2 . When we see well, we do not think about our eyes very often. It is only when we cannot see perfectly that we realize how important our eyes are.

People who are near-sighted can only see things that are very close to their eyes. Everything else seems blurry(=unclear). Many people who do a lot of work, such as writing, reading and sewing become near—sighted.

People who are far-sighted suffer from just the opposite problem. They can see things that are far away, but they have difficulty in reading a book unless they hold it at arm’s length. If they want to do much reading ,they must get glasses, too.

Other people do not see clearly because their eyes are not exactly the right shape. They have what is called astigmatism (散光). This, too, can be corrected by glasses. Some people’s eyes become cloudy because of cataracts (白内障). Long ago these people often became blind. Now, however, it is possible to operate on the cataracts and remove them.

Having two good eyes is important for judging distances. Each eye sees things from a slightly different angle. To prove this to yourself, look at an object our of one eye; then look at the same object out of your other eye. You will find the object’s relation to the background and other things around it has changed. The difference between these two different eye views helps us to judge how far away an object is. People who have only one eye cannot judge distance as people with two eyes.

5 . The clock is ticking. David Brunelli has just swallowed a huge burger. The crowd cheers excitedly as he downs fistfuls of fries.

Welcome to the world of competitive eating.

Brunelli is part of a select group who compete to eat massive quantities of food as quickly as possible. Eating contests may seem like harmless fun, but they have a dark side and some critics are saying it’s time for them to stop.

Pouring crazy amounts of food down our throats is nothing new. Gorging banquets (狼吞虎咽会) was a regular part of ancient Roman culture. In the 1800s, some New York City politicians settled bets through eating challenges. Pie-eating contests have been a Fourth of July tradition for more than a century.

For supporters like Brunelli, though, eating contests are more than a custom. They are a path to fortune.

But prize money does nothing to reduce the health risks of competitive eating. Competitive eating can even be life-threatening. In 1991, a man in Virginia suffered a stroke (中风) after eating 38 eggs in 29 seconds; In Florida, in 2012, a man died shortly after winning an eating contest leading a group of doctors to call for a ban on eating contests.

In any event, the risk to competitors is only part of the story. Nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and competitive eating sets a terrible example by encouraging overeating. And in a world where 805 million people go hungry every day, downing ridiculous quantities of food for entertainment seems not just wasteful but also cruel.

For now, though, it seems eating contests are here to stay. Last year, more than three   million viewers watched Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on TV. This year, Matt Stonie ate 182 pieces of bacon in 5 minutes, breaking the world record.

What record will be broken next? Do you really want to find out?

6 . If life were a book and you were the author, how would you like the story to go? That is the question that _______ my life forever.

One day I went home from the training of snowboarding with what I thought was the flu, and less than 24 hours later, I was in a _______ on life support with less than two percent _______ of living. It wasn’t until days later that the doctors diagnosed (诊断) me with a _______ blood infection. Over the _______ of 2.5 months, I lost the hearing in my left ear and both my legs below the knee. When my parents _______ me out of the hospital, I _______ that I had been put together like a patchwork (拼缝物) doll and I had to live with _______ legs. I was absolutely physically and emotionally broken,_______ streaming down.

But I knew in order to move forward, I had to let go of the Old Amy and ________ the New Amy. It was at this moment that I asked myself that significant ________. And that is when it ________ me that I didn’t have to be five-foot-five anymore,________ I could be as tall as I wanted. And ________ of all, I can make my feet the size of all the shoes. So there were ________ here.

Four months later, I was back upon a ________. And this February, I won two Board World Cup gold medals,________ me the highest ranked snowboarder in the world.

So, instead of looking at our ________ and our limitations as something ________ or bad, we can beg in looking at them as a wonderful ________ that can be used to help us go further than we ever know we could go.

7 . Monthly Talks at London Canal Museum

Our monthly talks start at 19:30 on the first Thursday of each month except August. Admission is at normal charges and you don’t need to book. They end around 21:00.

November 7th

The Canal Pioneers, by Chris Lewis. James Brindley is recognized as one of the leading early canal engineers. He was also a major player in training others in the art of canal planning and building. Chris Lewis will explain how Brindley made such a positive contribution to the education of that group of early “civil engineers”.

December 5th

Ice for the Metropolis, by Malcolm Tucker. Well before the arrival of freezers, there was a demand for ice for food preservation and catering, Malcolm will explain the history of importing natural ice and the technology of building ice wells, and how London’s ice trade grew.

February 6th

An Update on the Cotsword Canals, by Liz Payne. The Stroudwater Canal is moving towards reopening. The Thames and Severn Canal will take a little longer. We will have a report on the present state of play.

March 6th

Eyots and Aits-Thames Islands, by Miranda Vickers. The Thames had many islands. Miranda has undertaken a review of all of them. She will tell us about those of greatest interest.

Online bookings:www.canalmuseum.org.uk/book

More into:www.canalmuseum.org.uk/whatson

London Canal Museum

12-13 New Wharf Road, London NI 9RT

www.canalmuseum.org.uk   www.canalmuseum.mobi

Tel:020 77130836