It is the eleventh year of "the Belt and Road" initiative ("一带一路"倡议), and our "circle of friends" has become larger. Why not join us and enjoy the wonders along the Silk Road?
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One day, a teacher entered his classroom and gave his students a surprise test. He walked around the classroom and handed out the question papers with the text facing downwards.
Once he had given them all out, he asked his students to turn the page and begin. To everyone's surprise, there were no questions, but just a black dot on the page. The teacher saw the expressions on everyone's face and said, "I want you to write what you see there. You have three minutes to finish this." The confused students got started on the unusual task. After three minutes, the teacher collected all the answer papers and started reading each one of them. All of them, with no exception, described the black dot and tried to explain where it was on the paper.
After each paper had been read, the classroom was silent. The teacher began to explain, "I am not going to grade you according to this. I just wanted to give you something to think about. No one wrote about the white part of the paper. Everyone focused on the black dot, and the same thing happens in our lives. We have a piece of white paper to enjoy, but we always focus on the dark dots. Our life is a gift filled with love and care. We always have reasons to celebrate—friends that help us or jobs that support our lives."
"However, we keep focusing only on the dark dots—the health problems, the lack of money or the bad relationships with other people. The dark dots are really annoying, but they are small. Take your eyes away from the black dots in your life. Enjoy each moment that life gives you. "
I went out for breakfast this morning to meet a friend. It was lovely. But what wasn't so lovely was the lady who took our order. She spoke in a way that was impatient, unhappy, certainly not friendly and kind of rude. Working in hospitality(服务行业) myself, I noticed it.
When it was my turn to order, I thought to myself, "What can I do here to make her day, to appreciate her, to make her smile? I had nothing." Surely there must be something I could sincerely praise her for. Then there it was, and I knew instantly.
It was her voice. She had the most incredibly(难以置信地) well spoken and clear voice. It was SO good.
And that was what I would praise her for. So after she took my order and gave me the same unfriendly attitude, I told her, "I hope you don't mind me saying so, but you have the most amazing voice. It's so clear, well spoken and sounds so professional."
I told her how she honestly had one of those voices that would be perfect for voice-overs(配 音 ) ,announcements or even radio. Her face lit up, she smiled (the first time I had seen her do so) , and as I left and walked away, I noticed her whole attitude change. The customer behind me received a totally different kind of service, a better one. And it was all because of what I did. Something so simple!
There was a time when this kind of thing would embarrass me, or I would be too shy and to say such a thing. Not now. Now I must!
Why? Because I have the power. The power to completely change someone's day by something as simple as a few kind words. And you have this power too. We all do.
Before you think of buying a bird from a pet store, market or anywhere else, be sure to check out the following pet bird facts to learn why you should think very carefully before you take one home.
Company（陪伴）means everything to birds
In nature, birds live together in large groups of 100 or more. Cockatiels(澳 洲 鹦 鹉 ) spend their days socializing and looking for food on the ground with their groups. Sun conures（太阳鹦鹉）live in groups of 10 to 30 and seldom leave each other's side. But when they are kept as pets, they often live in groups that are too small. What's worse, they sometimes have to live alone. For them, this is no life at all.
When they are kept apart from others of their kind, birds will bond with their owners. They will scream non-stop when their human companion is not around. It is like taking away half of their heart to make them spend most of their time all by themselves. Once they are left alone at home, many birds feel sad. Some may even pull out their own feathers or destroy things.
Some birds can live longer than you
To sell as many birds as possible, some sellers don't tell buyers how carefully and how long they will need to take care of their birds. For example, when some people buy a parrot as a pet, they don't realize that the bird could probably live longer than them.
Anyone who buys macaw（金刚鹦鹉）needs to make a plan across generations. In order to provide that animal with a safe home for its whole life, it is important to make sure that another person will be there to care for the bird after its first owner has died.
The feeling of freshness won't last long
Birds are often seen as smart and talented animals. But sometimes, if a bird doesn't behave or "perform" as its human owners want, the animal may be considered stupid.
Unwanted birds are unlikely to receive the care they need. If they are released（释放）by their owners, most of them will quickly die. That's because they are not good at finding food or water, and cannot protect themselves during bad weather or from diseases.
"Hello," says a friendly voice. "My name is Temi".
I look at the one-meter-tall machine, and it looks back at me. I've never met a robot before!
Temi says its job is to help humans _____. They check on patients, bring items to customers, and do some other things. While Temi has taken on many human jobs, you'd never mistake it for a person. The robot has a "face". Its "body" looks like a vacuum(真空吸尘器).
However, some robots are now being designed to look as human as possible. These products of technology are at the center of a debate(争论): Should they be made to look like humans ?
Robots are playing an increasingly bigger role in our lives. In some countries, robots have been looking after kids and helping the elderly. Some experts say robots will be more effective at such jobs if they look like humans._____"Humanizing the machines can turn cold technology into something that speaks to the human heart," said roboticist(机器人专家) David Hanson. Hanson is the creator of Sophia, one of the most human-like robots ever built.
_____Just look at popular fictional(虚构的) robots like WALL-E. They don't look like us at all.
_____However, robots can't always do that yet. For example, they can't laugh at the right moments during a conversation. Many people also find human-like robots frightening.
What's more, the human body is not the best design for many of the jobs we want robots to do. Just think of small, flat robot vacuums. They can go under a sofa to pick up the dust balls. Can human-like robots also do this?
A. Research has shown that people feel closer to human-like robots. B. But other experts say robots don't need to look like humans. C. If robots look like us, we may expect them to act like us. D. Although they have many advantages, many people are unhappy about their designs. E. There are about 8,000 Temis in hospitals and shops around the world. |
Do you think robots should look like humans? Why or why not? (no more than 25 words) _____
What is one of the best parts of traveling abroad? It's the food, of course! It can be a life-changing1 to enjoy different foods that are prepared by locals.
I came to know this2 my gap year in China. Ever since I was a boy, I have3 enjoyed eating Chinese food here in Massachusetts. But, to be4 , I was only familiar with vegetable lo meins( 捞面) and spring rolls. These were commonly5 in my area's restaurants. I knew that real Chinese dishes differed greatly from the ones that could be found in those places. Before I left for China, I felt6 about whether I would really end up enjoying the food or not.7 , I had never been a very adventurous eater(大胆的食客).
During my first few days in Beijing, I did not8 everything that I tried. I especially disliked breakfast. One of the most common breakfast items was baozi. I found it9 that people ate so much meat for breakfast. But after these first couple of days, I slowly10 the food. I fell in love with one of Beijing's most famous dishes: Peking duck.
As I traveled to11 cities around China, I learned that each place had its own12 that it was famous for. I enjoyed rice noodles in Guilin, xiaolongbao in Shanghai, and hot pot in Chengdu. When it was time to return home, I felt somewhat upset. I knew that I would miss the amazing13 of foods available throughout China.
14 my gap year in China, I learned to truly enjoy Chinese food, one must go directly to China. Yet more importantly, this trip taught me to always have a(n)15 mind to new things.
Today was an amazing day. There was a total solar eclipse(日蚀) in Wuhan! I _____(wake) up early because I couldn't wait to see it!
My friends and I went down to the Yangtze River to find a good place_____ (watch) it. We took cameras, chairs, food and drink, and special glasses_____ we could look at it. Lots of people gathered there to watch it. Slowly, the moon moved in front of the sun. _____ (it) looked like someone bit a hole in the sun! At 9:26 a.m. the moon _____(complete) covered the sun. The sky went dark. The light of the sun made a ring of light around the moon. The total eclipse lasted _____over five minutes! Then it passed and the sky started to get brighter again.
I_____ (inspire) by the eclipse this morning. In the afternoon, I spent hours reading about astronomers, eclipses, and_____ the planets move in our solar system. The universe is simply amazing! I also watched some_____ (video) with famous Chinese astronauts. I want to become _____ astronaut or astronomer(天文学家) someday too. The sky is the limit!
in a row without something divide usual |
For the next five years, Chinese New Year's Eve will disappear from the calendar. That is because of_____ called the "little month". The Chinese calendar_____ the lunar months into "big months" and
"little months". Big months last 30 days and small months last 29 days. If the last month of the year happens tobe a "little month", we skip(跳过) danian sanshi. It is not_____ for danian sanshi to be skipped. However, experts say that it is uncommon for this to happen five years_____. But don't worry about your holidays!
Even_____ a danian sanshi, Chinese New Year's Eve will be celebrated on the 29th day of the 12th lunar month.
London zoo is one of the top attractions in Britain and it is the world's_____ (老的）scientific zoo. It was_____（建造） over 180 years ago. Now it is run by the Zoological Society of London.
The zoo can be found in the_____ (中心) of London. _____（虽然) it lies in the middle of the city, the zoo still has a large_____（数目) of animals to see, including lions, giraffes, tigers,_____（猴子) and so on. In fact, there are 750 different groups, making it one of the largest collections of animals in the UK.
The zoo is divided into many different areas, such as Lions and Tigers, where you can get very close to a family_____（属于，关于) beautiful but endangered big cats from Asia. These places are great fun to explore and help make it very_____ (受欢迎的) with tourists from different parts of the world.
Shopping can also be done in the zoo. There are several places where you can buy food and drink. Gifts _____(两者) about the zoo and the city can be bought in many shops.
The best way to_____（到达) the zoo is to take the underground. As it is in the northern end of Regent's Park, it only takes ten minutes to walk through the park from Regent's Park Underground Station.
色课程更多地了解中国。请根据以下信息，写一封邮件，向他推荐一个合适的特色课程。
I like sports, and I'm interested in science. I'm really curious about the special courses in your school. Mike
Amazing Soccer have professional coaches learn soccer skills play friendly matches | Discover Science do experiments learn science knowledge work on projects |
注意:
1.文中不得出现真实姓名、学校等信息;
2.词数 80 左右; 开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
3.短文需包含所选特色课程地所有相关信息，可适当发挥。
Dear Mike,
Welcome to our school!
Yours ,
Li Hua
