If you're after a quick snap, if you're out and about, here are a few brilliant instant cameras to choose from.
Instax Mini 12
Made by Fujifilm, the Instax Mini series of cameras is ideal for taking quick snaps and getting high-quality credit card sized photos. The Mini also comes with built-in flash, a close-up lens(镜头) and selfie lens for taking those perfect shots.
The camera comes in a range of bright colours, including sky blue and clay white.
Polaroid Go
Famous for their cameras, Polaroid still makes instant cameras in the modern day, with a classic look. The Go comes with autofocus as well as a self-timer for effectively capturing the moment and producing quality Polaroid photographs for you to keep.
It also comes in a range of funky colours, if all black or white isn't your preference.
Instax Mini Evo
The Mini Evo combined camera and printer is a compact device with a 28mm lens that's capable of letting you review and edit photos before printing them.
Also featured is a back 2. 7-inch LCD screen for viewing what you're shooting and the ability to print from your phone via Bluetooth.
Instax Mini 40
Coming just in a single but vintage black design, the Instax Mini 40 is a solid option for quick instant snaps, with a one-touch selfie mode and a more traditional looking camera, fixed with a 60mm lens.
It's also small enough to fit comfortably in your bum bag or pocket to take a quick snap if you're out and about.
Coming into the town of Santa Catarina Palopó， in the highlands of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, the first thing you notice is the bright colors. Most of the buildings along the main street are eye-catching, in deep blues and greens, dotted with red and yellow to form diverse patterns and designs.
Santa Catarina Palopo was once a sleepy town of 5,000 people, most of them dependent on agricultural work. But as agriculture began to dry up here, poverty came. To deal with poverty and promote economic growth through tourism, a small but creative group of laborers, artisans, domestic workers and stay-at-home moms created the Pintando Santa Catarina Palopo project.
The project aimed to paint all 850 homes and buildings in bright colors to change the hillside town into a work of art. "We wanted to paint the houses with colors and figures that represent the community," says the project's executive director Stephany Blanco. "Families can choose designs for their house that are representative of the family. "
One of the most representative characteristics of the region is the blue huipil, a traditional blouse which has been worn commonly by local women since the 16th century. That deep sky blue was chosen as the primary color for the Pintando project, with secondary colors found in the sunsets and the nearby lake to make the design more attractive. Inspiration was also found in local culture, symbols such as volcanoes, flowers, and the national bird of Guatemala.
Each week, local artists, community members and tourists pick up paintbrushes to make buildings colorful. "At first, the idea of the project was uncertain, but now you can see a considerable difference in the town," Melissa Whitbeck said. "The color of the buildings is believed to improve the quality of life of the people. It uplifts the people's mood and encourages them to be proud of their hometown. "
Milan Kundera, the son of a famous concert pianist and musicologist, was born on April 1,1929. Brno, Czechoslovakia (now in Czech Republic). The young Kundera studied music but gradually turned to writing, and he began teaching literature at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Prague in 1952. He joined the Communist Party in 1948, was expelled in 1950, and was readmitted in 1956, remaining a member until 1970.
He published several collections of poetry in the 1950s. Then his short stories and highly successful one-act play, The Owners of the Keys, were published in the 1960s, followed by his first novel. One of his greatest works, The Joke, a comic and ironic (讽刺的) about the private lives and destinies(命运) of various Czechs, was translated into several languages and achieved international recognition. His second novel, Life Is Elsewhere(1969), about an unlucky, romantic-minded hero who supported the Communist takeover of 1948, was forbidden of its Czech publication. Kundera refused to admit his political errors to the authorities, who banned all his works, fired him from his teaching positions, and drove him away from the Communist Party.
In 1975 Kundera was allowed to emigrate with his wife from Czechoslovakia to teach at the University of Rennes in France. In 1979 the Czech government took away his citizenship. In the 1970s and '80s his novels were published in France and elsewhere abroad but were banned in his homeland until 1989. The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, one of his most successful works, is a series of ironic meditations (沉思录) on the modern state's tendency to deny and clear out human memory and historical truth.
Kundera began writing in French with Slowness in 1994, followed by Identity (1997), Ignorance(2000), and The Festival of Insignificance(2013), which is about a group of Parisian friends.
On July 11, 2023, Milan Kundera died in Paris, France.
With a new technique, scientists have figured out how to create power from thin air. They have designed a tiny device that generates electricity from the air's humidity (湿气) and it can be made from nearly any material, scientists reported in the journal Advanced Materials.
The invention involves two electrodes(电极) and a thin layer of material, which must be covered with tiny holes less than 100 nanometers(纳米) in diameter. As water molecules pass through the device, they knock against the tiny holes' edges, creating an electric charge imbalance between the layers.
The whole process is just like the way clouds make electricity, like lightning. "The air contains a large amount of electricity," says Jun Yao, assistant professor in the College of Engineering at UMass Amherst. "Think of a cloud, or rather a mass of water drops, each of which contains a charge. And when conditions are right, the cloud can produce lightning. What we've done is to create a human-built, small-scale 'cloud'. "
Scientists have previously tried using humidity to generate electricity, but their attempts have often only worked for a short time or relied on expensive materials. But now, the new study shows that any material works, such as wood or silicon, as long as it is covered with the ultra-small holes. This finding makes producing the device much more practical.
Currently, the fingermail-sized device can only create a very small amount of continuous electricity. But the researchers hope it can someday become a practical, sustainable source of power. "The entire Earth is covered with a thick layer of humidity," Yao said. "It's a huge source of clean energy. This is just the beginning in making use of that. " Next, the researchers want to try laying more devices on top of each layer of the thin materials to produce more energy.
Imagine that you've got a deadline approaching. But other smaller jobs keep getting in the way. Eventually, your failure delays the project. Here are five steps that will help you to meet it.
First, determine what the task is. Make sure you understand what's expected of you and how much work is required. Depending on the type of the job, you need to create a clear road map of what needs to be done.
Next, check that you have the right resources. Before you start, ask yourself if you have the training, support, people, and equipment needed to complete the work on time. Do not press ahead difficultly and silently. Instead, request for more time or seek help from others.
Leave room for error. Things don't always go to plan. Staff absences, supply delays, or competing responsibilities are common challenges. For example, training up other coworkers could help in case anyone is absent.
Divide your work into smaller tasks and set a deadline to each. Not only will this help you to monitor your progress, but you'll also be able to decide if the given time is achievable.
Finally, even the best-made plans can fall short. So if you do miss a deadline, try to limit the damage. Consider how you can avoid it happening again. Take responsibility for the issue, agree on a new deadline and explain clearly how you intend to meet it.
A. Be honest with your boss.
B. If the answer is "no," speak up.
C. Now, it's time to create a schedule.
D. Fourth, persuade your boss to change the plan.
E. If you fail to repair the damage, quit the job directly.
F. The closer the deadline gets, the more impossible it all feels.
G. Consider what replaceable plans you might need to overcome them.
Zafar and Nadeem had been great friends since childhood. They used to go to the same secondary school nearby and 1 there and back together. They didn't always see eye to eye, but 2 they had arguments about school as they were both 3 and wanted to get the best marks in their class.
One 4 afternoon, Nadeem, who had got the highest mark in a test that day, 5 on talking about it. Zafar couldn't bear it. Anger 6 him because he thought Nadeem was only doing it to make him feel bad. Finally, he slapped (用手掌打) Nadeem in the face. Nadeem was 7 at first, but then he picked up a stick, and wrote in the sand: "Today my friend Zafar slapped me. "
The pair of friends carried on their way home in 8 . As they got closer to the river, a section of the river bank 9 because of the rain and the water carried both boys into the river. Nadeem couldn't swim but Zafar was there by his side 10 him to safety. After Nadeem had calmed down, he took a 11 stone and wrote on a big 12 : "Today my friend Zafar saved my life. "
Zafar asked him Why. Nadeem replied, "Writing in the sand 13 quickly. When our friends do something bad to us, we should forget it quickly. But when friends do good things and show us 14 , we should always remember it, just as the writing on a rock 15 forever. '
As the most (wide) recognized type of Chinese opera in the world, Beijing Opera is regarded as the quintessence of Chinese culture. When performing Beijing Opera, artists follow the (establish) types of singing, reciting, acting and martial arts, are the four main elements and skills of Beijing Opera. Usually, performers start practicing these four skills from early age. Perseverance is the key to the lively characters stage.
Beijing Opera combines wonderful performance with fine costumes and makeup. The unique (face) makeup art is called "Lianpu". It uses a form of exaggeration(夸张) (show) the nature, psychological and physical features of the characters.
Color patterns are painted on the performers' faces, especially on their eyebrows, eye sockets and the corners of their mouths. The face colors are connected with the characters' (personality). For example, red means loyalty and hospitality (好客)； black shows (fair) and justice; white indicates doubtfulness; blue suggests bravery; gold and silver create a sense of grandness.
Up to now, the art of Beijing Opera "Lianpu" (apply) to many creative cultural products. Special stationary, clothing and skincare masks are getting more and more popular around the world.
Cody always knew his family was different. While other kids went to the beach for summer vacation, he and his mom visited the world's largest baseball bat or the world's largest fork. Cody's mom even had photos framed on the wall.
As a kid, Cody thought these vacations were the best ever. But later, somewhere during their search for the world's biggest ball of twine(麻线团)， he started to feel embarrassed. When his classmates, especially Nathan, asked where he'd gone for vacation, he'd say, "No place special. "
Cody could tell that his mom was planning something when she walked into the kitchen with a shine in her eye. It was the same shine she'd had on those photos! "I was reading this article about the world's largest gathering of people dressed as turkeys. It was in Texas, and it was only 661 people! Five times as many people living in our town. "
"And then?" Cody doubted.
"We can hold a similar one here around Thanksgiving!"
"Mom," Cody said. "No. "
"Yes," Mom confirmed. "I just called the newspaper. The announcement runs tomorrow. The day after Thanksgiving, everyone will meet in the town square, dressed as turkeys!"
Cody could do nothing but sigh.
Back to school the next day, Nathan shouted, "Hey, Cody!" Whenever Nathan talked, it always meant trouble. "Gobble(火鸡咯咯叫)， gobble!" Nathan came strutting(昂首阔步走) like a turkey. Other kids laughed as Cody rushed to the class. It turned out that the announcement wasn't just in the paper but all over social media.
The big day came. But instead of dancing around the house as she'd been all week, Mom was sitting on the floor, shoulders drooping. She was staring at the electronic equipment. "I can't believe the DJ(音响师) is sick. Without music, how can we make the gathering festive?" Mom sighed sadly.
Cody looked at his mom, thinking that this was his chance to escape. No more gobbling. No more strutting. No more embarrassment.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右：2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
But the framed photos on the wall came into his sight before he could say something.
Cody was setting music in the town square when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
