During the war, my husband stayed at an army camp in a desert in California. I went to live there in order to be1him. I hated the place. I had never been so unhappy before. My husband was ordered out on a long-term duty, and I was left in a tiny shack (棚屋). The2was unbearable almost 125℉ even in the shade of a cactus (仙人掌). There is not a single man who I could3. The wind blew non-stop, and all the food I ate, and the every air I breathed, were filled with sand, sand, sand!
I was so sorry for myself that I wrote to my parents. I told them I was4and coming back home. I said I couldn't stand it one minute longer. I would rather be in prison! My father answered my5with just two lines- two lines that will always sing in my6- two lines that completely changed my life ：
|
Two men looked out from prison bars. One saw the mud , the other saw stars. |
I read those two lines7. I was ashamed of myself. I made up my mind. I would find out what was good in my present8；I would look for the stars.
I made friends with the natives, and their actions amazed me. They gave me 9of their favorite artworks which they had10to sell to tourists. I studied the forms of the cactus. I watched for the desert sunsets, and hunted for seashells that had been left there11years ago when the desert had been an ocean floor.
What brought about this12change in me？The desert hadn't changed, but I had. I had changed my13. And by doing so, I changed an unhappy experience into the most amazing14of my life. I was excited by this new world that I had discovered. I had looked out of my self-created prison and found the15. Thanks to my dad!
Jo Usmar is a famous writer and she is also the co-author of the This Book Will series (系列) of lifestyle books. Here she shares us with her top reads.
|
Roald Dahl I once wrote a paper on the influence of fairy tales on Roald Dahl's writing and it gave me a new view for his strange words. Matilda's battles with her cruel parents and the strict headteacher are equally funny and frightening, but they're also inspiration. |
Haruki Murakami It's about two sisters- Eri, a model who can't stop sleeping, and Mari, a young student. In trying to connect to her sister, Mari starts changing her life and discovers a world of different kinds of "night people" who are hiding secrets. |
|
Gillian Flynn I didn't want to love this book when others did, but this horror story is fantastic. It's nervous from the beginning as Nick and Amy fight for your trust. It's a real adventure story. It makes the readers horribly enjoyable. |
Stephen King This is an excellent fantasy novel. After a serious flu outbreak, a battle starts between good and evil among those left. Randall Flagg is one of the scariest characters. Now she becomes more open and enjoys school more. |
Some buildings of Europe are seen as strange landmarks from the looks and their functions.
Inntel Hotels Amsterdam Zaandam (Zaanstad, the Netherlands)
The hotel is designed to give every visitor a happy "home from home", rather than a uniform and unknown space. Architect Wilfried van Winden was careful to use only local house styles from the Zaanstad area, to make sure the innovative inn would match its surroundings.
Happy Rizzi House (Brunswick, Germany)
A strange landmark is the Happy Rizzi House in Brunswick, Germany. Its bright and colorful cartoons certainly stand out from the traditional buildings that surround the structure. Pop artist James Rizzi, who built the house, wanted to show how children see the world and express themselves freely.
Crooked House (Sopot, Poland)
Looking at the contorted (歪曲的) building can feel like you have entered the house of mirrors or put on a pair of strange glasses. Inspired by Polish fairy tales, the structure is home to shops, restaurants and even a radio station.
Solar Egg Sauna (Kiruna, Sweden)
The people of Kiruna are facing a huge challenge: to move their town centre two miles to the east. It was difficult for some residents to agree with the move, so the town asked architects to build something that would help bring people together and introduce the idea "thoughts of rebirth". The artists came up with something quite magnificent: the shining golden Solar Egg Sauna.
If you have interest in more information of these places, you can contact with us.
Three taikonauts, Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu entered China's space station on October 14, 2021. They would stay in the space station for six months and take on different tasks.
On November 7, 2021, with the cooperation of her companions, Wang Y aping, dressed in our country's new spacesuits, successfully exited from the Tianhe core module, taking the first step of the Chinese women's spacewalk and finishing "picking the stars" for his daughter.
Inside Tianhe, the core module (核心舱) of China's space station, different areas are available for the taikonauts' working and living. The dining area has a retractable (可收回的) table and machines for heating and cooling food and drinking water. The three taikonauts were able to enjoy fantastic food in space. Over 120 kinds of food are provided for them to get enough energy, including kong pao chicken and ice-cream. There is a space-use treadmill and a bicycle in the exercise area. The taikonauts can get much physical exercise in space to keep their muscles （肌肉） in good condition. There are single bedrooms in the sleeping area, but the taikonauts have to sleep in sleeping bags instead of beds. Though they have to work more than eight hours a day, the taikonauts can still have a short sleep during the noon break.
There's also a lighting system to help them keep a healthy inner clock (生物钟). Thanks to China's satellite systems, the taikonauts in China's space station can communicate with the control center on the earth or their families at any time. Many of us wonder whether the taikonauts can take showers in the space station. The fact is that they can only use hot wet towels to clean their bodies.
Have you ever hidden a note inside of a bottle and thrown it into the sea? Many people have done this. Some have done it for fun, and others have done it for more serious reasons.
In 1784, a young Japanese sailor threw a bottle with a message into the sea. The sailor had been on a treasure hunt in the Pacific Ocean. A storm had come up, and his small ship had been wrecked. He and the other crew members had landed on a tiny island.
At first the men were happy. They were safe from the rough waves and the terrible wind. They waited for the storm to end. Finally the Sun came out. The men looked around. A few palm trees lay on the ground. There was nothing to eat except for some tiny crabs. Even worse, there wasn't any water to drink.
Soon the sailor was afraid that he and his friends would never leave the island. They would never see their families again. "Still," thought the sailor, "I might be able to send them a message."
He found a bottle in the wrecked ship. He cut thin pieces of wood from one of the trees. These pieces of wood would serve as paper. Slowly the sailor carved the story about the wreck into the wood.
Then he put the message in the bottle and hid it well. He threw the bottle as far as he could into the ocean. The sailor and his friends never left the island, but the bottle did. It rode the ocean waves for many years. Then one day the bottle washed up on the shore. A man found it tangled in some seaweed.
He was very surprised! The bottle had landed in the very same village that was the sailor's home. The year was now 1935. The sailor's message had floated at sea for 150 years!
a. The sailor carved the story into the wood.
b. The sailor and other members landed on an island.
c. The sailor hunted for buried treasure.
d. The sailor threw a bottle into the sea.
e. The bottle had landed in a village.
|
spread secret private bathroom proud |
Chongyang Festival is also the Double Ninth Festival. It is (庆祝) on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month. Let me tell you some (传统) about it.
During the festival, Chongyang cake and chrysanthemum (菊花) wine are the traditional food. Chongyang cake is a (种类) of steamed (蒸的) cake. Since cake in Chinese is (发音) "gao", people consider climbing a high mountain to be the same as eating cake. They also hope that they can make (进步) in the following days. Because "high" means that one improves to a higher (水平). Drinking the wine is a necessary part of the festival. Chrysanthemums can drive the evil (邪恶) away. It is (可相信的) that drinking the wine can treat and prevent diseases. Climbing mountains and enjoying beautiful chrysanthemums are interesting events.
Many well-known (诗歌) were created to describe the scene and feeling of mountain climbing. Now, family (成员) or good friends get together to climb mountains to enjoy the beautiful scenery and share (幸福) of the holiday with each other.
Do you know straw shoes？It is very important to the Communist Party of China (CPC).
In 1921, the CPC (found). In the beginning, the CPC worked together with the Kuomintang (KMT). But several years(later), the KMT wanted to rule China and killed lots of communists. A war broke out between the two sides and it went on for many years. In 1934, the CPC and its Red Army decided(go) back to their revolutionary base (革命根据地) in Yan'an, Shaanxi Province. This was the Long March.
From October 1934 to October 1936, the Red Army walked through angry rivers, (snow) mountains and vast grasslands. At the same time, they had to bear hunger, thirst and cold. It was a(real) hard time for the CPC. At that time, straw shoes were important strategic supplies (战略物资) to Red Army soldiers. (wear) straw shoes, some of them walked as far as 12, 500 km. However, straw shoes could wear out quicklylong walks. The soldiers had to collect materials and learn to make straw shoes(they) on the move. The Long March saved the CPC.
Straw shoes weresymbol of the strong determination(决心)of tens of thousands of Red Army soldiers to overcome(difficult) and other great challenges during the Long March and reach the final victory.
China is the hometown of the bridge. It has been known as the "bridge country" since ancient times. It brings convenience to us, and contains the romantic feelings of the Chinese.
The Magpie (喜鹊) Bridge
The ancient Chinese believed that the Milky Way was a river in the sky, and they called it the Silver River. According to Chinese folktale, the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd were separated lovers, but once a year, on the seventh evening of the seventh lunar month, they met on the Magpie Bridge which was a bridge across the Silver River formed by magpies for them.
The Tishan Bridge
The Tishan Bridge was an ancient single-arch stone bridge. It got its name because of the famous calligrapher, Wang Xizhi, in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. According to legend, Wang Xizhi saw a sad, elderly woman trying to sell fans on the bridge. It was very cheap but nobody was interested. Wang Xizhi offered to write words on the fans, and immediately, the fans sold out. The bridge was well looked after for centuries. It was rebuilt in 1 828 on the same spot.
The Ba Bridge
The Tang Dynasty was one of the most powerful eras in ancient China. The Ba Bridge in Chang' an, the capital city, became not only a transportation hub (交通枢纽), but a well-known place for people to see off their friends. People usually snapped (折断) a branch from a willow tree and gave it to the person who was leaving. It meant that they wanted the person to stay.
|
The Romance of Chinese |
|
|
Names |
Main Stories |
|
|
According to, it was a bridge across the Silver River formed by magpies specifically for the two lovers. |
|
The Tishan Bridge |
In order to help an elderly woman to sell fans on the bridge, Wang Xizhi offered to on the fans. |
|
The Ba Bridge |
It was a well-known place for people totheir friends and they usually gave a branch of willow to their friends. |
|
Theme |
Make Our City Better |
Time |
8：00 am～ 6：00 pm last Sunday |
|
Volunteers |
Some classmates and teachers |
||
|
Activities |
●clean up the streets ●visit a nursing home ●give out food to the homeless |
||
|
Feelings |
tired but happy |
||
注意：
1）必须包括全部内容要点，可适当发挥；
2）词数：80～100 词，邮件的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Hello, everyone! I'd like to share my experience with you.
……
That's all. Thanks for your listening.
Matilda
After Dark
