Did you know you can visit the Great Wall of China, see famous paintings or check in on your favourite zoo animals without leaving home? That's good news any time. Here are some of explore-the-world-from-home ideas.
THE GREAT WALL,CHINA
This incredible landmark is a collection of walls. It's often said it's the only human-madestructure that can be seen from the Moon but that claim was made many years before anyone had been to the Moon. Today, the Great Wall is generally recognized as one of the most impressive architectural feats in history.
VISIT thechinaguide. com/destination/great-wall-of-china
CINCINNATI ZOO,US
This famous zoo is offering virtual animal-watching tours. "We're bringing the zoo to people who are stuck at home," said zoo director Thane Maynard. "The goal with the daily live sessions is to provide fun and educational content to people who are staying at home."
VISIT cincinnatizoo. org/home-safari-resources
SMITHSONIAN,US
The Smithsonian Museum and National Zoo has a large range of exhibits available to view online, including Animal Cams—live streams(視頻直播) of their animal enclosures so you can get up close with lions, pandas, elephants and more.
VISIT si. edu/kids
MUSEE D'ORSAY,FRANCE
Take some time to study the paintings of Monet, Ce zanne, and Gauguin at the Musee
D'Orsay, Paris.
VISIT: m. musee-orsay. fr/en
MARS
And for a truly out-of-this-world experience from the comfort of your own home, take a virtual tour of Mars. The tour images are recorded by NASA's Curiosity rover.
VISI Taccessmars. withgoogle. com
Walter Diemer, who invented bubble gum(泡泡糖), died at age 93.
Mr Diemer was an accountant for Fleer Chewing Gum Co. in Philadelphia when he began testing recipes for a gum base, the part that makes gum chewy, in his spare time in 1928. He created the first batch of bubble gum by chance, making it pink because that was the only shade of food coloring on hand. "It was an accident," Mr Diemer said in a 1996 interview with the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal. "I was doing something else and ended up with something with bubbles."
Americans had been chewing gum since 1870, when a New Yorker named Charles Adams began manufacturing it in a Manhattan warehouse. By the 1920s, a handful of 人 companies were making gum from chicle, a form of sapodilla tree sap(樹液) that had been chewed in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico for centuries. Mr Diemer's pink concoction(調(diào)和物) was stretchier and less sticky than earlier recipes.
Fleer Co. took over the recipe and called it Dubble Bubble, selling the gum for a penny apiece. Mr Diemer helped market Dubble Bubble by teaching salesmen to blow bubbles so they could demonstrate the product. Dubble Bubble had no competition until after World War II, when Topps Co. began wrapping bubble gum in comics and calling it Bazooka.
Mr Diemer, who had begun working for Fleer after high school, never received royalties for his invention, said his wife, Florence Freeman Kohler Diemer. He did receive hundreds of letters from children thanking him for bubble gum, she said. He rarely, chewed gum, but he would invite children to his home and tell them about his invention, then preside over bubble-blowing contests, his wife said. "He was terrifically proud of it," she said. "He would say to me, ‘I've done something with my life; I've made kids happy around the world.' " Mr Diemer eventually became senior vice president of Fleer, retiring in 1970.
Is it easy for you to feel scared? Does art make you cry? Do you feel other people's feelings? On the other hand, do you tend to be overwhelmed by crowds, bright lights or strong perfume? Bad news--or maybe good. You could be an HSP, a highly sensitive person.
How can we understand what's happening inside an HSP? The term was coined in 1996 by psychologist Elaine Aron and she argued that sensitive brains are uniquely tired to process their environment at a deep level. Her theory's most striking claim is that physical and emotional sensitivity are one and the same. A complicated attention to body language strengthens empathy(共鳴); responsiveness to subtle physical signals creates rich sensations in HSPs, but can also overwhelm.
In the workplace, HSPs are usually the highest performers, yet the first to get tired out. They can struggle in relationships, as they tend to be people-pleasing. The ability to connect is of huge value and higher sensitivity is linked with creativity, brilliance and higher IQ. The trait is shared by pioneers across science, business and the arts--anyone who notices details others don't, makes connections they can't.
No matter what you call it, sensitivity is defined as the ability to sense, process, and respond deeply to one's environment. People who are sensitive naturally pick up more information from their environment, process it more deeply, and are ultimately more shaped by it. Much of this deep processing happens involuntarily and many sensitive people aren't even aware that they do it. A better word for sensitive might be responsive. If you are a highly sensitive person, your body and mind respond more to the world around you. You respond more to heartbreak, pain and loss, but you also respond more to beauty, new ideas and joy. You go deep where others only skim the surface. You keep thinking when others have given up and moved on to something else.
Humpback whales are well known for their fascinating culture: These mysterious animals migrate thousands of miles every year, sing charming songs, leap from the water in an enormous breach, and collaborate while hunting--creating bubble nets that trap their prey. Now, researchers have shed light on another aspect of whale behavior: Playing with kelp(巨藻) they find floating in the ocean—moving it between their fins, rolling around with it, and, most interestingly, wearing it atop their heads like a hat.
This behavior—called kelping—has been described in a new study as a "global phenomenon" . There's no doubt kelping looks fun. But could it have another purpose? Olaf Meynecke, research fellow at Griffith University and co-author of the study, thinks so--especially considering that whales can keep it up for 30 to 40 minutes.
What's particularly intriguing about kelping is the way that humpbacks from different populations—in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres—all prefer to wear seaweed on the top of their heads, says Meynecke. They place kelp on their forehead in over half the recorded instances Baleen species are believed to like having their heads scratched--gray whales are known for approaching whale watching boats for a tickle on the nose. Because whales don't have hands to scratch themselves, like we do, Meynecke suggests "they might seek out other tactile sensations that just feel good".
Whales might also be treating kelp like a cleansing face mask, as seaweed has antimicrobial qualities that can reduce levels of bacteria. Rubbing kelp across their bodies may also remove parasites(寄生物) and shed bacterial and viral growths to prevent them getting completely overgrown with sea lice(虱) and skin infections, says Meynecke.
The study has caught the attention of researchers globally, and Meynecke's mailbox has been flooded with people who have also seen kelping. "Someone from Tahiti was like, ‘We see it all the time,' " he says. Now the phenomenon has been highlighted globally, which could lead to further research into the behavior, its benefits, and even if other species do it.
With modern life so jam-packed with activities and stimulation, it is hard to completely unplug and relax. So here are some ways to relax your brain.
Getting some exercise
It might sound strange to talk about exercise as being restful. . A short walk at lunchtime can do the job as well as more intense or longer exercises.
A lot of our time is spent waiting. Instead of stressing about unfinished tasks, take a look around you. Buses and grocery store lines offer a glimpse into the lives of others. Maybe that young mom struggling with a baby could use your seat on the bus. Has that businessman with the dozen roses found love? What will that student do for the world? Even if you never know the truth, stepping outside of your own thoughts can bring insights and freedoms, always things of value.
Nature
Walking or sitting in natural surroundings is an opportunity for healing. . Peaceful colors, fresh oxygen, pleasing textures, and soothing sounds create a perfect spot for quiet thinking or cloud watching. Changing seasons may bring back fond memories or give hope for new ideas. And a simple garden or even an indoor plant can inspire hope every time we look at it.
Animals
If you have a cat or dog, you are probably familiar with the peaceful feelings watching animals or petting their fur. If you don't have any animals of your own, you can still interact with a variety of species when you visit or volunteer at butterfly houses, zoos, aquariums, or even a friend's house. They deserve companionship and care just as you do.
A. Watching people
B. Changing surroundings
C. However, nature doesn't always help
D. Nature makes no demands of us yet gives so much
E. Being around them always carries a peaceful magic
F. But that's something our brain needs to repair and restore itself
G. But moving the body helps clear the mind as well as relax the body
Originally, John Bravo was just an ordinary high school student in Georgia. He ran around to attend 1 in different classrooms every day.
John's school is very 2 . In order not to be late, John has to run 3 across the campus, rain or shine. Because he ran through the same path every day, other students began to 4 him, and sometimes a few students standing next to him would 5 him. Soon his 6 began to circulate on campus: That John running to class daily. As a result, more and more students began to come to see John 7 for class. This scene became a unique 8 in the campus.
Someone created a Tiktok account to 9 his running to class every day. Several videos of John running have already 10 tens of millions of likes. John became an Internet celebrity.
Gradually, the 11 behind John's running to class was revealed. John is actually a foreign student. His English is not very 12 but he worked very hard. The classrooms of 6th and 7th classes were far apart, 13 in order not to be late, he ran away immediately when he heard the bell.
After hearing this, people also felt this scene was very 14 and felt this is what a campus should look like. Everyone needs that positive 15 . This is literally Forrest Gump 2. 0.
According to one legend, dumplings first appeared during the Han Dynasty. (rough) 1800 years ago, the story goes, a physician named Zhang Zhongjing returned to his hometown during a cold winter. He found his fellow villagers with frostbitten (ear) and created a new dish to help them warm up. Mutton, herbs, and spices were he chose as the ingredients. The doctor (wrap)them in pieces of dough and folded the pieces to resemble tiny ears. That particular tale is (possible)to confirm, but the long history of dumplings in China is undeniable. Typically filled meat or vegetables, the simple bites are distinguished by their pleated(起褶皺的), wheat dough wrappers. They're often served for the Chinese New Year, though not because they look like crescent moons(新月). Eating them is believed (bring) prosperity in the new year. Traditionally, if you want to wish someone good fortune in China, you feed them dumplings with a coin (hide) inside. In addition to being one of the most delicious foods ever created, soup dumplings rank among most dangerous. Hot soup is one of the (lead) causes of burns. When you're too nervous to eat it whole, tear into the dumpling while it's on your spoon and drink the soup one cautious sip at a time.
注意:1. 詞數(shù)80左右;2. 可以適當(dāng)增加細節(jié),以使行文連貫。3. 參考詞匯:英語才藝比賽English Talent Show
Notice
I was 11 years old when I asked my mum for piano lessons. We were in the economic decline and she'd recently been out of work. She said a polite "no".
That didn't stop me. I googled the photos of a keyboard, drew the keys on to a piece of paper and stuck it on my desk. I would click notes(音符) on an online keyboard and "play" them back on my paper one—keeping the sound they made on the computer in my head. After a while I could hear the notes in my head while pressing the keys on the paper. I spent six months playing scales(音階) and chord sequences(和弦序列) without touching a real piano. Once my mum saw it wasn't a fad(一時的怪念頭), she borrowed some money from family and friends, and bought me 10 lessons.
I still remember the first one. I was struck by how organic the sound of the piano was, as I had become familiar with the artificial electronic sound. The teacher tried to explain where middle C was but I could already play all the major and minor scales.
I passed my grade one after eight lessons and got distinction. By the time I started secondary school, we couldn't afford lessons again, so I returned to my paper keyboard. I passed grade three, then grade five, practicing only on my piece of paper.
For the grades above that, there's an expectation that you put a certain sensitivity into your playing. The head of music at my school said I could practice on the school's piano. I would wake up at 5: 30 am to get there in time and play until lessons started. I'd skip lunch and then practice after school until the caretaker kicked me out. At home, I'd have dinner, do three hours of revision, and then mental practice until I am.
注意:1. 續(xù)寫詞數(shù)應(yīng)為150左右;2. 請按如下格式在答題卡的相應(yīng)位置作答。
One evening, when I was about 13, I came home, and my mom said she had a surprise for me.
……
My dad was very much against me playing, but when he heard that song, something inside him changed.