I am a perfectionist. I always try to do as much research as possible for role. For Taxi Driver I did actually drive a cab for a few weeks. It probably wasn't necessary, but it was something I wanted to do.
I've realized how important it is to appreciate the things your parents leave behind. My father, Robert DeNiro Snr, died in 1993. Since then, I've kept his studio intact, just the way he left it. I thought about getting rid of it, but my family and I gathered there after his death and realized the reality is different to seeing it in pictures, so it stayed.
There is much more opportunity now than when I was starting out. There really was only TV and films made in California. Now the Internet has created so many more opportunities for actors.
I learned a lot about being a father from my father. I knew he loved me. It was important for me to know that, so I know it's important for my kids to know it, too. I give my kids space, but we do spend a lot of time together. I guess I can be firm when necessary. I have four grandchildren and six children so I know what I'm talking about.
I understand why people use social media, but I don't. No way! I don't watch much TV or go to the movies either. To me, they're just another distraction. And I have enough of those to worry about without all that staff as well.
Fame is not an issue for me these days. When I was younger, I found the attention difficult to deal with, but I'm mostly OK with it now. I go around quite freely and people may say "hello" or want a photo and that's fine for me.
A perfectly good cupboard just sat by the dustbin in the parking lot. Probably it was something they were getting rid of, I thought.
My family was in need of all the extra storage space we could find at this point. We were living on top of one another in the small house my husband, Martin, and I owned. However, our younger son had stopped his college courses and moved home. Hit hard by the bad economic situation, our elder son with his wife and my precious grandchild moved back home too while he looked for work. This cupboard wouldn't solve all our problems, but at least the living room would look a little less chaotic (混乱的).
One of the nice things about the boys being back home was that their father and I never had to do the heavy lifting. "Wesley, meet me behind the cupboard," I told our younger son over the phone. Once he arrived we got the cupboard loaded in my trunk（汽车后备箱). Then we opened the big box. Inside was a five-foot-tall dollhouse. Even the little furniture was broken: a sofa and a lamp in baby blue, the color of my own living room at home." We should take this too,” Wesley said. "Luke might play with it when he gets a little older." What a thoughtful uncle Wesley was!
Late that same night, while everyone else was asleep, I went back to the living room to have a look again. A house just like the neat dollhouse I was starting at now: everything neat and clean and in its proper place." When I grow up, I'll marry a prince and we'll live in a nice house like that one," I thought when I was a child. But now, every one of us under this roof was at loose ends. It would take more than a new cupboard to get things in order around here. I went to bed with the impression of that perfect dollhouse in my head.
The next evening I was getting everything ready for dinner. My daughter-in-law was setting the table. Wesley and I were in the kitchen, getting the food just right. The others were in the study, watching the game. Suddenly I felt so thankful. My two responsible sons, my kind-hearted daughter-in-law, my lovely grandchildren, and Martin, my prince, were all under one roof. Maybe our house was a bit crowded, but in every free inch of space was love. My dream had come true. I had the home I'd always wanted.
You might think you're doing yourself a favor if you leave your phone behind when you head to an important meeting or dinner with the in-laws, but a new study suggests just the opposite is true.
According to new research from the University of Missouri, being separated from your iPhone can lead to "physiological anxiety" and "poor cognitive performance." The study, "The Extended iSelf: The Impact of iPhone Separation on Cognition, Emotion, and Physiology," was published online Thursday in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.
Researchers invited a total of 40 iPhone-using participants from three journalism courses at a "large university" in the Midwest. Then, they ran a couple of experiments. First, participants were told to sit in a small room and complete a puzzle while in possession of their phone; then, they were asked to complete another puzzle, but they were told that their phone was causing "Bluetooth interference" and that they needed to be moved elsewhere in the room. Researchers then called the phones, study participants could see and hear them ringing, but were unable to get up to answer them.
In each state, researchers kept track of participants' heart rate and blood pressure. You can probably see where this is going: When the puzzle-solvers were separated from their phones but able to see and hear them ringing, they experienced "significant" rises in anxiety, heart rate and blood pressure. They also got worse at completing the puzzle.
In a new release, the researchers suggested that "iPhone users avoid parting with their phones during daily situations that involve a great deal of attention," saying that being apart from the device can make individuals feel "a lessening of 'self.'"
So, what should you do if you own a smartphone but need to focus?
"Our advice would be to carry your iPhone with you," Clayton told HuffPost, "but to silence your phone during cognitively demanding tasks in order to avoid any potential distractions that may reduce your attention throughout the day."
Volunteering offers vital help to people in need and the community. .Volunteering can help you find friends, learn new skills, and even advance your career.
Volunteering can connect you to others. Unpaid volunteers are often the glue (黏合剂). They hold a community together. Volunteering helps meet new people for a newcomer. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network, and boost your social skills.
Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice and develop your social skill. You can also gain new skills through it. For example, you could learn nursing skills by volunteering at a nursing home. Many volunteering opportunities provide extensive training so that volunteers can gain more professional skills.
Volunteering can advance your career. If you're considering a new career, volunteering can help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in the field. Even if you're not planning on changing careers, volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management, and organization.
A. Volunteering can reduce depression.
B. Volunteering can increase your skills.
C. It can be hard to find time to volunteer.
D. But the benefits can be even greater for you, the volunteer.
E. One of the benefits of volunteering is the impact on the community.
F. Just because volunteer work is unpaid does not mean the skills you learn are basic.
G. You might feel more comfortable at work once you've learned these skills in volunteering.
My father was right— though it took me a while to realize it.
He was born in 1933, 1 25% of Americans were out of 2. His father died when he was only 3, leaving his mother to 3 him and his older sister alone.
The young family moved from a comfortable house into a small apartment. There was little money to spare. My father learned from his mother 4 to stretch a dollar—skills that would 5 him well.
My father's chief skill was never spending 6 he could afford—a skill he 7 to teach me.
When I cut the neighbor's grass and earned my first $4, my plan was to spend, not save. I spent 8 of it on baseball cards and candies.
"When you earn money," he told me, anxious about my spendthrift ways. "put 9 half in the bank. You need to save for a rainy day."
I thought of him 10 , and for years afterwards, as a pessimist. I was young, 11 , when the economy experienced decline in the 70's. I was unaffected by its 12 . I graduated from the university in 1984— just as an economic boom was under way. I took work with a high-tech company and marveled at its 13 .
Restless to make real money, I got into business. At 28, I started a company with an older partner. We did very well at the beginning and quickly put our earnings into high-tech business—both of us were 14 big riches so we could retire to the good life.
The business failed. My 15 were gone. The rainy day my father had warned me about had arrived.
I have plenty to 16 this Father's Day. I'm 48 already. My father will be 77 next month. I'm blessed to 17 have him in my life.
I'm 18 he has lived long enough to see his son—and other Americans 19 enough to still have jobs— 20 saving for a rainy day.
World Read Aloud Day is celebrated each year the first Wednesday of March. It was started by the LitWorld.org website in 2010 and till now it (reach) 65 countries. Its aim is to encourage people worldwide cannot read to enjoy the benefits of a book. The website asks everyone to celebrate the day by taking a book, finding an audience, and (read) out aloud. It is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people.
The website asks (visit) to join in the movement to reduce the number of illiterate (不识字的) people in the world. It is (absolute) necessary to help those who cannot read. The website says, "It's time to start by reading aloud to whoever might like it. Share a book with a child who might need , share a story with someone who would treasure it, listen patiently to someone else's story as they share it with you." The United Nations says, "Literacy （involve) a variety of learning in enabling individuals (achieve) their goals, to develop their knowledge, and to participate fully in society." In that way, World Read Aloud Day does help make difference.
Bob, the son of a high official and the team leader, as well as Fatima, Norbert and Sally, planned to discover a hidden treasure they had heard about. They arrived at a wood, which lost itself in the shadowy distance. Bob was wise but spoiled. After a few minutes, he was worn out and so impatient that he jumped down from his horse, dying for water. The jugs (水罐) were almost empty." I'm getting tired of dragging you through the forest looking for the hidden treasure." said Bob.
" I would like you to remember the terms (条款) of our agreement, as well as your high payment. Mister Bob." said Norbert, who was also terribly thirsty.
This made Bob even more impatient and thirsty. He spat on the ground, looked up at the sky, frowning.
"As long as you pay me the remaining half of my fee, I'm not likely to complain much beyond this point." said the cowboy and he turned his eyes to the old wooden building containing the local bar.
"I would like a long tall drink of cold water first, though. "Fatima, who knew that Bob would not find any water.
Suddenly, there came a dull roar (咆哮) and the strong wind lifted the dust from the ground and into the air. Quite a number of trees fell down with the four people's cry. Suddenly Norbert shouted at the top of his voice," RUN!"
Then, they all ran away at the speed of light and stuck together, closing their eyes. After the storm, everyone slowly opened their eyes and looked at the others. They all began to smile because they found that no one got injured. Bob was touched by the scene, his heart bursting out the feeling of warmth in the blink of an eye, which was like the sun shining in winter. At the same time, the feeling of impatience faded away.
注意：
1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2）至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
Then they still must face the bad situation of lacking water.
Paragraph 2:
However, the three soon found out Bob had" cheated" them.
