I always prided myself on being a wise shopper and having a good nose for bargains. So when I came across a sporting goods store with a sign “Going Out of Business Sale”, I marched into the crowded store. Up and down the aisles (通道), I wandered, humming to myself and enjoying the energy and excitement of a sale.

    All of a sudden, there, at the back of the store sat a canoe(轻舟) exactly like my husband's dream Supremo Numero-Uno, whose picture had been stuck on the bathroom mirror for years. My heart beat wildly. I pushed my way through the crowds, and nearly fell into the canoe looking for the price tag. There it was, with the manufacturer's suggested price at $6,750 plus tax crossed out and a handwritten TO CLEAR $750 AS IS. Must be a mistake. $6000 off? Salesman. I had to talk to a salesman. I spotted a young fellow with a “Hi. I'm Mathew”. “Mathew. Tell me about this El Supremo canoe. What's wrong with it? Why is it only $750?”

    “Oh. There's nothing wrong with it. It's brand new. We're closing the store. It's on clearance like everything else. I'll go check.” A few minutes later he came back and said, “I'm sorry ma'am. Someone made a mistake on the sale tag. It should be $4,750 for the whole package.”

    I felt tears well up in my eyes. “Oh well”, I said sadly. “Of course, it was too good to be true. This is exactly like my husband's dreamboat. I guess I started to dream myself when I saw that price tag. He's going to be 62 years old Friday. Had to retire early for his health. It's been hard on just the pension but the stubborn old fool has been saving $10 every week for years to buy one just like this. I promise I won't buy anything, but it's just an old man's silly dream, you know. Always said he wanted to fish in a canoe after he retired,” my voice lowered and I turned and walked away.

Paragraph 1:

    I was already at the mall door when Mathew caught up with me. “Do you have $750 plus $25 for delivery, ma'am?”

Paragraph 2:

    “Ma'am. There's something you should know. This store was my Grandpa's and the canoe had been ordered by him.

注意：

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    Parents everywhere praise their kids. Jenn Berman, author of The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy and Confident Kids, says, "We've gone to the opposite extreme of a few decades ago when parents tended to be more strict." By giving kids a lot of praise, parents think they're building their children's confidence, when, in fact, it may be just the opposite. Too much praise can backfire and, when given in a way that's insincere, make kids afraid to try new things or take a risk for fear of not being able to stay on top where their parents' praise has put them.

    Still, don't go too far in the other direction. Not giving enough praise can be just as damaging gas giving too much. Kids will feel like they're not good enough or that you don't care and, as a result, may see no point in trying hard for their accomplishments.

    So what is the right amount of praise? Experts say that the quality of praise is more important than the quantity. If praise is sincere and focused on the effort not the outcome, you can give it as often as your child does something that deserves a verbal reward." We should especially recognize our children's efforts to push themselves and work hard to achieve a goal, "says Donahue, author of Parenting Without Fear: Letting Go of Worry and Focusing on What Really Matters." One thing to remember is that it's the process not the end product that matters."

    Your son may not be the best basketball player on his team. But if he's out there every day and playing hard, you should praise his effort regardless of whether his team wins or loses. Praising the effort and not the outcome can also mean recognizing your child when she has worked hard to clean the yard, cook dinner, or finish a book report. But whatever it is, praise should be given on a case-by-case basis and be proportionate(相称的)to the amount of effort your child has put into it.

    What is eco­fashion? Eco­fashion is about making clothes that considers the environment, the health of consumers and the working conditions of people in the fashion industry.

    A closer look at the fashion industry points out many problems that are common practices in the creation of our fashions from the field to the factory. Firstly, the production of textiles pollutes the environment heavily. Cotton­planting uses pesticides; sheep­farming and wool­cleaning bring about global warming. Secondly, every stage of clothing production consumes a great deal of energy and some also involve chemicals which obviously do harm to the surroundings. In addition, there is a lot of waste produced in the process, especially in the form of polluted water. Thirdly, growing purchasing power and our shopping habits further worsen the bad effects. We are now buying clothes in increasing quantities and we are also quick to throw away clothes that have been worn only a couple of times.

    Then, how to solve the problem? To a large degree, it is the fashion producers that really have the power and the responsibility to shape our future. There are a great many ways these producers can reduce their ecological footprint, from switching to green energy and reducing energy use, through selecting sustainable materials and choosing local suppliers, to recycling and minimizing waste. On the other hand, as consumers we can all play our part by selecting environmentally friendly clothing and reducing clothing buying.

    There is some concern that eco­friendly fashions are just a trend that we will eventually grow tired of but we can make sure that doesn't happen. Now many people are beginning to shop for organic food products because the benefits of eating food free of chemicals are immediate. They relate directly to our personal health. In fact, choosing eco­fashion can also do good to our personal health, though it is mostly done by way of keeping the health of the planet.

1）当我到达新的学校，各种问题出现了。

2）我乘公共汽车去学校不方便，因为离学校比我预料的远。

3）不幸的是，一些学科有挑战性。我必须亲自处理这些问题。

4）我不轻易放弃，尽力适应新生活。

5）由于我的努力，我最终取得进步。