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Every Saturday night Mama would sit down by the kitchen table and count out the money Papa had brought home.
"For the rent. "Mama would count out the big silver pieces.
"For the groceries. "Another group of coins.
"I'll need a notebook. " That would be my sister Christine, my brother Nels or me.
Mama would put one or two coins to the side. We would watch with anxious interest. At last, Papa would ask, "Is that all?" And when Mama nodded, we could relax a little. Mama would look up and smile, "Good. We do not have to go to the Bank. "We were all so proud of Mama's Bank Account. It gave us such a warm, 10 secure feeling.
When Nels graduated from grammar school, he wanted to go on to high school. "It will cost a little money, "he said.
Eagerly we gathered around the table. I took down a box and laid it carefully in front of Mama. This was the "Little Bank". It was used for sudden emergencies, such15 as the time when Christine broke her arm and had to be taken to a doctor.
Nels listed the costs of the things he would need. Mama counted out the money in the Little Bank. There was not enough. "We do not want to go to the Bank, " she reminded. We all shook our heads.
"I will work in Dillon's grocery after school, "Nels volunteered.
Mama gave him a bright smile and wrote down a number. "That's not enough, "Papa said. Then he took his pipe out of his mouth and looked at it for a long time. "I will give up smoking, " he said suddenly.
Mama reached across the table and touched Papa's arm. Then she wrote down another figure.
"I will look after the Elvington children every Friday night, " I said. "Christine can help me. "
Now there was enough money. We all felt very good because we did not have to go downtown and draw money out of Mama's Bank Account.
So many things came out of the Little Bank that year: Christine's dress for the school play, my little sister Dagmar's operation. . . . Whatever happened, we always knew we still had the Bank to depend upon.
That was twenty years ago. Last year I sold my first story. When the check came, I hurried over to Mama's and put it in her lap. "For you, " I said, " to put in your Bank Account. " Mama looked at me. "____. " And when I didn't-couldn't- answer, Mama said seriously, "It is not good for little ones to be afraid-to not feel secure. "
Twenty years ago, when Andrew Westbrook was in college, he had a hard time staying focused in class. He certainly had the ability to focus — when he got lost in a good book, for example, thinking felt effortless. But when it came to some other tasks, thinking felt like pulling teeth.
Westbrook managed to graduate in the end. Now he is a neuroscientist（神经学家）. His research is shaking up old ideas about why we struggle with certain tasks.
For years, scientists thought that mentally tiring tasks like writing and solving math problems required more energy than easier ones like looking out the window. As a result, these harder tasks would make us run out of fuel — and lose focus — more quickly.
But the brain is a complex machine. It's always doing heavy lifting. Even when you're just looking around a room, your brain is dealing with lots of information (from your eyes) and using lots of energy. But we don't think of such tasks as hard work, do we?
According to Westbrook's studies, we often think certain tasks are harder than they really are. "When you are thinking about doing a difficult task, it often feels much worse than when you are actually doing it, " Westbrook says. But this early "mental hurdle （障碍）"can lead us to put off the task or even avoid it altogether. "If we can get over this hurdle, thinking will become easier, "he adds.
Westbrook's team has found ways to help us do just that. For one, he suggests focusing on the benefits of completing the task rather than the effort it takes. We can also try to get into a mental state called" flow （心流）. " When people are in this state, they seem not to care how hard the task is. One key to entering to"flow" is to reduce uncertainty. Before writing a book report, for example, you can set yourself a time limit. How much can you get done in 15 minutes?
Finally, it can help to make these mentally tiring tasks a habit. Try doing them at the same time and place every day of week. After a few weeks, focusing on these tasks won't just feel easier- it will be easier.
A few years ago，I did research on moss （苔藓）to make a living. Once I accidentally mentioned my job to my barber，he laughed at me. Then every time I got my haircut，he couldn't get past it. My example certainly isn't a one﹣off situation. Researchers across all fields of science have had similar experiences. But I feel plant scientists are forced to go through such situations especially regularly.
Many people ask me why I am not doing more "useful" studies—on things like cancer or dementia. My answer to their questions is simple. Plant science can help feed the world. Millions of people worldwide die of hunger every year. It's not that we aren't producing enough food；it's just that we are wasting a lot of it. Plant science can help to reduce this waste. One example is apples that brown slower. They are less likely to be thrown away. Plants can also help us protect our environment. They are important in our fight against climate change. Moreover，discoveries in plant science have also paved the way for studies in many other areas of science. In short，plant science isn't useless at all.
At an event at a local secondary school，I was surprised to learn that none of the teenagers aged from 14 to 15 could recognize the rice plant. This perhaps shows the level of interest in plants among today's young people. It's very worrying. If students aren't interested in plants，they are unlikely to study them in the future. They will never know how important plant science is.
Schools could and should do more to change their ideas. The Rocket Science campaign（活动） was a great example. It saw six hundred thousand children become space biologists. The pupils sowed and grew seeds that later spent six months on the International Space Station. Such events are able to arouse students' interest in plant science. Unfortunately，there are too few of them.
Plant science is much more useful than many people think. I hope that more people，especially young students，will take a second look at it.
Did you know that when you are kind to others，it's good for your own well-being too. Even small acts of kindness can give your confidence a boost and help you feel more connected to people around you.
Know what kindness really means.
___ It could be a small，simple act，like holding a door open，or something that takes time and effort, like making a playlist for your friend. Kindness isn't just something you do，but also means being caring about other people's feelings.
___
Scientists have discovered that when you're kind to someone，your body is filled with feelgood chemicals（化学物质） that make you feel calmer，healthier and happier. An act of kindness can boost feelings of confidence and happiness. " When you volunteer for charity or join a litter﹣pick, for example, you feel you are part of a community. ___ kindness is also something that flows outwards, like ripples in a pond. So if you do a good deed for someone，they might be inspired to do the same. Acts of kindness have the potential to make the world a happier place.
Bring more kindness into your life.
Studies show that kindness is something that we learn and get better at with practice. ___ Try to do something you enjoy，while remembering that you're doing it for others，and see if you can turn kindness into a habit. Don't forget to show kindness to yourself too. Try to find ways to be kind to yourself，like reading a book or listening to your favorite song. Use kind words when describing yourself or the things you have done that day.
A．So start with something simple and easy.
B．Kindness means doing something thoughtful or generous for others.
C．So if you are kind to others，they will be kind to you.
D．Understanding kindness can bring a lot of good to you.
E．This can make you feel better about yourself and build friendships.
Is kindness necessary in our daily life? List one of the acts of kindness you did in your past life. ___.
Before she got too sick to exercise，Kim Stemple used to be a special education teacher and a marathon runner. She loved life and running.
" Racing wasn't fun, " she said. "I was there to get to the finish line as fast as I could. " She thought the most important thing was to finish a race rather than 1 it.
Then, in 2009, she got sick. Over the next several years, Kim's doctors found more and more problems. She had to 2 in hospital for a long time. The normally energetic Stemple was naturally getting very 3 . Then a friend who had just finished a half marathon in Las Vegas gave her a medal, hoping the medal would act as a kind of4 . 5 did work like magic spell.
After Stemple hung the medal on the wall，other6 said they wanted medals too. That got Stemple thinking. "A medal is a simple way to give a positive 7 " And soon, in 2012, her charity, We Finish Together，was born. It8 medals from strangers ﹣ runners，dancers，swimmers，singers，and even spelling bee winners ﹣ and gives them to all sorts of people9 .
People who have received the medals have included hospital patients，people from homeless shelters and veterans. The donor usually writes a note on the ribbon（绶带） . "This helps them10 someone，" says Stemple. "If they receive a medal，they know 11 cares. "
Can a simple medal really make a(n)12 ？Yes，says Joan Musarra，who suffers from a serious lung disease. "When I opened my package containing my new13 and the notes of positive，warm thoughts，I was very moved" she wrote to Stemple. "At that moment，I was sitting on my sofa breathing through an oxygen cannula（氧气管）because my lungs were so weak. It means so much to me to feel that I am not 14 . "
"We rise by 15 others, and I need a rise, " Kim said. "By knowing this, I realize every single moment counts.
Training see they spread use
Cormorant(鸬鹚) fishing is a traditional skill in Asia. It is ___ for catching fish from narrow rivers. The skill was invented in China more than 1, 300 years ago. It then ___ to Japan, Korea, and India.
Today, cormorant fishing can still ___ in China and Japan. Chinese fishermen usually work in daylight. In Japan, fishermen usually work at night under the light of torches. It requires lots of ___ to make cormorants catch fish for men. The best cormorants are those raised by the fisherman himself. The fisherman looks after his young birds carefully. He talks to them every two to three hours. Fishermen must pay attention to the personality of ___ cormorants. They must make sure the birds don't fight each other. When trained correctly, cormorants are fishing machines. Some birds can catch more than 150 fish in an hour.
"What are they showing here？"Yan Hongsen pointed at an educational film about rockets___（生气地）and asked. " This is the Long March 3!Why do they say that this is the Long March 5？"
It was July
16. The nine﹣year﹣old boy was visiting a planetarium(天文馆)in Lhasa with his father. While watching the film，he noticed a few ___(错误） and complained. How did the boy know so well about China's space industry？
The father ___(解释)that his son had been interested in space science for years. It all began with his first visit to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. One day when the boy was four years old，he was t___ to see the launch of a satellite. Watching the rocket lift off into the sky ，he felt so excited that he jumped up and down.
Hongsen has been dreaming of building his own rocket s___then. The boy has read many books, and ___(参观；访问）22 planetariums and science museums across China. He has also used cardboard to make rocket models. In order to work o___ some difficult problems，he has developed great ___(兴趣) in physics，___(化学） and computer science these years.
Hongsen has two role models：Nan Rendong，a famous astronomer，and Qian Xuesen，the "Father of Chinese Rocketry. "The boy hopes that one day he will be as great as them. It is an ambitious goal, but by chasing his dream of building a rocket for China, he might just be a___ to achieve it.
The U. K will ban junk food ads online and on television before 9 p. m. The new rules will put into practice ___ October 2025.
These rules are made to prevent children from seeing ads for foods high in fat, salt and sugar. It's part of the government's move ___(improve) the general health of the country.
Health activities welcomed the ban. " This is great news ___these rules will keep children away from unhealthy food and drink advertising, " said James Toop, ___ officer in the government who is leading a movement to create a much___(healthy) food system for children.
"We know___ the more junk food ads you see, the more unhealthy food you're likely to eat. Limiting these ads will protect more young people from falling into this trap, " Toop explained.
This measure also___( help) to reduce the pressure on the country's healthcare system. " One of these ___ (problem) is the childhood obesity crisis, " said U. K public health minister.
According ___ a recent survey, over one in five ___(Britain) children are overweight before they start primary school (five years old). This rate rises to over a third by the time they leave primary school(11 years old).
内容要点 | 参考词汇 |
My changes | Used to Now . . . |
My family rules | Be (not) allowed to. . . Be supposed to. . . . . . . . . . |
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Dear Mike,
I'm excited to be your host family again for your stay!