The Importance of Accessibility Awareness

    At a recent Teen Leadership of Jewish Family Services meeting, people with disabilities talked about their lives. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, what amazed me most was the great importance of education about handicap accommodations (残疾人便利设施).

    One school-teacher who is blind, and a woman who has used a wheelchair all her life are two important members of the National Group for Disabled Persons, devoted to raising awareness about disabilities. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} These include handicap parking spots, handrails, and wheelchair ramps. One big concern is the people who take advantage of aids, such as handicap parking spaces. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} And the meeting focused on educating the public.

    Some handicap spots have extra room next to them, marked with the “No Parking” signs. “As long as I'm not in the spot, I can take the no-parking area next to it,” some people say. However, the woman who uses a wheelchair disagrees to this. The space exists to allow someone in a wheelchair to have room to get in or out of their car. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}  

    Some walkways have handrails next to them to help those who require extra assistance. Whether it is a blind person seeking guidance or an elderly person seeking support, the rail is there for walking. Sometimes the rail is blocked, by a parked bicycle for instance, and consequently made useless. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} People who are informed of the rail's use would be less likely to mistake it for a bike rack.

    Meeting some of the people who are affected by the lack of education about accommodations made me see that there is work to be done. If more people were educated about the proper uses of accommodations, there would be fewer challenges for people with physical disabilities.

A. Accommodations will vary according to the needs of the disabled.

B. As with the parking spot, this is more likely a case of lack of education. 

C. They educate about all the accommodations for people with disabilities. 

D. Improvement must be made so that disabled people can fully participate.

E. If there is a car in that space, the handicap parking spot is no longer useful.

F. So people without disabilities need to be educated about these accommodations.

G. I was amazed to hear about the challenges faced by people with physical disabilities. 

    In the age of the keyboard,some people seem to think handwriting lessons are on the way out.

    Steve Graham, a literacy professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, has been hearing about the death of handwriting for the past fifteen years. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} He said, "If the results of a survey we have published this year are accurate,it is being taught by about ninety percent of teachers in grades one to three."

    Ninety percent of teachers also say their are required to teach handwriting. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Professor Graham says one study published this year found that about three out of every four teachers say they are not prepared to teach handwriting. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}others teach it for sixty to seventy minutes a day.

    Many adults remember learning that way—by copying letters over and over again. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Many experts also think handwriting should not be taught by itself. Instead ,they say it should be used as a way to get students to express ideas. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Teachers commonly report that about one-fourth of their students have poor handwriting.Some people might think handwriting is not important anymore because of computers and voice recognition（辨认）programs.

A.After all,that is why we write.

B.Nowadays teachers pay more and more attention to their students' writing.

C.So is it still being taught?

D.But who cares if people know how to write well?

E.But studies have yet to answer the question of how well they are teaching it.

F.Today's thinking is that short periods of practice are better.

G.He says some teachers teach handwriting for ten or fifteen minutes a day.

    In order to achieve big things in your life, you must be willing to think big.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}When you've busy working toward bringing your goals to life, you also feel happier in your journey. Follow these steps to make your goals a reality.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Where do you see yourself in a year, five years or ten? Do you see yourself with a family, children, a good job and a college degree in ten years? Try to think as far ahead as you can. Pay attention to every detail, and let your dreams come to life in your mind, showing you what matters most to you.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Write down everything you imagine.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} write down the most important achievements that you want to center on and the details about each. What matters most to you? Once you have a list of goals in mind, work out a plan. How will you achieve these goals? Divide your goals into achievable steps.

    Start achieving goals today. Put your plans into action today. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Move forward every day, even if you are only taking a small step at a time.

    When you can picture what your desired life is like, you can better decide the goals you need to set and achieve. All it takes are small steps toward your desired future, and you can achieve the life you want.

A. Center on what you want to achieve.

B. Close your eyes and imagine your future.

C. Take a small step toward the future each day.

D. You should dream big and try to make your goals happen.

E. It's okay to change your dream sand goals based on your needs.

F. Use as much detail as you can when writing down what you remember.

G. Think about where you want to be in the future and how you want to get there.

Be an inventor

    The biggest secret about inventing is that anybody can do it! Perhaps this sounds crazy, but it's true. Maybe you have the wrong idea about inventing, so read on to discover the truth.

Wrong idea number 1:{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Well, inventing means creating something “new”, but the idea could come from something that already exists.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} 

Wrong idea number 2: Inventors are born, not made.

    There are a lot of factors that make invention possible. Take Mozart, for example. He was born with a special talent for music.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}His father was a music teacher, and Mozart practiced for hours every day, from the time he was in kindergarten.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Very successful creators don't give up when they get something wrong. As one inventor said, “A failure is the right answer to the wrong question!”

    Wrong idea number 3: Inventors are always old people.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Here is an example of a young inventor: Louis Braille went blind when he was a child. When he was 15, he invented a system of reading and writing for blind people that is still used in most countries today.

A. Everyday things can give people lots of ideas.

B. An invention has to be something completely new.

C. But other factors were also important for his creativity.

D. As a young man, George Nissen invented the trampoline (蹦床).

E. Don't believe that you can't invent something when you are young.

F. Thomas Edison said that being an inventor was “99% hard work and 1% inspiration”!

G. The Wright brothers, for example, got the idea for building a “flying machine” from watching birds.

    If anyone had told me three years ago that I would be spending most of my weekends camping. I would have laughed heartily. Campers, in my eyes, were people who enjoyed insects bites, ill-cooked meals, and uncomfortable sleeping bags. They had nothing in common with me.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

The friends who introduced me to camping thought that it meant to be a pioneer.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}We sleep in a tent, cooked over an open fire, and walked a long distance to take the shower and use the bathroom. This brief visit with Mother Nature cost me two days off from work, recovering from a bad case of sunburn and the doctor's bill for my son's food poisoning.

    I was, nevertheless, talked into going on another fun-filled holiday in the wilderness.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Instead, we had a pop-up camper with comfortable beds and an air conditioner. My nature-loving friends had remembered to bring all the necessities of life.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}We have done a lot of it since. Recently, we bought a twenty-eight-foot travel trailer complete with a bathroom and a built-in TV set. There is a separate bedroom, a modern kitchen with a refrigerator. The trailer even has matching carpet and curtains.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}It must be true that sooner or later, everyone finds his or her way back to nature. I recommend that you find your way in style.

A. This time there was no tent.

B. Things are going to be improved.

C. The trip they took me on was a rough one.

D. I was to learn a lot about camping since then, however.

E. I must say that I have certainly come to enjoy camping.

F. After the trip, my family became quite interested in camping.

G. There was no shade as the trees were no more than 3 feet tall.

Simple ways to improve your written English

    Many people think it is really difficult to improve (提高) their writing in English. Don't worry, though. Here are some simple steps that you can take to improve your written English.

    Increase your vocabulary.

    To express yourself clearly, you need a good active vocabulary. That's not just being able to know lots of words — it means actually being able to use them correctly. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Tip: When you learn a new word, try to learn all the forms of that word.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    People often say that we learn to write best by reading. Reading in English is useful in many ways. It is a great way to get an idea of the different styles of writing and see how to use words properly.

    Tip: {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Learning shouldn't be boring. Read each text several times to make sure you understand how to use new words and expressions in the text.

    Improve your grammar.

    Grammar is very important because it improves the quality (质量) of your writing.

    Tip: {#blank#}4{#/blank#} The first time, look for general mistakes and the second time look for mistakes with the grammar point you are studying at the moment.

    Just do it!

    The best way to improve your writing is to get a pen and paper and write. Be prepared to write several versions (版本) of each text.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Know your readers.

B. Read widely and often.

C. Always check your writing twice.

D. Remember, practice makes perfect!

E. Choose books or articles that interest you.

F. Use simpler language and shorter sentences to show your ideas.

G. Do this by learning new words with example sentences, not just word lists.