A massive winter storm is expected to begin hitting Massachusetts tonight, dumping up to a foot or more of snow in some areas, while whipping the coast with powerful winds and driving rains, forecasters predict.

    “It's got a little bit of everything,” William Babecock, a meteologist（气象学家）at the National Weather Service in Taunton, said of the post-Christmas storm that brought snowstorm conditions to the Ohio Valley before heading east with its mixed bag of snow, sleet, and rain.

     State Highway Administrator Frank De Paola said more than 4,000 states and snowplows（扫雪车）and salt spreaders were ready to make the roads safer for holiday travelers.

    “MassDOT will be fully staffed and will be ready to handle this,” De Paola said, nothing that the storm, which should bring snow to most of the state except the Cape and Island before turning into rain tomorrow, is Massachusetts' first significant snow storm of this winter season.

    “There have been events where we have had pretty much freezing, icing concerns, which we have treated with chemicals.But this is the first big event that will call for plowing,” he said.

     A high wind watch has been issued for southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, Forecasters say the wind could reach 60 mph, possibly bringing down power lines.

    In Worcester, some were busy for severer by buying rock salt,shovels and windshield wash,Barrows Hardware president Brain Barrow said.He called the volume（总量）of customers at his Webster Street store very steady on Wednesday morning, “You do get that supermarket effect for sure,”he said of shoppers stocking supplies before a storm.

     There were no flight delays or cancellations at Logan International Airport in Boston as of day,” Right now, everything's running normally.” airport spokesman Richard Walsh said.But Walsh said as the day progressed, travelers should contact their airlines directly to check the status of their flights.

    Do you sometimes argue about what seems to you to be a simple fact? Do you argue whether it's cold outdoors or whether the car in front of you is going faster than the speed limit (限速)?

    If you get into such arguments, try to think about the story about the six blind men and the elephant. The first blind man who felt the elephant's trunk (象鼻) said it was like a snake. The second who felt the elephant's side said it was like a wall, while the third said it was like a spear( 矛 ) as he touched the animal's tusk. The fourth, who took hold of the elephant's tail insisted that it was like a rope. The fifth man said it looked liked a tree as he put his arms around one of the elephant's legs. The last, who was tall and got hold of the elephant's ears, said it was like a huge fan.

    Each man's idea of the animal came from his own experience. So if someone disagrees with you about a “simple fact”, it's often because his experience in the matter is different from yours.

    To see how hard it is for even one person to make up his mind about a “simple fact”, try this simple experiment. Get three large bowls. Put ice water in one. Put hot water in the second. Put lukewarm water (温水)in the third. Now put your left hand in the hot water. Put your right hand in the lukewarm water. Your right hand will tell you the water is cold. Your left hand will tell you it is hot.

    It's true that many dads in the wild aren't interested in parenting, but there are some that work pretty hard to give their little ones a good start. Maybe one of these dads will make you remember your own dad!

    The male giant water bug (雄性负子蝽) doesn't seem to mind a heavy load (负荷物) on his back for his kids. The female puts about 100 to 150 eggs on the back of the male, and then she leaves. Once the female is gone, the male has to look after the eggs. It usually takes one to two weeks for the eggs to hatch (孵化). The father giant water bug jumps around to make sure the growing eggs get enough air and water. All this time he can't fly because of the weight of the eggs growing rapidly on his back.

    Now let's turn to the male stickleback fish. When the mother leaves after laying her eggs, the father tends his young. If the young fish go too far away, their father helps with their safe return by carrying them back in his mouth. The male stickleback looks after all his young — as many as 100 — until they can live on their own.

A similar example can be found in emperor penguins (帝企鹅) living in cold areas. The male emperor penguin goes without food while looking after his egg until it hatches. For about 62 to 67 days, the egg stays on top of the father's feet, in very cold temperatures that drop down to -39℃. As a result, the father may lose nearly 50 percent of his body weight while waiting for his baby penguin to be born!

    A farmer had a cow, and he took very good care of the cow. One day when the cow was ill, he was very worried. He telephoned the vet.

    "What's the problem?" the vet asked the farmer when he arrived.

    "My cow's ill," the farmer said. "I don't know what's the matter with her. She's just lying down and doesn't eat anything. She's making a strange noise."

    The vet examined the cow and said, "She's certainly ill, and she needs to take some very strong medicine."

    He took a bottle out of his box, put two pills into the farmer's hand and said, "The pills should make her feel better."

    "How can she take these pills?" the farmer asked.

    The vet gave him a tube(管子) and said, "Put this tube in her mouth, and then put the pills in the tube and blow(吹气) into the cow's mouth. That will make it."

    The next day the vet came to the farm again. The farmer was sitting outside his house and looked more worried.

    "How is your cow?" the vet asked.

    "Not better," the farmer said, "and I'm feeling very strange myself."

    "Oh?" the vet asked. "Why?"

    "I did what you said," the farmer answered. "I put the tube in the cow's mouth and then put the two pills in the tube."

    "And?" the vet asked.

    "The cow blew first," the farmer said.

    In today's society, almost half of all marriages in America end in divorce, which means many children have divorced parents, and 1 am by no means a rare case. There are plenty of other people understanding the difficulty of having separated parents and living in two households. Despite this, people who haven't personally experienced divorce really have no idea what it's like.

    My parents have handled divorce and joint custody(监护) well, at least better than expected. Occasionally my parents put up the curtain to block my brother and I from the reality and I will get a glimpse of the not-so-bright-and-sunny reality, the fact that my parents simply don't like each other, let along get along. They try to make sure my brother and I don't overhear the argument and do their best to keep my brother and I out of their issues.

    Last Mother's Day I woke up at my dad's house with a text message from my mom saying, "Call me when u can." I rolled out of bed and dialed her number. On the other end of the phone I could hear my mom's trembling voice. "Your dad isn't letting me have you until 7 tonight." I knew Mother's Day was important to her and me. I began to get angry with my dad, but I told myself that getting mad and fueling my mom's anger towards my dad wouldn't help. Later my father told me that he had planned to spend time with my grandma and step-mom for Mother's Day, which I understood and accepted but I also understood why my mom wouldn't accept it.

    While having divorced parents is difficult, I have learned a lot about how to deal with conflict from an early age and I've been blessed with an extremely large family, which is an amazing network of support.

Dear Mr.ing,

    I'm Bob Watson, one of the customers in your grocery store. I'm writing to express my idea about your goods.

    Your Supermart is outstanding in many ways. First I enjoy the selection of produce and fresh bakery items. Second your low prices and excellent customer service keep me coming back to Supermart. I have found, however, that I must make a separate shopping trip to one of your competitors because there are many items your store does not carry. This becomes inconvenient for me, as my time is valuable, and I don't like to make two trips. I have been a long time Supermart shopper and hope to continue for many years. If I could find all the items I need in one place, I would be a more satisfied customer.

    Specifically, I have never been able to purchase nacho cheese soup at your store. I can find other flavors (味道) of soup, but your store does not carry nacho cheese soup, a common ingredient (原料) in many of my recipes. In addition, I can only find large wonton wrappers, while many other stores carry both large and small and offer a more varied selection for their customers. Another example is Regent Brand Chili Seasoning. Though it is not a leading brand, it is still common on the shelves of other grocery stores in this area and is superior in flavor to its competitors.

    I sincerely hope to continue a relationship with your store, and I hope that you will consider the possibility of expanding your goods to be more competitive.

Yours truly,

Bob Watson