Three years ago, Brian Palmer was a homeless man struggling to overcome drug addiction. All he owned was a bag containing some clothes, a blanket, and a pillow. He sought assistance at a recovery center at the heart of Skid Row. One activity that helped him through the tough time was singing. As a kid, he dreamed of becoming a professional singer; he was a member of the church choir and appeared in musicals at school. In 2015, he encountered the Urban Voices Project. This led him to Street Symphony, a group of professional musicians, which works with homeless, mentally ill, and incarcerated(监禁的) populations.
In February, Palmer began taking voice lessons from Scott Graff, a member of Street Symphony. Graff said, "I gave Brian some tips on singing technique, and he taught me life lessons. I got the better end of the deal."
A few days after Thanksgiving, Palmer sang "The People That Walked in Darkness" in a musical workshop. Five string players accompanied him; a few dozen members of the workshop were in attendance. Before performing, Palmer shared with the audience some thoughts about the music. "When I came here three years ago, I didn't know where my life was going to take me," he said. "l just knew that I needed to change, and that I needed help. When I was walking through my life in addiction, and the darkness and the hell I had created for myself, it was like the phoenix (凤凰) coming out of the darkness and seeing the light. "
Palmer then sang the song. After his performance, Graff commented, "Palmer performed well for one who has been studying singing technique for less than a year. More importantly, he made the text sound as though it had been taken from his own life. "
"That was really empowering," Palmer told the audience afterward. He explained what had been going through his mind as he sang. "An act of love," he said, looking out at familiar faces in front of him. "One act of love, I know for sure, is listening."
Singapore uses about 430 million gallons of water every day- a number it expects could double in the next four decades. That kind of consumption is piling pressure on the Asian city state to address growing concerns about global water shortage. So it's building new technology to prepare itself for a future where obtaining clean water will be even more difficult.
Rapid urbanization and rising global temperatures are making access to natural water sources increasingly hard to come by. Today, a quarter of the world lives in areas of high water stress. Singapore is home to more than five million people and is covered in fountains, landscape pools and other water features(水景设计). But it has no natural water sources of its own, instead relying heavily on recycled water and imports from its neighbors.
Snyder's research facility is one of several places developing solutions for Singapore's water dependency. The hope is to create projects that could be used across the city. One development: a small, black sponge(海绵) called carbon fiber aerogel can clean waste water on a mass scale. The material is being further developed for commercial use by Singapore-based startup EcoWorth Technology. According to CEO Andre Stoltz, the company will first enter Singapore's waste water market before eventually developing this material for use on a global scale.
Another company, WateRoam, is already taking innovation from Singapore to the rest of the region. Founded in 2014, WateRoam says it has developed a lightweight, portable filtration (过滤) device that they say has already provided clean drinking water to more than 75, 000 people across Southeast Asia.
The water filtration device is no bigger than a bicycle pump, yet it can provide clean water to villages of 100 people for up to two years, according to the company.
"We've been very blessed to have access to clean drinking water, "Pong said. "It's a privilege that we should be able to bring forth to the rest of the region, and advocate that clean water is an essential aspect for life on earth."
Children's heavy digital media use is associated with a risk of being overweight later in adolescence. A recently completed study shows that six hours of leisure-time physical activity per week at the age of 11reduces the risk of being overweight at 14 years of age associated with heavy use of digital media.
Obesity in children and adolescents is one of the most significant health-related challenges globally. A study carried out by the Folkhalsan Research Center investigated whether a link exists between the digital media use of Finnish school-age children and the risk of being overweight later in adolescence. In addition, the study looked into whether children's physical activity has an effect on this potential link.
The study involved 4, 661 children who reported how much time they spent on sedentary (久坐的)digital media use and physical activity outside school hours. The study indicated that heavy use of digital media at 11 years of age was associated with a heightened risk of being overweight at 14 years of age in children who reported engaging in under six hours per week of physical activity in their leisure time. In children who reported being physically active for six or more hours per week, such a link was not observed.
The study also took into account other factors potentially impacting obesity, such as childhood eating habits and the amount of sleep, as well as the amount of digital media use and physical activity in adolescence. In spite of the confounding(混杂的) factors, the protective role of childhood physical activity in the connection between digital media use in childhood and being overweight later in life was successfully confirmed.
"The effect of physical activity on the association between digital media use and being overweight has not been extensively investigated in follow-up studies so far, "says Postdoctoral Researcher Elina Engberg. "In this study, the amount of physical activity and use of digital media was reported by the children themselves, and the level of their activity was not surveyed, so there is a need for further studies."
New parents often spend a long time debating what to call their newborn. Should they name them after a relative, a famous person or just pick a name at random? But it's our children who need to live with our choice. So how important is the name we choose?
Names usually stay with us for a lifetime unless we decide to change them. Quite often we hear stories of celebrities giving their children unusual names, while other people give their children names which have special meanings, for example, the name Sarah comes from a Hebrew word meaning 'princess'.
Sadly, though, our parents don't always get it right.
A study led by psychologist Jean Twinge found that a person who hates the name given to them is more likely to have greater psychological adjustment issues - possibly due to low self-esteem (自尊). This is because our title becomes a symbol of our self, and if we hate our name, our confidence may be affected.
And what if your name is no longer popular? While names like Ethel and Gladys were once in fashion, they now sound a bit out of date, which can be embarrassing. Studies have shown that people with old-fashioned names are more likely to be rejected on dating apps.
However, if you choose an unusual name, it's not all bad news. According to a study conducted by Professor David Zhu, people with uncommon names can develop a sense of uniqueness and can often become more creative and open-minded.
So, when choosing your children's name, there are a fair few things to consider.
A. They become part of our identity.
B. So, what if you don't like your given name?
C. For many of us it can be a difficult and tiring task.
D. Have you experienced something unpleasant due to your names?
E. And when it comes to unpopular names, they may even affect our love lives.
F. Many children say they dislike the name their parents have chosen for them.
G. But going for something too common or too old-fashioned may not be a great choice.
"Well?" my teacher asked. "Do you know the answer?" I shifted uneasily in my seat and1around the classroom. I said in a low voice, "No idea. "Not 2the tears in my eyes, she 3the math lesson. The rest of the day4 on slowly, until finally the last bell rang, a5of freedom, until the next day.
I always felt out of 6 at school. Rarely did I accept a compliment(称赞)on 7achievements in school. By fourth grade, my self-confidence had shrunk8 and I became depressed.
One day, my teacher yelled at me in front of the entire crowd of kids. "How9can you be? If you don't start shaping up soon, you'll 10 being a failure. "That was the first time someone had said "you're a failure" right to my11. I stayed there for a half hour, crying and12if the pain and disappointment would ever end.
I left that school shortly afterwards, hoping to find a place where I could get away from the pain and find the 13 buried deep within me. And I did. My new school has14me to see myself in a better light and recognize how much I have 15. The academics aren't as intense as my previous school and I've opened up to others, no longer16of what they'll think of me.
I have built new17 not based on academic skill but on true friendship. People18 me cheerfully each morning because they see my inner 19. Me! The person who works to make himself into the best person he can be. This year has breathe new20 into me.
These days, people are trying to live in a "green" way. Advocates of living in greener (community) think it is not a good idea to delay (solve) environmental problems. They say we can use ideas and technologies available (create) the city of the future today.
For example, in the green city of the future, modern buildings (design) to save water and energy. Outdated buildings of the past were not. Rooftops covered with grass and other living plants provide insulation (隔热材料) keeps buildings cooler. These roofs can also collect and reuse rainwater that would otherwise be wasted.
Besides, citizens of the green city understand that protecting native species (be) the key to protecting natural spaces. Because native plants are original to the ecosystem, they provide the best habitats local insects' bird and other animals. Native plants can also (well) adapt to the local climate and require less water.
Residents also recognize that a process called composting(堆肥) helps reduce amount of solid waste and increase the richness of local soil. People first mix food waste with water and air in large bins. Then (hen) bacteria break down this pile of "garbage" "into an eco-friendly and economical fertilizer.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
Every Christmas, people in shopping malls, grocery stores and on street corners collie donations for the Salvation Amy's programs for those in need. And bell-ringers are volunteers helping collect donations. That probably doesn't seem like a big deal to most people, but I find it difficult - in fact, ridiculously hard" to ask people for anything, even though I quite enjoy helping others when they need a hand.
My friends will tell you I'm outgoing, independent, even adventurous. Yet, when I'm sick I'd rather stagger out of the door half-dead to buy some chicken soup than ask a friend or neighbor for help. When I sign up for a run to raise money for cancer, I donate the cash myself rather than asking others. The thought of asking a friend for a ride to the airport is way too stressful, even though I know the answer would be yes.
So, I decided one Christmas I would take a baby step in learning to ask. I'd do a few shifts (轮班) as a "bell-ringer" to see how it felt to ask perfect strangers to give.
I arrived early and tried to calm my nerves as I approached the man standing by the donation box. For weeks, I had prepared myself for this. I put the instruction sheet on my refrigerator and re-read it many times. But I could not have felt worse as I slipped on the Salvation Army vest (背心) and took my spot beside the donation box.
The man who had been a volunteer for a decade gave me some tips before he left. I thanked him and consciously tried to follow the tips. Stand (don't sit), smile, make eye contact, and don't ring the bell too loud or too often.
It felt awkward at first. My location on the second floor of shopping mall wasn't a busy spot, so I tried to smile and catch the eyes of every passerby. Most quickly glanced away. I worried I was making them feel guilty. I didn't like that at all.
注意：
1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右:
2）应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语:
3）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好:
4） 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Para 1: I was starting to wonder whether this bell-ringing thing was for me when a lady walked purposefully toward me.
Para 2: For the rest of my shift, I became relaxed and were impressed by different people coming to me,
