Two years ago I was very lonely and didn’t talk with anyone about my feelings. At the time I didn’t have many friends. I wanted someone to share my experiences and secrets with. I wanted someone to understand me. I started to imagine this friend. Often I imagine our conversations and what we would do, but I didn’t give my imagination a face.
Some weeks later I started a new project in school and I was working with one of my schoolmates. We had never worked together before but we got along well. After the project we started to spend some time together in school. One day we decided to take a walk. Ever since that walk we’ve been friends. We listened and really understood each other.
I had wished for a best friend, but the universe gave me so much more. I have met one of my soul mates. We can sense each other, and it just takes one look and we know what the other is thinking. I didn’t think our friendship could grow much stronger. But now we have known each other for two years and our friendship is growing all the time.
It hasn’t only been easy. We have gone through both easy and hard times. But I’m grateful for the hard times, because they have forced me to grow and taught me a lot. My best friend has changed me. She has made me believe in myself. And I am now focusing on achieving one of my biggest dreams. Without her, I wouldn’t even have realized what my biggest dream is.
I know there are soul mates out in the world for you. I am so lucky to have met one of mine. Believe in them, and your paths will cross.
1．What did the author do before meeting her soul mate?| A．She chose to stay alone. |
| B．She spent time with other friends. |
| C．She told others about her feelings. |
| D．She pictured a friend in her mind. |
| A．By taking a walk. |
| B．By attending a party. |
| C．Through a school project. |
| D．Through a friend’s introduction. |
| A．Their friendship is still developing. |
| B．She is the author’s only soul mate. |
| C．They are trying hard to realize their dreams. |
| D．She has little confidence in their friendship. |
| A．Vague. | B．Thankful. | C．Intolerant. | D．Critical. |
What happens when the novel A Dream of Red Mansions meets architectural psychology? How does a coffee shop
For Xiong, critical thinking is a(n)
Students are attracted to the course for the student-friendly learning
As a result of the outbreak of COVID-19, Xiong has to
“As a teacher, I don’t know how well students are processing the information. For students, they may get bored or tired easily for the lack of
| A．praise | B．inspire | C．inspect | D．discover |
| A．discussed | B．interviewed | C．written | D．communicated |
| A．constructive | B．perfect | C．essential | D．funny |
| A．admiring | B．studying | C．analyzing | D．obtaining |
| A．evidence | B．consequence | C．influence | D．response |
| A．stage | B．screen | C．business | D．television |
| A．assessment | B．significance | C．secret | D．possibility |
| A．tasks | B．experiences | C．instructions | D．thoughts |
| A．proper | B．reliable | C．offline | D．vivid |
| A．did well in | B．looked down on | C．paid attention to | D．spoke highly of |
| A．awful | B．complicated | C．elegant | D．convenient |
| A．deny | B．count | C．debate | D．make |
| A．threatened | B．shortened | C．enlightened | D．strengthened |
| A．energy | B．interaction | C．questions | D．activities |
| A．watch | B．notice | C．continue | D．learn |
Alice had just been appointed in the multinational bank. After one month of severe training, today was her first day to go to work.
She got up a bit earlier than usual, and decided to skip her gym workout as she did not want to risk being tired or getting late to her office on her first day. She went through her morning routine and spent a lot of time in selecting what to wear. None of her dresses seemed to appeal to her—they were either a little too casual or too dull and she definitely wanted to make an impression right from the start. Finally she settled on the white embroidered (刺绣的) dress.
She waved bye to her mom and set off cheerfully towards the bus stop. But she saw a bus leaving the stop just as she crossed the street. Now she would have to wait for a good 15 minutes. 15 minutes passed and then 30 minutes and there was no sign of the bus. “It must be stuck in heavy traffic”, a kind lady who was also waiting for the bus told her. Hearing that, Alice got anxious. She had to reach her office on time. Then she saw a taxi approaching but when she tried to stop it, the taxi driver sped by without even taking a glance at her. Alice was wondering what she could do.
It was then that a car stopped near her and a man waved to her. The driver asked her where she was going and after Alice told him that she was going to the bank at Nariman Point, the man said “Oh, my office is in the nearby building. Can I give you a lift?” Alice hesitated for a moment and got into the car. They exchanged names and began to talk for a while. Then the driver switched on the radio and was absorbed in the song. Alice looked out of the window and imagined her first day at work, worrying whether she was capable of the new job, and if she could get along well with her colleagues. After about ten minutes, Alice realized they were not on the familiar route to her office.
She began to worry that she might get into the car of a bad man.
Then the car turned around a corner and Alice saw the tall building where her office was unexpectedly.
Beautiful Islands in the World
Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Waiheke is just a 35-minute ferry ride from Auckland. Join a wine test and relax over a delicious vineyard (葡萄园）lunch. Visiting Waiheke is a great journey, where you can either take a relaxing walk explore the beaches or fly smoothly in the forest with a zip-line（飞索）.
If you want to stay on the island overnight, we advise you to stay at the “Delamore lodge”, where you will enjoy relaxing spa treatments, delicious food and wine and a wonderful swimming pool with a good view.
Madagascar. Africa
Madagascar is the fourth largest island on our planet and a dream destination for outdoors lovers where you can see rare animals, rain-forests and great white sandy beaches. The Avenue of the Baobabs is a must- see if you are traveling to Madagascar. You must also visit one of Madagascar’s natural parks to see its wild animals. From July to October, pass by “Nosy Be” to see one of the rarest animals on the planet, Omura’s whales(鲸).
Kauai. Hawaii
Kauai is part of the Hawaiian Islands and is also named “the Garden Island”. It is indeed an island made up of sharp mountains and waterfalls. On the south shore, you'll find sites of cultural, historical and geological importance alongside beautiful beaches. The island of Kauai has been well-known for more than seventy Hollywood movies and television shows, such as Indiana Jones , Jurassic Park and Jurassic World.
Jamaica
In Jamaica, you will fall in love with the warm Caribbean weather, beautiful beaches, amazing sunsets and great waterfalls.
Our favorite spots: the romantic “Reach Falls” in Portland and “Negril town” for its great concerts and beautiful sunsets. Walk into Floyd’s Pelican Bar, named after the birds that like to sit on its roof. It’s one of the world’s coolest bars and is lying in the middle of the sea!
1．When can you see Omura’s whales in Madagascar?| A．In January. | B．In June. | C．In September. | D．In November. |
| A．Kauai. | B．Madagascar. | C．Jamaica. | D．Waiheke Island. |
| A．Talking with film stars. | B．Attending great concerts. |
| C．Having a vineyard lunch. | D．Playing with wild birds. |
In the first and second grade in junior high school, I was extremely shy, I had friends, but it just wasn’t in my personality to be very outgoing, even when I knew someone. I was afraid I would do or say something wrong, so usually I just smiled and listened to other people’s conversations.
I did well in school and I loved to write. However, I would escape into my writing, where I could be myself and never had to worry about what other people thought of me. In my stories, I was never shy, I often imagined that I was the main character in the story. My teacher, Mrs. Sather, always encouraged me to write more and be myself. She told our class to go after our dreams and dig in with great efforts. I thoughts he was one of the first people to see my inner strength.
One day, she showed us a play she had written and announced that our class was going to perform it. “I’ll begin to choose all the performers tomorrow” she said, “I need someone who is not afraid to be onstage in front of a lot of people to play the lead part of Dorothy. Anybody wants to try?” A few excited hands shot up -- mine, of course, was not one of them and Mrs. Sather smiled. “We’ll talk more about it later,” she said. Then the bell rang and my classmates slowly left the classroom.
“I will never do that,” I thought. But after rereading the play, I was deeply attracted by the story and couldn’t help imagining myself to be the main character Dorothy. There seemed to be a new person inside me, a much more daring, outgoing person who had been hidden all along, just waiting for the opportunity to appear. However, I still felt shy and could never picture myself acting in a play in front of two hundred people. Having struggled for a few minutes, I still did not know how to make the decision.
When I was loading up my backpack, Mrs. Sather asked me to go to her.
One week later, it was time for me to perform on the stage.
Yours,
Li Hua
DOHA, Sept 18 —The “Hello, Beijing” Photography Exhibition
Themed “Capital, Ancient Charm, New Look, Humanity and Ecology”, the exhibition
Abdulaziz Al Anzy,
Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son’s soccer team. It was the final quarter, and the score was two to one, my son’s team taking the
With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball
Then, all of a sudden, there was
The quietness was finally broken when Mikey
I watched, in tears, as my son
Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, “It was a
| A．offer | B．risk | C．victory | D．lead |
| A．discovered | B．entered | C．surrounded | D．defended |
| A．rolled | B．burnt | C．cracked | D．exploded |
| A．disappearing | B．echoing | C．trembling | D．changing |
| A．quit | B．debated | C．erupted | D．escaped |
| A．applause | B．silence | C．argument | D．complaint |
| A．ultimate | B．illegal | C．wrong | D．unusual |
| A．opposing | B．ambitious | C．professional | D．frustrated |
| A．guiltily | B．painfully | C．joyfully | D．confusedly |
| A．hand | B．breath | C．head | D．view |
| A．react | B．apologize | C．survive | D．recall |
| A．disturbed | B．waited | C．worried | D．existed |
| A．cleaned up | B．put down | C．held on to | D．raised up |
| A．goal | B．wisdom | C．power | D．fight |
| A．mistake | B．tie | C．pity | D．priority |
If you’re ready to fire up your imagination, writing a short story or novel is one of the best ways to let your creativity run wild! To make your own story, all you’ll need is something to write with and a bit of inspiration. We’ll walk you through the best ways to beat writer’s block and create your own story right now.
Use action and plot to progress your story.
Choose a setting, or time and place, where your story will take place. Try to come up with a setting that the reader can find believable. Even if it’s a fictional setting, it should have elements that ground it in reality.
Brainstorm your plot and organize it in an outline before you get writing.
| A．Develop the cast of characters who you’ll use for your story. |
| B．When writing, don’t tell your readers everything you planned. |
| C．Then take those stories and make them longer and more detailed. |
| D．The best stories do seem to come from real life events and experiences. |
| E．Try to make it sound like a place that someone would want to read about. |
| F．Use an outline or some other form of organization to keep your plot straight. |
| G．The latter lets the readers learn that she is dli gent without you feeding it to them. |
Traditionally, it has been assumed that cultivating food leads to a loss of biodiversity and negative impacts on an ecosystem. In a recent study, researchers looked at 28 urban community gardens across California over five years and quantified biodiversity in plant and animal life, as well as ecosystem functions such as carbon sequestration (碳封存), food production, pest control and human well-being.
“We wanted to determine if there were any biodiversity and impacts on ecosystem function in those unban gardens,” says Shalene Jha, the lead author of the study in Ecology Letters. “What we found is that these gardens, which are providing tremendous nutritional resources and increasing well-being for gardeners, are also supporting incredibly high levels of plant and animal biodiversity. It’s a win-win.”
Previous assumptions by scientists about the negative effect of food production on bio diversity have been almost entirely based on intensive rural agriculture enterprises that tend to grow on one or two types of crops, often at a massive scale. Urban community gardens, private gardens, and urban farms and orchards tend to grow more types of plants in smaller areas. The new study is the first to explore the effects of urban gardens across a wide range of biodiversity measures and ecological services.
“It’s estimated that by 2030, about 60% of the world’s population will live in cities,” Jha says. “And urban farms and gardens currently provide about 15%-20% of our food supply, so they are essential in addressing food inequality challenges. What we’re seeing is that urban gardens present a critical opportunity to support both biodiversity and local food production.”
The study also found that the choices that gardeners make can have a large impact on their local ecosystem. For instance, planting trees outside crop beds could increase carbon sequestration without decreasing food production from too much shade. And covering only within crop beds could help improve soil carbon services, while avoiding negative effects on pest control.
1．What’s the purpose of the study conducted by Shalene Jha?| A．To analyze the cause of loss of biodiversity. |
| B．To increase well-being of gardeners. |
| C．To study the influence of urban gardens on ecosystem. |
| D．To quantify nutritional levels in plants and animals. |
| A．Inefficient pest control. | B．Intensive agricultural pattern. |
| C．Limited planting scales. | D．Unsatisfactory ecological services. |
| A．Urban gardens play a significant role in ecosystem. |
| B．Urban gardens will replace rural agriculture enterprises. |
| C．Urban gardens will be gradually decreasing. |
| D．Urban gardens provide the majority of our food supply. |
| A．Urban Farms Address Food Inequality |
| B．Urban Gardens Challenge Rural Agriculture |
| C．Urban Biodiversity Increases Well-being of Gardener. |
| D．Urban Gardens Boost Biodiversity |
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