Yours

Li Hua

You cannot imagine how exciting I was, when we had such a precious chance to do some picking on a local farm, for we had expected it for long time. The farm, what is about one hour’s drive from our school, cover an area of 6 times the size of our school. We devoted the first 2 hours to collect tomatoes as well as eggplants but spent another 2 hours gathering strawberries. And at dinnertime, the food materials gathered by us becomes a wonderful meal, much to our surprise. This activity not only enriches our knowledges, but also lets us to get so close to nature. I look forward to enjoying much more similar activities in the future.

Wang Hongmei, a master in the Forbidden City, specializes in repairing damaged paintings. “I     1     (find)conservation of paintings extremely challenging at     2     beginning when I often had to stand for hours all day long due to the nature of the work.” Wang recalled. “Commitment and time     3     (gradual)calmed down my heart.”

It takes an experienced conservationist like Wang a whole year     4     (repair)just three to four paintings. Sometimes the work could take even     5     (long). A scenic painting over 170 square meters in size, which     6     (create)by Emperor Qianlong for his retirement, was worn. Wang and her workmates spent five years     7     (fix)the painting to its previous brilliance.

“These treasures are not simply individual items (单件物品),     8     heritages of the craft (手工艺)and spirit passed on by the artists, collectors and conservationists of the past,” Qu Feng, one of Wang’s colleagues, said. “Strengthened conservation efforts symbolize increasing national soft power and     9     (proud). If we can protect our cultural heritage to the best of our abilities, our nation will come to believe in itself more firmly.”

Thanks     10     the efforts by the masters in the Forbidden City, the public now can have a further understanding of cultural heritage protection.

4 . The first prize usually goes to the swiftest, but sometimes, the first one to cross the finish line isn’t the only winner. Nowhere was that more _______ than in a recent race in Shelbyville, Indiana.

With less than a mile to go, Levi LaGrange from Western Boone High School accidentally _______ a small stone on the rough ground, twisting his ankle. He signaled to Sheridan High School senior Axel Aleman that he could _______ him, but at that moment, the race became a matter Aleman was less _______ about. “I saw he was in _______ ,” Aleman recalled (回忆). “As I got closer to him, he was _______ to move. I asked if he was fine. He said he felt like something broken.”

In an extraordinary act of true sportsmanship, Aleman _______ to leave LaGrange behind. Placing an encouraging hand at the back of his _______ , for the rest leg of the race, Aleman _______ with LaGrange. The two crossed the __________ and Aleman even ensured LaGrange went first.

LaGrange’s mother was impressed by Aleman’s thoughtful __________ — especially since the two had __________ met before. It takes a lot for an 18-year-old to __________ his position in the competition,“ she said. ”Axel never left Levi’s side. Aleman’s own mother,   __________ , was not at all surprised by his son’s goodwill. It really speaks to Axel’s __________ . He is always concerned about others more than himself, she said.

When you’re standing at a crossroad — or running by it — you can choose the path of __________ , or you can go the extra mile for someone __________ . For this teen athlete, the __________ is clear. While we might not always recognize when life hands us a __________ for grace (风度), when it does, in the words of Axel Aleman, “I would just really hope people do the __________ thing.”

5 . Have you ever embarrassed yourself in public and got laughed at? Say, have you accidentally knocked over the water when you were talking with someone?     1     And it’s okay — you should even have a laugh about them.

    2    

Most of us have insecurities, or feel bad about ourselves because of past misfortune. However, it’s normal to be imperfect. You should stop worrying about having to convince others of your worth or maintaining an ideal image of yourself. You should be honest with yourself about who you. are and accept yourself despite your weaknesses. You won’t be able to laugh at yourself without first accepting yourself.

Being a little sceptical about yourself actually helps to promote your confidence.

    3     And optimistic people tend to be more successful. This is because making fun of ourselves contributes to our mental health and helps lift our mood in the face of difficulties or embarrassment. More importantly, it helps us realize our own weaknesses so we know which areas to do better in.

When you laugh at yourself, people will probably like you more because you’ re being real.

While laughing at someone else may hurt their feelings even if you didn’t intend to, laughing at yourself does not — you might even bring a smile to their faces.     4     People actually appreciate it when you laugh at yourself. Laughing at yourself shows that you are being real about your imperfections.

Just remember: it is human to make mistakes, and you have to accept yourself just as you are.     5    

6 . Just as China sets the world pace in e-commerce (电子商务), it’s doing the same for live streaming. More than 100 million viewers watch a live online video event every month. As an e-commerce tool, the live streaming format typically involves a famous person showing a product and answering questions from a digital audience. It takes place in real time (实时) and usually on a smartphone, which accounts for some 95% of e-commerce activity in China.

China is filled with live streaming webcasts, much of it non-commercial, such as young people discussing their lives, offering diet tips, etc. But live streaming has also become one of the most cost-effective tools for e-commerce in China.

Why are consumers and brands both hugging live streaming?

First, there’s a functional advantage to live streaming. It allows experts to show the product being used, to show various techniques, and to point out the results. There’s also a feeling of authenticity (真实性) that comes from live streaming because the audience can interact (互动) with the experts by asking questions in real time.

Consumers feel that they are actually handling the product themselves. Instead of picking a product off a shelf, they are now part of the process, shaping the outcome from the convenience of the living room sofa. The best live streaming allows room for a joke, or even a small mistake. After all, this is how friends talk with one another. As consumers grow in experience and taste, they would rather participate in a chat. Live streaming invites the brand into the home in much the same way you would invite a friend.

Consumers often feel a sense of empowerment (赋予权力). The brand must react quickly and positively to viewers in real time because consumers have the power to hold them responsible for their products through questions.

Live streaming can also be particularly effective for new-to-market brands who do not have the ability to create a buzz because it provides a guarantee that the product is used, accepted and loved.

7 . If you have trouble falling asleep, listen up. You might fall asleep 15 minutes earlier and wake up far less during the night if you put on a pair of socks at bedtime. To understand why, you first need to grasp the relationship between core (核心) body temperature and sleep. During daylight hours, the human body has an average temperature of 37℃. But your core body temperature drops as much as 1.2℃ over one night’s sleep. This gradual decrease is a key part of how we sleep. To put it simply, the faster you can lower your core body temperature, the faster you will fall asleep.

One way that your body controls its temperature is through blood vessels (血管) in the skin. If your body is too hot, your blood vessels widen, pushing the warmer blood nearer the skin’s surface, helping it to cool. If your body is too cold, the opposite happens. Your blood vessels narrow, restricting the flow of blood to the surface.

The soles, the bottom surface of your feet, are one of your body’s most efficient heat exchangers, since they are hairless and less protected than other skin surfaces. Researchers have shown that warming the feet before going to sleep using a warm foot bath or by wearing socks promotes blood vessel widening, which in turn lowers the body’s core temperature faster than going to sleep with cold, bare feet.

Scientists suspect that socked feet have a neurological effect as well. The warm-sensitive neurons (神经元) in the brain become more active when there’s a temperature difference between the body’s core and the feet. Researchers have found that these neurons become more active as we get sleep and slow down as we wake up, so that warming up the feet before bedtime may give warm-sensitive neurons an extra promotion, making you feel sleepier.

In a small study, researchers found that wearing a pair of special “sleeping socks” not only sped up the coming of sleep, but increased overall sleep time by an average of 30 minutes and cut night-time waking times in half. If you’re worried about becoming too warm, look for socks made of natural fibers.

8 . Emerson, my 11-year-old daughter, is on a wild ride with the United States Postal Service (USPS) and our postman, Doug. She has a serious letter-writing habit and keeps in touch with her favorite people. If you’ve been the receiver of her hand-decorated letters and envelopes, then I know they really make your day.

A letter from Emerson is likely to include some art, a joke and enough questions to guarantee a response. But when she wrote a letter to Doug, she put something new in it. “You may know me as the person living here that writes lots of letters…You’re very important to me, helping me stay in touch with friends. I cheer people up with my letters, and you do that too!”, Emerson wrote.

The next day, a package arrived with two letters. One was from Doug and the other from his superior, Sara, saying she had shared Emerson’s letter in the internal newsletter (内部通讯) of the USPS and believed many postal workers wanted to thank Emerson. Emerson was so pleased with Sara’s letter that it upset me much, for the possible result of no reply would come as a blow to her.

Surprisingly, today, we saw Doug come with two boxes of letters from around the country. These letters were so human, filled with stories about family, pets and a sense of kindness. But there was something more in them. People felt seen — some for the first time in a long time. “I work alone in a small rural post office…” “Not many people think about how hard we work…”. Emerson wrote back seriously.

I’m sharing this not because I’m a proud dad, but because it’s relatively easy, if we take the time, to give others links they need to be good-human connection. Emerson did this daringly. Her lesson to me is simple: It’s the small things that matter most. We all want to be seen, known and loved.

Send a letter. Give a call. Take a step of bravery, like Emerson.

9 . This year the annual reading challenge has been upgraded to the Reading Rush. The most important idea is to read seven books in seven days while hitting other specified challenges, and it has a website where you can track your reading: www.thereadingrush.com.

The Reading Rush takes place from July 22nd through the 28th. For more details, check out the site.

This will be my 5th year in this challenge, and I've even managed to pull in a few friends and family members to join me. Here's my current to-be-read list:

No.1 A book with purple on the cover

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

No.2 A book in the same spot the whole time

Of Thee I Sing: A letter to my daughters by Barack Obama

No.3 A book you meant to read last year

57 Secrets for Organizing Your Small Business by Julie Bestry, CPO®

No.4 An author's first book

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

No.5 A book with a non-human main character

Animal Farm by George Orwell

No.6 A book with over five words in the title

Sooner or Later Everything Falls into the Sea by Sarah Pinsker

No.7 Read a book and watch the movie adapted from it

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (an audiobook which we can hear the content)

If you try to read seven books in seven days, you are guaranteed to read more than you would have otherwise, which is a success in its own right. If you've never tried the Reading Rush before, this could be the year you start!