It was a hot day in Bangkok (曼谷). I was walking out of the busy Grand Palace, and some 1Thai teens started asking me questions. Noticing that I was2, they were interested and wanted to know more.
“Oh, so lonely!” they said to me when they learned I was,indeed,3 solo for the long journey. I smiled and shrugged. They didn't know I've 4 been alone.
I'm surprised by how much more outgoing I've become. Instead of putting my5down and ignoring the person who may be6me on the sidewalk, now I smile and say hello.
The only bad thing is the fleeting (短暂的) nature of the relationship one builds on the7. I've felt sad more than a couple of times over parting ways8a fellow traveler. But there are always9friends and possibilities just the next town over.
Part of the10of taking this trip was the knowledge that I'd be doing this alone. At first, I tried to get friends to11with me for various legs of the journey. I asked close friends, then even not-so-close12, then slowly realized that I might never travel if I13around for a time when a friend of mine would be free to14me.
If I was really going to do this, it would have to be alone.
As it turns out, traveling alone is the best15I could have made. You always have to make16considerations for others when you travel with others. Sometimes, you have to do things you don't feel like doing.
Solo travel is amazing. And really,17I truly want and seek out18, I am never alone. I always have a group. I never feel19. Sometimes, being alone forces you to reach out to people you might not otherwise have ever 20.
So don't fear traveling alone. It's the best thing there is.
I've seen a couple of the other Fast Furious films but this one is definitely best. Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel), Brian O' Conner (Paul Walker) and Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) are planning to steal $100 million from businessman Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). At the same time, agent (联邦特工) Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) is chasing after them. The story's pretty fast-moving and the car chase at the end is amazing.
—Derek
Well, if I'd known it was an action film, I wouldn't have gone to see it. I mean, I can't stand action films. And I'll tell you another thing – I can't stand Vin Diesel. I mean he can't act to save his life. The film would have been much better with someone like Mau Damon or George Clooney. The only good thing about it was the soundtrack (电影配乐) which was pretty good. And I won't be going to see any other Fast & Furious movies either!
—Zoe
Well it started off all right, but the romance between Mia and Brian was a bit inadequate (不足的) and the whole thing lost its way. It was as if the director couldn't decide whether he was making a thriller, an action movie or a romantic comedy (喜剧), so he ended up making none of them.
—Mario
It was amazing! I can't believe it was really over two hours long. It just flashed by. The direction was superb； Justin did a really good job. And the acting was great. I know Vin Diesel isn't going to win an Oscar or anything like that but he's good at what he does. And the plot! I laughed out loud quite a few times. The funny thing is, I wouldn't have bothered seeing it if my friend hadn't suggested going.
—Megan
For the past four days, the streets of India have been brightly lit and full of festivities. Millions of people around the country have been celebrating the festival of Diwali.
Diwali has been celebrated in India for hundreds of years. It takes place each year in either October or November. Although the holiday lasts only one night, people continue to celebrate for several days.
People light oil lamps during the festival. In the tradition of the Hindu religion, the lamps are meant to celebrate the victory of light over darkness and good over evil (邪恶). The holiday also celebrates the start of a new year in the Hindu calendar. But Diwali is an important festival in many other Indian religions as well, including Sikhism and Jainism. In a country of more than 1.2 billion people and different religious beliefs, Diwali is a celebration that touches everyone.
Diwali means “rows of lamps” in Sanskrit, a language used in many Indian religions. During the festival, families and friends come together to light the oil lamps，which are called diyas. Then they put the lamps in rows outside their homes and temples.
As in other cultures' winter holidays，sweets and gifts are also a big part of Diwali. Neighbors and friends share treats, called mithai, and exchange presents.
Employers often use the holiday to express appreciation for their workers. This year, a businessman even bought cars and houses for some of his employees!
The Diwali spirit can be felt outside India as well. Indians in countries around the world, including the U. S. and Canada，are also celebrating the holiday this week.
In the U. S., speaking more than one language fluently is not very common except in Los Angeles, California.
The city has one of the largest population in the U. S. of young people between the ages of 18 and 34. This generation is often called millennials (新千年一代). More than half of millennials in Los Angeles are bilingual (双语的), which means they speak more than one language.
Maria Elena Burgos is cooking a Mexican breakfast. She says making Mexican food is just one of the many traditions in her home. Another is speaking Spanish to her children.
“We want them to be bilingual. We want to keep the Spanish somewhere in their learning too, not only at home.”
When Ms Burgos first came to the United States from Mexico, she learned English. She knew her children would learn English quickly. So she wanted them to speak Spanish at home and study the language at school.
She says being bilingual will give them more opportunities in the future. Knowing Spanish also means the children can talk with their relatives in Mexico.
“When we had our children, one of the decisions we as parents made was to name them with a name that was easily pronounced in English and Spanish.”
Elizabeth wants to know her family's culture.” “The culture-to go back to our roots because that's part of who we are.”
Monica wants to pass on the culture to her children.
“It's nice to know our culture and then to be able to pass it onto our children and grand- children and everyone to let them know where we come from.”
And, Monica says she does not speak only English and Spanish. She has even learned some Korean in school.
There is an old style out there of young girls talking endlessly on the phone with one another. It's an idea that is far from untrue in many families. I remember being a twelve-year-old and spending some quality time on the phone with my girl-friends, even though we'd seen each other at school. I didn't really have anything to talk about, I guess, but I think I was just happy to have someone else to talk to and that someone wanted to talk to me.
We call this phenomenon (现象) of girls going on forever over the regular phone “girl talk”. And these days, girl talk has spread far beyond the old phone-teens communicate with each other pretty much nonstop through cell phone, texting，online chat. Is girl talk a good thing? According to experts, it can be-in limited quantities.
Girl talk has its place. But too much of it, especially the kind during which problems are talked about endlessly can be not such a good thing. Psychologists (心理学家) think that too much of that kind of talking can lead to emotional problems such as depression (沮丧) and anxiety. Girls, much more so than boys, will always think of a problem and get worried, making the problem worse other than solving it. The best way is to try to guide the conversation toward something positive, or to do something about the problem rather than sit around and chat about it endlessly.
No one could say that Katy Perry is an ordinary artist. Her songs are not just about sweet love and heartbreaks,usually have bigger themes. Take the songs Firework (2010) and Roar(2013) for example,Perry sings about being our own master and(discover) our true value. Earlier this year, she (announce) her new album (专辑) Witness, together with a new idea for W music Perry calls her new style “purpose pop”, meaning a(society) and political message. It seems that Perry has become tired simply encouraging people. Now, she wants to educate them politically as well. The best example of Perry's purposeful pop is (probable) the song Chained to the Rhythm, in which Perry criticizes the (behave) that people are unwilling to think more critically (批判的) about the world.
But when it comes to the concept (概念) of purposeful pop, it is, in fact, something a lot of pop stars have been doing for a while. For example, Beyonce's 2016 song Formation deals with various problems such as an (argue) between white policemen and black citizens (公民) in the US, (hope) to create change through music.
Florence Nightingale was named after her birthplace, Florence. Italy. When she was almost a year old, she returned with her family to England.
Florence often helped her mother deliver (运送) food to the poor and sick. Her family was shocked because nursing was not a respected profession (职业).
But Florence was determined. She studied books on medicine. Later, she visited hospitals in France, Germany and Ireland and learned everything she could.
In 1854, Britain was at war with Russia, Florence went to the British hospital in Scutari and she was shocked. The hospital left men lying on the floor, and rats were running everywhere. Many soldiers died before receiving help.
The doctors wouldn't listen to Florence because they didn't like the idea of women in army hospitals – until one day 500 unexpected casualties (伤亡者) arrived.Florence made changes, making sure the men were washed and their injuries were cared for. Every night she would check the patients with her lamp.
When she returned home after the war, a fund had been set up in her honor. Many of the soldiers she had nursed had made contributions (捐款). Now she could set up the Nightingale Training School in London.
After years of hard work, Florence Nightingale saw cleaner and more cheerful hospitals.All of this was because of the “lady with the lamp”.
A. Nursing became an honored profession.
B. There was no running water and no heat.
C. She knew she had much to learn about nursing.
D. Florence saw the soldiers' health had improved.
E. As she grew older, she decided to become a nurse.
F. They soon realized that Florence could give a hand.
G. Upon returning home, she was an expert on hospital management.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏宇符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
刪除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1).每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2).只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Hi, Sharon,
This is Li Xia. I'm writing to tell you that I am willing to do how I can to help you learn Mandarin (普通话). I win the first prize in a nationwide Chinese Speech Contest last term. However, you can depend on it that I will be up to this job.
Besides, it is necessary for you to practice it as much as possibly. Here are two tips for you. Firstly, you, d better to buy or download some listening materials. Secondly, we can make friends with classmates from China and frequent communication is of great important. Though having learned English for many years, I have difficulty in American cultures. I would appreciate if you could give me some advice on how to understand them better. I expect there to being a chance to learn from you.
