Four books that will inspire you to travel the world
There's truly nothing like travel when it comes to gaining perspective(远景) and exposing yourself to other cultures. To get you in the adventuring mood, we asked Amazon Senior Editor Chris Schlep to help us come up with a list of books that transport readers to another time and place. Below, see his list of four books that will inspire you to travel around the world. For more information, please click Amazon.com.
SEATTLE: Where You d Go, Bernadette
Price: $16.73
Maria Sample's first novel is not exactly a love story to Seattle, but if you read it, you just might want to come here to see if people are really as self-involved as the characters in her book. What really shines through is the strange storytelling and the laughs. Buy it on Amazon.
ITALY: Beautiful Ruins
Price: $16.29
This book by the popular author Jess Walters is a love story that begins on the Italian Coast in the early 60s and eventually appears on the screen in Hollywood. With the settings of the background from Italy to Edinburgh to Los Angeles, you will find yourself longing to go as well. Buy it on Amazon.
ENGLAND: Wolf Hall
Price: $15.57
You can't travel to Thomas Cromwell's England without a time machine，but reading Hilary Mantel's prize-winning novel is the next best thing. It will make you long to see the ancient buildings and green grass of the English countryside, much of which is still there. Buy it on Amazon.
NANTUCKET: Here's to Us
Price: $ 17.16
Eli Hildebrand has built a writing career out of writing about her hometown island of Nantucket. Her latest is Here's to Us, which, perhaps not surprisingly, is a great beach read.
World Book Day falls on April 23 every year．It was set up by the United Nations Educational,Scientific, and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) in 1995 to encourage people, especially teenagers, to discover the pleasure of reading．It is also the day to honor great writers，for example，William Shakespeare，born or dead on that day．
Many countries celebrate World Book Day．Take UK as an example．On that day，millions of school children can buy books of special price，a much lower price than usual，in any bookstore．It has been done every year since 1998．World Book Day is also celebrated in China. Our Former Premier Wen Jiabao, a bookworm, who does lots of reading every day, has called on people to do more reading. He suggested that young people should spend more time reading．"Books cannot change the world, but people can change the world by changing themselves through reading,” he said．
Why do people like reading? One big advantage is that reading helps us become more knowledgeable and more intelligent. Also, reading helps us to follow the latest developments of science and technology. Besides, reading gives us information about other cultures and places of the world. When we read, we may find many things that are unfamiliar to us. We would have to use our brain to think about them or do more reading to find out the answers. The more we read, the more we know. What's more, reading is also one of the most important ways to learn a foreign language like English．
"Reading makes a full man" (Bacon，1597). Books，magazines，newspapers and other kinds of materials can help us to know more about the outside world and perfect us. So it is necessary for us to spend time on reading every day．
I had the honor of being elected chief of my tribe(部落). With the title came great responsibility. It was my job to make peace with the Maori Tamaki tribe, whose village we visited. Their warriors leapt from a canoe and faced us down with fierce growls, bulging eyes and much swishing of sticks. They laid a palm frond on the ground and, as head honcho, I was compelled to accept this peace offering by picking it up, then touching noses with their chief. “Kia ora”, he said, welcoming us into the woodland home of his people.
My “tribe” was my New Zealand tour group, who had forced me into being their leader. We'd been warned that the ceremony was a serious occasion and that to laugh or even smile would be considered rude to the Tamaki. After that it was non-stop fun as they showed their ancient customs and I received instruction in performing the haka, the war dance by the All Blacks rugby team.
Then they pulled our dinner of lamb, beef and vegetables out of the ground. It had been slow-cooked in the heat that simmers just below the surface in the geothermal(地热的) area of North Island, a Maori tradition known as a hangi that goes back an extremely long period of time.
Obviously, this form of it is put on for tourists but it was hugely enjoyable. The journey back to the hotel was alone worth the effort, our hilarious Maori elder driver being deserving of his own television show. “The wheels on the bus go round and round,” he got us singing, while he circuited(绕……环行) a roundabout three times.
A couple of days from the end of my trip, there was still something missing, a New Zealand icon I yearned to see to make my grand tour complete. Riding over a hill, there it was – Aotearoa. The Maori name for New Zealand translates as “Land of the long white cloud”. Can I say “Kia ora, Aotearoa?” You bet I can.
Nowadays, parents worry a lot because their children spend hours and hours in front of the TV screen. Because this doesn't happen to only one specific family, many experts warn us that there can be some serious effects of children watching violence on television.
Children who become addicted(上瘾的) to TV sit down and turn on the TV as soon as they get home. Although they have lots of homework, they become absorbed in TV programs.
Since they spend tons of time watching TV, they have less time to enjoy real life activities such as playing with friends, playing outdoor sports, or enjoying other kinds of entertainment.
There are too many violent scenes on TV. Some experts say there are 25 acts of violence per hour on TV. In addition, there are many experiments by psychologists which show how TV violence influences children. Finally, people worry that children tend to imitate what they watch on TV and may start to behave more violently.
What should be done? First of all, the government should regulate TV violence. It should also encourage people to invent and develop new technology which can block violent scenes from the programs children watch. For example, with a rating system(分级制度) and the V-chip, unfit scenes of violence and sex can be blocked out. Second, parents should monitor what their children watch. At the same time, they should make their children interested in real life activities. Then when the children start to spend more time playing with friends or reading books, parents can stop their monitoring.
It is a fact that there is more violence on TV today than there was ten years ago. Moreover, violent incidents occur more frequently in real life. It's time to realize how harmful watching TV violence is, and it's time to keep our children from watching violence.
One evening I was going back from a supermarket. As I 1my car, I noticed that some person came and stood beside me. He was homeless. I 2that he will ask me for money, but he did not do that. He only said: "Your car is very 3."
After several moments of 4, I replied: "Thanks." And then the inner(内心的) voice 5to me, "Ask him if he needs help." After a short 6 I asked him if he needed any help. His respond was7, I will never forget those simple three words "Don't we all?"
It was a true 8 to me. I needed help, just as those 9. I had money and a place to sleep, but I 10 needed help. Then I opened my wallet and gave him enough11 to get him to have a shelter for a day.
12I understood that no matter how much money, achievements, luxury(奢侈)things do we have, we all need help. And on the other hand, no matter howpoor you are, how many 13 problems you have, you still might offer your help to others, you still might be giving. 14 it's just a nice word, it can be 15 to other person.
Maybe that man was just a homeless stranger, but to me he was 16that. Maybe he was a man sent to 17me that there is one thing, among all other18, which is very important and cannot be 19for every person. Actually, it is a true 20 and it is called Giving.
How to write a Letter to Parents
As a teacher, one of the most difficult parts of your job is working with parents. Writing a letter to parents is one way to do this. If you do it properly, this is an excellent way to communicate when you cannot meet with parents face to face.
Put positive communication in the letter, even if you are writing to discuss a problem. Even if it is difficult, you must find this positive spin（言辞）, because it will make the parents more open to what you have to discuss. The general rule is “start with the good, hit them with the bad, then end on a positive note”.
Share the problem with the parents. Express your concern and desire to help. Show them through the letter that you want to work with them to find a solution to the problem.
You can ask them to write back, sign a part of the letter or give you a call. If you do not hear from them, you should call them. Be caring, but make sure they got the communication. Remember, your goal is to work together to help their child succeed.
Consider mailing the letter to the parent, rather than sending it home with the student. Some students will intentionally forget to give the letter to their parents, while others will accidentally or purposely lose the letter.
A. Ask for a response.
B. Respect parents and never quarrel with them.
C. Whenever you meet with problems, you should keep cool.
D. Sending it in the mail makes it more certain that it will be received.
E. Do not place it completely on their shoulders, as they may hate this action.
F. You can do this by pointing out a little progress the child has made recently.
G. With proper communication, however, you can build bridges between the school and home.
How will our continuously growing population affect our way of life, our environment, even our planet? No matter how you look at it, we will face extremely serious problem. By the middle of the 21st century, we (use) up all the oil that drives our cars if at the rate we're going. Even if scientists develop some new (way)of feeding the human race, the crowded conditions on the earth will make necessary for us to look for open space somewhere else. But none of the planets in our solar system are able (support) life at present. One possible solution the problem, however, has recently been suggested by an American scientist, Professor Carl Sagan. His idea is before the earth's resources are almost exhausted, it will be (total)possible to change the atmosphere of Venus（金星）and so create a new world almost as large as earth itself.
However, his idea is turned into reality, humans have a long way to go. On the one hand, Venus is much (hot)than the earth; on the other hand, there is only a tiny amount of water there.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：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限一词;
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Three years ago, I went to a boarding school. The reason for my attended such a school was that my parents was very busy. They often went abroad on business but had no time to take care of myself. Besides, they thought I ought learn to be independent. Honest speaking, the school life does benefit me a lot. I not only learned some ways to solve problem on my own but also learned how to get along with others. But that I treasure most now is the friendship that I developed into at that time. How I miss that wonderful time!
