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. 

    Every living thing has genes. Genes carry information. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} They make sure that humans give birth to humans and cows give birth to cows. They also make sure that a dog doesn't give birth to a frog, or an elephant to a horse. However, genetic engineers take genes from one species-for example, a snake, and transfer them to another-for example, corn. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Such new life forms have been described, by some scientists as a real-life Frankenstein(科幻怪人).

    Genetic engineers put duck genes into chicken to make the chickens bigger. They put hormones(激素) into cows to make them produce more milk. They put genes from flowers into beans and from fish into tomatoes. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It just makes them easier and faster for the farmer to grow.

    The effects of genetic engineering on the natural world may be disastrous. The engineers may create strange life beings, or monsters. that we cannot control. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} They'll have to find one, fight for one-or kill for one. It may be your land they fight for-or you that they kill. Moreover, the effects of these experiments can often be cruel. In America, pigs were given human genes to make them bigger and less fatty. The experiment failed. The pigs became very ill and began to lose their eyesight. We would all like a better, healthier and longer life, and genetic engineering might give us this. On the other hand, it may be a dangerous experiment with nature. In the story of Frankenstein, the doctor created such a terrible and dangerous monster that he had to destroy it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. The information tells us what to do or what not to do

B. We must make sure that this tale remains a story-and no more than that

C. This doesn't make them cheaper, tastier, or healthier

D. The new life forms have no natural habitat or home

E. Then they feed the tomatoes to the fish

F. In this way a new life form is created

G. They are passed on from generation to generation

The Farmers' Fresh Market

    This morning，I went to the Farmers Market in Burlington ，Vermont. I didn't know what the Farmers Market is or how to get there.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    First ，I had to decide how to go there，and I chose both to walk and to take a bus. When I went，I would walk and when I came back，I would take a bus.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

Walking to the market in this city，I was surprised because every house was beautiful，and they were all arranged in good order. In Korea's cities，most houses are not like that，and many apartments are like boxes which often screen off beautiful views like hills and mountains. Also，every road is not straight and narrow.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It was a very small market，but a very interesting one. I don't know why farmers go there to sell vegetables or why people go there to buy them because there are many more products in large supermarkets.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Also ，all the things sold there were very novel. In addition to fresh food，there was homemade food and many other things such as woolen blankets，quilts ，and wooden products.

    I wanted to buy some of them，but I didn't need them，so I just looked at them. It was a very exciting experience.

A. I visited a flower stand at the market.

B. Anyway，I was able to find the Farmers' Market.

C. So, to me, this American town was very impressive.

D. I decided to go early because the market is held in the morning.

E. I knew that it would take a long time to walk，but I wanted to see an American town.

F. I was attracted by the comfortable houses where they lived and the cars that they drove.

G. I think the reason is that the ones sold in the Farmers' Market are fresher and cheaper.

    Social media and the mobile web have given rise to a strange phenomenon called the selfie(自拍). It refers to a picture of yourself, usually shared on any social networking website.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Some selfies are extreme close-ups(特写镜头), and others show part of an arm held straight outward. A few of them even feature the subject standing in front of a bathroom mirror.

    Everyone takes selfies, but the younger crowd seems to be especially involved in the trend. Young people are relatively heavier digital users. They are interested in staying connected to their friends.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    There are also kinds of psychological factors driving people to take a selfie and upload it to a social networking site.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} A quick and easy way to attract other's attention is to get "likes" and comments from friends. Secondly, it's human nature to show off your own great achievements. When you feel good about yourself or look good, it's far too easy to take out your phone and document it all through one or several selfies.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}That's right. Sometimes people are bored at work, bored at school, bored at home and even bored on the toilet. Last but not least, social media is about being social! If that means uploading as many selfies as possible, then so be it. It's fun, and it's a cool way to sort of document your own life.

    Finally, there are things to be mindful of when you're posting. It's easy to think you're sharing a photo with a few people.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}So don't post anything online, selfie especially.

A. There are lots of selfie styles.

B. The rise of selfies has become universal.

C. Social media, to some extent, is the driving force of their selfie activity.

D. The desire to take, post and get "likes" on selfies goes back to a biological behavior.

E. But the whole world of social media is public and every individual can get access to it.

F. There are also people who will take selfies because they have nothing else better to do.

G. The leading factor is that people want to get attention from as many people as possible.

    Everyone, from homeless people to billionaires, is likely to be influenced by stress; there's simply no way to avoid it{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Here are five powerful tips for ways to kill stress in almost any situation.

    Eat Healthier

    Though a lot of stress is psychological, there are also plenty of physical factors that lead to this natural human response to noticed danger, In order to relieve stress, make sure you're treating your body right. A big part of this is eating healthier{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Anyway, adopting an alkaline(碱性的）diet instead of an acidic (酸性的）one is recommended.

    Wake Up Earlier

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}However, waking up 15 or 20 minutes earlier each morning may have more benefits than sleeping in. By giving yourself some extra time, you won't feel quite rushed in the morning, which leads to better preparation and more confidence.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Since you are never going to remove 100 percent of the stress in your life, one of the best things you can do is let it be one of your motivations. This is what stress is designed to do, after all. The psychological and physical reactions brought on by stress are supposed to heighten our senses and empower us to fight off a threat.

    Watch a Funny Video

    Here is a simple and practical tip: watch a funny video on You Tube, Research shows that seeing something amusing activates the part of the brain that produces calm physiological(生理的）responses. This can lead to less anxiety and more happiness.

    Take Walk Outside

    Whenever possible, make sure you take your walk outdoors{#blank#}5{#/blank#}It can improve energy levels and memory by as much as 20 percent.

A. A number of studies are two important keys to good health.

B. Diet and relaxation are two important keys to good health.

C. There are no magic”anti-stress”foods.

D. However, there are ways to reduce the amount of stress you suffer from.

E. Keep Positive Relationships

F. Let Stress Motivate You

G. It is certainly true that the more sleep you get, the less stressed you'll be.

    Why do we go to zoos? Millions of people around the world visit zoos each year, but the reason is hard to explain .{#blank#}1{#/blank#} But the animals they see in zoos are little like the toys, cartoons, and decorations that fill their homes. For such children, meeting with real animals can be confusing, even upsetting.

    The great interest that children have in animals today might lead one to suppose that this has always been the case. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}That was also when zoos became an important part of middle-class life.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They lived together with our ancestors in a shared natural environment. In the Industrial Era, the human domination (支配)of animals could be seen in the popularity of real-looking animal toys. Children rode rocking-horses that had realistic features, and they slept with bears, tigers, and rabbits that looked and felt almost real. The Twentieth Century marked a further development--the change of animals into people.

    This was the age of Babar the Elephant, Hello Kitty, and the Lion King. Parents and children had previously wanted animals that looked like animals.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    In a zoo they hope to see the living breathing versions of their character friends. They find instead unfamiliar creatures who cannot speak, smile, or interact with them. For this reason, a visit to the zoo can be disappointing for children today.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Meeting real animals reminds us forcefully of the boundary between imagination and reality.

    When we visit animals in a zoo, perhaps we will recall our true relationship not only to animals but to the entire world.

A. Animals are the best friends of the human beings.

B. Most of children are looking forward to visiting zoos.

C. Perhaps that disappointment is the best gift a zoo can offer.

D. But now they want animals that look and act like humans

E. Yet, it was not until the Industrial Era that animals became part of childhood.

F. In prehistoric times, there had been no zoos, as animals were a real part of the human world.

G. Many of those visitors are children, whose lives are already surrounded by animals' images.