Henry Raeburn (1756-1823)

This exhibition of some sixty masterpieces celebrating the life and work of Scotland’s best loved painter, Sir Henry Raeburn, comes to London. Selected from collections throughout the world, it is the first major exhibition of his work to be held in over forty years.

Scottish National Portrait (肖像画) Gallery presents a series of lectures for the general public. They are held in the Lecture Room. Admission to lectures is free.

Monday-Saturday 10.00-17.45             Sunday 12.00-17.45

Last admission to the exhibition: 17.15. There is no re-admission.

Closed: 24-26 December and 1 January.

£4. Children under 12 years accompanied by an adult are admitted free.

A special low entrance charge of £2 per person is available to all in full-time education, up to and including those at first degree level, in organised groups with teachers.

I am a strong believer that if a child is raised with approval, he learns to love himself and will be successful in his own way.

Several weeks ago, I was doing homework with my son in the third grade and he kept standing up from his chair. I kept asking him to sit down,telling him that he would concentrate better. He sat but seconds later, as if he didn’t even notice he was doing it, he got up again. I was getting angry, but then it hit me: I started noticing his answers were much quicker and right when he stood up. Could he concentrate better while standing up?

This made me start questioning myself and what I had been raised to believe. I grew up to believe that a quiet child was more likely to succeed. This child would have the ability to study hard, get good grades and become someone important in life. Kids that were active and loud would only be losers.

Now people perhaps come to realize that their kids are born with their own sets of DNA, and all they can do is loving and accepting them. As parents, throughout their growing years and beyond that, we need to guide them and help them find their way.

I have stopped asking my son to sit down and concentrate. Clearly, he is concentrating, just in his own way and not mine. We need to accept our kids, and their ways of doing things. There is nothing sweeter than seeing our children being themselves. It makes us happy and that’s just the way I want my kids to live a happy life.

To solve a big environmental problem, chemists have been thinking small. Really small: a new mini robot with the purpose of helping clean up tiny plastic that pollutes water across the world.

The new microrobots, each of which is no bigger than the tip of a pencil, are magnetic(有磁性的)and shaped like four-pointed stars. When the sunlight shines on them, they can swim in a direction; when the sunlight disappears, they stop moving. Finding a piece of plastic, they hold onto it, produce chemical reactions and start to break it down.

The project is led by chemist Martin Pumera, a researcher who also studies ways to build microrobots at the Czech University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague. About ten years ago, he noticed the microplastic was everywhere, from the bottom of the ocean to the ice on the top of mountains. It even turned up in drinking water, both bottled and tap water. Just think about how much plastic you meet every day. It doesn’t easily degrade ( 降 解 ) which is a big problem. Therefore, Pumera chose to focus on the problem of water pollution caused by microplastic.

The researchers tested the microrobots on four types of plastic in the lab. After a week, all four began degrading, losing around 3 percent of their weight, which showed the microrobots were breaking the plastic down. The robots also turned the plastic’s smooth surface into the rough one. Finally, the scientists showed that magnets could attract the microrobots at the end of the test - along with the plastic waste.

In fact, Pumera says they still have a long way to go. These microrobots are unlikely to succeed in degrading all types of plastic. They’ll also need a lot of testing to show that they’re safe in open waterways, such as at sea. But he thinks that these challenges can be overcome. Someday, the microrobots will play a big role in a worldwide cleanup effort.

When someone you care about has suffered a serious health event or is dealing with a life-threatening illness, it can be difficult to know what to say or do.     36     How can you best offer your support? These tips can help:

Offer your support. Your friend or loved one may be unwilling to ask for help, but it’s support from people like you that can make all the difference in their recovery. Offer to help with a specific task, even if it’s simply to sit with them during or after treatment.     37    

Listen. When you talk to someone with a serious illness, it’s natural to feel awkward or not know what to say.     38     Allow them to express what they’re going through without judging them.

    39     The more you know about your loved one’s diagnosis (诊断) and treatment, the better prepared you’ll be to help. But that doesn’t mean you should tell the person what they should or shouldn’t do, unless they specifically ask for your opinion or want to know what you’ve researched. Treatment decisions are finally always up to your loved one, so be supportive even if you don’t always agree.

Stay connected.     40     You can’t just provide support at the time of diagnosis and then let your attention go. Your support can be just as important after treatment as it is before.

As I held my father’s hands one night, I couldn’t help but notice their calluses (老茧) and roughness. His hands tell the story of his life as a _________ , including all his struggles.

One summer, I remember, a drought hit Ontario, turning it into a _________ desert. On one of those hot mornings I was picking sweet corn with my dad to fill the last _________ from the grocery store. Fifty dozen was all we needed, which _________ took twenty minutes. That morning, however, the process didn’t go quickly. After forty minutes of aimlessly walking in the field, we _________ needed twenty dozen. I was completely frustrated and _________. Dropping the basket heavily, I declared, “If the store wants its last twenty dozen, they can pick it themselves!” Dad _________, “Just think, my little girl, only ten dozen left for each of us and then we’re done.” Such is Dad — whatever problem he _________, he never gives up.   

_________, the disastrous effects of the drought were felt all over our country. It was a challenging time for everyone, __________ dad remained optimistic. He continued to be grateful for other things like good health and food on our plates. Only then did I truly begin to __________ dad and his faith that guided us through the hard times.

Dad is also a living example of real __________. From dawn to dusk, he works countless hours to __________ our family. He always puts our happiness __________ his own, and never fails to cheer me on at the sports games in spite of his exhaustion after long days. His loving and selfless nature has inspired me to become more sympathetic and __________, putting others first.

Dad, the life lessons I learned from you will stay with me forever. You are my father, teacher, friend and, most importantly, my hero.

There are currently about 1,100 UNESCO heritage sites in more than 160 countries. Unfortunately, they face     56     (vary) dangers and many of them     57     (be) in urgent need of protection. Here are some below.

Firstly, natural forces put heritage sites     58     risk. The long-term natural force can gradually wear down heritage sites. Secondly, human     59     (activity) are another danger. Wars cause a large amount of damage on both natural     60     cultural heritage sites. Meanwhile, millions of tourists travel to UNESCO World Heritage Sites every year,     61     (make) them suffer a bit of wear and tear. Thirdly, due to human population growth, widespread     62     (develop) puts our cultural and natural heritage sites in danger. Thus, such dangers can have disastrous outcomes not only for the sites themselves, but also for people.

For the benefit of all mankind, we should pay     63     (great) attention to heritage protection than before. We all should share a joint responsibility     64     (protect) and preserve them, not just for     65     (we), but for future generations.

Looking forward to your reply.

Sincerely yours,

Li Hua

The story began with a young mother who had three sons in a big city. Unfortunately, the youngest son developed slow thinking skills, not having the intelligence of his brothers. With double duty as the mother of the household, she was exhausted, so that the youngest was often the target of anger and annoyance. Bad words, such as "you little fool” and the like, served as a daily meal for the youngest.

The words and curses he got from the mother and ridicule (嘲笑) from friends convinced him that he was distressing (使痛苦) and embarrassing his family. Every morning he woke up with his own face staring from the mirror reflection, he started to say quietly and sadly, “The fool is going to school.”

As adult citizens, there was compulsory military service which should be lived. Thus, the youngest son also signed up and started to follow the various tests: a medical, physical ability test and other tests. On the day of the announcement, he was called into the board of examiners.

In his mind, he convinced himself that he was the fool and couldn’t pass the tests this time as he entered the room with his head down. It was not expected at all. The tests turned out to have the highest praise from the board of examiners.

“Congratulations, young man! Your test results are incredible! You are really a great and talented young man.” Words from the board of examiners became the discovery of a new side of himself that was not known in advance. Voice kept echoing in his mind, such as “I, the great man, am in the shower”, “The great man washes his face”, “The talented young man again brushes his teeth” and so on. Confidence and improved self-image came beyond usual.

He decided to join the military and was sent to the front.

Ten years later, the man went back to his hometown.