If you're tired of the big city pace and noise, relax yourself by taking a day or a weekend to explore one of these four Georgia small towns:
Senoia
About 45 miles from Atlanta, if you want to visit the classic small town, Senoia is the best choice. Built in 1866 as a railroad town, its picturesque perfection has been filmed for the movies like Fried Green Tomatoes.
Hartwell
109 miles from Atlanta. Named for Nancy Hart, a heroine of the Revolutionary War who served as a spy and captured a group of Tories who threatened her home, Hartwell is known as the "Best city by a Dam Site".
Tiger
105 miles from Atlanta in northeast Georgia, this small mountain community sits at the base of 2, 856-foot Tiger Mountain, and you can drive Old U. S. 441 right through the town and into the countryside any season of the year. The tiny town itself boasts the Tiger Drive-In.
Another attraction is the Tiger Mountain Winery, operating from the site of a five-generation old family farm and winner of three 2017 silver medals in the Los Angeles Wine Competition. Its tasting room is open daily.
Tallulah Falls
About 96 miles northeast of Atlanta.
Near the Tallulah River and named for the five falls that flow downward very fast through the gorge, Tallulah Falls had a population of just 168 at the 2010 census.
It's a fine spot for fishing and picnicking near the town's three lakes, swimming at the Georgia Power Company's Terrora Beach. Come Saturday night in spring, summer and folk stay for live Bluegrass bands on Bluegrass Square in downtown Tallulah Falls. You can even bring your own instrument and join in.
Two new studies have added to the evidence that drinking a little alcohol each day is good for the heart. Earlier studies have shown that drinking a moderate amount of alcohol reduces the chances of suffering a heart attack or a stroke caused by thickening of the blood.
The new studies were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. One group of researchers was from a medical center in Boston. They questioned almost two thousand patients at forty-five hospitals who had just suffered heart attacks. The researchers asked them how much alcohol they drank in the year before the heart attack. Those who had fewer than seven alcoholic drinks a week were considered light drinkers. Those who had more than seven drinks a week were considered moderate drinkers.
The researchers studied the patients' health for the next four years. At the end of that time, the light drinkers had a twenty-one percent lower chance of dying from a heart attack than those who never drank at all. The moderate drinkers had a thirty-two percent lower chance of dying than those who never drank. The drinkers survived mostly because they had fewer additional heart attacks.
The other study involved more than two thousand older men and women. Their average age was seventy-four. Researchers asked them how much alcohol they drank and studied the health of these people for up to fourteen years. They found that those who had one or two drinks each day were twenty to fifty percent less likely to develop heart failure than those who did not drink.
Both studies found no difference in survival among people who drank beer, wine or liquor.
Doctor Klatsky, a heart doctor in Oakland, California, said both studies strengthen the idea that drinking a small amount of alcohol each day can protect the heart. Alcohol thins the blood and prevents clots that block arteries. It also increases the so-called good cholesterol in the blood that helps keep arteries open.
I received a private message on Facebook. It began harmlessly enough: "Hey, girl. Wanted to invite you to join my next challenge group—we'll be focusing on fitting in 30 minutes of exercise and balanced nutrition. "
It was all becoming too much. Facebook was running my life, not me.
But what killed Facebook for me was when I posted a photo, and five minutes later my son asked me how many "likes" it had got. His question was a wake-up call.
"Likes" are signs of acceptance and approval. I had forgotten that acceptance and approval need to come from within and had unknowingly set him a bad example.
Before Facebook, surfing the Internet was an occasional distraction and I spent a lot more time reading books and magazines. I checked in with friends through texts, emails and phone calls.
To recreate the simplicity of those days and set a healthier example to my son, I deactivated my Facebook account.
I'd been in the habit of checking Facebook many times a day, so I had to come up with some new habits. I carried a novel and a crossword puzzle book around with me. I rediscovered knitting. I started taking yoga classes.
I started to remember a few things. My body is fine just the way it is. I have friends who will help me out when I'm in trouble, and I will help them out. I do my best to be a good mother, and our son is happy and healthy. We are very lucky to be able to afford two vacations a year.
I stopped looking at the world through my cellphone. I felt completely present in the moment.
The break left me feeling better about myself, my family, my home and my life.
After a few weeks, I returned to Facebook. Now I look at the photos of my friends' kids growing up and treasure how social media allows me to keep in touch with family far and wide. I look in on a daily basis, but no longer with the desire constantly to post updates.
It is not an addiction any more.
As the days get shorter and the cold weather rolls in, we all want to curl up in a blanket and sleep until spring rolls around. But making time to get outside in the sun, even when it's cold outside, could have bigger mood benefits than you might realize. New research finds that sunlight exposure is by far the greatest weather-related factor determining mental heath. In other words, more sunshine, more happiness.
For the study, a psychologist, a physicist and a statistician from BYU teamed up to compare daily environmental data from the university's Physics and Astronomy Weather Station with emotional health data archived by day for 16, 452 adult patients who were being treated at the university's Counseling and Psychological Services. Other weather variables(可变因素) including temperature, pollution and rain were not found to have an impact on mental health.
"We were surprised that many of the weather and pollution variables we included in the study were not significantly related to patients' scores once we had accounted for sun time, "said Dr. Mark Beecher, a professor of psychology at the university and the study's lead author.
Exposure to sunlight is a significant factor in seasonal affective disorder. Research has shown that the brain produces more of the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin on sunny days than it does on darker days. What's more, lack of sunlight is linked with lower vitamin D levels, which in turn has been correlated with depression and low energy.
In addition to seeking professional help if you need it, taking a walk in the sun can help. Walking in nature is known to reduce stress, improve cognitive function, lighten the mood and even put the brain into a peaceful state.
If you have ever been in a school play or even made believe you were a doctor, detective, or a space traveler, you know the enjoyment that acting brings. Almost all of us have the wish to play the part of someone-or something else.
In the ancient world, acting was often associated with religious ceremonies and other special occasions. As far back as 2200 B. C. trained Chinese actors performed ceremonial dances in costumes and makeup at harvest festivals. To the dance was gradually added pantomime-the imitation of movements and gestures-as well as the wearing of masks, the singing of chants, and finally the use of dialogue.
While acting was coming into its own in the ancient Chinese classical theatre, it was doing the same in the western world, in Greece. From about 500 B. C. on, acting became a highly specialized art in Greece. Greek actors, however, still wore masks, and their motions were largely fixed by custom.
Modern acting, by contrast, gives the individual actor great opportunity to develop his or her personal talents for serious, comic, or musical drama. The names, faces, and styles of famous movie actors are known worldwide. A special form of acting takes place in radio drama, which was highly popular before television. In radio drama the actors face a unique challenge. They are unseen by their audience. So they must rely on voice alone to make their characters real to the listeners.
Only forty percent of Broadway actors are employed, most of them for only part of the year. Those who become stars need not only talent, but determination. They must not be easily discouraged. Otherwise, they might give up before the opportunity for stardom presents itself.
A. The origins of acting are in the act of remembering.
B. Drama in Greece began with festivals honoring Dionysus.
C. It is believed that this was the first step in the development of acting.
D. Historical records indicate that this desire is as old as civilization itself.
E. Acting is not, as many people think, a quick, easy road to fame and riches.
F. Therefore, they had little opportunity to show their individual personalities.
G. Broadway and television provide other stages on which actors can display their talents.
When I was a boy I dreamed of my future. I was going to be a cowboy. Then I dreamed of being a fire fighter and 1 people from burning buildings. I just couldn't 2 to grow up and be an adult. After I went to college and those dreams 3 . I thought I would be a scientist, then I switched to being a teacher. When I 4 and had children, my dreams of the future changed again. Now it wasn't so much a 5 career that I dreamed of but a time when I could be settled and 6 and my family and I would finally be problem free.
That dream, of course, didn't 7 . In fact, none of those dreams ever came to life. It took me many years as well to 8 that living in a dream future was living in a 9 and that each moment I spent there was taking a moment away from the 10 NOW. I saw that there could be no perfect, problem free future because problems are a part of 11 .
It is only in the NOW that we can truly live. Our dreams for the future are just that: 12 . Whether they come true or not isn't as 13 as how we live each day here. A hug shared today can never be 14 . An act of kindness not given now is lost forever. A moment of love missed can never be 15 again. Each second of the NOW is precious and priceless. Don't waste a one of them.
I can well remember that I was once asked to deliver a speech titled "A Real Test in My Life" before the whole class at the age of 9! You can imagine how (terrible) shy I was with so many eyes(fix) on me. I had no (choose) but to prepare for it, though.
First of all, I was to draft the speech, which was just a piece of cake for me, a good writer. But the hardest part (lie) in my oral presentation from my memory, for to read from the paper was not allowed. The real moment began I stood on the platform with my legs trembling and my mind blank. But my listeners were waiting patiently without any sign of rushing me. Gradually I found myself back, (deliver)my speech without difficulty. After what seemed to be a hundred years I found my audience applauding—I made ! From then on, my fear of talking before the audience disappeared.
Actually with my (confident) built up, I now turn out to be a great speaker. Looking back, I know the greatest difficulty on our way success is our fear. Overcome it we will be able to achieve our goals.
1）你对此事情的看法, 并表达积极参加的愿望;
2)陈述自己的有利条件, 如痴迷于读书, 中英文阅读和写作能力强等;
3)若成为会员, 会给其他会员提供更多帮助并使自己读更多的书。
注意： 1)不要逐词逐句地翻译;
2)为使语句连贯, 可以适当增加细节;
3)词数80个左右, 开头和结尾已给出, 不计入总词数。
Dear Peter,
I'm Li Hua. I'd like to join your "Reading Club" on the Internet. . . .
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
Christmas was hanging around. Six-year-old David was thinking what presents he could get from Santa. He wanted slippers; he wanted a silk tie; he wanted some toys. And school starting soon, he also hoped to get something about schooling. In order to get Santa to know what he needed, he thought he would write a letter to Santa, which he believed would bring him those presents. He found a sheet and made a list of the items on it, and then bent down to post the letter up the chimney, waiting for the winds to take it up.
David got up very early on the Christmas morning. He searched his room carefully, but to his disappointment, he didn't find the presents he hoped for. Hadn't Santa received the letter? Was he too busy to send him the gifts? Although feeling a little upset, David was convinced that Santa would not forget him and he was bound to receive the items.
Many years had passed and 2019 came. In an old house, a young builder, Lewis Shaw was removing the fireplace with his colleagues when he suddenly found a small piece of paper, which was still in perfect condition even if it had turned yellow. He picked it up and unfolded it. It was a letter written to Santa. The touching hand-written note read:
Dear Father Christmas,
Please can you send me a drum , box of chalks , slippers , silk tie , pencil box , any little toys you have to spare?
Love,
David
It was then signed off with lots of kisses.
This was the very letter written by David and the house was where he had lived during his childhood! The letter struck Shaw so much. How simple Christmas once was! David didn't ask for much, just the things he needed. Nowadays kids always wanted expensive gifts and took it for granted.
注意： 续写部分分为两段, 每段的开头语已为你写好。
Shaw decided to find out the author of the letter. He shared a photo of the note on Facebook. He also….
A great surprise was on the way. After a pleasant chat，……
