Through My Modern Met Academy, our online learning platform, you'll be inspired in classes taught by industry experts. Learn mixed media skills to take your work to a new level!
Intermediate Embroidery (刺绣)
With the help of artist Floor Giebels, you'll get gradual instructions on how to craft embroidery on printed cloth. Giebels will show you how to combine embroidery with cloth decorated with a photograph. Using that as the base, she'll go into techniques for stitching (缝) over the image and finishing your frame for display.
Cost/Time: $34. 95/1. 3h
Architectural Illustrationfor Everyone
Artist Demi Lang will take you through the process of drawing structures step-by-step. You'll learn how to choose your tools and paper, and analyze the project's photo. The final assignment is a row of three buildings, which Lang will go through first in line drawing lessons, then inking over the sketch (素描), and adding color to bring it to life.
Cost/Time: $45. 95/ 3. 3h
Beyond Botanicals
In Anna Zakirova's class, she shares the secrets to creating flawless pressed flowers and leaves and using them as the basis for original artwork. Intended for beginners, her class starts with a detailed introduction to the proper tools and continues with an example of how to turn several types of flowers into an artwork.
Cost/Time: $34. 95/ 56min
Introduction to Pet Photography
Taught by pet photographer Belinda Richards, this class offers in-depth guidance of shooting a gorgeous picture of your dog in a studio setting. Richards will break down how to work with your dog, photograph it, and edit your image. This class is meant for someone who already owns a DSLR camera and has a basic understanding of Photography.
Cost/Time: $45. 95/
2. 4h
When people ask about my experience of learning Cantonese, I recount a journey driven by unending curiosity and a strong desire to connect with a dynamic culture.
Growing up in a Russian family, my fascination with languages grew thanks to my father, a language expert. It's during a cultural appreciation class in junior high that I was first introduced to the world of Hong Kong films, famous for their characteristic action-packed dramas and storytelling styles. However, what really amazed me was the uniqueness of the language, Cantonese, which sparked a urgent need within me to explore it and the rich culture behind. This marked the beginning of a thrilling linguistic journey.
Learning Cantonese posed challenges, such as unfamiliar characters, complex tones, and different grammar structures, yet I persevered. Immersed in textbooks and available online courses, I practiced the tones everyday until my pronunciation flowed naturally. Cantonese dramas and music also played a role in familiarizing me with its rhythm.
To truly grasp the essence of Cantonese, I knew that studying alone wasn't enough — I needed firsthand experience. So, I took a gap year to pack my bags for Hong Kong, a city featuring the lively heartbeat of Cantonese culture. Buried in its busy streets and daily conversations, from casual chats to food ordering, I found myself enveloped in a linguistic wonderland. Within a few months, my Cantonese proficiency flourished, fueling a surge of confidence.
My explorations extended beyond the streets. I enrolled in formal language classes that offered professional guidance. Through hard work, I successfully completed all the courses in Cantonese Linguistics. From then on, I've been passionately committed to spreading the Cantonese culture, ensuring its richness reaches a wider audience.
Today, I continue my Cantonese voyage with unflagging enthusiasm. It has transformed into more than just a linguistic pursuit; it grants me a passport to sincere connections, profound insights, and heartfelt admiration for its one-of-a-kind culture.
The Netherlands is the only country in the world with more bicycles than residents. By 2023, the Netherlands has a total of about 25 million bicycles, with an ownership rate of 1.35 bikes per person. One study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that in the Netherlands cycling prevents about 6, 500 early deaths each year, and that Dutch people have 1.5 years longer life expectancy (预期寿命) due to cycling.
"The time spent cycling was about 74 minutes per week for Dutch adults aged 20 to 90 years. The time was fairly stable over adulthood and reached its apex in the early days of retirement, in one's 60s. The death rate reduction, which was a direct result of the average time spent cycling for a certain age group, was therefore also the highest among the seniors who just retire, " said Jeremy Smith, an expert from NIH.
What is it that makes cycling so beneficial? Obviously, cycling is a form of exercise. It is a great form of cardio (有氧的) exercise , which gets your heart pumping and helps strengthen the heart muscle. Doing cardio may also help lower your blood pressure.
Furthermore, solid evidence proves the link between cycling and better thinking skills. Even younger adults claim that a bike ride helps shift their thinking to a higher level — and research backs them up. In one small study, healthy, young men are required to cycle for 30 minutes everyday for 3 weeks. They also completed a series of cognitive ( 认 知 的 ) tests before and afterward. After cycling, they scored higher on memory, reasoning and planning, and they were able to finish the tests more rapidly than before.
Besides all the benefits mentioned above, cycling, as many Dutch put it, is a way of life. In their simplest form, bikes are tools for travelling. But they're so much more. They are cognitive improvement, environmental protection, satisfaction and an expression of freedom. They bring people of same passion together and connect them to a greater journey of life.
Intelligence is traditionally viewed as the ability to think and learn. Yet in a complex world, there's another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink. Therefore, my aim in this book is to explore how rethinking happens by seeking out the most convincing evidence and some of the world's most skilled rethinkers.
The first section focuses on opening our own minds. You'll find out why a forward-thinking businessman got trapped in the past, how a Nobel Prize–winning scientist welcomes the joy of being wrong, how the world's best forecasters update their views, and how an Oscar-winning filmmaker has productive fights.
The second section examines how we can encourage other people to think again. You'll learn how an international debate champion wins arguments and a Black musician persuades people to abandon discrimination. You'll discover how a special kind of listening helped an officer convince the opposing side to join in peace talks. And if you're a Yankees fan, I'm going to see if I can convince you to root for the Red Sox.
The third section is about how we can create communities of lifelong learners. In social life, a lab that specializes in difficult conversations will cast light on how we can communicate better about debated issues like climate change. In schools, you'll find out how educators teach kids to think again by treating classrooms like museums, approaching projects like rewriting time-honored textbooks. I close by examining the importance of reconsidering our best-laid plans.
This book is an invitation to let go of knowledge and opinions that are no longer serving you well, and to establish your sense of self in flexibility rather than consistency. If you can master the art of rethinking, I believe you'll be better positioned for success at work and happiness in life. Thinking again can help you generate new solutions to old problems and revisit old solutions to new problems. It's a path to learning more from the people around you and living with fewer regrets.
Gardening has been around for as long as humans have been growing food. Today it is known for its health benefits. Focusing attention on the tasks and details of gardening can reduce negative thoughts and feelings and make you feel better. Besides, things like weeding and digging are a good exercise. If you don't like going to the gym, gardening is an enjoyable way to help you keep fit.
You can include gardening in your life in many ways.
Decide what you want to grow. Different plants need varying amounts of care. Make choices about what to grow based on how much time you have, where you live, and how much money you can invest in your plants.
A community garden is a shared space where people grow plants in one large area or in smaller individual plots. Search online for community gardens near you. This is also a great place to ask questions and learn from experienced gardeners.
Grow plants indoors. You don't need to own land to start gardening. All you need is a window or artificial sunlight source, potting soil, containers, and other supplies based on what plants you grow.
Not every plant will grow exactly how you want or expect. Almost every gardener will have problems growing and caring for their plants at some point.
A. Tending plants is an easy job.
B. Get involved at a community garden.
C. Do you have a favorite flower, fruit, or vegetable?
D. Plenty of plants grow well indoors in pots or planters.
E. Just spending time around plants eases stress for many people.
F. Indoor gardens are an entertaining way to green up your home.
G. Learn from your problems, and don't let them keep you from continuing to garden.
At the age of 12, I started playing golf when my parents enrolled me in a junior camp at the local public course. From that moment, much of my life has been 1 the game. The aspect of golf that attracted me was the sense of 2 . There's always a chance of making something 3 happen, maybe breaking a personal record or potentially making a hole-in-one.
When I decided to pursue journalism in college, I had to take a 4 from the game. I'd still go out 5 to play with friends, but for the first time since my teens, I was away from my community.
My 6 for playing golf reawakened when a friend invited me to the Langston course , which 7 me of the courses where I grew up: a 8 spot for people of all working-class backgrounds , and a far cry from the private golf 9 , in which expensive memberships are a basic 10 . When I get paired up with strangers to play, it's usually more of a 11 crowd.
Some of the best walks I've taken have been out on the golf course. It's where I 12 with old friends and meet new ones, who 13 me to practice and get better. We share experiences on the golf course that are 14 and laugh about for days after our rounds.
The sense of community I've regained with golf goes beyond my imagination. My circle only seems to be 15 , and I'm eager to see what the future holds .
Aimed at inspiring people's acts of kindness to develop sympathy and goodwill worldwide , World Kindness Day (fall) on November 13 every year. This day encourages people and societies across the world (participate) in acts of big or small kindness to make a more understanding and (peace) world. It is a chance to appreciate positive effects kindness has on people and society a whole.
World Kindness Day, is believed to have originated in 1998 with the establishment of the World Kindness Movement (WKM), is a relatively recent celebration. The WKM, a combination of nations and organizations, (advocate) for goodwill and kindness globally, started the celebration. The primary goal is to inspire people to include good (deed) into their daily lives.
The movement traces (it) roots to a Tokyo conference in 1997 , where representatives from various countries discussed role of compassion and kindness in society. The first World Kindness Day (celebrate) on November 13, 1998, in Japan and Singapore. Since then, it has been an annual event in numerous countries .
Juju was the star dancer at school. She had a smile that would light up the room and movements as if she was creating the music. But when she was away from her high school dance class, she was more quiet, a little bit cautious — something the group of girls in her class noticed.
In fact, Juju's real name is Julie. Raised up as an orphan (孤儿), she experienced a lack of familial support, which contributed to her sense of loneliness. More often than not, she hid behind the nickname, creating a bright character that covered up the pain she was experiencing. Julie kept schoolmates at a distance but let Juju out when the music was on. Though as an excellent dancer, her biggest regret was that none of her family ever came to watch her performances. She would watch sadly as other students were greeted with flowers and hugs from parents after the performances.
Observing Julie's closed nature outside of the dance room, Corrina, one of the other dance students, sensed her need for companionship. When she found her at lunchtime sitting alone, Corrina would invite Julie to join her table with other dance kids, including her as a member of their extended "family" . At first, they talked about dance and music. As the conversation turned to family, Juju would quickly shift the subject back to dance.
Despite this initial hesitance, trust between the girls gradually developed, and then a sister-like bond. They started spending more time together, not just in dance-related activities but also in their personal lives.
As their high school years ended, the closing night performance for graduation was around the corner. While everyone was filled with excitement, Corrina sensed Julie's anxiety as curtain time approached. She knew Julie feared the post-show loneliness of having no family to celebrate with. So she took it upon herself to ensure that
Julie didn't feel alone on this important night.
注意：1. 续写词数应为 100 左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Determined to plan a surprise for Julie as a "family", Corrina gathered other girls. |
