I always knew that I depended too much on my phone. But I didn't know how much, so I decided to do this 1 to find out.
Every morning since I got a smart phone, I've used The Weather Forecast App to find out what to 2 . On the first morning, I had to dress without guidance, but thankfully I was able to guess that the day would be cold and foggy by looking out of my window.
I couldn't know what time it was. I haven't worn a 3 for more than a year, because my phone 4 the time. So I was late for 5 friends who had been on the bus for two hours from Santa Monica to PalosVerdes. I was also delayed for my part-time job. And 6 I couldn't call people to tell them that I was running late.
Getting places was harder, too. I got 7 because I couldn't use the GPS on my phone. My driving, though, got a lot 8 because I no longer had my phone in one hand checking directions while 9 with the other.
But the number one trouble was not having my contact list. I forgot to write down my friends' and family members' phone numbers before I 10 the challenge. It was sad to realize that I couldn't 11 their cellphone numbers. Oh, how I 12 to turn on the phone for just a second to look up theirs!
Even with all the problems, however, I found 13 not worrying about missing a text message or an e-mail.
This challenge was an unbelievable learning experience. It surprised me how I'd taken no notice of even the 14 things like remembering phone numbers. We all should 15 some time to think about how we can depend less on our cellphones.
|
The next time you feel a bug crawl (爬行) across your skin, don't be frightened. It might just be a tiny robot crab (螃蟹)! Engineers from Northwestern University in Illinois, US, have developed the smallest ever remote-controlled walking robot, and it comes in the shape of a tiny, lovely crab. Just half a millimeter wide, the crab can bend, crawl, walk, turn and even jump, reported Science Daily. The team of Northwestern University believes that their technology is a big step closer to bringing about robots that can do remote-controlled work in tiny spaces. For example, the tiny robots can help clear people's clogged arteries (堵塞的动脉) in surgeries (手术), said John A. Rogers, who led the team.
Who's riding these camels? Little robots! They are having a race in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (阿布扎比，阿联酋). Camel racing is popular in the country. But for human riders, it can be dangerous. Robots are here to help. The robots are small and light. They won't affect the camels' speed during the race. The robots use whips to make the camels run faster. People control the robots by using speakers (扬声器) placed on the robots. Newspaper ‘hires robot writer'
What would you think if this story was written by a robot? Of course, this one was not. But a recent story in the Los Angeles Times was. It's a newspaper in the US. The story is about an earthquake in the US on March 17. The newspaper was using a system that can automatically (自动地) "write"a short story when an earthquake hits. It took about three minutes for the 102-word story to appear online. |
Once a teacher asked his two students to come and meet him at the start of a road which was near a forest.
The two students got there as the teacher told them and greeted their teacher. The teacher showed them the road and said, "You both have to start here and reach the end point of the road. After this test, there will be another test which will happen next week. Completing this road will also influence the result of the next test." He wished them good luck. Together, the two students started the race.
Just after a while, they found that the road was divided into two paths. The first student made up his mind to follow the path which seemed clear and was easier to go through. The second student decided to take the path which was blocked by a lot of fallen trees.
The first student passed that road easily and finished first. "I am glad I took the easier," the first student said proudly and he felt clever about himself. There were no obstacles on the path. Of course, the second student had to try his best. It took him much longer to finish because he had to pass through many obstacles on the path. However, when the second student arrived, he was very happy. There were many difficulties on the path, but he still took it and he was able to finish the race finally.
For the next test, the two students were asked to be near a ravine(深谷). The teacher looked at them and said, "You have to jump to the other side of this ravine." The first student was so scared and stepped back because he never did that before. However, the second student remembered the path of his last test and how he jumped wide gaps(豁口) there. He jumped into the air and made it!
After the test, the teacher said to the first student, "When you chose the easier path last week, it could only help you complete that test easily. However, you were not able to prepare for harder tests."
A man in black clothes jumps high into the air. Before he lands, he makes a pose. Sometimes, he carries a red fan. With long white sleeves (袖子), he spreads his arms like wings (翅膀). His dance is often drawing crowds.
He is the Chinese dancer Ma Jiaolong. Since 2020, he has begun to make short videos of himself dancing in London. He has performed at the city's parks. Till now, the 35-year-old has already 5 million followers on Douyin, where he shares his videos.
Classical Chinese dance joins martial arts (武术) movements with traditional Chinese opera. He started to learn it at 12. "I was attracted by the dancers who played the roles of ancient heroes through classical Chinese dance", said Ma. Later, Ma studied at a dancing school in Beijing. Since 2019, he has been teaching classical Chinese dance at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Two years ago, Ma began to give online classes. In his small home, he could only make small moves. One day, he took his wife's suggestion and danced at Greenwich Park, a popular place for tourists. She recorded Ma. He then edited (剪辑) the video, and sent it to friends. His friends loved it and shared it online. People often want to know more about his performances. While dancing, he likes to interact (互动) with them. As his videos went popular, he received messages from people around the world.
"It's a great way to introduce Chinese dance to the world," said Ma.
unbelievable / reminds / cleared out / abroad / belong to / challenge / cleaned |
Alex and his friend Claudia were on their way to the library. When they passed by Greenwood Park, the swings (秋千) brought back m of their childhood spent there. But now everything looked so old and dirty. Rubbish l on the ground next to an overturned rubbish bin. A little boy there told them that the city took the other rubbish bins away and the remaining one never got emptied (空的) often.
In the library, they came across Mrs. Allen, their kind teacher. She e them to go to the City Hall to voice their thoughts. The next day, Claudia and Alex went to the City Hall but met an impatient officer. He explained that the city couldn't help with their problem d to lack of money. Sadly, they left and turned to Mrs. Allen for help. Under her guide, they decided to ask Go Green, an organization which wants to protect the e for help. She promised to fix up a meeting for them to present their ideas to Go Green. Hearing this, their face l up.
Two main jobs remained ahead: r ways to clean up the park and preparing a good presentation (演示). Claudia was good at discovering new facts and information w Alex always had a talent for speaking. They worked together quite well. Claudia learned from a science magazine that a new kind of rubbish bin which can s time, money and energy. Then Alex practiced his presentation over and over again. A week later, it was time to present! After the meeting, Claudia told Alex with e that Go Green agreed to buy new rubbish bins for the park! Alex and Claudia have never been so proud of themselves.
要点如下：
1. 读英文报纸，培养良好语感；
2. 看英文电影，了解西方文化；
3. 结交一个外国网友，并与之交流；
4. 坚持写英文日记，学好语法；
5. 补充一两点个人想法。
参考词汇：develop v. 培养 sense n. 感觉 e-pal n. 网友
Dear Li Hua,
I know that you have some problems learning English. Don't worry. I'll give you some advice. I hope it will help you.
Yours sincerely,
Li Ming
Small bug has big power 
