Love sugar-white sand beaches? Whether you're looking to ski down the side of a mountain or surf in the sunshine, you'll find the following three places in the best winter travel destination list.
Best for: Families and water babies
The newly-built Coral Towers at the Atlantis resort (旅游胜地) in Paradise Island, Bahamas, with new next- door neighbor Marina Village, an open-air shopping and dining marketplace, are just two of the newest reasons to visit this Caribbean popular travel destination. Don't forget about Aquaventure, the world's largest open-air water park. With the average winter temperatures between the mid 60°F and high 70°F, it's a perfect place to escape the cold.
Best for: Adventurers
Iceland in the winter is simply dreamy and temperatures aren't as cool as you might think. Plus, there's no better time than winter to view the Northern Lights. Short winter days mean you'll have an even greater chance to catch the magic. An increasing number of flights in and out of Reykjavik make it easier than ever to visit.
Best for: Families and theme park lovers
Whether you come for the Pro Bowl in January, the new Toy Story land at Disney's Hollywood Studios, or Supercharged ride at Universal Studios Florida, Orlando is yet another warm-weather destination for winter travel. The weather is at its best and the crowds are at their thinnest.
200, 000 miles from Earth, the crew of the third manned mission to the Moon faced an astronaut's worst nightmare: an explosion on the spacecraft. It's what happened in the Oscar-winning film Apollo 13, but it's also a true story.
The lift-off of Apollo 13 took place on 11th April 1970. Two days into the mission, the three-man crew were in big trouble. They had been carrying out routine checks when there was a loud bang. Warning lights were starting to flash. Looking out into space, they could see a trail of gas - the spacecraft was leaking oxygen. They sent out a short message to the scientists back on Earth: "Houston, we've had a problem here. " At first, they thought that a meteor (流星) had hit them, but they later found out that a short circuit (电路) had caused an oxygen container to explode. Whatever the cause, they knew there was no time to lose. Their electricity supply in the command module (指令舱) depended on that oxygen and pretty soon they would run out of both.
The only solution was to move into the lunar module-the section of the spacecraft that would have landed on the Moon. Now though, they were using it as a kind of lifeboat. With its own power supply, oxygen and water, the three men could survive in the lunar module and return to Earth. There was another problem though. In an enclosed (封闭的) space like a lunar module, the carbon dioxide the crew was breathing out was dangerous. The equipment to clear the air of carbon dioxide was only built for two people. Now it had to deal with three. Amazingly, the crew managed to build a piece of equipment out of materials onboard to reduce the carbon dioxide to a safe level.
There was one final hindrance. The lunar module wasn't strong enough to re-enter Earth's atmosphere so the crew had to go back into the damaged command module. To everyone's relief, the crew of Apollo 13 arrived safely in the South Pacific Ocean on April 17th. Although the crew didn't land on the Moon, NASA still considered the mission a success.
a. A short circuit caused an explosion.
b. The crew moved to into the lunar module.
c. The crew went back into the command module.
d. The astronauts landed on the Earth successfully.
e. The astronauts sent a message to the scientists on earth.
f. The crew managed to reduce the carbon dioxide to a safe level.
Running is often tiring and needs a lot of hard work, but nothing beats the feeling you get after finishing a long workout around the track. But while it's long been believed that endorphins (内啡肽)-chemicals in the body that cause happiness- are behind the so-called "runner's high", a study suggested that there may be more to this phenomenon than we previously knew. According to a recent study published by a group. of scientists from several German universities, a group of chemicals called endocannabinoids (内源性大麻素) may actually be responsible for this familiar great feeling.
To test this theory, the scientists turned to mice.
Both mice and humans release high levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids after exercise, along with many other chemicals. After exercising on running wheels, the mice seemed happy and relaxed and displayed no signs of anxiety.
But after being given a drug to block their endorphins, the mice were still happy and relaxed after running.
However, when their endocannabinoids were blocked with a different drug, their runner's high symptoms seemed to fade.
"The long-held belief of endorphins being responsible for the runner's high is false. Endorphins are effective pain relievers, but only when it comes to the pain in your body and muscles you feel after working out, "Patrick Lucas Austin wrote.
Similar studies are yet to be carried out on humans, but it's already well known that exercise is a highly effective way to get rid of stress or anxiety.
The UK's National Health Service even prescribes (开药方) exercise for patients who are suffering from depression. "Being depressed can leave you feeling low in energy, which might put you off being more active.
Regular exercise can boost your mood if you have depression, and it's especially useful for people with mild to moderate (中等的) depression. " it wrote on its website.
It seems like nothing can beat that feeling we get after a good workout, even if we don't fully understand where it comes from. At least if we're feeling down, we know that all we have to do is put on our running shoes.
The English language has many expressions that describe a fast-moving event. Some expressions relate to body movements. We say something happens in the blink of an eye or in a heartbeat. Other expressions are related to the world of nature.
For example, there is an expression related to velocity involving an animal. You might think the creature will be a big cat, such as a lion or maybe even a small but speedy animal, such as a hare (野兔). But it is none of them. The expression today involves sheep-baby lambs to be exact.
Lambs are cute, but they are not really known for their lightning speed. Our expression is about a specific part of the animal-its tail. Lambs can shake their tails very fast. And when something happens quickly, we say it happens in "two shakes of a lamb's tail". Here is an example, "I'm going to the store I'll be back in two shakes of a lamb's tail!" This expression is a cuter and more descriptive way of saying "quickly". Maybe instead of sending a text message with the letters BRB (be right back), we could use the image of a lamb shaking its tail.
Being cute like a lamb may be fun, but it has its drawbacks. Cute things are often not taken seriously. And that is why Americans rarely use "two shakes of a lamb's tail" in a serious situation. For example, if a person gets hit by a car, people would say something like "Help is on the way!" Generally speaking, an emergency is not a good time to use cute animal expressions.
Public Speaking
Public speaking can be defined as the act of making a speech in front of a group of listeners.
The types of public speaking are deliberately structured with three general purposes: to inform, to persuade and to entertain. An informative speech has a purpose to inform, or give knowledge to its audience. For persuasive speech, the speaker would try to change the mindset, perception, or behavior of the audience for their own good. Thus, the speaker needs to look for common ground with the audience and try to relate to what they might agree on. The last type is a ceremonial speech. It tends to be less formal and more personal than the other types of speeches. No matter how well you know the person you are giving speech about, try not to say bad things about them, even if it is meant to be a joke. Sparing some time to practice will help build confidence and help determine how long the presentation will last. Aside from it, knowing who the audience will be is quite necessary. Try to get as much information as possible regarding this particular area related to the audience. Knowing the "battlefield" in advance will give the speakers a huge advantage.
Language is the main aspect a speaker needs to pay attention to while giving a speech.
A speaker needs to choose their words carefully and make it clear to the audience what they mean. Often, when given a speech, the audience look up to the speaker to give them something new and useful.
Language and delivery alone will not be sufficient if the speaker does not have the body language. The movement and gesture of a speaker also affect the audience. While closing the speech or presentation, speakers can restate their main points, just to remind the audience of the important things that have been said.
A. It needs to be used clearly.
B. These speeches mark special occasions.
C. The important thing to watch about is not to put in too much information.
D. The key of perfecting anything is through practice, including public speaking.
E. They can also end it with a special message and encourage the audience to ask questions.
F. Knowing how public speaking is done is a key part in understanding the importance of it.
G. Thus, the speaker needs to know how to deliver their speech to fulfill the audience's expectation.
This past summer was really special for Jaequan Faulkner, a 13-year-old boy living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He set up a hot dog1outside his home to make some extra money. The boy took care to make sure that all food was fresh and clean. People in the neighborhood2the boy's spirit, but there was only one 3: he didn't have a permit.
When the Department of Health received a4, instead of shutting down Jaequan's stand, they did something 5. They helped the teenager get a permit so that his business could6.
Daniel Huff, director of the department, said they were7 to help a young man with such a sense of business. The health inspectors helped to pay for his first permit.8, Huff took another step and helped connect Jaequan with the Economic Opportunity Network, which gave the young businessman tips on9 a small business.
"I was kind of10and so grateful," Jaequan said about all the11. "Because usually I would have one person at a time helping me, but there12to be so many kind people at once."
The food stand now operates with a 13 and is open four hours daily from 11 am to 3 pm. Jaequan wants to give back to the community, and is planning to14to organizations that assist teenagers in need. With such a15;the boy surely is going to have a bright future.
Pooling wisdom of the people breeds success
Chinese idiom is one of the priceless legacies deeply rootedtraditional culture, making Chinese language more powerful, more functional and thus, more fascinating.
Pooling collective wisdom or "Ji Si Guang Yi", one of Chinese (saying), can better ensure success, reminding people to(modest) listen to others' advice before they make major decisions. The idea was first proposed by Zhuge Liang, well-known military strategist(战略家)during the Three Kingdom Period (220- 280). "The person (hold) office should pool the ideas and wisdom of the people and extensively draw on all well-intendeduseful views, " wrote Zhuge Liang in his article, "Instructions to Subjects and Officials. "
So far, the expression(develop) into an effective way to improve working efficiency and show respect for the opinions of the masses. All the opinions and ideas(collect) from others can give the decision maker a more comprehensive picture of the current situation and help him or her make a correct decision.
Listening humbly to others' opinions, especially thosediffer from one's own, can help one improve the initiative, wisdom and power of the masses. The method has been adopted by the Chinese people in their decision- making in daily life (secure) success.
I lay on my bed, legs leaning against the wall, desperately wishing my mother would call. But I remembered the last time I'd seen her, right before the train for Providence pulled out of the station, "You know how expensive it is to call," she said, then hugged me tight and said good-bye.
This was my first birthday away from home. I missed my mom, missed my sister, and most certainly missed the special pound cake my mother always made for my birthday. Since getting to college that year, I would watch jealously as the other freshmen received care packages from their parents on their birthdays - and even on ordinary days. Big boxes containing summer slacks and blouses, packages of M&M's and Snickers, things they needed and things they didn't. Instead of feeling thrilled about my upcoming eighteenth birthday, I felt empty. I wished my mom would send me something, too, but I knew that she couldn't afford presents or the postage. She had done her best with my sister and me - raising us by herself. The simple truth was there just was never enough money.
But that didn't stop her from filling us with dreams. "You can be anything you want to be," she would tell us. "Politicians, dancers, writers-you just have to work for it; you have to get an education. "
Thanks to my mom's sacrifices and big dreams, I'd made it to the Ivy League: Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
As I was recalling these things, my roommate joined me on the bed. "Hey. After we study, let's buy ice cream and cake." I nodded, closed my eyes, and imagined the cake Mom would have made. Mmm. I could see the golden yellow of each of the twelve eggs, and I could almost smell the vanilla (香草) filling the house while the cake baked.
注意：
1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语己为你写好。
Paragraph 1
As I daydreamed, there was a knock on the door.
Paragraph 2
How had she managed to afford it?
