The Story of the Carrot and the Ring
Have you ever lost something that was precious to you, and thought you'd never see it again? That's what happened to Mary Grams.
Mary had worn her engagement ring for more than half a century when she1lost it. She was working in her garden on the family farm one day, pulling out a plant. And that was probably when the ring came off her finger. When she discovered it was missing, she searched everywhere for it for days, before finally 2up.
Mary realized she probably wasn't going to3the ring again. So she decided not to tell anyone about what had happened, apart from her son. Instead, she thought she would replace it with a much cheaper ring from a jeweller's. Luckily, she managed to buy another one that4just like it. In fact, it was so similar that no one else in her family even knew her original ring was missing.
But the story has a happy ending. Mary eventually got her engagement ring back —13 years after it was lost! One day Mary's daughter-in-law Colleen was working in the same5where Mary had been all those years ago.
She was digging up vegetables there when she discovered the ring. But this time it was a bit6—because there was a carrot growing right through the middle of it!
As soon as Colleen saw the ring, she knew immediately who the7was. The farm had been in the family for over 100 years. And only two women had lived there in all that time. So when Colleen discovered the story of the lost ring, it became clear there was only one person it could possibly have belonged to, and the ring was returned to Mary.
Mary decided to remove her ring from the carrot and8it again. So she carefully cut the carrot in half. Then the ring was washed, and Mary put it back on her finger—and it still fitted perfectly!
An Accidental Invention
Did you know that tea, the most popular drink in the world, was invented by accident? Many people believe that tea was first drunk about 5,000 years ago. It is said that a Chinese ruler called Shen Nong was the first to discover tea as a drink. One day Shen Nong was boiling drinking water over an open fire. Some leaves from a tea plant fell into the water and remained there for some time. It produced a nice smell so he tasted the brown water. It was quite delicious, and so, one of the world's favorite drinks was invented.
A few thousand years later, Lu Yu, "the saint of tea", mentioned Shen Nong in his book Cha Jing. The book describes how tea plants were grown and used to make tea. It also discusses where the finest tea leaves were produced and what kinds of water were used.
It is believed that tea was brought to Korea and Japan during the 6th and 7th centuries. In England, tea didn't appear until around 1660, but in less than 100 years, it had become the national drink. The tea trade from China to Western countries took place in the 19th century. This helped to spread the popularity of tea and the tea plant to more places around the world. Even though many people now know about tea culture, the Chinese are without doubt the ones who best understand the nature of tea.
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A. Lu Yu and his book Cha Jing B. How tea spread to other countries C. How tea was invented by accident D. Shen Nong and the film Cha Jing |
Memory Bears
A crafty Scottish girl has come up with the sweetest way for people to keep meaningful mementos (纪念品) of their loved ones. For the last six years, Mary Macinnes has been making people "Memory Bears" out of the favorite clothing of their dead friends and family.
Macinnes, who studied fashion technology at Herriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, says that she made her first memory bear for a friend when she was just 16 years old. She quickly became flooded with people's requests for their own Memory Bear, but she always turned them down because she wanted to focus on her studies. After her bears became more and more popular, however, she finally decided to start making the bears full-time.
Now 21 years old, Macinnes has made hundreds of Memory Bears, each of which costs £50 and requires 5 to 6 hours of planning and crafting (精心制作). She even adds pockets to the backs of the bears so people can hide special letters and mementos with their bears.
The bears have become so popular. Macinnes says that she now has a months-long waiting list. Although working with such materials may not always be an easy job, Macinnes says that her job has also been rewarding.
"I really enjoy meeting my customers when they collect bears—80% burst into tears," she said. "I think that's because clothes arrive as sad reminders of the past then it's almost as if new life is breathed into them. They become something that's much more acceptable to hug and talk to, and the result is that they can help the painful process. "
Governments around the world are pushing for an end to plastic straws and bags. More and more businesses are turning to paper products as a choice. Paper is considered by many to be better than plastic. However, it is harmful to the environment, too.
Firstly, paper bags and straws are made from trees. Trees, as you know, can reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels in the air. They can slow down climate change. An increase in the use of paper bags can cause more deforestation.
Secondly, products made from paper require more energy and water. About 10% more energy than and four times as much water is used to produce a paper bag than a plastic one. You might say that we can use recycled paper to save that energy and water. This seems to be a good idea. However, it takes even more energy and water to go through the recycling process than to make a brand-new paper bag. Products made from recycled paper are also often short-lived.
Furthermore, paper products are heavier than plastic ones. That means they require more oil to transport. Seven trucks are needed to transport two million paper bags, while only one truck is needed to transport the same number of plastic bags. The increased weight also leads to a large amount of waste once the bags are thrown away.
Paper products are actually a lose-lose for both the environment and businesses. They are more expensive than plastic products. A paper straw costs about 5 to 12 cents, while a plastic one usually costs only about 2 cents.
The most environment-friendly solution is to avoid single-use products altogether. Products like glass water bottles and steel straws can be used over and over again. They are much better than either paper products or plastic products. Through increasing the use of these products, you can greatly reduce your throwaway waste and truly make our earth a greener place!
When You're Feeling Down
Cooking or baking has become a common cure for stress, but there might actually be some science to why small creative tasks might make people feel better. According to a study, a little creativity each day can go a long way towards happiness and satisfaction in the bustle (喧闹) of daily life.
The study, published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, suggests that people who frequently take a turn at small, creative projects report feeling more relaxed and happier in their everyday lives. The researchers followed 658 people for about two weeks, and found that doing small, everyday things like cooking and baking made the group feel more achievable the next day. By following detailed diaries kept by the study subjects, the researchers found that in addition to feeling happier, people who worked on little creative projects every day also felt they were "flourishing"—a psychological (心理的) term that describes the feeling of personal growth. That could mean that the good feeling that comes with pulling a freshly-baked loaf of bread out of the oven could carry over into the next day, making that baker more likely to keep on with their little acts of creative cooking.
"When I'm in the kitchen, measuring the amount of sugar or butter I need for a recipe (食谱) or breaking the exact number of eggs—I am in control," said baker John Whaite. "That's really important as a key element of my condition is a feeling of no control. "
For people like Whaite, who was diagnosed with manic depression in 2005, baking can help their mood by providing small tasks to focus on. In order to put together a good meal, cooks have to be constantly in the moment, adding ingredients, adjusting the heat of the stove and tasting their food to make sure everything will come out all right—all of which can be helpful in treating some forms of mental (精神的) illness.
"A lot of us turn to baking when we're feeling low," says Melanie Denyer, the founder of the Depressed Cake Shop, a bakery designed to pay attention to mental health conditions. "There is something very therapeutic (治疗性的) about baking. "
Baking may not be a be-all-end-all cure for mental illness, but anyone in need of lifted spirits should consider pulling out the flour and warming up the oven.
World Book Day
World Book Day was created in 1995 by UNESCO: the organization who are responsible for making sure that everyone in the world gets a chance to learn. It is a yearly event which encourages reading for pleasure and aims to give every child the chance to own a book of their own.
What Happens on World Book Day?
On World Book Day, many children take part in exciting activities in school, such as dressing up as their favourite characters, learning about authors and taking part in fun reading challenges. These activities are aimed at encouraging children's love of books and reading. Many libraries, authors, publishers and booksellers also take part in World Book Day.
Why Is Reading Important?
It is important that children enjoy reading. Reading for pleasure can help children to achieve well at school by improving their comprehension skills and their vocabulary. When children read a variety of texts, they also improve their general knowledge and problem-solving skills. Reading can also help with friendship skills by allowing children to better understand other people's thoughts and feelings.
How Can I Choose the Correct Book?
It can sometimes be difficult to find a book that interests you. Here are some top tips to help you to select your next read.
Have a quick flick through the book. You will be able to see the size of the text and whether it contains any illustrations, pictures or diagrams that interest you. Then, read the blurb (简介) on the back cover of a book. This description will give you more of an idea about what the book is about.
You could try reading a nonfiction text about something or someone that interests you. This could be a fact book, a biography or a magazine. Why not try reading a book which is based on a film that you have seen?
Borrowing books costs nothing for children and librarians can often provide some helpful advice and offer suggestions.
Why not ask your friends if they have read any good books that they might recommend? They should know you well so they will be able to offer some useful advice or give a summary of a book they may have read recently.
It is often easier to stick to what we know we like. However, we may find a book or author that we love if we try something different.
It can sometimes take a few chapters to become hooked on a story and its characters.
题目①
假定你是李华，你的英国笔友Chris发来邮件说他最近总是感冒。请用英文给Chris写一封邮件，告诉他你对健康的看法并提出一些建议。
提示词语：important, keep healthy, take exercise, fruit, water
提示问题：● What do you think of health?
● What do you advise Chris to do?
Dear Chris,
I'm sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. How do you feel now?
Best wishes!
Yours,
Li Hua
题目②
某英文网站正在开展以"梦想"为主题的征文活动。假定你是李华，请用英语写一篇短文投稿，谈谈你的梦想是什么以及你打算如何实现自己的梦想。
提示词语：goal, in the future, difficulty, give up, come true
提示问题：● What's your dream?
● How are you going to achieve your dream?
Dream is very important to everyone.
