A popular TV host has reportedly invested about US$ 740,000 in a project to research, preserve and promote the Hunan provincial dialect (方言). Chinese TV presenters are required to speak Mandarin, or Putonghua, as part of their work, but should dialects be allowed on air?

    Bcnu (China): TV and radio stations have the right to decide whether dialects or Mandarin will be used in their programs. The popularity of some dialects in some areas will not challenge the leading role of Mandarin in the whole country.

    Rick N (US): TV and radio broadcasters should take the lead in popularizing Mandarin. To require hosts to speak standard Mandarin is not to oppress (压制) dialects, but it only aims to restrict irresponsible use of language. I think it is unprofessional for some hosts particularly to imitate the pronunciation of dialects.

    Cooper (UK): Dialects are an important part of local culture and now many kids even don't know how to speak their dialects because of the main use of Mandarin around them. It would be a pity if future generations were unable to understand the local dialects. It would be a terrible break in cultural traditions.

    Steve (France): To attract viewers or make more money, some hosts casually use dialects. Demanding TV and radio programs use Mandarin is a move to limit strange and irresponsible use of language, whether it is Mandarin or other dialects. In this way, the decision is also a form of protection for dialects. Hearing standard Mandarin on TV and radio programs is also a basic right of audiences around the country.

    We talk a lot in the U.S. about success. Success is the dream and the end point. And not by coincidence the idea that hard work leads to personal success is as American as apple pie.

    But the reality is that sometimes we fail. And sometimes things, through no fault of our own, don't go our way. We're faced with a life-changing diagnosis (诊断), the passing of a loved one or job loss. We don't, as a society, have as much to say here.

    I think uncertainty does us all harm. We'd feel better equipped to deal with uncertainty if we talked about it more. I had so fully bought into the belief that with enough effort, I could control what happened in my life. I actually caught myself thinking I could "work my way out" of my cancer. As it turns out, cancer doesn't really care about one's work.

    We might also make wiser decisions — this isn't just a feel-good exercise. For example, technology and medicine have progressed to the point that many patients are living longer than they would have even a decade ago. These are achievements worth celebrating. And yet I wonder if the focus on success is sometimes misguided here as well. If it is one reason why we tend to pursue expensive end-of-life treatments, they often accomplish little other than to make a patient's final days painful and frightening. The fact is that, when asked, many patients would rather focus on living meaningfully in their final days.

    My hope here is to make a case for thinking about meaning, in the same way we think about pursuing success. In that spirit, I've asked several people, each of whom has met misfortune, how they find meaning in their lives. The diversity in their responses reflects the fact that there are no right or wrong answers here. We each can find meaning in different things.

    In many developed countries, people who have high degrees begin to work longer than those who don't. About 65% of American men aged 62－74 with a professional degree are in the workforce (劳动人口), compared with 32% of men who only finish high school. This gap is part of a deepening divide between the well-educated wealthy and the unskilled poor. Rapid technological advance has raised the incomes of the highly skilled while squeezing those of the unskilled. The consequences, for individuals and society, are profound (意义深远的).

    The world is facing an astonishing rise in the number of old people, and they will live longer than ever before. Over the next 20 years the global population of those aged 65 or more will almost double, from 600 million to 1.1 billion. The experience of the 20th century, when greater longevity (长寿) translated into more years in retirement rather than more years at work, has persuaded many observers that this shift (变化) will lead to slower economic growth, while the swelling (渐增的) ranks of pensioners will create government budget problems.

    Policies are partly responsible. Many European governments have abandoned policies that used to encourage people to retire early. Even the better-off must work longer to have a comfortable retirement. But the changing nature of work also plays a big role. Pay has risen sharply for the highly educated, and those people continue to reap (获得) rich rewards into old age because these days the educated elderly are more productive than the preceding (先前的) generation. Technological change may well reinforce (强化) that shift: the skills that complement (补充) computers, from management know-how to creativity, do not necessarily decline with age.

    Reducing plastic waste isn't easy because the cheap material is found in almost every household item. Now, a delicious and nutritious solution has come up to help reduce our dependence on this environmental hazard.

    David Christian, the co-founder of Evoware, says the idea of creating the biodegradable (生物降解的) products came from concern at the country's high pollution rate. Indonesia is home to four of the world's worst polluted rivers. Since single-use packaging is a large contributor to the problem, Evoware decided to deal with that first.

    After investigating various materials, the company settled on seaweed. Unlike corn, commonly used for biodegradable containers, seaweed does not require resources like water or large amounts of space. Since Indonesian farmers already harvest more seaweed than they can sell, it's easy for the company to find the material.

    Though they will not reveal their production process, Evoware says the seaweed packaging contains no chemicals and is safe to consume. The company has also invented single-use cups, which can break down 30 days after they're thrown away.

    While replacing plastic with the seaweed products may seem appealing to most of us, it is a hard-sell in Indonesia. According to Christian, "The awareness to reduce single-use plastic is still very low. This makes our bioplastic unnecessary." Also a factor is the cost, which is higher than using plastic. Hopefully, Evoware will succeed in convincing Indonesians and people worldwide that switching to their products will be helpful to protecting our beautiful planet.

Top 3 Self-Discipline Techniques

    Self-discipline is the key to leading a healthier, happier and more successful life,. We have shared some self-discipline techniques below. Follow these self-discipline techniques to start living a better life.

    ⑴Start small

    The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step as the proverb goes.. Instead, stamina (耐力) is built up by doing a little more than the previous day's target.

    The same goes for discipline. Start by trying to carry out self-discipline techniques little by little every day for big results. Increase your goals over time.

    ⑵ 

    Staying self-disciplined requires motivation. It can be hard to stay motivated if you feel like you haven't made any progress so far. Tracking progress makes you aware of how much you've done and encourages you to keep going.

    ⑶Exercise your willpower

    . Some days, sticking to the task is going to be difficult but by reminding yourself of the end in mind and how much the goal means to you, you will be able to ignore temporary temptations for long term gain.

    The above-mentioned self-discipline techniques have been proven to be extremely effective.

    , and it is the key to living a happy and fulfilling life.

A. Build a support system

B. Measure your goals

C. Willpower and self-discipline go hand in hand

D. Self-discipline is a feature found in many successful people

E. Self-discipline is linked to effective time management

F. However, it is easier said than done

G. You don't train for a marathon by running 10 kilometers on the first day

    When I first met my new parrot, Chico, his wings had been cut short and he was stuck on the earth just like us humans. When the weather turned nice, I would take Chico outside. I 1 him on a branch of a tree, hoping to make him happier. At first he seemed confused. He walked back and forth on the branch looking 2. He didn't even flap his wings in an/a 3 to fly. Somehow he knew he was incapable.

    One day Chico got especially excited. He paced back and forth and made an 4 amount of noise. Then all of a sudden he stopped and let out an even louder scream. He started 5 flapping his wings for the first time ever — then he lifted off the 6 like a space shuttle! I was amazed and 7. Little did I know his feathers had been growing back, and Chico had been waiting until the moment was ripe for8!

    Two days later Chico returned. First I tried to 9 him back with food, but he would not come near me. Then I took his 10 and put it away — still he would not come. Finally, I made him a firm promise that I would let him out every day if the weather was nice as long as he did come back. 11, he flew onto my shoulder.

    From that day on, whenever the weather was good I would let him 12 early and he would fly around and be back before dark. The routine lasted for two months 13 suddenly Chico became 14. The vet said that he had been infected with a disease from the pigeons in the15. Within a few days he died.

    I was very sad. The 16 crossed my mind that if I had not set him free to fly, he would be still alive. But what 17 is there in being a bird if you can't fly?

    Chico made his first 18 for freedom on a late Monday afternoon in April. When will you make yours? You too can take a 19 when the conditions are right, knowing you too, in your own way, were built to fly. If you don't set yourself free, what will be the 20 of your life.

    When an important holiday comes, I usually think of what gifts to buy or prepare for my family members. It is the act itself rather than the thing you buy that (matter). Either a small present, a text message or a phone call can mean a lot to the receivers. , I had never got anything from my son, who is a university student. Parents never forget to celebrate their children's birthday, but their children seem to be very  (forget). They seldom do something in return.

    Life is unpredictable, and you never know what will happen tomorrow. When my son came back during the summer vacation, my wife and I, as usual,  (meet) him at the station. On arriving home, much  my surprise, my son took out a wrist watch and gave it to me,  (say) it was a birthday gift for me. It is a very fashionable watch,  shows not only hours, minutes and seconds but days as well. You can imagine how surprised and excited I was at that moment.

    Some people say children get too much care and love from their parents and just take them for granted. It is natural for people to have such concerns and (worry), but things may not turn out as badly as (expect). We need to look more at the positive side of life, as a famous writer once said, "Life is best classroom one can never get."

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词；

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉‘'

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：⒈每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

⒉只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

    Today my classmate Linda was elected monitor. In fact, three my classmates took part in the selection. For the selection, all of them had been prepared a speech, telling us that he/she would do if he/she won. Their speeches all sounded greatly. Once heard, they could not be forgetting. After their speech were given, it was time for us to vote. It was really difficulty because all of them have done a good job. At last Linda won out. I thought she won out because of not only a speech well prepared for her but also her great kindness. I was happy for them.

⒈解释写此信的原因；

⒉询问对方是否可海外邮寄这套书籍，如果有，咨询费用情况；

⒊询问对方在中国有没有合作商，以便自己在国内网上买到这套书。

注意：

⒈词数100左右；

⒉可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

⒊开头语和结束语已为你写好，不计入总词数。

Dear Sir or Madam,

    Thank you first for your kind attention to my letter.

    I would appreciate it a lot if you could reply earlier.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua