Looking for Snow in Summer
“Brooke’s life is coming to an end,” the vet told Andy. “Maybe she can only live for two weeks.” Hearing this, Andy was very sad. He took Brooke, the old dog with black fur, home and hoped to make her happy as much as he could.
However, her health was weakened at an alarming rate. After two days, she had no energy to do anything. Realizing that Brooke was dying, Andy began to think about what she liked most in her life.
It was snow. Lying on the snow in winter was Brooke’s favorite thing to do.
But it was hot summer now, and even in winter, it did not snow often in Andy’s city. How could he get Brooke some snow in August? None of his family members, neighbors or his friends could figure out a solution. Therefore, Andy turned to the Internet for help. He made a post on a local forum:
“Our 11-year-old Brooke, a Berner (伯纳犬), has only a couple of days left. She loves snow, but it is not going to make it to winter. Does anyone know of any rinks (溜冰场) or any place with snow where she can go and lie on the snow one last time?”
Several minutes later, Andy got the first reply. “Reach out to the staff at Win Sports Centre. Maybe they can pile some snow for you.” Then seconds later, another person suggested, “Call some of the rinks. As far as I know, they sometimes dump (丢弃) the shaved ice outside after they finish the ice surface. Any community rink should be able to help.” One woman shared her story to Andy and said that as a former Berner parent, her heart went out to Andy.
Dozens of people expressed their sympathy to Andy under his post. Andy felt very grateful for the replies and suggestions he received. It did not take long for his post to spread all over the rinks and sports centers in his city, and it was seen by the staff at Power Sport.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
On the same day, a staff member contacted Andy.
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A few hours later, Brooke died.
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My family lived in the city after a long and busy month, my parents besides his drive me to a place of interest in the countryside to have fun. Excited. We plan the route.
Then on a November Saturday morning, my dad started his car and we joyfully set off before now we let the lawyers sitting and came to the mountains. There are few vehicles on the road and the trees on side were pretty. We feel so delighted.
After several hours, we drove onto a narrow road and a minute later we found a river not far away from the road. The beach was very wide, and we wanted to have a rest there for a while. So my dad turned our car and drove towards it. Soon we were driving on the sandy beach. Moments later, our car wheels were struggling in the increasingly soft sand. But my dad wanted to get close to the river.
Before he greeted it, our car had gone got stuck in the sand. My dad tried to turn around or move back, but the car didn’t move. We were worried trapped in the middle of nowhere. What was worse? It began raining and was cold. We got out of the car and try to push it but failed. After a couple of minutes, we were tried and our hair and coats were little weight, but the car only sank further into the sand.
We walked to the road wanting to stop the vehicle and let it help for our car out of the sand. Our coats. And here were waiter and waiter before the journey, we hadn’t prepared an umbrella or carried any food. Now we are hungry and cold standing in the rain after waiting for a long time, there wasn’t one vehicle passing.
Just when we were helpless, we saw a farmhouse not far away. Can they help us? I asked my dad was doubtful. Still we reached there and found it was a big family. They seemed cool but friendly. My dad told them our problem. And begged them to help us pull our car out.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式作答。
To our happiness, they nodded without thinking.
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They invited us to have a meal and offer to light a fire to dry our coats.
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注意：
1. 110 词左右；
2. 可以适当添加内容。
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Mum was in a hurry as usual, but as she rushed them down the street, Magnus and Mina couldn’t resist peeking (偷看) through the window of the pet shop on the corner.
“Mum, are you SURE we can’t have a pet?” Mina asked. “NO! Daddy is allergic to cats and dogs!” said Mum.
Five minutes later, they were outside Magnus and Mina’s grandad’s place — an old repair garage on a road just off the high street. Grandad had retired, but he lived in the flat above and kept the workshop for his hobby: fixing up old cars!
Mum used her key to open the door and they went inside. An old car was in the middle of the floor. Then they heard a sound from somewhere under the car. “Who’s there? Is that you, M and M?” Grandad Eric’s head appeared from behind the car. He smiled when he saw them, and wiped his greasy (沾油污的) face with an old cloth. “Hello kids!”
Mum was moving towards the door of the garage. “Thank you for taking the kids for the weekend, Dad — something came up and I have to go away for work!” Grandad just smiled. “No problem at all, sweetie!”
Once Mum had left, Magnus and Mina had a good look around. Mina was excited. At school she had taken a technology and design course where they had learned how to design and build simple robots, and she wanted to make one of her own. She shouted over to Grandad, “Grandad, can we use some of these spare bits over here? I promise we won’t make a mess!” Grandad replied, “Of course, but be careful!”
“Do you have a plan, sister?” Magnus looked at his sister. “I sure do! Mum said we couldn’t get a pet, but she didn’t say that we couldn’t make one!” Magnus’s eyes widened. “A robot pet?” “Yeah, a dog-cat,” replied Mina. “Brilliant! You build it, and I can program it!” said Magnus.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Before long, Mina finished and Magnus and Mina admired the work.
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Grandad Eric came over to see the dog-cat and collected the turned-off robot.
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I was the “fool” at school. Obviously, because I was not interested in school and did not care for my grades, and thus I was termed a student with special needs.
Over time, I started to believe in my stupidity. I absorbed the fact that I was in classes with special needs in high school. I didn’t have much confidence and was always negative. But one activity changed this view of myself: chess.
I started to play chess with my father after school because I wanted to beat him at something. My father was a smart man, fond of physics, writing, drawing — almost every discipline (知识领域). He was called a walking dictionary. So, winning in chess against my father would be a sign that I had intellectual (智力上的) power.
Game after game, I wanted to beat my father even more. I started to study chess books and play against a chess computer to improve my skills. One weekend, I beat my father while we were on a bus ride to Port Townsend. It made me feel excited and I dreamed of standing on the winner’s stage of a chess competition.
Fast forward two years and several months, I was the second board on my high school chess team, with our top board being the best high school player in the state. There was an exhibition match, so I invited my father to watch. Since our top player could not come, it was my chance to play as the top board against the best high school players in the state. It was also a chance for me to let my father be proud of me.
I was determined to show who I had become:an intelligent person able to win with calculation (计算), logic, and will. My most memorable game came in the fourth round. I was playing the black pieces and played my usual kingside defence. The competitor was making moves skillfully and it was hard for me to defend my position.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。He kept attacking and I kept defending, finding hidden resources to keep my king safe.
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The year 2013 marked a turning point in my life. In June, my husband was offered a new Job in Ghana. Feeling that I had hit a career bottleneck as a photographer and copywriter (广告文字撰写人), I, without any hesitation, made the decision to relocate with him.
While my husband engaged in work, my visa didn’t grant me the same privilege. But that’s okay. I didn’t know what to do anyway. I was left isolated, homesick and lacking purpose. Our new home was a bungalow near a river that cut across expansive grasslands. With few people around our home, I turned to nature, which had been a fondness of mine since childhood. Every day, I would take my camera and wander around, photographing aimlessly.
It wasn’t long before September arrived, bringing the full flow of the rainy season. After one particularly bad thunderstorm, I found a finch (雀) — a poor little thing barely a month old with one wing broken — on the ground. Evidently, he had been abandoned by his flock, his nest blown from a tree. The sight was heartbreaking. He was the size of my lite finger. His eyes were tightly shut and he was shuddering, too young to survive alone. I somehow felt a connection with it. Immediately I scooped him up and cautiously placed him in a cardboard box with towels, mimicking a nest, and stayed up all night researching how to care for him.
The next day, he seemed to regain some energy. He woke with his mouth open, though still too weak to let out a call. I fed him some food and chirped (叽喳) at him. To my amusement, he chirped back and even climbed into my hand. I affectionately gazed at this adorable creature, who was now boldly pecking (啄) my fingers now and then. A surge of warmth ran through me. Tenderly stroking his feathers, I chirped a lullaby, singing him to sleep. Gradually, his eyes drooped and he drifted off. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene — as far as he was concerned, I was his mother.
Para 1. “I will take care of you.” I murmured, making my promise to him.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Para 2. At that moment I realized that as I dedicated myself to the finch’s care, something within me changed.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Helping your teens adjust to their new high school
Switching peer groups, adjusting to a new academic schedule, and leaving behind old friends can be very hard for adolescents. Use these strategies to help your teen adjust to a new school.
Keep a positive attitude
The adjustment period begins before your teen ever steps foot into the new school. Offer a balanced outlook by acknowledging the challenges of moving, but also recognizing that a new school may offer exciting new opportunities. Point out the new opportunities that’ll be available.
Avoid saying things like, “Oh, you’ll make new friends right away, so don’t worry about it,” or “It’s not a big deal. I used to change schools all the time.” Instead, say things like, “I understand you’re worried about how to stay in touch with your old friends.”
Listen to your teen’s concerns
Acknowledge that change can be hard. Comfort your teen by saying you know it will be hard for him/her to leave his/her school and friends.
Your teen might not express their feelings with words but you might see some changes in their behaviour that indicate they are stressed out about the move. Keep asking questions about their biggest concerns. Are they worried about new teachers? Do they doubt their ability to make the basketball team?
Learn about the new school ahead of time
Carry out as much research as possible about the new school before your teen starts attending. Get your teen involved in finding out about the size of the school, the types of classes offered, and extra-curricular opportunities etc. Most schools have websites that offer a wealth of information.
Talking to a guidance counsellor or coach ahead of time can also be helpful. If possible, arrange for your teen to have a tour of the school too.
If at all possible, help your teen meet some students from the new school before the first day. Seeing a familiar face or two when they are the “new kids” can go a long way towards helping them settle in.
Life is full of changes. Someday, your teen will likely need to adjust to a new job, a new home, a new boss, and living with a partner. So changing schools can be a good practice for embracing changes.
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When you think of the Arctic (北极), you imagine an icy land of pure white snow. Others imagine it as the last really clean place left on Earth. We have polluted the deepest oceans with plastic trash, and now, CNN says, “It’s the Arctic’s turn”
German scientists have recently found micro plastics (微塑料) in Arctic snow, the Associated Press reported. Micro plastic are pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters. Sadly, the scientists found 1,800 pieces of micro plastic per liter of snow.
How is plastic pollution reaching the Arctic? According to scientists, “It’s readily apparent (显然的) that the majority of the micro plastics in the snow comes from the air.” they fall off of plastic objects and are moved by the wind, just like dust. They mix with ice in the air and fall to the ground as snow. Finding these plastics in Arctic snow means that we may breathe them in. An even higher amount of micro plastic was found in the snow around cities.
The high concentrations (浓度) found in snow samples (样本) suggest micro plastics, which contain rubber or chemical used in synthetic fabrics (合成纤维), may cause significant air pollution.
Are they bad for us? Scientists cannot answer this question for now, according to the World Health Organization. We do know that our bodies cannot take in “large” pieces of micro plastics. However, if the plastics are small enough, they can find ways into our bodies and stay there for a long time, which can be bad for our health. What’s more, earlier studies have shown that micro plastics may contributes to lung cancer risk, heightening the need to further assess (评估) the risks of taking them in, the study said.
Micro plastics have also been found in rivers and oceans around the world. Previous research has found that they flow long distances and into tour oceans, damaging ecosystems (生态系统) along the way. They start in our wastewater when we wash clothes with plastic fibers. The waste water then flows into rivers and out to sea, where they are eaten by sea animals. If people then eat these animals, it means that we’re eating the plastic as well.
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“Oh my God, buy it!” I believe that you are very familiar with Li Jiaqi’s phrase. Livestreaming marketing is a method of selling products on live video streaming platforms, which are now mainly Taobao, Kuaishou and Douyin. On April 1st, 2020, Luo Yonghao finished his first livestreaming marketing on Douyin. Data showed that the total amount of payments reached 110 million yuan in 3 hours, which set the record of livestreaming marketing on Douyin.
One of the most popular functions of livestreaming is the “real-time connection”. Although traditional television shopping channels also allow viewers to instantly buy recommended items, they don’t allow hosts to respond to real-time comments, nor can television sales data be readily collected to analyze customers’ purchasing behaviors or performance indicators. With this feature, potential customers can get answers to pressing questions and gain a more comprehensive impression of the products, making promotional activities more convincing and effective.
Under the influence of the current epidemic, online shopping reduces direct contact between folks, having a certain guarantee for the health of residents. At the same time, many industries are hit by the epidemic. In this situation, many businessmen walked into the studio with the aim of recovering some of the damage for the business as much as possible.
Meanwhile, the expanding of 5G has created a favorable environment for livestreaming marketing. Supported by the technology of 5G, the image quality of the live stream is clearer, so more details can be showed to customers, which helps to provide them an entirely different experience. “With the arrival of the 5G era, livestreaming will be faster, allowing users to zoom in and out of videos to see more details of products,” said the general manager for e-commerce content at Taobao.
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