Flash Mob: The Pop Culture
If you see a group of people dancing and singing on the street or in the railway station, you don’t need to feel surprised. They are a flash mob. Who are they? Are they mobs (暴民)? Actually, a flash mob is a group of people who gather suddenly in a public place, do something unusual for a brief period of time, and then quickly separate.
A flash mob is usually organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communications networks. At a predetermined time, they gather and perform some tasks such as exchanging books, coming together to look at the sky, waving their hands and yelling something at the top of their lungs for 30 seconds. Then, they quickly disappear before the police can arrive.
Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper’s Magazine, organized the first flash mob in Manhattan in May 2003 and the first successful flash mob gathered on June 3, 2003 at Macy’s department store. More than one hundred people stepped onto the ninth floor carpet department of Macy’s department store, gathering around an expensive carpet. Following this flash mob, about 200 people flooded the lounge of the Hyatt hotel and applauded for about fifteen seconds.
Flash mob gatherings can sometimes shock people. Such an activity might seem amusing, but it might also frighten people who are not aware of what is taking place. They also have enormous economic potential, such as using flash mobs to advertise a product.
People use it to do many things. For example, in 2009, Michael Jackson’s fans took part in a flash mob to remember him. Hundreds of his fans gathered outside the railway station in Liverpool. They were singing and dancing Michael’s famous song “Beat It” together. And in another example, some people took part in a flash mob to tell more people not to use negative words.
Flash mobs give people from all walks of life an opportunity to come together to create a memory.
| A．Don’t be confused by their name. |
| B．People are attracted by the silly and harmless activities. |
| C．The flash mob is now becoming more and more popular. |
| D．Using mobile phones, the flash mob can change their gathering place. |
E.A later mob saw hundreds of people in Central Park making bird noises.
F.The messages may be forwarded to friends, who forward to more people.
G.Undoubtedly, flash mobs can serve as good political tools in any direction.
Britain’s high streets are dying slowly
Twenty years ago, the prosperous high street(繁华商业区) was the heart of most cities．It was crowded with customers．Nowadays, high streets are declining, with very few shops and shoppers．With about 14 shops down every day, Britain’s high streets are dying little by little.
It’s fairly easy to understand．To start with, people are spending less because of the economic recession(衰退)．On top of that, more and more people are using the Internet to do their shopping．And it is not easy for shopkeepers in the high streets, either．
Finally, there are the out-of-town retail parks with free car parking that sell just about everything at very low prices.
What can be done? Prime Minister David Cameron has hired Mary Portas, a British business woman and star of TV show Mary Queen of Shops, to bring some life back into Britain’s high streets．She’s talked about creating “magnets(磁石)” to attract people back to the centre． In one town, a bicycle rickshaw(人力车) service is delivering people’s shopping to their homes．
where children can be cared for while parents are shopping.
Members of the public have also voiced their opinions．“My ideal shopping center is one where there’s a wide selection of attractive looking shops, with cheap parking and good public transport links,” said a 28-year-old man．“I’d like to see Night Shopping evenings where shops are open through to 10 pm or later,” said a 22-year-old girl.
| A．They have to pay increasing high rents. |
| B．But he is not the only one to solve the problem. |
| C．But that’s all changed. |
| D．In another town, they set up night shopping centers, |
E． In another town, they set up a nursery,
F． They can make a fortune overnight.
G． Why are high streets in such a desperate situation?
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A Good Night’s Sleep
When the morning sun looks in through your bedroom window, do you jump out of bed? An adequate amount of sleep can make the difference between a great day and a terrible one!
A good night’s sleep doesn’t just happen. You need to prepare for it. First, go to bed at the same time every day, and get up at the same time. If you haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep, don’t oversleep the next morning. Get up at your regular time. Sleeping late for just a couples of days can change your body clock to a different cycle. You don’t want that if you have a set daily schedule.
Also, avoid big meals at night. Your stomach works hard to digest those fatty foods, and that may keep you up.
Your body produces a chemical called melatonin (褪黑色素) that helps you sleep. Light affects the amount of melatonin your body makes. So at night turn off your TV and computer. Also, don’t read from a backlit electronic equipment like an IPad. Some scientists think that the light from those stops your body from making melatonin. So turn those screens off at least an hour before bedtime.
Maybe you can’t sleep or you wake up in the middle of the night. Get up and do something relaxing elsewhere. Then go back to bed when you feel asleep again. If you worry a lot, make a list of things you need to do the next day. Do that an hour before bed. That way you get your worrying out of the way before you go to bed.
After a good night’s sleep, you’ll be able to face a new day.
| A．Don’t just lie in bed. |
| B．You can have three meals a day. |
| C．Or do you roll over and complain? |
| D．Various experts have given tips to help. |
E. Your TV and computers might affect your sleep.
F. It produces more in the evening and less in the daytime.
G. Eating heavy, rich food within two hours of bedtime can keep you awake.
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The family has the responsibility for keeping young children safe, providing love and helping all their children to learn to get along with people. The most important beginning is the development of trust. The infant (婴儿的) needs to know that there is someone who cares and provides for his or her needs.
Each person also has the responsibility to show love and affection to other people in the family. The way you show love can be different for different people. What one child feels is loving might be felt as disturbing by a different child. Each person’s needs should be respected. It is your responsibility to be an understanding person.
There are different ways to show young children affection and love. It is easy to tell when it is direct, a hug or kiss, or the words“I love you.” Young children respond better to demonstrating love. Use words to describe love with action. In this way the feelings are clear and not misunderstood.
Showing love also means guiding the actions of young children. As young children grow more independent, the people responsible need to understand these growing skills. But as important as it is to allow children the freedom to explore and be themselves, it is important to set limits for children.
Respect is the most important part of family relationships and harmony. Maintain control of yourself and your feelings.
| A．A hug is a physical need. |
| B．Respect the child’s self-esteem. |
| C．Remember how important your child is to you. |
| D．Many families don’t stop to think about their values. |
E. Another way a person might show love is through actions.
F. Each person in the family has a need for love and affection.
G. Clearly express to your child what is acceptable behavior in all sorts of daily situations.
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What is the secret of writing a good letter? Here are two main ones. Don’t try to be fancy. Don’t try to impress your reader. You will be successfully if you follow these six Cs.
Clear. Make them easy to understand. Talk as if the reader is right there with you.
Correct. Don’t guess, even for spelling. Refer to your dictionary. If you need to, check a reference book, too.
Complete(完整的).Don’t scatter(分散) your points. This is good organization, too.
Concise(简洁的).Make each point as clearly and briefly as you can.
Conversational. This is really the secret of good writing. Such a letter has a natural, friendly tone(语调) and lets you come through naturally.
Considerate(体贴的).Think of the readers’ point of view as you write. Write about what you believe the reader needs or wants to know. Try to be helpful.
| A．Just “ talk” to the person |
| B．This will build good feeling toward you. |
| C．Use short, direct sentences. |
| D．Include long sentences in your letter. |
E. Make sure what you say is correct.
F. Writing should not be taken too seriously.
G. Finish one point completely before going on to the next.
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Building Trust in a Relationship Again
Trust is a learned behavior that we gain from past experiences, Trust is a risk. But you can’t be successful when there’s a lack of trust in a relationship that results from an action where the wrongdoer takes no responsibility to fix the mistake.
Unfortunately, we’ve all been victims of betrayal. Whether we’ve been suffer from, lied to, misled, or cheated on, there are different levels of losing trust. Sometimes people simply can’t trust anymore. It’s understandable, but if you’re willing to build trust in a relationship again, we have some steps you can take to get you there.
Having confidence in yourself will help you make better choices because you can see what the best outcome would be for your well-being.
If you’ve been betrayed, you are the victim of your circumstance. But there’s a difference between being a victim and living with a “victim mentality”. At some point in all of our lives, we’ll have our trust tested or violated.
You didn’t lose “everything”. Once trust is lost, what is left? Instead of looking at the situation from this hopeless angle, look at everything you still have and be thankful for all of the good in your life. Instead, it’s a healthy way to work through the experience to allow room for positive growth and forgiveness.
| A．Learn to really trust yourself. |
| B．It is putting confidence in someone. |
| C．Stop regarding yourself as the victim. |
| D．Remember that you can expect the best in return. |
E. Seeing the positive side of things doesn’t mean you’re ignoring what happened.
F. This knowledge carries over in their attitude toward their future relationships.
G. They’ve been too badly hurt and they can’t bear to let it happen again.
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