Some of the biggest and most successful companies are opening new offices and their trendiest feature is focused on plants and insects. After moving to Seattle, Microsoft began to build its work spaces outdoors— and more specifically, in the trees, which are now compromised of 125 buildings.
This style of biophilic (亲自然的) design— an integration of natural materials, natural light, views of nature and other experiences of the natural world into the built environment—sounds pretty and good for the planet. But that hardly seems like enough of a reason for big companies to pay billions for biophilic designs. In fact, they are motivated by economics.
A study with employees of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District Call Center revealed that workers who had a view of the natural environment handled about 7% more calls than those who did not. The cost of reforming offices to give each employee an outdoor view was about $1, 000 per employee, while their increased productivity added up to $2,900 in increased income per employee per year.
Another study by the Think Wood campaign concludes that nature can have a beneficial effect on creativity, concentration and well-being. Not only do cool-looking biophilic offices help companies recruit (招聘) talent in an incredibly tight labor market, but they also nudge the new talent to perform better at work.
"Being more creative and flexible with our workspace allows us to be more creative and productive in our work and the products we create. It's like a little getaway," Said Bret Boulder, Head of Capital Assets.
Of course, small companies don't have a spare couple of billion to spend on "park-like" outdoor offices. But the good news is that biophilic design is not necessarily expensive. Even just staring at a neighboring green roof for less than a minute has been shown to boost productivity.
It was Mid-Autumn Festival. 79-year-old Bill Porter (grab) a glass of whiskey while enjoying the full moon, and recited an ancient Chinese poem outside his house in the United States. Porter has translated some 2,000 Chinese poems English and published a series of books related to Chinese poetry and philosophy in the past decades.
"To me, the beauty about ancient Chinese poems is the lines of poetry are usually short, with five or seven Chinese (character). You have to read them many times before you can discover their inside meaning. It's like adventure. "Among Porter's favorite poets were Su Shi, noted for his optimism in the face of challenges, Tao Yuanming, an Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) poet famous for his pursuit of free spirit. (see) the Chinese poets as his dear friends, Porter once traveled across China to visit their former residences, birthplaces and graves.
Currently, Porter is translating more poems by Tao Yuanming, and his translation work Poems of the Masters (publish) in China soon. He will continue working hard to introduce the beauty of the (tradition) Chinese culture to Westerners. "The Chinese culture is like a treasure chest," he said, "I would like (share) the treasure I found with others."
注意：
1.写作词数应为80左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Jim,
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
Last Saturday, I drove back home from a long hard day. It was snowing heavily and the traffic inched slowly forward like snails. I was so hungry because I skipped my lunch that I decided to stop by KFC and had a quick bite before I continued my journey home. It took me a long time to find a place to park my car. With my face buried in my collar, I walked slowly in the snow. Soon my hands were numb(麻木) with cold, so I pulled my gloves out of my coat pocket and put them on.
I ordered some fried chicken and dug into my pocket for my wallet to pay, only to find it was not there! I remembered I did bring it with me before I set out. Embarrassed, I left the chicken on the counter and said I would return in a minute. Deeply worried, I got out of KFC and ran towards my car, wondering where my wallet, with everything in it, was.
Fresh snow was like a blank paper, recording my tracks. My attention fixed on the ground, I expected to find it on my way. Unfortunately, what I found was only the shape of it in the snow. Obviously, I lost it when I pulled my gloves out. Judging from the footprints on the ground, I was not the only one. There was someone else joining my way. But the footprints of this guy were messy. It seemed that he walked back and forth. My heart sank. At a loss of which way he went, I knew I could never claim my wallet back. Bye, fried chicken, not today. I walked towards my car helplessly.
A short, skinny man was standing by my car. He seemed like homeless because he was dressed in oversized worn-out coat and his face was dirty. He was stamping his feet to keep warm. I felt sorry for him because I had nothing to help him, no money, no food.
注意：1）续写词数应为150左右；
2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The man noticed me and asked if this was my car.
Refusing my money, he was about to leave.
Most students in America like popular music. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to the music before class, after class and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the street.
Adult drivers listen to the music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about the sports, the weather and the life of American people. Most of the radio programmes are music.
Popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in many places. Once the popular singer is heard all over the country, young people will buy his or her CDs or tapes. Some of the money from them goes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, most of the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.
There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music which tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. It was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows which they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.
Are people less happy or more happy the older they get? A study found that people generally become happier and experience less worry after age 50. In fact, it found that by the age of 85, people are happier with their life than they were at 18.
The finding came from a Gallup survey of more than 340,000 adults between the age of 18 and 85 in the United States.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of 22 and 25. Stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties.
Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. But the people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties. The survey also found that men and women had similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men did.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.
So why would happiness increase with age? One theory is that, as people get older, they become more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
The original goal of the study was to confirm the popular belief that aging is connected with increased sleep problems. The survey did find an increase during middle age, especially in women. But except for that, people reported that they felt their sleep quality improved as they got older.
Hope Book Club A book club is a small group of persons that are reading the same book in order to share different feelings and opinions about the book. The book club meets once a month for an hour of lively discussion. All students (3+), teachers and parents are welcome! Here you can discover a new world, learn new ideas and make new friends! What you should do: ★You will read the book on your own and then discuss your reading in the book club ★You must keep up with your reading so that you can join as a part of your group. The book club will decide what pages or chapters you will read. ★You should take down notes and thoughts as you read. ★Everyone in the book club is expected to join in the discussion. More tips: ★Keep our place clean. ★No pets and no smoking. ★Take good care of books and return them on time. ★You must ask for leave if you cannot join in the discussion. Fees: Kids from 3—7: Free; Kids from 8—18: 10 dollars a month; Adults: 15 dollars a month. If you are interested, call 487-256-656 or 487-266-545, send an email to hopebook@yahoo.com or visit our website at www.hopebookclub.com. |
Whether it be a person, an animal, or even an insect, a mother's instincts (本能) are never wrong. This idea rings true for a mother cat who acted fast and sought out help when her kittens were in trouble. This mother cat's quick thinking may have just saved her babies.
In the urban district of Izmir in western Turkey, a cat walked into a regular hospital holding a kitten in her mouth. As the mother cat moved through the hospital, people were surprised to see such a sight, but let her pass. The mother cat asked for help, crying for a long time. She was familiar to the hospital staff, who had been leaving her food and water outside, but they were unaware that she had given birth to kittens.
The mother cat was concerned for her young because they weren't able to open their eyes. After the doctors looked at the kittens, they noticed that they were suffering from eye infections. One of the doctors recalls, "We consulted with vets (兽医) and gave medicine as described. When the kittens opened their eyes a short time later, we were excited." Later, they were sent to an animal hospital for further care. The cats are now up for adoption and will hopefully find loving forever homes.
When it comes to mother cats and kittens, kittens completely depend on mothers for the first few months of their lives. Because they are blind and almost deaf until about two or three weeks old, the mother cat must protect them from any threat or danger. Without the mother cat's help, the kittens may not make it to adulthood.
As shown by the mother cat in Turkey, a mother's love and protection knows no bounds. Whether the mom is a human or a cat, mothers will always look out for their babies and make sure they are safe and healthy.
Learning a new language like English can be a challenge, but with regular study, it can be done. . Here are some guidelines to help you improve your English.
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Learning any new language is a time-consuming process. Rather than try a few hours of review once or twice a week, most experts say short, regular study sessions are more effective. As little as 30 minutes a day can help you improve your English skills over time.
Read, watch, and listen
Reading English newspapers and books, listening to music, or watching TV can also help you develop your writing and speaking skills. By doing so repeatedly, you'll unconsciously (无意识地) improve your pronunciation, accents, and grammar. Keep pen and paper handy and write down unfamiliar words you read or hear. . Use them the next time you are role-playing dialogue in class.
Play vocabulary and grammar games
You can also improve your English skills by playing vocabulary games that are related to what you're studying in class. For example, if you are going to study English on topics that focus on vacations, take a moment to think about your last trip and what you did. .
Write it down
. Take 30 minutes at the end of class or study to write down what happened during your day. Once you're comfortable writing about you day, challenge yourself and have some fun with creative writing exercises. Choose a photo from a book or magazine and describe it in a short paragraph, or write a short story or poem about someone you know well. You may even discover you've got a talent for writing.
A. Study every day.
B. It can even be fun.
C. Set a goal.
D. Then, do some research to learn what those new words mean.
E. Don't be afraid of making mistakes.
F. Repetition is key to learning English, and writing exercises are a great way to practice.
G. Make a list of all the words you might use to describe your activities.
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