Many of us mistakenly believe that it’s wrong to think we have many good qualities. We may spend a lot of time blaming ourselves for our negative qualities, thinking that self-criticism is the key to improving our performance. However, a constant focus on our supposed shortcomings can stop our efforts to make friends with other people. How can we believe that others could like us if we believe our inner being is flawed(有缺点的)?

If someone seems to dislike you, the reason for that dislike might have little or nothing to do with you. The person who doesn’t like you might be fearful, shallow, busy or shy. Perhaps you and that person are simply a mismatch for each other at this particular time.

Don’t take yourself out of the game by deciding that your flaws are bigger than your good qualities. In fact, some of the very qualities you consider to be flaws may be irresistible to someone else. For all the factors that might cause one person to reject you, there are at least as many factors that will work in your favor with someone else.

You might be thirty pounds over your ideal weight, but you may have a wonderful laugh and a real enthusiasm for life. There are many people who don’t mind your extra pounds. You may drive a shabby car, but you might be a great dancer and a loyal friend. There are people looking for loyalty, fun, sweetness, or wisdom, and the package it comes in is not important. If you are worried that you are not beautiful enough to attract friends, keep in mind that not everyone is looking for physical beauty in their friends. You can decide to feel inferior because you don’t have much money or you don’t drive a nice car. You can believe that this is the reason that you don’t have many friends in your life. On the other hand, if you are very wealthy you may be suspicious that everyone is after your money and that nobody really likes you as a person.

The point is that you can focus on anything and believe it’s the reason you do not have friends and cannot make any.

There’s a trend that more city people decide that they want to grow crops and raise some live-stock (家禽). After all, there are few things more satisfying than biting into a bunch of tender, red carrots you grow yourself, or a fresh egg from the backyard.

Most gardeners understand that the soil in big cities is often polluted with lead and know to get their soil tested. But most are pretty clueless about how to prevent other types of pollutants, like heavy metals and asbestos(石棉)from getting into their vegetables.

Part of the problem is that “there might be pollutants that gardeners can’t test for,” says Brent Kim, a program officer. Most soil tests look for lead, cadrniunt(镉)and arsenic(砷). But they don’t test things like chemicals left behind by cars, which might have escaped into the soil.

So if you’re thinking of staring an urban garden, Kim says, once you’ve found a plot of land, you should learn what’s now an empty plot or a backyard might once have been a parking lot, a gas station or a chemical ground. “Knowing its past will give you some idea about what might be in that soil,” he says.

“People tend to think raised beds are going to solve their pollution problem,” Kim says. But polluted soil could easily kicked onto your plants, especially if the beds are low to the ground.

“Another consideration is that you have to be careful about the materials that you’re using to build a raised bed,” Kim says. Recycling wood from an old construction site might seem like a good, eco-friendly idea. But that wood could be treated with chemicals you don’t want touching your fruits and veggies, Kim says. And it’s always a good idea to use gloves while gardening, and wash all your produce thoroughly.

“I see these urban growing spaces as these oases(绿洲)in the middle of these urban environments,” Kim says. “They bring communities together, and they help people save money on fresh produce. Urban growing spaces are amazing. Let’s keep doing this, but let’s do it safely.”

It’s not what you look at that matters;it's what you see.

——Henry David Thoreau

1 学校上学、放学时间及开设的课程． 

2 学生的校内外活动． 

3 学校的环境及师生关系． 

注意：①词数100左右  ②可根据内容要点适当增加细节，以使行文连贯．

参考词汇：after-school activities课外活动；play sports做运动；kind and helpful和蔼乐于助人 

B

     The morning had been a disaster. My tooth was aching, and I'd been in an argument with a friend. Her words still hurt: "The trouble with you is that you won't put yourself in my place. Can't you see things from my point of view?" I shook my head stubbornly - and felt the ache in my tooth. I'd thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday, but the pain was really unbearable. I started calling the dentists in the phone book, but no one could see me immediately. Finally, at about lunchtime, I got lucky.

      "If you come by right now," the receptionist said, "the dentist will fit you in."

     I took my purse and keys and rushed to my car. But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist. What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice? Why wasn't he as busy as the others?

     In the dentist's office, I sat down and looked around. I saw nothing but the bare (赤裸的) walls and I became even more worried. The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my ice-cold one.

     When I told her my fears, she laughed and said, "Don't worry.  The dentist is very good. "

     "How long do I have to wait for him?" I asked impatiently.

     "Come on, he is coming. Just lie down and relax. And enjoy the artwork," the assistant said.

     "The artwork?" I was puzzled.

     The chair went back. Suddenly I smiled.  There was a beautiful picture, right where I could enjoy it: on the ceiling.  How considerate the dentist was! At that moment, I began to understand what my friend meant by her words.

     What a relief!

D

     For starters, I was surprised when during our first conversational Hindi (印度语) lesson we learned the word for "thank you" doesn't really exist in Hindi. Okay, so there technically is a word, but it's really only recognized and used in the cities, where there is more of a Western influence.  In the mountains, it is seldom used, and what's more, people often seemed annoyed when we would try to thank them.  They would either turn their heads, or shake their hands at us as if to say, "Don't, it's not necessary."

     When we asked our Indian instructors why this is, they explained that giving and generosity are such complete aspects of their culture. In fact, it is part of the culture to view possession as a very unsteady thing. Giving is more of a matter of "changing hands" than an act of generosity. In their eyes, the cucumbers and other food they would give us were never really "theirs". They see them as having passed along to them and now they are simply passing them along to us.

     I believe there is a great sense of generosity in Western culture, but it seems to be more of a secondary thought. In other words, the viewpoint seems to be, "If I have enough, I will happily donate my surplus (盈余)."Whereas in the Himalayas, the villagers were eager to give away their best cucumbers to a passing stranger, and they would have happily given more even when it means less for them. In contrast, people in the U. S. tend to donate old, used, or unwanted items rather than their prized ones.

     Interestingly, during a coffee chat a couple of months ago, one of my friends, Josh Millburn, was telling me about how he donated his favorite clothes and shoes - just for the experience of giving up the possessions he likes most as well as to practice detaching (分派) for material things. So, this is something we as Westerners can certainly do, but it doesn't come wholly into our culture. It's something we have to make ourselves consciously aware of and push ourselves outside of our comfort zones to achieve.

How to Fight Winter Blue

Winter’s short days are more than cold. For many people, winter depression, the most common type of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is as much a part of the season as hats and scarves.

Winter serious SAD sufferers may need medical treatment. Those feeling a little blue can help themselves by sticking to a healthy lifestyle.

Here are some tips:

Pace yourself. Don’t expect to do everything you normally can. Set a realistic schedule. Don’t listen to negative thinking, like blaming yourself or expecting to fail.

Get involved in activities that make you feel good or feel like you’ve achieved something. For example, play table tennis or badminton.

If you are feeling depressed, you may feel like staying away from friends. Yet this is a time when friends’ support can be helpful. Call them regularly. Remember, the more we put off calling or visiting a friend, the harder it is to rebuild a friendship.

Think clearly about what’s wrong or right. Instead of giving in to vague feelings of sadness, look at your problems objectively. Break down problems into specific issues that you can work on.

Regular exercise helps to prevent and ease depression.

Eat well. Studies show that a healthy diet can help to maintain (keep) a healthy body and mind. The vitamins, minerals and micro—nutrients found in balanced diet may help our bodies to produce feel-good hormones(荷尔蒙). Foods containing chemicals to help produce feel-good hormones include bananas, turkey, nuts and seeds. Eat at least five pieces of fruit and vegetables every day.

P.S.  Symptoms(症状) of SAD:

No interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy.

Increased need for sleep.

A change in eating habits, especially an appetite for sweet or starchy(含淀粉的) foods.

Weight gain

A heavy feeling in the arms or legs

A drop in energy level

Difficulty in concentrating

Overly emotional

Avoidance of friends and social situations

Frequent feelings of guilt

Long-term feelings of hopelessness, and physical problems, such as headaches

Cell phones：Is there a cancer link?

Could your cell phone give you cancer? Whether it could or not, some people are worrying about the possibility that phones, power lines and Wi-Fi could be responsible for a range of illnesses, from rashes to brain tumors.

Some say there is evidence to support the growing anxieties. David Carpenter, a professor of environmental health sciences at the university at Albany, in New York, thinks there’s a greater than 95 percent chance that power lines can cause childhood leukemia (白血病). Also there’s a greater than 90 percent chance that cell phones can cause brain tumors. “It’s apparent now that there’s a real risk, ”said Carpenter.

But others believe these concerns are not justified. Dr Martha Linet, head of radiation epidemiology (流行病学) at the US National Cancer Institute, has looked at the same research as Carpenter but has reached a different conclusion. “I don’t support warning labels for cell phones, ”said Linet. “We don’t have the evidence that there’s much danger.”

Studies so far suggest a weak connection between EMFs (电磁场) and illness—so weak that it might not exist at all. A multinational investigation of cell phones and brain cancer, in 13 countries outside the US, has been underway for several years. It’s funded in part by the European Union, in part by a cell phone industry group. The final report should come out later this year, but data so far don’t suggest a strong link between cell phone use and cancer risk.

A     

There lived a king who liked art. One day an artist offered to paint the most beautiful picture on the wall of his palace.

So the king said，“All right, you may work on one of the walls in the new hall.”

Just then, another artist said, “Please allow me to work on the opposite wall. I shall make exactly what that man will make on the opposite wall. Moreover, I shall do so without looking at his work. I would even request you to have a thick curtain put up between the two walls so that neither of us can see the other.”

Everyone in the king’s court, including the king and the first artist was intrigued. So the king decided to give the second artist a chance.

The following day, a thick curtain was put in place and both the artists got to work. The first artist brought a regular supply of paint, oil and water. But the second one would come with a piece of cloth and a bucket of water every day.

A month later, the first artist said that his work was completed and invited the king to come.

So the king sent a message to the second artist, saying he was coming to see their works that evening.

After seeing the first artist’s wall，the king was very impressed with the painting and gave him a huge sum of money as a reward. He then asked some people to remove the curtain.

The same painting was seen on the opposite wall too! It was exactly like the one on the first wall. But the second artist had not seen what was going on, on the other side of the curtain.

The king gave the second artist a double reward，and then asked，“I am indeed very happy with your work. But how did you do it？”

The man said simply, “It’s very easy！I just polished (擦亮) the wall every day！”

It was a wall made of white marble (大理石)! The fellow polished it till it shone like a mirror. The reflection of the painting across the room showed up in it!

D

  When your child is supposed to be doing homework，are they chatting with their friends on Facebook or playing games?If you want your child to do a good job with their homework and get good grades then you may want to start teaching them that this isn’t the best idea．Many studies have shown that multitasking(多任务化)doesn’t work，even though your child is probably proudly clainming they can do ten things at once!Many people believe that they can perform two or more tasks meanwhile，but Dr Edward Hallowell says this is a myth．The reality is that shifting tasks results in poor job performance．

  New devices such as smartphones，iPads，games and social networking sites make it very easy to multitask and“attention share”resulting in difficulty focusing on the task at hand，such as listening in the classroom or doing homework．“Unfortunately，the brain actually rewards kids for multitasking even though performance on every task gets worse and worse．Kids don’t know that they are doing worse because they feel better when they multitask，’’says Dr Edward Hallowell．

  Since the appearance of hand—held devices and social networking sites like Facebook， teachers have noticed a difference in acadenfic performance，critical thinking skills and how information is processed．“Multitasking prevents people from gaining a deep understanding of the information they are trying to learn，”says Dr Edward Hallowell．Kids have a difficult time sticking with a“difficult to understand’’topic and are more likely to allow themselves to be distracted(分散精力)，to tune out and switch over to Facebook or using their cell phones rather than working harder at understanding a difficult subject or problem．In the long run，the shifting of attention by multitasking affects grades．One study showed that kids that use the Internet while in class did poorly on tests resulting in lower grades．