cry. I called her up and said yes, that was in fact my dad, and she told me how kind he had been to her family. Her whole attitude toward white people was based on that one nice man she met in her childhood, who always treated her with kindness and respect and always gave her a piece of candy and asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. From this experience, I learned a valuable life lesson, to never judge people and to be open-minded and kind to others.
We're willing to bet you know at least one kid who loves Peppa Pig. The British TV show has been attracting youthful audiences around the world for almost two decades and has even created a generation of American kids with fake British accents. Well, all those millions of young Peppa fans will soon have their own theme park in the United States that they can visit with their parents.
Moving over Disney World, Peppa Pig is headed to Florida.
The new theme park is slated to open in Orlando, Florida in 2022 and will feature rides, attractions, a water play area and live shows all popular with preschool-age children and their families. Kids will have the opportunity to meet Peppa, George, Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig and the rest of the animal group as they explore the adorable world that looks like it's been dropped right out of TV and into central Florida.
Peppa fans will love rides such as Grandad Dog's Pirate Boat Ride, where the little piggies can hop aboard and set sail for Pirate Island, and Peppa Pig's Balloon Ride, where they get to fly high above the park in one of Miss Rabbit's hot air balloons. Other rides feature characters like Grampy Rabbit and Mr. Bull.
The park will also feature two play zones: A splash pad where kids can mimic (模仿) jumping in muddy puddles filled with fountains, slides and interactive water features perfect for hot Florida summers and Pirate Island where everyone in the family can look for buried treasure or build sand castles with Danny Dog. Are you looking for something adults will love too? Check out the classic boardwalk with free arcade games. When it's time for a break, head to the cinema, where kids can watch their favorite episodes of Peppa Pig in a cool dark theatre.
Yearly passes are already available for the new park for $75. The opening day is still to be announced, but we're guessing there are enough Peppa Pig episodes to keep you and the kids occupied until next year.
Scientists have calculated the total amount of plastic ever made: 8.3 billion tons. Looked at another way, that's as heavy as 25,000 Empire State Buildings or one billion elephants. And incredibly, almost all of it has been made in the last 65 years.
So what's the problem? Much plastic is in the form of packaging which is used just once and then thrown away. According to a major new study from the University of California, 9% of this is recycled, 12% is completely burnt and 79% goes to landfill. And because most plastic is not easily disposed of, once it's in the ground, it stays there.
It's a situation that has led the paper's lead author, ecologist Dr. Roland Geyer, to say that we are "rapidly heading towards ‘Planet Plastic'". The team behind this report also estimate that eight million tons of plastic waste are escaping into the sea every year. This has caused concern that plastic is entering the food chain, through fish and other sea life which swallow the smaller fragments.
Of course, the reason why there's so much plastic around is that it's an amazingly useful material. It's durable and adaptable, and is used for everything from yoghurt pots to spaceships. But it's exactly this quality which makes it a problem. The only way to destroy plastic is to heat or burn it -although this has the side effect of harmful emissions.
So what's the alternative, other than using less plastic? Oceanographer Dr. Erik van Sebille from Utrecht University says we're facing a "tsunami" of plastic waste, and that the global waste industry needs to "get its act together".
Professor Richard Thompson, a marine biologist from Plymouth University, says it's poor design that's at fault. He says that if products are currently designed "with recyclability in mind", they could be recycled around 20 times over.
These days, most people like using messaging apps when they need to communicate with someone. But sometimes making a call is unavoidable. However, this simple act can actually be a nightmare for some people. If this sounds familiar to you, you might be one of the millions of people who suffer from telephobia-the fear of speaking over the phone.
When speaking face-to-face, we use facial expressions and gestures that help each other follow the conversation. This is not the case over the phone. And the idea of speaking with someone on the phone makes some people so terrified that they will freeze up and look foolish.
However, there are things that one suffering from this condition can do to ease this fear.
One thing that those with telephobia can do before a call is smile. It won't remove the anxiety altogether, but it will take the edge off (减轻) it.
Similarly, imagining how the call will go before you make it can also help things go more smoothly. That will make you feel less nervous and help you predict some possible problems. There's no need to spend hours on this, just a few minutes forming several ideas of what you want to say. This is particularly useful for dealing with the fear of not being able to express yourself spontaneously (自然地).
And finally, when faced with receiving a call, you don't always have to pick up.
A. Doing so can help you feel more relaxed.
B. It's often the opening lines that give us the most anxiety.
C. Their hearts race and their hands sweat at the very thought of it.
D. People who feel comfortable in social situations may experience telephobia.
E. The most important thing is to be aware of your fear and take steps to deal with it.
F. You can even write down some brief notes to remind yourself of your talking.
G. There's nothing wrong with calling the person back later when you feel more comfortable.
My son, Ben, died at the age of 23. As I1the loss of him, I found peace on the mountain peaks of New Hampshire, where he spent his childhood. 2was my way to hide from the pain of loss. Every step, path and peak gave me the 3 to recover.
About a month after his death, I hiked Carter Dome and Mount Hight with 4. Standing at the top, I 5 the mountains that my son loved deeply. For a moment the blow of his death to me 6and I could breathe.
The following weekends I 7 Mount Moosilauke, Mount Cannon, then Mount
Flume, Mount Liberty and so on. While hiking the mountains, I 8 lots of difficulties— navigating mountain roads at night, camping on the slopes and planning routes. Mount Cannon 9 the exciting change in my life: I was no longer 10 of walking alone. Instead of feeling my beating heart and anxiety inside, I began to 11 the snow-covered trees and the beautiful blue color of the sky.
Ben's death has led me to more outdoor 12 than ever before. I've gone from taking occasional weekend trips to 13going hiking in the country for a few days. If Ben lived, I would have done these things with him. I am really 14.
These days I hike to 15, not to hide. I find Ben, and I also find myself: I'm turning into someone 16 and ready to face challenges in my life. The sorrow of forced 17 becomes the silence of the path; the peace of nature 18 the pain of loss. Hiking is exhausting but fun, and it teaches me that sorrow and 19 can live together. I find 20 along the way.
More than 200 types of delicacies (美食) from Fujian Province are making mouths water not only in China but across the world. consumers like most are noodles boiled in bone soup served with peanut butter and wontons (馄饨) (fill) with juicy meat in a sizzling (酷热的) soup. Twenty years ago, Luo Guang can, from Xiamao township in the county, worked in a local shoe factory to make living.
Now, he earns a lot more by operating five restaurants (serve) Shaxian delicacies in cities such as Beijing, Tianjing and so on. He has developed these restaurants since 2007, and four years ago, (open) his first overseas restaurant in Singapore. In recent years, the yearly profit from his business has reached more than 1 million yuan. He's planning (expand) his business in Singapore, and he's also considering (run) one in Malaysia, where there are many overseas Chinese.
Over 60,000 people - (most) farmers- from Shaxian county have run restaurants across China serving Shaxian food since the 1980s, locals traveled far to set up family-run outlets (店). There are now more than 88,000 such restaurants nationwide. And since mid-2018, Shaxian Snacks restaurants (establish) in 62 countries and regions, including the United States, Japan, Australia, France and Portugal.
At dawn, Taylor opened her sleepy eyes and looked out of the window at the foggy field below.
"NO!" she cried, now fully awake. Buttermilk the cow was in Mama's daisy patch (雏菊地）.
I must have forgotten to lock the gate last night, Taylor thought as she pulled a sweater over her head. Mama was planning to sell daisy bouquets (花束)at the fair next week, but Buttermilk was eating the flowers.
Taylor hurried outside and grabbed the lead rope on the wall. "Why can't you stay in the field?" she called to Buttermilk as she headed across the yard to the daisy patch.
Buttermilk still stood there chewing flowers. Annoyed, Taylor thought to herself, "When I grew up, I'll be an artist and paint pictures all day. I'll never own a cow. Too much trouble."
Just as Taylor was about to throw the lead rope onto Buttermilk's collar, the family dog, Red, rounded the corner of the house. Startled, Buttermilk took off, tearing through the daisies and across the yard. She finally ran through the open gate and into the field.
"Thank goodness!" Taylor said as she closed the gate and secured the lock.
She turned to look at the flower garden, where most of the daisies were either eaten or trampled (踩踏).
Mama came out of the house. "What's going on?" she asked. She looked sadly at her garden.
"I forgot to lock the gate," Taylor said. "I'm so sorry."
"I know you are" Mama sighed and gave Taylor a hug. "You learned an important lesson today."
Taylor's heart was heavy as she went back into the house. She had to think of a way to make it up to her mother.
注意：1）所续写短文的词数应为 150 左右；
2）至少使用 5 个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
Suddenly, a painting on the wall caught Taylor's eye.
Paragraph 2:
The morning of the fair, Taylor came downstairs to invite Mama to see the surprise.
