1 . “You’re very talented, dear. I hope everything turns out great. I’ll tell my friends about the animal shelter (避难处),” a kind old lady told Conrad, who smiled ______ as she left $20 in his hat.

Conrad was proud of what he was doing and people in the ______ loved hearing him sing and play his ______. The 11-year-old didn’t know how much money the local animal shelter _____.

His mother, Sandy, worked at the shelter and had always been a(n) ______ animal lover. Therefore, he grew to be fond of animals as well. ______, he recently heard his mother telling a friend that the shelter was not doing well. It ______ on donations (捐赠), and not much donations were ______. This made the boy very ______. So he grabbed his guitar and ______ the local town park to sing and play.

He placed a ______ to tell people he was doing it to raise (募捐) money for the animal shelter, which helped greatly. People ______ and gave him mostly $1 and change, and others, such as the kind old lady, were more ______. He was grateful to everyone and continued playing songs and ______ money.

Raise your kids to love animals, and they’ll be better people. Caring for innocent animals makes people more selfless, ______ and caring. That’s why Conrad used his skills to raise funds, knowing how vital the shelter was.

4 . A blue hole is a special kind of underwater cave found inland or in the sea, which forms when the earth above a cave falls in and water fills the space.

An inland blue hole’s water is very still and has different layers. A layer of fresh rainwater floats on top of salt water; the fresh water keeps oxygen from the atmosphere from reaching the salt water; brightly colored bacteria live where the two layers meet.

Diving into blue holes is very dangerous. Near the top of the blue hole, there is a layer of toxic gas, which causes itching, headache, and—in large amounts—death. Divers must also be fast. They have to get in and out of a cave before their oxygen runs out. Additionally, divers have to follow a guideline as they swim through a blue hole because it is very dark inside. Without the guideline, they may get lost.

If blue holes are so dangerous, why do explorers and scientists risk their lives to explore them? The reason is that these underwater caves can provide valuable scientific information. They provide clues about geology, archaeology, and biology. For example, some blue hole creatures probably haven’t changed for millions of years.

The blue holes could even provide clues about astrobiology. For example, divers have found bacteria there that can live without oxygen. Astrobiologist Kevin Hand says the bacteria may be similar to forms of life that might exist on Jupiter’s fourth largest moon, Europa. “Our study of life’s extremes on Earth,” he says, can help increase “our understanding of habitable environments off Earth.”

In addition, the oxygen-free environment of the blue holes preserves bones of humans and animals that fell into the caves long ago. By studying blue holes, we can understand what life was like in prehistoric times. As cave diver Kenny Broad says, “I can think of no other environment on Earth that is so challenging to explore and gives us back so much scientifically.”

7 . One night, as I was driving down the road, I found something was sitting in the middle of the road. A few seconds later, I realized I was looking at a large turtle (海龟). Afraid of it being crashed by cars, so I pulled over, ran across the road and dragged the turtle to safety. But I’d made one big mistake.

I had heard that the best way to pick up a turtle without hurting it was picking it by the tail in order not to get bitten. So I’d made that big mistake. While the turtle turned out OK generally, I was determined to figure out how to move a turtle properly. I needed to find someone who dealt with turtles. I found the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre. I talked to Dr. Sue, its Executive and Medical Director.

Dr. Sue told me that the organization dealt with a number of aspects of turtle conservation, including rescue, settlement, birth programs, research, and education. Sue explained that southern Ontario is home to a vast majority of turtles in Canada, but is also one of the vastest road networks of the country.

“Ninety percent of injured turtles brought in are caused by cars. These turtles spend a lot of time on land. And they do travel many kilometers on land for a variety of reasons, to find a nesting spot, or to hang out for the summer or winter. Turtles know where they want to go. So, just keep them going in the direction they want to go and you may have saved a turtle’s life,” Dr. Sue said.

Once an injured turtle arrives at the center, there are medical facilities (设备) ready to go, including an X-ray machine. That’s when the team gets to work with healing injuries, and help their patient.

8 . A broken heart. A sad ending to a love affair. That’s something most of us have experienced, or probably will. After all, it’s part of human life. But no question, the experience can be hard to get over.

But research shows there are pathways through the heartache. Listening to sad music is a major one. It can help you begin to feel joy and hopefulness about your life again. It can arouse (激发，唤醒) the desire (渴望) to connect with others.

Sad music can help heal and uplift you from your broken heart. A recent study from Germany found the emotional influence of listening to sad music is an arousal of feelings of empathy (共情), and a desire for positive connection with others. That, itself, is psychologically healing. It draws you away from concentration on yourself, and possibly towards helping others in need of comfort.

Another experiment, from the University of Kent, found that when people were experiencing sadness, listening to music that was “beautiful but sad” improved their mood. In fact, it did so when the person first consciously accept the situation causing their sadness, and then began listening to the sad music. That is, when they intended that the sad music might help, they found that it did.

These findings link with other studies that show accepting your sad situation emotionally leads to healing and growth beyond it. It seems unbelievable but it does make sense. For example, research from Cornell University, published in Psychological Science, found that accepting discomfort about a life experience or new situation, and viewing it as a step towards growth and change, encourages people to find a pathway through it, beyond it. As Churchill famously said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” That discomfort points you towards creating a plan, a new action. It fuels hope.

9 . How to Save Money to Visit Shanghai Disneyland?

The “happiest place on Earth” is a top destination on many families’ bucket lists.But taking a vacation to Disney World can be difficult to do on a budget.There are some considerations that you can make to reduce the cost of your Disney World vacation.

Disney has influenced practically every industry,which makes it easy to find Disney items anywhere,from shopping centres and your local grocery stores to department stores.You can save a lot of money by purchasing items before your trip at these less-expensive places than at Disneyland.

An autograph book is seen as a must-have by many Disneyland enthusiasts and is a memory you can take home with you.These books can cost anywhere from $7.95 to $19.95 at the Disney Store and up to $30 for the latest-and-greatest autograph book at Disneyland,such as the park’s 60th anniversary edition.Other choices can get the job done for under $5.For example,you can buy a small photo album,cute pad or notebook.

Breakfast is almost as pricey as lunch or dinner if you eat inside the Disneyland Park.If you have a hotel with a free breakfast,take advantage of it.If you want to eat out,eat at a local restaurant that is inexpensive or has a kids’ menu.

Disney offers a wide variety of discounts,including for military service members,college students,teachers,and youth groups.If you think you might qualify for a special discount or group rate,call the Disneyland Resort to book tickets.

10 . The arts, especially music, should be part of every school’s lessons at every grade level. Students would be much smarter if they had some musical experience. They could improve their classroom skills, like paying attention and following directions. People develop all these skills when they learn music. Making music also lets children use their imagination. It provides students with a chance to try out their own ideas.

Music not only makes children better students, but also gives them something positive (积极的) to do. In a music program, children can be part of a band. Parents can enjoy listening to their children’s music instead of seeing them glued to a computer or TV screen. In a school band, students get to be part of a team. They can get along well with old friends and make new friends through music.

Music builds self-confidence, too. It gives children a sense of achievement and success. Making music is something for them to be proud of, and it lets kids practice performing in front of audiences. Music gives children an opportunity for self-ex pression, and that helps develop their self-confidence. Once again, music is important because it can make children better students, give them something positive to do, and build their characters. That is why music should be offered in every single grade in every school.