Our Christmas Goose

On a cold morning that December, my brother Rick and I were sent to Uncle Tommie's on the other side of Little Mountain to get a goose for Christmas dinner. This long journey over the mountain was hard but worth it.

that morning, dark clouds were coming together overhead. I knew it was going to snow on the ________

When we arrived, Uncle Tommie was already waiting for us. "Boys, I’m not ________ you off,” he said, “but the wind is picking up. You’d better get the goose and head for home soon.”

After a quick thank-you and goodbye I took the goose and we left. Halfway up the mountain, it began to snow heavily. I held the goose ________ to me.

By the time we reached the top of the mountain. it showed more heavily. And the wind seemed to blow straight through my coat. I stepped in front of Rick. “You must be cold. Open your coat!”

“Are you crazy?” Rick asked. “I’ll lose what little warmth I have!” When he saw I was ________, he slowly opened his coat.

I placed the warm goose inside his coat. Rick sighed happily (舒了口气). My plan was ________

On the way down, I started to shiver (发抖). Rick said. “Dave. it's your turn now.”

He passed me the goose. For a long moment, I just stood and ________ my freezing(冰冷的) hands on his body. We passed the goose back and forth (来回地) between us all the way. Finally, We got home.

Sitting at the table, we explained how the goose kept us from freezing. “We can’t have him for dinner! This goose helped ________ our lives,” I said.

Later, we named the goose Charley and he lived out his life in the yard, bossing around the chickens and another goose we bought to keep him company. A life as the most important bird was fitting for our ________.

WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL? WHY?

I joined a band （乐队）as a drummer in my middle school. I thought it would be fun playing the drum and meeting new friends. At first it was easy, but a month later, it got difficult. I was the only one who couldn’t keep pace （节奏）with the other players.

Our teacher, Angie, singled me out to keep practicing while everyone else got to relax. I felt ashamed （羞愧的）as my teammates watched me fail so many times. Finally I got so tired of practicing that I didn’t care about doing it right.

“Are you giving up on me. Steve?” Angie asked.

“Yes, I am,” I shouted. Angie sent me inside the music room where I cried out. Then she came in and said. “Don’t be sad. I believe you can make it!” She told me never to give up. She left me alone and I realized Angie was right—by giving up, I was also giving up on the team and myself.

With her comfort, I decided to go on practicing. However, I still couldn’t play well. Knowing my difficulties, my teammates gave me a hand. They spent about three more hours practicing with me every week. Thanks to their support and help, I began to keep pace with them. Later, we performed wonderfully in an important show.

In the whole process, I was taught that although we each had our own job to do in a show, it would take all of us working together to make the show great. I felt accepted and made great progress. I love everyone in the band. I can’t imagine what my school life would be like without them.

What does it mean to be green? Green is more than just a color. It also means taking special steps to protect the environment. Buying a green product is a small step everyone can take. Deciding whether a product is green, however. isn’t always easy. We need to consider the whole life cycle of the product even after it’s of no use. Here is what we may keep in mind.

The materials of a product are usually our first focus(关注). What is it made of？ Are there any harmful chemicals in it? Green products are made of more natural materials which are free from harmful chemicals, so they can be good for our physical health.

Packaging is important How is a product packaged? Is it over packaged? We’d better choose glass, metal and paper packaging. as these can be reused or more easily recycled （回收利用）.We can also look for less packaging or even choose unbagged products whenever possible.

Location（地点）matters. Where was a product produced? Where are we buying it? Think about how much energy was used to get it to us try to choose local products. When it comes to food, it is a good idea to order directly from local farmer, shop at markets and buy fruits in season. Buying from stores near our houses is also a good choice, because we can go there without driving a car.

Look into what the company tells us about their product. It’s easy to say that a product is “green” or “all natural” but the words may be too good to be true. So, much of the information about a product should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, companies try to make us believe that their products are environmentally responsible.

The greenest thing is certainly the one we don’t buy. Things like food and clothing are necessary for life. But many others are not. Better than buying is choosing to leave an unnecessary product in the store and doing without. It sends a message to the producer, keeps money in our pockets, reduces （减少）waste and keeps the planet healthy.

A Pathway (路径) to Meaning in Life

When it comes to a meaningful life, we might think of love, happiness and health. A life filled with meaning is what most of us want for ourselves. Then, what makes a meaningful life?

Many researchers agree that a meaningful life comes down to three factors (因素): having long-term goals, believing that one’s life matters, and feeling that one’s life fits together and “makes sense”.

But we believe there is more to consider. Sometimes life enables us to experience small moments of beauty. When people are open to appreciating (欣赏) such experiences, these moments may improve how they see their own life. We call this experiential appreciation (EA). EA is about the person feeling connected to events and being able to appreciate the value within the connection. It shows the discovery of and admiration for life’s beauty.

We recently set out to better understand EA in studies. We were interested in whether EA was also tied to general judgment of meaning in life. If so, it could be a factor for meaningfulness.

In the first study, we had people rate (评估) their support for different methods of reducing stress. We found that people who managed stress by focusing on their appreciation for life’s beauty also reported experiencing life as highly meaningful.

In the next study, we asked people to rate the degree to which they agreed with various statements, such as “I appreciate the beauty of life” and “I appreciate little things in life,” as well as other statements that related to the three factors and a general sense of meaning in life. Our results showed that the more people reported that they were “appreciating life” and its many experiences, the more they felt their life was valuable.

In the following studies, we further looked at the connection between EA and meaningfulness. For example, we found that people who were asked to look back on the most meaningful event of the past week generally reported high EA in those moments.

All the results proved our theory (假设) true. But putting it into practice can be difficult. Our fast-paced lifestyles fill the day with goals. We try to get the highest output both at work and in spare time. This focus on future outcomes makes it all too easy to miss what is happening right now. We should slow down and let life surprise us.

Working Out through Online Videos

Physical exercise is good for our mind, body and spirit. Today, working out through online videos is becoming very popular. Since the Internet is widely used, it’s very easy for us to do so. That means we can work out anytime anywhere.

One of my friends, Lin Fei. followed short workout videos to do daily exercise. “With live programs, I feel like working out with my friends, which encourages me to hold on to the last minute.” she said. Another friend of mine, Michael, told me that workout videos let him feel so comfortable. “I have a fear of working out at the gym（健身房）because I don’t like being watched by others. Working out at home makes working out much more enjoyable.” he said.

With their examples, I decided to give it a try. When I told my plan to my elder sister, a P.E. teacher, she reminded me that workout videos could be helpful but might still carry some problems.

“Without being with someone in person, you will be less willing （愿意的）to work out to your best. Working out at the gym allows you to have advice in real time and get pushed harder.” my sister said to me. “Well, if you really want to have a try. first, choose proper programs or videos. That’s very important. And then ask your friends for advice. Their experiences can give you a good sight into what you can expect. Anyway, don’t be addicted（沉迷的）to it. You should try different ways to work out to be healthy.”

At her suggestions, I finally followed an online workout program with personalized help that is held for three months. After the first period of training, I felt it very practical and helpful when I put in the right amount （量） of work along with a strong will. Compared with going to the gym, using online videos to work out is a much cheaper and time-saving choice. But it can be difficult sometimes when I’m too lazy or too busy to stick to it.

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