I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job. I also think my work is important. There was a time when I thought I would never have that sort of career.

    I wasn't an excellent student because I didn't do much schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn't have much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn't the type to have a career.

    I then found myself a job, looking after two little girls. It wasn't too bad at first. But the problems began when I agreed to live in, so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening. We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week, she'd give me time off the next. But unfortunately, it didn't often work out. I was getting extremely tired and fed up, because I had too many late nights and early mornings with the children.

    One Sunday, I was in the park with the children, and met Megan who used to go to school with me. I told her about my situation. She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification if I wanted to work with children. I didn't think I would be accepted because I didn't take many exams in school. She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful. My experience counted for a lot and I got on a part-time course. I had to leave my job with the family, and got work helping out at a kindergarten.

    Now I've got a full-time job there. I shall always be thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career, even if you aren't top of the class at school.

    Mrs. Blake teaches English in a large school in the inner area of a big city on the west of coast. Even since she was a young girl, she has wanted to become a teacher. She has taught eight years now and hasn't changed her mind. After she graduated from high school， she went on to college. Four years later，she received her bachelor's degree （B A） in English and her teaching certificate（证书）. Then she went to teach in the secondary schools of her state. In the summers，Mrs. Blake takes more classes； she hopes to get a master's degree （M A）. With an MA，she will receive a higher salary and if possible， she hopes to get a doctor's degree as well. The school day at Mrs. Blake's high school，like that in many high schools in the United States，is divided into one hour each. Mrs. Blake must teach five of these periods. During her free period，which for her is from 2 to 3 P.M. ，Mrs. Blake must meet with parents，make out examinations，check assignments at all，Mrs. Blake works continuously from the time she arrives at school in the morning till the time she leaves for home late in the afternoon.

    When most of us look at our hands, we might notice that we need to clean, or stop biting our fingernails, and that's about it. But if you ask a doctor, he can see a whole lot more. Everything from poor diet and stress to serious kidney (肾) problems can be revealed by a glance at your fingernails.

    There are about 30 different nail signs that can be associated with medical issues, though may indicate more than one problem, according to Dr. Amy Derick, a clinical instructor of dermatology at Northwestern University.

    Here are five of the things a doctor can tell about your health based on your fingernails.

    ⒈People who aren't eating well and lack vitamin or dietary may have thinner than normal nails, which are more likely to break.

    ⒉Horizontal lines are associated with serious physical stress. They frequently occur in people who have gone through chemotherapy(化疗).They can also occur after some illnesses, injuries, or with severe malnourishment(营养不良).Interestingly, there may be an altitude connection too. They've also been found in people who dove 1,000 feet and others who participated in an Everest exploration.

    ⒊Vertical lines, however, are generally not such a big deal. Some people are more genetically prone to them than others, but they're commonly associated with aging.

    ⒋When people lack iron, their nails can turn spoon-like. Instead of curving down and covering the finger normally, they'll start to rise up on the sides and front, like the part of a spoon that holds liquid.

    ⒌Kidney and liver problems can create “half-and-half nails”, where one part of the nail is white and the other part dark or pink, according to Derick.

    Doctors note that because disease diagnosis is complex and some symptoms can be associated with different diseases, you should always see a medical professional if you are concerned about something you notice.

Biofuels (生物燃料), gained from plants and animal matter, are a key solution to the environmental problems caused by fuels like coal. "Bioalcohol (生物酒精) is the most common biofuel and is produced by sugars found in materials such as corn. With some engine redesigned, it can be used directly by cars, buses, etc. ," says Professor Daniel Tan, "12 percent of transport fuel could come from biofuels, especially bioalcohol, by 2030. "

But a 2016 study of biofuels said, "Bioalcohol presently is mostly produced with food crops. Altogether, the environmentally-friendly biofuels rely on about 2-3 percent of the global water and land used for agriculture, which could feed a large number of hungry people. "

Energy experts have therefore been trying to deal with the problem. Recent research led by an international team found that the agave (龙舌兰) plant might offer a way out. This plant tends to be the right bioalcohol source to supersede others such as sugarcane (甘蔗) and corn.

Daniel Tan explains that the agave can be grown in unfavorable conditions and is not a major food crop. "It can grow in areas that lack water and rainfall without being watered by farmers, and it does not compete with food crops or put demands on limited water. This kind of useful plant is recently being grown in Australia. It can survive Australia's hot summers," he says.

The study finds that sugarcane produces just a little more fuel per square meter each year than the agave. However, the agave outperforms sugarcane in a range of areas, including pollution to the earth, and water using. The agave uses 69 percent less water than sugarcane and 46 percent less water than corn for the same amount of fuel produced. As for corn，it produces less fuel per square meter each year than the agave.

However, Daniel Tan states: "The first generation of bioalcohol from the agave recently faces a big competition from oil, whose recent low price makes it far more attractive to customers. Without some policy support from the government, bioalcohol production from the agave faces big challenges. "

Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive? When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can give you a false picture.

For example, some might say, "I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery. It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!"

This guy's a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. In fact, he bought $200 worth of tickets. He's really a big loser!

He didn't say anything that was false, but he left out important information on purpose. That's called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just dishonest.

Some politicians often use this trick. During Governor Smith's last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of her opponents says, "During Governor Smith's term, the state lost one million jobs!" That's true. However, an honest statement would have been, "During Governor Smith's term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs."

Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths. It's against the law to make false statements sol they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might say, "Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache." It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.

This kind of deception happens too often. It's a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well.

    Norwegian playwright and author Jon Fosse has just been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable". 

    The Swedish Academy credits Fosse as "one of the most widely performed playwrights in the world", although the 64-year-old originally made his name as a novelist, beginning with Red, Black in 1983. He has since written many works of prose and poetry. "His literary works, spanning a variety of genres (体裁) , comprises about 40 plays and a wealth of novels, poetry collections, essays, children's books and translations, " said Anders Olsson, chairman of the Nobel Committee for Literature. 

    Jon Fosse draws inspiration from his rural living environment and personal struggles, which have deeply influenced his distinctive writing style. Growing up in a small coastal village, Fosse was immersed in the beauty of nature and the vastness of the sea, which filled him with a sense of solitude and introspection (内省) that is reflected in his works. Fosse's writing discussed themes of loneliness, longing, and the search for meaning in life. Additionally, his battles with depression have enabled him to explore the depths of human emotions and existential despair. 

    "He touches you so deeply when you read his works," said Anders Olsson. "What is special about him is the closeness in his writing. It touches your deepest feelings —anxieties, insecurities, questions of life and death —which are things that every human being actually faces from the very beginning. In that sense I think he reaches very far and there is a sort of a universal impact of everything that he writes —it has appeal to this basic humanity."

    Fosse is the first-ever laureate writing in Nynorsk, one of the two official languages of Norwegian, but only used by just 10% of the population. As the Guardian writes, "Many Nynorsk speakers see Fosse ‘as a kind of national hero ‘for his championing of the language." Fosse's recognition on a global stage promotes the visibility and importance of Nynorsk as a written standard. It will attract more attention to Nynorsk literature, inspire and encourage Nynorsk speakers to continue preserving and promoting their linguistic heritage.