While I was in hospital for a heart surgery, something affected me and made me do something meaningful. Before my surgery, my doctor showed me a video, in which there were patients like me and they each had a heart pillow, so I decided I would get one.

Right after my _______, I asked about the heart pillow. Unluckily, I was told they didn’t offer it but it could be _______ at the hospital gift shop. So my daughter bought one for me. It was comfortable and became my “security blanket”. However I was _______ that many patients couldn’t get that comfort. So I took this whole mission upon myself. I called various hospitals to find out what they used for patients after heart surgeries. I also found a site _______ that the cloth pillows were considered dangerous because it might spread bacteria to patients. I _______ understood, but that didn’t stop my mission. I continued to call the manufacturers. Finally, a lady called back and told me about the heart pillow that they had produced, which could be _______ and disinfected (消毒).

I did all my _______ so that no one could think of a reason why this wouldn’t work. It took me over a month to be able to meet with the hospital authorities to _______ my finding. I’m glad that they agreed and are _____ getting these pillows for patients. I cannot be ________— I actually did something that will help many patients.

Have you ever been to London? Which famous sites did you visit? Or, if it is the first time that you    1     (be) there, which one will you check out? Some world famous     2     (culture) sites may already be on your list: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the London Tower. However, a tour of London would be incomplete     3       checking out the London art scene.

Learning is a relatively permanent change in behaviour that     1     (mark) an increase in knowledge, skills, or understanding thanks to recorded memories. A memory is the fruit of this learning process. You can remember a new piece of information better if you can associate it    2     previously acquired knowledge. And the more meaningful the association is to you personally, the more effectively it will help you to remember. So taking the time     3     (choose) a meaningful association can pay off in the long run.

Globalization is the connection of different parts of the world. The process of globalization is very controversial. Many people say globalization will help people communicate. Aid agencies can respond more quickly     1    a natural disaster. Advanced medicines are more easily and widely available to people who may not have been able to afford them. Globalization     2     (increase) the number of students studying abroad over the past few years.     3    some people worry that Western culture will destroy local cultures around the world. What they fear is that everyone will end up     4     (eat) hamburgers and pizza.

Explore the history of postmodern photography from the 1960s to the present. Start with pop art, and the social landscape. Create photographs like the great masters of this period. We will look at constructed photographs to understand the ideas of fictive (虚构的) composition, identity, and the creation of altered reality in your imagery.

This class is offered both online as a virtual class and on-site as an in-person class.

Fall is a great time to start planning next year’s vegetable gardens. Learn about soil preparation and tests, vegetable garden layouts, and when and how to plant for a continued, flavorful harvest.

This floral design class is offered both online as a virtual class and on-site as an in-person class.

Recombining store-bought flowers allows you to make excellent floral arrangements. You will learn how to include fruit and dried materials as well as how to prepare flowers before arranging. Purchase a few mixed flowers, several individual flowers from the grocery store before class and follow along step by step. A supply list will be sent.

New! Beehives can be a challenge to overwinter, especially in northern climates. Learn care tips that will help you maintain a healthy bee group all year round. Please choose either the on-site or online class attendance option. The former needs to be booked.

The online classes will be taught via Zoom. All registrations must be submitted online two days before your class starts. Registered students will receive login instructions one day in advance.

More than 80 percent of global heat is absorbed by the ocean, which has a massive capacity to store and give off heat. High sea-surface temperatures are causing long-term damage to coral reefs (珊瑚礁). Corals are dying. The IPCC (政府间气候变化专门委员会) projects that up to 90 percent of coral reefs could disappear if global warming reaches 1.5℃. Another reason corals are in trouble is because of ocean acidification. Higher carbon dioxide levels have shift ed the chemistry of the ocean, making it more acidic, and corals and sea creatures have trouble growing in acidic conditions.

When ocean water warms, it expands in volume. This is a major cause of the rise in sea levels, along with the water added to the ocean by the melting of land-based glaciers (冰川). The sea level has risen by an average of 20 centimeters since the late 19th century, and the research by scientists studying the last 25 years of satellite data found that the ocean water is rising faster and faster. If it continues at its current rate, the rise in sea level by 2100 will be more than double the current estimates. Sea level rise leads to the destruction of coastal wetlands, flooding and damage to water ecosystems.

Temperature and precipitation (沉淀) are key elements of climate. A warmer climate means that more water rises from both the land and ocean, and a warmer atmosphere holds more of that water. Scientists have noticed that there are more heavy rainfall events. Additionally, higher water temperature in streams, lakes, and rivers lead to lower levels of dissolved oxygen in the water, which impacts the survival and populations of fish and other sea life.

Especially troubling are the extreme weather events that are happening more often around the world. Hurricanes are ramping up in intensity, particularly in North Atlantic. The year 2017 was a busy one for Atlantic hurricanes. Meanwhile, in the western United States, the state of California has had record-setting drought conditions, which began in 2012.

So, do you want to know how to read classic books? Maybe you are excited to deal with classic literature but you don’t know where to start.     1     Here are some tips for enjoying classic literature and helping you get started.

Slow down the pace. The biggest difference between modern literature and classic literature is the pace. Modern reading can often feel like a short race.     2     If you try to apply short race techniques to a long distance run you will get tired pretty quickly. Well, the same is true with reading classic books.

    3     One of the challenges when you start to read classics book is the language style. Words and phrases that are out of date or no longer relevant can make the writing difficult to understand. As it’s just not the way things are written or what is being talked about, it is common to jump over concepts that we don’t understand or words that we’ve never come across before. But, the key to reading classic books and enjoying them is taking time to understand them. So don’t shy away from looking things up.

Listen to the audio(有声的)book. Sometimes the best way to devote yourself to a classic book is to listen to it. Many classic books were intended to be read aloud. Books used to be very expensive, so people shared them. This meant that a family might gather together to listen to a few chapters every night.     4    

Choose your favourite. Finally, the key to reading classic books and actually enjoying them is to choose one that actually appeals to you. Classic Books can get mixed up into a single genre(流派)“Classic”.     5     Think about what you already love reading and look for books that suit your interest.

It’s 5 p.m., and you’ve just realized that report you’ve been putting off is due tomorrow. It’s time to buckle down and open your computer. Actually, you should probably make dinner first. You usually like cooking, though it’s hard to enjoy with this work hanging over your head, and oh—it’s actually pretty late! Maybe you should just try again in the morning. This is the cycle of procrastination, and I promise you, we have all been there.

Procrastination is when we avoid a task we said we would do, for no good reason, despite expecting our behavior to bring negative consequences. Obviously, it’s irrational to do something you expect to harm you. But ironically, procrastination is the result of our bodies trying to protect us, specifically by avoiding a task we see as threatening.

We’re most likely to procrastinate tasks that evoke negative feelings, such as dread, incompetence, and insecurity. Because procrastination is motivated by our negative feelings, some individuals are more susceptible (易受影响的) to it than others. People who have difficulty regulating their emotions and those who struggle with low self-esteem are much more likely to procrastinate. However, it’s a common misconception that all procrastinators are lazy. When you’re feeling lazy, you’re more likely to sit around doing nothing than distract yourself with unimportant tasks. In fact, many people procrastinate because they care too much. Procrastinators often report a high fear of failure, putting things off because they’re afraid their work won’t live up to their high standards.

Whatever the reason for procrastination, the results are often the same. Procrastinators are likely to suffer from anxiety and depression, ongoing feelings of shame and physical ailments (轻病) associated with high stress.

So, how can we break the cycle of procrastination?

Traditionally, people thought procrastinators needed to cultivate discipline and practice strict time management. But today, many researchers feel the exact opposite. Being too hard on yourself can layer additional bad emotions onto a task. What we really need to do is to address and reduce these negative emotions.