Christmas is coming, and it is time to warm yourself and head out to see some festive lights. There are plenty of choices when it comes to following a light path as part of your Christmas celebrations.
Oxford Street
Oxford Street's festive lights are a treat for the eyes this year. However you'll have to pick your hours carefully as the lights—which we returned on at the start of November—are only on for eight hours a day this year, from 3-11 pm, because of the rising energy costs the country is facing. It is expected this will reduce energy usage by up to two thirds compared to previous years, when the lights have been on for 24 hours through November and December.
Kew Garden
One of the most famous light paths of the season, Christmas at Kew offers a full-on festive experience with over 2 km of lights to walk through. Along the way you'll have the chance to sample festive food and drink, and possibly even say hello to Santa himself.
Regent Street
Regent Street's lights are on the theme of The Spirit Of Christmas this year, bringing golden angels to the shopping street. The lights, which cover Regent Street and the St James neighbourhoods, were turned on on November 9, and like the Oxford St lights are turned on between 3 and 11 pm.
Covent Garden
A visit to Covent Garden will certainly get you in the festive spirit this year, with the central London destination offering a whole lot of lights—from 11 am until midnight every day until January 3. Visitors can also enjoy daily snow showers as well as festive food treats and heated wine—with over 40 different kinds there.
Aron Ralston was a pretty normal guy, but he always had an extremely adventurous desire to travel and see the world. During his childhood, his family moved to Denver, Colorado, a place offering many opportunities to climb mountains, explore, and eventually become the adventurer he'd always wanted to be. Back in 2003, Ralston was climbing in the remote, mountainous area of Southwestern Utah, when the unthinkable happened: Aron got stuck in a crevice (裂缝) in the rocks and pinned by a big stone that weighed over 360 kilograms. The weight of the rock crushed his arm, and he was pinned by it. Aron took photos of his bad situation (which was going to get a lot worse), hoping rescue teams (救援队) would know where he was and came to remove the rock so that he could get out and home safe.
But rescuers never came. Aron waited for them for days till he lost his hope. He knew he had to do something. He was 18 meters above the floor of the valley where he was pinned in, and he had a pocketknife. He made what must have been one of the most difficult decisions of his life: to cut his own arm in order to survive. Aron cut the lower part of his arm off, having to wrench (扭动) his forearm against the big stone to break the bones, and then got himself down to the bottom of the valley, where he would begin to walk and search for help. Luckily, help arrived in the form of a helicopter (直升机) that spotted him, covered in blood. Aron had tied off the wound to keep himself from bleeding to death pretty successfully and would eventually make it out alive.
Ralston went on to become an inspiring speaker and continued to travel and climb mountains—he didn't let an incident that forced him to cut his own arm off, stop him from doing what he really loved.
For the British, the home is a private place in which he or she goes to hide away from the troubles of life. It is very seldom that one would be invited to a British person's home. It is rude to knock on a person's door if you are not invited. If you are invited, don't ask to see more than the downstairs that your British host invites you into. Never ask how much the house or any of the items in it cost.
To the American, most of them want their home to be a place where they can entertain (款待) and share their lives with their friends. They may be delighted to give you a full tour of their houses. They may also be pleased when you show your interest and pleasure in their houses.
Both British and American people will engage in quite a bit of chat and a drink or two before the meal is served. After the first mouthful, you should say how delicious the food is and ask something about it. Remember, never eat with your mouth open and make very little noise while eating. It would be nice of you to help your host in any way. Maybe offer to pour some drinks or clear up after the meal.
Should humans explore space? If you ask me, I'll definitely give a positive answer.
The exploitation (开发) of space has a direct impact on the lives of humans, as well as the state of our world. Satellites moving around the earth enable communication across the world. connecting people of different continents and broadcasting information worldwide. The Global Positioning System (GPS) can identify our location anywhere. Furthermore, weather satellites can forecast harmful weather conditions which allows humans to prepare for deadly natural disasters and save lives.
Space programs can also indirectly help the solution to poverty (贫穷) and world hunger. For example, large plots of land could be used far better if humans applied technologies. The most effective tool is the artificial earth satellite. It can screen areas of land within a very short time, indicating useful measures such as the condition of crops, soil rainfall, and droughts. It can then transmit this information to ground stations on the earth for better use.
In recent years, space-based technologies have become an important factor to reach and expand global health objectives. Information provided by remote technologies can be applied to study the epidemiology (流行病学). This data provided by space technologies can monitor disease patterns, understand the environmental causes that spread it, make predictions about where it can spread in the future, and make plans to fight it efficiently.
Furthermore, access to better education means better life prospects and opportunities for human beings. Rural communities have disadvantaged access to education and satellite communication technologies are trying to bridge this gap. With the advancement of technology, students can now access any information and connect with peers and teachers in different parts of the world via video conferences and the creation of virtual classrooms.
Space exploration is something we can do for future generations. Mankind is using the resources provided on the planet, but these will run out one day. Overpopulation can be an existential threat for all mankind. With the advancement of space technology, it will be wise to use and explore the vast potential of other planets, such as the availability of mining resources on asteroids or other planets.
For the exploration of the universe, perhaps the most advantageous of all is that it will unite us to work together for a common purpose, in spite of our differences.
Everyone knows that early to bed and early to rise is good for your health, but the reality is that getting up late is the norm (常态) for many of us. For this, we specially recommend a "painless early rise" guideline.
Seek out as much natural light as possible. . Jennifer Martin, president of the board of directors for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, agrees with it firstly. That's because natural light holds back melatonin, a chemical that plays an important role in our bodies. "The sun is the driver of our internal clock," she says.
. For some people like those who need to drive long distances, those first few days of being tired from switching to a new schedule aren't safe. In that case, Martin recommends gradually easing into the early-bird life. "What I'll suggest to people is to shift half an hour, wait a few days, shift another half an hour, wait a few days, and then shift another half an hour," she says.
Hold on even on weekends. Becoming a morning person is a seven-day-a-week job. Decide what time you're going to wake up every day. .
Plan something to look forward to. To force you out of bed, Martin suggests treating yourself to something special you can enjoy first. . "Now is the time to go buy your favorite coffee or pick up some cakes to have when your alarm goes off at 5 am," she says.
A. Ease in gradually
B. And stick to it without exception
C. You're not worrying if you think of that
D. Drink some wine to help you fall asleep.
E. The secret to becoming a morning person is exposure to natural light
F. It takes a lot of willpower to get out of bed early on a cold winter's day
G. Experts advise to cut back on how much exposure to bright light you're getting
Nathan was a boy in my band class as well as in my math class. I never really liked him. He didn't have any friends at all and always sat 1 at the lunch table listening to music with his phone. People just walked past him without 2 . In class, whenever he was asked a question, he would take a long time to answer it, which made the whole class get 3 . Whenever he got an answer 4 , the whole class would 5 .
One day, when I walked into band class and was 6 to play my flute (长笛) , Mr. Kohler began the class. After we had played 7 for a little while, Mr. Kohler asked the class, "Who can tell what 8 it is just by hearing the pitch (音高) ?" Nobody raised their hands except Nathan. When I saw him, I laughed and thought he couldn't do anything 9 . How could he possibly guess the note when the pitch was played?
Even Mr. Kobler laughed a little and then told Nathan " Come here, buddy." Nathan 10 and went to the front of the class. Mr. Kohler had a tuner (校音器). He played a pitch and asked Nathan to 11 it. Nathan said, " E flat." Mr. Kohler said, " OK. Good." He played another pitch. "F sharp," Nathan said. The whole class went 12 . Mr. Kohler 13 Nathan by playing two pitches together. "C and B flat," Nathan said. "Good job, go back to your seat." he said.
Then I got surprised. Nathan had guessed all the pitches 14 . That day I realized I shouldn't judge people 15 little things I saw and that I needed to see the great things people can do.
Did you grow up in one culture，your parents came from another，and you are now living in a (total) different country? If so，then you are a thirdculture kid.
The term "thirdculture kid" (use) in the 1960s for the first time by Dr Ruth.She first came across this phenomenon while (research) North American children living in India.In general，thirdculture kids benefit their intercultural experience and they often reach excellent academic results.
Yet many (difficulty) may arise from this phenomenon.Thirdculture kids may not be able to adapt (they) completely to their new surroundings.Also，they often find it hard (develop) new friendship.Additionally，for a thirdculture kid，it is often (easy) to move to a new country than to return to his homeland.For example，after living in Australia for many years，Louis finally returned to the country she was born.She didn't know anything about current TV shows fashion trends.And she didn't share the same values as other teens of her age.
Back in the day when I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life, I was studying to become a firefighter. I was a volunteer fire aide in New York, and was studying at Mission College. As a firefighter, you should always think of other people and try to help other people.
One night after going to class, I was walking home and decided to stop off at a fast food restaurant. I lived in an apartment alone near my college so most of the time I used to get a take-out, I got my food and started to head home when a homeless man walked to me. He looked 20 or so. He was very dirty and obviously very hungry. He asked me for some change to buy a little food. As I was pulling some change out, I had an idea.
I decided to see if he wanted to eat a real dinner, so I asked him to follow me back into the restaurant to order food together. For someone who had been on the fringes(边缘) of society it seemed like he was very surprised at my generosity(慷慨). But to me, it was what any "human being" should do or at least offer. He was afraid to go into the restaurant because of shame. But I insisted. When he finally followed me and walked into the restaurant, the people behind the counter refused to let him in, but I told them that I was buying him dinner and he had a right to be there. After some arguments, they finally let him in and he sat down at the table. It seemed like he was relieved a bit to be sitting at a table, I asked him to order whatever he wanted. He only ordered a hamburg, so I had to encourage him to order whatever he wanted.
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。
Finally he ordered three hamburgers and we began to talk.
……
He stood up and looked at me, open-mouthed.
