学进去

By the time Joy Ryan, a US grandma, turned 85, she had never seen the ocean or mountains. For Joy, trips to the local fishing area with her husband were about the farthest place she had ever gone, even if she loved watching the Travel Channel.

But one day Joy’s grandson, Brad Ryan, discovered that he and his grandma had a common interest in their love for traveling, when they began to visit the American great outdoors together.

Brad said, “When I learned my grandma had never seen the great wildernesses of America—deserts, mountains and oceans, I thought there was something I needed to do.” It was after taking his grandma out of Ohio on a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that he came up with the idea of visiting all the 63 US national parks with her to create inspiring memories.

Going to all the 63 US National Parks is a huge achievement even for a much younger adventurer (冒险家). Brad said his grandmother’s physical strength (体力) grew with their trips. For example, his grandma went water rafting (漂流) at 91, with class three rapids and when walking at the New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia, she broke the record by almost a decade!

It wasn’t always like this, however. Joy was so wobbly (不稳的) on her first trip, challenged by her balance. A group of college students clapped their hands when she reached the top of a path they were following.

Joy broke her age limitation (限制) and at the age of 93, she made history as the oldest living person to visit every US National Park. Joy believes it’s the mix of hopefulness, willpower, and the good health that gives her strength.

It happens in every disaster (灾难): For those in need, people often donate (捐赠) things that turn out to be more of a trouble.

Juanita Rilling remembers it happened in 1988 when she was a disaster expert trying to help people suffering from a hurricane (飓风) in Honduras. “One morning I received a call from one of our logistic operators (物流运营商), and he explained to me that there was a plane carrying medical supplies that needed to land,” says Rilling. “But the ground was full, with lots of donations that no one had required. The plane—full of needed supplies—had to find someplace else to go. And it ended up stopping everyone’s plans by about 48 hours, which is important time in a disaster.”

Rilling now runs the Center for International Disaster Information, which is trying to make sure things like that don’t happen again. So when Superstorm Sandy hit, Rilling’s group started a project to encourage money donation. “Even a small donation can make a big difference and can quickly become exactly what people affected by a disaster need most,” Rilling says. But despite this, donators do that over and over. About 60% of the things donated after a disaster couldn’t be used. Often it’s old clothing or food.

Meghan Hara, who deals with kind donations for the American Red Cross, says she knows that some people are careful with giving money. And she doesn’t think that the need to give something concrete (实物) should be completely stopped.

“Part of what people are doing is that they’re helping, and they’re trying to help. What we need to work out is how to effectively deal with that,” Hara says.

Ritz has been teaching for nearly 10 years in a high school where the early graduation rate of the students was just 17%. He discovered a way to connect and intrigue these students, especially the ones who seemed the hardest to reach.

Once, he received a package of flower bulbs (球茎) which he mistakenly thought were onions. He was afraid that they might become weapons (武器) in a classroom fight, so he hid them behind a radiator (暖气片) and forgot about them.

Six weeks later, an angry girl ran after a boy who always made troubles. As usual, Ritz rushed towards them to break up what he thought was about to become a disaster. He saw the boy reach towards the radiator and thought he might have hidden a weapon there. To his surprise, the boy suddenly pulled out a bunch of yellow flowers and gave them to the girl as a peace offering. The girl decided to take the flowers home to her mother and peace came back.

The forgotten bulbs were actually daffodils (黄水仙). The steam from the radiator had forced them into flowers. From such an experience, Ritz realized that if there was power in plants to stop a classroom fight, there must be power in plants to change students’ lives. He turned the moment of growing plants into a green course, a movement that would change his life and the lives of his students. He designed vegetable gardens into part of the school ground and on top of a building.

Ritz’s students now have near-perfect attendance and graduation rates. His efforts have led him to be a great teacher who uses the power of a plant to give a voice to children.

In August 2022, I had my very first travel experience in the heart of nature. Although I was already well into adulthood and an experienced _________, I’d never spent much time in _________. A group of friends invited me to go hiking in the Canadian Rockies, and I _________. I had never joined in _________ in my life so at first I didn’t look forward to the _________, and as a self-described “city girl,” the _________ of vacationing in the middle of nowhere without cell service or WiFi was _________.

But the minute we _________ Jasper National Park, I fell in love. The wide open spaces, beautiful views and sounds of nature _________ me. For the first time in a long time, I felt __________ free. All that fresh air and walking was just what I wanted in my life.

Back home, explaining my experience to my friends and family was __________. My words failed me at first. After I __________, I talked to my sister about the trip.

Growing up, we shared many firsts: our first concert without parents, our first heartbreaks and so on. We shared such a __________ relationship that I wished her to __________ nature in the same way as I had. Experiencing nature for the first time __________ a new world for me.

The red panda, also called red cat-bear, has soft and thick fur with a red-brown stripe (条纹) from each eye to the corners of the mouth. Its body 1． (long) is about 50—65cm and its front legs are slightly 2． (short) than the back legs, which gives it a bit of a waddle (摇晃) when it walks.

The red panda lives in an area 3． rocks and trees can be found. It seems to do most of its feeding on the ground. It is gentle and can easily 4． (keep) in the zoo.

About two 5． (three) of the red panda’s diet is made up of bamboo. Red pandas do a lot of eating so providing plenty of food is important. There must be plenty of trees for them 6． (climb) and sleep too.

The red panda can live together 7． (peace) with other pandas. Most of their activity happens at night, during sunrise or sunset.

Now red pandas are 8． danger. Their main threat (威胁) is the disappearance of the forests and habitat loss. These 9． (animal) are also illegally hunted, and the number of them 10． (drop) by 50% in the past forty years.

On a busy Saturday, I was at the mall with my mom. The mall was alive with the chatter of people and the sound of music. Everywhere I looked, there were people dressed in nice clothes, laughing and chatting with their friends.

My mom, on the other hand, wore a simple dress and old shoes. Her clothes looked worn out compared to the others’. As we walked past store windows, I couldn’t help but notice the difference. I saw young girls in bright dresses and boys in tidy shirts. They looked so modern and confident.

Feeling a bit out of place, I tried to pull my mom towards less crowded areas. I didn’t want anyone to notice us or, more specifically, notice her. It wasn’t because I wasn’t proud of my mom. I just felt she deserved better.

As we walked around, we entered a store with beautiful clothes. The fabrics (面料) felt soft, and the designs were fashionable. My mom’s eyes lit up when she saw a lovely sweater. “This would look great on you,” she said with a smile.

I checked the price tag and was shocked. It was much too expensive for us. I knew my mom worked hard to make ends meet. Every penny was made use of in our life. Yet, here she was, willing to spend on a sweater for me.

Looking at her, I realized something. My mom might not have the beautiful clothes or the latest accessories (配饰), but she had a heart of gold. She always put me first, even if it meant giving up her own wants.

Suddenly, I felt a wave of warmth. I hugged her tightly. “Mom, I don’t need the sweater. I just need you,” I whispered. She smiled, “I know, dear. But it’s nice to have dreams sometimes, right?” We left the store, hand in hand, feeling wealthier than ever.

From the title “The Joys of College”, you probably think you’re about to read a piece of satire (讽刺作品) about how “awesome” college is. After all, college can be very demanding -a mountain load of assignments all due at the same time, 10-plus page papers, and difficult exams. I get it. But actually, the title isn’t satirical at all. Sure, college is really stressful and there are some aspects I don’t like. But for once, I’d like to focus on the positives of being a college student.

The first thing I truly enjoy about being a college student is that I get to take classes that actually interest me. It isn’t like high school where you’re forced to take the same core classes as everyone else because of the district curriculum. In college, learning doesn’t feel like a task to me anymore because I actually get to design my schedule to my interests.

Besides, there are so many different fields to study. We have many fields of departments (学院) that aren’t offered at other universities, such as Japanese. There are also many interesting classes that can be taken just for fun -classes about anime, the horror genre, and even witchery. There are so many opportunities to learn about topics unrelated to your major.

The community at the University is also very important to me. We are all suffering here but we are all suffering together. The college experience is so much more bearable due to this community. I know I can express myself to any fellow college student about the stress my assignments are causing and they will always understand.

The fun activities and clubs are also a plus. The campus carnivals, holiday markets, and concerts give us something to look forward to as we struggle our way through our classes. And the club activities - like the Campus Times - make college life all the more exciting.

However, my most favorite part of being a college student is that I personally like the idea of being able to enjoy life without worrying about too many expenses. My loan payments are a problem for the future me. And not having to go through the stress of job interviews just yet is also very relieving.

So although there are a lot of negatives of college, there are also a lot of positives. I know that when I graduate, I’m going to miss being a college student.

The best way to learn a foreign language is to live where that language is spoken so that you are completely immersed (沉浸) in the language. 1． There is no better way.

But most people do not have the opportunity to be completely immersed in a new language by living in a foreign country. 2． Before I tell you about a few of those other ways, I’d like to tell you something important: For most people, language acquisition does not come easy, it requires hard work and consistency. With that in mind, here are some other ways that you can learn a new language besides complete immersion.

Watch audio-based (基于音频的) programs

There are a number of audio-based language programs out there and these can be convenient for an on-the-go lifestyle. 3． You need to avoid the “foreigner” accent as much as possible.

4．

If you know how to read in the foreign language, it can be very helpful to read as much as possible to enlarge your vocabulary. What’s more, if you read aloud, it will also be very helpful in improving your pronunciation and fluency.

Speak in the foreign language as often as you can

Video chat with native speakers of the foreign language you are studying as much as possible. Have face-to-face conversations. Your efforts will be appreciated, and often you will be able to help the other person work on English.

I recommend adding all of these learning components into our language-learning method: however, focus on speaking. Involve as many senses as possible in the learning process. 5．

Healthy relationships can be of great 1． (important) to our life. They help us to live a long, healthy, and happy life. The effects of being alone can be as harmful as smoking and other bad 2． (habit).

Research shows that healthy relationships benefit us in many ways. A review of 148 studies found that people with strong social relationships are 50% less likely 3． (die) early. Some research even found that living with a life partner can add 3 years 4． life expectancy (寿命).

Good relationships also help us deal with stress. The support 5． (offer) by a caring friend can provide a buffer (缓冲) against the effects of stress. In 6． study of over 100 people, researchers found that people who completed a 7． (stress) task experienced a faster recovery when they 8． (remind) of their caring friends or family members. However, those who had poor relationships, on the other hand, experienced even 9． (much) stress and higher blood pressure (血压).

Moreover, you may feel richer 10． you have better relationships with others. A survey by the National Bureau of Economic Research of 5,000 people found that doubling your group of friends has the same effect on your wellbeing as a 50% increase in income!

We live near a famous hospital in the city. Since our house is big, we rent some rooms to the patients.

One evening, a truly ugly old man came. Extremely politely, he said, “Good evening. I’m wondering if you have a room for just one night. I came for treatment from the eastern shore (海岸), and there’s no bus till the morning.” He told me he’d been searching for a room since noon, but failed because of his face.

For a moment, I hesitated (犹豫), not only because there was no room left. But his following words convinced (说服了) me: “I could sleep on the floor. I’ll leave early in the morning.”

By chatting with him, I knew he fished for a living to support a big family. But what touched me most was that instead of complaining, he was grateful that his disease didn’t bring him terrible pain.

At bedtime, we put a bed in the children’s room for him. The next morning, he got up early and asked if he could come again. I told him he would be welcome.

On his next trip, he arrived early in the morning.