I have received many Christmas gifts over the years. The best gift I ever received was presented to me 1 a stranger. I never even knew his name and I only had contact with him 2 less than 60 seconds. His Christmas present to me changed 3 way I think about people and about Christmas.
I hate Black Friday sales. It's often a gathering of people 4 are there for many different reasons. Some are looking for one item for their loved one, or perhaps themselves. Their purpose are completely have 5 to do with the festive time of year, and can merely be summed up with one word, "Cheap!"
It was several years ago when my wife asked me 6 her at the local department store on Black Friday morning. They had advertised a child's bike 7 she wanted to purchase for our son. We stood with a very large crowd, waiting for the manager to blow the whistle（口哨）. I told my wife 8 we got a bike, fine, but if we did not, I was OK with that too.
As 9 bikes began to gradually（逐渐）decrease in size, I saw my "polite" opportunity to reach my hands around the corner of one of the boxes. I 10 it and suddenly felt some mild resistance（阻力）. I looked up to see one of 11 gentlemen I had ever seen in my life. Frightening was not the word to describe his appearance. He was wearing lots of straps of metal spiked leather（带有铆钉的皮带） around 12 arms and even his neck and he had tattoos（纹身）too.
I started to return the box 13 he gently pushed it back in my direction and back into my hands. He then directed it into my shopping car. He looked at me, smiled, and said, "Merry Christmas." All the way home I 14 that this moment was by far the best Christmas gift I had ever received. The kindness of a stranger that broke all prejudice（偏见） I may have had of certain types of people. The softness of a human heart can be seen in a simple act. I will never 15 it.
In the middle of the night, Peter's wife suddenly became ill. She couldn't help crying, "Oh, my stomach! Get the doctor!"
Peter, awaking from a deep sleep, thought his wife was only having a 1dream.
"Stop that noise," he said to her. He turned over and tried to go to sleep again, but his wife still cried out, "Oh, help! Help! I'm sure I'm dying."
Peter got out of bed and started dressing, but he could not find him any 2.
"Where is my shirt?" he asked. His wife was too 3 to tell him, and she could only cry, "Oh, my poor stomach!"
As soon as he had put his clothes on, he said, "Now, my dear, are you quite certain that you need the doctor? Surely you can 4 until morning, can't you?"
"No, I can't. Go, go, go," his wife shouted, "or you will find me 5 in the morning."
So Peter went out into the 6 street. He had only gone a few meters when he heard his wife calling him again.
"I'm all right now, and I shall not want the doctor." she said softly.
Hearing this, he started running as 7 as he could towards the doctor's. When he arrived there, he knocked at the door loudly enough to 8 everyone around.
The doctor put his sleepy head out of the bedroom window and said, "Er? Who's there?"
"Oh, Doctor." Peter called up to him, "I've very good news for you. My wife 9 ill with a terrible stomachache. I was on my way to bring you to her, but she called me back to say the trouble had suddenly 10 her. So you need not come. Go back to bed now, and sleep well!"
One Saturday, we were preparing to go away for the weekend when my daughter heard cries for help. When I went out, I discovered our elderly neighbor had fallen on her front steps. She was clearly in pain, so I helped her inside her house and settled here on the bed.
I noticed her room was very narrow and dark. It was obvious she hadn't cleaned it for a long time. She insisted she didn't need an ambulance（救护车）and that someone would be around soon, so I left her with a bottle of water at her side.
As I left I felt sad when I realized that we hadn't communicated with her, except a few smiles, for the past 18 months. She didn't know my name and I didn't know hers, and I hadn't even noticed that she hadn't been outside for weeks because of bad pain in her back.
That weekend I visited my grandmother for her 80th birthday and noticed how clean and spacious her flat seemed in comparison to my neighbour's. My neighbour, as far as I knew, had no family regularly dropping by.
When I returned home I went to visit her. Very grateful to see me, she explained she was okay. Yet, unable to bend down due to her back, her kitchen was filling with garbage that she was unable to take out by herself.
We've become good friends and chat every second day. She keeps thanking me for my kindness, but I enjoy helping her. Now, every time I return from putting out her garbage, collecting her mail or just chatting, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction and peace.
It is a question that has confused parents for many years: why do children refuse to eat greens?
Now, two American experts believe they have the answer.
After studying dozens of babies as they played with various objects, the researchers noted that they were far more unwilling to touch plants than other things. They believe this is because evolution (生物进化) has biologically made children be wary of plants.
Due to susceptibility (敏感性) to illness or injury in the early years of life, the body has designed an inner defence mechanism (内部保护机制) that limits a child' s contact with plants, they think. The researchers believe this is why children turn their noses up when faced with a plate of broad beans.
The findings are published in a paper by Dr Annie E Wertz and Dr Karen Wynn, both psychologists at Yale University.
They wrote, "Throughout human evolution... plants have been important in human's life. Yet, for all of these benefits, plants have always caused very real dangers."
"Plants produce toxins (毒素) as defences that can be harmful, or even deadly. Some plants also produce physical defences, such as thorns（荆棘）can damage tissues (组织) and cause effects over the whole body."
They added, "We predicted that babies may have behavioural strategies that reduce dangers caused by plants."
To test their theory, the researchers studied how children aged eight to 18 months old reacted when presented with a variety of objects. It took much longer for children to grab plants; objects that were pretended to look like plants also caused a slow response time.
For parents attempting to spoon some peas into the mouth of their child, this finding should come as welcome relief.
Horatio Spafford, who was born in 1828, was a wealthy Chicago lawyer with a promising career, a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters and a son.
At the very height of his financial and professional success Horatio and his wife, Anna, suffered the loss of their young son. Shortly thereafter, on October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed most of his real estate(地产) Investment.
In 1873, Spafford planned a boat trip to Europe in order to give his wife and daughters a much-needed vacation and time to recover from the loss of their young son. Spafford sent his wife and daughters ahead of him while he remained in Chicago to take care of some small business. Several days later he received notice that his family's ship had had a collision (碰撞). All four of his daughters had drowned, only his wife had survived.
With a heavy heart, Spafford boarded a boat that would take him to his broken-hearted Anna in England. It was on this trip that he wrote those now famous words: When sorrows like sea billows roll, it is well, it is well with my soul.
Philip Bliss (1838-1876), composer of many songs, including Hold the Fort, Let the Lower Lights be Buming, and Jesus Loves Even Me, was so impressed with Spafford's life and the words of his hymn (赞美) that be composed a beautiful piece of music to accompany the poem. The song was published by Bliss and Sankey in 1876.
For more than a century, the tragic story of one man has given hope to countless people.
a. Horatio wrote his famous words.
b. Horatio's family ship had a collision.
c. Horatio lost his son.
d. The song about Horatio's poem was published.
e. The Great Chicago Fire happened.
Brazil is among the top destinations（目的地）if you are looking to have fun in the sun, on the sand and in the water. Here are some hotels in Brazil.
Whitepod Hotel The hotel was built in 1998 using local wood and it was filled with local artworks and furniture. You can find hundreds of local plant species in the gardens here. There are only ten rooms here going for US $ 183 a night including meals, beverages, snacks and a local guide. A good deal indeed. |
Free Spirit Hotel The popularity of the beach started way back in the 1970s, when surfers（冲浪者）from all over the world discovered the waves here. Today, a lot of people are also gathering here to see sea turtles and dolphins. Besides, a lot of materials used to build the hotel were recycled stuff. This hotel has thirty one rooms. It costs US$ 180 per night to stay. |
Ice Hotel The rooms here are named after colors, so you can expect it to sound like a rainbow when you hear the staff talking about their rooms. The furniture is mostly hand-crafted. It is a winner in terms of its location, since it is in the historic colonial （殖民的）town of Parati, half way between Rio de Janerio and Sao Paulo. It does not have a restaurant, but you can order some food to bring to your room. The hotel only has nine rooms, which you can get for US$ 468 a night. |
Seven Hotel This hotel is located on an island hill with views of a beach nearby. The water in the bathroom is solar heated in case you want some warm water for your shower. Back in 2006, about a fifth of the place was tagged as an ecological（生态的）reserve. You can enjoy a night here for US$ 190 per night. |
It is easy to keep your spirits bright when life is going along smoothly and good news seems to turn up at every turn. It is an entirely different picture when life goes off course or bad news appears. The question then becomes: How do we keep our spirits bright throughout the different stages of life? .
Get Enough Sleep
It wasn't until I became a mother that I realized how important a good night's sleep truly is. . Sleep is such an amazing gift to recharge and start.
Back to Basics
When I feel tired with too much to do, I love to put on my shoes and get outside for a run. . Getting back to basics can include things like: getting outside, having real conversations with real people, enjoying a meal with a loved one or doing an activity that brings you joy.
Time Management
If life feels like it is out of control and you can't keep up, see what happens when you try to manage your time. There are many time management systems out there that can help. Have event reminders（提醒）on your phone and computer. . Start your day by writing a list of what you plan to achieve. And sometimes we also need to let go of things that aren't important.
Keeping our deepest desires and dreams alive is the very fuel that keeps our spirits bright. Give yourself the gift of having goals and dreams, and don't allow fear to have a say in how big your dreams may be.
A. Dream Big B. Set an alarm to remind you to leave early C. Try out the following if they sound like a fit for you D. Getting enough sleeping time has a way of making us feel more human E. There's something about nature and fresh air that gets my stress away |
时间 | 春节前夕 |
地点 | 各区不同，最传统的是西湖路花市 |
活动 | 1. 赏花、买花 2. 吃传统小吃 3. 观赏传统灯饰 |
感受 | 与家人朋友一起、增进感情 ……（至少一点） |
对传统文化的看法 | ……（至少一点） |
要求：1)词数80字左右（开头已给出，不计入词数）
2)不得透露学校、姓名等任何个人信息，否则不予评分。
3)参考词汇：灯笼lantern
Guangzhou is a beautiful city which is full of traditional culture. Visiting the Flower Market is one of the traditions in Guangzhou. Now let me introduce it to you.
