【推荐1】Essay Contest

Imagine this: You’ve got all the power, money, and resources in the world to save the planet. What would you accomplish first, and how would you do it? In honor of Earth Day (April 22), we’re looking for creative and resourceful environmental solutions to save the Earth. As part of the most environmentally conscious generation in history, we know you’ve got ideas, and we’re looking forward to hearing them!

【推荐3】On Nov 20, the world’s biggest international soccer tournament(大赛) kicked off in Qatar, in which 32 national teams compete with each other for about a month. Different from previous World Cups, is the first held in the northern hemisphere(北半球) during winter. Does the change influence players and fans?

European Leagues face challenges

FIFA’s decision to move this year’s World Cup may upset European Leagues. Teams in European Leagues usually play their seasons from August to the following May. During the last two months, they would be busy with domestic(国内的) competitions and group matches in the Champions and Europa League. But to prepare for the World Cup in the winter, many soccer clubs in Europe could face a six-week shutdown to provide players with enough time to recover. During this time, fans will be upset about the delay of domestic soccer matches.

Is a “black horse” likely to appear?

The answer is “yes”. Though the weather gets cooler in the winter, the conditions in Qatar are challenging for some teams. Take some players from European teams for example. They must transition(过渡) from much colder playing conditions, which will increase their sweat loss and influence their performance.

But this influence will likely not change the final result.

“This yeas World Cup falls on the world stop leagues’ mid-season. That means players are coming into this World Cup after playing 25 games. So they will be arriving fresh and excited. Their energy is going to beat the top level,” former England captain David Beckham told the AI Jazeera website. He added that the players from the elite(精英的) soccer clubs will perform better.

Watching matches with coldness

Traditionally, many Chinese soccer fans gather together in restaurants in the summer, with beer and peanut. But now the matches are in the deep night during winter, with the cold weather making it hard for friends to gather to watch matches together. To solve the problem, some Chinese soccer fans joked on the internet that hotpot restaurants maybe the best places to watch the World Cup.

【推荐3】Last summer our family excitedly set off on holiday.My parents had never booked such an expensive holiday before and we had certainly NEVER set foot on a Caribbean island!

So it was with eager expectation that we arrived at the airport with our five suitcases—only to be told that our Unity Airlines flight had been cancelled! We hung around the airport despondently until we were re-routed onto a Sky Eagle flight,but we still missed our connecting flight.So they put us onto another flight to JFK Airport,this time with Omega Airlines,and we had to dash like mad through the airport to catch the plane with minutes to spare.

From JFK we boarded our final flight,and it was with some relief that we arrived in St Maarten Island,ready to forget the stresses and strains of actually getting there.However,one vital thing hadn't kept up with us-our luggage.

The laid-back officials in St Maarten Airport didn't seem particularly worried about our missing bags.They phoned Omega Airlines,who blamed Sky Eagle,because they said that the first flight was responsible for the luggage.Sky Eagle blamed Omega,and they all blamed Unity Airlines for canceling the original flight.

Meanwhile,through all the accusations,we only had the clothes we stood up in,so Mum took us on a quick shopping trip and bought tooth brushes,swimming stuff,shorts,flip-flops,and a couple of T-shirts each For two days we waited in St Maarten until we joined our five-day cruise. Dad went to the airport twice a day,but each time the baggage staff said nothing had arrived.So we had to go on the cruise without our luggage.My brother,sister and I weren't much bothered,but our parents were. Dad missed his diving equipment,and Mum was upset about not being able to wear her new summer wardrobe bought especially for our big holiday.The cruise was fantastic,anyway,even though we had to keep washing our few clothes.

When we got back to the airport to go ho me,there was a new set of baggage staff who didn't seem to know anything about anything.My dad was so frustrated by this time,he actually sneaked into the storage room and found four of our bags!If he hadn't done that,they might still be sitting there.He just dragged them out without telling anybody,and we went home.When we arrived back in the States,we found our last bag.It hadn't even left the airport!

【推荐1】I was in Chicago for a job training when I knew a nearby theatre was releasing a film about saving dogs. I love animals and this fundraising event sounded right up my alley. However, none of my co-workers could squeeze time for me. I got cold feet for anxiety about navigating the streets by myself at night alone.

But in my hotel room I felt restless and bored. The theatre was only about five blocks away from the hotel. How could I stray? Hence, I decided to brave it. I gathered my room key and set off.

I managed to find the street of the theatre but when I turned the corner I stopped in shock. The street in front of the theatre was full of bikers-lots of very big, tough-looking bikers.

Now I was a woman all alone at night. There were many large men, all wearing insignia suggesting they were in some sort of club or gang. Warning bells began to sound and my heart jumped in my throat. Was I at the right theatre? Had I misread the date of the event?

I finally decided that I would be safer inside the theatre where there was, presumably, a crowd of people. I scurried into the theatre. As I sat there, heart racing, waiting for the film to start, I muttered a prayer to contain my anxieties. A local blues-rock band was the opening act and their performance drew my attention. Enthusiasm for the band’s performance soon took away all my worries from my mind and I began to relax.

After the band, the film began and I understood the presence of the bikers after a conversation with the staff. Being part of an animal rescue group, they had escorted dogs from New Jersey to Chicago. At that moment, I was struck by the bond that had drawn so many disparate folks to the theatre. Singers, sportsmen, ordinary workers had all been brought together by our shared love of animals. I made new friends. I discovered a new band and supported an important cause. I stayed till the very end and made it to my hotel without any incident, overjoyed that I broke out of the boundary I used to set for myself and ventured into the unknown. To my amazement, the reward was one of the best nights of my life.