The Lakes Aquarium
Lakeside, Newby Bridge, LA12 8AS
Located at Lakeside, on the south-western tip of Lake Windermere, the aquarium has a variety of strange and wonderful aquatic wildlife, as well as a small selection of land-dwelling creatures.
Cost: Adult £8.50
Children aged 3 to 15 £6 Children under 3 Free
Seasonal opening: Open daily from 10 am; Close 4:30 pm
Things to seeThe lakes of Cumbria may appear peaceful on the surface, but they hide a whole world of fascinating and curious creatures, with many of them on display at the aquarium. There are sections covering both local lakes and those from further afield. In the Lake District section you can view native creatures such as crayfish(淡水龙虾) and perch(鲈鱼), as well as mammals such as harvest mice.
Children are encouraged to learn more about the water cycle and how this determines the landscapes we see around us. There is an Asian otter enclosure(围场) with feeding times and talks available. Watch out for the piranhas( 水虎鱼) in the Americas section, and visit the creatures of the rainforests that include marmosets(狨猴) and boa constrictors(蟒蛇).
Guided toursThe advised maximum group size for a guided tour is 25 people—larger groups will be divided into more manageable numbers for guided tours. We recommend that you allow at least one to one and a half hours for the guided tour.
Useful informationWhile there is no cafe in the Lakes Aquarium building, there are two cafes in the buildings nearby. 1872 serves Starbucks coffee as well as sandwiches and sweet treats, and also has a selection of gifts available for purchase. Oscars in the station-building serves hot and cold meals with great views of the lake.
As the foreign English teacher at my school in China, I have a weekly English music broadcast where I show different English songs. I try to get the students to recommend songs to me for the broadcast. At the broadcast, I usually announce who recommended the song and then play it for everyone to hear during lunch time.
I give everyone a chance to share themselves through their music, including one tough student of mine. This student constantly gets into fights with the other students, doesn't study, and brings down the energy of the class. Most of the other teachers and students push him away. I knew though that he just needed a friend, or at least someone he can connect with.
I could tell he was warming up to me over the last year. I told him to think of a song he likes that has some English words in it and that I'll play it on the broadcast for him. He eventually recommended a song. I actually really liked the song so I put it on the broadcast and made sure to announce his name, so everyone knew that he contributed and recommended such a great song. Needless to say, the boy was thrilled, and he's been much happier and focused in English class ever since.
While everyone else misunderstood him and pushed him away, I saw right through and knew that he just needed someone who acknowledged him and gave him a chance. There's still a language barrier between us, but words aren't needed, you can always sense where you're at with someone.
He recently walked by me and gave me the most genuine smile that I've ever seen. My coworker turned to me and said, "I've never seen him smile like that before. How did you get through to him?" "I gave him a chance," I said, "through just one song."
Did you watch the popular TV series Meet Yourself during your winter vacation? In the TV series, the heroine Xu Hongdou travels to a village in Yunnan province and volunteers at a local cafe. She gets free meals in return. As the show finds a growing audience, volunteer travel—an old-yet-modern form of travel similar to Xu's type of work—has attracted more attention.
Volunteer travel refers to taking a trip where all or part of the purpose of the trip is to participate in an arranged service opportunity to help others. During the trip, volunteer travelers often provide services like teaching, cooking, animal caring and cultural activities. In exchange for their help, the volunteers may get free or discounted accommodation, meals and laundry, activities, or classes.
Traditionally, the volunteer activities take place in a foreign country. However, just as what Meet Yourself describes, more volunteer trips have taken place within the same countries or regions the volunteers originate from in recent years. Sanlian Lifeweek magazine commented that volunteer projects in rural(乡村的) areas are now attracting more urban(城市的) visitors as a break from the fast and stressful pace of urban living. Yang Yan, a founder of a volunteer platform, told the magazine that it has indeed been a growing trend for urban residents to volunteer in rural areas.
People try volunteer travel for several reasons. By working voluntarily while traveling, travelers may make a real, positive impact on the world. The services volunteers provide can be through charities with lower costs for the communities they serve. Another benefit of volunteer travel is that it helps urban residents to experience rural life. For those who are sick of urban pressure but can't make up their minds whether to move permanently to the countryside, volunteer travel can be a solution. In this way, as Yang comments, travelers can catch some relief from their busy lives, while rural communities also benefit by receiving more customers for local tourism industries and temporary high-quality labor.
A strong hit to the head will normally give you a concussion( 脑震荡). Woodpeckers( 啄木鸟), however, strike their beaks(喙) into trees thousands of times a day and are perfectly fine.
We used to think that a woodpecker's skull(头骨) worked as a kind of safety helmet which absorbed the shocks. A new study by Sam Van Wassenbergh, a researcher at the University of Antwerp in Belgium, proved that this "common sense" was in fact false.
Van Wassenbergh and his colleagues argued that, if a woodpecker's head absorbed the force, it would not be able to strike the tree with enough force.
"If the beak absorbed much of its own impact, the unlucky bird would have to pound even harder," they said in their paper. In other words, if the theory were true, the woodpecker would have to peck even harder to compensate for both the shock-absorbing qualities of the sponge-like bone inside its skull as well as the density(密度) of the wood.
The scientists recorded four different kinds of woodpeckers in zoos as they were pecking. The team used data from their high-speed recordings to build digital models of the woodpeckers. Van Wassenbergh described the woodpeckers motion as "a hammer(锤子) hitting wood" since their movement appeared rigid and focused.
The research suggested that woodpeckers don't have any shock-absorbing device or the ability to reduce the amount of force. Although they are without "helmets", the team claimed that the woodpeckers, tiny size and weight protect them.
A woodpecker's brain is about 700 times smaller than that of a human. "Smaller animals can withstand higher deceleration(减速).Think about a fly that hits a window and then just flies back again," Van Wassenbergh said. "So that is why even the hardest hits we observed are not expected to cause any concussion.
Bullying is when someone misuses his authority( 权威) or power inside a relationship.This behavior can cause physical and emotional harm on others and often leaves the victim feeling helpless.
It is never easy to deal with all the unwanted bullying even when you have done nothing wrong.
Here are some helpful ways to deal with a bully when you get bullied.
Ask Them To StopSometimes when we do not speak up for ourselves, the bullies continue with their behavior thinking of us as easy targets. Telling them to stop in a firm and confident voice can make them reconsider their actions. This will work only if they have not yet established a pattern of bullying you. It is important to keep in mind that you are trying to de-escalate(弱化) the situation.
Bullies usually hunt for people who are alone or have isolated themselves from their surroundings. If you are with your friends, or if you are in the company of someone, it is least likely that the bully will disturb you. We are not asking you to make a huge circle of friends, but sometimes all it takes is one loyal friend who will stay by you no matter what.
Ignore ThemAnother effective measure to ignore a bully is by ignoring them. They think of it as a game, and when they get an emotional response from you, it satisfies their ego. So if they get nothing, they will stop bothering you because they will know you are not an easy one to attack.
A. Be Accompanied
B. Make More Friends
C. Asking the bully to stop is sometimes an effective measure to deal with them.
D. It can be outside of a relationship too as this behavior knows no bounds.
E. Such bullies will go around spreading rumors and false news.
F. However, doing nothing in return will only result in more intense bullying.
G. When you do not react to what they say or do no matter how hurtful it may be for you, they start to lose interest in you.
When one door closes for Li Mei, another one opens.
Born with serious1, Li has found a way to communicate with the world through painting. "Paint brushes can help me create a colorful world, showing my thoughts on paper instead of through my 2," Li writes.
Before learning to paint in primary school, Li always felt3in a silent world. She knew she was 4because she could not hear. 5, a painting class finally opened a door for creativity and expression for her.
Painting not only helped Li6her unhappy childhood, but has also become her career. Moreover, it led Li to eventually meet her husband Hu Shiqun. Having also lost his hearing when he was one year old, Hu is also a(n)7lover.
In 2016, Li8her husband's company, which specializes in (专攻)3D wall and ground paintings.
All the five9there are hearing- impaired ( 受损的). "I know how10it is for hearing-impaired people to find a job. So I want to help those who are interested in painting to11their dreams," Hu says. In many parks and scenic spots in Hunan province, the couple have created lots of murals (壁画)and pavement paintings. For Li, their creations can make art more12to the public and, behind each design, there is someone, who desire to13the world.
"My husband and I want to introduce painting to more people like us and help them find their own way to14, " Li writes. "I hope that more hearing- impaired people can be15by our story."
If you are given the opportunity(sing) together with hundreds of other people while at home alone, you can take part in a virtual choir. All you need is a video camera andInternet connection. A virtual choir helps connect ordinary people together and enables them to add their voices those of other individuals and become part of the global community, which(prove) to be a positive influence on the lives of many people.
The virtual choir was created by award-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre, began studying music at the University of Nevada in 1988. He was moved by Mozart's classical music during his study at the University of Nevada. After graduation, his(origin) compositions began to be familiar to singers and choirs. In 2009, he received a video of a girl who was singing one of his works. (inspire), he asked his fans to make videos, which he then joined together into one(perform). His first virtual choir has received millions of views on the Internet. Since then, the virtual choir (become) a worldwide phenomenon. The virtual choir is a wonderful way for people around the world to sing with one voice, thus(make) the world a better place.
"I hate living here," Karen said as she helped her mother pull up weeds. "I wish we had never moved to this place." "Karen, you're just unhappy because you miss your old friends." Mrs. Jackson said, "If you believe you can, you'll make lots of new friends." Karen sighed. They had been living in their new house for almost a week and so far she had made only one new friend.
Suddenly she noticed a colorful little rock on the ground. She pushed the loose dirt aside. It wasn't a rock at all but a ring. Karen slipped the ring onto her finger, admiring it. It looked beautiful and fit her finger exactly.
"It's so hot," she said, "I sure wish I had something cold to drink." Just then Mrs. Jackson came out carrying two big glasses of lemonade. "Let's take a break," she said, handing one to her daughter." Lemonade!" Karen exclaimed. "Just what I was wishing for," she said secretly. Now that she knew her ring was magic, she would have to be very careful about what she wished. Her next best wish must be a friend because she really needed a good friend.
Then she looked out the window and saw a girl about her age standing on the sidewalk and pulling at a dog. Without thinking, Karen said, "I wish that girl was my friend." She slowly pulled off the ring and laid it back on the dresser. "Now all l have to do is to go outside and meet her," she said to herself. It worked! The girl happened to be in the same grade as Karen. The whole afternoon saw the girls playing with the little brown dog happily until dinner time.
1. 续写词数应为 80 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
When she went in for dinner, Karen told her mom her new friend and the magic ring.
