About six years ago I was going through a tough time, trying to work two jobs to afford my rent. On a cold Sunday morning, I went to GameStop—a video game retailer (零售商), to1the game I'd reserved. A woman in a car parked outside called me when I2the store. Though it was in broad daylight, I was3about it and kept some distance when I walked over. She said she couldn't walk and4me to purchase a Kinect, a popular game, for her as her5Christmas gift. Due to her leg disease it was6for her to move around. She called ahead but the employee wasn't willing to7. She gave me about $100 in cash and her credit card.
I walked back in and bought the Kinect. Then it occurred to me that this woman, a complete stranger,8me. What was it that stopped me from lying about the payment method and just9her cash? She couldn't know I wasn't a10; and how could she possibly have so much11someone?
I handed her the cash back,12I had to pay with her card—it was above $ 100 at the time, and handed over the13and her credit card. "This is what my son's been longing for. Thank you! By the way, just from14at you, I know you are the one who'll be a friend to someone15. You have a face of an angel!" she said. She gave me $ 10 and16to take it back. Then she17, saying "Merry Christmas!"
She had no idea how much of a18even $ 10 made. I was able to buy a few cheap groceries for the week and it really made a19time in my life a little better. She may think I helped her;20, I truly feel like the one who was being gifted something amazing.
Culture shock occurs when people have been suddenly thrown into a new culture. Newcomers may be anxious because they don't speak the language. Neither do they know the customs nor understand the people's behavior in daily life.
Quite often the visitor finds that "yes" may not always mean "yes", that friendliness does not necessarily mean friendship, or that statements that appear to be serious are really jokes. The foreigners may be unsure as to when to shake hands, when to start conversations, or how to approach a stranger. The idea of culture shock helps explain the feelings of puzzlement.
Language problems do not account for all the difficulty that people feel. When one has lost everything that was once familiar, such as understanding a transportation system, knowing how to register for university classes, or knowing how to make friends, difficulties in dealing with the new society may arise.
When an individual (个人) enters a strange culture, he or she feels like a fish out of water. Newcomers feel at times that they do not belong to the culture and feel deserted by the native members of the culture. When this happens, visitors may want to reject everything about the new environment and may sing their own praises of the positive aspects of their own culture. On the other side, more visitors may sneeze at their native country by rejecting its value and instead choosing to approve of the value of the new country. This may occur as an attempt to accept the new culture in order to be taken in by the people in it.
增加:在缺词处加一个漏词符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下画一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意: 1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
One of my favourite things to do in my free time is to do voluntary works. I've volunteered for a variety of difference organisations. The activities include simple, everyday ones like giving our city square a cleaning and take dogs for walks at an animal rescue centre. By volunteering, I've not only gained valuable experience and also built confidence in talking about strangers. I was used to be a shy person, but my volunteering experience gave us the opportunity to meet new people. Doing an activity I wouldn't normal do with other volunteers made me had a really fun time. These are just few of the reasons why I think volunteering is worthwhile.
For all those who agree with Neil Gaiman's motto in American Gods that "a town isn't a town without a bookstore, "what might be the perfect holiday choice has just been listed on Airbnb: the chance to become a bookseller for a week or two.
For the total cost of £150 a week, guests at The Open Book in Wigtown, Scotland's national book town, will be expected to sell books for 40 hours a week while living in the flat above the shop. Given training in bookselling from Wigtown's community of booksellers, they will also have the chance to put their "own stamp" on the store while they're there. "The Open Book's aim is to celebrate bookshops, encourage education in running independent bookshops and welcome people around the world to Scotland's national book town, "says the Airbnb listing.
The Open Book is leased (出租) by the Wigtown Book Festival from a local family. Organisers have been letting paying volunteers run the shop for a week or two at a time, and opened the experience up to the world at large.
"I wouldn't call it a working holiday, "said Adrian Turpin, director of the Wigtown Book Festival." It's not about cheap labour (体力劳动) —it's about offering people an experience. "The money is "just necessary to cover our costs,"said Turpin, admitting that" it can be a hard life, selling books in a small town, so it's not a holiday for everybody."
"I think the shop would have closed, without this," he said. "So part of the idea was to get new people in—people who would hopefully end up having a good time and a long-standing relationship with the town."
The idea comes at a difficult moment for independent booksellers. In 2005, there were 1, 535 independent bookshops in the UK, with the number dropping to 939 by 2014.
So far, The Open Book has been leased around 10 times, with guests including those from The Bookshop Band, a librarian from Portland, a Dutch government employee, and an 80-year-old couple.
"It is playing shop in a way, but they are truly selling books," said Turpin. "Wigtown has only 800 people, but it's a real community of bookshop owners. The aim is that people come and take part in the community."
Find the perfect way to keep fit with these websites
www. activelife. co. uk
This site is perfect for those who like to combine living a healthy lifestyle with enjoying the countryside. You can get a list of locations that offer routes for cycling. There is also information on cycling competitions in Britain.
www. swavedon. com
Swavedon is a national park with a lake, which offers many different ways of keeping fit in the great outdoors. There are three cycle routes around the lake and several woodland walks.
www. fitnet. co. uk
Steve Amos started this site for busy people wanting to keep fit. Fill in a questionnaire (调查表) and Steve will create a fitness programme for you. Although Steve's fee is high, you can email him for advice whenever you want. Besides, Steve has designed many fitness clothes, which anyone can order.
www. fitnessonline. co. uk
This is a free government website that encourages people to keep fit. It gives diet advice, and allows you to work through a fitness programme without leaving your house. It also offers advice on equipment to buy and has a chat room, where you can compare experiences with others.
www. sportsarena. co. uk
This website tells you how you can keep fit at this group of London sports centres. You don't have to be a member—these centres run a pay-as-you-go system. They all have a pool and gym. The website includes information about locations, opening times and prices.
www. NAG. co. uk
The National Athletics Group is a site for people interested in athletics. It allows you to find out where your nearest athletics club is and provides information about races and other athletics events around the country. There is a popular chat room where athletes exchange (交流) suggestions and ideas.