As a newly-added Olympic sport, surfing is attracting more attention than ever before. Here is a selection of the top surfing destinations across America.
Delaware
Coastal Delaware offers plenty of fun waves along the shore of several cute towns. Due to the waves crashing close to the shore, Dewey beach is also a global skim boarding hotspot and happens to be the east coast capital for the sport. If you're planning a visit, check out the popular "Summer Vibes" festival for some beach fun.
Atlantic City, New Jersey
When world-famous surfer and Olympic Gold medalist Duke Kahanamoku, often referred to as "the father of surfing," visited the mainland United States in the early 1900s, he rode his longboard off the coast of Atlantic City. The beaches here are wide and beautiful—and locals catch waves year-round.
The Rockaways, New York
Located a short distance from Manhattan, The Rockaways attracts new and experienced surfers from across the globe. Be sure to come prepared in winter with a wet suit, while summer brings much warmer water temperatures. Afterwards, explore the town as there's plenty of cafes, boutiques, and restaurants steps from the sand.
Cocoa Beach, Florida
Situated about 45 minutes from Orlando, Cocoa Beach is a renowned surf town that's home to two of the world's best surfers (Caroline Marks and Kelly Slater) and a favorite for surfers of all levels. This family-friendly town has lots of activities for everyone. When you're not in the water, you can stroll the Historic Cocoa Village and its shops, cafes, and galleries.
"Have you checked the oil in the car?" my father used to say to me, his version of "Hello, hope you are well." Sometimes our phone calls would begin with an inquiry about the oil and end with an inquiry about the oil, with not a lot in between.
Fathers have a lot of love to give, but it's often supplied through the medium of practical advice. The affectionate phrase "You made my life better from the moment you were born" may be rarely heard, but there is the more common "I'll hold the ladder while you get the leaves off the roof."
Why can't we fathers just say "I love you" or "It's great to see you" ? The point is: That's exactly what we are saying. You just have to translate from the language that is Fatherlish. Listen closely enough and the phrase "I love you" can be heard in the lengthier "I could come around Saturday and replace the silicon seal around the base of your toilet because I reckon that thing is getting really smelly."
When I was 17, I went on my first road trip. My father stood on the corner in the predawn of a cold morning to bid us farewell. "Highways are dangerous," he said, "so don't try overtaking anything faster than a horse and buggy. And take a break every two hours. And every time you stop for gas, you really should check the oil." At the time we thought his speech was funny and would chant "horse-and-buggy" every time I floored the accelerator.
Dad's long gone now. But after all these years, I realize that had I owned a copy of the Fatherlish-to-English dictionary, I'd have understood that the speech my friend and I so casually mocked was simply Dad's attempt at affection.
A study of 8 different experiments showed that our brains tend to prefer addition rather than subtraction when it comes to finding solutions—in many cases, it seems we just don't consider the strategy of taking something away at all.
The researchers found that this preference for adding was noticeable in three situations in particular: when people were under higher cognitive (认知的) load, when there was less time to consider the other options, and when volunteers didn't get a specific reminder that subtracting was an option. In one of the experiments, participants were asked to improve a Lego structure so that it was able to take more weight. Half the volunteers were reminded that they could take away bricks as well as add them, and half weren't. In the group that got the reminder, 61 percent solved the problem by taking away a brick—which was a much faster and more efficient way of making the structure stable. In the group that didn't get the reminder, only 41 percent went for the removing bricks approach.
"Additive ideas come to mind quickly and easily, but subtractive ideas require more cognitive effort," says psychologist Benjamin Converse, from the University of Virginia. "Because people are often moving fast and working with the first ideas that come to mind, they end up accepting additive solutions without considering subtraction at all."
The researchers have a few ideas about what might be going on. Our brains might find additive changes easier to process perhaps, or we might be associating adding with ideas of something that's bigger and therefore better in our subconscious. There might also be associations in our minds with the current status being something that needs to be maintained as much as possible—and taking something away is arguably more destructive to the current status than adding something new.
The researchers say their work is important in a much broader sense: for institutions looking to streamline (简化), for example, and even for the human race looking for ways to better manage the planet's resources.
Efforts to preserve the Amazon rain forest, which supports immense biodiversity and locks away tons of climate threatening carbon, are growing more urgent as the ecosystem's destruction accelerates. Indigenous (当地的) peoples have been trying to protect the region by patrolling(巡逻) their territorial boundaries for illegal activities. But rapid deforestation continues.
A recent study shows that combining on-the-ground monitoring with satellite data and smartphone technology could help put the brakes on Amazon deforestation—and potentially that of forests elsewhere.
Illegal logging, agriculture and coca cultivation particularly threaten the Amazon in the Peruvian Indigenous communities and outsiders are often the culprits (罪魁祸首). The research team wondered if providing training for local people to use satellite-based "early deforestation alerts" could help. The scientists collaborated with 76 Indigenous communities, 36 of which participated in using these alerts to watch over the forest. Over the next two years these trained participants were paid to work as forest monitors and received monthly alerts via the app when satellite data indicated local forest losses. Monitors investigated alerts, patrolled for deforestation in other areas and reported confirmed losses back to their communities, which decided whether to deal with the culprits on their own or inform state authorities.
The researchers analyzed the same forest-loss satellite data from the given time period in all 76 communities. They found the early-alert program reduced forest loss by 8.4 hectares in the first two year—a 52% reduction compared with the average loss in the control communities.
Experts say this approach to tackling Amazonian deforestation looks promising. "Would this work in all communities that have high risk of deforestation? Given the results, it's worth a try." says Catherine Tucker, a researcher at the University of Florida. "But some communities may not have access to the resources needed for such a program, or their territories may hold valuable minerals that would increase the risk of deforestation by outsiders despite monitoring efforts," wrote Francisco Hernandez Cayetano, a community member involved in the research, "we as Indigenous peoples ask the world for support."
How to Have an Attractive Personality
Being attractive comes more from your personality than your appearance, and demonstrating an attractive personality is key to having lasting relationships. The following tips help foster your ability to fascinate others.
●Laugh at yourself. If you make a fool of yourself, laugh at yourself instead of feeling embarrassed. It shows that you're comfortable in your skin. A sense of humor makes someone more engaging and delightful to be with. It is a great ice-breaker or stress reliever, but don't ruin a serious conversation with inappropriate jokes.
●Speak sincerely. Tell people the truth. If you can't commit to something, it's better to be honest about it than to have to tell them last minute that you can't make it. When people ask for your opinion, you should be honest. For instance, if you don't like your friend's shirt, respond with, "I really like you in blue instead," rather than, "I hate it, it's ugly."
● If you see value in making others laugh and keep yourself positive, you'll be a happier person, making others drawn to you as a result. A great way to remind you to laugh more is to have daily jokes on your phone or email. Set them for a time of day when you notice yourself start to feel drained.
●Have confidence in your body. You don't have to have the "perfect body" to be confident in it. People will be more attracted to you if you dress well and carry yourself well. If you need a little boost, place post-its around your mirror that remind you of the charming parts of your body.
A. Speak in a positive way.
B. Make laughing a priority.
C. Remember, there is a time and place for humor.
D. There is difference between being frank and rude, though.
E. Focus on these rather than what you're self-conscious about.
F. Actually, developing engaging personalities is not that far out of reach.
G. But having charming appearance is only skin-deep and far from enough.
Alvin, 66, was deep in the woods in Grand Cane last December when something like litter on the ground caught his eye. It was a 1 balloon with a note attached.
"Dear Santa," the note 2. "My name is Luna. Four years old. This year I have been 3. I would like candy, Spider-Man ball, My Little Pony. With love, Luna."
Alvin's heart hammered in his chest. It reminded him of his childhood wish. He smiled and set out to 4 Luna's wish. He posted a photo of the balloon and the Christmas wish list on his Facebook page, asking for help 5 the sender.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez, the mother of four-year old Luna, had no idea that such a(n) 6 was underway. It had been a hard year for her family as COVID-19 spread. On a 7 tough day last December, she 8 the idea of having Luna send a letter to Santa by releasing a balloon. They enjoyed a 9 Christmas together, and then the calendar turned to a new year.
One day, Gonzalez received a call saying that someone had found Luna's balloon. Her jaw 10. She logged on to Facebook and saw Alvin's 11. She called Alvin and finally agreed to let Alvin fulfill her daughter's wish list.
"Santa dropped your balloon 12," Gonzalez told Luna, "but one of his elves (精灵) found it." Not long after that, Luna received three boxes' worth of 13with a note signed "Alvin the Elf."
Now, having received so much 14, Gonzalez and her girl intend to pay it forward this year. After all, when Alvin could have just 15 that balloon in the trash, he went more than the extra mile.
Winter sports were already popular in China a thousand years ago in the form of Bingxi (冰嬉), or play on ice. Bingxi as form of performance for the court began in the Song Dynasty and reached its peak during Qing. A Bingxi painting in the collection of the Palace Museum portrays scenes of Bingxi during the Qing Dynasty. A closer look at the painting will show that there are many (similarity) between how ancient Chinese people enjoyed games on ice and modern day (compete) events at the Winter Olympic Games.
In the painting, the emperor, (seat) inside his ice bed, was watching skaters compete (fierce). Three types of ice skating were performed, the first one of is speed race, similar to modern speed skating. Participants raced to the emperor's ice bed from 2 to 3 kilometers away. reached the emperor first won first prize. The second is figure skating. Jumps, spins and pair work moves common in modern day figure skating can all be found in the painting. The third is the soccer on ice. Participants in two teams skated, kicked and tried to score goals. If the "tool" for scoring goals (change) from legs to sticks, it is highly comparable to hockey.
To this day, the interest winter sports in Chinese people has never decreased. Each winter, in Beihai and Shichahai of Beijing, people are still enjoying (they) forms of Bingxi.
I love to play the piano and I greatly enjoy performing my songs, so when the annual winter recital was canceled, I was disappointed. I had looked forward to it for a long time and had already prepared two of my best songs.
My mom had a wonderful idea, however, to turn this disappointing letdown into something worthwhile. "You can perform your songs at Carriage House Senior Living," my mom suggested brightly. "I'm sure the seniors there who do not have families visit them that often, would really appreciate the music and you could play more than just two songs."
I immediately thought this was a great idea. One of the things I did not like about the recitals was that I was limited to playing just a couple of songs. Playing the piano at Carriage House seemed like a win-win situation because not only would I get to play more songs, but I would also have the chance to cheer up the residents there with some lively tunes.
My mom called Carriage House and made arrangements for me to perform. In the coming days, I worked especially hard to polish up fifteen pieces that I thought the crowd would enjoy, including many old classics.
When the much-anticipated day finally arrived, my family and I drove to Carriage House. Walking through the enormous double doors, we stepped into an entryway that overlooked the spacious grand dining room. Right at the entrance to the dining room stood the piano as if it were just waiting to make some music to liven the place up a bit. At nearly every table several gray-haired women or men were seated enjoying their dinner and the company that the crowded room provided. Despite the conversations going on at various tables though, isolation hung like a dark cloud in the room.
Almost immediately, we were greeted by an old woman with a walker who introduced herself as Phyllis in charge of Carriage House. She welcomed me and led me to the stage.
注意：
1） 续写词数应为150左右；
2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
| As I sat down on the bench, I pressed a key on the piano and was surprised to hear no sound. …… Nervousness melted away and I started to enjoy the performance with the old. |
