Music is my first love. I can sit down at the piano and forget all about time and space, all about my problems. During the lowest moment in my life, music was my comfort.
I’m a veteran (退伍军人). After I got out of the service, I began a career in music, and then became an ironworker. A few years ago, the one-bedroom apartment I rented was sold. The developer planned to tear it down. The apartment manager, Ray Randle, gave me two months rent-free to find a new place to live. It didn’t help because I’d been disabled from an accident at work and was living on Social Security.
In quiet desperation and with the help of two friends, Jackie and Anne, I packed up my belongings and moved everything—including my electronic keyboard and my piano—into storage. I slept in my car, thinking it would only be temporary. But weeks turned into months and then months turned into years. My car had become my home.
The one thing that kept me alive was music. The wonderful manager at the storage unit would let me play my piano anytime, day or night. I would lose myself in music. I hit my real low one Christmas Eve when I was driving down a narrow road to where I would park my car and sleep at night. Another car came around the corner and crashed into mine. My car—my only home—lost its right front end. At that point, I really had no place to live. I moved in temporarily with a friend. I felt as if all hope for me had gone.
Bruce Knight, a retired firefighter, drove down to get me. “Veterans do not live in their cars,” he said. He drove me to the local homeless shelter, where I stayed for 75 days. That was where I met with volunteers of America’s Veterans Services. They helped me move into a place called Huot House.
Ken Darby, manager of Huot House, told me to move towards life and hug it.
I’m doing much better these days and I continue to play music for different audiences.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
The Student Union
August 8, 2022
What to Do With a Day Off
If you're fortunate enough to have today off from work, the most important thing on your to-do list is to actually take the day off. Studies have shown that people send only 40 percent less email on holiday Mondays compared with regular Mondays.
Evaluate your career.
When was the last time you were completely honest with yourself about your career and whether you're doing what you want to be doing?
Have a family meal.
“I'll get to it sometime." Yeah, yeah, it's what we all tell ourselves to get out of doing the things on our to-do list that are hanging over our heads. But today is a great day just to get it done! Send that email, finish up that task at home, send that holiday thank-you note you still haven't gotten around to. Whatever it is,just do it.
| A．You'll feel so much better,I promise. |
| B．It might even make you more productive at work this week. |
| C．It can be tough to get the whole family together for a meal. |
| D．Besides, taking time to let your brain rest and recover makes you better at problem-solving. |
| E．Spend more quality time with your family by having a family meal. |
| F．If you're like most people, probably not recently. |
| G．Do that one thing you've been putting off. |
Background noise—like the chatter in a coffee shop or the drone of passing traffic—might slow our reading speed, but according to a study of Russian readers, it doesn’t
“Overall, previous studies reported a harmful effect of both auditory and visual noise on reading fluency and
One of the language processing theories examined was the noisy channel model, which proposes that our brain deals with noise by looking at the meaning of
The second theory is the good enough model; that’s when our brains aren’t analyzing every single detail of a text but instead only grabbing enough words for a ‘good enough’ understanding. By focusing less on the precise words, our brains can
To see how reading was affected by noise
There’s a lot going on in this study, but overall it’s a bigger win for the good-enough language processing theory and an indication that auditory and visual noise doesn’t make us
With so many variables to measure in terms of what’s being read and what the
| A．reinforce | B．estimate | C．affect | D．interpret |
| A．First of all | B．For example | C．Above all | D．To start with |
| A．context | B．efficiency | C．comprehension | D．device |
| A．evaluated | B．identified | C．established | D．employed |
| A．individual | B．different | C．new | D．unfamiliar |
| A．confirm | B．imply | C．refer | D．infer |
| A．exploit | B．spare | C．commit | D．consume |
| A．on account of | B．regardless of | C．in regard to | D．in contrast to |
| A．make up for | B．live up to | C．catch up with | D．put up with |
| A．declined | B．shrank | C．expanded | D．increased |
| A．embarrassing | B．depressing | C．puzzling | D．annoying |
| A．associated | B．compared | C．replaced | D．mixed |
| A．take | B．set | C．rely | D．base |
| A．accompanying | B．strange | C．deafening | D．distant |
| A．Therefore | B．However | C．Instead | D．Otherwise |
Scientists have discovered more than 5,000 new species living on the seabed in an untouched area of the Pacific Ocean that has been identified as a future hotspot for deep-sea mining, according to a review of the environmental surveys carried out in the area.
It is the first time the previously unknown biodiversity of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a mineral-rich area of the ocean floor that spans 1.7m sq miles between Hawaii and Mexico in the Pacific, has been comprehensively documented. The research will be critical to assessing the risk of extinction of the species, given contracts for deep-sea mining in the near-pristine area appear imminent.
Most of the animals identified by researchers exploring the zone are new to science, and almost all are unique to the region: only six, including a carnivorous sponge and a sea cucumber, have been seen elsewhere.
Contracts for mining exploration in the CCZ have been granted to 17 deep-sea mining contractors in an area covering 745,000 sq miles. The companies, which are backed by countries including Britain, the US and China, want to dig for minerals including cobalt manganese and nickel in part to sell to the alternative energy sector.
To better understand the impact of mining this fragile ecosystem and its newly discovered inhabitants, an international team of scientists has built the first “CCZ checklist” by compiling all the records from expeditions to the region. Published in the journal Current Biology, it includes 5,578 different species, of which an estimated 88% to 92% had never before been seen.
To study and collect specimens (样品) from the ocean floor, biologists have joined research cruises in the Pacific that send remote-controlled vehicles to traverse (穿越) the seabed 4,000 to 6,000 meters below. Adrian Glover, a deep-sea biologist at the NHM and senior author of the study described it as an “incredible privilege”. The expedition, funded through the Natural Environment Research Council and others, is backed by UK Seabed Resources (UKSR), a deep-sea mining company that operates the UK’s exploration area. The scientists watch operations by video link direct from the boat as new species are gathered by remote control vehicles in the darkness below.
The seabed, Glover said, is an “amazing place” where, despite the extreme cold and dark, life thrives. “One of the characteristics of the abyssal plain is the lack of food, but life has a way of persisting down there,” he said, “It’s a mystery.” One of the deep-sea animals discovered was nicknamed the “gummy squirrel”, because of its huge tail and jelly-like appearance, he said. There are also glass sponges, some of which look like vases.
With approval for deep-sea mining looming, Glover said he believed it was “imperative that we work with the companies looking to mine these resources to ensure any such activity is done in a way that limits its impact upon the natural world”.
1．What’s the meaning of the underlined word “imminent”?| A．Easy to carry out. | B．Ready to take place. |
| C．Hard to cope with. | D．Important to look over. |
| A．Identifying new species living on the seabed. | B．Assessing the risk of extinction of species. |
| C．Documenting the biodiversity of the area. | D．Exploring the potential for deep-sea mining. |
| A．Abundance of food. | B．Extreme lifeless environment. |
| C．Presence of glass sponges. | D．Prosperous life despite challenging conditions. |
| A．A magic zone:available to mining companies |
| B．A mineral-rich area: Clarion-Clipperton Zone |
| C．An “amazing place”: new species booming |
| D．Deep-sea wonders: the new species found in a Pacific mining hotspot |
Kuppan was a good badminton player. His rise within the ranks of the badminton players of the school was impressive but unusual. One day he was nothing, the next he was a member of the school team.
In the School Championships, he sprang a surprise by knocking out the top seed, Richard Lee, in the semi final. In the final, he easily beat another competitor Abdul Rauf by 15-3 and 15-10. He was the School Champion. It was unbelievable. The previous year he did not even get past the first round, This year he was the champion.
Success got into his head, He began to think he was really good, In fact, he arrogantly (傲慢地) told Richard Lee and the others that they would never beat him again. He claimed he was simply too good for them, in a league of his own.
Well, it was true that Kuppan was a good and skillful player. He had natural ability and talent. So he picked up the game very quickly and soon became the best. However. he did not realize that nobody can remain at the top all the time. What goes up must certainly come down. Kuppan thought he could stay up indefinitely.
The other players were annoyed by Kuppan’ s declaration. They resolved to train harder to beat the guy who had insulted (羞辱) them, They even trained on their own every day while Kuppan wandered around talking with pride about his success. The State Individual Championships were coming up，So was the Interschool Tournament. The school’s coach worked hard to improve the school players. All of them trained hard, except Kuppan. He would miss training or perform half- heartedly. He was more interested in entertaining the admirers that had gathered around him. He thought he was too strong to be defeated.
The State Individual Championships reached us in time.
Kuppan tried to make a difference in the second round,
It was the Annual Inter-school Primary Sports Meet at the National Stadium. I sat down next to my principal, Mr Tan, in the preparation room as he gave me some words of encouragement. I was taking part in the 100-metre race event.
“Just one more gold medal from the last event, Tyson! You can do it! Nila Primary School will win the Champion School Cup!” Mr Tan encouraged me before he left the room. Just then, I saw Robert, the best runner from Sunshine Primary School, walking towards me. Suddenly, he grabbed my T-shirt and pulled me towards him. I could smell his terrible breath. “You are nothing! You will never beat me!” Robert said, trying to make me angry.
I pushed him away and shouted at him. “The same to you! I’m not frightened by your threats!” I replied with a fearless glare. Hearing this, Robert walked away, speechless. Soon, we heard an announcement to gather at the starting point. As I looked up and heard the deafening cheer from the sea of spectators (观众), I was awed. The atmosphere was exciting!
“On your mark. Get set!” the judge announced. There was dead silence in the air. Suddenly, I heard the firing of the starter’s gun and I burst forth. Robert and I were neck and neck until I spotted a frog leaping towards us. Robert screamed and ran into my lane suddenly. Unfortunately, we tripped over each other and landed hard on the tracks. There was a loud gasp from the spectators stand. Other competitors rushed by and none stopped to help us. Sportsmanship arose from my heart suddenly. I got up and helped Robert to his feet. He could not run so I put my right arm over his shoulders and we walked slowly past the finish line. The crowd cheered. The moment we crossed that, Robert thanked me and sat down heavily to the ground. I later knew that he had suffered an ankle injury.
After the race, I slowly went to my team, realizing I had destroyed the hopes of bringing honor to my school.
The awards ceremony took place two days later.
Notice
The Student Union
| Welcome to my Message Board! | |
| Subject: Slimming down classics? | |
Mr.Handsome 2007-5-12 6: 34 AM | Orion Books, which decides there is a market in creating cut-down classics (经典著作), is slimming down some novels by such great writers as L. Tolstoy, M. Mitchell and C. Bronte. Now, each of them has been whittled down to about 400 pages by cutting 30 to 40 pages percent of original, with words, sentences, paragraphs and, in a few cases, chapters removed. The first six shortened editions, all priced at ￡6.99 and advertised as great reads “in half the time”, will go on sale next month, with plans for 50 to 100 more to follow. The publishing house believes that modern readers will welcome the shorter versions. |
Mr.Edwards 2007-5-12 9: 40 AM | Well, I’m publisher of Orion Group. Thanks for your attention, Mr. Handsome. I must say, the idea developed from a game of “shame” in my office. Each of us was required to confess (承认) to the most embarrassing blanks in his or her reading. I admitted that I had never read Anna Karenina and tried but failed to get through Gone with the Wind several times. One of my colleagues acknowledged skipping (跳读) Jane Eyre. We realized that life is too short to read all the books you want to and we never were going to read these ones. As a leading publishing house, we are trying to make classics convenient for readers but it’s not as if we’re withdrawing the original versions. They are still there if you want to read them. |
| Ms. Weir 2007-5-12 11:35 AM | I’m director of the online book club. Mr. Edwards, I think your shortened edition is a breath of fresh air. I’m guilty of never having read Anna Karenina, because it’s just so long. I’d much rather read two 300-page books than one 600-page book. I am looking forward to more shortened classics! |
| Mr.Crockatt 2007-5-12 4:38 PM | I’m from the London independent bookshop Corckatt & Powell. In my opinion, the practice is completely ridiculous. How can you edit the classics? I’m afraid reading some of these books is hard work, and that is why you have to develop as a reader. If people don’t have time to read Anna Karenina, then fine. But don’t read a shortened version and kid yourself it’s the real thing. |
| A．opposes the reading of original classics |
| B．is embarrassed for cutting down classics |
| C．thinks cut-down classics have a bright future |
| D．is cautions in its decision to cut down classics |
| A．make them easier to read | B．meet a large demand in the market |
| C．increase the sales of literary books | D．compete with their original versions |
| A．reading the classic works is a confusing attempt |
| B．shortening the classics does harm to the original |
| C．publishing the cut-down classics is a difficult job |
| D．editing the classic works satisfies children’s needs |
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