If you have difficulty deciding on your book list, the following ideas shared by some great talents might help you out.
Read books from eras past // Albert Einstein
Keeping up with current events and latest books from the bestseller list is a big job, but Albert Einstein thought it was vital to leave some room for older works, too. Otherwise, you'd be "completely dependent on the prejudices and fashions of your times," he wrote in a 1952 journal article.
Don't jump too quickly from book to book // Seneca
Seneca, a first-century Roman Stoic philosopher, believed that reading too wide a variety in too short a time would keep the teachings from leaving a lasting impression on you. "You must spend much time among a limited number of master thinkers, if you would gain ideas which shall win firm hold in your mind," he wrote.
Shop at secondhand bookstores // Virginia Woolf
In her essay Street Haunting, Virginia Woolf described the benefits of shopping in secondhand bookstores, where the works "have come together in vast flocks of various feather, and have a charm which the carefully chosen books of the library lack."According to Woolf, looking through used books gives you the chance to come across something that wouldn't have risen to the attention of librarians and
booksellers, who are often much more selective in building their collections than secondhand bookstore owners.
You can skip outdated science works, but not old literature // Edward Lytton 19th-century British novelist and Parliamentarian Edward Lytton was a firm believer in the value of reading old literature.
"In science, read, by preference, the newest works; in literature, the oldest," he wrote in his 1863 essay collection Caxtoniana. "The classic literature is always modern. New books revive and redecorate old ideas; old books suggest and inspire new ideas."
Guanmei, a 65-year-old woman of the Dong ethnic group, is the inheritor of the Grand Song of Dong (侗族大歌), a national intangible cultural heritage in China. Her hometown Zaidai Village in Guizhou, southwestern China, is home to the Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group.
The Grand Song of Dong dates from more than 2,500 years ago. The way Dong singers use their vocal cords (声带) is different from how formally trained singers do. It is a folk chorus with multi-parts, no conductor, and no accompaniment. Organically growing from their natural surroundings, it is recognized internationally as "the sound of Nature."
Before the Dong people had a writing system in 1958，the Dong culture, their history and stories were all recorded by means of songs. As a Dong saying goes, "Rice feeds the body and songs enrich the soul". The Dong people sing right from their childhood. While not singing, they all work in their rice field.
Guanmei has been singing the Grand Song of Dong all her life, making her a famous singing teacher in her hometown and nearby areas. "The songs are our means of passing on wisdom, knowledge and life experiences to others. I will not exist in this world 100 years later, but Grand songs will. I'm honored to do this job," Guanmei said.
Kind-hearted, Guanmei has been volunteering to teach the Grand Song of Dong to the Dong children for over 30 years. Now she has more than 300 students. Guanmei is pleased to see the village children come to her house willingly when they have free time.
"Nowadays, more and more young people leave the village and settle in cities. Decades later, the Dong children out of the village might know nothing about Grand songs. We should do something just now. It's our mission. What is once lost might be lost forever," added Guanmei.
Overly focusing on your goals may actually be counterproductive in the long run. Take it from an Olympic athlete.
After Brenda Martinez, a US Olympic runner, lost her balance in the 800-meter run, she lost the race that would qualify her for the Olympics. Instead of focusing on her failure, she prepared to win in the next race. "The track doesn't care about your feelings," she told New York Magazine Intelligence. "You've just got to move forward." She did indeed move forward and ended up winning third place in the 1500-meter race a week later to qualify for the Olympics in Rio. Instead of attaching herself to the goal of making the Olympic team, she concentrated on the process.
Researchers from Harvard found that overemphasizing goals based on measurable outcomes often leads to risk-taking, improper behavior and reduced motivation.
When you become overly focused on achieving the goal, you may lose sight of your original purpose for accomplishing the goal in the first place. Another danger is actually completing the goal without setting a plan for what's next. For example, some marathon runners experience what's called the "post-race blues". Achieving your goal may cause you to drop the good habits that got you there in the first place.
"After you set a goal, it's best to shift your focus from the goal itself to the process that gives you the best chance of achieving it; and to judge yourself based on how well you manage that process," columnist Brad Stulberg said.
Ultimately, changing your mindset from goals to process will lead you to achieve small victories on your way to accomplishing long-term goals. It leaves you with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, regardless of the measurable outcome.
A master of words, a literary genius and a philosopher, Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) is known by many as the greatest writer of all time. Even in 2020, 110 years after his death, his two greatest masterpieces, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, continue to be widely read, appreciated and highly influential.
"If the world could write by itself, it would write like Tolstoy," the Russian author Isaak Babel once said. Tolstoy's realistic fiction is famous for its powers of observation and ability to mine the depths of human consciousness, such as the psychological exploration of a married woman in Anna Karenina. In War and Peace, Tolstoy also describes Russia's national soul and expresses public unity through his many characters. His characters feel alive; they grow, they change and they stick in the minds of readers long after the final page is turned.
Tolstoy's influence on literature is without comparison. Authors regularly mention his novels as their highest ambition, works that they could only dream of writing themselves. American writer Francis Scott called Tolstoy the "greatest of all novelists" in his essay. He wrote, "from his first words, we can be sure of one thing at any rate – here is a man who sees what we see, who proceeds, too, as we are accustomed to proceeding, not from the outside inwards but from the inside outwards."
"He defends fundamental values such as love, friendship and family relations. He gives positive answers to the questions mankind is asking. In this sense he gives more hope," Tolstoy's great-great grandson, Vladimir Ilyich Tolstoy, said.
Tolstoy's message of peace has even had an effect on the real world. He inspired the leader of India's independence movement, Mahatma Ghandi, and his philosophy of non-violence over the course of a year in which they wrote letters to each other.
The convenience plastic offers has led to a throw-away culture that reveals the material's dark side. Many of its products, such as plastic bags and food wrappers, have a service life of mere minutes to hours.
Plastic has been the biggest threat to ocean life for decades. Sunlight, wind and wave action break down plastic waste to a certain extent, but it only succeeds in reducing it to smaller pieces.
They spread throughout the water and have been found in every corner of the globe, affecting nearly 700 species, including endangered ones.
They range from birds to fish and to other marine animals. Most of the deaths to them are caused by starvation. Small pieces of plastic have been found in more than 100 marine species, including fish, shrimp, and some seashells. In many cases, these tiny bits pass through their stomachs. Stomachs so packed with plastic reduce the urge to eat, making them die eventually.
Tests have also confirmed cell damage and trouble with animals' reproductive systems caused by plastic-eating. Some species, such as oysters, produce fewer eggs if they wrongly take too much plastic.
Fortunately, solutions are being found. Many scientists agree the top priority is to prevent plastic waste from entering rivers and seas. Better product design also should be taken into account, as well as the reduction in producing unnecessary single-use plastic products.
A. Nearly every species of seabird eats plastics.
B. This makes plastic waste even harder to notice.
C. Millions of animals are killed by plastic every year.
D. Some pieces have even been found blocking their organs.
E. Half of all plastics ever produced have been made in the last 15 years.
F. It could be done with improved waste management systems and recycling.
G. However, they may remain in the environment for hundreds of years and cause a lot of harm.
A little girl has become famous in her neighborhood after drawing messages of hope on her family's garage door during lockdown (疫情封闭).
Mom-of-two Christine has been letting her six-year-old daughter Eilidh turn their black shiny garage door into a1 art project with chalk. Twice a week since April 2020, Eilidh has let her imagination run 2, covering the space with mermaids, dolphins, Spiderman, and dinosaurs. She has this week3 it with a rainbow, flowers, and some 4words. Eilidh has a little wooden chair she can stand on to help her 5 higher up, and her artist mom gives her 6 with things she needs.
Her drawings came to people's7, and an admiring fan club has begun leaving boxes of chocolates on their doorstep. 8 mom Christine said: "Whatever comes into her head she draws it9. It could be quite10. It depends on what is happening around her. She is just drawing outside to make people11."
Christine has already12 one broom (扫帚) by cleaning the garage. When it rains, the chalk is washed away, and Eilidh starts again13on the next dry day.
Eilidh is now loving being back at 14 as lockdown in Britain eases. And one thing is for sure – this little girl is no doubt superior in her15 classes.
Electric vehicles are better for the climate than gas-powered cars, but many Americans are still hesitant to buy them. One reason: the larger upfront cost (前期成本).
New data (publish) Thursday shows that despite the higher sticker price, electric cars may actually save drivers money in the long run.
To reach this (conclude), a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology calculated both the carbon dioxide emissions full lifetime cost – including purchase price, maintenance and fuel – for nearly every new car model on the market. They found electric cars were(easy) more climate friendly than gas-burning ones. Over a lifetime, they were often(cheap), too.
Climate scientists say vehicle electrification is one of the best ways(reduce) planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. In the United States, the transportation sector is the largest source of emissions, most of come from cars and trucks.
Jessika Trancik, associate professor of energy studies at M.I.T. who led the research,
(say) the data would "help people learn about how those upfront costs are spread over the lifetime of the car." For electric cars, lower costs of maintenance and charging comparedgasoline prices tend to offset (抵消) the higher upfront price over time.
With two full bags of cat food in her arms, Lila couldn't stop smiling as she walked toward the familiar shop on the corner. She was making her weekly visit to see Hussein, the barber. He spotted her through the picture window of his quiet shop and burst through the door into the sunlight, stretching his arms wide with a Turkish greeting. The two hurried over to the tiny food dishes lined up in the street corner and soon several cats began to appear.
Hussein took most of his spare time in the street, patting each cat and speaking softly. Lila had been leading a volunteer animal rescue program in Turkey for the last three years and often reported relevant stories on her website.
As the two finished up and made their way back, Hussein's smile faded and Lila noticed he was beginning to look rather thin, so she asked him what was the matter. Hesitating for a while, Hussein said, "I am afraid I will lose this barbershop." Days before, Hussein was told that he must close the shop in two weeks. The landlord thought he couldn't pay enough rent and invited another tenant (租户), one who wouldn't feed cats outside all the time, but focus more on his business.
"As for me, I can find a job to earn a living. What I'm really worried about are the cats. Closing this shop, I won't have enough time and money to take care of them." Hussein sighed deeply. Lila's eyes began to flood as Hussein expressed his worry. "Haven't you thought about opening a new barbershop?" Lila asked. "But the storefronts (门头房) nearby are too expensive and the ones far away are not available for me to take care of the cats." Hussein said helplessly.
There were only seven days before Hussein left the shop. Lila feared for his very survival and for that of the animals who depended on him. She realized that she should do something.
注意：
1） 续写词数应为 150 左右；
2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Lila posted Hussein's story on her website.
……
In less than a month, Hussein was back in business again in his new shop.
