1 . In 2000, Andréa Speranza achieved her dream of becoming a firefighter joining the Halifax Regional Fire Service. Her job was exactly as satisfying as she imagined it would be, except for one thing: she still hadn’t seen another woman in her role — not in a magazine, not on television, not in real life. Even today, less than five percent of firefighters in Canada are women. Speranza decided that she wanted to help young women see that they, too, could have a career like hers.

The result is Camp Courage, a program for girls aged 15 to 19 who want to learn more about firefighting. In 2006, Speranza and about 20 volunteers welcomed their first 17 participants, recruiting (招募) attendees through advertising in schools and recreation centers. Over the course of eight days, the girls discovered the ins and outs of being first responders: learning how to put out fires, deliver first aid and even use the jaws of life (救生钳) on a car.

Camp Courage now runs one session every year in Halifax and is free to attend. To offset costs, Speranza and her fellow campers fundraise by holding everything from car washes to comedy nights. Hopeful campers must also submit an essay describing how they plan to help their community, or a specific individual in need. And they have to deliver on the plan—from building a bench (长椅) for a senior at a bus stop to launching a local chapter of the Kids Help Phone.

Hundreds of girls have passed through Camp Courage, and 36 percent are doing exactly what 52-year-old Speranza hoped they would: working as first responders across the country. This past summer, the camp held its first session for young women in Halifax, as well as its first national camp in Calgary with plans to roll out more in 2023.

2 . Getting to know your money personality can help you rein in your spending habits and take back control of your personal finances. Here, finance saving money expert Pete Ridley at CarFinanceSaver reveals the UKs core money personalities, along with actions to adopt that reduce the negative consequences of each personality type.

The Spontaneous Spender

A spontaneous spender refers to a person that exhibits a “spend now, think later” attitude. They can find it tricky to differentiate between “need to haves” and “nice to haves”, and often feel “spender’s guilt”.

“Before you make a purchase, take time to decide whether the item is a ‘need to have’ or a ‘nice to have’. This will aid in avoiding splurges (挥霍) that provide short term satisfaction and post-spenders’ guilt.” says Ridley.

The Determined Saver

An underlying sense of worry and fear can be at the root of a persistent saver, and their determination to save disguises an overwhelming fear of money.

“Saving is great,” says Ridley, “but it’s important to regard money as a friend and not an enemy. Always be sure to make non-essential purchases. These items don’t have to be a major expense, but just enough that you acknowledge that money can be there to be enjoyed and not just put away.”

The Money=Status

This personality type can live beyond their means by making purchases that they don’t need, striving to keep up with others and saying yes to friendship plans that they cannot afford, to keep up the appearance of financial wellbeing.

“It’s here that you can adopt the 50/20/30 rule: 50 percent essential living expenses, 30 percent disposable income and 20 percent saving and paying debts,” suggests Ridley.

This will maintain financial wellbeing while helping to acknowledge that money doesn’t necessarily equal status or even impress those around you.

The hungry bear followed his nose to our camp, which was surrounded by a high wire fence. He pulled and bit the wire. He stood on his back legs and pushed at the wooden fence posts.     1    (恐惧喷薄而出，将我紧紧包围，我已经寸步难行了).     2    (惊恐不已，我觉得两腿发抖，手心冒汗). Beside me was my wife, who was rooted to the ground,     3    (吓呆了). At the sight of the polar bear’ bloody mouth,     4    (吓得要死).The furry creature launched an attack on the fence, instantly leaving a narrow opening on it.     5    (我们感觉浑身血液凝固了)because of the terrible sight. Our throats tightened and our knees felt weak. Elli and I tried all the bear defense actions we knew. We yelled at the bear, hit pots hard, and fired blank shotgun shells into the air.

Successful businesspeople, busy students and far-off friends: What do they all have     1     common? From time to time, they all need to talk to people     2     don’t live nearby. What is the solution? For some, the answer is the technology of videoconferencing.

Some studies say that over half of all communication     3     (happen) with your body, not your words. As a result, communicating through writing or even over the telephone has some limitations. Videoconferencing can     4     (hopeful) help avoid some possible misunderstandings by     5     (allow) people to both hear and see each other during conversations.

Allowing for visual (视觉的) communication is not     6     only benefit of videoconferencing. Traveling to meet someone in person requires time and money, but videoconferencing keeps costs low. Some     7     (service) are free while others need to be paid.

Another advantage of using videoconferencing is its convenience. Many videoconferencing platforms have a helpful tool     8     (call) screen sharing. This makes you able     9     (show) your computer monitor (显示器) to others whether they’re in the office with you or not. The key to a     10     (success) videoconferencing session (会议) is choosing the right platform.

Chinese fans seem to have special meanings in Chinese culture. I’ve     1    (receive) a number of them as gifts from my Chinese friends. The fans are very pretty. You may have noticed that almost all female figures in     2     (tradition) Chinese paintings carry a silk fan. In the movies of     3    1930s and 1940s, fans are a very visible article for Shanghai women.     4    (usual) the structure of the fans is made of sand wood and the faces are made of silk or paper. Because the fans always have sweet smell, women     5     use them appear even more attractive. Fans are probably one of the most appropriate     6    (expression) of noble female.

Men also use fans. But these fans are quite often much     7    (big). Men’s fans often use valuable materials for that structure and the faces are always     8    (paint) with plants or landscapes. As a result     9    open-door policy, fans have become popular again not for people to use at home,     10     as a gift for foreigners. I heard westerners appreciate these gifts. As fans are small, inexpensive and typically Chinese, many people like to use them as gifts from the overseas trips.

6 . For most people, nothing is better than having an iced beer after you are back home in hot summer.     1     Why? Just for the sake of your own health and the happiness of your family. Now good news for you. From now on you needn’t feel guilty just because you love beer. On the contrary, the benefits of drinking beer are obvious. But there is still one IMPORTANT point I have to make clear.     2    

1. Beer reduces risk of heart disease You can easily reduce the risk of heart disease by 30% or more if you are one of the individuals who drink a pint of beer per day. The result is totally opposite if you drink too much beer. Be careful with your portions.

2.     3    

Beer prevents diabetes due to the alcohol content which increases insulin (胰岛素) sensitivity. Also, beer is rich in dissolvable fiber that is so needed if the individual suffers from diabetes.

Beer minimizes risk of cancer Xanthohumol (抗氧化剂黄腐酚) is found in beer, which is very important since it has anti-cancer properties. Drinking beer in moderation speeds up chemical reactions that keep off the risk of prostate cancer (前列腺癌) in males.     4     Strange? But it is true. That is because the drink contains components that decrease the risk of breast cancer.

4. Beer manages blood pressure

According to the recent studies carried out by Harvard researchers, middle-aged women who drink beer in moderation were much less likely to develop high blood pressure. Other alcoholic drinks do not have the same properties.

5. Beer treats dandruff (头皮屑)

    5     The high content of vitamin B and yeast (酵母菌) will make your hair smooth and silky. Go and have a try.

You’ll be surprised to find the annoying dandruff finally gone.

Guan Yu, an ancient general known for his loyalty and bravery in battles, has been widely worshipped (敬奉). The Temple of Guan Yu in Xiezhou, North China’s Shanxi Province, is the     1    (large) one among countless temples worshipping the general across the country and also a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level.

In 2020, a research institute     2     studied the culture behind this folk belief in Guan Yu was founded in Xiezhou, and eight graduate students were hired. This summer, researchers of     3     institute are compiling chronicles (编年史) for the temple, and studying the fine elements of traditional culture contained in the temple.

Across the country, historical and cultural heritage sites are protected and studied to discover and learn about traditional Chinese culture, amid the nation’s efforts     4    (build) a modern Chinese civilization.     5     total, there are 5,058 major historical and cultural sites protected at the national level. “    6    (witness) the long history and splendid culture of the Chinese nation in the past years, the historical and cultural sites offer     7    (we) rich ‘spiritual nutrients’ in the midst of building a modern Chinese civilization,” said Gao Jiangtao, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

In Shanxi, with local protection work     8    (trouble) due to understaffing, a project was started in 2022 to enroll a total of 600 students for a span of five years,     9    (specific) for 117 localities across the province in need of protection professionals. These students will     10    (offer) general education on relics protection during college.

If you have not heard of Yangshi Lei, the     1    (honour) name of the Lei family responsible for imperial architecture during the Qing Dynasty, then you have missed an important detail about the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and Yuanmingyuan Garden.

All the above great cultural relics and popular tourist attractions have been included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List,     2     surprisingly enough, they are all designed by the Lei family.     3     (represent) the great achievements of science and technology in ancient China, their architectural practice covered a wide range of city planning, imperial palaces, gardens, temples, princes’ residences and schools.

Yangshi    4     (refer) to architect or architecture in Chinese. Yangshifang, the then government authority similar to the National Architecture Design Institute today, was in charge of site     5     (select), design and construction of imperial architectures.

    6     (amaze), eight generations of the Lei family were appointed director of Yangshifang consecutively from 1662 to 1911.

With so many architectural    7     (work) on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Lei Family is    8     unique phenomenon in the architectural history throughout the world. Apart from the grand architectures, China has another treasure left by the Lei family - design drafts. In the National Library of China alone, there     9     (be) up to 20,000 architectural design drafts, each of     10     plays an important role in the research of the history of the Qing Dynasty and how architecture developed at the time.