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From regular columns packed with information to gripping(扣人心弦的) human-interest stories and helpful how-tos, our magazine offers knowledge, positivity and humour. In this month's issue you'll find...
An interview with Hugh Dancy:
The newest addition to the cast of Downtown Abbey on New York, Law & Order, and the nostalgia(怀旧的) of playing an English gentleman.
Saving the sound of the Stradivaius:
Meet the experts fighting to save the unbeatable sound of history's greatest violins, meeting the love of her life.
Community Power:
Across the UK, communities are coming together to save their pubs, shops, and more.
If Grace Dent ruled the world:
The restaurant critic shares her manifesto(宣言) for world domination.
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Before the exams began, God told me in my mind several times, "Don't cheat." But I did not listen because I knew it was not easy for me to get good marks in exams. Taking out my notebook, I copied the answers from it and passed the exams with very good marks.
I felt guilty and ashamed and asked God to forgive me, which I thought was all I needed to do to give me peace. Using my good exam results I went on further with my education. Studying in Kwara State College of Education, I could not have peace in my mind, thinking, "You have done wrong. The result is not yours."
At last I went to the leaders of my church to ask for help, who told me that it is not enough to say sorry to God. I must show that I am sorry by putting right what I did wrong. For me, that meant telling the principal of the college that I cheated in the exams and that I should not have got into the college. I wrote a letter to him, telling him what I had done and took the letter to the principal's office and gave it to his secretary, who read it first. "If this gets to the principal you will go to prison," she said, "Go away and think about it."
I went back to the church leaders and told them what the secretary said and they said I must still go to the principal. So the next day, I went back to the secretary, who took me to see the principal this time. To my surprise, he told me not to be afraid but to go to the person who was in charge of the exams. I did as required and that person let me take the exams again. I passed! Now I am back at the college, but, more important, God has taken away the feelings of guilt and I have peace in my mind.
The word "inquiry (or enquiry)" comes from the Latin words "in", or "inward", and "quaere", which is the verb "to question". So inquiry is not just asking questions, it is questioning into something. It has the quality of getting into something, going deeper, so you can see what you haven't been able to see before.
When you begin an inquiry, you are deliberately setting out to search for what you don't know. You have to have the confidence to say that you might be able to figure it out for yourself. And in that process, you get a sense of real excitement and energy. That energy is both part of, and contributes to, what we often call "engagement(参与)". But in order to use inquiry to answer your question, you have to become good at knowing what you don't know. I would argue that that's exactly the opposite of what happens in schools. Classrooms focus on what you do know (or are supposed to know) and leave you unprepared to deal with the things you don't know.
In some way, we are all surrounded by a bubble(气泡) of the known. When you "know" something, you identify how your model of the world fits with and explains what you see. Living in the bubble of the known is comfortable and comforting. You see what you know, and you know what you see. But to do inquiry, you have to get good at always looking for the boundaries of your knowledge, and at the limitations and contradictions within what is known. That is what scientists do. They are always looking for the limits, the boundaries and the points at which their theories fail to explain the world. Scientists, basically, are always looking for that "door" from the known to the unknown, where they can press forth and push and, in a sense, expand the bubble of the known. Inquiry is the action you take when you deliberately challenge the limits of your knowledge.
When you walk with a backpack, do you know how the things inside move from side to side? Now scientists have figured out how to tap into that movement to produce electricity.
Picture a pendulum(摆锤) fixed to a backpack frame and stabilized with springs on either side. The pack's weight is attached to the pendulum, so the pendulum swings side to side as you walk. Then a machine is driven by that swinging movement, and produces electrical current to charge a battery.
Volunteers carried the pack while walking on a running machine and wore masks to measure the flow of O2, and CO2. When the volunteers were walking with the slightly swinging 20-pound load, the device did not significantly affect their metabolic(新陈代谢的) rate compared to when they carried the same weight fixed in place. In fact, the energy-harvesting pack reduced the forces of acceleration they'd feel in a regular pack, which might mean greater comfort for a long hike. And the device did produce a steady trickle(涓流) of electricity. If you up the load to 45 pounds, it could fully charge a smartphone only after 12 hours. The details are in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
The device produces electricity from human movement and has been identified as a workable solution to providing a renewable energy source for portable electronic devices. It is particularly useful to those who work in remote areas, as these people often carry a lot of weight in a backpack for their exploration.
But here's a real conundrum: the energy-harvesting device currently weighs five pounds. The researchers say that's about four pounds too many to be a smart alternative to batteries. So they hope that more research lets them lighten the load so that they can ensure the pack charges your phone up without weighing you down.
Nearly everyone is shy in some ways. You can build your confidence by following some suggestions from doctors and psychologists.
What you have to say is just as important as what other people say. And don't turn down party invitations just because of your shyness.
Prepare yourself for being with others in groups. Then make a list of ideas, experiences, and skills you would like to share with other people. Think about what you would like to say in advance. Then say it.
If you start feeling self-conscious in a group, take a deep breath and focus your attention on other people. Remember, you are not alone.
No one ever gets over being shy completely, but most people do learn to live with their shyness. They work at fighting their shy feelings so that they can face the cameras and the public. Just making the effort to control shyness can have many rewards. But perhaps the best reason to fight shyness is to give other people a chance to know more about you.
A. Friends are worth trusting. B. Make a list of the good qualities you have. C. Even entertainers admit that they often feel shy. D. Make a decision not to hold back in conversations. E. What you need to do is practice in front of a mirror often. F. Other people are concerned about the impression they are making, too. G. If shyness is making you uncomfortable, it may be time for a few lessons in self-confidence. |
A few months ago, I was down with a terrible cold which ended in a bad cough. No matter how many different medicines I tried, I 1 couldn't get rid of the cough. Not only did it 2 my teaching but also my life as a whole.
Then one day after class, a student came up to me and 3 traditional Chinese medicine. From her description, Chinese medicine sounded as if it had magic power that 4 . I was 5 because I knew so little about it and have never tried it before. 6 , my cough got so much worse that I couldn't sleep at night, so I decided to give it a 7 . The Chinese doctor took my pulse and asked to see my tongue, both of which were new experience to me because they are both 8 in Western medicine, where diagnosis relies heavily on 9 . Then the doctor gave me a scraping(刮) treatment known as "Gua Sha". I was a little 10 at first because he used a smooth edged tool to crape the skin on my neck and shoulders.
A few minutes later, the treatment started to produce a 11 effect and my body and mind began to sink deeper into 12 . I didn't feel any improvement in my 13 in the first couple of days, but after a few more regular visits to the doctor, my cough started to 14 . Then within a matter of weeks, it was completely 15 !
Earthquake can be destructive. Unfortunately, we don't have a (rely) way to predict. But technologies can still help us under such a desperate situation. China is building the world's largest earthquake alert system and it's (possible) the most advanced. Engineers (set) up over 15,000 sensors nationwide and wiring them into a web. an earthquake happens, the sensors can send electrical pulses to the control center and then ordinary people's smart-phones.
The signal travels at almost light speed and faster the earthquake shaking, giving local people a little time to prepare. The system sends messages to people (little) than two seconds after the earthquake happens. It's life-saving. The system, can be the most advanced in many ways, will be the largest earthquake observation network in the world, not only (detect) the movement of the continents but also calculating the possible impact of an earthquake. It will automatically warn local people, making much faster than human observation. The system, overseen by China's Ministry of Emergency Management, is set (complete) by the end of this year.
In the first and second grades, I was extremely shy. I had friends, but it just wasn't in my personality to be very outgoing, even if I knew someone well. I was even quieter with strangers, and so I wasn't very good at meeting new people. I was afraid that I would do or say something wrong.
So in our school's annual grand play, I usually sat in a secluded(僻静的) corner to watch the performance alone. I hoped to sit in the background and watch the actors sweat in front of all those pairs of eyes.
One day in the third grade, my teacher Mrs. Sally called me into her office and said, "Oh, Mary, you're great at memorizing things, and you have such a sweet personality. Perfect for Jenny!" But I bowed my head and dared not speak. The teacher saw this and then said, "Of course, plenty of girls would love the role, and I could find somebody else. But I hope you could try it for me. I had you in mind for Jenny while writing the play! If you really don't want to, I won't force you. It's your choice."
My mind was spinning faster than the windmill(风车) on the school playground. Mrs. Sally, whom I loved and admired, wanted me to play this role. She believed in me. My eyes moved across the room to a poster I had never noticed before. It showed a shooting star and read, "If you reach for the stars, you might at least grab a piece of the moon." I looked into Mrs. Sally's shining blue eyes and said, "Okay, I'll try." I realized it was time to throw off my shy mask and show the world who I really was.
In the following five months, the teacher taught me how to set, put on makeup, memorize lines, create costumes and so on. Gradually, I mastered my lines and songs.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
The big day came at last.
……
At that time, Mrs. Sally came backstage for her final check-up and noticed my nervousness.
