Our tiny boat was ploughing through (费力穿过) the waves across the Indian Ocean and I was absolutely freezing. The further we got from the shelter of the land, the more I thought how foolish I'd been to come along on this trip.
The pilot of the boat looked almost 60 but, perhaps because of a lifetime on the open sea in the hot sun, was very fit and strong. I was wondering how he managed to find his way. To me, it seemed difficult enough to navigate a boat without any electronic equipment even on a sunny day.
So at least we were safe. But this was not what we had come along for. A look at the other divers' faces suggested that now they were also doubtful that we'd ever get the chance to see a whale shark — these weather conditions were totally unsuitable for diving! None of us spoke. It seemed too much of an effort. Then suddenly the boatman stopped the engine. He said a few words in his own language to the diving instructor who immediately jumped up from his seat and told us to get ready to dive.
When I jumped into the grey sea, I was sure I wouldn't see anything. But then . . . there it was! An enormous whale shark, slowly swimming through the water. I couldn't believe my eyes — my first whale shark! I hardly dared breathe — I was afraid my streams of bubbles (气泡) might scare the huge creature away. And the other divers were equally awed. Slowly we approached this huge animal. It was swimming quite slowly and we were able to swim with it, looking at the beautiful markings on its back. I was still holding my breath, telling myself that this huge fish was harmless! Then I reached out and touched it, stroking (轻抚) its thick skin. It was amazing how this giant suddenly gained speed — we watched it as it swam away from us, and a few moments later it was gone.
History tells us that footwear was one of the first things ancient people learned to make. Footwear helped them across rocky paths or hot sands without injuring themselves. The earliest footwear we know of was simply a piece of plaited (编织) grass or leather tied to the feet.
The ancient Egyptians seem to have invented the first footwear with a firm sole (鞋底) — sandals. Egyptian royalty usually wore sandals that had a different style from those with lower status (身份), while slaves were not allowed to wear anything on their feet. The sandal is still the basic form of footwear in many countries, particularly those with a hot climate, whereas in cold climates, an entirely different type of shoe appeared — the moccasin — a slipper-shaped shoe made of soft but strong leather.
The Greeks were the first to develop shoes with heels (鞋跟). Then, in the Middle Ages, shoes with long points at the toe became very chic for the nobility. These shoes were often very difficult to wear. Other trends followed, with square-toed shoes, wide shoes, and even shoes that could make a woman stand two feet taller. Not surprisingly, these sometimes led to accidents. Even today, fashion rather than comfort often leads to the kind of shoes women wear.
Mechanical shoemaking appeared in the 1800s in North America. Until then, shoes had been made with the same kinds of hand tools used by the ancient Egyptians. And in 1858, a machine was invented that could stitch (缝合) the sole of a shoe to the upper part. Now it was possible to make shoes that were shaped to fit either the left or right foot. Toward the end of the 1800s came a new type of shoe that was specifically designed for sports — the sneaker — and it soon become an all-time favorite.
The coffee giant Starbucks is once again a popular search on the internet, and there are people who think that coffee is now replacing tea as the most popular drink in China. But, is that really so?
Starbucks opened its biggest café shop in the world in Shanghai this Wednesday. The coffee giant says this will not only give customers the usual great coffee, but also give them the full experience of how the magical coffee beans get roasted to become those wonderful drops that make up your favorite drinks. It is like the Willy Wonka factory for coffee lovers. The company is expanding aggressively, and opening a new store every 15 hours on average in China.
China has very rich and splendid tea culture. What seems like the most enjoyable thing is to drink a cup of tea on a quiet day that is full of "Zen" spirit. But the fast-pace of life sometimes doesn't allow that. So there are tea shop owners locating their shops in the downtown area in order to provide quick service for customers. Take Heytea for example. It's one of the most highly rated tea shops and it has now opened several new branches in the business areas of big cities like Beijing. Waiting in lines for longer than one hour is common. China's consumption of tea is immeasurable. According to a research of USC Institute, in China, the average person consumes 400 cups of tea per year.
So it is unlikely that coffee can replace tea as the country's main drink any time soon. The expanding coffee shops are not there to replace tea, but to provide people with another choice that they can use to enjoy life.
Children think other youngsters who wear glasses look smarter and are more honest than those who don't wear glasses, according to a U. S. study of 80 children. In addition, the researchers found that children seldom judge peers wearing glasses in terms of appearance.
The study included 42 girls and 38 boys, aged 6 to 10. Of those, 30 wore glasses, 34 had at least one classmate with glasses, and almost two-thirds had at least one parent who wore glasses. The study participants were shown 24 pairs of pictures of children. The children in each pair of pictures differed by gender and race, and each pair of pictures included one child with glasses and one child without glasses. The children were asked a series of questions about each pair of photos. About two-thirds said children wearing glasses looked smarter than those without glasses, and 57 percent said children wearing glasses looked more honest.
These findings may help comfort children as they're fitted for their first pair of glasses, lead author Jeffrey Walline, an assistant professor of optometry at Ohio State University, suggested in a prepared statement. "If the impression of looking smarter will appeal to a child, I would use that information and tell the child it is based on research. Most kids getting glasses for the first time are sensitive about how they're going to look. Some kids simply refuse to wear glasses, because they think they'll look ugly," Walline said.
Do People Need Small Talk to Be Happy?
Psychologists (心理学家) have long said that connecting with others is an important part of happiness, but just how much conversation we require is under examination. In one study， researchers found that small talk made up only 10% of their conversation related with happiness.
. Scientists believe that small talk could promote bonding. Late last year, Princeton researchers reported that small talk keeps closeness with loved ones, and isn' t merely the stuff of awkward exchanges with strangers.
Still, chatting with strangers could brighten your morning. In a series of experiments, psychologists gave Chicago passengers different directions about whether to talk with fellow passengers-something they typically avoided. . None of the chatters reported being rejected.
Small talk can also help us feel connected to our surroundings. People who smiled at， made eye contact with, and briefly spoke with their Starbucks baristas (服务员) reported a greater sense of belonging than those who rushed through the transaction (交易). One report found that when volunteers broke the silence to chat with gallery goers, the visitors felt happier and more connected to the exhibit than those who were not approached.
. In one study, people who were rated " less curious" by researchers had trouble getting a conversation rolling on their own, and had greater luck building closeness with others when they were supplied with questions that encouraged personal disclosure (透露). But people who were considered " curious" needed no help when transforming conversations about ordinary things into personal exchanges. .
A. The same is true of gallery goers.
B. They found that small talk is related with happiness
C. But don' t play down small talk just yet.
D. Of course, some people are better than others at turning small talk into something bigger.
E. A " curious mindset" ，the author concluded, can lead to " positive social interactions" .
F. Making small talk is an important skill for all the social situations.
G Those told to chat with others reported a more pleasant journey.
Recently, the idea that listening to classical music can increase intelligence, especially in 1 , has caught the attention of the media, researchers, and parents around the globe. In the early 1990s, researchers from France and the US published articles that said 2 Mozart for 10 minutes temporarily 3 performance on IQ tests and challenging tasks.
4 , the media quickly began reporting on the " Mozart effect" .
In 1997, Don Campbell published a book about this 5 phenomenon. Campbell said that classical 6 could improve health and memory, prevent mental and physical disorders, and 7 stress and depression. He soon 8 with The Mozart Effect for Children, as well as CDs and products for parents of young children. Today, a wide selection of similar products is 9 , including Baby Mozart and Baby Bach, two bestselling DVDs in the popular Baby Einstein series. There are even music players specially 10 for expectant (预产期的) mothers to wear on their stomachs. 11 , babies can listen to classical music before they're even 12 .
13 , there is some doubt surrounding the " Mozart effect" . Parents 14 whether it is a proven reality or just a fad (潮流) designed to make money. Frances H. Rauscher, a psychologist and author of one of the original studies, is 15 . Much of the original 16 pointed to temporary improvements on specific tasks. She 17 these findings have been incorrectly described as a general increase in 18 . " I don't think it can hurt," Rauscher said. Yet she added that 19 may still want to think twice 20 spending a fortune trying to make a genius (天才) out of their baby.
The polar bear is found in the Arctic Circle and some big land masses as far south as Newfoundland. While they are rare north of 88°, there is evidence they range all the way across the Arctic, and as far south as James Bay in Canada. It is difficult to figure out a global population of polar bears as much of the range has been (poor) studied; however, biologists calculate that there are about 20,000—25,000 polar bears worldwide.
Modern methods tracking polar bear populations have been employed only since the mid-1980s, and are expensive (perform) consistently over a large area. In recent years some Inuit people in Nunavut (report) increases in bear sightings around human settlements, leading to a (believe) that populations are increasing. Scientists have responded by (note) that hungry bears may be congregating(聚集) around human settlements, leading to the illusion(错觉) that populations are (high) than they actually are. Of nineteen recognized polar bear subpopulations, three are declining, six (be) stable, one is increasing, and nine lack enough data.
