Mrs. Green lives in an old house with a small1. Every year, there grows strawberries which are her favorite.
Yesterday morning, Mrs. Green opened the door so2that the door almost broke. Then she looked3the window and saw her neighbor, an old lady, crossing the yard. "She is in my garden again. Those are my strawberries, not hers. Maybe I should call the4."
Her friend, Alice, was sitting at the table and5a cup of coffee. "You want to call the police6she picks your strawberries?" she asked.
"Of course," Mrs. Green answered7." What will you do if your neighbor walks into your garden without your permission (允许) and picks your strawberries?"
"I would say it's8 than the bees," Alice answered.
"The bees don't9my strawberries, but the old lady does," said Mrs. Green.
Alice said, "That old lady only picks some10strawberries every year. Why don't you pick some good ones and give them to her?"
"Are you11?"
"I don't think so. The old lady is kind and does12good to you. Don't you remember what happened when you were ill13last year? She went to see you with some chicken soup. If you give her strawberries, you can tell her that you still remember that."
Mrs. Green felt very guilty (内疚的). She was so angry that she almost forgot14the old lady did for her. Then she picked a basket of good strawberries and went to see her neighbor.
Through the window, Alice could see the anger on Mrs. Green's face15a smiling one.
Leo: Hi, Mary. 1 I came back yesterday.
Mary: Lucky you! I have never been there. Your new jacket looks so cool!
Leo: 2 I bought it when I was visiting Paris.
Mary: It looks really nice. 3
Leo: It's made of cotton. It feels very comfortable.
Mary: Yeah. 4
Leo: 80 yuan. Cheap and nice.
Mary: By the way, where was it made?
Leo: Aha, China. 5
Mary: That's really funny.
One evening, my brother, John, a 2-year-old boy, felt very nervous when my father walked in. He knew he did something wrong. He opened father's new book and draw all over the first page with a pencil.
But to our surprise, my father didn't punish John. He picked up the book and looked at it for a while. Without saying a word, he sat down and wrote something carefully beside John's drawings. It said that John's work. April 2nd, 1959. Then be walked to John and said with a smile, "Good guy. What a great thing you did! Now my book is priceless. Thanks for your drawings in my book."
The years and the books came and went. From time to time, we opened the book, looked at the drawings, and read father's words again and again.
Now I know what my father taught us deeply. Firstly, how trouble the event is in life. Gradually, it'll become better in the end. When we look at it from mother side, we'll realize how unforgettable it is. My father also taught us about what really matters in life. People not objects; tolerance (容忍), not judgment; love not anger.
When I think about them, I will smile and whisper, "Thank you, Dad."
Different countries have different languages and cultures. In this article, I'll simply introduce the meaning of two colors between China and Western countries.
In Chinese culture, red usually represents (代表) something good. The bride and groom (新娘和新郎) usually wear red clothes at their wedding, because they believe it will bring happiness to them. But in Western countries, red is the color of force and it usually represents a strong feeling. Wearing red can make it easier to take action. So when you have difficulty making a decision, just wear red.
Another color is green. In China, green usually represents new life, which has the same culture with Western countries. However, green is also the color of envy (嫉妒) in Western countries. So people may describe someone is "green with envy".
In a word, it can be said that color words carry different cultures. Learning the difference of color meanings between China and Western countries can not only help us to know about our cultures better, but also open our eyes. And it's also interesting to know about the cultural differences between countries.
Have you ever had trouble sleeping in a new place?
Lots of people do. And now researchers from Brown University in Rhode Island think they know why. They found that one half of the brain "remains more awake" than the other half when people are trying to sleep in a new place.
The findings were reported m Current Biology by Brown University. In their report, the researchers said many people say they have a harder time sleeping the first night at a hotel or other places outside their homes. They call it "first-night influence". "In Japan, they say. If you change your bed, you can't sleep." said Yuka Sasaki, one of the reporters.
The researchers measured (测量) brain waves for 35 volunteers over two nights in a laboratory. The two nights were a week apart (间隔). They found during the first night the left half of the brain was more active than the right half. This was during the first deep-sleep period, the researchers said.
Sasaki said a lot of questions still remain. Researchers did not keep measuring brain waves all night long. So they don't know if the left half keeps "watch" all night, or whether it "works in shifts (轮换) with the right half later in the night". They also do not know why brain activity, at least during the first period of deep sleep, is always on the left half.
For some, this research may be culming It is good to know that our brain is "looking out for us" in a new place. But it may not help with sleep. That brain activity, at least according to this new research, makes it harder to get the sleep people wake up feeling well-rested in the morning.
It is well known that children with smooth. loving families are less likely to experience depression (抑郁) or anxiety. But little research has looked at cheerful influence.
Robert Whitaker and his colleagues analyzed (分析) data from a survey of over 37,000 children aged 11 to 13 living in 26 countries. They asked about their happiness and family relationships. Then they found close family relationship lead to kids' growing both physically and mentally.
To value family connections, the children were asked to rate on a five-point degree. How much they agreed with expressions like "There are people in my family who care about me" and "My parent (s) listen to me and think about what I say". Their level of flourishing (健康幸福) was measured by looking at the extent (程度) to which the children agreed, on a scale of 0 to 10 with expressions such as "I like being the way I am", and "I feel confident about my future". Then the researchers used the answers to give each child a "family connection strength" score and a "flourishing" score. They found that the two scores were connected, and children with the strongest family connections were 49 percent more likely to flourish than those with the weakest.
Children with good family relationships are probably more likely to flourish because they have "an inner sense of safety" says Whitaker. This sense of safety is what allows children to "understand who they are and accept who they are", and to "grow and learn, have hopeful relationships and develop a sense of self-control", he says.
To develop healthy family relationships, Whitaker says the best thing that parents and other caregivers can do is to spend quality time with children. "This can include simple activities like eating meals, going for walks or doing chores together," he says. "Being present, open, interested and focused at these times is the basis of family connection."
A teacher gave his students a test. Most of the students finished all the questions without much effort until they all read the last one. It was " What is the (one) name of the woman who cleans the school?"
All of the students (think) that was some kind of joke. They had all seen the cleaning woman many (time) during each day at school. It was clear that she was tall and old, how would they know her name?
So all the test papers (hand) in, leaving the last question unanswered. Just before the class ended, one of the students asked (quiet) if the last question would count toward the results of the test.
"Of course", said the teacher.
Just few seconds later, the teacher went on to say. "In your lives and careers, you (meet) many people and they are important, so they each are worth your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say Hello".
All the students realized its importance. Over the following days, each of the students tried (find) out the name of the cleaner. They all learned that cleaner's name was Dorothy. Everyone introduced the cleaner carefully (them). And they never forgot the lesson that their teacher gave them.
Everyone may have the influence of worries. Whether your worries are big or small, you can take these three steps to deal with your worries:
Try to find out what you're worried about
Other times, you might not. Try to find it out first; if you can't, you can't ask for help.
Think of ways to make it better
There is always something you can do to help you feel less worried. And it won't, solve your problem.
Grades at school are often top worries for kids. If you're worried about grades, ask yourself these questions:
★ Why are grades important? What do grades mean to me?
★ How do I get ready for class? Do I go over my notes even when there isn't a test?
★ Do I have a good place to do my homework?
★ Have I tried different ways of studying?
If your worry is about a fight you had with a friend, you might write down all the things you could do. Say sorry to him or her in person, etc. Once you have a list of things you could do, you can choose the one that gets your friend back.
Ask for help
When you're worried, it can help to find someone to talk to.
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A. Sitting there worrying is no fun. B. Students always worry about their tests. C. But how do you deal with your worries? D. It's necessary to make some friends at school. E. Sometimes, you will know what you're worried about. F. You can ask your parents, friends, or teachers for help. G. Write a note to invite him or her to a music concert. |
