I remember my mother as a strong woman. She came to America when she was 12—old enough to remember her language, she achieved scores and grades high enough to be admitted to Duke University. With a degree in computer science, she finally became the manager of a company in New York. My mother could give fluent speeches, say “wolves” correctly.

    It was my mother who always stressed the importance of language. From the time I was born, I was read to. I would fall asleep to the sounds of my parents' voices, whether it was my dad's softly accented, or my mother's clear English. The flow of language was unbroken, and whether in Chinese or English, the stream of communication flowed through our house.

    One October morning in sixth grade, after my mother had left to catch the train to the city, I left the house for the bus stop. I was surprised when I saw our car, the door hanging open. As I drew closer, I saw my mother lying on the ground.

    In the hospital, it was hard to believe that the lady who lay before me was my mom. My mother could not remember my name. As the leaves changed colors, it became clear that the stroke had created a wall between my mothers mind and mouth: her mind was not any less dear, but the words she spoke were not what she meant.

    The battle my mother faced taught me the importance of language. Without it, identity does not exist; relationships cannot be formed; stories cannot be told; directions cannot be given, and knowing anything about anyone is impossible. Without language, communication cannot take place. Without language, one cannot express the beauty of a sunset or the kindness of a stranger. The world would pass us by in silence.

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案，并将选定答案的字母标号填在题前括号内。

    The Amazing Penguin Rescue

    The summer of 2016, the ship MV Treasure sunk, creating an oil spill. Thirteen hundred tons of fuel oil were flowing right in the middle of the African Penguins' habitat. Soon the oil covered about 20,000 penguins. Without swift help, the seabirds would have no chance for survival. Volunteers were showing up by the thousands and I also took part in what was the largest animal rescue operation ever.

    A warehouse was turned into a rescue center near the habitat and hundreds of pools were built to hold about 100 oiled birds each. When walking into the center, I couldn't believe my ears. I had expected to walk into a chorus of honking and squawking(叫声). Instead, the center sounded like a library. The penguins were dead silent. My heart ached for the painful birds. Cleaning them all seemed like an impossible task. But we had to carry on like doctors in an emergency room. There was no time for doubt. Cleaning oil off a penguin wasn't easy. Even with more than 12,500 volunteers, it took a month to bathe all 20,000 birds at the center.

    While volunteers were busy bathing the oiled penguins, another crisis (危机) was developing. Oil from the spill had started moving north. Tens of thousands of penguins were in the oil's path. But we already had our hands full with 20,000 recovering birds. If any more birds were oiled, we wouldn't have enough resources to save them.

    One researcher came up with an idea: What if the penguins were temporarily moved out of harm's way? Experts decided to have a try. Volunteers rounded up the penguins and released them 500 miles away. The hope was that by the time the seabirds swam home, the oil would be gone. The plan worked! Another 20,000 penguins were saved.

    The entire penguin rescue took about three months. More than 90% of the oiled penguins were successfully returned to the wild. Looking back on the rescue, I am still amazed by the work of the volunteers. What I could hardly believe was that we accomplished an impossible task.

    At the Magazine we welcome your contributions! We love to publicize authors, bloggers and businesses. And there are several spots available for writers.

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    Are you interested in hi-tech products? Here are some that you might find at the market pretty soon.

    CX-1

    Tired of dragging your bag through busy airports? Then you might want to consider CX-1. The smart suitcase uses facial recognizing software to follow its owner as he / she is checking in or heading to the gate. Though CX-1 can only move at a speed of up to seven miles per hour, a tiny tool enables owners to keep track of the suitcase's location. It is expected to be sold on the market by late 2018.

    Aibo

    Sony's latest version of the Aibo robotic dog is almost as fun as the real thing—but much less work. The pet dog can recognize its owner, obey several commands, and even recall the behavior that pleases its master the most. Aibo can also learn new tricks, take photographs, and over time, develop its own unique personality.

    Forpheus

    Forpheus, an “athletic” robot developed by Japanese technology company Omron. It teaches users how to play ping-pong. The 10-feet-tall machine uses a camera and artificial intelligence to track the ball's speed and can predict the ball's direction correctly. The smart Forpheus can also quickly test its player's abilities and adjust the playing level, making the game fun.

    Black Box VR

    Though many people determine to go to the gym once a week, few reach their goal. Black Box VR wants to change that by turning hard exercise into fun video games. Using it, gym users will find themselves fighting enemies, including big creatures—all while getting exercise.

    When it comes to gift-giving, not only must the gift giver attempt to infer the recipient's(接受者的) tastes, needs, desires, and reactions, the gift selection may also be affected by the information which it would appear to convey about the giver and the giver-recipient relationship. The ancient practice of gift-giving is still common and important in modern cultures. For instance, Lowes Turner. and Willis (1971) mention a series of British Gallup Polls from 1963-1967, in which it was found that over 90 percent of the adult population did some Christmas gift-giving each year.

Gift-giving has been treated from a variety of related theoretical aspects. A famous theoretical analysis of the gift-giving process is an essay by French anthropologist- sociologist Marcell Mauss(1923). Based on his examination of gift-giving, Mauss concluded that gift-giving is a self-perpetuating(不停的) system of reciprocity. More specifically, Mauss summarized three types of obligations (义务): the obligation to give; the obligation to receive; the obligation to repay.

    The obligation to give may be based on moral or religious necessities, with the need to recognize and keep a status hierarchy(等级制度) or the need to establish or keep peaceful relations. Receiving is seen as similarly obligatory. Mauss noted however that there is a certain tension created in receiving a gift since acceptance is an implied recognition of dependence on the giver. This tension may then be reduced by meeting the third obligation, the obligation to repay. Failure to repay or failure to repay adequately results in a loss of status and self-esteem. Adequate or overly adequate repayment, on the other hand, creates an obligation to repay on the part of the original giver, and the cycle is reinitiated.

    Schwartz (1967) noted that beyond the functions served by the general process of gift exchange, the characteristics of the gift itself also act as a powerful statement of the giver's perception(洞察力) of the recipient. He also suggested that acceptance of a particular gift constitutes an acknowledgment and acceptance of the identity that the gift is seen to imply. Among children this may lead to lasting changes in self-perceptions, but probably gifts have less influence on the self- concept of an adult.

    There can be little doubt that gift-giving is a common experience in human life and consumer behavior.

    Technology makes listening to holiday music easier than ever. There are endless sources to help you find your favorite Christmas tunes and many other songs. People have explored how to listen to holiday music with high-tech devices (设备).

    Apple Music

    This is the first year you can use Apple Music to listen to holiday songs. Apple  Music has more than 30 million songs and is available (可获得的) in over 100 countries.

    Tell voice assistant Siri to "play holiday music" to open the music program on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV. Have an Android phone? Apple Music app is available in the Google Play store, but not with a voice assistant. For the first three months, you can use it for free. After that, users have to pay a subscription (订购) fee.

    Google Play Music

    Google Play Music is also in the holiday spirit. Go to the Google Play Music Holiday page and search for "holiday music."

    Google Play Music is available for free if you don't mind the advertisements. If you do, buy a paid subscription to avoid them. Google Play Music offers more than 30 million songs from 58 countries.

    Tune In Radio

    Listen to radio stations with Tune In Radio. This is an online service and offers stations from all seven continents in the world, including Antarctica. Tune In Radio is available on your computer and is free to online users. In the United States, Britain and Canada, a paid subscription gives you more stations without advertisements.

    If you want to know more, please click here.