From the window of my room,I could see a tall cotton-rose hibiscus.In spring,when green leaves was half1by mist,the2looked very fascinating dotted with red blossom.This inspiring3of mine often set my mind working.I gradually regarded it as my best friend.4,when I opened the window one morning,to my amazement, the tree was almost5recognition as a result of the storm the night before.Struck by the sight,I was6with a sadness at the thought "all the blossom is condemned to fall".I could not help7with emotion: the course of life never runs smooth,for there are so many ups and downs,8 and turns. My life saw my beloved friends9one after another.Isn't it10to the tree shedding its flowers in the wind?
This event11as time went by. One day after I came home from the countryside, I found the room stuff(窒闷的) and12opened the window. Something outside caught my eye and13me.It was a plum tree all red with blossom set off14by the sunset.The surprise discovery overwhelmed me with pleasure.I wondered15I had no idea of some unbending life growing over the fallen petals（花瓣）when I was grieving for the hibiscus.
When the last withered(枯萎的) petal 16, all the joyful admiration for the hibiscus was 17as if nothing was left,until the landscape was again filled with the red plum blossom to remind people of life's alternation and continuance. Can't it be said that life is actually a symphony, a 18composition of loss and gain.
Standing by the window lost in thought for a long time,I realized that no19in the world remains unchanged. As long as you keep your heart bathed in the sun, every dawn will present a fine prospect for you to unfold and the world will always be about new20.
Amsterdam Destination Guide
Amsterdam is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world,famous for its beautiful canals,top art museum,cycling culture,and Red Light District.It is the capital and most populous city in the Netherlands and often referred to as the "Venice of the North" because of its expansive system of bridges and canals.Here are some of the key points to remember as you plan your trip to Amsterdam.
Must-See Attractions
Most visitors begin their Amsterdam adventure in the Old Centre,which is full of traditional architecture, shopping centers,and coffee shops.Don't miss the Dam Square and the areas around Spui and Nieuwmarkt.The infamous Red Light District is also in this area,and definitely worth a visit to see what the type is about.You'll also want to check out Amsterdam's Museum Quarter in the South District,which is great for shopping at the Albert Cuyp Market and having a picnic in the Vondelpark.The top museums to visit are the Rijksmusuem,the Ann Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum.
If You Have Time
There are several, and you should try to explore as many of them as time allows.The Canal Ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was originally built to attract wealthy home owners and is a core for celebrity spotting and nightlife today.The Plantage area has most of the city's museum, including the Jewish Historical Museum, the Scheepvaart Museum,and the botanical gardens.
Free Things to Do
Have a picnic and bring a bottle of wine to relax and people-watch in Vondelpark Soak up some sun at one of city's beaches.
Take a walk along the canals, smell the flowers, and browse markets along the way. Hop on one of several free ferry services across the IJ River for lovely city views.
Money Saving Tips
Unless you really want to see the tulips blooming, avoid booking between mid-March and mid-May.This is when hotel and flight prices surge.
Look for accommodations in Amsterdam's South District,where rates are generally cheaper than in the city center.
Buy train tickets at the machine instead of the counter to save a bit of money.
Instead of hiring a tour guide,hop on a canal boat.They're inexpensive and will give you a unique point of view of the city.
Check out our homepage to view price comparisons for flights,hotels,and rental cars before you book.
In Hollywood, as in war, truth is often the first casualty. Stories told on screen demand heroes, devils and a clear plot line. Real life, on the other hand, tends to get messy—the lines between good and bad often cross. Two years ago, director Oliver Stone was severely criticized in the press for playing fast and loose with certain facts in JFK. Jim Sheridan's In the Name of the Father has largely escaped such criticism in the U.S., but only because Americans are unfamiliar with the story it is based on.In Britain,where people have lived with the case of the Guildford Four for 20 years,the film's reception has been considerably stormier.
The movie tells the tale of Gerry Conlon,who along with three other youths was falsely accused of killing five people in a 1974 I.R.A.bombing of two pubs in Guildford,England.The four—three men and a woman—served 14 years in prison before their convictions（定罪）were overturned. Seven friends and relatives of Conlon's (the Maguire Seven),including his father,also served many years on false charges of having made the bombs.
Though Sheridan never set out to make a documentary,he has been attacked for needlessly twisting the facts of the case.The film,for instance,shows the Maguire Seven on trial with the Guildford Four,though the cases were tried separately.In some of its most affecting scenes,it shows Conlon,played by Daniel Day-Lewis,sharing a jail cell with his father,though the two were often not even in the same prison.A grand and heroic part is carved for actress Emma Thompson,playing Conlon's lawyer,Gareth Peirce,but in reality Peirce was a minor figure and another lawyer, Alastair Logan,deserves most of the credit for freeing the Four.An important scene in which Peirce steals a crucial piece of evidence from a police file was fabricated for the film;it was a police investigation that uncovered the buried evidence of Conlon's innocence.
Sheridan insists that he was seeking an "emotional honesty" and that the real subject of his film was a son's changing relationship with his father.But if that was his intended subject,say some close to the case,the director should have used someone else's story."The truth is that Gerry Conlon had very little time for his father,"says Sean Smyth,an uncle."It's a good film,well acted and everything,"admits Conlon's aunt,Anne Maguire."But I think if they'd put more of the true facts in,it would have been a much more powerful film."
Rent control, like all other government-mandated（强制执行的）PRICE CONTROL,is a law placing a maximum price, or a "rent ceiling," on what landlords may charge tenants（房客）.It is a program designed to stop rents from rising rapidly and is used mainly in large urban areas where there are more people than housing. In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in the apartments. Their rent cannot increase; therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes. However, almost all the critics conclude that rent control is destructive. They say after a long time, rent control may have negative effects.
In a 1990 survey of 464 people published in the May 1992 issue of the American Economic Review,93% of US respondents agreed that a ceiling on rents reduces the quantity and quality of apartments available. Landlords are too cautious (perhaps too smart) to put their faith in rental apartments because they know that the rental-controlled apartments cannot increase their profits. Therefore, they invest in other businesses where they can increase their profits. They do not invest in new buildings which would also be rent-controlled. As a result, new apartments are not built. Many people who need apartments cannot find any.
Some theorists argue that the minimum wage law can cause problems in the same way. The federal government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers. The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled, low-paying jobs. However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers. They will replace workers with machinery. The price, which is the wage that employers must pay, increases. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics claim, an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment. Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage.
Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity, Because of the law, workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum. Furthermore, employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages.But the supporters make a big error. They fail to realize that it is possible for such a law to increase wages beyond the value of what the workers contributes.
Economic theories predict the results of economic decisions such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage. The predictions may be correct only if "other things are equal". Economists do not agree on some of the predictions. They also do not agree on the value of different decisions. Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it. Economists do agree, however, that there are no simple answers to economic questions.
It is promoted that we should all prioritize some simpler life improvements to live better lives.The explanations for how and why they better our life serve as powerful reminders that we might be prioritizing the wrong things,and undervaluing what makes life worth living.
Smoking, drinking, exercise and even heart problems are not predictors of a person's longevity—a person's close relationships and social integration are.Our human connections have the positive impact on all aspects of our well-being, including our physical health. Those with intimacy(亲昵) in their lives, and those with frequent face-to-face interactions were not only physically and emotionally healthier, but they also lived longer.
It's why women, who tend to prioritize spending time with their friends more than men, live an average of six years longer. It's not enough to text or email.The actual health benefits of socializing are only achieved through in-person contact because face-to-face contact releases chemicals that protect you now and well into the future like a vaccine.
People who spend time on social networks, dating apps and even online news sites are found less happy. Most things we do for pleasure, like reading a book or watching a movie, have an end. But scrolling（卷动）on the phone is endless and we don't know when to break away. And those who do set limiting rules for their technology use are able to enjoy life more. Life becomes more colorful, richer, when you have better conversations with the person who is there with you.
The chase for happiness doesn't make us happy.In fact,constantly evaluating our own happiness is actually contributing to feelings of hopelessness and depression. Happiness is a fickle （变幻无常的）emotion, based on a moment or an experience. It's not a lack of happiness but lack of meaning that's really making us feel sad.
Meaning can be obtained in four forms: belonging, purpose, transcendence （卓越） and storytelling. The first is having people in your life who truly love and care about you. The second is having purpose. Most people find purpose through work because it's how we feel like we're adding value or contributing. So finding something to drive you forward is a crucial slice of having meaning. Transcendence is about finding something like art or church or doing yoga that can take you outside of yourself, that can make you feel like you're part of something bigger. With storytelling, that's all about our personal narratives. We're the author of our stories, and we can change how we're telling them. Your life isn't just a list of events.
In order to live longer and more happily, we should prioritize the things. | |
Face-to-face social interaction a longer life. | Our close relationships and social integration our mental and physical health. |
Women live six years longer than men on average because of more with their friends. | |
Face-to-face contact produces chemicals thatas a vaccine. | |
Knowing when to turn off our smart phone enriches our life. | Most entertainments have an end but using the smart phone is an |
Life becomes more enjoyable when we limit the of mobile phones. | |
Chasing meaning, not happiness, is what really | We will find our life more meaningful by developing a sense of belonging. |
It is vital to find ato drive us forward, which will add meaning to our life. | |
Things like art and church help us go beyond usual limits and feel you are | |
We should tell our own stories in a creative way to inspire ourselves. | |
There are few habits as annoying as someone making us wait. However, some punctually-challenged people have no intention of offending anyone. They still want to keep friends, family and bosses happy. They are often painfully aware and ashamed of the damage their lateness could do to their relationships, reputations, careers and finances.
Johnson, a doctor in New York, says his reputation for being unpunctual can sometimes be attributed to a misunderstanding of opinion. "A friend will ask me to come over, and he'll say ‘come anytime from seven.'But if I do turn up at eight or later, he will be annoyed."
Joanna a teacher in London, for whom the most distressing thing is writing school reports, never makes the deadline for herself. "I always spend weeks carefully considering everything about the reports,"she says,"just for fear that any error arises."
【写作内容】
1）用约30个单词为以上材料撰写概要；
2）用约120个单词发表你的观点，内容包括：
⑴退到带来的不良影响（至少两点）；
⑵给Johnson和Joanna提出你的建议，至少两条。
【写作要求】
1）写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；
2）作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
3）不必写标题。
