Washington DC is famous for all kinds of museums, which are really attractive. Here are some of them.
International Spy Museum
www.spymuseum.org
Admission: buy tickets in advance recommended.
Become familiar with the real world life of spies (间谍) and their equipment, strategies and history. See over 200 spy tools and find out if you have what it takes to become a spy. Take part in a timed treasure hunt solo or in teams against your friends as you attempt to break codes (密码).
National Museum of Women in the Arts
www.nmwa.org
Admission: $10 adults, youth free.
This museum highlights female artist's works of art form the 16th century to today. The permanent (永久的) collection showcases over 3000 pieces such as paintings, photography and silverwork. Artists include Elis-abetta Sirani, Barbara Morgan and Louise Nevelsen.
National Postal Museum
www.postalmuseum.si.edu
Admission: free.
Created in 1993, this museum delivers America's postal history from the 17th century to the present day. It focuses on the development of mail delivery and the advances in postal technology. Learn how mail was transported through the ages, how stamps are created and the significance of letters. See some of the best stamp collections in the world.
National Museum of Natural History
www.mnh.si.edu
Admission: free.
The NMNH collection has been growing for the past 150 years and is the largest and most comprehensive in the world. It features 126 million items and is growing daily with ground-breaking research by world-eminent scientists. Everything imaginable is displayed here from fossils including Dinosaurs, giant squid and the Hope Diamond.
Life was not kind to a sweet Boxer-Pit Bull mix. Dog fighting had cruelly taken away his left ear. In 2019, the 4-year-old arrived at a rescue in North Carolina and was then named Van Gogh. Christy Langley explains he was named after the famous painter "not because he is an artist, but because he is a work of art". What Lang-ley couldn't predict (预测) was that Van Gogh would actually go on to be a successful artist.
Gartner owns a shelter that helps dogs in shelters that are at risk of being put down. She saw Van Gogh and immediately knew she needed to help. So, she took Van Gogh in from North Carolina in June 2022. Gartner started telling everyone about the friendly and lovely Van Gogh on Facebook, Pet finder, and Rescue Me, but no one responded.
After months of searching for a new owner, Gartner had a new idea. Why not take Van Gogh's name literally? Gartner explained. "He certainly had the name and the ear for it." Gartner got to work, putting some paint on a canvas (油画布), wrapping it in a plastic bag, and coating it with peanut butter (花生酱) as a tasty treat for the pup. It only took five minutes for Van Gogh to lick the plastic-coated canvas clean and for a work of art to be created.
They worked on paintings for about a week and then, Gartner invited people to an outdoor art gallery event on October 23, 2022. Sadly, only two people showed up. The next day, Gartner put out a post on Facebook that she felt bad only two people showed up, and said the rest of the paintings were still waiting for their owners. Suddenly, Van Gogh's pieces were hot items. After two minutes, the paintings were sold out and Gartner raised around $1,000 for her rescue. The biggest success of all, though, was that on the last day of the silent sale, Van Gogh was finally adopted (收养).
We've all done it. For many of us, it's something that happens so naturally every day. After working on an important project or a task for a little while, you decide to take a break-only to pick up your smartphone and start looking through social media, reading emails, checking out the news and maybe getting in a quick round of "Candy Crush Saga". A break is supposed to be a time to relax so that you can go back to your work feeling fresh. However, a new study finds that cellphone use during a mental break doesn't really allow the brain to relax and can actually result in a poorer performance.
For the study, a group of 422 undergraduate students at Rutgers were assigned a set of 20 word puzzles to complete. Halfway through the task, the students were separated into three groups: one group took a break and were told to use their cellphones to go shopping online, another group took a break and were instructed to shop either via their computers or using a paper circular (印刷品广告), and the third group didn't take a break at all.
Interestingly, the group that took a break with their cellphones displayed the highest levels of mental fatigue (疲劳), and had the hardest time solving the word puzzles following their breaks. In all, the cellphone group took 19% longer to finish the puzzle task, and solved 22% fewer problems than participants in the other two groups combined.
"The act of reaching for your phone between tasks, or the mid-task, is becoming more common. We assume it's no different from any other break-but the phone may carry increasing levels of distraction (使人分心的事) that make it difficult to return focused attention to work tasks," explains Terri Kurtzberg.
Anger may feel uncomfortable, but it's also normal and healthy. It is an emotion built into us to signal that something needs to be dealt with. When we take notice of that signal and actually correct the problem instead of ignoring it, we're usually much better for it.
Start by looking beyond the superficial (表面上的) trigger to your anger. Anger is often precipitated (仓促发生) by underlying feelings of fear, anxiety, disappointment and guilt. Maybe you're extremely angry that your partner is late, but it's really because you were afraid that he or she had a car accident in the bad weather.
It helps to take a cool-down period before explaining to someone you're angry with how he or she rocked your boat. That will allow for the effects of the adrenaline (肾上腺素) to wear off, which in turn allows you to reflect on what's bothering you. Do some controlled breathing or find some physical activity to take the edge off. "There's clear evidence that exercise helps with feelings of anger," says McIntosh.
When you're ready to approach the other person, focus on the behaviour and why it upsets you, not the person's characters. Avoid calling the other person names. Don't say something bad, and don't make generalizations (泛化), such as "You always do this!" "The idea", says Keelan, "is to bring up your reasonable points to the other person in a manner that is most likely to get a helpful and non-defensive response. "
If you're on the receiving end, remember that there are benefits to acknowledging and trying to under-stand the other person's anger. Try offering to make a change, if that seems fair to you. If you're willing to be a partner in working through heated situations, the other person will be much more likely to bring matters up constructively in the future. In the end, you'll both be healthier for it.
The huge high rises, loud noises, and masses of people make up a symbolic United States destination and the city millions of people call home. Winding your way through the streets of New York City is an overwhelming and humbling (令人谦卑的) experience. With so much to offer, there is never a boring moment in this energetic city but an appreciation for this urban (城市的) culture.
Walking down these busy streets you are sure to see several different coffee shops where writers with dreams are typing away or perhaps old friends catch up as they drink. Next, there are the classic pizzerias where many love to go to get a slice of New York style pizza. Another city classic are the popular delis, a favorite quick and easy lunch hot spot.
A valued aspect (方面) of the city streets is the artistic attraction they hold. Brushes of color brighten up the modern buildings. The buildings become an artist's studio where creativity comes to life, beautifying the city and showing social and political expressions. Whether an artist is trying to get discovered, make a living, or simply just sharing their feelings, the air is filled with joy to lift the spirits of the people.
On any given street you can take a taxi with the wave of an arm. You can sit on a subway, feeling the shakes of the starts and stops and hearing the loud sound of the tracks. Yet the most common form of transportation is your own two feet, allowing you to get where you want to go, fast or slow.
There is nothing more American than a street in New York City. They are enjoyed by all those who are there to experience it.
A. The beautiful variety brings life into the city.
B. The energy they give off will be sure to inspire you.
C. These streets are known for their variety of great food.
D. An additional form of art that fills these streets is music.
E. The many aspects of the urban culture are there on the street.
F. A huge benefit of the city life is the diverse transportation choices.
G. You become one tiny fish in the deep depths of the ocean once entering.
Volunteering wasn't my cup of tea. The thought of giving up my precious 1 in exchange for nothing didn't interest me. But then, at the age of fifty, suddenly, I had way 2 time on my hands, as the result of a medical condition.
The first year of my 3 retirement was spent mostly sitting for hours 4 feeling sorry for myself. The following year I was so 5 with life that I cleaned out more closets than I'd ever realized one home could have. By the time the third year rolled around, I 6 that, in fact, I'd been 7 the thing that I'd valued most in my life.
So the moment I saw an advertisement for 8 at the local Humane Society shelter for animals, I made a decision and dashed off an e-mail to the shelter letting them know of my 9 . Much to my surprise, soon, before the day was 10 I had a return e-mail and I went right to work the next day. There was never a boring moment and 11 a new animal that needed love and the reassurance (保证) that it would soon find its new 12 .
A fresh enthusiasm for a(n) 13 life can often be found in the strangest places. I would have 14 the opportunity, if I had not been willing to 15 the most precious thing in life-my time.
Lanzhou, 9 August 2017. A group of researchers and scientists from China and other countries are working together to help increase knowledge and appreciation of China's ancient cultural heritage. They are recording and collecting digital images of cultural relics from the Mogao Caves. Nearly 500,000 high quality digital photo-graphs (produce) since the international project started in 1994.
The Mogao Caves have long been a meeting point for different cultures and are part of history of many countries. Today, the caves are just as international as they (be) at the time when people travelled the Silk Road. Tourists all over the world visit Dunhuang to see the caves, and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles has even reproduced a copy of the caves and paintings for people (admire) in America.
By (share) so many digital photos over the Internet, the group hopes to promote even (wide) interest around the world in China's ancient history, culture, and traditions. They also hope to further educate people about the (important) of safeguarding historic and cultural relics for future generations. As one researcher is working on the project explains, "Appreciating one's own cultural heritage is very important for understanding (one). Appreciating the cultural heritage of other countries is very important for international communication and understanding."
My name is Maeli. I am so lucky, because I have Lizzy Jo. She is my cousin and my friend! We are close. We talk about everything from our dreams, our sad things to the things we value most such as her beautiful bracelets (手链) and my beads (有孔的珠子).
Yesterday our teacher brought out a big box just before the last bell rang. "I have a little gift for each of you," she said. Then she gave each of us a perfect popcorn ball. Each popcorn ball was in clear bag that was tied with a ribbon (丝带). Just that little ribbon made the gift look so fancy! Sometimes, it's the tiny details that make things special.
I happen to have a great appreciation for popcorn balls, so I was pleased. Lizzy Jo and I rode the bus home. The moment I was off the bus, I untied the ribbon and put it into my pocket. Then I took the popcorn ball out of the plastic bag. I didn't even stop walking. Unfortunately, my feet were in a big hurry to get home, and sometimes when feet are in a hurry, they trip.
My feet tripped. I fell. And my perfect popcorn ball dropped right into a dirty puddle (水坑). I was okay, but my popcorn ball wasn't. Have you ever seen a perfect popcorn ball in a dirty puddle? It isn't something that you want to take a photo of and frame and keep forever.
I looked at my popcorn ball. That moment definitely was NOT the time to use the two second rule. Last week at my grandma's house I used the two second rule. I accidentally dropped my cookie on her floor. I picked it up REALLY fast, and I admit that I ate that cookie. But this was a very different situation. This involved a puddle.
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。
I wanted to cry.
……
I went to my room and opened my box of beautiful beads.
