My family moved to Perth, Australia when I was six. On the first day of school, I was _______ because I couldn’t even say hello in English.

Then I met Natsumi. Her family had just moved to Australia from Japan. Unable to speak a word of English, we could only _______ through body language, but this did not stop us from becoming fast _______. My mum has a clear memory of one car trip when Natsumi and I were sitting in the backseat, laughing and talking to each other in broken English, It was the first time I had felt _______ enough to speak the few words I had learned throughout the year.

Unfortunately, at the end of that year, Natsumi’s family moved to Queensland and mine to New South Wales. We lost _______.

Years later, I went into training as a teacher, teaching English to newly-arrived students and adults. Many of my students were Japanese, which _______ me of Natsumi. Though I had long been looking for her, my searches had so far led nowhere.

On a visit to Japan in 2018, I _______ again. Having spent a long night online, I came across someone named Natsumi. Trying my luck, I sent her a message. The next day, there was a _______: “Gabi? Gabi from Perth?”

We agreed on a date and met up for dinner. Seeing her again was _______. However, this time, we were not only able to communicate with one another in English, but ________ so.

Hurricane Ian, a powerful storm     17     hit Cuba earlier this week, grew to a strong storm before making landfall on Florida’s west coast. At least 125 people, including 120 in Florida and 5 in North Carolina,     18     (die) since the disaster happened. Last week, Ian swept southwestern Florida, bringing heavy rains and dangerous flooding. Ninety percent of Fort Myers Beach     19     (destroy) by it. Right now rescue workers     20     (work) hard day and night to make sure people are safe.

The Longji Rice Terraces Day Tour

The Longji Rice Terraces are the most amazing terraces in China. With a history of around 700 years, the Longji Rice Terraces show both the great wisdom and physical efforts of the Zhuang people.

At 8:00 am, your tour guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel in Guilin and transport you to the amazing Longji Terraces. (* Tourists staying outside of the city center need to pay an extra fee.)

After a two-hour drive, you will reach the entrance to the Longji Terraces, where you will take an eco-sightseeing bus to Ping’an Village. Then the tour guide will show you around the village. Lunch is on your own. Your expert guide can give you some advice on the food choices in the village.

After a short lunch break, walk for 20 minutes to No. 2 Viewing Platform, a perfect place for a wonderful view of the terraces beneath. You will have enough time to take pictures and enjoy the fresh air.

The older you get, the more difficult it is to learn a new language. But no one knows exactly what the cutoff point is—at what age it becomes harder. In one of the largest studies, researchers from Boston-based universities found that children are good at learning a second language up until the age of 18, about 10 years later than earlier thought. But the study also showed that it is best to start by age 10 if you want to achieve the grammatical fluency of a native speaker.

To solve this problem, the research team collected data on a person’s age, language level and time studying English. They created a short online grammar quiz called “Which English?” that tested noun-verb agreement, pronouns, prepositions and relative clauses, among other linguistic elements. They wanted to find out when the “critical period” for achieving the highest levels of grammatical fluency ends.

Based on people’s grammar scores and information about their learning of English, the researchers developed models to find out how long it takes to become fluent in a language and the best age to start learning. They concluded that the ability to learn a new language, at least grammatically, is strongest until the age of 18. To become completely fluent, however, learning should start before the age of 10.

There are three main ideas as to why language-learning ability falls at 18: social changes, interference (干扰) from one’s primary language and continuing brain development. At 18, kids typically graduate from high school and start college or enter the work force full-time. Once they do, they may no longer have the time, opportunity to study a second language. Or it is possible that after one masters a first language, its rules interfere with the ability to learn a second language. Finally, changes in the brain that continue during the late teens and early 20s may somehow make learning harder.

This is not to say that we cannot learn a new language if we are over 20. There are many examples of people who pick up a language later in life.

Although the study was conducted only in English, the researchers believe the findings will transfer to other languages and they are developing similar tests for Spanish and Mandarin.

About 6 million to 12 million creatures are dissected (解剖) in U. S. classrooms every year, according to the National Anti-Vivisection Society, an animal rights group. While many students eagerly look forward to the chance to examine real animals up close, others say that there’s no educational value in cutting into animals’ bodies. Should students dissect real animals?

David Evans, the director of the National Science Teachers Association, argues that students should be given the chance to dissect animals in the classroom. Students learn best in a hands-on environment where they can work together to explore and discover. Interacting with organisms (生物) is an effective way to help students develop skills of observation and comparison and learn the unique structures (结构) and processes of organisms. As good as many models or simulations might be, they are very different from real organisms. And he believes they fall short of producing the respect for living things that comes from the actual dissection experience.

Jonathan Balcombe, a biologist and a life-long animal rights supporter, says, “I spent many years as a biology lab teacher. I remember the horrible feeling I had when it came time for my class to dissect animals. The lesson required that students cut open and examine dead frogs, fetal pigs, sparrows, and other creatures. I felt pity for these animals, who probably suffered before being killed. And I knew their pain could have been avoided. If students and teachers saw how these animals typically end up on their desks, I believe that dissections would soon stop.”

He points out there are many effective choices for learning animal dissection and physiology, including 3-D models, videos, and computer software. Hundreds of programs are free through lending services like The Science Bank. The simulated dissections can be repeated, and the programs provide feedback. Several studies have shown that computer models and other choices teach students just as well as or better than traditional animal dissection.

I’m not surprised that no state requires dissection to graduate from high school, and no college or university demands it as part of the admissions process. In fact, laws in 18 U. S. states and Washington, D. C. support a student’s right to use other choices. However, dissection could have a legal place in education if the animals did not suffer and were not intentionally killed. For example, some schools have students dissect animals that “were put to sleep” for medical reasons and whose bodies were donated to science.

Keep Sight of Dry Eye

Do your eyes feel uncomfortable or dry? If so, you might have dry eye syndrome (综合征).     30     It can affect the enjoyment of social activities and your ability to focus on your studies. But solutions for dry eyes do exist, so read on.

In the past, dry eye syndrome was mainly a condition experienced by older adults, but it now affects many young people as well. Dry eye often results from overuse of computers or smartphones, which causes the user to blink (眨眼) less. Since blinking helps keep our eyes wet, a lack (缺少) of it can lead to dry eye.     31     As a result, those who spend a lot of time indoors are particularly at risk. Finally, wearing a medical mask can cause dry eye, since breathing with a mask on can force air out through the top of the mask and into our eyes.

    32     The first step toward prevention is cleanliness. When you wash your face, clean your eyes with a mild soap. Then, cover your eyes with a warm, wet cloth. Preventing dry eye also means avoiding tiredness in the eyes, so take frequent breaks when using your computer. While you’re on a computer break, focus on blinking, making sure that you close your eyes fully on each blink.     33     Another way to prevent dry eye is to drink more water. For good overall health, experts advise drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water per day, which will increase tear production.

If you suffer from dry eye syndrome, these steps can go a long way toward making your eyes feel better. However, if the problem doesn’t go away, then it’s time to see a doctor.     34    

We are all faced with challenges in our lives. Most people have a hard time accepting and dealing with them. The truth is that you will have to deal with difficult problems throughout your life. Here are some tips on how to deal with everyday challenges.

1. Don’t compare your lifestyle with others. It is really difficult not to compare ourselves with others; however, the more often we do that, the more dissatisfied we will feel. There will be people that may have accomplished more than you. The key thing to remember is that you create your own story and success in life.

2. Don’t blame others. Many people make a habit of blaming others for all their problems. They fail to take full responsibility for the decisions they have made in life. The more you blame others for the challenges you are faced with, the more you will make people dislike you and not want to be around you. The first thing you want to do when faced with a personal challenge is not to start pointing fingers at others.

3. Accept changes in your life. You will have to deal with changes in life all the time. Many people don’t like change because it gets them outside of their comfort zone. You may be unhappy or happy at certain times; however, you have to realize that those two feelings will not last forever. You have to always train your mind to be at peace despite the emotional state you are experiencing.

4. Don’t think too much. When you think too much about an event that happened, you will start to judge everything and everyone. When you think too much, you will have a very hard time accepting reality and you will think that something is not right. Thinking too much can also lead you not to take action on your goal. This can make you really sad in the long run.

Life is full of its ups and downs. With the right mindset and practice, you will be able to overcome them every time and grow in the process!