Check out our top 5 weather apps for your smart phones, which will keep you one step ahead of nature.
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Tornado Warning and Alert App This app from the American Red Cross tracks a tornado as it approaches with step-by-step advice about what to do before the storm hits. A siren warning is built into the app and goes off when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issues a tornado warning in your area. |
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The Weather Channel App This app includes weekly weather forecasts from more than 200 meteorologists and lets you check what kind of weather lays ahead, complete with storm prediction maps. The Weather Channel App also alerts users to storm warning in the area. |
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Lightening Finder If the goal is to get to the storm, rather than avoid it, this app is here to help. The Lightening Finder color—codes the age of the lightening bolt, and estimates a safe distance from which to watch it. |
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NOAA Weather Radio HD This app broadcasts radio reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and gives you around-the-clock updates on the latest weather warnings, watches, advisories, and forecasts. Push notifications alert you to serious storm warnings in your area even when you are not currently using the application. The app also gives detailed four-day forecasts based on your GPS coordinates, or a chosen location. |
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Dark Sky Stay dry with Dark Sky, which offers weather reports, including minute-by-minute rain forecasts for your exact location. To keep its predictions as accurate as possible, this app forecasts only one hour into the future. |
A 60-year-old homeless woman named Smokie has been sleeping outside in the dirt a few doors down from a man named Elvis Summers.
Most mornings, she stops by Elvis's Los Angeles apartment and asks if he has any recyclables for her. Through these conversations, they established a friendship.
One morning, Elvis saw a news article about a man in Oakland who has been making tiny houses out of rejected material. He was inspired to put off paying a few bills so he could buy the lumber(废旧家具) and hardware to make Smokie a brand new shelter. It took him five days to build, and now, for the first time in ten years, Smokie has a place to hang the sign, "Home Sweet Home."
"I had nowhere to really build it, so I just built it in the street outside of my apartment," he told Good News Network. "The local LAPD cops have been super cool, and have told me they support it — as long as we move it to a different spot every 72 hours."
He made a video showing how he did it. The materials, including two locks on the front door and wheels for moving it around, cost him about $500.
"I've met so many homeless people, good people," Elvis said in an email. "Since I built Smokie's, several people asked me to make them a tiny home and it has turned into much more than just the one house I wanted to build."
Although he runs an online retail store that sells EDM clothing, he decided to launch an ambitious project to fund more shelters. He plans to get lighter and cheaper materials — without sacrificing the strength of the house — for the next round. Rick Sassen, the branch manager at supply company Allied Building kindly donated the roof shingles(木瓦板) and cedar siding(雪松壁板) for Smokie's house, final items Elvis couldn't afford on his own. Sassen has promised to work out a deal on future building materials for the same cause.
"I'd like to offer purpose to these people in need and hire them to build the houses with me. I've even set an appointment with LA's Mayor Eric Garcetti to try and get his help," said Elvis. "The city owns or controls many properties which are just sitting collecting dust and could be used, even temporarily, to help save lives."
Because Elvis qualifies for a free phone through the free phone program, he's given his device to Smokie and helps her keep it charged. She has been using it to contact her family.
"Now if I could just get her to stop using the radio on the phone so much, it wouldn't always be dead and need charging so often," he said laughing.
Every fall, like clockwork, Linda Krentz of Beaverton, Oregon, felt her brain go on strike. "I just couldn't get going in the morning," she says. "I'd get depressed and gain 10 pounds every winter and lose them again in the spring." Then she read about seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression that occurs in fall and winter, and she saw the light literally. Every morning now she turns on a specially constructed light box for half an hour and sits in front of it to trick her brain into thinking it's still enjoying those long summer days. It seems to work.
Krentz is not alone. Scientists estimate that 10 million Americans suffer from seasonal depression and 25 million more develop milder versions. But there's never been definitive proof that treatment with very bright lights makes a difference. After all, it's hard to do a double-blind test when the subjects can see for themselves whether or not the light is on. That's why nobody has ever separated the real effects of light therapy from placebo (安慰剂) effects.
Until now, in three separate studies published last month, researchers report not only that light therapy works better than a placebo but that treatment is usually more effective in the early morning than in the evening. In two of the groups, the placebo problem was resolved by telling patients they were comparing light boxes to a new anti-depressant device that gives off negatively charged ions (离子). The third used the timing of light therapy as the control.
Why does light therapy work? No one really knows. "Our research suggests it has something to do with shifting the body's internal clock," says psychiatrist Dr. Lewey. The body is programmed to start the day with sunrise, he explains, and this gets later as the days get shorter. But why such subtle shifts make some people depressed and not others is a mystery.
That hasn't stopped thousands of winter depressives from trying to heal themselves. Light boxes for that purpose are available without a doctor's prescription. That bothers psychologist Michael Terman of Columbia University. He is worried that the boxes may be tried by patients who suffer from mental illness that can't be treated with light. Terman has developed a questionnaire to help determine whether expert care is needed.
In any event, you should choose a reputable manufacturer. Whatever product you use should give off only visible light, because ultraviolet light damages the eyes. If you are photosensitive (对光敏感的), you may develop a rash. Otherwise, the main drawback is having to sit in front of the light for 30 to 60 minutes in the morning. That's an inconvenience many winter depressives can live with.
Adulting is hard. While high school students are at the forefront of technological and learning skills, it's often not until they leave home that they learn everyday life skills. Some believe that high schools should offer a common sense course in which students are taught how to pay bills, change a tire or cook. Now, one Kentucky school is offering an "adulting day" to teach such skills to students in their senior year.
A class at Bullitt Central High School in Shepherdsville, Ky., traded in their algebra and literature classes for a day to learn some positive life skills, according to Wave 3 News.
"I think that the idea occurred to me, originally, when I saw a Facebook post that parents passed around saying they needed a class in high school on taxes and cooking, " Christy Hardin, director of the BCHS Family Resource & Youth Services Center, told Wave 3. "Our kids can get that, but they have to choose it. And "Wednesday" was a day they could pick and choose pieces they didn't feel like they had gotten so far."
Members of the community helped provide the lessons for the students one on one, including local police who taught them how to interact with officers during traffic stops, a speaker who explained how to decipher the difference between homesickness and depression, and others who discussed how to use credit cards, how to cook in a dorm room and how to change a tire.
While many people on Facebook applauded the idea, with some arguing, "This should be taught in every high school, " others wondered what became of home economics.
Now known as Family and Consumer Sciences, these courses teach students how to cook, sew and budget, along with other skills. In many districts, however, the classes are electives and students do not always choose to take them.
"About time this came back, it was called Home Economics, "one woman wrote. "In today's diverse make up of families it would be a welcome addition."
Another shared, "We had home economics that taught us to cook and learned how to sew. We also had business math that taught us banking and finances. Why in the world is that not taught today? I mean, a special day called adulting to teach kids this stuff? Should be a required class credit."
The desire to be noticed by peers is a natural tendency. Your style—the way you dress up, the way you carry yourself, the trends you follow—plays a key role in helping you stand out from the others. The following tips can help you.
⒈ Be yourself.
Why be a second-rate version of anybody else when you can be the first-rate version of yourself. Nothing will help you stand out of the crowd more than your own features because there can be only one you. Everyone has their own belief, their own way of thinking, their own experiences that shape their styles. However, self-doubt and fear of disapproval drive many to abandon their own ways and follow what everyone else is doing.
⒉ Keep an open mind.
Open-mindedness helps you see things from a different perspective, understand others, find opportunities, and learn from others. There are several styles that you should explore and determine which suits your own personality. Nobody knows what fashion you are enthusiastic about. But you should be clearly aware of your own true feelings about it.
⒊ Keep up with the recent trends.
Fashion is always changing. As society changes, so does fashion. Changing trends reflect the changes in people's taste. Similarly, your senses of fashion changes as you gain more experiences in life. Keeping track of the latest fashion will help you redefine your style.
⒋ Wear your confidence
Your attitude towards dressing can make a significant difference on how you look. You can wear a very beautiful dress, but if you can't carry it with confidence, it will not look good on you.Don't wear an uncomfortable dress just because everyone or your friend is wearing it. Remember, it's okay to have your own style as long as you are confident with it.
A. Also, it tells a lot about your personality.
B. What worked yesterday may not work today.
C. Copying others will make you just another face in a crowd.
D. Having an open mind can be very helpful in defining your style.
E. On the other hand, even an average dress looks great on people who wear it confidently.
F. It is not absolutely necessary to follow every new trend, and you can enjoy the ones you like.
G. Simply following the fashion trends or wearing expensive clothes will not help you get a distinct style.
In all one's lifetime it is oneself that one spends the most time being with or dealing with. But it is1oneself that one has the least understanding of. When you are going upwards in life you tend to overestimate yourself. It seems that everything you seek for is within your2. When you are going downhill you tend to underestimate yourself.
To get a thorough understanding of oneself is to gain a correct view of oneself and be a realist-aware of both one's3and weaknesses. You may4hopefully to the future but be sure not to5 too much, for ideals can never be fully realized. You may be6to meet challenges but it should be clear to you7to direct your efforts. That's to say, so long as you have a perfect8of yourself, there won't be difficulties you can't overcome.
To get a thorough understanding of oneself needs self-appreciation. Whether you think you are a towering tree or a blade of grass, a high mountain or a small stone, you represent a state of nature that has its own reason of9. If you earnestly admire yourself you'll have a real sense of self-appreciation, which will give you confidence.10 you gain full confidence in yourself, you'll be enabled to fight and overcome any difficulty.
To get a thorough understanding of oneself also requires doing oneself a favor when it's needed. In time of anger, do yourself a favor by giving an outlet to it in a quiet place so that you won't be hurt by its flames; in time of sadness, do yourself a favor by11it with your friends so as to change a gloomy mood into a cheerful one; in time of tiredness, do yourself a favor by getting a good sleep or taking some stimulant. Show yourself loving concern about your health and daily life.12you know perfectly well when and how to do yourself a favor, you won't be confident and ready enough to13 the attack of illness. As you are aware, what a person physically has is but a human body that's vulnerable when14to the elements. So if you fall ill, it's up to you to take a good care of yourself.
In a word, to get a thorough understanding of oneself is to get a full15of one's life. Then one will find one's life full of color and flavor.
The Great Wall of the ancient Qi State, the oldest(exist) Great Wall in China, stretches across Shandong for more than 600 kilometers. It (build) during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
"Historical records say the Qi State built the wall here to defend itselfits enemies, as well as to stop flooding(effective)," says An Xingzhu, who worked at the town's culture station for more than three decades. A key task of the station is(protect) cultural relics.
In the 1970s，parts of the rammed earth wall(夯土墙)were dug out and used by farmers for their land, but since the early 1990s, the local government(start) to take measures to protect the wall.
Rapid development and(construct) have brought many new problems and challenges in protecting the wall.is necessary to provide a solid legal guarantee for its conservation. To tackle the challenges, Shandong Province has passed a regulation protecting the structurewill take effect on Jan. 1. It states that local governments will establish a dynamic conservation system using remote sensing satellites, drones, information platforms and other technological(mean) to monitor the Great Wall.
Emily White came to the world 17 years ago, with so many birth problems in her body. Some of her organs, bones and muscles were out of shape. No one expected her to survive long. She did make it but with her strange body figure, everyone could recognize her, even from a distance.
In her hometown, a yearly outdoor performance was held in the school auditorium (礼堂). It had been performed for so many years and actually had become one of the most important events of the Christmas season for many of the town's people.
Many people tried out each year for it, but so many were turned away. It can only include the most excellent people in the field.
Emily had a beautiful singing voice. Last year she went to Mrs. Owens-her music teacher-to ask to join in the performance. Without letting her sing, Mrs. Owens took a glance at Emily's body and said, "Child, you are just not suitable. Everyone would stare at you and that would make you uncomfortable. It would make them uncomfortable, too."
Without singing a single note, Emily was sent back through the door of the choral (合唱的) room. Hurt and upset, she decided never to try out again. But Mrs. Owens then retired.
This year, there came a new music teacher, Mr. Butler. He heard about Emily and suggested that she have a try.
Emily didn't want to be rejected again, so she hesitated about it. As Emily struggled, the door was pushed open and Mr. Butler called, "Emily, you're next." Kind of nervous as she was, Emily did as Mr. Butler told her to. Mr. Butler sat by the piano to keep Emily company. When Emily finished her testing performance, she thanked Mr. Butler and knew the result would be posted on the door of the choral room the next day.
Emily couldn't sleep that night. She tossed and turned in bed one thousand times. She was suffering from the feelings that she didn't fit and the great need to be accepted. By the next morning, her stomach was even in pain due to stress.
注意：
1）续写词数应为150左右；
2）请按如下格式作答。
Emily hurried to school and anxiously glanced at the list on the door of the choral room.
Finally, the day for the performance came._
