Hitting heavily on the keys in frustration, I turned away from the piano, trying to fight the tears that were already welling up in my eyes. After an hour of 1 I still couldn't get the rhythm quite right on a Mozart piece that I had to 2 to my piano teacher the following day. It was frustrating to have spent such a( n)3 time on a piano song and still be unable to play the piece correctly. To me, the piece had at first seemed easy. But, no matter how4 I tried, I just couldn't seem to play it the way that it was 5 to be played.
I decided to take a 6.For the most part, after a little bit of work, I could 7 learn the song rather quickly. However, it was always that one song, which might have appeared simple but was8 that always annoyed me. These types of songs always made me 9myself whether I could be a pianist.
After having dinner, I decided to come back to the piano. Placing my10on the keys, I chose to play the piece slowly and carefully, paying attention to hitting the correct notes11 trying to play the piece quickly. Using this new method of practicing, I12 a great deal of patience, something that I often had13 with. Instead of thinking how hard the rhythm was, I thought about how I could 14myself, little by little. Finally, I could slowly see myself getting better.
15 I didn't even get the rhythm right until a week later. I also16 an important lesson—sometimes, baby steps are the best way to 17a goal. I'm an impatient person who likes to think that I can get18 by leaps and bounds. But, in the case of piano, I couldn't move forward and improve19 I slowed down, believed in myself, and took it one step 20.
The most anticipated films of 2018
Thanks to movies like Wolf Warrior 2, Never Say Die, Youth, The Fate of the Furious an Dangal, the 2017 box office gross (票房收入) has reached new heights. Meanwhile, audience have been fed up with Hollywood's long dependence on sequel (续集) films. A lack of origin stories has been criticized for a while.
As we embrace the new year, let's look to the future, and the most anticipated films in t following year.
Guardians of The Tomb
Country: China and Australia
Release Date: Jan 19, 2018
Director: Kimble Rendall
Stars: Li Bingbing, Kellan Lutz, Wu Zun, Kelsey Grammer
An innocent discovery of a well-preserved mummified Emperor from 200 BC China unearths a 2000-year-old nightmare — a secret that should have remained buried.
Monster Hunt 2
Country: China
Release Date: Feb 16, 2018
Director: Raman Hui
Stars: Bai Baihe, Jing Boran, Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Monster Hunt was a huge commercial success, breaking numerous box office records. The film took place in the distant past, when the human race existed alongside the Monster race. Monster Hunt 2 is the sequel of it.
Avengers: Infinity War
Country: United States Release
Date: May 4, 2018
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans
The upcoming American superhero film, based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers, is the sequel to 2012's Marvel's the Avengers and 2015's Avengers.
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
Country: United States
Release Date: July 13, 2018
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Stars: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, David Spade
This 3D animated cartoon movie, the sequel of Hotel Transylvania 2, is a fantasy-comedy for your whole family to enjoy.
Before we came to Canada in 1951, when I was three, my parents and I spent a year at refugee camp (难民营) in Austria. We had escaped from what was then called Czechoslovakia. My parents had already lost their livelihood once to the Nazi. Mummy was freed from the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen and spent the years after the war trying to find her family, only to discover she was the only survivor. She met my father in a small town outside Prague. They married and had me in 1948. When we arrived in Montreal, everything we owned was contained in an army trunk and a couple of army blankets. Mummy bought an old sewing machine and some inexpensive materials and using patterns in magazines, taught herself to sew. Her hands were always going, making something. She learned English by singing along to the hit song as she worked.
For me, high school was a lonely time. My mother worried that I'd never come out of my shell so she signed me up for classes at the Montreal Children's Theatre. That's where I found my voice with her strong faith in me, Mummy had opened a door. Although she was an educated woman, I never heard my mother said “This is what I gave up for you.” She was always there for my younger brother and me. When I sat in the kitchen with her, I felt safe. When she made soup or sewed a ballet costume for me, it was all a gift, a labor of love. She wanted to make us happy. For a long time, I had a picture hanging in the kitchen saying “Put your heart into it.” I grew up with that phrase. Mummy taught that lesson by example, and it has become my own work ethic(职业道德).
Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd, the largest global gaming provider and the operator of QQ, an instant messaging software service, has launched a series of scientific exploration events aimed at encouraging young people to explore the outside world, instead of being continuously absorbed online.
“QQ has been in the market for 18 years, but it is not aging, and its application has become younger and trendier. We hope that more young Chinese can use the app to connect with different people and views worldwide. We never worry about losing game players. Instead, we hope that players can actually go out to learn more,” said Li Dan, general manager of marketing department of the social network group at Tencent.
China's gaming market netted (净赚) sales revenues of 218.96 billion yuan ( $33.75 billion) in 2017, jumping 23.1 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, the number of mobile gain players in China reached 462 million, adding 10 percent over the last year. According to Tencent the number of active users of QQ, who are 21 years old or younger, has been increasing, and they tend to use the app for a longer time.
Starting May 22 of last year, QQ organized free trips for young people to Galapagos, Namibia, Spain and the Antarctic, but it didn't reveal the specific amount it contributed to those trips. During each trip, it selected three to four participants from those who uploaded videos and made specific travel plans online. The finalists stand out with their clear video statements and their enthusiasm about going on adventures.
“Tencent's approach appears to be contradictory with its own interests. But, in fact, this is consistent with the company's long-term growth strategy and will promote its business by establishing a good social image,” said Neil Wang, president of consulting firm Frost & Sullivan in China.
A company in San Francisco, California, has found a way to turn used plastic bottles into women's shoes.
Every day, millions of Americans drink water and other liquids from plastic bottles. More than 60 million of them are thrown away each day. Many of the plastic bottles end up in landfills or are burned with other waste products.
A San Francisco start-up company called Rothy's, however, turns this plastic waste into environmentally friendly shoes. Roth Martin is the company's co-founder. He explains how they turn plastic into soft material for women's feet. They take the plastic, clean it, and break it down into small pieces. Then they press them through a device that makes soft fibers. Those fibers are then combined together. This is done by a 3D machine. It is designed to reduce waste while making the shoes. The knitted stuff and the inner part of the shoe are then attached to the shoe's outer part, called the sole (鞋底). This outer sole is also made from environmentally friendly material: responsibly sourced no-carbon rubber.
Rothy's shoes are sold online. They are flat shoes, with either a rounded or pointed toe. They come in different colors and designs. They cost either $ 125 or $ 145 per pair, depending on the design. After American actress Gwyneth Paltrow discovered them last year, the demand for the shoes grew. Martin says there is no shortage of material to fill that demand. “We're not going to run out of water bottles any time soon. So we have a limitless supply of material, and I think that is a good sign for our future.” When the environmentally friendly shoes wear out, customers can return them at no cost to a company that uses the recycled materials to make other products.
For now, the shoes are only available to be shipped in the United States. However, the company says it will add international shipping in the near future.
Here are some ways parents can use to encourage a healthy self-image in their children.
Teach what real value is. I think kids sometimes are confused about values. How valuable you are is not measured by how pretty you are on the outside.We were watching the Oscars and my 6-year-old son said, “She is so pretty,” and then quickly looked at me and said You are prettier, Mom.” And I said, “It's okay. There are many people prettier than me on the outside. I know that's not why you love me
Tell your kids about “the grass is always greener” syndrome. It is very easy for all of us to see the charm, whether it is in a famous singer or the most popular girl in the school. Do not think too highly of famous people.Maybe they have the same struggles, like wanting acceptance from peers.
Don't be afraid to have conversations with your child about how they're feeling about ads songs, etc. You are the parent!Take a stand and have confidence enough not to be followers and not to purchase clothing, music, or magazines that you don't believe send the right message to your children!
A. Use your mouth.
B. Be patient with your kids.
C. about what problems they might have.
D. It is important to teach children this from an early age.
E. Success is not measured by how famous you are, either.
F. Girls tend to like famous singers while boys prefer sports stars.
G In fact, kids of all ages want and need boundaries from you.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Today is an excellent day for small improvements. It is no need to make a huge change, just a small one, something you can probably to do right now. If you learn just one more new words each day, in the next year you will increase our vocabulary by more than 300 words. Small improvements can add up to big achievements. Consider the work you do each day and thinking about how you can do it just a little bit better.
On a marathon race, each step the winner takes is just a little bit long and faster than each step taken by the others. That small difference add up in a big way. Do just a little bit more today, and tomorrow too, but each day after that. Anyone can make just a small improvement, and that can make big difference.
For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming home to an empty house. All of them have something common. They spend part of each day alone. They are called latchkey children, who look after (them) while their parents work.
Lynette Smith was once the headmaster of a school. She said, “We had a school rule against (wear) jewelry. A lot of kids had chains around their necks with keys fastened. I was (constant) telling them to put them inside their shirts. There were so many keys. It never came to my mind they meant.” Slowly, she learned they were house keys.
She and her husband began talking to the children. Fear is the (big) problem faced by children at home alone. One in each three latchkey children were scared. Many had nightmares and were worried about their own (safe).
The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. It might be in a shower still, under a bed in a closet. The second is TV. They'll often play it at high volumeSmiths learned it's hard to get statistics on latchkey children. Most parents are unwilling (admit) they leave their children alone.
