文章欣賞
文章欣賞
想要寫出好的作文，就要多閱讀別人寫的文章，並從中選取適當的用字遣詞與描述手法運用到自己的文章，藉此來增添文章的豐富度。
● 記敘文、論說文、描寫文範例
A、B、C為高一期間老師提供的三篇記敘文
表達內心的感受有很多種方式，可以透過動詞增加深度、透過形容詞增加強度、再透過副詞增加整體氣勢，讓文章句句寫入心坎，句句動人。
A. A Lesson in Forgiveness
When I was a kid, I delivered newspapers in my community every day. On a quiet Saturday afternoon, my friend and I were bored, so we randomly picked an old lady’s house to be part of our game of throwing stones. We wanted to see the stones turn into missiles as they rolled to the roof’s edge and shot out into the yard. To me, they looked just like comets that fell from the sky.
I found a stone and sent it for a ride. However, the stone was too smooth to grasp, so it slipped out of my hand when I threw it. It hit a small window in the lady’s house with a crash. Since we were frightened of being caught, we escaped at the sound of the broken glass.
For the next few days, I was so worried about myself that I did not think of the old lady and her broken window. Later on, when I was sure that I wasn’t in trouble, I started to feel guilty. Every day, the old lady greeted me with a warm smile as I passed her the paper, but I didn’t feel comfortable in her presence anymore.
Finally, I made up my mind to save the money which I made from delivering newspapers. I calculated that seven dollars should cover the cost of repairing her window, and in three weeks, I had the seven dollars ready. I put the money in an envelope and wrote a note that said, “I am sorry for breaking your window. I hope that the money will cover the cost of repairing it.”
When it was dark, I crept quietly to the old lady’s house and slipped the envelope under her door. After I did so, I felt relieved and couldn’t wait to look her straight in the eye once again.
The next day, I handed the old lady her paper and happily returned the warm smile that I received from her. She thanked me for the paper and gave me a bag of cookies. I thanked her and then left.
I walked away and enjoyed the cookies. They tasted great. After I had eaten several, I discovered an envelope inside the bag and pulled it out. When I opened it up, I was very surprised. In the envelope, there were the seven dollars and a short note that said, “I’m proud of you!”
B. Mother’s Hands
Night after night, Mom came to tuck me in, even long after my childhood years. As part of her nightly routine, she would lean down, push my long hair out of the way, and then kiss me on the forehead.
I don’t remember when it started annoying me — her hands touching my face that way. However, it did annoy me, for they felt rough against my young skin. One night, I finally roared, “Don’t do that anymore — your hands are too rough!” Upon hearing this, Mom stepped out of my room without saying a word. I lay awake long afterward with my words haunting me. However, pride suppressed the voice of my conscience, and I didn’t tell her I was sorry. From that day forward, Mom would never again close out my day with that familiar expression of her love.
With the passing years, my thoughts have time after time returned to that night. I realized one thing: If I had been mature enough, I would not have said such a mean thing to my mom. I missed Mom’s hands and her good-night kiss. Sometimes, the incident seemed very close and sometimes far away, and yet it was always there — in the back of my mind.
Years have passed, and I am no longer a young girl. Mom is in her mid-seventies, and those hands I once thought to be too rough are still taking care of me and my family. They have reached into medicine cabinets for a remedy to calm a girl’s upset stomach or soothe the pain of a boy’s scraped knee. These very same hands have also cooked the best fried chicken in the world, gotten stains out of my jeans, and dished out ice cream on hot summer days.
Now, my own children are grown and gone, and Mom doesn’t have Dad any longer. On special occasions, I go to her place to spend the night with her. On the night before a Thanksgiving, as I drifted into sleep in my old bedroom, a loving hand hesitantly stole across my face to brush the hair from my forehead. Then a kiss, ever so gently, touched my eyebrow.
For the thousandth time, I recalled the night when my young voice had ungratefully complained. I understood that if I had apologized to Mom on the spot, I might not have been so regretful later. Right then, upon sensing that she was about to leave, I involuntarily seized her hand in mine. I told her how sorry I was for that night. To my surprise, Mom didn’t get angry at me; in fact, she didn’t even remember the incident. She had forgiven — and forgotten — long before.
That night, I fell asleep with a new appreciation of my gentle mother and her caring hands. The guilt I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found.
C. Butterflies and Elephants
Seven hundred faces were staring at me. Some people were giggling, while others were quietly attentive. Wearing my white polka-dot dress, I stood onstage. I was one of the six "princesses" who had been voted to appear on behalf of our high school in a huge, citywide festival. When I was elected, I knew that I’d eventually have to give a speech to the student body. Despite my acute anxiety, I decided to take on this challenge and conquer my fear of public speaking.
Little did the audience know that as I stood there looking at them, seemingly at ease, my heart was actually in my mouth. Then, I decided that this must not be true at all — surely, they could hear the hammering of my heart. “Dear God, what am I doing?” I said to myself. It was not butterflies that I felt in my mouth. No, now they were elephants. It seemed that the thundering herd would trample me thoroughly. Nervousness filled my veins, making me light-headed.
I stepped toward the microphone. Aware of all the heads bobbing before me like waves in the sea, I began my speech. As the first few phrases came out quickly, the quiver in my voice was noticeable. Yet, with the crowd quieting down, a growing sense of confidence began to build as each word left my mouth. My muscles relaxed. My breathing eased. Maybe the weeks of practicing in front of my bedroom mirror were paying off. “Maybe I can really do this,” I thought.
Just thirty seconds into my three-minute speech, the microphone died. Glaring at the troublesome instrument of my potential ruin, I wondered if it was possible to strangle an inanimate object! How could the microphone do this to me?
I was paralyzed with horror and humiliation, and I frantically tried to think of what to do. Should I run from the stage in despair or wait for the power to return to the microphone? Time seemed to stand still, letting me see the situation clearly.
I chose neither to flee nor to wait. After all, how could I win if I didn't face an unexpected obstacle head-on?
To make the next moment my own, I closed my eyes and stilled my trembling limbs to prepare for what I had decided to do.
I inhaled deeply, paused for a moment, and then continued. Before me, the hushed audience focused on each word I spoke. Knowing that I had made the right decision, I felt the blood return to my drained face, along with a calm, sure feeling. Next, I heard my voice ring out, without electronic help this time. It reached far into the recesses of the upper balcony, where I no longer saw people bobbing their heads, but sitting fascinated, and maybe even amazed at my determination.
As soon as my solo speech ended, the cheering began and surged into a deafening roar. The large room even vibrated with applause.
Although I probably looked humble on the outside, my heart was bursting with pride. I had overcome my greatest fear and handled an extra dose of unforeseen misfortune. I'd faced my butterflies and even my elephants of anxiety. At that moment, the audience's loud cheering became a "new" herd of elephants thundering in my ears!
Then, a realization swept over me. At that instant, I knew I could do anything! Taking a bow, I felt a glow that I would never forget. I came to comprehend that within me existed a young woman once tested — a young woman bolder than her fear.
D、E、F為高一期間老師提供的三篇議論文
議論文立論要夠明顯，就要適當使用語意強烈且鮮明的句子來陳述論點。
D. Animal Testing: For and Against
Animal testing has long been a controversial issue. On the one hand, it contributes to medical breakthroughs that could greatly benefit mankind, but on the other hand, it comes at the expense of animal suffering. Thus, we are faced with a moral dilemma when it comes to testing products on animals. However you look at it, someone or something always loses out. The question is whether or not it is worth it.
Genetically, humans share about 90 percent of their DNA with mice. Therefore, animal testing on mice provides scientists with a way to conduct tests on living bodies that not only have functioning organs and systems, but also have most of the genes that humans possess. Besides, testing on animals can be much more effective than other methods. The shorter lifespans of animals like mice allow us to study the effects of medications and treatments over a lifetime or even multiple generations in a short period of time. In fact, animal testing has been crucial in the development of most life-saving cures and treatments. Nearly every breakthrough in the last century has resulted from the use of testing on animals.
In Taiwan, all new promising substances, from medicines to cosmetics, are regulated so that they need to be tested on animals to ensure they are safe for humans to sue. Although it is impossible to find every harmful substance during animal testing, it is still an important method of reducing the risk of harm to humans at present. What’s more, animals themselves benefit from animal testing too. Without it, many of the vaccines and treatments for diseases that animals suffer from would never have been made.
Despite the advantages of using animals for research, there are definitely some downsides. The most obvious is the cruelty of subjecting living creatures to these tests. Animals can suffer just like humans, so why is it acceptable to put them through these experiments?
Another problem with animal testing is reliability. While some animals are similar to humans, they are still different and may be poor test subjects. Many drugs that pass animal tests end up being unsafe for humans or simply do not work. This wastes the lives of the animals, along with significant amounts of money too. Furthermore, medications that could be safe and effective for humans may never be discovered if they are found to be unsafe for animals.
In conclusion, animal testing should be strictly regulated. Researchers are required to treat animal test subjects as humanely as possible and carefully consider the necessity of animal testing. After all, some important medical breakthroughs could have been made without the use of animals in the first place. Hopefully, alternative methods can be found as soon as possible so that relatively new animals will be needed for research purposes in the future.
E. To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate?
In 1988, a famous medical journal published a study that linked the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to mental disorders in children. Widely reported by the media, the study was eventually proven false. Nevertheless, many parents continue to refuse to vaccinate their kids, and the question is why.
One reason is the belief that the risks of vaccination outweigh the benefits, a perspective held by many so-called “anti-vaxxers.” They cite the possibility of dangerous side effects and insist that the science on vaccination isn’t absolute, despite what the experts say. Their fears, however, are fueled by other sentiments as well.
Among most anti-vaxxers there is a deep mistrust for medical corporations. Some believe that greedy pharmaceutical companies are happy to say anything if it means they’ll see more products, and that these companies are eager to disregard all ill effects their products might have on people. Then, there’s also the question of religious faith.
Those who object to vaccines for religious reasons say that the body is sacred and should not be tampered with. They claim there are plenty of alternatives, such as improved hygiene and natural health products, that can prevent illnesses and keep people healthy.
On the other side of the vaccination debate are people who consider anti-vaxxers a serious danger to society. To illustrate this point, they’ve used examples from history.
In the 1960s, when the MMR vaccine was developed, cases of measles, mumps, and rubella—diseases responsible for millions of deaths – dramatically decreased. Now these diseases are on the rise again. In 2019, there were more than 1,200 reported measles cases in the United States, the highest number in almost 30 years. So, why did this jump in numbers occur?
As a result of the anti-vaccination movement, some diseases that had largely been eliminated have begun to return. When most of a population has resistance to a disease, the disease cannot spread effectively, and people such as the elderly and the very young, whose resistance is naturally low, are protected. But diseases only stay suppressed if people are vaccinated to prevent their spread. Once enough people refuse to be vaccinated, these diseases can return.
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate remains a contentious question. However, while the points put forth by anti-vaxxers are compelling, a more accurate picture of vaccination can be found by simply looking at facts and numbers.
F. Fast Fashion, But at What Cost?
Over the last decade, the fashion industry has been transformed by consumer demand for designer looks at affordable prices. Retailers offering clothing made cheaply and quickly now dominate the fashion market. Instead of the six months it used to take for distinctive new styles to make their way from catwalk to clothing store, stunning new collections are now emerging every few weeks! This trend is known as “fast fashion.”
While convenient access to stylish clothing may seem like a wonderful benefit of modern life, for the world’s 75 million garment workers, fast fashion actually has a devastating social impact. In an effort to keep their operations as economical as possible, a throng of fashion retailers have moved their manufacturing centers to countries in which labor is extremely cheap. Since such countries usually have relatively limited work regulations, workers there are easily exploited. Many garment workers, some of whom are only fourteen years old, work long hours for minimal pay, earning barely an adequate amount to survive. Additionally, they often work in cramped rooms filled with toxic fumes from the chemicals used to manufacture and dye clothing. This regular and lengthy exposure is believed to make employees far more vulnerable to serious health problems, and even terminal illnesses.
Humans, however, undoubtedly aren’t the only ones suffering because of “fast fashion.” The clothing industry has long been one of the most polluting industries in the world, responsible for almost 10% of all global carbon emissions. Moreover, as the demand for fast fashion increases, the environmental pollution caused by clothing manufacturers is predicted to rise by more than 60% over the next ten years. But the damage doesn’t end once the clothing has been made. Another factor is that, in order to keep up with fashion trends, consumers nowadays are purchasing new items more frequently than ever before, and discarding clothing at the drop of a hat. Every year, the average American throws out 30 kilograms of clothing, most of which ends up in landfills. These unwanted synthetic fabrics, all of which take years to decompose, then continue to release toxic chemicals into the air, soil, and water supply.
Since some very complex social and environmental problems may have their roots in fast fashion, everyone should contribute to reversing the situation. It is high time that brands took prompt action so as to ensure that clothes are produced more sustainably, and that laborers receive fair wages and enjoy better working conditions. Consumers conscious of these problems can do their part by shopping more responsibly, and by recycling old clothing. Remember, our preferences and shopping choices can make a meaningful and permanent difference. Seemingly very small efforts can do a lot to protect our planet for future generations.
G、I為高一期間老師提供的兩篇描寫文，H為人物描寫的佳句
描寫人事物需要精準使用各種動詞、形容詞以及副詞，讓被描寫的人事物有鮮明的形象，且使讀者對其留下深刻的印象。
G. Kyoto: The Heart of Japan
Kyoto, like a beauty in a bright and colorful kimono, delights tourists throughout the year. In spring, romance is in the air as the city is filled with a sea of pink cherry blossoms. In summer, green leaves can be heard rustling in the wind and seen sparkling in the sunshine. Maple leaves in autumn set the landscape on fire with orange and red colors. Then, when winter comes, white snow turns the whole city into a magic, silver kingdom.
Apart from its natural splendor, however, Kyoto has so much more to feast one’s eyes on. Having previously been the capital of Japan for over a thousand years, the city boasts a large number of historic shrines and temples. No visit to Kyoto would be complete without seeing one of the most photographed landmarks: the Kinkaku-ji, or the Golden Pavilion Temple in English. With giant, leafy maple trees leading up to its main entrance, the first view one gets of this magnificent three-story pavilion is truly amazing. Rising up behind a crystal-clear pond, it is covered in sparkling gold leaf and crowned with a large bronze phoenix on its shimmering roof. The reflection of the pavilion on the glassy surface of the pond is a breathtaking sight. Visitors can take a leisurely walk through the surrounding gardens and enjoy many stunning views of this beautiful structure.
Another unforgettable Kyoto sight involves coming face to face with one of the old capital’s very special "persons of art,” or geishas. These are women dressed in colorful kimonos with silk sleeves that reach nearly as far as their delicate ankles. Their distinctive white makeup, bright red lipstick, and shiny hairpins also make them easy to recognize. And it’s not just their unique appearance that makes geishas stand out from the crowd. These highly skilled entertainers spend years mastering different musical instruments, songs, and literature. Of course, no “person of art” could be a true geisha without being able to perform the traditional kyomai dance. This ancient art combines slow music with very deliberate movements, and often expresses very deep emotion.
In Kyoto, culture and natural beauty flow together like the moving and graceful motions of kyomai. Regardless of the season, the city is a must-see destination for tourists seeking an authentic local experience. Those who visit are likely to end up falling in love with the heart of Japan.
H. 人物描寫
聲音/說話
I am allergic to family occasions. “It won’t take long,” Mum says coaxingly.
“I know!” I say defensively.
“And then…er…” I trail off, consumed by embarrassment.
“Oh, really?” I adopt a serious tone.
But there’s a note of fear in his voice, as if he fears I won’t be there to reply.
I can hear Uncle Bill shouting, his voice increasing in volume.
I can’t help sounding accusing, and she recoils. “No!” Suze and I shout in unison.
坐姿
I slump into a chair, feeling totally and utterly deflated.
I sink back in my chair, consumed with misery.
She’s lounging on a chair in front of me, her fingers drumming impatiently.
表情/感受/動作
Her brow is creased with anxiety.
“Good!” says Mum, looking relieved.
I feel tears spring to my eyes. / My eyes are welling up.
Dad and Mum exchange looks.
I gaze back, perfectly matching her grave, this-is-no-laughing-matter expression.
“No, thanks.” I roll my eyes.
Sadie winks at me and I grin back.
Trouble is, I’m sick of being patient. I take a teaspoon out and shove the drawer closed with a satisfying bang.
I’m trying to sound all nonchalant, but secretly I have a glow of pleasure inside. Ed told his mother about me!
He’s breathing heavily and thrusting his hands through his hair as he gazes up the grand staircase.
I look around in breathless panic. I’ve already lost sight of my model.
My chest is starting to rise and fall in indignation, my fingers are clenching, and my jaw is tightening. She looks me up and down, and I can feel the contempt in her eyes.
反諷/幽默
My parents don’t say “Josh” out loud anymore, because of the way I used to dissolve into heaving sobs whenever I heard his name. For a while, Mum referred to him as “He Who Must Not Be Named.” Now he’s just “Things.”
I can almost see her thoughts, in a bubble: Dear God, my daughter’s hearing voices in her head.
“You look as though you’re trudging through mud! This is how to dance.”
To call Luke’s relationship with his mother ‘love-hate’ would be an understatement. It’s ‘adore-loathe’. It’s ‘worship-despise’.
I’ve never been anywhere like CAA in my life. The building is like some sort of spaceship in which all the men are from Men in Black and all the girls are from Vogue and all the sofas are from Architectural Digest.
The fashion journalists and bloggers write screeds on what the titles mean, but if you ask me, he just picks two random words out of the dictionary and chooses two different words out of the dictionary and chooses two different fonts and calls it meaningful.
I. The Chain of Love
He was driving his battered old car home on a country road one evening. Since the closure of the Levi’s factory, he’d been unemployed. With winter raging on, the chill had finally hit home.
It was starting to get dark. Although snow flurries drifted in the dim light of day, he could still notice an elderly lady stranded by the roadside. Apparently, she needed some help. So, he pulled up in front of her Mercedes-Benz and got out. When he approached her, she was worried. “No one stopped to help for the last hour or so,” she thought to herself. “Is he going to rob me?” Realizing that she was frightened, he said quickly, “I’m here to help, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car? It’s freezing outside. By the way, my name is Joe.”
All she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. While Joe was changing the tire, the lady rolled down her window and began to talk to him. She thanked him for coming to her aid. Joe just smiled as he put the flat tire into the trunk.
She asked him how much she owed him. Joe, however, never thought twice about helping others. He certainly never thought about any kind of payment or reward. To him, this wasn’t a job, but rather a way to help someone in need, just like those who had given him a hand in the past. He told the elderly lady that if she really wanted to repay him, she could help someone else that was in need.
He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt content as he headed for home.
A few miles down the road, the lady saw a small, shabby café. She went in to grab a bite and take the chill off before making the last leg of her trip home.
A waitress came over and brought the elderly lady a clean towel for her wet hair. The waitress had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for an entire day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed that the waitress was heavily pregnant. She wondered how a person like this waitress could be so thoughtful to a perfect stranger. Then she remembered Joe.
Finally, the lady finished her meal. When the waitress went to get the lady’s change for the hundred-dollar bill, the lady slid out the door. When the waitress came back, the lady was no longer in sight. To the surprise of the waitress, the lady had paid almost fifty times as much as the price of the meal. Then, the waitress saw something written on a napkin. Tears blurred her vision as she read what the lady had written. It said, “Someone once helped me out in the way I’m helping you. If you want to pay me back, don’t let the chain of love end with you.”
That night, as the waitress lay in bed, she thought about the money and what the lady had written. “How would she know that we need money, especially with our baby due next month?” she wondered. Her husband, who was worried sick about their future, was lying beside her. She gave him a soft kiss and whispered, “Everything will be all right. I love you, Joe.”
1.
Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see people bringing their furry friends along while dining. In light of this, pet-friendly restaurants have gained increasing popularity to satisfy people's desire to relish meals accompanied by their adorable pets. The picture demonstrates customers along with their pets sitting gently and behaving well, joyfully enjoying the dishes. There is no doubt that the accompany of pets does spice up the entire dining experience, as a big grin can be seen on everyone's face, apparently.
Were I the manager of the restaurant, however, rather than having a radiant smile plastered on my face, I would find my brows knitted, face lined, full of woe. In fact, this situation might be a complete nightmare haunting me every day. To begin with, I dare not imagine the gravity of the situation where my customer suffering allergies has his irritation, swelling, or even wheezing triggered simply because of a few hairs of a dog's or a cat's. While a meal can be enjoyed at a high price, no meal is to be enjoyed at the cost of one's life. In addition, it is quite a hard task to keep pets sitting still, let alone behaving themselves. Some barking or knocking over the tables or chairs are, therefore, to be expected, which, in turn, certainly, turns some customers away. After all, most people would prefer romantic music to barking, waiters and waitress serving around to dogs and cats roaming about. Worse yet, besides leaving the invisible germs and bacteria, pets leave visible excrement as well. Such a daily grind it will be to scrub those stained floor and furniture if pets are allowed to dine with their owners. With those mentioned above taken into consideration, I, as a manager of a general restaurant, prefer leaving the privilege of dining with pets to the pet-friendly restaurants only.
2. The Heat Is On
It has been estimated by some scientists that up to a third of all species of life on Earth could be extinct by 2050. For this potential catastrophe, they put the blame squarely on global warming. Higher temperatures are already having a marked effect on the natural world. In many areas, plants are flowering earlier in the spring than usual, and animal breeding patterns have been disrupted.
Of greater concern to humans are the heat waves and the increasing number of devastating storms. At various times over the past decade, people have died because of extremely high temperatures in Italy, Greece, Russia, and other countries. In the past few years, terrible storms have also brought destruction to different parts of the world. Hurricane Katrina, for instance, caused massive damage and misery in the city of New Orleans in 2005, and Typhoon Morakot brought great loss of life to southern Taiwan in 2009. What's worse, an even bigger disaster could be lying in wait: the possibility of rising sea levels.
This trend towards higher temperatures is thought to be the result of a stronger "greenhouse effect." This term refers to the way the Earth retains heat from the sun. It is part of a natural process in which carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases help trap the sun's energy. However, in recent decades, the amount of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere has increased. This is due to human activities such as industry and the burning of fossil fuels. As a result, more energy is trapped in the atmosphere, causing the planet to warm up. The problem is made worse by deforestation, since trees absorb carbon dioxide.
No one can be certain about the actual consequences of global warming. Some scientists have predicted that the average temperature of the Earth could increase by one to six degrees Celsius by the end of this century. If the latter number is more accurate, the outcome could be catastrophic. It could result in the melting of the polar ice caps, causing rises in sea levels that could wipe out many coastal cities. Taiwan's low-lying regions, where most of its people live, could end up under water. Not all experts are predicting such disaster, but the majority accept that the effects of climate change will be severe.
For one thing, climate change will certainly alter many of the world's habitats and ecosystems. Some places depend on a delicate balance of weather and soil conditions which could easily be upset, resulting in a serious threat to many living things. In the past, climate change took place over a long period of time, and plants and animals were able to slowly adapt to the new conditions. In recent years, extreme weather has occurred so often that both plants and animals have encountered disasters. If future climate change takes place as quickly as some scientists have predicted, many species, both on land and in the oceans, will be unable to react quickly enough to survive.
Human beings will also suffer from climate change, whether they live near the sea or not. It will affect people's health both directly and indirectly. Some of the direct effects will be the greater risk of heat stress and other related problems that can result from high temperatures and excessive humidity. Indirect effects of climate change, such as increased air pollution and changes in food and water supplies, will also have a severe impact on human health. Poor countries will not have the resources to prevent or treat such health problems, and this means that the most vulnerable people will be children and the elderly in developing regions.
So what can be done about the problem? At the political level, there have been international meetings and promises made by many governments to reduce greenhouse gases. However, climate conferences in Japan (1997), Denmark (2009), and Mexico (2010) have yielded mixed results, mainly because there is much disagreement over the right measures to take. Still, prominent people like former U.S. Vice President Al Gore continue to campaign vigorously for more effective action.
In the meantime, there is much that ordinary people can do to fight global warming. They can try to reduce their so-called carbon footprint by consuming less energy. Even a high school student like you can cut down on your electricity use. You can always turn lights and appliances off when you don't need them, for example. And cycling or walking to school can lead to a small reduction in gasoline consumption. Every little bit helps.
3. Helpless Love
Love and her friends were taking vacation on a tropical island. It was a gorgeous place, with a warm sun shining down on sandy beaches lined with beautiful palm trees that swayed in a gentle, soothing breeze. They were having a great time, and wished their wonderful vacation would last forever. Unfortunately, reports came in of the approach of a powerful tropical storm. The poorly protected island needed to be evacuated immediately, so the fun had to stop.
At times like these, the instinct for self-preservation kicks in. All around the island, there was a sudden scramble to find boats in which escape the coming danger. Love's friends argued, bargained and fought with each other for places in the boats.
Unlike the rest, Love barely noticed the order to evacuate, so she did not panic. It was almost too late when she finally noticed the dark clouds gathering above. There wasn't a boat left on the island, and Love could only stand and watch as the last of her friends began to sail away.
Just as Love was becoming aware of the gravity of her situation, she saw Prosperity sailing by in a large, luxurious yacht. She yelled out to him: "Prosperity, please take me on your boat!" Prosperity's boat, however, was full of gold, jewels, and other previous possessions. He yelled back that there was no more room in his boat for another passenger. Then he hit the throttle and the boat's engines roared as it sped away from the island.
A few moments later, Vanity came sailing by in a spotless white boat. Love pleaded with her to be taken aboard, but Vanity was in no mood to help. She noticed that Love was looking a little messy and unkempt, with the wind blowing sand into her hair and clothes. Vanity did not want her beautiful clean boat soiled by Love, for she had spent so much energy keeping it tidy. She sailed off without so much as a second glance at poor, desperate Love.
As Vanity disappeared into the distance, the boat carrying Sorrow came along. Love felt sure that Sorrow would offer her a ride to safety. After all, "Misery loves company," as the saying goes. She was wrong, however. With downcast eyes and an air of utter despondency, Sorrow told Love that he needed to be alone. "Regretfully," he said, "I can't let you come on my boat." For Love, things were going from bad to worse.
Happiness was in the next boat to pass by. He was not alone, however, and seemed to be enjoying himself with a boisterous party despite the gathering storm clouds. Love told herself, "Happiness will surely welcome me aboard," and she shouted out to him. There was no reply, though. She tried again and again to get his attention, but the noise on the boat was too loud, and he did not notice her standing forlornly on the shore.
Love was on the brink of giving up and resigning herself to a terrible fate when she heard a calm voice nearby. "Don't be afraid, Love," it said. "You can come with me. Get on board." She was so relieved that she didn't even look to see who was talking, and scrambled onto the last remaining boat as the storm was almost upon them.
When the boat was finally out to sea and at a safe distance from the island, Love looked around to see who had saved her. She saw Knowledge relaxing in a chair. "Thank you for helping me," she said to him. "It isn't me that you should be grateful to," Knowledge replied. "It was Time that saved you, in her ancient wisdom. Unlike the others, she knows your true value to the world."
4.
Having been bombarded by dull and mundane math homework for three hours straight, John couldn't help but yawn and let his mind wander. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the calendar and it dawned on him that his mother's birthday was drawing near. As much as he desired to neglect it, he knew it could turn out to be way too good a chance for him to establish good relationships with his parents. God knows how much he needed their support for a replacement for his pathetic laptop which couldn't sustain itself once unplugged, and how desperate he was for a steady source of finance during his university years. With these in mind, he began embarking on his journey of gift searching on the Internet. Would a well-knitted scarf make a good birthday gift? Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. Never a time had he seen Mom savor a birthday cake, nor did he remember she received a bouquet of flowers in full bloom. John was convinced that either of the two would suffice as a surprise for Mom. The only thing left to worry about was money now. For that, John exploited his father's credit card without permission, as he believed that a small dent in his account wouldn't raise any suspicion.
Then came his mother's birthday. With the slightest effort, he wrapped up the cake and wrote a card full of words of love. When his mom returned, the overly enthusiastic John stood at the door, eagerly presenting her the fit. The smile on his mom's face froze the moment she saw the cake, a chocolate cake, the last cake she would buy but John's favorite. Sensing that something went wrong, John immediately brought her the bouquet of flowers he had prepared in an attempt to save the day, which turned out only to make his mom much more saddened. "I am allergic to pollen, but thanks anyway." said Mom with a sigh. Well, that explained why there was no cake or flowers on her birthday before. "I should have known better and bought the scarf," whispered John in his mind. And while Mom was coughing profusely because of the pollen, his father returned and confronted him with a receipt. Well, not only was John denied his future financial support but his laptop was confiscated. Had he paid more attention to his family, things would have been different.
5. 模擬考英文作文佳作
With background checked, camera on, and charisma overflowing from his gorgeous grin, the YouTuber is to elaborate on his new cookies of high quality to the audience. In fact, as modern technology advances by leaps and bounds, there's more to being a YouTuber than fulfilling one's social responsibility or simply recording one's life. Take the man in the picture for example. On top of committing most of his time to his major occupation as a cookie baker, he works as a YouTuber as well, telling a compelling story that draws people in and keeps them watching the content to obtain the public's attention and the handsome sales of his products.
Were I a YouTuber, I would, in all likelihood, make clips regarding my school life and some intriguing or even troublesome incidents in my daily life, introducing the audience of my age to my world. As an Asian student, I am aware that quite a few of my fellows are, like me, suffering from tremendous pressure owing to the tests and homework piled up high, and so confused about life we are that we all need a sense of community where we can see how the others are living their lives and dealing with their problems. I hope my video clips can be more or less of benefit for both of us, giving us motivations to keep moving forward and embracing different challenges. If someday I really become a YouTuber, I do hope I can create a platform through which all students can communicate and identify with each other, holding their lives dear.
Holding a bad of cookies high in front of the camera, the man is poring his passion and soul, selling his products on his YouTube channel. With the Internet prospering day by day, YouTube, undoubtedly, brings people over the barrier of time and distance. Meanwhile, incentives such as enjoying flexible working hours and being provided with a creative outlet are all alluring more and more youngsters to work as a YouTuber. Take the man in the picture for example. Without crippling his wallet to pay for the appealing rent of a store in reality, he may establish his store online and advertise through his YouTube channel. Being a YouTuber, high startup costs are never an issue to him. Besides, with more and more customers interacting with him actively, he's to create a stronger fan base, having more subscribers, on whom he may capitalize to branch out to other lucrative endeavors and businesses, enjoying more revenue.
Were I a YouTuber, I would like to exercise my influence to expose my subscribers to more social issues such as bullying, suicide or unemployment that are happening around the world. In fact, while the majority of us are enjoying our life, quite a few innocent civilians are being tormented by war on the other side of the globe, and a large number of poor African children are starving to death on the barren land. By posting videos regarding these issues, I am to raise the public awareness on the welfare of others, broaden social contact, voice against stereotypes and assist those in need. After all, regardless of race, gender, and age, every life matters as it is the most previous treasure gifted to us by God. As a YouTuber, I am to expose the gravity of the tragedies through my videos so as to directly engage more people to pay attention to not only those close to them, but people suffering in every corner of the world. It is my belief that with the power of videos, viewers, as well as YouTubers, can feel deeply connected to a cause and make a difference, and that's what an influencer is meant to be.
Here we are presented with a picture where a man is selling a bad of delicious cookies. Apparently, sitting in front of his computer and with the camera positioned at the eye level, he's talking enthusiastically about the cookies he's brandishing and making every effort to persuade online viewers to make an immediate purchase. No less appealing than the product he's promoting is the charming grin pasted on his face, that of a YouTuber. From my perspective, the following reasons might account for his choosing YouTuber as his job. For one thing, he is able to stay in the comfort of his own home, sparing himself the trouble of commuting to and from work. In fact, all he has to do is talk to his target audience in a persuasive tone with a smile that gives a boost to his on-camera charisma, and online viewers will go on a shopping spree for whatever he recommends. For another, as a YouTuber, he has free rein to choose what to work on for his content, be it a social issue, a tutorial, or a product promotion. After all, he's the boss, the one in charge rather than the one confined to the office, forced to complete lots of mundane tasks against the time.
Were I a YouTuber, I would like to be a game streamer. For a start, as a senior high student burdened with schoolwork, I don't have the luxury to edit the videos. Streaming can not only rid me of the trouble of strenuous editing work but also serve as an emotional outlet for my stressful life. As for the content, it will mainly involve playing online games and chatting with the audience. For the former, I would expect that the anxiety and fatigue accumulated in my life could be dispelled as I fight and yell during the playtime. Also, though not a prominent player, I may well say my skill is above the average, and that's why I believe both the audience and I will benefit from my channel, sharpening the skills while having a great time. As for the latter, I would like to interact actively and chat freely with the audience with a view to improving my speaking skills. Nowadays, speaking has become an indispensable ability on which people rely to express themselves. Through chatting with the audience, I have more access to diverse oral responses, which I believe will give me an edge over my counterparts in speaking. Better still, there's nothing more fun than chatting with people who have the same passions as you for online games; all the nuisances gnawing at our heart are to be crushed in one game after another. All in all, the ultimate goal of becoming a YouTuber for me is to entertain both my audience and myself, while at the meantime, adjust my mental situation and enhance my interpersonal skills.
We are presented with a bar graph regarding the food loss of four areas across the worlds, including North America, Europe, South Asia and Africa. As one can see, North America and Europe, where people are mostly considered to be more advanced and civilized, have a significant amount of consumption to blame for their food loss, which take up 61% and 52% respectively. In contrast to the two mentioned above, the South Asia and Africa apparently don't lose so much of their food to consumption. Nonetheless, factors such as "Handling and Storage" and "Production" contribute to over half of the food loss for both areas. The phenomenon indicates that people in wealthier countries are prone to wasting food, for they give priority to their food preferences rather than to the quantity. On the other hand, in countries that are mostly composed of low-wage labors, people are more likely to suffer from food loss because of the poor infrastructure and lack of expertise.
In my opinion, an array of things can be done to address the problem of food loss. Individually, is it not an uncommon sight for people to gleefully open the fridge, only to find their carton of fruit juice spoiled or vegetables rotten. These are all because the food has been laid idle for so long that it passes the expiration date. To combat this, we should prioritize utilizing the items that are the least likely to preserve. More wisely, if that item has a history of being neglected in your fridge, consider not making a purchase of it in the first place. Secondly, we should support local products. Not only does that ensure the food we end up with is fresh, hence not spoiling easily, but it also causes less waste. On the other hand, the government should start taking the issue of food loss seriously, and there are already some measures feasible and worth taking. For example, I have seen news reports of students donating leftover food to the needy o the homeless. By the same token, instead of dumping the staggering amount of leftovers from school lunches every day, the government may endorse the food companies to make a detour to places where the homeless or the disadvantaged reside, helping people in need on the one hand and reducing food loss on the other hand. Besides, the government should also educate the youngsters the importance of food, instilling into them the consequences of food loss at an early age. In conclusion, small though each step seems in the grand scheme, with joint endeavors and a strong mindset, the issue of food loss can properly be dealt with someday.
The problem of food loss has become a severe issue for governments and citizens to cope with. From the given graph, we are informed that different factors such as consumption, processing, and production, to name just a few, contribute to the food loss worldwide. For instance, food consumption is largely responsible for the food loss in Europe, North America, and Oceania, while in South and Southeast of Asia and Sub-Saharan African, it plays a relatively small role, taking up thirteen percent and five percent out of a hundred respectively. In terms of food loss caused in handling, storage, and production process, South and Southeast of Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa suffer profoundly more than Europe, North America, and Oceania. Based on the graph, we may well assume that food is wasted and lost for various reasons in different areas. Yet, there's one thing they have in common: so serious the problem is that each country has its own hardships and obstacles to confront in order to bring the food loss to the minimum.
To cut down on food loss, measures taken should aim at the areas from which problems stem. In less advanced parts of the world, for example, the production end creates more waste due to poor production efficiency and the lack of sufficient technology to handle or store food. One can imagine without electricity or the right facilities to keep fruit in cold storage, dry crops or to package food in air-tight conditions, exposure to humidity or oppressive heat is sure to take a heavy toll on the products, resulting in food loss. To resolve this problem, governments should supply equipment or share less costly methods to make sure food reaches customers' hands with minimal loss. On the contrary, with near perfect manufacturing lines in advanced countries, consumers are to blame for their irresponsible purchases and thoughtless waste. It is up to us citizens to do our share in preventing food loss. It goes without saying that we should think twice before purchases; however, we wind up with regretful decisions often when greed takes the helm. To salvage this abundance from becoming waste, we could donate them to "public fridges" where they can be stored in safe conditions, and should someone be in need of food, one's potential waste could turn into a helping hand in others' desperate times. At the end of the day, no one should deny their obligation in reducing food loss, and if we all pitch in for a good cause, we will no doubt create a better Earth one meal at a time.
We are presented with a chart regarding the food loss resulting from the consumption, retail and market, processing, handling and storage, and production. According to the chart, consumption is the culprit for food loss (about 61%) in North America, Oceania, and Europe (around 52%), while the handling and storage and production only account for approximate 20 to 30 percent of the entire food loss. In comparison, the main contributors to food loss in regions like South and Southeast Asia or Sub-Saharan Africa are production and handling and storage. Consumption, which is held as the major factor of food loss in developed countries, takes up only 13% and 5% respectively in these two areas. The phenomenon indicates that people in developed regions, blessed with more resources, are inclined to consuming more than they need, whereas people in developing countries have poor infrastructure and lack of sophisticated technique to blame for their food loss.
In regions with food loss stemming from consumption, it is vital that citizens themselves face the music and come to the realization that every individual is held accountable for the global issue. That is, not until they take the issue seriously and take action will the problem of food loss be resolved. On the other hand, in developing countries, governments play a more prominent role. Citizens illiterate and poverty widespread, difficult it is already for people to earn a minimum wage, let alone addressing such a problem as food loss. Governments in these areas should release new policies to reward companies that conform to the restricted amount of food loss, such as financial support or tax reduction. With positive reinforcement, manufacturers will thus pay more attention to the way they dispose of food. All in all, the issue of food loss may not pose an immediate threat to us, but is sure to be devastating in the near future. Better now than never, and hopefully we can change the destiny of all human beings sharing the planet.
We are presented with a bar chart demonstrating the relevant statistics of online retailing industry. As shown in the chart, the income has been soaring at a stunning velocity from 2018 to 2022, and the increasing rate continued to rise without any sign of ceasing. At 2021, the retailing income even reached a staggering 430.3 billion dollars. The outbreak of the pandemic justifies such a phenomenon. To avoid getting infected, it is reasonable that people cannot help but stay at home and resort to online shopping for their daily necessities. In fact, people around me have been following the trend as well, craving for the discounts and free delivery services characteristic of online retailing, successfully making for the booming market of online shopping.
In my opinion, there are pros and cons to this trend. First and foremost, as shops retreat from the already crowded cities to their online territories, there will be more spaces for housings. Rental prices of storefronts, for example, will plunge, making them more affordable for services that could not possibly be offered online, such as beauty salons or clinics. Secondly, with more stores online, customers no longer need to travel long distances to visit a shop. They are also blessed with effortless price comparisons. With a click of a mouse, buyers can sort prices from low to high, enabling them to make optimal choices in terms of cost-performance ratio. On the flip side, however, are the disadvantages. With the absence of actual stores, customers are deprived of the opportunities to try out products before their purchases. In addition, on platforms such as Shopee, anyone can sell their items. These places are thus brimmed with scammers intending to trick buyers with enticing prices but offering them something else, or often times, nothing. For all these, I am still convinced that online retailing does more good than harm. So long as we confirm the seller's reputation beforehand and do not fall for prices too good to be true, we can enjoy the convenience of online shopping, transcending the barrier of space and time the physical stores are characteristic of.
With the inexorable progress of advanced technology, lives nowadays are more convenient than ever. The graph demonstrates the data relevant to retailing industry on the Internet. Overall, thanks to the technology, the sales have been rising steadily from 2018 to 2021. For a detailed look, we can notice that sales proliferated in 2020, growing 20.3% in terms of annual growth rate. The sales proceeded to increase and reached its zenith in 2021, gaining 430.3 billion in total. I am of the opinion that the trend is reasonable, for many of my family members and even me are making good use of online shopping. For instance, my mother often purchases groceries online, and I no longer visit a bookstore and pay for the novels and books anymore. In addition, while some of my friends still prefer going to the physical stores, a profusion of them have already turned to online shopping, embracing the convenience the Internet has brought to them.
As far as I'm concerned, the incredible growing of online retailing industry will be a double-edged sword if we humans fail to manage it well. The greatest benefit of online retailing is its convenience. For those who toil in the office all day long, it spares them the time and hassle of making several purchases at various stores. On the contrary, online retailing industry boasts its wide selection and all-day accessibility. Better still, during the pandemic, people can still get their dream products with a click of the mouse without running the risk of getting infected i a physical store swarming with people. However, things are different when it comes to the environment. According to some reports, the wrappers outside the delivered products have already wrecked havoc on the mother Earth. To be more specific, as the industry is flourishing with the number of clicks made by the consumers, so are the creatures dying. Some may be negatively affected by the gas emissions discharged from the vehicles responsible for the transportation of the online goods; some may put their lives at stake with all kinds of pollution given rise to by those wrappers. That's why though the online retailing industry contributes much during the pandemic and provides an alternative of purchase for modern people, its side effect can't be ignored. To solve the annoying problem, some start-ups have promoted the idea of having the wrapping bad reused or recycling the wrappers to give them a second life. If treated suitably, the double-edged sword can end up being a win-win situation for both humans and the Earth. Next time when making online retailing purchases, remember to do the recycling. After all, we can't live without our mother Earth.
The bar chart outlines the average duration of high school students stay in school in four different countries in 2021. In general, the number of time Taiwanese students spend in school on average is more than that of students from Brazil, Japan, and America. According to the illustration, students in Taiwan spend nine and a half hours per day in school, which is roughly three hours more than Japanese and American students. Compared with other countries, Brazilian students only attend school for approximately five hours a day, which is almost less than half the school hours in Taiwan.
From my perspective, the current school hours should be shortened for the beneficial development of Taiwanese high school students. One of the main reasons is that longer school days could result in attention deficit and fatigue, making the extra time ineffective. Take myself for example. Even though I've heard that having longer school hours gives students more time to learn and complete the given materials during class, it means nothing to me if I am too tired or mentally exhausted to concentrate. Therefore, I believe that shorter school hours are in the best interest of students as they would have more time outside of school for extracurricular activities or relaxation time, resulting in less stress and more time to focus on themselves. All in all, more isn't always better. Longer school hours aren't always beneficial for students in many aspects. As a result, I support the concept that school hours should be reduced for Taiwanese students.
The bar graph presented illustrates the number of hours high school students spend at school in four different countries in 2021. Brazilian students spend the least amount of time at school, which is merely 5 hours. Japanese students, on the other hand, contribute 6 hours of their day to learning at school. Marginally more than Japan is America, where students spend 6.5 hours learning. Coming in at first place with a landslide victory is Taiwan, with students toiling 9.5 hours a day. As obviously illustrated by the graph, Taiwanese students dwarf its counterparts in terms of school hours, studying for another additional three or three and half hours per day. The fact alone, however, begs the question: do longer instruction time correlate with higher achievement? To be more specific, do longer school hours promise Taiwanese students a more competitive future? Sad to admit, compared with Taiwan where graduates are offered low salaries, Brazil is a rising power and while Japan and the USA are brimmed with universities much more prominent than those in Taiwan, universities in Taiwan are witnessing a plummet in their international ranking. That being the truth, it is the high time we made a change to the long school hours.
I, for the following reasons, strongly agree that school hours should be reasonably trimmed to facilitate students' learning. First and foremost, we should all be aware of the fact that school hours don't translate perfectly to learning hours. In fact, an eager learner absorbs more knowledge within productive five hours than a reluctant learner struggling to keep awake throughout his nine-hour agony. Besides, shorter school hours lend space for more club activities, better social interactions, a healthier body and many more. With more time at their disposal, students are allowed to engage in extracurricular activities to broaden their horizons with people sharing the same interest. With more time available, students are able to exercise for a sound mind and body, and are left with the luxury to learn time management, optimizing their schedules or plans for their objectives and ambitions. With all the advantages mentioned above, I agree that the unnecessarily stretched out school hours should be pruned, paving the way for a more dynamic and active learning environment where students are granted with more stuff rather than time.
6.
The picture shows a lot of scooter riders waiting at a light. It's just turned green, but everyone is still staring at their phones. They've taken one hand off their scooters' handlebars and their eyes off the road, and they haven't noticed yet that the light has changed. Even the man with a passenger on his scooter is looking at his phone and isn't aware of what's going on around him.
I think it's irresponsible for people to be focusing on their phones while they're riding scooters, even though they're stopped at a light. The road is a dangerous place and paying insufficient attention greatly increase the possibilities of unexpected accidents. In order to keep the road safe, we should take the matter seriously and have stricter penalties for such actions. For example, police should severely find people who use their phones while riding scooters or even have their scooter license revoked. Meanwhile, we should hold ourselves and our friends accountable and not let them look at their phones while they're riding scooters.
Nowadays, people are being more and more obsessed with smartphones. However, while we are blessed with the convenience they promise, we're also suffering from the side effects they bring. As can be seen from the picture below, the riders on the road are all staring at their phones. Though the traffic light has turned green, so engrossed they are in the fancy Internet world that they don't even bother to take a look. Ignoring the motorcycles and cars honking and lining behind, they put their lives and others' at risk.
Absurd as the picture may look, it is becoming a norm in reality. I am of the opinion that such an issue must be addressed immediately and properly. Despite the fact that the development in technology has progressed by leaps and bounds, the problem of over-reliance on these products is looming day by day. Policies such as heavy penalties must be enforced to deter people from acting improperly in the first place. And for those who repeat the wrongdoing time and again, they can even be sentenced to years of imprisonment. There's no tolerance for repeated distracted driving; that's murder. Apart from that, education is desperately needed; the public should be taught when and where and how to use the smartphones correctly. In conclusion, only with the endeavors of everyone can we make a big difference to our society.
Here we are presented with a picture with a few scooter riders stopping at an intersection with the sun blazing down. As if to relieve themselves from the intense heat or to steal a moment of fun on such a suffocating day, pressed for time though they are, they still dig out their cell phones from their pockets and have their eyes glued to the screens while waiting for the traffic light to turn green. So engrossed are they in the virtual world that it's very likely that they may fail to notice the light turning green or hear the horns honking from those drivers waiting impatiently behind. That is, it is predicted that such careless behavior is sure to give rise to a variety of problems.
More and more road users have been seen using their phones on the road recently. This phenomenon should be held accountable for an increasing number of car accidents, putting not only themselves but also other road users at risk. In fact, with their eyes glued on the screen either busy browsing the website or reading the text message, the drivers or riders decrease their awareness that should have been focused on the road. Distracted, they are too slow to react to the signal turning green, causing the traffic jam, paralyzing the traffic and even winning themselves streams of curses from other road users. Besides, even if they are awake from their phones in time and move forward on their vehicles, the increased cognitive workload involved in the phone use and the fact that their mind is still lingering on the posts viewed or the conversations held make it hard for them to stay alert to the passersby or other vehicles nearby. Thus, severe car accidents take place, and heavy casualties are registered. In order to address this urging issue, I am or the opinion that prompt action should be taken. Feasible approaches such as education, law enforcement, and fines should be implemented. Last but not least, drivers or riders themselves should learn that their reckless actions will take a heavy toll on themselves and others as well. Only when we stop using phones when driving or riding can we reduce traffic jams and accidents, and thus provide us road users with a clear and safe road.
Here we are presented with a picture depicting a modern phenomenon - phubbing. In the picture are multiple bikers at a traffic light, many of whom are busy scrolling through their smartphones. Completely indulging in their own virtual world, these bikers didn't seem to care anything about the intense heat, nor did they give the slightest attention to the traffic light turning green. In fact, with their eyes glued to the screens, no one has inched any since they stopped.
I really hate those who are phubbing on the street. They are calling, they are texting, they are sending photos, they are communicating through social media apps, and they are doing all these on the street where people and cars come and go. They walk slowly like zombies; others have to evade them lest they should collide with them. So addicted to their phones they are that they are not aware of the surroundings, putting not only their own lives but also others' at risk. Of course, fines and laws may help regulate those smartphone zombies to a certain degree. Yet, I would be much happier if I can witness a smartphone zombie accidentally falling into a pit or something. He deserves it.
7.
According to research, one's childhood plays a crucial role in one's future development in personalities. As a result, it is of great significance for parents to ponder over which preschool they should send their children to. Here we are presented with two advertisements about two preschools and their respective distinctiveness. Boasting its secure environment for preschoolers, Bright Beginnings Preschool frees parents from their constant concerns about their beloved children's safety with equipment sterilized daily, surveillance cameras installed in every corner and preventive measures such as inflatable slides taken to combat against all potential perils. In stark contrast to Bright Beginnings Preschool, Happy Trails Preschool appeals to parents with its advocacy of freedom to explore. It is its belief that to guard children against the world full of the unknown, instead of protecting them from anything hazardous, children are entitled to be exposed to certain danger under proper supervision. Thus, Happy Trails Preschool encourages preschoolers to venture into the woods where they are given free rein to explore, to observe, or perhaps to get tripped by the stones or twigs lying on the path, and they are urged to have more hands-on experiences so as to be introduced into a world of experiments where they are likely to cultivate more creativity and view the world from different perspectives.
Though parents may be rest assured that their children studying in Bright Beginnings Preschool come back safe and sound from school, I wonder if such overprotected environment actually benefits the children's development. At the age of four to six when one's curiosity thrives, preschoolers should be exploring the unchartered areas and exposing themselves to all novel ideas, seizing every opportunity that will spark their interests instead of passively taking in whatever the teacher says. Children learn best when they are active participants in a learning experience. While they are too young to reason, they are curious enough to see, to feel, to manipulate, to touch, to hear, and sometimes, to taste things to figure out who the world works. That is, despite the grazes and bruises resulting from all the falling and tripping, students in Happy Trails Preschool will learn the dos and don'ts by heart while their counterparts in Bright Beginning Preschool stare at their teachers absent-minded. In short, considering children at the age of four to six, I regard the Happy Trails Preschool the optimal option for children to enroll in.
8.
When I first entered high school, some areas were still in construction. However, contrary to the desolate scene and stagnant air, after a few months, everything has changed. New apartments were built, many facilities were renovated. Among them, I'm enchanted by the garden. Mini as it is in size, it's delicate as if it were a wonderland kept intact inside a crystal ball. It was at the moment when I first stepped into the garden that I was held spellbound by its astonishingly lush greenery and vibrantly colored flowers in full bloom. As I ventured forward, I could see a pond glittering under the sunshine, with some fish swimming slowly and elegantly in it. Enticed by the soothing ambiance permeating the air, I couldn't help taking a stroll in it for a few minutes before I had to return to class. Ever since then, the garden situated at the corner of the campus has become the favorite part of my school.
Nevertheless, in stark contrast to the beauty and serenity manifested by the garden, what happened in and around the elevators can boil down to one word: chaos. Since my school is a high-rise complex, students need to take the elevators to get up and down the floors. It's thus not uncommon to see students, pressed by time, run racing toward the elevators upon the ring of the bell practically during every recess. However, there are always obnoxious people trying to cut in line, or even elbow their way to get in, and the situation deteriorated with more and more students following suit. I have an aversion to this kind of inappropriate behavior, and I believe it's far from being effective by merely reprimanding the rebuking these students. From my perspective, I think the school officials should take the misbehaving more seriously and come up with corresponding punishment and plans to keep such irksome deeds at bay. In addition, teachers should also inform students not to commit such behavior, or warn them about the possible outcomes. Of course, this is quite a task for the school officials to deal with, but I do firmly believe that if there's something left to be desired, it will be the social etiquette on taking the elevator.
9.
Picture A depicts a night market characteristic of its bustling crowd and liveliness at night. Featuring stands selling food ranging from hot dogs to stinky tofu, a night market is the ideal place for visitors to savor the delicacies while taking a leisurely stroll around the venue. With the dazzling lighting illuminating the dark, night markets are there to relieve your daily stress with many others. Picture B, on the other hand, illustrates an indoor food park renowned for its hygiene and elegance. After placing an order, customers can enjoy their meals while relishing the tranquil vibes and listening to the gentle music played. Better still, they are shielded from foul weather, which an open-air night market is subject to.
In my opinion, the perfect dining experience will be one enjoyed with my bosom friends on a bench in the park with a few simple food such as burger or coke. Disregarding etiquette, we sink our teeth into the burgers. Hot, spicy, and crunchy, the burgers satisfy our taste buds with the juiciness of the meat and the freshness of the greens, soothing the fatigue and hunger accumulated after long hours of continuous studying. Gently sipping a can of coke, we lean against the wooden bench to enjoy the last rays of radiance given off by the setting sun, and watch the veil of darkness slowly envelop the entire world along with our friends. Nothing can be more relaxing than spending quality time with my peers, immersing in the beauty of nature, and relieve all the pent-up stress with a prospect of a brand new day tomorrow. All in all, should any difficulties arise in life, as simple as a burger and a coke with friends in the park would suffice as a perfect dining experience to recharge me again to tackle every obstacle that gets in the way.
Picture A depicts a classic Taiwanese night market, in which stands and vendors gather in rows to sell food and more. Night markets often offer few to none seats to eat in, so people are often seen consuming food while on the move, a scene exclusive to night markets. Picture B shows a food park, situated in department stores and malls. Clean environments, sufficient space between seats and air conditioning are its merits, while foods sold there are mostly similar in content, such as steak, omelet rice, ramen, or fast food.
My ideal dining experience would be one taking place in a night market. Pacing at ease with my girlfriends aside, we hold hands as we enjoy the vibrant atmosphere and weave through the crowds. From time to time, we are attracted to new stalls lined with people where the cook may grill enormous squids the size of our faces or roast tender chicken thighs on sticks over flaming charcoal with seasoning sauce brushed over and a luring aroma drifting. He would wipe his sweat with a towel hung around his neck and hand us his signature dish, with eager eyes, agile hands, and a voice slightly too loud. Night market vendors indeed offer dining experiences with liveliness and passion paralleled by none. And the intimacy of having food with one's beloved while walking hand in hand in a casual carnival-like atmosphere of night markets renders the air of romance to the dining experience as well. Who cares if it isn't the cleanest? Or if it's too hot or crowded? Night markets are packed with uncharted surprises around every corner for people to have a wonderful dining experience.
10.
Dear Ken, The basketball tournament held by school annually has come to an end. Congratulations on your team winning the championship! While this competition was full of competitive rivals, your team literally outshone the others and ultimately proceeded to the final, where an epic game took place. As the ace and leader of your team, you have been helping your teammates passing and scoring in basketball. Better still, for all the fouls and mistakes your teammates made, never have you lost faith in them; instead, you keep encouraging them to fight to the last minute. It is you that embodies basketball as a way to match up against other strong characters, and figure out frustration in a healthy way.
However, apart from your leadership, what impresses me most is your stunning basketball ability manifested fully in the final game. As the referee blew the whistle, you relied on your breathtaking personal ability and smoothly dribbled down to the point and finished an easy layup. As the one responsible for guarding you, I was astonished at how fast you accelerated and dashed through me in a flash. At the end of the first quarter, your team was leading mine by a massive twelve points. Everyone in the auditorium was chanting your name, cheering and going wild. Despite losing at first, my teammates and I shot some three pointers and reinforced our defense. The game finally reached the last three seconds, with my team miraculously leading by one point. A combination of nerves and excitement created an intense atmosphere, filling the auditorium. And then Ken, you got the ball. Much to everyone's astonishment, you took an unbelievable three-pointer and swished. The crowd erupted into cheers as you took the last-second shot and nailed it. The auditorium was resonated with the deafening roars. Once again, I was touched and impressed. Congratulations. You do deserve it.
Sincerely yours, Jack
11.
Exercising is an essential part of staying healthy. There are many ways and many places for people to exercise, so there's something for everyone to enjoy. Some people prefer to exercise inside, as the first picture shows. The people are running on machines in the gym. A few of them have really worked up a sweat! In contrast, other people prefer to exercise outside. The second picture shows people hiking up a mountain. It looks like a nice day and the people seem to be enjoying the hike.
Personally, I don't mind spending time outside. However, I choose indoor workouts over outdoor ones. I usually go to the gym exercise because I like all the different machines available there. You can run, lift weights, or strengthen different parts of your body. Outdoor exercise really depends on the weather. When it rains every time you go out to run, it can really discourage you from exercising! Working out inside also means you won't get burned by the sun or bitten by bugs, and the best part of indoor exercising is, of course, nice cold air conditioning!
While there are various ways to stay healthy, exercise is widely reckoned to rank among the top three. However, that's where the consensus ends, for people start to have different preferences for exercise. For those in favor of exercising indoors, they would surely smile at the picture on the left where people are running on the treadmills in a gym. For them, indoor workout is all the more satisfying with air conditioning, supporting coaches, changing and washing rooms, as well as machines regularly checked. On the right is a group of people going hiking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. It is their belief that exercise has everything to do with sunshine rather than with air conditioning, and it should be conducted by moving from place to place instead of running in place on some stationary equipment.
Personally, I prefer indoor workouts. You see, gyms exist, and they sell memberships for a reason, right? They must have something going for them to justify the expenses. As far as I am concerned, exercising indoors frees me from the concern for weather. Rain or shine, I can still keep running on the treadmill to burn the extra calories of mine. In addition, indoor workout is much safer. Just imagine the scenario of my spraining the ankle while exercising. If I happen to sprain my ankle while hiking in the mountains, I would have to scramble all the way down the mountain to rush to the hospital for a treatment. But if I have my ankle sprained in a gym, I could simply get off the treadmill, take a seat on the bench, and wait for the medical care. Next, in terms of entertainment, though hikers never fail to find excitement in natural wonders, I find myself well engaged and entertained as well as long as my treadmill has a TV attached to or I have podcasts to listen to. In conclusion, for the reasons above, indoor workout is simply the preferable method for me, providing convenient and enjoyable exercise for the other health-conscious people alike.
12.
Representatives from all of Taiwan's top universities are here at the University Expo. AMC, XYZ, ABC... you name it, they're all here! There are also a bunch of entertaining and informative activities. For example, ABC University has a VR system so I can take a tour of its campus in a novel way. AMC University recently opened several new dormitories for its students, and it has a model of one of these buildings for me and other students to check out. The University Expo is taking place at the Taipei World Trade Center in Xinyi District.
It would be worth going to an event like this university expo because I would get the chance to collect a lot of useful information in a short time. For one thing, I could visit the booths of the universities I'm thinking of attending and get a sense of what it might be like to spend four years studying there. For another, I could talk to current college students or people working in my intended career field and get quick previews of the next stage of my life. I would definitely find it helpful to have some preparations for college life, as well as the right expectations as I head into the future.
Looking at the different booths where representatives of various universities sit, the attendants of the expo couldn't help but gape in awe at the number of the colleges present. Filled with the voices of juveniles discussing their future, the university expo is crowded with enthusiastic high school students intent to acquire more information concerning the wide selection of schools to choose from. Wearing a pair of black glasses, the student with a backpack is engaged in a intense discussion with a professor from AMC University. If everything goes well, he can get immediate personalized responses to questions, find out more about the programs he's interested in, having a clearer picture about the field and the school he's setting his heart on, and AMC University, on the other hand, might acquire a potential student with a promising future, enhancing the prestige of the school.
The college expo, by offering students a face-to-face talk with their official representatives and alumni, is the most efficient method for them to gain access to college information. In fact, with quite a number of colleges at the expo presenting information ranging from course curriculum, faculty, approach to the field, and the introduction of the campus, it's relatively easy to make a comparison and a contrast to see which college is a good fit. To see is to believe; instead of sticking to online research, high school students should take their time attending the college expo, thinking about which university suits them best so that their hearts won't be filled with regret for the years to come. Furthermore, since admissions staff attending the college expo are also on the lookout for great candidates, it's a good opportunity for students to leave their dream schools good impressions by asking their representatives smart questions. It is highly likely that they will remember your name when going through piles of applications later. All in all, with so many pros and virtually no cons, the college expo is an event every high school student should take part in.
13.
Nowadays, living a life full of hustle and bustle, camping, a leisure activity, serves as an optimal emotional outlet for our accumulated stress by opening our eyes to newfound pleasures in nature. Here, situated in a national park and boasting its affordable price at only $3,000 NTD per night, Campsite A eases the financial burdens of the campers on one hand and helps relieve them of their stress on the other hand with its spectacular scenery and natural splendor, on which they are sure to feast their eyes. Better still, Campsite A also offers picnic tables, showers and fireplaces to tourists in an attempt to solve any inconveniences should they arise. As for Campsite B, though it costs more,the services available are way better than those of Campsite A. Equipped with electricity and wifi, visitors can immerse themselves in the tranquility of nature while enjoying the convenience of a modern life at a luxurious resort. With toilets, shower rooms and a BBQ area, campers at Campsite B do not have to compromise their comfort while struggling with the campfire building or cold showers. They can be rest assured that their camping experiences can be optimized at such a well-equipped campsite.
Were I to go on a vacation, Campsite A would be my choice. In fact,fed up with the stress resulting from the quick pace of city life, God knows how much I would like to retreat to a place where wifi cannot reach. With no more beeping sounds indicating oncoming messages, and no more e-mails waiting to be dealt with, I can finally free myself from all the annoyances and reclaim the long lost inner peace in Mother Nature's embrace. At Campsite A, a campsite lying in a natural park, I am to watch the dazzling sunshine paint the whole world golden, listen to the birds chirp merrily on the branches, and feel the wind gently ruffle my hair. The natural beauty of camping will make for an immersive experience that connects me with nature while providing me with the much-needed relaxation from modern life. In short, I am strongly convinced that after my short stay at Campsite A, I am ready to overcome any difficulty ahead in life.
14.
Between the two products, I will choose the Health Food Labeling. My primary reason is that it protects my health because it keeps me away from rotten food. Sometimes the expiration date on the package may be faked by immoral businessmen, so we may consume food that has gone bad. This act poses a great threat to our health. Thus, with this useful food labeling, we can easily tell whether the food is still edible or not.
In my opinion, after this product hits the market next year, customers will be able to quickly gain the freshness information about food products. Simply with a glance, we can know whether the food has gone bad or not, while greatly reduces the risk of unknowingly taking in rotten food. The government may also wield the power of Health Food Labeling. When the food products by new companies require examining by the certifying authorities, the government can ask them to use this to determine products' freshness. In conclusion, the new labeling product adds a great deal of convenience to our lives, so I choose it over the other product.
Even though both of the new technologies are advanced and promising, I prefer the Sound-wave Fire Extinguishers to Heath Food Labeling. In our everyday lives, fires may occur anytime. Sometimes firefighters cannot arrive at the scene in time, leaving houses burned and many killed in the fire. In this case, such cutting-edge fire extinguishers could allow firefighters to extinguish the fires with drones even though they are miles away. What's even better, firefighters can contain the fire by using helicopters fitted with such devices, which can not only increase efficiency but protect firefighters as well. Last but not least, this new invention will not expire, so it can be used in rescue work repeatedly, which greatly reduces costs and waste.
As far as I'm concerned, this kind of extinguisher will be mass-produced and widely used for rescue work in the near future. For example, in some arid areas, forest fires break out frequently. This is when extinguishers come in handy. By using drones and helicopters equipped with Sound-wave Fire Extinguishers, such forest fires are more likely to be spotted and stopped. In addition, right after getting a fire call, the fires department can send out drones to the scene first and start the rescue work. This action can prevent the fire from spreading before the firefighters arrive. As mentioned above, this device can be a helpful device for putting out fires, saving resources, and lowering costs, so I would be more inclined to commercialize the Sound-wave Fire Extinguishers.
Here we are informed of two prospective cutting-edge products, which are Health Food Labeling and Sound-wave Fire Extinguisher respectively. Advanced and promising though both of them are, I prefer the latter to the former, for, in terms of gravity, the damage done by a fire is way more serious than that caused by rotten food. In fact, in a matter of minutes, numerous lives can be claimed and huge amounts of investment could go up in smoke, too, should a fire break out. Thus, a Sound-wave Fire Extinguisher, operated by the firefighters through the drone and spared the worry of being expired, not only considerably ensures the safety of the firefighters on one hand but greatly boosts their work efficiency on the other hand.
In the near future, the Sound-wave Fire Extinguisher is to be seen often on the fire scenes. Since it can smother the flames from a long distance with the help of a drone or a helicopter, firefighters battling blazes need not charge toward the burning buildings, jeopardizing their lives. Better still, since it is powered by drones, it can deal with almost any type of fire, be it a raging forest fire involving a vastness of the territory or a fire breaking out in a high-rise complex that would otherwise be hard to access. In other words, tragedies can be prevented in time before they wreck havoc on nature or us humans. Moreover, while most firefighting equipment are to be worn down one day, the Sound-wave Fire Extinguisher will never expire, which would definitely be of tremendous assistance to the fire stations in terms of cost and maintenance. With all these potential benefits promised, I am more than willing to see the Sound-wave Fire Extinguisher hit the market soon.
15.
Mark was in a bundle of nerves. Even though he had a passion for singing and was eager to pursue a career as a singer, it was his first time entering a national talent show. The competition would start in just one hour! He remembered that a week ago, he was lining up singing up for the contest, and he couldn't believe ha was now waiting to check in with so many skillful people. They all seemed so confident and professional, and Mark felt like he was inferior to them. When it was his turn to wait by the stage, he tried to calm down but failed. The girl on the stage performed so excellently; her voice was like that of an angel and the crowd applauded her enthusiastically. There was no time for Mark to compose himself; he was up next!
The song played and Mark sang, but it came out all wrong. His hands were shaking - and so was his voice! He could see the three judges in front of the stage. They looked disappointed. Mark felt terrible. "It was a huge mistake to enter this competition," he thought. After the performance, Mark got his score sheet from the judges. Totally against his expectations, and in spite of his poor scores, the judges liked him. They thought he was a diamond in the rough! They suggested that Mark sign up for a singing class and enter the competition again next year. He took their advice, and after a year of practice, Mark returned to the talent show. He radiated confidence, and his performance left nothing to be desired. All his effort paid off in the end... he won and signed a contract with a famous label!
When Tom saw an ad that read "You Are The Future Star," he signed up for the contest without a second thought. A man of confidence, he regarded himself as versatile and flawless. In fact, he was often seen bragging about his aptitudes in different fields, his talent for singing in particular. So sure was he about his singing skills that he even thought himself bearing resemblance to Shawn Mendes, a handsome and famous singer. Never did it occur to him that his signing up for the contest would, a week later, end up having a big influence on his life.
On the day of the contest, he waited for his turn by the stage. Much to his astonishment, all the contestants' performances seemed to outshine his. The girl on the stage, for example, as dancing so gracefully, communicating through the universal language of movement and holding the audience spellbound. It was not until then that it hit hard on him that he could rival none of them. Trembling with butterflies in his stomach, he managed to compose himself, confront the situation head-on, and step onto the stage. He did not start singing immediately. Instead, he made a confession about how he was dazzled by the other contestants, those future stars meant to be. He could see the judges, grim-faced and silent, and he could hear the audience murmuring about as he was pouring all his heart and soul into his speech. However, to his great surprise, at the end of his speech, he was greeted with a round of thunderous applause. The sincerity he conveyed through his words worked like most beautiful lyrics, striking a chord among everyone. Tom was given a second chance for another presentation.
16.
Freddie was in urgent need of shoes, as his old ones were worn out, but he had a tight budget. One day, he came across a website he hadn't seen before selling popular brands for very low prices. Freddie soon found a pair of Nike shoes he took a fancy to, and much to his delight, they were at a huge discount. The original price was NT$1,650, but this website was selling them for only NT$880 - almost half the original price! Regardless of the ridiculously low prices, nothing on the website looked suspicious, so Freddie went ahead and ordered the shoes in his size.
Freddie's new shoes arrived two days later. However, it shocked him that the shoes were not right at all! Even though the design looked similar, the Nike logos were completely wrong. The shoes said "NICE" instead of "NIKE", and the famous "Swoosh" logo was mirrored! The shoes turned out to be fakes, but all Freddie could do was report the incident to the Executive Yuan's Consumer Protection Committee. He soon got a reply telling him that many others had fallen for the same scam. Freddie later heard the news that the person selling the fake shoes have been arrested. Although Freddie didn't end up getting his money back, the news made him feel a little better and reminded him not to covet a little and lose a lot.
John is an ordinary office worker. A few days ago, his favorite pair of sneakers was worn out, so he decided to purchase a new pair. Surfing desperately on the Internet, ha came across a website where miscellaneous name-brand shoes were on sale. John felt as if he had discovered a treasure vault and couldn't wait to begin his treasure hunt, scrolling over the website with undivided attention. However, much to his disappointment, he didn't find anything satisfying. Just when he was about to give up, a pair of shoes suddenly came into his sight. It had appealing appearance and perfectly met his demand for functions. Better still, it would merely cost him about half of the original price! Astounded and flabbergasted, he immediately placed an order, losing his composure and taking no heed of the "too-good-to-be-true" price. In fact, so contented he felt about his decision that he flashed a smile of satisfaction as he envisioned himself putting on the sneakers, striding along the street with many envious eyes cast on.
It was not until the day after when the package arrived that he realized what a blunder he had made. In a buoyant mood, John opened the package, only to be shocked by what met his eyes. With the iconic swoosh mirrored and the logo "Nike" becoming "Nice", even an outsider like John could easily discern that the sneakers were a fake. Worse still, John swore that he had heard the knock-off Nike sneakers repeatedly saying mockingly "NICE" to him. Simmering with rage, John decided to get a refund, but the seller had already blocked him. He was left at his wit's end. Overwhelmed with disappointment, he had no choice but to purchase another pair from another website. Fortunately, the experience teaches him a valuable lesson. John learns that he should stay calm when tempted by a bargain and think before he leaps. He should always be extremely vigilant when shopping online and never make purchases on unreliable or unauthorized websites. Now whenever John is poised to place an order, he will remind himself of the blunder he made and check the credibility of the site, with a view to making a sensible decision and not falling for scams of any kind.
17.
According to the 108 curriculum guidelines, every senior high school student is required to conduct at least one self-directed learning project during high school. In my opinion, this is a precious opportunity for me to delve into what I have loved since childhood. When I was young, my parents took me on vacation to Japan many times, which sparked my interest in the Japanese language and culture. Therefore, I decided to learn Japanese by myself and acquire basic communication skills for my project.
To learn Japanese by myself, I first bought a Japanese textbook online. Then I arranged a study schedule for myself. Not only did I study the grammar and word usage carefully, but I also listened to the recordings repeatedly to familiarize myself with the pronunciation of Japanese. What's more, I discusses what I had learned with my classmates, for many of them also had an interest in Japanese. We shared learning materials and some online resources for studying Japanese. At the end of the self-directed learning project, I succeeded in delivering a speech in fluent Japanese in front of the whole class. In conclusion, I think it was pleasant and desirable for me to set aside two hours every week at school to take a short break from my hectic study schedule and engage in what really fascinates me.
With the implementation of self-directed learning project, senior high school students are now given the luxury of time to explore the uncharted waters that fascinate them, for it is believed that a learner who seeks out their learning is proven to learn better and retain more. A person enthusiastic about biology, I thus took advantage of the opportunity and pleaded to my parents for a adorable fluffy bunny as my self-directed learning project: pet raising. The aim of my project is twofold. By keeping track of the bunny's growth, observing its behavior, and keeping a journal about it, I can get more acquainted with other living creatures on earth, quenching my thirst for biology. On the other hand, as a pet owner, I am to undertake lots of tasks such as feeding or cleaning, which in turn would help considerably cultivate my sense of responsibility.
I started my project by buying my bunny a cage first. It was not a fancy one, but spacious enough for it to stretch out fully and stand on its hind legs without hitting the top of the cage. Right after its home was secured, I set out planning its diet and exercise time, making sure that it grew healthy. Guess what, I even set aside one hour a week to play with my bunny. By the end of the semester, I was glad to find that the little fluffy something had grown into a healthy bunny and I myself becoming more active in practically every aspect of life as well. For example, I used to be a procrastinator making lame excuses for whatever needed to be done, but now I make it a rule to attend to the bunny, never missing its feeding time for any single excuse. After all, a real life cannot be joked about. And I used to sit idly waiting for my teachers to feed me the answers to questions of all kinds, but now I refer to the books or consult with teachers whenever I am plagued by problems with pet raising. No more am I a student waiting to be instructed but one endeavoring to get educated, to get informed. In conclusion, with the self-directed learning project, I come to the realization that there's no better learning than learning for oneself and by oneself.
18.
When fallen leaves crunching beneath my shoes, I walked through the campus, ready to take the first class of The Secrets to Happiness. I seated myself in the first row in a spacious classroom where hundreds of eager faces turned when the professor pushed open the door. The gray-haired, charming man wrote three words in the middle of the board with a big question mark following - "What is happiness?" he asked as he put down the chalk. The classroom was suddenly filled with lively discussion and many raised hands. "Having a lot of money," a classmate shouted when another said "Having a girlfriend!" Some giggled. The professor didn't give feedback on those answers but encouraged more and wrote them on the board. Everyone was so engaged and enthusiastic that fifty minutes felt like fifty seconds.
After a semester of discussion sessions, voluntary work an deep thinking about what true happiness is, I learned that happiness is not found in luxurious houses, fancy restaurants, boisterous parties, or exciting video games. Those things give you temporary joy but leave you with more emptiness in the mind. Throughout time people have sought happiness in this material world but instead ended up with more worries. Now I have learned that the deepest happiness is attained not from things oneself but from within and that happiness comes with a calm, peaceful state of mind. Also, happiness is something that can be created, by positive thinking, seizing the moment and truly caring about the people you love. With things I learned in this course, I can't wait to share what I know about happiness with my friends and even spread happiness around me.
19.
There are two surveys about AMC High School's 11th graders' sleep habits, and I find it disturbing that nearly half of the 11th graders (49%) are going to bed after 11 p.m. I feel that it's likely that these students aren't getting as much sleep as they require, and they may be drowsy during class. According to Survey 2, the use of electronic devices is the biggest reason for the late bedtimes. Perhaps students had better set a limit on how late they can use their devices. Time spent studying late, however, also seems high, at 30%. While I think it's important for students to study, that shouldn't come at the expense of their regular sleep.
I usually didn't go to bed until as late as possible. This was because I was prone to chatting with my friends online. My friends are usually most active after 11 p.m., so if I had gone to bed early, I'd have missed out on some good conversations. I also tended to put things off until the last minute because there were too many TV programs I was interested in watching. I paid a heavy price, however, for my lack of sleep. I often felt exhausted and had difficulty focusing the next day. Because of this, I failed most of my tests last semester, and I started to reflect on my sleep habits. Now I rarely go to bed past 10 p.m.; I pay better attention in class and finish all my homework before bedtime. Not only have my grades improved, but my health has gotten better.
According to the survey on eleventh graders' sleeping habits, it is obvious that the majority of students go to bed late, which results in yet another day full of fatigue. Out of the 40% of the students who go to bed late, 55% have been using electronic devices before bedtime consistently, leading to eye soreness as well as sleep deficiency. In addition, 30% of them burn the midnight oil to handle schoolwork, while 15% have sleeping disorders. Deprived of sufficient sleep, juveniles have trouble focusing the following day, which not only wreaks havoc on their daily performances but also takes a heavy toll on their health both physically and mentally.
Bombarded with schoolwork and assignments, I have no choice but to become a night owl with an eye to tackling all the daily tasks. In fact, as a student from a prestigious high school putting a high premium on academic performances, I am left with no alternative but to spend more time studying at the expense of my previous sleep time. However, most of the time, after a night of minimal sleep, I, instead of becoming a prodigy with a mind knowing everything, end up being a zombie with slowed thinking, lack of energy, and an irritable mood. Lacking in sleep, I have difficulty focusing during class, and it turns out I need more time and effort to catch up with my peers due to my consistent dozing off. What an irony! Moreover, the bad sleeping habits also have serious and far-reaching effects on my health, making me obese and tired. Believe it or not, I have gained more than 7 kilograms in half a year simply because of the lack of sleep. All in all, though studying is the path to a brighter future, I am still convinced that I won't be able to reap what I've sown if I am not healthy enough.
20.
Here we are presented with a pie chart concerning young people's preferences for holidays in Taiwan. The chart is composed of seven segments, each of which is a common festival that Taiwanese celebrate. Of the young people surveyed, a quarter of them regard the Chinese New Year as the festival they look forward to most, making it the most popular one. Followed by it is Mother's Day, which gets 20% of the votes, a percentage way larger than that of the Father's Day, 6%. Poor fathers. No less devoted than mothers, they seem to be less honored. What a contrast! In terms of popularity, both Mid-Autumn Festival and the New Years Eve rank the same, both accounting for 14% with the other holidays taking up the remaining 13%. Much to my astonishment, the Dragon Boat Festival featuring palatable rice dumplings should turn out to be favored by only 8% of the young people polled. Maybe young people today are more health-conscious and know better than to take in those food high in oil and calories.
When looking at the chart, I find myself in the majority. Like the 25% of Taiwanese young people, I find the Chinese New Year the most welcome festival for me, too. Not only does this festival provide me with a longer holiday time to relieve myself from the hustle and bustle characteristic of my busy academic life, but it also serves as a previous time for my family to gather together and have a yearly reunion dinner. Furthermore, during the span of the festival, my seldom-say-yes mom will finally show some mercy and give free rein to the strict regulations she used to impose on me. Yes, there's no better occasion than the Chinese New Year for me to avail myself of to gamble with my cousins, winning myself some pocket money or burn the midnight oil to do what I enjoy, free from my mom's grievances. Above, all, I am granted with the luxury of time to spend with my grandparents whom I hold dear most, chatting with them over a hot pot of Oolong tea. With my beloved family members around, a purse bulging with money, and lots of time at my disposal, the Chinese New Year definitely tops the chart as my favorite holiday as well.
21.
Dear Helpless John,
Used to be compelled by my demanding parents to study for long hours and lead no less a suffocating life, I find myself relating to you in practically every aspect. Like what you have did, I tried to reason with my parents; however, communication, more often or not, ended with my parents flying into a rage and me protesting at the top of my lungs. Luckily, I found explicitly written words less emotionally provocative at argumentatively expressive. Yes, I wrote a letter to my parents instead of pleading my case in person and I suggest you give it a try, too. In the letter, show your appreciation for their devotion first but at the same time, make it clear that rather than a waste of time, an appropriate amount of it for amusement and leisure activities actually helps stimulate the mind and restore the energy needed for the heavy academic load. It is in all likelihood that dedicated parents like yours are ready to take what benefits you into consideration.
Another way that may be of help is to reach a compromise with your parents, making it a win-win case. Instead of complaining all the time, show your respect for the good intention they attach to the six-hour rigid study plan but at the same time gently and firmly ask for the flexibility and freedom you desire as you live up to their expectations of you one by one. Believe me, there're no parents but willing to give free rein to their responsible children. Over time, you will come to an alternative satisfying you both. I sincerely hope the above measures can help both of you.
Best wishes, Dr. Lee
Dear Helpless John,
You are in an awful position and understandably feel depressed. While you understand that you parents are well-intentioned, the pressure from them has put a tremendous burden on you. Since you have already tried talking to them, which has not helped, you might try putting your concerns in a letter, emphasizing your fragile and stressed state. If they ignore your letter or are unwilling to listen to your perspective, seek help from other people who can act as mediators.
The other suggestion I have for you is to show appreciation to your parents when they give you time to rest. Tell them how grateful you are when they allow you to set your own schedule and make your own choices. Keep them informed of your plans, but also be open to their suggestions. The truth is that your parents have experiences that you don't, and they are trying to protect you from making mistakes. A deeper understanding of you parents' actions will help you figure out how to respond in a way that won't lead to a fight.
Best wishes, Dr. Lee
22.
I still remember it vividly when I got so close to a sports car for the first time. I was flabbergasted due to its streamlined body and the solemn vibes surrounding it. Ever since then, so interested in cars I have been that I manage to name almost all the cars on the road. It thus came as no surprise that I started to imagine myself being a car racer when I was in elementary school. Not only did I immerse myself in car racing TV programs, but I also pleaded with my parents for a small model car per month. However, becoming a car racer was merely a vague conception since there are numerous kinds of racing series, all of which require different skills and cars to participate in. The imagination began to take shape when I switched the channel to F1 racing one day inadvertently. Till the graduation of junior high school, in addition to making endeavors in keeping myself informed of everything related to F1 racing, most of the time, I imagined myself as a prestigious F1 racer zooming on the roads at lightning speed. It's quite embarrassing in an inexplicable way when reminiscing about those days.
Nevertheless, were I an F1 racer, I would aim to be a professional one. I would like to visit different venues around the globe, speeding across oval tracks, drag strips, twisting courses, and abandoned highways to overtake my opponents and win the gold medal. I crave for the sense of achievement and ecstasy felt as I step on the podium as a champion, basked in the applause of fans and crowds. Of course, the highlight of celebrating the victory with the team by opening up champagnes and spraying them all over should never be missed. Last but not least, I'd like to relish every second I'm allowed to sit in F1 and enjoy the process of every racing event, taking control of the gearshift with the adrenaline rushing. Eventually, I would retire probably at my late thirties, bidding farewell to the identity I have been chasing for since I was a child. Of course, while none of the above will become true in reality, none of my passions for cars and races stands false.
Right after watching a movie depicting an ancient war, I started imagining being a brave warrior in the ancient Rome. In the movie, encountering myriads of enemies rushing to him, instead of fleeing for safety, the main character jumped on a chariot, plunged his sword into the enemies' chests, and eventually won the war. So fascinated by the dauntlessness of the warrior was I that I couldn't help but dream I, too, exposed to danger and violence, was still holding a sword determinedly, fighting for the men and the country.
Were I a warrior, I would kill as many enemies as I could, since the number of enemies killed is indicative of the amount of my gallantry. After all, warriors are supposed to be proactive, not reactive. They are to take the lead and charge forward. By the same token, I would train my troop hard with a view to making every soldier militant enough to leave his mark on history. Last but not least, with the power I have, I would like to earn myself a life of comfort and a social status worth being coveted, not to mention a charming beauty by whom a warrior is usually accompanied. Yet, a dream is always a dream. In reality, I am weak like a chicken and can never be an aggressive warrior like the one in the movie.
23.
Modern ways to make acquaintances are no more confined to shaking hands, chatting, and meeting in person. Instead, more and more people tend to use such social websites as Facebook to make new friends with almost everyone on earth. Convenient though Facebook is in terms of forming a friendship, there are some potential risks involved.
My cousin, for example, truly fell prey to Facebook friendship. He was then an undergraduate with a promising future. One day, a girl came to him and asked him to help her finish her essay. Alerted, my cousin politely turned her down, but the girl, instead of giving up, coaxed him into having one talk after another. As the conversation inevitably went on, my cousin's defense was gradually weakened by the girl's sweet words and humor. While his caution translated into curiosity, curiosity into affection, he eventually took the task and devoted most of his time to her work. Of course, as expected, with the essay done, the girl literally "evaporated." Not until then did he realize he was deceived. No substantial harms were done to my cousin, but he was spiritually marred and became incredulous and unable to trust anyone anymore.
Wholesome as Facebook is, bringing our friendship over the barrier of time and distance, we must acknowledge the fact that all those using Facebook are not as honest and moral as we expect them to be. Even those who proceed with extreme caution in the first place like my cousin could end up being the victim of Facebook friendship. Thus, my attitude toward Facebook friendship is that one cannot be too careful when making friends online, for everything in the virtual world may be "virtual".
24.
We biked leisurely along the river bank, enjoying the refreshing breeze and the radiant warmth of the sun. Along the way, there were abundant species swimming in the fresh water while trees and flowers flourish on the sides of the track. The vitality of all kinds of creatures form a harmonious scene, creating a paradise for us to roam around and feast our eyes on.
Putting great values on quality time, my family is closely bonded, which also explains the various family activities having been held since my childhood. Of them, the most unforgettable one is the one where my parents took us to the street for a protest. Not a typical family activity, I should say; however, it's no less fun and meaningful than the others. That day, we were scheduled to gather with hundreds of the others in front of the presidential office building and then marched through streets, protesting the government's establishment of the fourth nuclear plant. As intellectuals, my mom and dad were against this policy, worrying the health and environmental concerns associated with the nuclear radiation. However, my brother and I were still little, both of whom knew nothing about the potential harm. We were brought to the activity simply because my parents didn't feel safe leaving just two kids at home. However, they did do all they could to make us feel engaged and fun. They purchased banners and flags with which we flapped high in excitement, and guess what, they even bought us air horns to which my brother and I blew to our hearts' content. Actually, we felt more like being in a parade in a carnival. That night, each of us was given a story book on nuclear power to read, which we both found intriguing.
The protest is itself an unforgettable and meaningful family activity for me in many ways. To begin with, it serves as my first lesson of democracy and luckily the instructors are my parents, who show my how to voice one's opinion in a peaceful yet clear way and that it's every citizen's right to stand up and speak up for something he believes to be wrong. In addition, instead of tension and violence a protest is usually associated with, my parents demonstrate to me as long as care and love find their way to any activity, there dwell peace harmony.
When it comes to unforgettable family activities, what springs to mind might involve biking along picturesque river banks, hiking mountain trails to embrace serenity or even successfully challenging escape room games. However, without bothering going anywhere, the most unforgettable family activity of mine takes place right in our kitchen, and only a Saturday afternoon with my parents and me would suffice to make the activity memorable. First of all, with a fridge packed with ingredients, the possibilities of cuisines to be made are themselves overwhelmingly exciting, not to mention chopping and slicing food offer the thrills and trials needed for me to prove how skilled I am as a knight with his knife. And the delicate adjustment of how much seasoning to add makes me feel as if I am doing some kind of important experiment that allows no mistake. With Dad, Mom and me as a team, all the risk and effort get rewarded when a table of feast in finally pulled off.
I cannot deny that cooking can be quite tiring; however, our kitchen is never dull when we pour our passions and soul into what's to come. Full of laughter livening up the atmosphere, the heat from the stove never gets in the way. While my mom and I simply enjoy the process of cooking, we are always taken away by Dad's impeccable cooking techniques, especially when he takes out his personal wok, frying scallion and ginger with rice wine and sesame oil under a large flame serving as the perfect base for sesame oil chicken like no other, let alone the fried rice that pushes his wrist control and fire handling to the limit. For my family, hours in the kitchen proves no less exciting and heartwarming than any other family activity. What culinary art endows us is more than foods to feast on, but lingering moments to relish time and again.
For many, a special meal must be one complete with lobsters and champagne, but for me, a special meal is as simple as a picnic with my family. Last summer, we visited Scotland. That morning, packed with the bread, cookies, smoked salmon and soft drinks, we set out on a hike. It was a perfect day. The big expanse of the blue sky was dotted with white clouds drifting and the gentle breeze scented with the fragrance of flowers softly caressed our faces as we walked along. We strolled through a massive grassland and a gorgeous valley, both shaped by the glaciers thousands of years ago. And and the end of the valley was a cliff, which plunged straight right into the ocean. It was on the cliff that we seated ourselves comfortably on the spongy-like grass. We chatted merrily over the food we brought. I told Mom the girl I had a crush on while she nibbled the cookies and listened attentively with an amused smile on her face. As for Dad, an affectionate husband and devoted father, he was happily busy making sandwiches and coffee for us. The meal that day was enjoyed not in a beautifully decorated fancy restaurant with many celebrities present but relished in a setting alive with natural wonders with my beloved family around. And the bread, cookies, smoked salmon and soft drinks, though as common as could be, tasted like the most exquisite delicacies ever.
This meal is special and memorable to me. To begin with, with my parents preoccupied with their work and me pinned down at desk cramming for textbooks piled up high, we hadn't had a chance to sit down together and have a hearty talk over a meal. However, on that day, in such a relaxing atmosphere, we enjoyed our food and poured out our hearts to each other. I shared my secret with Mom, and my parents told me their expectations of me. The food was great, yet the feeling of all of us as a family being together was much better. Besides, the setting of the meal is in itself special and memorable enough. Next-to luxury meals are presented in magnificently adorned restaurants yet a real luxury meal is held in nature alive with lives. That day, while we were having the picnic on the cliff, we not only treated ourselves to a meal, but were treated to a feast offered by nature with the sky and ocean, both boldly blue, delighting our eyes and ears. The picnic that day, though simple in taste, is profound in meanings and will always be engraved in my mind.
25.
After three hours of bumpy ride, we arrived at the picturesque beach. We first feasted our eyes on the beautiful indigo ocean and gasped in awe when seeing the marvelous scene where the sky met the sea. Sea breeze gently soothed our anxiety and birds chirped in satisfaction as if they were singing their welcome. However, the sun above our heads became no longer warm but scorching hot, so into the deep blue waters me and my dogs dived.
Tagging behind him were his two adorable pets, Bee and See. John arrived at the beach cursing under his breath, for the sun shining high in the sky was giving off to much heat, drenching him in his own sweat. However, all the discomfort vanished the instant he saw the clear blue ocean gently caressing the white sand.
On a Saturday, Jack decided to head to the beach to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and relish his life. In the first few hours, Jack had so much fun indulging himself in the waters in a delightful mood like never before. Nevertheless, so excited he was that he was not aware his being carried too far away by the waves. Not until he was left alone in the middle of nowhere in the sea did he start to get panic and screamed at the top of his lungs, which only exhausted him more.
They raced toward the shoreline and found John flinging his arms around in a desperate attempt to keep himself afloat. He was drowning!
To everyone's surprise, the two smart dogs pulled a life-saving log, swimming fast toward their panic owner, Jack. Relieved, Jack clenched onto the wood with whatever strength left. The next thing he knew was he was pulled ashore and given an immediate treatment with his two loyal dogs standing beside him, hailed as heroes. Lying there, weak and still terrified, Jack wasn't sure if beach would be a good choice in his life afterward; however, he was pretty sure the two dogs were the best choice of his life.
"A summer vacation won't be complete without a visit to the beach," said determinedly Jack, my owner. Thus, one Saturday morning, with pictures of bright sunshine, sandy beaches, girls in bikinis filling his head, Jack took me, Lucky, and Smarty, heading straight to the beach to have fun. As expected, the sun was glistening and the waters glittered like diamonds glowing. Upon seeing the ocean, Jack dashed into the big expanse of the blue in no time, without doing any warm-up. Indulging himself in the ocean, he felt all the concerns and worries were washed away with the waves.
However, while we were all having a good time, all of a sudden, Jack's face got twisted. The next moment, he was drowning with his hands waving frantically. Apparently, he got cramp in his feet. Aware that he was in danger, I swam back to the shore, barking as loud as I could to catch people's attention. Luckily, people noticed my barking and immediately called for help. In the end, Jack was rescued and sent to the nearest hospital for further treatment. The doctor said the absence of warm-up triggered the cramp in his feet, which caused his drowning afterward. Poor Jack, two lessons he has learned since. One is never miss any warm-up before swimming. The other is any vacation won't be complete without taking me, Lucky.
26.
Morning self-study sessions, by forcing teenagers to bid painful farewell to their cozy beds first thing in the morning, have long been notorious for depriving students of their precious sleeping time, making their nine to ten hours of long stay at school even more unbearable. I, along with many of my counterparts with dark circles under the eyes, am more than elated to see this new policy implemented, but for reasons other than the concern for sleep deprivation. For one, these early sessions offer nothing more than dead-silent classrooms in which students either collapse onto their desks to grasp every second of sleep possible or waste time hanging on social media or pumping whatever energy left into video games, with few actually self-studying. For another, the morning assemblies held during the morning self-study sessions are usually ineffective and greeted by complaints since students are made to stand still for tens of minutes in the intense heat in the summer or in the freezing cold in the winter, listening to lectures or information that could otherwise be learned through broadcast. These taken together, it's self-evident that morning self-study sessions do not achieve the aim they have in mind.
As a student, with the new policy comes extra thirty minutes at my disposal every day, with which I can do whatever I see fit. For example, I may chose to sleep another thirty minutes to make up for my staying up the previous night. Fully recharged, I can tackle new challenges ahead, and the nine hours of lecture at school would be far from an agony where I am constantly held back from learning by fatigue. Besides, I am of the opinion that learning to manage one's time is no less important a lesson than attending morning assemblies. After all, what one carries with through life is not the preaches repeated at the morning assemblies but the skill of time management cultivated during high school.
I am strongly opposed to the new proposal of cancelling the morning self-study sessions. However, a lot more think otherwise. For those who are in favor of the policy, some argue that the new policy might grant students more sleeping time, which is of great importance for the growth of teenagers and others maintain that the new policy provides students with an opportunity to learn time management. There is no denying that the above-mentioned perspectives have their points; yet, they fail to deal with the root of the problems. Will the extra thirty-minute sleeping time promise teenagers a sound sleep and make them grow taller? I doubt. But I do know that it is adolescents' addiction to social media and obsession with 3C devices that largely account for their sleep deprivation. On top of that, getting up early has numerous advantages, both mentally and physically. As for the cultivation of time management, it's a self-study session, isn't it? That is, as the name suggests, it's itself a sessions meant for personal time management. Thus, the problem is not with the session, but with the people.
Debates about cancelling the high school students' morning self-study sessions have been fueled recently. In general, most of the students welcome the new policy with open arms and are ready to utilize the time now available to their advantages. In stark contrast with the students' position, some teachers and parents claim that such a policy will ultimately render teenagers susceptible to laziness and reluctance to go to school. Besides, more safety concerns will surface with students going to school at a later time. For instance, as more people take public transportation at a given time, the number of traffic accidents is sure to be on the rise and so is the risk of COVID infection. Nonetheless, despite these concerns, I'm of the opinion that such a policy does facilitate students' lives. Take myself for example. I live in the rural area in New Taipei City, and have to spend a great amount of time commuting to school. The cancellation of morning self-study sessions, instead of being a potential threat to road safety, allows me to take time commuting, which in turn makes my trip to school much safer. As for the laziness most adults put blame on, it's not the sessions itself but the people that should be deemed as the problem. After all, a lazy person justifies himself with millions of excuses, the new policy being merely one of the million.
Were I a parent, after the policy is implemented, I would envision my child wake up full of vitality for having sufficient sleep instead of pulling a long face, being dragged out of the cozy bed and rushed by me to do his morning routines for fear of being late for the 7:30 morning self-study session. As for myself, I would spare myself the trouble of getting up early to prepare breakfast for him and the possibility of getting annoyed by his ever-slow movements. With more time to sleep and a better mood, maybe I can see a boost in my productivity at work, too.
27.
Dear Julie,
How have you been recently? I miss you so much. I'm writing to share with you an interesting and meaningful event I participated in this summer: making our community a better place to live in. To achieve the aim, our community a camping on bettering the parks in the neighborhood, believing that a good park is an ideal emotional and physical outlet for all the residents in the community. As a member of our community, I held myself accountable for its improvement in any way, thus volunteering in the activity in no time. First of all, along with the others, I planted dozens of lush trees and brightly colored flowers in the park, hoping the shades provide by the trees can offer residents a temporary relief from the intense heat and heavy pressure in life and the spectrum offered by the blossoms could delight their eyes as well as their minds. Moreover, we also made sure that wheel-chair lifts and ramps were well set up in the park. A barrier-free park available to every resident regardless of their age and physical condition would definitely make the community a more livable one.
This summer, the heat was as oppressive and suffocating as it had always been, but there's something different. I have seen couples taking a stroll in the park, heard laughter erupting from the children chasing each other among the flowers, and felt the ease manifested on the faces of the old when they wheel themselves to the park along the ramp. And I, during the voluntary work, get acquainted with quite a few friends. What an experience! It's high time you joined me next summer.
Love, Teresa
Dear Julie,
I wanted to write and tell you about a great volunteer activity I participated in this summer. I think you might be interested in joining it, too. The Hillside Seniors Center has an "art day" for elderly residents that takes place every month. I spent the afternoon there teaching some seniors how to paint. Many of them had never picked up a paint brush before. It was amazing to watch them have fun discovering their talents. It's unbelievable that they were able to make creative artworks without any knowledge of painting.
I learned that there are many seniors without families nearby. They appreciated our company and enjoyed spending time with us. I think I got a lot out of the volunteer activity. It helped me build teaching skills. It also made me feel connected to my community, and I'm glad to have met some interesting people. At the end of the day, I found it so rewarding that I'd like to volunteer again. Maybe you can come with me next time. Don't worry about bringing supplies. All the brushes and paints are provided by the organization. I'm sure you'll find it to be a great experience. Join me, as long as you have time.
Best regards, Teresa
28.
As outraged as I was to see my treasured headphones lost, I was, to a certain extent, soothed by Tom's willingness to make amends, feeling much less emotionally turbulent. Between the two offers, I would choose plan A over plan B. For one thing, considering the headphones are the limited edition, it is unlikely to get the same ones, and even if they are available, the price must be many times more than that of their original ones. For another, sad to admit, after years of extensive use, I come to the conclusion that such expensive headphones do not actually live up to the price tagged to them. In fact, there are plenty of other headphones that provide the same quality without crippling the buyers' wallet. So it would be sensible for me to hunt down the latest headphones with the money compensated by Tom.
However, alluring though a new pair of headphones are, I would rather see Tom make the endeavors to retrace the lost pair and use plan A as a backup instead. Rich as he is, he shouldn't be instilled with the concept that money is the solution to every problem. What's more, since Taiwan boasts its amiable people, it's very likely that the lost headphones are now sitting somewhere at a lost-and-found case or in a police station. Tom being my best friend, his being genuine and going all out in the problem-solving process counts more than an identical or a new pair of headphones to me.
My grandmother always told me it was a virtue to forgive others for their mistakes. However, I could hardly do so when I learned that the limited-edition headphones I lent Tom last week had been lost. I am furious at his careless mistake, but he has been my best friend since childhood and has done lots of favors for me over the past few years. So, I am somewhat at a loss as to what exactly I should do. Given the two options offered by Tom, I will probably choose the first one. He can compensate for my loss with money, and I can use the money to buy new headphones. While it will be virtually impossible to find an identical pair, at least I can buy a new set with the money.
Besides paying me back, I think there are two other things Tom can do. Firstly, he can spare some time to accompany me to the electronics store to buy new headphones. Since Tom is a computer geek, he can give me some suggestions about different headphones. Secondly, maybe he can still find the ones he lost. As long as he makes an effort, I think there is a chance that he can recover the lost headphones. Those are two things that I think Tom can do to make up for his careless mistakes, and hopefully, I can get my headphones back as soon as possible.
29.
Owing to the harsh outbreak of COVID-19, a terrifying pandemic, I was confined to my home during May. Despite that I couldn't attend school, my thirst for being exceptional at academic performance has never been slightly quenched. Not having to go to school saved me a staggering amount of time wasted on commuting. Namely, I had a lot more time at my disposal, allowing me to sleep more, and having a sober mind during the courses that required extreme concentration. Apart from academic changes, my eating habits went through a drastic transformation, too. Isolated from the world where the pandemic ravaged, I didn't have the opportunity to savor delicacies in a cozy environment of restaurants. Accordingly, in order to have my discriminating palate satisfied, I managed to order all kinds of foods from Uber Eats. Fascinated by the convenience of ordering system and diversity of foods it provides, I kept ordering obsessively.
With much more time to rest and take a break, the efficiency of studying soared. Nevertheless, without going to school having a face-to-face contact with teachers, I was deprived of the chance of asking them questions in person, having PE classes, or conducting experiments in labs, to name just a few. Besides, so tasty the flavored cuisines from the restaurants where that they caused a great impact on my health. Believe it or not, my weight skyrocketed to a record high. In conclusion, though having online courses was convenient, my mental and physical health was corroded simultaneously. With an eye to having a brighter future, I still long for the day when we don't have to live in fear anymore.
Held captive by the pandemic, I've been chained to my desk and weighed down by books. On top of that, online learning and the seemingly infinite tasks that await to be finished made my room scorch like a burning hell. Staring out the window, I felt the warm and greeting sun rays made the outdoors all the more like heaven. However, with the virus hidden around every corner, it seemed that what I was left with was the "great indoors" to explore. That being the fact, I decided to see my online learning from another perspective. No more a poor mouse confined to a small trap sitting glued to a screen for ten solid hours, I sat at my desk as if I were hopping in a van. The LCD was my windshield and my keyboard and mouse steered me to various destinations with each course. Each session then became an adventure, like a car ride through a street never passed by, and of course, there were times when the ride was not that pleasant and agreeable, and the lecture, as expected, ended up as background music.
These changes make home life and online learning much more bearable. Never have I found the Internet so fascinating and grand, filled with knowledge school doesn't or fails to teach. Now that the pandemic is over, so is the thrilling drive. Though literally "surfing the Internet and learning online" is an odyssey like no other, I would much rather actually step out of my door instead of being stuck to a chair. After all, there's more to the actual learning than online learning.
30.
Dear Rose,
As time goes by, I am about to graduate from senior high school. Before graduation, I would like to give you some advice, hoping that they will be of great help for you when you are feeling at a loss, not knowing what to do during high school years.
To begin with, strike a balance between studies and club activities. Well goes the saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." With club activities, you can expand your horizons and make more friends, which will definitely spice up your otherwise boring school life. However, don't forget that as a student, you should give priority to your studies so as to attend a prestigious university of your choice. Play hard and study hard. Besides, take defeat well and never give up. Life is not a bed of roses. It's important for you to learn how to survive every failing course and hold on to your objectivity. Last but not least, be open to any experience, be it an academic subject, a new friend, or a study tour abroad. Live your life to the full. I sincerely hope you can take my advice seriously and have a colorful life in senior high school.
Best wishes, Tom
31.
Dear roommates,
Nice to meet you all! Enclosed you will find a photo of mine, a handsome young man sitting attentively at his desk, totally engrossed in the virtual world in his bedroom. I am strongly convinced that with my easy-going personality, we are to develop wonderful friendship in the future if you can be more tolerant of my hygiene and living habits. Well, as you can see in the photo, piles of books stacked up almost reaching the ceiling are scattered here and there. Well, the world won't be disturbed at all and the room won't become a mess so long as everyone pays extra attention not to topple them, right? Besides, I have to confess that I am a night owl. It certainly will be a torture when you lie awake in bed listening to a man giggling, chatting, and cursing while playing his computer games till four o'clock in the morning.
I am terribly sorry for all the bad habits I have but please do believe that I come in peace. To prevent any conflicts in advance, I thus come up with the following solutions. Firstly, the space shared by every one of us should not be placed with any personal belongings. I will have my room to ravage but keep the space shared clean and tidy. In case of that, can you please turn a blind eye to those heaps of books in my room? Second, noise after twelve o'clock should be banned and computers, muted. As for myself, I will try my utmost to restrain from yelling and cursing when feeling too excited while playing computer games. A pillow to stifle the scream might work, I guess. Last but not least, always keep roommates in mind. Only when you and me are willing to put ourselves in others' shoes will we make decisions that benefit us all. Anyway, I cannot wait to start a new life with you!
Sincerely yours, Jack
Dear roommates,
Since I am a person who is quite particular about cleanness, here are some points I have to make clear about before our dorm life. First, I cannot bear with any leftovers in my room. For one thing, it may release stinky smells which are repellent and unbearable. For another, it may become the breeding ground for flies, cockroaches, or even rats. Just imagine a room infested with so many bugs and pests. What a scene! Therefore, please clean up all the dishes and food that you eat every night. Second, please don't scatter your clothes and underwear around, which will not only make the entire room a mess but does harm to your personal hygiene. It's no fun spending half an hour pairing the socks or looking for a particular shirt among piles of clothes. Last, please don't stay up late playing video games or watching films. It's far from wise to get oneself amused at the expense of one's previous health.
Since we all come from different backgrounds, it's very likely that we think differently. To reduce quarrels to the minimum, frequent communication is a must. I suggest that whenever we have a dispute over something, instead of keeping it to ourselves, we had better speak it out, working on the solutions, and reconciling the different points of view. Should an argument occur, the one responsible for the incident must apologize sincerely and do the chores for the others for a day as a punishment. I am strongly convinced that as long as we follow the suggestions mentioned above, we are to lead a happy dorm life in the years to come.
Best Regards, Jack
Dear roommates,
As you can see, we are all strangers before fate brings us together as roommates. To adjust ourselves to this brand new environment and relish an enjoyable campus life, it's of great importance to know the daily routines and habits of ours in advance. As for myself, I usually stay up late into the night and go to sleep at about 3 or 4 A.M. on weekends. Therefore, it's quite possible that while I'm wide awake, you're sound sleep. Not longing to become obnoxious, I hope that we can meet one another halfway, reaching a consensus on the bedtime. Oh, by the way, I'm actually addicted to video games, which may seem a nuisance to you. Much though I play games, I promise I will try my best not to disturb you and hope we can give each other the respect due.
I'm convinced that no one longs to live in a messy room, fretting about the cockroaches and mice scurrying around. To prevent our room from getting filthy, we must make it a rule to clean up the room at least every other week. Sanitation plays a prominent role in our life, so I hope we can all contribute to the tidiness of the room. Last but not least, we should no lay hands on others' personal belongings without their permission. Such behavior often causes misunderstanding and suspicion, which in turn leads to a ferocious quarrel. In a word, I am happy to live with you as a roommate and I believe as long as we can follow the rules and behave ourselves, a charming future is sure to await us.
Sincerely yours, Jill
Dear roommates,
It has been a long week of anticipation and anxiety for me in that I'm going to spend a majority of my time in college with you all, my future intimate acquaintances and, hopefully, lifelong friends. Twisting and turning for days and if my daily routine will collide with yours, I decide that I write this letter to illustrate my regular habits and see if we can negotiate the conflicting parts of my daily routine. Contrary to the scenario in the younger generation, I have the tendency to keep early hours. That is, I rise up in the sun at five in the morning and rest at half past ten at night. Regardless, I will promise I will set the alarm clock off upon it goes off, but I beg your pardon that exhilarating conversations and games at night may have to be finished earlier. Further, such an enthusiast am I that I tend to stay in the room in my free time. Ideal company though I wish to be, you may get a tepid response when inviting me out, and I have to clarify that it's not because of who asks me out, but "the outdoors" itself.
If the information on the Internet served, the most conflict-triggering issues in the dorm are cleaning and space apportion. Before we turn crimson for these, I would suggest that we divide the dorm in five, namely the four beds along with the tables and a public area. Each one will be responsible for their own space for rest, and for the public area, a schedule for us taking turns tidying it up is of vital essence. As to other possible conflicts in the future, I hope we can all talk it out in a rather balmy way instead of quarrels. This is the first time I have ever stayed in the dorm on campus, and crank though I may seem to be, I hope to share a college life swamped with delight with you all.
Best regards, Jill
32.
In recent years, the number of people making use of the food delivery service has skyrocketed. Accordingly, food-delivery companies pop up one after another. Of them, three food delivery platforms stand out, each of which has its own characteristics. In terms of the shipping free, Yawoo outshines the other two platforms with its competitive price of less than 30 dollars per trip while the other two charge 30 and 49 dollars respectively. However, in view of the items available, UBirds definitely beats the other two, for it offers cooked food, fresh food as well as daily necessities. Limited though in items delivered, Yawoo features its zero-contact delivery while Foodbear boasts its cooperation with more fancy restaurants. With all the differences, however, there's one thing the three platforms have in common: discounts available under certain circumstances. For example, if customers make a purchase for over one hundred dollars, UBirds waive the shipping fee. The free delivery fee goes to customers who place their orders in Yawoo from 2pm to 4pm. As for those who pay with credit cards, Foodbear offers them a 5% discount. Taken together, the three platforms all have their own traits to take pride in, readily providing an easy access to people who want to enjoy a delivered meal.
Nonetheless, while food delivery services does facilitate our life quite a few aspects, the drawbacks coming along with it still outweigh the benefits it provides. First of all, it is the food delivery service that is held accountable for people's laziness. A few steps away or a click away? Well, it's quite self-evident that with easier access to food delivery platforms, people are less motivated to go out for a meal, which in turn make people not only socially but also physically inactive. Furthermore, coming along with the rapid growth of food delivery service is the rising traffic accidents. It is not uncommon to see deliverymen zooming through the busy traffic with a view to delivering the meals on time, a move that may put the passengers' and other riders' and drivers' lives in jeopardy. In view of these, I wold rather go out for a meal than place an order at home. After all, while I myself can be of little help of reducing the number of car crashes related to food delivery, a trip to a restaurant is itself a step for me to reach out to other places and enjoy the delights of the social interaction with different environments, a choice beneficial in terms of road safety and my interest.
33.
Were I trapped on an isolated island just like what Robinson Crusoe had experienced, I, instead of having panic seize and haunt me, would consider it a backpack tour, aiming at exploring the unknown. To enjoy the tour to the full, I would bring along with me the following three items: an ax, my dog, Chris, and a lot of instant noodles.
After taking in the scenery of the primitive island and getting a panorama of the place, I would settle myself down in the best site. To build myself a shelter, I would need the ax to cut down the trees to get the wood needed for a cabin. With the ax, I could also make myself tools of various kinds, such as spears, and knives, with which I could go hunting for food. After the laborious work, I would play go-and-fetch with my lovely dog, Chris. It is said that dogs are the best companions for human beings. I am convinced that my dog Chris would accompany me in such a hard time and stay alert to any danger around me so as to warn me of any possible menace. Every late evening, Chris and I would lie on the beach, enjoying the tranquility and serenity characteristic of any unpopulated island, a delight hardly experienced were I still living in the quick-paced city. And if one day I grew tired of the food derived from the island, I could still satisfy my palate by eating the instant noodles brought to my heart's content. With an ax to protect myself in the bleak island, the instant noodles to fill my stomach and the dog to kill my time with, I would enjoy the "backpack tour" a lot. Provided that one day I were fed up with the boredom and inconvenience of the island, I could still hack some trees with the ax, and build myself a ship. With my dog, and whatever instant noodles left and the ax of great use, I would set off on another cruise. Were I lucky enough, I would land on another paradise, enjoying myself again.
34.
For days in a row, I had been staying up late to study for the upcoming final. Working myself to exhaustion at night, I couldn't but feel extremely sleepy during daytime. Therefore, it came as no surprise that I dozed off in Chinese class yesterday.
It was a fairly dull Chinese lesson. Such being the case, I was not really to blame for failing to resist the strong temptation of having a good, sweet dream in class. As a matter of fact, my teacher's voice came to me like ocean waves hushing me to sleep, and I eventually gave in and crashed my heavy head on the desk.
And then, something peculiar occurred. When I raised my head up again, nobody was to be seen. In confusion, I walked out of the classroom, only to be confronted by a man. Approaching me, he broke the silence and said, "Allen, I believe that you have what it takes to become the next mega-star. You have a good voice, impressive dance moves, and all the stage charisma a star desperately needs." I realized that he was no one else but a talent agent, coming all the way from Hollywood to urge me to become a pop singer. I always dreamed of become a superstar someday, so without hesitation, I signed a contract with him. The next thing I noticed was I was sitting in piles of cash. What came along with the fame and wealth were tons of cool friends and hot girls. And when I stood onstage to perform my new single "Play", I raised my arms in excitement with my fans shouting at the top of their lungs, "Allen! Allen! Allen!..."
"Allen, what on earth are you doing?" With my eyes now wide open, I found myself in a somewhat awkward situation. I was raising my hands high along with a huge smile spreading across my face as if I were still at the concert in my dream, showered by loud cheers. My classmates were all staring at me like I was totally out of my mind, and the intense embarrassment made my cheeks feverishly red.
That day after school, I was summoned by my Chinese teacher for a long talk regarding my odd behavior in class and my constantly sleeping whenever I get the chance. I was again a dull and tedious speech, but I tried hard to keep my head up from nodding off again. When the long talk was finally over, and I stepped out of the teacher's office, I was greeted by overwhelming darkness and silence. All my friends had already gone. No enthusiastic fans, no exciting cheers. Alas, dreams are always dreams.
35.
My name is Spotty, and I am a sad dog which was forced to spend twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week at home because of my lazy owner, Vincent. He spent most of his time playing video games and munching on all those chips. I could see him getting fatter and fatter by the second. Isolated from the outside world, I felt my life couldn't be gloomier. Then, one day, frustrated about the laziness manifested by Vincent, his dad demanded him to take me out for walks, and promised that he would get a brand new cassette for his X Box 360 as a reward. It was melody to my ears, and so was it to Vincent's.
Upon seeing the front door flung open, I could hide my exuberance no more. I dashed out in an instant, eager to bath myself in the bright summer sun. I ran around Vincent with delight as we walked to the video game store. Once again, I could feel the gentle breeze brushing my fur as it went by, hear the gleeful chirping from the birds, and smell the fragrance from the blooming flowers. It was such a refreshment. As he stopped by the video game store, Vincent told me to stay put by the corner while he went to have a look for the latest game. However, so excited was I that I heard none of his words. Enraged by my apparent ignorance, he started shouting at me with foul language. Never had I seem him losing temper like this mad. I was frightened to death, afraid that he might do something irrational, such as abandoning me on the street due to my disobedience. Luckily, it turned out that his deafening lashing brought the attention of a kind-hearted girl nearby, who happened to be the one Vincent fancied. She came to my rescue. Not only did she scold Vincent for mistreating me, but she also suggested that he seemed to be putting on too much weight recently. So upset was Vincent that he walked straight home, even forgetting all about the video game. Feeling relieved, I followed behind.
Love is itself power. Lazy as Vincent was, from that day on, he has made it a habit to jog every day to lose weight, and of course, he jogs along with me. No more a dog confined to home, I now enjoy a healthy and happy life and guess what, we are to have a new partner tonight, the very girl who changes the life of Vincent's and mine.
36.
Taiwan has faced water issues over the past few years. Along with the drastic change of climate, the problem gets increasingly worse every year. As the picture on the left demonstrates, we can tell that it's a water dam suffering from drought. With no rain for months, we are able to see the bed of the dam. Not only is the bed exposed to the sun, but the surface is left parched and covered with cracks. On the other hand, the picture on the right shows people desperately filling containers with water supplied by the water truck dispatched by the government. It manifests the plight they are in: an inconvenient life caused by deficiency of water. The barren land with no signs of life at sight and people laboring to get water to sustain their basic needs constitute a cry for immediate measures taken to tackle the problem.
With regard to our country's insufficient water resources, I believe there are several reasons accounting for this phenomenon. One is the dramatic change in the number of rainy days, and the typhoons. Mainly, Taiwan's water resources come from monsoons and typhoons. However, recently, due to the climate change, fewer typhoons hit Taiwan. While we rejoice at being free from the damage caused by typhoons, we are, at the same time, fretting about the limited water storage. Besides, along with the rare water resources comes the relatively cheap water fee, which adds to the gravity of the water issue. With so low a fee, it's naturally that people take water for granted and wouldn't give much thought to water conservation. Still another contributing factor to the problem is the lack of usable water. Indeed, Taiwan has many rivers, but many of them cannot be harnessed because of either their fast flowing speed caused by the natural landscape or the saddening fact that they are seriously contaminated. It's high time we made a change. As an individual, we should cultivate the habit of water conservation. To begin with, since most water footprint is lost to leaks, we can start with repairing leaking faucets and toilet. Additionally, since it takes much water to fill a bathtub, taking showers instead of taking baths is more water-efficient. As for the government, it can take into consideration charging progressively higher prices as water use increases. After all, every drop counts. Moreover, more campaigns and educational programs should be launched to instill the concept of water conservation into everyone. Hopefully, these methods can help our future generation ensure a sustainable living environment in which water still abounds.
In the left picture is a field of crumbled and fractured river bed, without the slightest sign of moisture, being scorched by the relentless sun, devoid of any lushness or luxury of greenery, not to mention any other living being. Ironically, this is a reservoir, which is supposed to provide millions with its seemingly endless supply of water. In the other picture, a swarm of citizens, having given way to all the inconvenience brought about by the drought, are desperately extracting water from a truck's barrel to sustain their lives.
Long have we been exposed to the image of a full reservoir, with its glistening reflection of sunlight as well as the flora and fauna surrounding it, all interwoven into the illusion that water is always abundant. However, the truth is that there are times when we might be deprived of this precious asset, and we may be potentially forced into living lives like those of the people craving for water as demonstrated in the picture. To save us from the possible scenario, the government ought to initiate more campaigns to raise the awareness of the vulnerability of water resources, or even charge higher for water. In fact, apart from having the nature to blame, water shortage does have a lot to do with the ignorance of the public. It is my strong belief that the gravity of the issue can be eased as long as the concept of water conservation can be successfully instilled into the public or their waste of water can be checked by the high utility bill. In addition, more investments can be placed by the government on devices or mechanisms for saving water. Drip irrigation, for example, has been adopted in agriculture all around the globe, especially in regions prone to droughts. I'm convinced that with more pipes, tubes, and emitters designed, installed, and maintained, more rainfall can be retained and harnessed for dry seasons. In short, it is imperative that both of us and the government do our shares and make more endeavors into gearing up for the inevitable drought era.
37.
Feeling the slight vibration of my cellphone, I picked it up to reply a text as my bald math teacher rambled on. Actually, I never really had any interest in numbers or bald men and this time was no different. My friend and I texted on and on until, out of the blue, came a hand that whisked away my precious phone. Obviously, my teacher had had enough for me. He scolded my for lack of respect while he waved my fragile device around. I tried hard to muffle a small whimper and kept my head down, playing the role of a submissive student. After what seemed like hours, he finished his speech with words of afterschool guidance. My heart sank. The teacher's office was a dungeon full of scary monsters. It was said that students who went for guidance never came back alive. Shivering, I pleaded for mercy but to no avail. Seeing that following his demands was the only way to retrieve my cellphone, I couldn't but obey.
After school, I plucked up my courage an headed for the teacher's office. I slowly pushed open the creaky door to see a bald math teacher smiling radiantly. His fishy smile gave me shivers. Then he handed me a sponge, detergent and a water bucket. "You are to scrub our classroom floor in exchange for your confiscated phone," said he gleefully before he literally danced away. Reluctantly, I accepted the bargain. I got to the classroom and the floor embedded with hardened gum and juice stains looked nastier than ever. I sat on the floor, scrubbing away like Cinderella. My back and shoulder ached but the task had to be done. Finally, two hours into the laborious cleaning, the floor flickered like my generous math teacher's prominent bald scalp.
Like promised, I did get my phone back. Throughout the whole event, I learned a valuable lesson of making it a habit to keep my cellphone tucked in the drawer during class. Of course, once in a while, my hands would involuntarily reach for my phone as I fumbled around in my drawer for a took or pen. At times as such, all my teacher had to do was show my the very dirty sponge I scrubbed the floor with. And that was enough to hush all the shouting urges.
38.
I was a complete loser. I had all the traits people detested integrated into me. With overly-thick glasses and serious acne problems, I was horrific looking. Girls purposely kept their distance from me while walking past me and boys mercilessly crushed my barely existing ego in basketball games. The fact that I was short and clumsy made me a perfect target for a laughing stock. But despite my nerdy appearance of lenses and bowl cut hair, I was no nerd at all, for my grades were as hopelessly pathetic as my countenance. Nobody really cared about me, and I knew that for the rest of my life, it would stay that way. However, all these changed when I met her.
It was one afternoon that she caught my eye. There she was under the lurid red maple tree, kneeling with a ball of fur in her hands. It was a squirrel. The poor animal was bitten by on e of the stray dogs running loose on our campus. Carefully, she rinsed off the blood and tended the whimpering animal. I couldn't help letting out a soft sigh at the sight of such a touching scene. The girl turned around to look at me and smiled. She smiled! People seldom express happiness when seeing me, let alone an amazing girl like her. She beckoned me to come over to help her and struck up a conversation with me. Soon, we became friends, but never did I have the courage to ask her out, with the worry of a "Beauty and the Beast" scenario in mind. So I decided to change. I started staying for late night classes, joining the track team and even changing my diet. I wanted to become the man for her. Gradually, people saw the changes. With intensive studying and extensive reading, I scored the best in our school this semester, and thanks to all the exercise, I grew another 15 centimeters, hovering above the people who used to trample me in the basketball court. And much to my delight, the change I made in food selection and consumption helped me get rid of my myriads of pimples. With all these changes, I won the girl of my dream.
People often fear change, preferring a cozy spot in the comfort zone. However, where there is a will, there is a way. With the guidance of love, I have learned to change myself into someone who loves himself and worthy of being loved.
39.
On Oct. 24th, a powerful earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter Scale struck Taiwan. The relentless tremor, ominous sounds of squeaking walls and furniture woke me up from my otherwise sound nap. Starting out gently, the rolling sensation soon grew violent within a second or two. Appalled by the merciless shaking, I, on the 21st floor, could do nothing but lie in bed, too terrified to make a move. And while I earnestly prayed that the seeming persistent quake could soon come to an end, the scenario of our building being leveled and me buried in rubbles kept haunting me. Well, I may well be so horrified, for earthquakes are devastating in nature. They bring about catastrophes such as mudslides, tsunamis, as well as floods, which never fail to claim a great many lives. Worse yet, humankind has not yet come up with any effective approach to predict the earthquake, let alone preventing it from happening.
Vulnerable though we are at the mercy of earthquake, hopefully, there are still some things we can do to minimize the damage and the number of casualties. For one thing, we ought to shelter ourselves from harm. Stay away from where you are likely to be hit by falling objects like windows, bookshelves or cabinets. Seek refuge under a sturdy desk instead. For another, prepare an emergency kit with a flashlight, and food and water enough to last for at least 3 days. Last but not least, stay cool-headed; don't get panic. Felling uneasy, people tend to make wrong decisions such as taking an elevator for evacuation instead of taking stairs, risking the possibility of having themselves stuck in a confined space should electricity go out in times of emergency. On the contrary, people with a mind calm enough are likely to remember to shut off utilities, including gas, electricity, and water, which helps reduce the potential damage to the minimum. All in all, if we can act as mentioned above, horrible and devastating though an earthquake is, we can still survive it, safe and sound.
With roaring laughter and gleeful chatters, a group of children, along with adults accompanying them, were on a nature-experiencing trip, about to have the time of their lives. They walked along a mountain trail leading toward a paradise for nature lovers, where the glassy lake reflecting the shimmering sun above and a big expanse of the blue sky. It was a place perfect for a relaxing swim. No one was aware that beneath the seemingly shallow and calm surface lay turbulent rapids ready to turn monstrous at any time, taking people by surprise with their devastating power. However, that's exactly what happened to them as a sudden torrent came rushing and overwhelming them all, claiming four lives and leaving two missing. Upon learning the news of the catastrophe, my heart sank. Seeing the family members of those victims stood forlornly on the shore with their brows knitted and faces ghostly pale, I couldn't stay detached but relate to the families' sorrows and despair. Two days into the fervent search but to no avail, I felt all the more saddened.
Something must be done to prevent tragedies as such from recurring. First and foremost, the government must make sure companies responsible for those so-called nature-experiencing activities must be licensed, for it turns out that the company in charge of the activity mentioned above isn't an eligible one. Besides, our government should have safety inspection conducted on a regular basis on such places as coastlines, mountain trails, and lakes where danger abounds in but supervision usually falls short. More manpower should also be put into work, for example, to install more surveillance cameras, have frequent patrols, or put up noticeable signs reminding people of potential danger. As for us, while we rejoice at the fun Mother Nature generously grants, we should always remember to stay alert to the surroundings. Evacuate soon the moment signs of rising water surface. It is my strong belief that, with the government and us both doing our shares, we can successfully keep disasters at bay.
40.
With the rising population in the world, humans have little by little exhausted the precious natural resources on earth, especially petroleum and minerals which are extremely indispensable to modern lives. These years, people have been plagued with water and power shortages, causing great inconvenience to their daily life. It is time for us to take effective measures to cope with the energy crisis. The most urgent and important one is that people should develop the good habit of turning off the faucet or the light when not using it. Never leave pipe water dripping all the time, or let the light on all the night.
Another good way is that we should take advantage of the public transportation of carpool instead of driving private cars. For instance, we may go to work or travel by MRT, buses, or trains. There is still another useful and practical energy-saving method - that is, going to school or office by bicycle or on foot. They both can not only do much good to health but also help reduce air pollution. To sum up, if we don't want our earth to be a ruin, then all global villagers should shoulder their shares of duty to conserve the energy and protect our fragile Mother Earth.
41.
After having bombarded by the taxing college entrance exam, I am to reward myself with a trip to a colorful country, Brazil, during the upcoming summer vacation. Located on the other side of the earth from Taiwan, Brazil is blessed with tons of natural resources which make it outshine the other countries. The tropical rainforests, abundant with fascinating and diverse creatures, for example, is what features Brazil, not to mention its multiple cultures mixed with European, African, and South American ones. These things aside, the famous soccer players coming from Brazil and their outstanding performances on the field also put the country on the map. And the world-famous Brazilian carnival is no less inviting. With so many appeals, Brazil is the very country where I dream to vent my pent-up tension accumulated during the past three years.
If given the chance to pay a visit to Brazil, there are some activities I would like to engage myself in. First and foremost, I would like to watch a thrilling and exciting soccer game, shouting and cheering with the fans and experiencing a surge of adrenaline overwhelming me. After calming myself down, I would like to feast my eyes on the gorgeous carnival and experience the lively activities in person. I will dance to the vigorous and gleeful samba music, swinging my arms, swaying my hips, and dancing to my heart's content. However, while some sights in Brazil are pleasant, filling my heart with happiness; some are miserably pathetic. To the latter, I will not shut my eyes, for they are also what render meanings to life. As far as I know, there are still a large number of population living in unfavorable conditions. Therefore, I would like to take part in an international charity to offer them assistance as long as I have the ability desired. Instead of simply being a tourist taking in the splendid landscape, I hope to be a helper offering them a hand during my trip. After this invaluable journey, I believe not only will I gain beautiful memories but I will also learn more about life.
42.
Imagine lying on a white sand beach with fruit-bearing coconut trees swaying in the wind. Relaxing, right? But, wait; keep imagining. As you stand up, what greets you is a swarm of people rushing past you, blocking your way here and there, and as you are on your way to the hotel, you cannot help but wrinkle your nose for the repellent smell of trash littered on the ground. Yes, the tourist attraction I would least recommend in Taiwan is Kenting. It used to be a tourist spot boasting its soft beaches and lush trees; yet, what comes with the most welcome tourists is the least welcome pollution, seriously ruining the once cherished natural environment.
Worse still, not only the environment but also the conscience of the vendors is spoiled. The local snacks are sold at a high price not equal to their quality. And the news that visitors felt being ripped off after being treated to meals not plentiful enough is also quite common. It is advisable that one eat at the convenience store where the safety of food items is ensured, and the price, affordable.
In conclusion, to our disappointment, Kenting is not a sightseeing spot worth visiting anymore. If you are planning to visit Taiwan, there are still lots of good places which will leave you an unforgettable memory, such as Hualien or Taitung where you can expose yourself to the unspoiled, splendid nature and purchase some souvenirs and eat local cuisines to your heart's content at a reasonable price.
Known as "the tropical paradise," the Maldives is unquestionably one of the most astonishing tropical islands on the planet. Famed for its white sandy beaches, crystal clear water, and agreeable weather conditions, the Maldives is full of natural wonders for tourists to feast their eyes on, me, a keen traveler ready to explore its beauty, included.
Many people fall in love with the Maldives at first sight because of its azure blue ocean water. In fact, so clear is the water that the schools of fish underwater are left exposed to the travelers' naked eyes, and some of which, to their stomachs, as a result. For travelers with guts, the ocean provides them with something other than plates of cuisines: a unique experience of swimming with the whale sharks! And if you're lucky enough to encounter a whale shark during the months from September to November, remember not to touch it even if it looks tamed. Travelers can also enjoy snorkeling when visiting the amazing little island, Maafushi. Tropical fish and colorful corals await snorkeling lovers to discover the natural beauty of the Indian Ocean.
All in all, with the awe-inspiring natural wonders and thrilling water activities, the Maldives is one of the best places to relax and recharge a tiring soul. Were I granted a holiday, I would, for sure, fly to the Maldives to enjoy the magical vistas created by nature and indulge myself in the excitement promised by the activities.
Famed for its beaches, caves, mountains, and jungles, Palawan is full of natural wonders and has a special culture of its own.
Many people know Palawan for its many gorgeous beaches. In fact, the pristine beaches near the town of El Nido were the inspiration for The Beach. A boat tour is a great way for tourists to take in the islands off Palawan's northern tip.
For travelers with guts, Palawan also offers a unique man-made diving experience. During World War II, several Japanese ships were sunk in Coron Bay. Novice divers can explore the outside of the ships to see beautiful coral formations growing on these former machines of war.
It's a place where rocks, sand, and water create magical vistas, and unbelievable experience happen every day. Whether you want to visit hidden beaches, mysterious caves, or urban Palawan, spend some time in this slice of heaven soon, before you have to come back down to earth.
43.
Being adept at various ball games though Jack was, it was swimming that he considered a nightmare. The mere thought of soaking in the penetrating cold pool frightened him. However, quite a lot of girls were still fascinated by him, which was the reason why Jack was always being teased by those who were green with envy.
One day while Jack was preparing for a significant examination, the mews of a cat diverted his concentration on his studies. "What a nuisance!" said Jack, steaming with rage and rushing to the backyard in no time. As he caught the cat, Cathy, an idea suddenly dawned on him. "What if I soak it into the pool? It may silence it." said Jack, and so he did. Cathy was in such panic that its face was twisted with pain when it sensed that it would end up being drowned. As luck would have it, Jack's mother happened to come home from work. On seeing this, she snatched Cathy out of Jack's hands, stopping his brutal behavior just in time. As expected, Jack was scolded; however, he simply turned a deaf ear to his mother's lecture.
That night, Jack was haunted by a nightmare, dreaming that his classmates poked fun at his inability to swim, one of whom even threw him into the pool. Worse still, the more he attempted to reach for the edge of the pool, the deeper he sank. Just as he was to be drowned, Cathy came to his rescue. At that moment, the realization hit him like a punch: what he did this afternoon was no less mean than what his classmates treated him. Thanks to the very nightmare, Jack was resolved to treat his lovely pet well.
44.
Global warming is an increase in the average temperature of Earth's surface. It has had a negative effect on us. Because of the higher temperature, the ice cap begins to melt, and thus sea level is rising. This may cause lower places to be inundated. Besides, extremely cold or hot days are common around the world, which contributes to the decrease in crop harvest. So the prices of basic needs skyrocket as a result of global warming. Then we may suffer from a high rate of inflation.
According to reports, carbon dioxide is mainly responsible for global warming. To avoid it getting worse, I can ride my bicycle than ask my father to drive me to school. As a beverage-lover, I can use my own containers, not paper cups, to hold my favorite iced drinks. This way, I will do a bit for the conservation of trees. I can also ask my mother to buy bulbs with the Energy Star label to replace those traditional ones. By making these changes in my life, I hope I can help the reduction of global warming, and we humans will have a better life in the future.
In recent years, with the increase of the cars and factories, the emission of carbon dioxide is getting high, which causes and aggravates the problem of global warming. The ever-soaring temperature caused by the global warming makes the sea level keeps rising, which is responsible for the disappearance of quite a few of the low-lying islands. Worse still, the extreme weather condition caused by the global warming puts many tropical countries at the mercy of the ever-increasing devastating typhoons, claiming thousands of people's precious lives. And while some areas are plagued by typhoons and floods, some suffer from severe drought, leaving numerous lakes and rivers dried up.
As for me, a member of the Earth, there are some steps to take to make some differences. First, I am to make good use of such mass transportation as buses and the MRT. In this way, we can at least cut down on the emission of carbon dioxide and other toxic gases as well, slowing down the aggravation of global warming. Moreover, I am obliged to make it a rule to turn off the power after I use the electronic appliances so as to conserve electricity. I am convinced that little though we can do, we can still turn the situation for the better and save our mother earth from all the possible harms the global warming may do to us.
45.
As a Taiwanese, I feel that littering is the most worrisome problem for us to correct. Walking on the sidewalk, you can conveniently notice all sorts of trash littered on the ground, ranging from plastic bags to flyers to cigarette butts. Recently, due to the coronavirus pandemic, you can also spot face masks scattered on the sidewalk. Difficult and inconvenient though it is to carry trash with you all day, you should not get rid of it by simply throwing it away on the ground. In short, littering is not a practice to be taken lightly; instead, it manifests habitual laziness and carelessness as well as the following two visible downsides. For one thing, when littering heaps up with time, it causes contamination, putting our lives at risk. For another, it is itself an eyesore to the city, defacing it to a great extent.
To solve the problem of littering, some actions should be taken. To begin with, there should be more trash cans put up to ensure that people can always find a trash can when a necessity arises. As for the existing ones, better managements are required to make sure that they are not overloaded and free from animal scavengers. Next, should anyone litter twice a month, they will be heavily fined up to fifty thousand dollars to pay for their irresponsible behavior. Of course, to facilitate the law enforcement, more surveillance cameras are to be installed. Last but not least, the concept of not littering trash at will should be instilled and promoted among people. After all, education is the key to everything. Only by following the methods mentioned above can we effectively solve the problem of littering and enjoy a cleaner and better environment.
46.
My homeland, Taiwan, has so much to offer, among which the kind people and beautiful scenery are the two I take pride in most. In fact, so well-known the kindness of the Taiwanese is that there's no foreign visitors returning home without saying something positive about such hospitality. In fact, upon seeing a foreigner looking lost, not knowing where to go at the intersection, any Taiwanese will go forward and reach out to offer a hand without hesitation. It is said that the Taiwanese are as warm as the sunshine. As for the beautiful landscape, Taiwan, located on the west side of the Pacific Ocean, boasts magnificent gorges, spectacular sights of the ocean, awe-inspiring mountains and blooming flowers, all of which never fail to intoxicate anyone coming face to face with it. Living in such a heaven-like paradise and surrounded by so many kind-hearted people, I may well pride myself upon being a Taiwanese.
To introduce the two shining jewels of Taiwan to the world, I have a few ideas up in my sleeves. To begin with, with the Internet prevailing nowadays, we can take advantage of such social media as YouTube or Facebook to make Taiwan known internationally. For example, we can invite some international Internet celebrities to Taiwan. After they savor the beauty of Taiwan in person, they will surely help promote to the world the hospitality characteristic of the Taiwanese and the gorgeous views Taiwan commands. In addition, not only the celebrities but everyone can be a diplomat to enhance the image of Taiwan. Make foreign friends at home, abroad, or online. Demonstrate the kindness while interacting with them and have the beauty of the landscape unfolded to them by taking them on tour or showing them pictures. Well goes the saying, "Many a little makes a mickle." The more Taiwan is known to the world, the better the world will be.
47.
Over the past few decades, single-sex high schools have been a mainstream in Taiwan, but with more people advocating gender equality, co-ed schools have been gaining popularity. However, many conservative people still hold it true that a student's priority is his academic performance, and to stay focused on their studies, a single-sex environment without any distraction is a must. Besides, they argue that since they are of the same gender, they encounter similar troubles during adolescence and ti's always more comfortable to confide in each other about these annoyances.
On the other hand, those who prefer co-ed education hold the belief that since a society is composed of both genders, it's against nature to separate girls from boys or vice versa when they are in high school. In fact, many find it difficult to communicate with or interact with the opposite sex, which all have to do with their being confined to single-sex high schools. Besides, no one likes to be restricted, not to mention the adolescents, who are most rebellious. The harder they are denied the excess to the opposite sex, the more curious they are about their counterparts. Without an environment such as schools where proper gender education can be taught and practiced, a teenager driven by curiosity is hard to discipline. After weighing the pros and cons of the two, I opt for the co-ed education. After all, we do not study and learn at school to live with people of the same gender in the society afterwards, do we?
48.
According to the chart indicating the number of people going online every year, we notice that the percentage of people surfing the Internet rises by approximately 38 percent during the past ten years. The sharp increase, if not a skyrocketing one, reveals that such high-tech products as computers are finding their way into most of the households. A closer look at the statistics shown, we find that back in 1996, there were fewer than one million people made it a habit to go online regularly. We may well assume that computers then were just regarded as novel gadgets. The prevalence of the Internet may have been something undreamed of. However, only ten years from then, practically 41 percent of the population regard the Internet as an essential part in their lives. What a drastic growth.
As far as I am concerned, while we rejoice at the pervasive use of the Internet, which, to a certain extent, symbolizes the advance of our society, we should not ignore some of the side effects it may bring. Take e-mail, one of the services the Internet provides, for example. With the prevalence of e-mail, we hardly receive any handwritten letter now. Instantly though we may get the mail, we, at the same time, are deprived of the anticipation of receiving letters. In the near future, there will be no more girls anxiously waiting at the door for the mailman to bring them letters from their sweethearts far away. What's more, since e-mails are easy to get, they are easy to delete. In fact, it's not uncommon for most of us to delete or dump dozens of e-mails daily. It can be predicted that soon no more will we see chests filled with letters carefully cherished and preserved. I believe none of us will feel comfortable about these. It seems that the bond between people, instead of being strengthened further with the progress of technology, becomes somewhat fragile in certain aspect. To sum up, in my opinion, the high percentage of people going online regularly illustrated by the chart should serve as a warning to all of us, reminding us not to enjoy the convenience of the Internet at the expense of the previous bond and interaction between people.
49.
"Mary's" is a new restaurant that is said to offer the most sought-after seafood dishes, so my friend, Jane, and I decided to have a taste. There, we were really surprised to see lots of people crows in front of and inside the restaurant, and we had to wait for vacant tables. "Wow, I bet the food here must be fantastic!" Jane exclaimed. About half an hour later, it was our turn. As we sat down and were ready to order, Jane gave a high-pitched scream that almost hurt my ears, and the next second, a rat, no two fat rats, ran under my foot! All the customers shrieked, some of them jumping on chairs. The kid at the next table cried with horror.
In no time at all, a waiter hurried out, trying to chase the rats out with a broom. Yet the rats ran about. Scared, customers to push and shove towards the exit, which made a lot more mess in the restaurant. Bowls and platters fell on the floor, tables and chairs tipped over. Finally, the rats were caught in a mouse trap. Even though the manager came out apologizing and offered free dinner, we lost appetite. We have never gone there since but yesterday Jane and I scootered by the restaurant again, and we were even more shocked to find the restaurant now sells rat cuisines!
50.
Last week, just after the final exam, my best friend, Judy, invited me to take a trip with her to Meinong, where she had been raised by her grandparents. We were in a cheerful mood as we rode the bikes along the country road, appreciating the calming view. On the way, Judy caught a glimpse of a colorful flowerbed ahead and suggested we stop to take some gorgeous pictures to post on Instagram. We had seen a sign saying, "You are welcome to enjoy the flowers and take pictures, but please do not tread on the flowerbed. Thank you." However, we decided to ignore this notice and set foot on the ground anyway because other visitors were already having fun among the flowers. All of a sudden, someone called Judy's name. Upon hearing the voice, Judy recognized that it belonged to her uncle, who always complained about the garden being damaged by tourists. It turned out that Judy's uncle was the owner of the garden. We both felt embarrassed about what we had done, for we were now two of those "tourists."
Imagining myself to be Judy's uncle, the owner of the flowerbed, I would definitely feel upset seeing people trampling my poor flowers underfoot. I chose to share with tourists the garden I had carefully tended, and I even put up a sign to remind them to follow one simple rule. However, to my disappointment they looked the other way instead. Without a doubt, such behavior is unacceptable and intolerable. As far as I am concerned, those who pay no attention to the sign are selfish and irresponsible. Therefore, I have no choice but to close my garden in order to protect it from being ruined. If we human beings could truly show respect for one another, I would be more than willing to reopen my garden to the public.
One summer day, my whole family went bike riding along a bank. All the way, we chatted and laughed, enjoying the delightful atmosphere. Hours later, as we stopped to eat some snacks to recharge ourselves, a faint fragrance of flowers came refreshing. Following the scent, I spotted a big expanse of flower bed. The flowers were all in full bloom, with red, pink, and white petals interwoven into a colorful carpet in nature. What a sight of beauty to behold! However, the closer we came to the flower bed, the deeper our hearts sank, for the flower bed was apparently infested with throngs of people eager to view the flowers. They were taking selfies here and there, trampling on those delicate flowers, an action that serves as a sharp contrast to the warning of the sign saying, "You are welcome to appreciate the flowers and take pictures. But do not tread on the flower bed, please. Thanks for your cooperation." Obviously, those tourists are too busy enjoying themselves to take heed of the notice.
Were I the owner of the garden, I would fine whoever ignores the warning sign. Everything has a price, and they are to pay for their immoral behavior. Of course, fining is the last resort to turn to. As a gardener, I would hope, in the first place, to enhance the morality among the public and teach the younger generation how to live with the nature in harmony. Well goes the saying that do not do to others what you would not have others do to you. I might consider putting up more emoji signs right after the flowers to remind visitors that flowers, too, are animate. A picture of a flower in tears is perhaps more persuasive than a line of warning. I am convinced that with heavy fine on the one hand to have visitors live in harmony with nature, acts of trampling on the flowers will be reduced, and we will all have beautiful flowers to feast our eyes on.
51.
As seen on the bar graph, there are multiple reasons for the lack of regular exercise among high school students. Of them, laziness tops the most, accounting for approximately 54 percent of students, followed by lack of time and feeling fatigued after being weighed down by piles of studies, which take up roughly 50 and 47 percent respectively. Some other reasons for saying no to habitual exercise are not having a companion to exercise with, and finding it irritating to get oneself drenched with sweat after workout, while a minority fail to cultivate the habit of exercise are, sadly, because of health concerns.
As a high school student myself, though reminded time and again the importance of regular exercise, I used to find the top three reasons listed reasonable. With studies pressuring and draining students of every bit of their time and energy, it comes naturally that they aren't motivated enough to leave their seats, put down their books, and go for a good game of basketball. In fact, without sufficient amounts of exercise, we, high school students, in turn, gradually become lazier and fatter, having our health at stake physically and mentally. Take myself for example. It was not until one day I looked in the mirror and was surprised to see an otherwise robust young man growing out of shape, and losing self-confidence that I told myself that no longer would the three common reasons justify my not exercising regularly. Now, I manage to squeeze some time out of my busy schedule every day for a ball game with friends or simply a walk in the neighborhood. Hopefully, on the way to a healthier and better life a young man I will be.
52.
My name is Mark, and I am a waiter of a Western restaurant. One day, as usual, busy with work though I was, I hummed to myself as I set the table, not knowing that I was to meet the most difficult customer ever. While I was losing myself in the melody, a high=pitched yelling came penetrating into my ears. A woman in her mid-forties gestured me forward, telling me that there was a strand of hair on her crab. You know, customers are always right. I soon got her a new dish. Much to my surprise, few minutes later, I was summoned again, only to listen to her complaining about another bug this time in her crab. Hardly could I control myself anymore, for I had made sure everything was fine before I served the dish. No strand of hair could be found in her cuisine, let alone a bug. Devoured by anger, I started to argue with her, while her daughter obviously got panic about such a fuss we made, sitting still, face pale, and eyes wide open.
We caused quite a stir then. In fact, customers around started videotaping us and in no time, my manager hurried out. Upon seeing the middle-aged woman, my manager soon realized what had happened. This woman has been notorious for her false accusation against many restaurants for various reasons. My manager told her the grave consequence she might have to suffer if the video went viral on the net, for she had already been identified by nearly all the restaurants for her improper deeds. Knowing that she couldn't make it this time, the woman left the restaurant reluctantly with her daughter. Did she pay for the meal? Of course. Later that day, I was complimented by my manager on my assertion with regard to the quality and safety of the food. Anyway, while it's true that customers are always right, a restaurant's reputation should be something more valuable to fight for.
While everyone was quietly enjoying their delicacies with music playing, a woman suddenly let out a piercing shriek, and it spoiled my first working day in this fancy restaurant. In no time, I rushed to the table, from which the scream came, and grinned politely to the mother sitting at the table. "Ok, Mark," giving a quick glimpse of my name tag, the woman said, "see, I need to talk to your manager about THIS." She then pointed her finger at her dish. Following her direction, I was horrified to spot a cockroach lying right there on her crab. Stunned and devoured by high anxiety, I didn't know how to respond at first. However, the little girl sitting across the woman obviously looked nervous. Her face went pale and her legs kept shivering. A novice waiter though I was, I knew something was wrong. An idea suddenly flashed through my mind, and I decided to give it a try.
I pulled a long face, stood, arms akimbo, and darted them a suspicious look, saying, "Let's help the cockroach to where it should go." And right after I finished the sentence, I picked the bug up with my own fingers. The mother and daughter shouted "No" in unison, but it was too late. Right in my hand lay the PLASTIC cockroach. As my breath became heavier out of rage, my chest started to rise and fall in indignation as well. "Uh...," the woman trailed off, overwhelmed by embarrassment. She ended up paying for her meal and said that she was terribly sorry for what she had done. Actually, if you ask me, in addition to the meal, as a mother, she should feel sorry for her daughter for not setting a good example for her to follow. That night, I dragged myself home, slumped into the sofa, and couldn't help but say to myself, "What a first day at work!"
53.
One evening, a woman was cooking in the compact kitchen. Her pet dog was sitting on the floor and waiting for a big dinner. Everything seemed usual. But all of a sudden, a giant male gorilla ran into the kitchen violently. The woman was so scared that she stood rooted to the spot. The plate slid from her hand and broke into pieces with a crash. Before long, instead of barking at the fierce creature, the dog enjoyed the delicious food to its heart's content.
Much to the woman's surprise, the gorilla took off his mask and turned out to be her husband. With a smile on his face, the man gave a bunch of roses to his wife. What happened was simply a surprise that he gave her. There is a popular saying which goes, "Variety is the spice of life." Such a surprise really added spice to the woman's routine life.
Sitting in the neat and spacious kitchen, I have gazed upon the enticing delicacies for a few minutes. My ears perk up as the chopped pork sizzles in the pan, and my mouth waters as the inviting smell of its drifts in the air. As my patience is running out, Mom finally swirls back with the dish ready in her hand and a big beam on her face. As usual, I run toward her, asking for a bite. However, the deafening crashes of the plate stop me. The plate just slides off Mom's hands, falling to the ground and broken into pieces. Despite the startle, I yield to mu hunger and is about to feast on whatever is now scattered on the floor. Meanwhile, from the corner of my eyes, I spot a huge animal with heavy footsteps coming toward my mom, who is now practically out of herself, screaming.
Before I bark at him as a loyal dog should do, the gorilla pulls off its mask. Much to our relief, it's Dad in disguise. In a round of laughter, Dad gives Mom a bunch of flowers in full bloom. Poor Mom, she must have a strong heart to survive such a twist - one moment before being scared to death and one moment later being on cloud nine. Anyway, thanks to Dad, Mom has a bunch of flowers to melt her heart and I have a plate of dish to fill my stomach.
I couldn't help but stare at the dishes and my mouth watered at the well-seasoned, richly-flavored food that was sure to delight my taste buds. So focused was I, indulging in my own world that I didn't notice a fierce gorilla rushed in the kitchen until Cindy, my owner, shouted at the top of her lungs.
Panicking, Mom accidentally let go of the plate with a big crash and the delicacy was then scattered on the ground, filling the room with the inviting scent. Seeing this, I raced to the mouth-watering food by instinct and left Mom standing there, eyes wide open and legs trembling.
54. My Favorite Retreat
Beautiful melody flows out and soft lights warm the quiet room. Everyone is immersed in a delightful atmosphere. All the books nestle on the bookshelves in unison, exhibiting themselves to people strolling toward them. This is my favorite retreat, a bookstore in my neighborhood.
As a senior school student leading a hectic life, most of the time, I am overwhelmed by anxiety and pressure. At moments as such, I will go to the bookstore on my way home. More often than not, I find my anxiety and pressure fade away little by little as I flip through comic books with funny plots. There are also times when I am haunted by negative feelings, be it envy or hatred. Then, I will reach for a book rich in wise sayings, finding myself a quiet corner in the bookstore, contemplating those inspiring words and finally recovering my inner peace. There are also times when I just want to have a relaxing Sunday afternoon. At times as such, I go to my favorite retreat again, taking my time reading books of all kinds, and enjoying the world they open to me.
In short, my favorite retreat, the bookstore in my neighborhood, is where I expose myself to profound knowledge of all sorts, where I ease my turbulent mind, and where I find strength and courage to set off again on the journey of life.
55.
Dear LOL,
I am afraid that it would be best for me to say goodbye to you. We've had a wonderful time together. I made lots of new friends because of you, and I was deeply attracted to the game characters and fancy items you have. It's a pity that you've made my life different, but not in a good way. I spent too much time with you. As a result, I ended up falling behind on my sleep because I kept dreaming about you and couldn't sleep well. I don't want to live a life like this any longer. Please know that this is really the best decision for both of us.
Sincerely yours, Mike
Dear Sally,
I am writing to reply to your letter. First of all, I owe you a heartfelt apology. So ignorant have I been that I am not in the least aware I have stolen your time which you should have spent on studying as well as interacting with your family and friends. As you have mentioned, we used to take great pleasure in spending time on checking the updates on social media, which, much to my regret, turned out to be a waste of time for you now. Yes, I shouldn't have encouraged you to idle away your time like this. Although you did tell me not to take all this personally, I just couldn't help blaming myself for your failing grades, poor interpersonal relationship, and lost youth.
After a thorough soul-searching, I have to say I am the one to blame for our relationship and that your decision cannot be too wise. You are a shining diamond, and I am the speck of dust on it. It's time you got rid of it, of course. Well, I guess it may take a few months or even years for me to move on, and you, I believe, will probably have another relationship soon after you have all your problems settled. As an ex, I sincerely hope your next boyfriend can be a shining diamond like you are, or, even better, so that, with the passage of time, he'll find you're a speck of dust on the diamond to get rid of just like me.
Best Wishes, John
56.
With the cozy atmosphere in the banquet hall and the music playing in the background, my wedding ceremony is about to take place in half an hour. Sitting in the room appreciating the beauty of my wife, who is dressed in the stunningly beautiful wedding gown, I start to recall the sweet memory between my wife and me. When I was 20 years old, I met my wife for the first time and I had a crush on her at first sight. I was attracted to her pretty look and inner beauty and she was impressed by my sincere attitude. Few weeks later, we became boyfriend and girlfriend and together we created an abundance of sweet memories such as walking arm in arm on campus, sharing our joys and sorrows. Of course, love is not a bed of roses but rather a journey full of ups and downs. We had the fierce quarrel one winter night. She was literally beside herself and even splashed a glass of water on me. Fortunately, we made up the next day. After going steady for 7 years, I felt it was time to settle down. I spent all my money buying a huge diamond and proposed to her on a romantic night. She was surprised, yet granted my request happily. "Honey, are you ready?" asks my wife with a sweet smile on her face. Am I ready? Of course, I am. Half an hour later, I am going to attend my own wedding, the most significant day in my life. With my heart full of ecstasy, contentment, and love, I am ready to face a brand-new life ahead of me.
57. Injury And Afterthought
To me, the most engrossing subject at school was PE class. Physical education was the only class in which I could keep off annoying textbooks and unnerving tests. It is also the only class in which I can gain access to my favorite sports - basketball. With only two classes a week, it is often the case that I held fast to the chance of running on the basketball court, sparing no energy on both offense and defense. But tragedy always happened when adrenaline immersed one's mind. In an ordinary basketball game, when I aggressively try to steal the ball from my opponent, he mistakenly slapped me on the face with his nails slashing across my forehead. Blood oozed profusely all of a sudden and I felt my head burn as if someone were searing me with a fire. I was sent to the hospital for stitches immediately. However, a conspicuous scar was on my head.
Even though after months of rest I felt much better, the miserable experience still shrouded me. Though my enthusiasm for playing basketball never fades, I became more cautious and mild on the court. I was ready to take time to evaluate the situation more since I learned that I shouldn't fall into injury just because of my careless act or aggressiveness. Perhaps the scars will always serve as a reminder that I should always take my own life as a top priority before I do anything.
58.
Plato once said, "Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it." In pursuit of a healthy body, football has become a regular weekly event for my family. To play this sport, there is no need for expensive gadgets. All that is required is a football and a couple of hearts eager to enjoy the game. Every Sunday afternoon, my sister and I head for a university nearby with my football. Usually, we just kick the ball around for fun, but sometimes, we play hard like ambitious football players, trying to score in the football net they have there. Of course, neither of us can do any fancy tricks, but the fact that we're actually playing the game makes us frolic for joy.
I started playing football because of my all time favorite athlete, Lionel Messi. The man in his blue and white stripes jersey is no doubt the most glamorous star in the field of football. But what inspires me the most is what's behind all the fame and scoring records. Messi is a victim suffering from pituitary dwarfism, a disease that affects the human growth hormone so that the patient cannot develop properly. A child of humble origin, Messi couldn't afford any medical treatment needed. It was not until the national team of Argentina paid for his medical expenses that he started to take injections to help himself grow. Incredibly, this is what we call a blessing in disguise. Being shorter than all the other players, Messi is much more agile. In fact, he moves so quickly that no one stands a chance against him when the ball is under his control. He embodies for us the determination and perseverance to strive for what he truly loves. I learned his story at the age of twelve, and was touched and motivated by his unyielding spirit. And ever since then, I have been in love with football. By running around with the football, I cast behind all the worries pestering me for the time being. Trying every means to have the football under my control, I find myself become much more alert and concentrated. Of course, I find myself healthier than before as well. However, there's more to the influence the sport has on me. Whenever feeling frustrated because of failing to control the football, instead of giving way to the repeated failure, I tell myself if a man suffering from such a cruel disease can play football, why can't I? The thought of never yielding to any difficulty confronted does help me a lot in other aspects of life. I grow to be an unwavering girl, regarding every setback and obstacle as not a stumbling rock but a stepping stone toward success. Physically and mentally, football literally changes my life for the better.
59.
Good grades, sufficient sleep, and close friends are the three pillars to sustain a high school student's life; however, if one is to be deprived of among the three, sufficient sleep would be the first on my life. Known by all, high school exists, to a great extent, to prepare on intellectually for university and the years to come. Thus, should we fall short on our CEES, we either end up failing to enter our dream college or are forced to take another year or two toiling for the same exam again. As proven, sacrificing good grades would make life at and beyond high school a tragedy. No less important are the friends. Just imagine how dull life would be without a crew of yours to exchange ideas in class, or a gang of yours to hang around after class. With no one to confide in, no one to play with, one's high school life is to be shrouded in a mundane grey of loneliness. Now that grades and friends are of such significance, sufficient sleep has to be the one sacrificed.
Luckily, not having sufficient sleep is common among us students, who have been bombarded with textbooks piled up high and tests never-ending. In fact, we high school students, under current educational system, have long been trained to cope with the problem of insufficient sleep. With early school hours and late night cram schools being a norm, most of us push through and make it with caffeine products such as tea, coffee, or chocolate. Should all those fail, we turn to vitamin B, a 10-minute nap or even a pep talk for help, which also work wonders in keeping us sober again. Well, you see, even if left with two pillars, good grades and close friends, the world of a high school student still goes around, but if either of the two were to go instead, he would be left with an unbalanced life in which caffeine or vitamin B alone can't be of any help.
60. I Have A Dream
Sad to admit that before all of us are aware of what happened, the birds' happy chirping has been replaced by the deafening noise of heavy traffic. Before all of us are conscious of what's going on, the clear blue sky has been severely contaminated by pollutants of all kinds. Before we take notice of what lies in front of us, the white-sanded beaches have been littered with garbage and solid waste. Thus, I have a dream that one day people will realize that we have only one earth, and rise up to protect her by taking public means of transportation as often as possible. Only until then car our ears free themselves from the roar of cars and get a chance to hear the long-absent chirping of birds. I have a dream that one day people will stop emitting harmful gases into the air or dumping poisonous waste into the river. Only until then can our children enjoy themselves by flying their kites against the big expanse of the blue sky and have fun playing in clear brooks, feeling the water softly running through their fingers and toes. I have a dream of protecting the mother earth with all my might.
To fulfill my dream, first I need to study as much as possible, especially those on environmental protection. Only when I am armed with knowledge as such can I know how to protect our fragile mother earth. Second, I have to try my utmost to instill the concept of environmental protection into people around me. A man alone can't achieve much; it takes the joint efforts to ensure we can live in harmony with nature. Last but not least, I will do my own part as an advocate for environmental protection, setting a good example for people to follow. For instance, I will reduce the use of vehicles with frequent bicycle riding or choose to purchase products made locally so as to avoid long-distance delivery, both of which will significantly help decrease my carbon footprint. In addition, I will cultivate such good habits as turning off electronic devices after using them and using air-conditioners less often. With the above-mentioned methods put into practice and achieved, I am firmly convinced that I can fulfill my dream: protect the mother earth with all my might.
61.
With fingers an inch away from the door, the young man took a deep breath and closed his eyes. At that moment, everything didn't seem to matter at all. With a blank mind, the man jerked the door open, and there lay a tiger four times the size of an adult man. Startled by the slam of the door, the tiger stood up and snarled at the shocked young man as it approached. In complete silence, the spectators knew that the young man chose the worst outcome, and gasped in awe as the tiger walked out of the door, ready to leap toward him, devouring him into pieces.
At the sight of her lover and the fierce tiger, the princess collapsed right from her seat. She could hear the beast growling; it was like the loudest thunder in most violent tempest. She could see the beast baring its fangs and digging its claws into the flesh of her beloved, both of which are as sharp as thousands of needles piercing her heart. Overwhelmed by the scene, she felt dizzy and could hardly sustain herself. And hardly could she understand why her love chose otherwise despite having acknowledged her hint. She wanted him to survive, even though that meant his living with another beautiful woman happily even after. He had gone through so much ordeal for loving her, now she had to repay him with her love.
As the tiger was only a leap away from the young man, the fated man looked at the princess for the last time. There she was, lying on the ground, shivering. He knew their romance was never blessed and now he was to be torn apart. He smiled in tears, however. At least, he knew how profoundly the princess loved him. She guided him to the door to the lady, but it was him that chose the door to the tiger. The handsome and honorable young man knew clearly that there was no difference between marrying another woman and losing his life, both of which would lead him to tearing his love apart just like what the tiger did to him, and that was the last thing he would do to her.
Love always guides us to the way we hold dear.
Pale with fear, the young man pushed the door slightly open with shivering hands. The crowd fell into silence. Yet, what greeted with them was neither a fierce tiger nor a beautiful lady but a dark room behind the door. At the sight of this, the handsome young man let out a sigh of relief. But just at this moment, a deafening roar coming out of the dark corner of the room caught him off guard. Behind the opened door dashed out a ferocious beast, eyes red with fury and growling in hunger. The spectators cried out in horror as the monstrous tiger charged toward the young man who froze, staring at his beloved princess in disbelief. Everything was over in an instant. The beast feasted on the once charming young man as the princess wailed in agony. Her heart was torn apart from witnessing the man's death.
"You lied to me!" the princess shrieked at her father, who sat on the throne looking indifferent. "You promised me that there wouldn't be anything behind the door." Everyone in the amphitheater turned toward the king, waiting for his response. The tyrant scanned the crowd and slowly responded, "This is the decision of God. I am merely a person who enforces his decision." Out of nowhere, a delicate glass smashed right toward the king's face, landing a few inches away from him with a clash. "If it were truly the God's decision, then I would have him decide my fate," bellowed the princess as she sprinted toward the second door, flinging it open. All the civilians went into an uproar upon seeing yet another tiger crouching behind the door. "You have no intention of letting him live in the first place, do you? This is no justice," the princess yelled in fury, her accusation echoed by the spectators' gasp.
From that day on, every citizen rioted against the king, for his words were no longer believed. Chaos broke out throughout the kingdom, and at the center of it was the enraged princess, rebelling against her father. Eventually, the king was executed and a statue of the young man was put up in the amphitheater as a monument to real justice. As for the princess, she ruled the kingdom with kindness and her love forever in her heart.
62.
My ideal park would differ remarkably from the two parks demonstrated above. As a teenager, mine would be one vastly open for people to dash around and exert their ever-abundant stamina to the full. Pillars, stairs, and walls positioned evenly would form an obstacle course with enough difficulty and thrill. While scaling up walls and hopping on pillars would be non e but physically challenging, the success of grasping the edges and landing perfectly is all the more exciting and exhilarating. Of course, some might be concerned about the danger associated with all the falling and bumping on hard edges, all of which are seemingly life-threatening. However, given appropriate climbing gear, one is able to put those threats at bay. Moreover, the authorities concerned can cover edges with soft cushion as well as put a height limit to prevent little kids from using equipment or facilities as such. In short, my ideal park would be similar to that of an adventure land scattered with obstacles to attract people craving for a place where they can bounce around, climb up and down, and jump high without the risk of running any potential hazards. Well, cuts and bruises may be inevitable, but they are reminders of fun for a trip to an ideal park of mine.
63.
It was a sunny Saturday. As usual, I went out jogging. As I reached the park, I saw Gigi, a spoiled girl who sat behind me at school. She was walking her poodle, Fifi, which was dyed bright pink. Never had I expected to meet them here, and what made me surprised more was the fact that Fifi started to poo at a lamp post. I guess she was a healthy, well fed poodle since her poo came out glossy with a nice shade of brown. But obviously she wasn't done yet. Right after she finished her masterpiece, she started to pee on her fresh pile of feces. Gigi's face was reddening with awkwardness. Embarrassed, she started tugging at Fifi's leash while she was still urinating. A few seconds later, Fifi finally finished and left Gigi with her tail wagging in satisfaction.
Seeing all these, I couldn't help laughing out loud and couldn't wait to tease Gigi the next day. But the next second, my hearty laughter turned into a horrifying scream. Too lost in my thought, I accidentally stepped into the pool of grossness. I tried pulling my foot out, only to have more waste smeared on my sneaker. I ended up hopping home with one foot, leaving a trail of poodle stool behind. I did learn something that day, however. First of all, never mock at someone too quickly, especially at someone who dyes her dog pink. Second, a poodle's waste on the sneaker is hard to get rid of and its smell lingers.
64.
That day couldn't have been more normal to Mary as she walked home from school. As usual, she walked past the park, and took in the gleeful scenery of citizens enjoying their time. However, when she came across an alley, she witnessed a tall boy defacing a wall with graffiti. Fueled by rage, Mary immediately rushed toward the boy, grabbed him by the collar, and demanded to know his name and what was going on. Forced to turn around, the boy looked grumpy at first but soon blushed at the sight of Mary. Embarrassed, he found his breath quickening and his speech impossible. It was not until few seconds later that he found his voice again and began to stutter, saying, "My...my name is George," and then ran off in a flash, leaving his spray paint cans behind.
The next day, Mary walked by the same alley. Much to her surprise, she saw a portrait of hers sprayed on the wall, and next to it were a love poem and a big, pink heart. Shocked by the giant graffiti, Mary asked the residents nearby and learned that the painter, George, was a student of a boys' school in the neighborhood, and he was often found skipping classes to daub the wall with graffiti. The day after that, more graffiti appeared on the wall, all of which were indicative of the boy's strong passion for Mary. Then, one day, Mary bumped into George while he was making graffiti again. This time, as a responsible and low-abiding citizen, she demanded that George clean his mess and never deface any wall with graffiti again.
From then on, never did Mary see any graffiti on the wall. There were no more portraits of her beaming, no lines conveying love, affection, and admiration, and neither were there pink hearts shining. Seeing the white, clean wall, strangely, Mary did not feel victorious or happy. She felt somehow lost and sad, though. It was at that moment that she came to realize that she might be angry about George's act of vandalizing but she, at the same time, had harmed a passionate boy's heart by depriving him of the chance to do what he liked most.
65.
Kenting is what I pride myself upon Taiwan. Every summer, thousands of tourists come swarming into Kenting. Green leaves can be heard rustling in the wind and seen sparkling in the sunshine. Bathing in the sun and playing in the azure blue ocean are also feasts that cannot be missed. Insignificant as you feel when you stand face to face with the breath-taking ocean view, you will definitely feel awed by its huge power and cannot help but plunge into the waves. When you feel exhausted after having fun at the beach, a dining table laden with seafood is strongly recommended. Kenting boasts fresh seafood at a reasonable price; thus, it's always worth giving it a try. As the sun sets, the night takes over. A walk along the beach will then push your journey to the climax with a big expanse of sky dotted with glittering stars to feast your eyes and gentle wind rushing through your hair to blow your worries away. Such a paradise Kenting is that I take pride in it most.
While the recent pandemic wreaks havoc on human beings worldwide, claiming millions of lives, Taiwan is relatively less harmed with most people carrying out their daily routines as usual. In fact, so well has Taiwan done that she's the first name that springs to foreigners' mind when it comes to pandemic prevention. To begin with, people in Taiwan have a keen awareness toward the gravity of the pandemic, which in turn, prompts us to wear the masks and keep social distances in public places as required. And if unfortunately, anyone gets infected, instead of being shunned from as a time bomb, he will receive proper treatment, physically and mentally. On top of that, our sound quarantine requirement and strict enforcement will make sure that no one around the victim is at any risk of being infected. As a Taiwanese, the above mentioned is what I pride myself upon Taiwan most: the sound medical system, medical resources always available, dedicated medical staff and citizens ready to cooperate.
Despite the good job Taiwan has done so far in the field of public health, she is still not recognized as a member of WHO. Yet, I am convinced that there are still some more we can work on to promote ourselves, not merely for the global recognition but for the responsibility as a global member. For example, with so many medical resources available and so many medical experts to consult, Taiwan is more than happy to share what she has with the world, especially in times of darkness as such. We can do so through holding global meetings, giving donation, or even having local visits to the countries where desperate needs are to be met. In this way, the promoted Taiwan, a global citizen doing her share, will be the next one I take pride in.
66.
Buying electric scooters has become a growing trend recently because greenhouse gases and the exhaust discharged by modern fossil fuel-driven vehicles are one of the major contributors to climate change. Hence, the government started offering subsidies a few years ago. Judging from the bar graph, there were few people applying for the subsidies before 104, and it wasn't until then that the number of people buying electric scooters began thriving at a stunning rate. From 104 to 108, the number soared from 18,942 to 173,033, with each year's number becoming twice the number of the previous year. However, the figure plunged when the government decided to reduce the subsidy a lot in 109, and it continued to decline in 110. Till June 14th, the number is only 23,753, much lower than that in 108, when it was at its peak.
As the conversion from normal vehicles to electric ones is inevitable, I'll catch up with the trend and purchase an electric scooter. First and foremost, being aware of the threat that greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, pose to the environment, I think it's high time we began to do our share with an eye to reducing the emission of these harmful gases. Next, although the government altered the grant for buying electric scooters a few years ago, it's still our responsibility to protect the Earth from heating up, and we should leave a healthy planet instead of a living hell to our future generations. In addition to environmental factors, electric scooters' convenience, light weight, and fewer noises, to name a few, are also their major advantages over their counterparts driven by fossil fuels. These unique properties they possess will definitely improve our living conditions a lot. Imagine living in an exhaust-free city where all of the vehicles make no noise. It's quite satisfying, isn't it? In conclusion, given so many strengths electric scooters have, buying one now is undoubtedly a sensible decision; therefore, I'll get one know.
67. Asia's Favorite Drink
Bubble milk tea is Taiwan's national drink. It has even been suggested that an image of bubble milk tea feature in Taiwan's passports! But Taiwan isn't the only place to be in love with milk tea. Hong Kong, Thailand, and India, to name a few, all have their own take on the beverage. And though tea itself comes from Asia, the addition of milk was in fact a British invention.
In the past, the British would drink their tea from expensive porcelain teacups. The heat from the tea would sometimes cause the cups to crack, so people began adding milk to lower the temperature. Nowadays, most Brits drink their tea in mugs, not expensive teacups, but the custom lives on. These mugs of hot, strong black tea, usually with a dash of milk and perhaps a teaspoonful of sugar, are often accompanied by a delicious chocolate biscuit!
The British introduced milk tea to Hong Kong, which from 1841 to 1997 was under British rule. Popular in diners across the territory, Hong Kong-style milk tea is filtered through long sackcloth sieves to remove the bitterness and strengthen the flavor. But it's the addition of sweet condensed milk that really gives the tea its distinctive, rich taste.
Another former British colony that has its own signature milk tea is India. In the early twentieth century, the British began to promote tea drinking among India factory workers. Vendors began adding spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger to black tea, along with lots of milk and sugar to save on the cost of tea leaves. Now, this spiced tea, called masala chai, is a popular breakfast drink that's sold all over India by vendors known as chai wallahs, each of whom uses their own unique blend of spices.
A similarly spiced tea is Thailand's cha yen. Sweetened with condensed milk and sugar, and bright orange in color, cha yen is served everywhere from street markets to shopping malls and is normally drunk ice-cold. Though the origin of Thai milk tea is uncertain, many Thai people attribute the invention to one of their leaders, Field Marshal Pibulsongkram, who was curious about Western culture and may have introduced the idea of adding milk to tea.
But the list doesn't end there - Myanmar, Malaysia, and Singapore all have their own versions of milk tea, too! How do they compare to Taiwan't bubble tea? Try them and see for yourself? And stock up some if they are too popular.
68. Time Management Techniques That Will Make Your Life Better
Do you ever feel like being stranded by piles of tasks and don't have enough time to get everything done? Your problem might not be a lack of time but rather a lack of proper time management.
Time management is an important skill that can improve every area of your life. It can help you get more done and achieve your goals. It can also reduce stress and give you more time for relaxation and hobbies. There are many techniques for time management, and here are some of the simpler and more useful ones.
To-Do Lists & the GTD Method One of the easiest ways to manage your time is to make a to-do list. If you write down your tasks, you don't have to stress about remembering them. Instead, you can focus on getting each task done. The Getting Things Done (GTD) method adds a five-step process to the classic list. First, write down all your tasks. Second, make your list smaller by immediately doing any tasks that take under two minutes. Third, organize your list into groups of related tasks. Fourth, change the order of your tasks as needed. Finally, get them done!
The Pomodoro Technique This popular time management method got its name from the tomato-shaped timer that the technique's inventor used, for pomodoro is Italian for "tomato." The technique is simple: set a timer for 25 minutes, work on a task for that entire time, and then take a five-minute break. After every four 25-minute interval, give yourself a longer break. This system will help you focus, and it might even improve your attention span in the long run.
Timeboxing Another easy way to manage time is timeboxing. This method is especially useful for meetings or group work because it helps keep everyone on the same page. The idea is to decide on how much time to use for activities beforehand. For a meeting, you would set a timer for each item on the agenda and stop discussing it when the timer goes off. This encourages people to stay on topic and be more productive.
These are a few techniques that can be used to help manage your time. Try them out and see which one works for you. You might be surprised to see how big of a difference time management can make.
69. The Evolution of Music Listening
Most people listen to music digitally these days by either downloading or streaming tunes via a smartphone or computer. But accessing recorded music wasn't always this easy. Here's a look at how music listening has evolved through the ages.
In the beginning there was the phonograph, the first device for recording and playing back music. Invented by Thomas Edison in 1877, it inscribed sounds onto a metal sheet wrapped around a cylinder. The sound quality left much to be desired, and each recording could be played back only once. Still, the phonograph was a revolutionary invention for its time.
Around a decade later, German American inventor Emile Berliner came up with an invention that significantly improved upon the phonograph. Berliner patented his device as gramophone, which read audio information from a glass disk, or record.
Eventually, the gramophone paved the way for the record player, and vinyl soon replaced glass as the material for records. The first record player released for sale in 1895, comprised a turntable and speaker. A few years later, lone turntables hit the market, becoming popular with those who wanted higher-quality sounds that only external speakers could provide.
Records dominated the music-listening scene until Philips released the cassette tape in the mid-1960s. However, this inexpensive, portable device created new opportunities for piracy - since it allowed people to record songs from the radio, TV, or any other sound source. And the problem didn't disappear with the creation of compact disks (CDs), which surpassed cassettes in convenience by allowing listeners to skip directly to a particular song.
CDs ceased being the primary music format when MP3 players arrived in the late 1990s. Then, in 2001, the iPod came along and revolutionized music listening altogether. This device could store hundreds of songs instead of just an album's worth. In due time, with the launch of the iPhone in 2007, music streaming began to catch on. As the demand for streaming gradually increased, applications like Spotify and Apple Music were launched.
Even though today's technology places countless songs at our fingertips, vinyl records have, in the end, made a comeback, as many music lovers are choosing to browse record stores instead of online playlists. It seems that the evolution of music formats has come full circle - just like the records themselves.
70. The Evolution of Email
Email may seem like a modern invention, but it has actually been around for over half a century. First generation email, created in 1965 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was part of an internal communications system that allowed users to connect to the same main computer to exchange messages. Computers terminals back then weren't equipped with memory or storage, so people had to rely on min computers to access those seemingly infinite electronic messages.
Some years later, the birth of networks and email servers extended the use of email to a wider population. With more electronic messages being sent, however, a way to make sure messages arrived at the right destination was needed. This problem was solved with the symbol @, while Ray Tomlinson chose in 1971 to connect users with individual email addresses.
At first stage, another problem existed, which was cost. Dialing up an email server could be as expensive as making a long-distance phone call. Thankfully, the arrival of personal computers in the 1970s, helped reduce costs by letting users read and write messages offline. In other words, users were able to go online only briefly to send and download messages.
The 1980s and '90s saw major developments in the world of electronic mail. The World Wide Web, Microsoft Outlook, as well as the free email services Yahoo and Hotmail were all ushered in during this period. Then, in 2007, Google came out with Gmail, with its exceptionally user-friendly web interface. That same year, Apple released its first iPhone, which introduced mobile email to the world.
However, these exciting developments also gave birth to a host of problems. Spam began to eat up people's time, while phishing compromised their data security. The newest wave of email innovations has tried to address such issues. The email platform Hey, for example, gives users more control over their email by eliminating the traditional Inbox and Send box and offering "buckets" instead for organizing messages. One such bucket, "The Screener" bucket, lets users block new unsolicited messages. And Hey won't alert users each time new email comes in. If the user wants a notification, they can turn it on for individual senders.
As the history of email shows, finding solutions to problems is a driving force of innovation. Indeed, it's what has transformed email from a simple internal communication system into a global communication channel.
71. World Population Set to Fall in 50 Years
For decades, people were terrified by the world's population explosion. Science fiction movies pictured an overpopulated planet with cities overrun by crowds and people dying of starvation. A new study, however, shows a very different future, one with shrinking populations that will pose challenges of their own.
Researchers at the University of Washington studied the global fertility rate - the average number of children women give birth to - and what they found was shocking: The global fertility rate in 2017 was 2.4 children, just half of what it was in 1950. What's more, when the rate drops below 2.1, populations shrink. The study projects it will fall to below 1.7 by 2100, which could bring about declining populations worldwide.
Around 23 countries, including Japan and South Korea, will see their populations halved by 2100. At the same time, countries will be aging faster. There may be as many people turning 80 as there are children being born. By and by, the population of the elderly, sick and solitary will outnumber that of the young, healthy, and strong. All this will create great economic and social change. Countries will have to rethink their immigration policies, and economies will have to adjust. A much smaller number of young people will have to support a growing elderly population.
72. Species under Threat
The world is full of amazing animal and plant species; however, due to a variety of factors, many of which are caused by humans, some species are dying out at an unprecedented rate. Roughly a million species are currently at risk of going extinct. Among them are these three wonderful living things.
The Andean Condor The largest flying bird in the world, the Andean condor is found in the Andes mountain range of western South America. With a wingspan of about 3.3 meters, it can fly for up to 160 kilometers without even flapping its wings, gliding on the strong warm air current for hours at a time. These birds also play an important part in the folklore of the Andes and feature in Andean art dating back to 2,500 BC. Recently, however, their numbers have been dropping dramatically. Andean condors primarily feed on rotting animal bodies - especially those of foxes and pumas, which are considered pests by the local farmers. To get rid of these pests, farmers use poison. The condors, in turn, eat the poisoned meat and often die too. Accordingly, there are only about 6,700 of these beautiful birds left in the world.
The Horseshoe Crab Often called "living fossils" because they have existed almost unchanged for at least 445 million years, horseshoe crabs are highly valued in modern medicine. Their light-blue blood holds the key to detecting toxic elements in the drugs we use to heal ourselves. Every year, half a million horseshoe crabs are captured by drug companies, drained of their blood, and then returned to the ocean. Sadly, many of them die as a result of the bleeding procedure, and this has caused a huge drop in their numbers in the past few decades.
The Matsutake Mushroom Prized in Asian cuisine for its fragrant, spicy flavor, the matsutake mushroom is commonly found growing under trees in thick pine forests. However, the destruction of the world's pine forests has made the delicious mushroom more and more difficult to find. In fact, they have become so scarce that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently declared them a "vulnerable" species, and this leaves both fine diners and conservationists in a state of panic.
How many more wonderful species must join the endangered list before we learn to treat the natural world with the respect and admiration it deserves?
73. The Life of a Plastic Bag
I am a plastic bad. When I was very young, I was sent from the factory where I was born to a convenience store. I stayed there for a long time, waiting eagerly to be used. Finally, some kids came along, bought some snacks, and took me to the beach, where they had a picnic. When it was getting dark, they packed everything up and left, but they forgot one thing - me! The wind started to howl, and suddenly I was in the sea all on my own.
I floated helplessly in the water for a while, but soon realized I wasn't alone. I was surrounded by plastic cups, plates, and straws. After days of drifting, I started to envy the birds up above, who were flying so high and free. I could only follow the currents. Suddenly, I went down a tunnel into a chamber. "What happened?" I asked a fork next to me. "I think we were just swallowed by a huge fish!" he replied. More and more of us were swallowed until it got quite crowded inside. We obviously weren't that nutritious because the fish died after a few days.
The fish's body slowly decomposed, and then I was back in the ocean. One day, a big wave came and threw me up onto the shore. Then a few days later, some schoolchildren walked up to me, carrying bags and pairs of tongs. I felt a sudden pinch, and the next thing I knew, I was inside a big bag of trash. A teacher told the schoolchildren, "Plastic can harm people. A lot of the plastic products that we make end up in the ocean, where sea creatures consume them. You might think that's okay, but when we eat seafood, the poisonous substances from the plastic end up inside us."
According to a plastic bottle nearby, the humans are going to take us to a recycling plant. I really don't understand them. They produce us to make their lives better, but then they misuse us and make everyone's life worse! I'm tired of floating around, killing fish, and causing harm to the environment. I really hope that my future owner will use me properly in my next life.
74. Convenience Stores, Where Our Wallets Are Always Open
It has probably happened to you before. The glass doors of the convenience store slide open invitingly; you hear the familiar "Welcome!" and enter just to pick up one item. A few minutes later, you walk out carrying a whole bag full of drinks, snacks, and other goodies you never even thought of buying.
There's no need to be embarrassed if you've experienced this sudden urge to shop. Convenience stores use certain strategies to make you feel this way. One of these strategies is to follow the "eye level is buy level" rule. The more visible the products are, the easier it is for shoppers to notice and purchase them. Therefore, smart shop owners usually place their most profitable and popular items at the average shopper's eye level, where those items are most likely to be seen. Similarly, products that are aimed at children, such as toys, are placed on lower shelves so that younger shoppers are sure to see them.
Another eye-catching convenience store strategy is to promote impulse purchase of small, cheap items like candy bars. These are displayed near cash registers, where they're easily noticed and within quick reach. Special offers, like "buy one, get one free," make such little "extras" even more attractive. Since customers are lining up at cash registers to pay for their things anyway, these items can easily be grabbed and added to their shopping baskets on impulse.
A third strategy is to make customers spend more time in stores so that they spend more money, too. Studies have shown that the longer people stay inside, the more products they buy. Shops take advantage of this by setting up bear-style seating or dining areas, where people can read the paper, hold a meeting, or just hang out. Although these customers might start off with just a beverage, they often grow hungry over time. Eventually, they end up making extra purchases, buying things like microwave dinners and fruit packs.
To avoid falling into any of the traps above, try to be more aware of the clever strategies convenience stores use to get deeper into your pocket. If you can always remember the tricks that shop owners use, you won't have to worry about spending too much.
75. Fighting for or against Graffiti
When people draw on spray-paint pictures or words onto a wall, under bridges, or even on the sides of buses and trains, these pictures or words are called graffiti. It comes in all shapes and sizes, from simple words to detailed paintings. Some love it, while others hate it. The question is: Is graffiti a form of art or just a mess?
Positive Side Graffiti is obviously art. First, it takes a lot of time and hard work. It is not just scribbling. Graffiti artists are like other painters. They start by sketching and drawing an outline, and then they fill in colors and add details. The only difference is that they paint on walls rather than on paper. Second, like other art forms, graffiti is about expressing one's feelings and being creative. Banksy, for example, is a famous graffiti artist who paints to show his opinions. Many of his works contrast the horror of war with the innocence of children. In one of his pieces, a young boy places a flower into a soldier's gun. The gun represents violence, whereas the flower stands for peace.
Negative Side Graffiti makes a mess. It is nothing but visual pollution. Most graffiti is "tagging," which is more like just scribbling someone's name. These ugly paintings make cities look messy. In addition, most graffiti is done without permission. It takes a lot of money and effort to get rid of it. The city of Los Angeles, for example, spends millions of dollars every year cleaning up graffiti. Each month, workers wash away hundreds of thousands of square feet of it. Even worse, graffiti harms communities. Many people believe that graffiti is associated with criminal activity, and thus feel that it is unsafe to walk around or to live in those areas. If graffiti causes all these problems, can we really call it art?
Which side of the wall are you on when it comes to graffiti? Is it creative or destructive? Now, it's your turn to express yourself and share your thoughts about it!
76. The Heart of a Champion
The starting gun sounds in the stadium with a loud bang! The crowd watches the UK's Derek Redmond take off, and many think he has a good chance to win the race. Years of training and dedication have brought him to this moment.: a four-hundred-meter race at the Olympics in front of a crowd of 65,000. He is determined to win the gold medal with all his heart. Four years ago, he was forced to miss the Olympics due to an injury, but now this is his moment. This is his time to show the world what he can do. One hundred meters. He is eager for success. Now he has to speed up. He races in front of the others and the medal feels closer with every step. One hundred and fifty meters...
Suddenly, the muscles in his leg feel like they are on fire. The pain is unbearable. He grabs his powerless leg in feat. Immediately, he realizes what has happened: his right hamstring is completely torn. All eyes in the crowd are on him, watching him collapse on the ground in pain. Though starting off great, he has now lost both the race and his dream.
Soon, the medical staff members rush toward him. But before they can reach him, Derek stands up slowly and painfully. Somehow, he finds the courage to keep going. Somehow, he finds the strength to finish the race. He hops towards the finish line in tears. He doesn't even hear the officials trying to stop him. All the spectators in the stadium stand up and cheer, and show their support. There's only one thing on his mind: finishing the race despite the terrible pain. Nothing else matters.
As he keeps moving forward, Derek suddenly feels a familiar arm around him. His father, Jim, has run down from his seat in the stands and has made his way past security guards and officials. No one can stop him from helping his son. With tears in his eyes he says, "You don't have to do this, son! You're already a champion. You've got nothing to prove." "Dad, I have to finish this!" is all the Derek replies. "In that case, my boy, we're going to finish this together!"
Arm in arm, and in tears, the Redmonds struggle toward the finish line in one of the greatest moments in Olympic history. Pride, courage, and a father's love carry them through as 65,000 emotional spectators watch in admiration and respect. The people of the world have sen someone fall and rise again - regardless of the disappointment, despite the pain. They have seen the heart of a champion.
77.
The dawn is completely silent except for the sound of water splashing. As the scent of the morning dew rises from the grass, Swimmer Michael Phelps is in the middle of his daily training. His heart set on winning gold medals at the Olympics; Phelps has dedicated himself to regular intensive training for years.
At the gym, he works out so hard that his skin takes on a glossy shine and salty drops invade his eyes. Afterwards, to relieve the pain caused by the intense training, he has to soak himself in the swimming pool despite the bite of the cold. Moreover, to recover from the injuries caused by his training, he sometimes undergoes unpleased medical procedures, such as the almost unbearable cupping therapy, which made his back feel like it is on fire.
The physical pain and the taste of blood and sweat that goes with it is strong, yet the more painful part of Phelps's training is the mental stress. Phelps once gave up on swimming, standing beside the pool and watching the water slowly being covered with leaves. Even after getting back on track, he now faces constant pressure from his strict coach, who shouts harsh words at him from the poolside. These words seem to echo not only in the pool where he trains but also in his dreams at night and cause him to toss and turn in bed.
All the hard work and sacrifice during training is invisible to Phelps's supporters, but it is these people who carry him through the hard time in his life and enable him to stand smiling on the podium and receive gold medals again and again, with his spectators watching in admiration and respect.
On a breezy November afternoon, Kyle watched his classmates running on the track. His palms were sweating because it was the first time he could be a part of this. A high fever at the age of two had caused Kyle to limp ever since, and taking part in a relay race had long been his dream.
The cheering crowd brought Kyle back into the race. In the first lane, his classmate was approaching him like a bullet. Feeling excited and nervous as the baton was handed over to him, Kyle limped toward the finish line. Al his classmates were cheering along the way. Other runners soon passed him, but everyone was smiling, and so was he. Finally, as Kyle reached the finish line, he was awarded with a medal by his tearful mother. Almost everyone was crying with happy tears, feeling very proud of Kyle for what he had accomplished.
78. My Mouth's in Airplane Mode!
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We've now reached an altitude of thirty thousand feet and will be serving breakfast soon. But I must warn you that it might taste a little different from what you're used to. And...you probably won't enjoy it as much as you do on the ground. Please remember that this isn't our fault. Thanks, and enjoy your flight."
Needless to say, you'll never hear an announcement like this. However, research has shown that it's not the airlines' fault if in-flight food tastes a little "special." For a start, believe it or not, your tongue doesn't work the same up in the air. Because of the lower humidity and air pressure in the airplane, your tongue is actually not as sensitive to different tastes as usual. Similarly, your nose, which normally helps you distinguish between different tastes more accurately, becomes so blocked that it doesn't function well high in the sky.
You can't just blame your tongue and your nose when the food on your plate doesn't taste so great, because even your ears can affect how much you enjoy your meal. Cabin may be a considerably noisy place, and this often distracts passengers when they have a meal. Actually, experiments have indicated that the food in a quieter environment are sweater and saltier than the one in the noisy place. Your cuisine in the clouds, therefore, might taste quite bland because of the noise of the airplane engines.
Of course, airlines have realized how our organs are affected during a flight and have come up with different solutions to the problem. British Airways, for instance, has tried providing passengers with a nasal spray to clear their stuffy, dry noses before meals. However, most airlines have just added more flavoring to the dishes that are served during the flights to make them more delicious. They've also introduced some savory ingredients to their in-flight recipes, such as tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach, because of their rich flavor. In comparison with other foods, these remain yummy, regardless of the height of your tummy!
"We will soon be landing, ladies and gentlemen. Hope you've had a pleasant flight and enjoyed your in-flight meals. We look forward to serving you again soon. Safe travels!"
79. Malala: Stronger Than Violence
None of the fourteen female students took notice when their school truck stopped. On the crowded roads of Pakistan, such stops were common. Suddenly, two men wearing masks hopped onto the school bus. "Which one is Malala?" one of them asked. No one replied, but a few looked toward fifteen-year-old Malala Yousafzai. The man shot Malala in the head, and then hopped off and disappeared. Blood dripped from Malala's head, and her body fell to the floor.
Malala grew up in a beautiful city in northern Pakistan. Unfortunately, this region was under Taliban rule in 2008. The girls there were forbidden to go to school, and over one hundred girls' schools were blown up. Malala was one of the few girls to continue her education. Her father, a school principal, urged her to stay in school throughout her teenage years, even though many Pakistani women got married and stayed home. Malala held the strong belief that no one could deprive others of rights to education. Thus, she advocated that female students had the equal rights. In 2009, she started writing blogs for the BBC about life in a society controlled by Taliban. Although this annoyed Taliban leaders, she continued speaking out about girls' rights to education.
When her story became known, the Taliban threatened to kill her. On October 9, 2012, when Taliban carried out their threat, the whole world was shocked. Miraculously, the brave girl survived her surgery at a local hospital and finally recovered in Britain after further treatment. Her struggle attracted the whole world's attention. Many were inspired by her efforts, and over two million supporters worldwide signed a statement calling for equal education in Pakistan. All this attention persuaded the Pakistani government to adopt a new policy ensuring equal educational rights for boys and girls alike. Before long, the Malala Fund was established to help empower girls around the globe through education. Then, in 2014, Malala won the Nobel Peace Prize. At the age of seventeen, she was the youngest person ever to receive this great honor.
During a speech Malala once gave at the UN, she shared these wise and powerful words with the world: "Let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world!"
80. The Pros and Cons of Single-Sex High Schools
Gender-segregated schooling has been in place in Taiwan for decades, especially in senior high schools. While not all schools are separated by gender, many such schools still exist, and there are many people who support the idea. There are some potential benefits to this practice. It's believed that by separating girls and boys during their hormonal teenage years, they're less distracted and better able to focus on their studies. The practice might also prevent children from conforming to certain overt gender stereotypes, as they aren't put in situations where they compare they "should" behave as boys or girls.
However, in today's society, there are some disadvantages to gender-separated schools. For one thing, an environment in which you only encounter people of your own gender doesn't mirror the real world, where people of all genders interact constantly. This could lead to students having a hard time adjusting after they graduate. For another, not every child fits nearly into a gender category. Transgender and non-binary students might find it very stressful if they're in an environment that's wrong for them. Besides these factors, studies haven't found conclusive proof of gender segregation being beneficial in schools. I personally think it's best if we just do away with the practice and make schools co-ed.
81.
What I am especially proud of is Taiwan's hospitable environment for gender equality. People in Taiwan seem not to be limited by gender-based rules of restrictions. In recent decades, we have been getting closer to the goal of gender equality, with regard both to the status of women and to same-sex marriage. In the contexts of employment and politics, we can easily find that the level of women's participation is now just about the same as that of men. That is to say, women now have the right as well as the ability to find a job and make a living by themselves. Besides, when it comes to Taiwan's politics, many people around the world know that we now have a female president, Tsai Ing-Wen, a fact which may most clearly demonstrate the degree of gender equality that we now have in Taiwan. As for same-sex marriage, Taiwan is the first country in Asia to have legalized it. The legalization of same-sex marriage means that our government recognizes these same-sex couples and supports their right to get married.
There are many things we can do to promote this feature to other countries. First, the government of Taiwan has already included Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in our 2030 agenda. Namely, we will be able to demonstrate to the world how we achieve the goal of gender equality. By complying with international norms and consensus, Taiwan will then draw attention worldwide, and it's a good opportunity for Taiwan to establish more partnership networks with other countries. Second, we have citizen journalists that are passionate about reporting in-depth stories. With a great number of people participating in issues concerning gender equality, the influence of the Internet and mass media will raise people's awareness not only in our society but also around the world. With these two methods, we will be the pioneers to break gender stereotypes and discrimination.
82. TED Talks: Spreading Ideas
Everyone has his or her own favorite way of spending free time. Some like to have fun playing video games or surfing social networking sites. Others choose to educate themselves by reading books and newspapers. Still others, however, seek fun as well as knowledge. For such people, the choice may be to watch a series of short online videos known as TED Talks.
The nonprofit foundation TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, has provided a platform for people to share their thoughts since it was established in 1984. Armed with the slogan "idea worth spreading", it held its first conference that same year, giving each speaker eighteen minutes to present his or her ideas. As TED conferences became increasingly popular, its organizers decided to invite thinkers from a broader range of fields to come and speak. These fields include philosophy, business, and medicine. In 2007, the website TED.com was launched, and many of the speakers' talks were uploaded for the public to watch for free. At present, the collection of TED Talk videos is growing, and it has helped spread new ideas around the world.
Over the years, numerous celebrities have given TED Talks and shared valuable insights with their audiences. One was chef Jamie Oliver, who presented his idea of starting a food revolution. Oliver wanted to improve people's health by teaching everyone how to choose and prepare healthy meals. Another was James Cameron, the director of the movie Aliens and Avatar. Cameron talked about his childhood fascination with science fiction. He also spoke of how his interest in space, aliens, and robots eventually led him to make blockbuster films. Still another was Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft. Gates didn't talk about computers. Instead, speaking after the Ebola outbreak in 2014, he discussed the importance and the methods of controlling the spread of disease. These are just a few examples of the celebrity speakers who have inspired millions through their TED Talks.
Listening to one of those TED Talks is like standing on the shoulders of a giant - you get to see farther and understand more. You won't realize just how much you can learn in eighteen minutes until you give it a try. In fact, there is a good chance that it will broaden your horizons and even inspire you to try to change the world.
83.
Everyone must have the experience of having his conscience haunted day and night by something terrible he did in the past, and I am no exception. Therefore, if I had a time machine, I would go back to the past to prevent such a miserable event from happening to ease my guilty conscience. About ten years ago, when I was a naive boy, I took delight in relishing my leisure time by hanging out and playing with my friends. One day, one of my friends proposed to have an exciting venture to the graveyard at midnight. Too young to know the potential dangers involved, we all agreed without the slightest hesitation. That night, with the moonlight shedding on the trees and the croaks of the frogs resounding around, we marched toward the graveyard as scheduled. The chill in the wind made the atmosphere more spooky. Just as we were to reach our destination, the girl walking behind me pulled me by the sleeve, begging me in a whispering voice not to go further but go home instead. A vicious idea suddenly flashed into my mind. I turned back abruptly, acting like a ghost, shrieking out loud and narrowing my eyes, staring at her. Overwhelmed with fright, she stood rooted, face pale and speechless. A second or so, she burst out crying, and ran away as fast as her legs could carry her. Few days later, I was told that while she was racing home that day, she stumbled over a big rock and got seriously hurt. Besides, she seemed to have gotten quite a shock, for she couldn't sleep well from then on, often haunted by nightmares.
If I had a time machine, how I could go back to that very moment. When she pulled me by the sleeve, asking me to go home with her, I would give her an understanding smile, a gentle pat on the shoulder, and a definite answer "yes." I would escort her home, making sure that she was safe. That way, I would not have the haunting nightmare in which she looked at me with eyes full of horror. That way, I could finally free myself from the regret of having harmed a girl so much. Oh, only if I had a time machine.
84.
Taking part in a student exchange program has really opened my eyes regarding the cultural differences between my country and Taiwan. One of the most memorable parts of my trip was when my host family invited me to a wedding banquet in Kaohsiung.
Upon arriving at the banquet, I soon realized that it was totally different from what I'd expected. Back in the US, banquets are usually held in large dining halls. This one, on the other hand, was taking place right out on the street. There was a huge tent put up to shelter the wedding guests from the fierce sun. Even though the tent occupied nearly half the street, none of the pedestrians or the people in passing vehicles looked like they cared. Under the tent, guests sat at large round tables, chatting cheerfully. At one end of this temporary tent, there were cooks and assistants working energetically to prepare platters of delicious-looking foods.
Being quite curious and eager to know how this fascinating custom of "open-air" banquet had first come about, I asked my host parents. The host father explained that this kind of banquet, known as "ban-doh" in Taiwanese, originated in the countryside. In the old days, when people gathered for a special event such as a wedding or an elder's birthday, everyone in the neighborhood would cooperate to arrange a ban-doh. The host would prepare all the ingredients for the meal, and the neighbors would help out. Some would do the cooking. Others would provide tables, chairs, and eating utensils. They would then all relax and enjoy the banquet together. The ban-doh back then was all about enjoying a sense of community and togetherness.
My host mother added that toward the end of the banquet, the host would provide containers for the quests to pack up the leftovers and take them home. Since it was usually late and dark when the guests started leaving, the host would also often hand out torches to help light their way home. Seeing lines of people strolling home with torches and bags of food in their hands is something that older folk in Taiwan still remember. Although some aspects of the ban-doh have changed in modern times, the spirit of gathering to have fun has always remained.
I am truly lucky to have gotten a chance to experience this fascinating event. It is the first story that I will share with my friends and family when they ask me about my student exchange experience in Taiwan.
85. The Lady or The Tiger (後續)
They lady behind the door was hated by the princess. As Stockton wrote: "And not only did she know in which room stood the lady ready to emerge, all blushing and radiant, should her door be opened, but she knew who the lady was. It was one of the fairest and loveliest of the damsels of the court who had been selected as the reward of the accused youth, should he be proved innocent of the crime of aspiring to one so far above him; and the princess hated her." On top of that, the princess has also witnessed the lady flirt with the courtier; "Often had she seen, or imagined that she had seen, this fair creature throwing glances of admiration upon the person of her lover, and sometimes she thought these glances were perceived, and even returned." This causes her to be extremely jealous and hateful of the lady. Day and night, she dreams of her lover with the lady. "But how much oftener had she seen him at the other door! How in her grievous reveries had she gnashed her teeth, and torn her hair, when she saw his start of rapturous delight as he opened the door of the lady! How her soul had burned in agony when she had seen him rush to meet that woman, with her flushing cheek and sparkling eye of triumph; when she had seen him lead her forth, his whole frame kindled with the joy of recovered life; when she had heard the glad shouts from the married couple, and make them man and wife before her very eyes; and when she had seen them walk away together upon their path of flowers, followed by the tremendous shouts of the hilarious multitude, in which her one despairing shriek was lost and drowned!" wrote the author.
However, analyzing these feelings show differently. The narrator used the words "rapturous delight", "rush to meet that woman", "the joy of recovered life" and "glad shouts" in describing the princess's feelings. The words used to describe all mean happy; essentially the princess is having fears that her lover would be happy with the lady. Therefore, if the princess does not feel that the courtier is trustworthy to remain faithful to her when he gets married, then she will send him to the tiger. We find out that in the scene when the princess indicates which door to choose, the princess realizes that the man is trustworthy: "... and the moment he looked upon her, he saw she had succeeded, as in his soul he knew she would succeed" and "It was as plain to her as if he shouted from where he stood. There was not an instant to be lost." They discover the bond between each other, so this means that the door indicated by the princess would be the one with the lady. On a more subtle note, the princess chose the right side. The "right" may also mean the correct choice.
In conclusion, it is logical that behind the door chosen by the man would be the lady. It must be known that the princess and the courtier loved each other very much - will the princess truly send him to a horrible death? Would the princess be able to live with the guilt of sending him to death? Choosing tiger would also indicate that their actions are wrong. The princess does not want this reputation with her. Finally, the princess's discovery of the secrets regarding the contents behind the doors was motivated by the want to save the man's life. Therefore, her decision was already made. She already knew that she was going to spare the man. Her nightmares and feelings that result from her worst feat - often when a person makes an important decision, he or she would think excessively about it. Choosing the lady would be the lesser of two evils, so that must be what the princess chose.
86.
Can you imagine taking a bite of steak that was grown from a petri dish instead of on a farm? It may sound like a scene in a sci-fi movie, but it's already a reality. Many start-ups have begun to develop a special new production process in which meat is created by taking animal stem cells, changing them into primitive fibers and combining the fibers to form muscle tissue. This eventual product is known as "lab-grown meat" and it's a thought-provoking recent trend that is backed by both Bill Gates and agricultural giant Cargill.
It wins extensive supports to produce meats in this way because compared with a more traditionally way, it possess several substantial advantages. Firstly, one could argue that traditional or old-fashioned meat production facilities, such as farms or factories, barely have animals' best interests at heart. Growing meat in a laboratory instead would help eliminate the need for slaughterhouses and the unethical treatment of these animals. In other words, you could rest assured that the so-called lab-grown beef patty on your plate didn't come from a cow that had to ensured physical or mental torment. Better still, it could help make meat production more sustainable. The raising of livestock needed to fulfill the current global demand for meat actually takes a heavy toll on the environment. According to FAO, it accounts for around 15% of the greenhouse gas emissions. Experts estimate that, by switching to lab-grown meat, emissions could be lowered by up to 96 percent. In addition, many claim it won't just be the environment that benefits. Scientists can actually make lab-grown meat healthier and more nutritious for humans by adding vitamins and minerals that are not always found in natural meat.
Although this forward-thinking food might have obvious advantages, there are still some concerns surrounding the meat of tomorrow. For a start, certain studies show that the impact of lab-grown meat could actually have far-reaching negative effects over the long term. While advocates for lab-grown meat say it can help fight climate change, some research suggests that maintaining the infrastructure of lab-grown cell cultures also requires significant quantities of energy and gas emissions. Another issue to consider is whether this type of artificial meat is actually healthy and safe for humans to consume. Although great in theory, lab-grown meat is "unnatural," or "similar to genetically-modified food (GM)." Since the latter sometimes induces allergic reactions or even leads to more serious health problems like cancer, some people are warning against man-made meat for fear that it might have similar side effects. One last area of concern is the actual taste of lab-grown meat. Without the naturally occurring connective fat, tissue and bones that are present in real meat, the lab-grown meat is somewhat lacking in flavor and texture, and due to this reason, it may be unappealing to most consumers. Presently, more extensive research is thus needed to determine how the flavor and composition of the new meat might be altered to better suit consumers' tastes.
Whether we like it or not, lab-grown meat is a rising trend that influences consistently on a global scale. It might, however, come at a price. To make sure that the future foods are both sustainable and healthy, it's vital for us to conduct more-inclusive research before jumping into any conclusion. For now, all we can do is keep a close eye on this rapidly growing trend as it takes us further and deeper into the unknown.
87. Over 150 Die in Halloween Crowd Crush in South Korea
On October 29, 2022, thousands of young people gathered for Halloween festivities in Itaewon, a popular district in Seoul. There were reportedly over 100,000 people flooding the streets of Itaewon at 10:00 p.m. that evening.
At around 10:20 p.m., many people began pouring into a narrow, sloped alley next to the main road. Suddenly, a night of fun turned to horror as hundreds of people were packed between surging crowds and brick walls. In panic, a large number of people fell down the sloped road crushing the people beneath them. Volunteers and police tried their hardest to free people trapped in the alley. However, with so many panicked victims and so little time, many suffocated in the crush of bodies.
More than 150 people died in the incident, most of whom were young women in their 20s. Just as many people suffered serious injuries in the accident. Authorities in South Korea noted that more should have been done to control the swelling crowd before the incident occurred.
88. Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom's Seven-Decade Queen
Early on the morning of February 6, 1952, King George VI of the United Kingdom peacefully died while sleeping. The heir to the throne, George's daughter Elizabeth, was thousands of miles away in Kenya. Therefore, the news that she had become queen did not reach her for several hours. Thus, it is clear that Queen Elizabeth II's reign did not get off to the most conventional of starts. However, what was to follow over the next seven decades was arguably the most high-profile reign of any monarch in world history.
On the date of Elizabeth's death - September 8, 2022 - she was the second-longest-reigning monarch of any country of all time, with her rule having spanned more than 70 years. It is true that she was not universally loved. In the United Kingdom alone, there remains a clear dividing line between those who support the monarchy and those who oppose it. What nobody can deny is that her reign was characterized by great personal sacrifice and her popularity was strong until she passed away. Queen Elizabeth II was 96 years old when she died, and her legacy is secure.
89. Taiwan Cracks Down on Plastic Use to Eliminate Unnecessary Waste
In 2022, Taiwan introduced several new regulations to reduce the country's use of plastic. On July 1, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) implemented a policy that businesses must offer a discount of at least NT$5 to customers who bring their own cups. Taipei City took a further step a month later. On August 6, the city announced that beverage shops would be banned from using disposable plastic cups starting from December 1. The ban includes cups made from polylactic acid bioplastic.
The aim of these new measures was to vastly cut down on the amount of plastic waste. The Taiwanese government also plans to outlaw the provision of plastic bags in the near future. Taiwan uses approximately 20 billion plastic bags a year. The government's aim is to reduce this figure to zero by 2030. Although this is an ambitious goal, it is surely one that other countries could take inspiration from.
90.
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