Fishing with Grandpa
One day, my grandfather went fishing, and let me go with him. He handed the rod (钓竿) to me, held my 1 and taught me how to throw my line into the water. Our bobbers floated (浮标漂浮着) together as we sat there, hoping for a bite. The sun 2 us. We sat and talked, “I remember when I could sit here and watch the fish 3 in the water,” he said. “Sometimes, they'd jump out and 4beside me. I didn't need a rod and bait (饵) at that moment.” “We have to be 5,” he continued, “The fish may come or they may not. It doesn't matter. We're out in the 6. It's a beautiful day. We're lucky to have the warmth of the sun. If it had rained, we wouldn't be here. ” He sat against a tree. “Yes, it's a 7 day,” he said. I watched our dobbers. 8 fish pulled them under that day. It didn't matter. I was with Grandpa. I felt grown up. Just being with him was special. He was well loved by everyone and I wanted to 9 him when I grew up. He'd worked hard all his life for what little he had, but he could still find time to laugh. He was a relaxing man. In the short time we had together, he 10 me many things: how to hold a rod, the value of a good time, the value of a good friend, respect for my elders, and the importance of working hard and living harder. The list is long.
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Where to eat There are a number of different places to eat in the shopping center. The Noodle House is small, but very popular. The noodle soup tastes very good, and the fried noodles with roast pork are delicious. Everything is clean and the staffs are friendly. Prices are good too, but you may have to wait quite a long time as the restaurant is so busy. Roma is a new restaurant. It is very smart, but the pizzas here do not taste good. We didn't eat our fish as it smelled bad. The waiters looked angry and we thought it was very expensive. This restaurant has to improve. The Tokyo Restaurant has been here for many years, and the staffs bow to customers when they enter and are very kind. The fish is very fresh and most of the food is delicious. The amount of food you get is quite small, but it always looks nice on the plate. The Golden Dragon is a large Chinese restaurant. It has a lot of different food. The sweet and sour pork is excellent, the Beijing Duck is famous, and the winter melon soup is good. Go there for a really good meal, but expect to pay a lot. Prices are high. The Come in Coffee Shop is very modern. There are many sorts of coffee and if you like sweet things, wait until you taste their cakes and cookies! You can also have sandwiches. I enjoyed the egg sandwiches a lot. They have modern music playing, but it is very noisy, so it is quite difficult to have a conversation. |
In 50 years of traveling, Colin McCorpuodale has visited every country in the world except three. And everywhere he goes, he sends himself a postcard. He always chooses a postcard with beautiful scenery (风景). Usually he writes just a short message to himself. However, he wrote an interesting story on his latest one, from the Malians Island.
Mr. McCorpuodale lives in London. On one of the walls in his room, you can see a large map of the world. There are hundreds of little red pins (大头针) stuck in it. “These pins mean a lot to me.” says Mr. McCorpuodale, “I follow the rule. I'm allowed to stick one in only if I've been in a place for more than 24 hours.”
Naturally, Mr. McCorpuodale has his favorite places. New Zealand, he describes as “a wonderful country”. About China, he says, “This is the country in the world which is completely different. There is no European influence. ”
Wherever he goes, Mr. McCorpuodale takes with him a photo of his wife, a candle, a shirt with a secret pocket and a pen.
So why does he do it? For the postcards or the travels? Mr. McCorpuodale laughs, “Neither. Only for the meaningful life.”
Subway
A subway is not just an important form of transport. It is also a window for other people to learn about local cultures.
Beijing, China
The Beijing Subway was opened in 1969 and is the oldest subway system in China. It has added some modern technologies. All stations now have touch-screen maps. In some stations, people can also see traditional Chinese cultures. For example, on the walls of a few stations of Line 8, there are some pictures of blue and white porcelain(青花瓷）.
Stockholm, Sweden
The system of the Stockholm Subway has 100 stations in use, of which 47 are underground and 53 above ground. The first subway line for Stockholm was opened in 1950. The Stockholm Subway is well-known for its decoration of the stations. It is called the longest art gallery in the world. Over 90 percent of its stations are decorated with paintings. A few stations are decorated with red bedrocks（岩床）. This makes you feel as if you are in a cave.
London, UK
The London Underground or the Tube is the oldest subway in the world. It was opened in 1863. During World War II, it was used to protect people from German plane attacks（袭击）on London. Now, it is a symbol of the city. There is no air conditioning in the trains, so it is very hot in summer.
New York, US
The New York City Subway has the most extensive public transportation system in the world, with 469 stations. It is also one of the world's oldest public transit systems. The New York City Subway runs 24 hours a day. It has an express train on almost every line. You can get to your destination(目的地）promptly. The trains themselves are full of fun; you will see people doing moonwalk dances like Michael Jackson, playing the guitar and singing.
Some people think that they have an answer to the problems of automobile crowding and pollution in large cities. Their answer is the bicycle, or bike.
In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bicycles to work every day. In New York City, some bike riders have even formed a group called “Bike for a Better City”. They claim that if more people rode bicycles to work there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown section of the city and therefore less dirty air from car engines.
For several years this group has been trying to get city government to help bicycle riders. For example, they want the city to paint special lanes—for bicycles only—on some of the main streets, because when bicycle riders must use the same lanes as cars, there may be accidents. “Bike for a Better City” feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes.
But no bicycle lanes have been painted yet. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea. Taxi drivers don't like the idea—they say it will slow traffic. Some store owners on the main streets don't like the idea—they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business. And most people live too far from downtown to travel by bike.
The city government has not yet decided what to do. It wants to keep everyone happy. On weekends, Central Park—the largest open place in New York—is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bicycles only. But “Bike for a Better City” says that this is not enough and keeps fighting to get bicycle lanes downtown. Until that happens, the safest place to bicycle may be in the park.
When you are learning English, listening, speaking and writing are important, but reading can also be very helpful. Here are some good reading tips.
. Read something that you can understand. If you need to stop every three words to use a dictionary, it is not interesting.
Try to increase the number of your new words. If there are four or five new words on a page, write them in your notebook. . Instead, try to guess their meaning as you read: First mark them with a pen. Next come back to look them up in a dictionary. . Finally spend some time remembering them.
Try to read regularly（定期地）. . Fifteen minutes every day is better than two hours every Sunday. Fix a time to read and keep to it. You could read for fifteen minutes when you go to bed, or when you get up or at lunchtime.
Read what interests you. Choose a book or a magazine about a subject that you like, because you are going to spend time and money reading it. . You can also read newspapers. There are many English newspapers in China. It is easy enough to understand and also there is something interesting in it.
A. So, choose an interesting book. B. Try to read at the right level. C. For example, read for a short time once a day. D. But you don't have to write them while you read. E. Then write them in your own vocabulary book. |
Kataria is the founder of the worldwide laughter movement. The celebration of World Laughter Day is a positive activity for world peace and is to build up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship through laughter. The first “World Laughter Day” gathering（集会）took place in Mumbai, India, on 11th January 1998. 12, 000 members from India and international Laughter Clubs attended it. Now there are about 5, 000 Laughter Clubs worldwide on all 5 continents.
“HAPPY-DEMIC” was the first World Laughter Day gathering outside India. It took place on 9th January 2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark. “World Laughter Day” is now organized on the first Sunday of May every year. Hundreds of people gather worldwide on that day to laugh together.
Today, the world has never faced so much unrest（动荡）before. People are at war within themselves. Laughter is a universal language, which has the ability to unite humanity without religion（宗教）. Laughter can build a common connection between various religions and create a new world order. So we believe that laughter and only laughter can unite the world, building up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship.
Studies also say that laughter helps your body do the following: lower blood pressure; reduce stress; work out the heart, especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercise. So in life, when you can laugh, you should laugh loudly and with your entire body—because it's good for you.
提示词：role model， help， encourage
1. Who is you role model?
2. Why is he/she your role model?
3. What can you learn from him/her?
To: | Mike |
From: | Mary |
Subject: | My Role Model |
Dear Mike, I'm glad to hear from you. Yours, Mary | |
