When it comes to the greatest inventions of the world, China's name is sure to be mentioned several times. There are hundreds of things which were invented by the Chinese.
Alcohol
Shocked? It was because when they said alcohol I thought about either the US or the UK. China had never crossed my mind. In China, alcohol was made by two legendary persons named Yi Di and Du Kang who belonged to the Xia Dynasty. This period was about 2000 BC—1600 BC. Research says that in ancient China, beer with 4% alcoholic content was widely drunk by people.
Tea
China is the proud inventor of tea which was first drunk by Shen Nong, a Chinese emperor around 2737 BC. Tea production was rapidly developed, making tea a popular drink during the Tang and Song Dynasties.
The Mechanical Clock
Have you ever wondered what on earth we would be doing without any idea of time? A clock really is an invention without which things were incomplete. The credit of making the first mechanical clock goes to ancient China. The first mechanical clock was invented by Yi Xing in the Tang Dynasty. This was during 618 AD and 907 AD.
Silk Fabric
Silk, the favorite fabric of many girls out there, is also a Chinese invention. Although we all know that silk is made by silkworms, it was Chinese people who first invented a way to harvest the silk and then use it to make clothes. The oldest silk which has been found so far is in Henan Province and dates back to 3630 BC.
When someone asks me what my goals are for the coming year, I don't usually know how to reply. Of course I, as most people do, want to see an improvement in my grades. This year, however, I'm hoping for something different.
Through the course of my school life, I've gradually developed a new understanding of the word "prioritization (优先次序)". The first thing I wish to get in Senior 1 is the ability to manage my time better. I'll surely become busier with the coming semester, and proper organization is important. From school clubs to academic competitions, everything should be set up in a way that doesn't influence my health, which leads me to my second goal.
My mother has always told me put my health first, so in the future, I hope to be both physically and mentally healthy. A person can't study without having the energy to do so. In order to stay energetic, they must put their health first, no matter how busy they are, or how much work they have to complete.
And finally, I hope that I won't be discouraged by my failure and never give up on my dreams. I hope that I'll have the courage to try new activities and clubs. I believe my final goal can apply to every student around the world. We should all respect one another's likes and dislikes, and focus on each other's strengths, not our weaknesses. Everyone should try to take part in all of life's opportunities.
Albert Einstein once said, "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." In my case, it's the other way around. In order to keep moving, I must keep my balance—the balance between studies and activities, efficiency and procrastination (拖延症), academics and health, passions and dislikes. The new journey is going to be a hard one, but if I establish these goals, I believe I will make it through to the end.
Toilet paper as we know it today is a relatively modern invention that's only been around for about 150 years. It's natural to wonder what was used before modern toilet paper. Toilet paper in its ancient form dates back to China in at least the 6th century. Although paper itself appeared long before that time.
In ancient times, many kinds of materials (材料) were used instead of toilet paper. For example, sand was used by people who lived near the desert; grass was used by people living in the grassland. Some other things known to have been used included: fur, leaves, rocks, snow, and so on. Of course, it wasn't uncommon for people to go to the bathroom in a small river.
They might have used a cloth or their hands to clean themselves afterward. For many people, that might have been preferable to the method used by ancient Romans: a sponge (海绵) on a stick kept in saltwater…and shared by everyone using public bathrooms.
Luckily for us, Joseph Gayetty created the first toilet paper in 1857. His "Gayetty's Medicated Paper" didn't become popular soon, however, since the public was used to using materials they got for free rather than spending money on toilet paper. The rolled toilet paper we're familiar with today appeared in the 1880s. It wasn't necessarily soft like we're now used to, though. Paper production methods would often leave splinters (刺) in toilet paper. It wasn't until 1935 that Northern Tissue said they had made "splinter- free" toilet paper.
Other improvements in toilet paper happened over the course of the 20th Century. Larger rolls with softer paper became more popular. Today, take a trip to your local supermarket, and you will find many different kinds of toilet paper. For such a widely-used, necessary invention, it isn't given much thought…until it runs out!
Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger, but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving (铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers. It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave, the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages (短缺). Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts (干旱) than areas with more rainfall, but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs.
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too. In the United States, a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live, but there's a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home. To start with, use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher (洗碗机) only when it is full. Help your parents fix any leaks (漏洞) in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling (回收) batteries instead of throwing them away.
Studying longer does not necessarily mean studying better. Below are some great ways of learning as much as you can without putting you under too much pressure.
Find the right place to study.
The first thing you need to do is avoid distractions (分散注意力的事物) while studying. You should keep away from television sets and phone calls. Get all of your study materials together, so you will not be interrupted in the middle of your session.
Break down the tasks into smaller parts.
When you have gotten everything ready, list the items you need to study, and arrange them across several hours or days, depending on how big your load is. As a general rule, assign (分配) at least one hour to each subject. By doing this, you will be able to know more easily how long you need for each topic.
Schedule study breaks.
When you have listed all of your tasks and made a schedule, you should arrange study breaks. This will give your eyes some time to rest, and yourself an opportunity to go to the bathroom or have some coffee. Scheduled breaks will reduce the need for you to interrupt yourself to the lowest level during the study session.
Put your tasks in order of importance.
Just in case you run out of time to study, or if you think you do not have enough time to cover all subjects, you should study in order.
A. Learn to arrange (安排) the subjects in order of importance.
B. Each break may take about 15 minutes every two hours.
C. The key to efficient study is following the schedule strictly.
D. This means going to one place that will give you peace and quiet.
E. You can find a way to test your knowledge by having a study partner.
F. If you have a broad subject, you will need to break it down into smaller parts.
G. To make the best use of your time, you need to learn how to study efficiently(高效地).
Jacquelina used to weigh over 500 pounds. And for years, she refused to wear a bathing suit (泳衣).
She realized her life needed a complete1after an unpleasant experience at Dollywood where she got 2 in a turnstile (旋转栅门). Then Jacquelina decided to make a change. She was going to get control of her 3!
Of course, it was no easy task. She spent years in 4 with doctors, eating right, and exercising. And 5 her hard work, Jacquelina lost 350 pounds.
Years later, Jacquelina 6 for Mexico for a vacation. Having lost 350 pounds, she decided she was ready to wear a bathing suit without a cover-up.
"I was 7 to take my cover-up off and walk into the pool. I still felt like that same 500-pound girl." Jacquelina explained.
But Jacquelina was ready to face her fears. 8, people around her unfriendly pointed and 9 at Jacquelina.
"In the past I would 10 their comments to affect my vacation, and I probably would never go to that pool again." she said to herself.
But now she's a changed woman!
Instead of letting their behaviour bring her down, she took a deep breath, then chose to 11 and walk into the pool.
"That was a huge12for me," she said. "I had changed. I was not the 13girl any more.
While she'd lost 350 pounds, it wasn't just Jacquelina's body that had changed. Her14 changed, too. Unkind comments still 15, but she realized her worth had nothing to do with what other people thought.
It's school time again! Today, I'm (curiosity) and excited. I came to school, entering a (complete) new environment. At the first sight of it, I love it. The campus is clean and full trees and flowers. The new school made a deep (impress) on me.
During the first day, I had six classes—Chinese, maths, English, physics, chemistry and music. The math teacher is handsome young man, who is intelligent and confident. The music teacher is a beautiful young lady. She taught us (sing) a beautiful song. We not only felt confident got along well with each other.
The English teacher is an interesting middle-aged lady and I like (she) class most. She (refer) to how she went all out to learn English well. I was so active in class. My head teacher and classmates all paid attention to me and selected me as the monitor, made me so proud that I've made up my mind to try to do everything well.
Stephen and a bowl of noodles
Stephen, a 14-year-old boy was seen alone in the middle of the road. It was almost 10 pm; he was walking alone on the street on a breezy (微风的) night.
He recalled the incident that made him quarrel with his mother and he moved out of the house like a storm. His eyes were filled with tears. He had a quarrel with his mother from morning. His mum asked about his low grades in the recent exam. Stephen had a careless attitude and did not reply to her well. She scolded him in the evening for being so careless. He quarreled with his mother and argued without understanding he was also in fault. The quarrel ended up so badly that Stephen left his home.
He walked for more than hours. He smelled a nice flavour (味道) from a shop and was attracted by the sweet smell. He couldn't resist the smell of that nice flavour and he felt very hungry.
It was a small noodles shop and he stopped by the shop. Suddenly he realized there was not even a single penny in his pocket. With sad face, he stood there for a minute and decided to leave the place. The shop owner saw him and asked him to have some food.
Stephen said he had no money to pay for the food. The shop owner smiled, saying, "It's OK, I don't ask you any money. "
The shop owner prepared a hot bowl of sweet and delicious noodles. Stephen ate the noodles, feeling that he owed (欠) something to the shop owner. He promised to return his favor.
Stephen was in tears when he ate the noodles. The shop owner asked what happened to him. Stephen told him about the incident and the quarrel with his mother and he felt that his mother did not understand him.
注意：
1）续写的词数应为150左右。
2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答
Paragraph 1:
Hearing this, the shop owner smiled to Stephen." Good my dear young man! Now think about your mum. "
Paragraph 2:
Stephen realized his mistake and thanked the shop owner.
