Being deaf in a hearing world can lead to painful feelings of isolation (孤独).

Waitress Kelsey recently shared an experience on a social media sharing site that quickly zoomed (陡直上升) to the top of the “ front page of the Internet”. In her brief post, Kelsey explained that she waits tables at a bar during the evenings, and one night she noticed a deaf man sitting alone in her section (区域).

When Kelsey isn’t working at the bar she makes a good hourly pay doing sign language translation, so she sensed an opportunity to use her skill to make this customer feel a little less alone in the world. She went up to his table and began chatting with him in sign language(手语).

When the table next to his noticed their silent conversation they asked Kelsey how long she’d been signing. They had a brief conversation about her goal of becoming certified (合格的) to translate sign language in a medical or mental health setting. She didn’t think much about the whole exchange until the customers had left the restaurant and she was tidying up the tables. There, on the table of the customers who’d seen her American sign language conversation with the deaf man, was a handwritten note on the receipt.

“Thank you for what you do; it absolutely matters!” the note said. “Good luck with finishing your degree!” Not only that, but they’d left her a $100 tip.

Kelsey was moved by the kind note, especially because she wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary. To her, she was just conversing with someone in a language that only they understood. Yet to the deaf man and the people seated next to him she’d bridged a gap and helped someone who probably feels lonely a lot of the time.

Kelsey shared the note on the Internet to spread more love and light in the world.

It is said that many brain training products is able to keep us mentally(精神的) fit. Some products even claim that brain training can prevent dementia (痴呆) in old age. Many such products are only money-making rubbish. Also, there is no scientific proof that games or other brain exercises can have this effect(影响). That is what the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) pointed out.

As we get older, our thinking gets slower and it is harder for us to learn new things. Many people try to stay mentally fit by, for example, learning a new language or doing crossword puzzles. Computer games that aim to keep the brain active are also becoming increasingly popular. “Doing exercises like trying to find symbols on a computer screen as fast as possible can actually improve your reaction time,” explains Professor Peter Sawicki, the Institute’s Director. “But scientific studies have shown that brain training only leads to an improvement in one aspect that it is aimed at. So if you learn to find symbols quickly, it does not mean that you will be able to improve your memory.”

Research has not shown that brain training can keep up or enhance (加强) people’s overall mental abilities as commonly thought. “So there is no need to feel bad if you do not enjoy brain training: there are no health reasons for doing it,” says Sawicki. “But if you think brain training exercises are interesting, you can try out different things. For example, completing the order of letters can improve your logic skills. And practicing word association techniques can help you to remember things better. You can do all of these things at home on your own.”

In Shakespeare’s HAMLET, Polonius asks the prince, “What are you reading, my Lord?” Hamlet replies, “Words, words, words.” Either, as is likely, Hamlet wasn’t interested in what he was reading, or, less likely, he didn’t understand the words he was reading. In this case, Polonius should have lent Hamlet a good dictionary.

Dictionaries are important tools for people who like to read. There are so many words in English that even the most educated person will sometimes meet an unfamiliar word and have to look it up. Languages keep changing, too, with new words constantly being added and new meanings being applied to old words. For example, the 12th edition of Xinhua Dictionary, the most popular dictionary in China, has added new words such as “chu xin” “fen si” “er wei ma” etc. As for new meanings, “girl” once meant “a small child of either sex”. And “naughty” didn’t mean you were “enjoying playing tricks”; it meant you were poor.

A printed dictionary can’t keep pace with all the changes, which is why most dictionaries have websites and apps to help you keep up-to-date (更新). However, I still prefer printed dictionaries because they give you more definitions and more examples of how a word is used. Even a simple word, such as “set”, has 430 meanings (the most of English words) but an online dictionary would only offer two or three. A printed dictionary also gives you the opportunity(机会) to discover new words as you run your finger down the page looking for the word you want.

There is no “official” English dictionary, but the Oxford English Dictionary is considered to be the best. For English language learners, however, I would recommend(建议)the Collins COBUILD Dictionary for Advanced Learners. Hamlet, by the way, was Danish and a college student. He would have appreciated the Collins Dictionary to help himself with his words, words, words. This dictionary has over 40,000 words and gives you full-sentence definitions with good examples of how words are used.

Avoid Internet Addiction

    11    Many people suffer from addition to the Internet and have a hard time paying attention to the important things around them．How can we prevent ourselves from going online too much？

Admit you have an addition．    12    Realize more and more people in the world are becoming addicted．You are not the only one with this problem．Do not be embarrassed；find others with the same problem and help each other beat it．

Limit your computer time．Make sure not to turn it on too many times a week．Before using your computer，decide on a time limit such as 30 minutes．Set the clock and make sure that you get off the computer when the time is up．    13    

Try using the computer at the library．You won't be as attracted to look at certain websites and they do have a limit on how long you can stay online．    14    ．So you won't be as attracted to be on the Internet as at home．

    15    Go for a run with a friend or get exercise some other way．Keep up with the local events in your neighborhood．There may be talks，films，concerts and sports events etc．Find some，as long as it is not on the Internet，and get involved．

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80s came to the hospital. I heard him saying to the nurse that he was in a hurry for all appointment(约会)at 9:30. The nurse had him take a _______ in the waiting area,_______ him it would be at least 40 minutes_________someone would be able to see him. I saw him_______his watch and decided, since I was_______busy—my patient didn’t_______ at the appointed hour, I would examine his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment. The gentleman said no and told me that he_______to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his_________. He told me that she had been_________for a while and that she had a special disease. I asked if she would be____________if he was a bit late. He replied that she __________ knew who he was, that she had not been able to __________ him for five years now. I was____________, and asked him, “And you__________go every morning, even though she doesn’t know who you are?” He smiled and said. “She doesn’t know me but I know who she is”. I had to hold back __________ as he left.            

Now I __________ that in marriages, true love is____________of all that is. The happiest people don’t__________have the best of everything, they just__________the best of everything they have. ____________isn’t about how to live through the storm, but how to dance in the rain.

We high school students do have some growing pains, but we can get rid of them correctly and     36    (wise). First, some of us     37    be) upset about our appearance. I don’t think it is important at all and there is no need to care about it. Actually, it is one’s inner(内在的) beauty     38    matters. Second, we sometimes cannot     39    (understand) correctly by our teachers, parents and classmates. Faced with this, we can find a right time to have a heart-to-heart talk with     40    (they), trying to remove the misunderstanding. Some of us have fewer friends     41    would like to listen to our deepest feelings and thoughts. I think being open-minded and friendly will do you good. Third, we may fall behind others, which makes us     42    annoy). Well, we can encourage ourselves to work efficiently, full of     43    (determine). At last, some of us don’t have much pocket money, so they feel unhappy. Isn’t it strange?     44    my view, as long as we have some, that’s enough. And then, we can learn to be independent by     45    (take) some part-time jobs, earning some extra money.