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D

In school, we learned the periodic table and were told to recite the alphabet, but nobody forced us to take a class on what emotions are and how they work before we entered the big world. And for many of us, that means understanding how we feel and why can be incredibly difficult.

Yet, research shows that being aware of your emotions is hugely beneficial and people with high emotional awareness have better social and emotional functioning. In layman's terms, that can translate as being able to predict your emotions and develop coping mechanisms in advance, becoming wise to unhealthy behavior patterns, and even being more in tune with the needs of others.

"Emotional awareness is being able to identify and make sense of not only our own emotions but those of others. It's absolutely essential in maintaining good mental health," explains Rachel Vora, psychotherapist and founder of CYP Wellbeing. "When we are able to identify and reflect on our emotional responses, we can understand how this influences our behaviors and in turn, change the way we respond to challenging situations."

Of course, pinpointing how we feel can often prove difficult. It's the very reason we turn to general phrases like "I feel blue" or "I'm not myself today". Vora says this is often because on some level we don't want to know how we really feel. "We can often try to numb (使麻木), suppress or avoid emotions because they feel overwhelming or distressing and this can often lead to a lack of emotional awareness as we feel disconnected from ourselves," she explains.

Without emotional awareness, we can also develop emotional blind spots: unhealthy thoughts, behaviors and coping mechanisms that are hidden from our view. Perhaps you may feel self-doubt when you receive negative feedback. Unless you take time for introspection (反省), you'll remain unaware of these habits. Vora says tuning into your emotions and honestly reflecting on how you feel is key. "By identifying our emotional blind spots, we can feel more in control of our emotions, how to improve our mood and also how we respond in challenging situations."

C

A new outdoor fabric (织物) stores energy by day and then lights up at night. Being tested in a city park, this totally "cool" fabric has attracted interest for its many urban uses.

This is the invention of Anai Green, an industrial and product designer based in Tel Aviv, Israel. She designed a fabric that includes organic and solar photovoltaic cells (光伏电池). The cells capture sunlight and store the energy in strips with LEDs. This allows the fabric to shade public space by day. When night falls, these strips light up. Green said, "We use LumiWeave to light public space without carbon emissions, making the lighting all-natural. And we spread light in the area we want to light only."

The system was designed to adapt to all weather conditions and can continue to provide lighting even after three days without sunlight. In addition, you simply put LumiWeave up and the sun will do the work. This in itself saves 50 percent of the cost of building standard lighting, and it saves 100 percent on the electricity bills. This is great news for cities. Tel Aviv, Green's hometown, is trying out LumiWeave in AtidimPark.

The mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai, is making efforts to address climate change. "LumiWeave will turn out to be a groundbreaking project," Huldai said. The mayor added that LumiWeave is especially important as it solves the issue of shading urban areas and uses clean energy.

The new fabric can be fixed atop bike paths, in children's parks and in walking areas. Many big cities in Israel are planning on adopting LumiWeave. As there is also use for the fabric in outdoor sitting areas of restaurants and hotels, Green has developed a LumiWeave parasol (大遮阳伞). "We are now developing the possibility of controlling it from the phone — we're creating an application," Green said. LumiWeave provides an ideal solution for urban parks and gardens. We hope that it will soon be lighting up night skies around the world.

B

I still remember that busy autumn evening as I hurried with my eldest daughter, Athena, to get to her classroom on time for the parent-teacher night. We walked in and all eyes were on me. A few adults quickly quieted their kids' whispers. A classmate yelled to my daughter, "What's wrong with your mom's face?" Shocked, I started to explain my condition, but my six-year-old daughter looked at him and said, "It's my mom's birthmark! Don't be rude!" I was extremely proud of how she handled that situation.

I was quite young when I realized I looked different because of my large facial birthmark. I always thought I would be alone because of it. Being compared to Batman's evil Two-Face made me believe I could never find love. But I was lucky enough to meet my husband, who saw me for who I am inside. When I had my first daughter, I was overjoyed, but I began to worry if the world would judge my children. I always worried I might pass my condition onto my children; I didn't want them to grow up feeling judged. Unfortunately, my facial difference has impacted my children. My daughters get disinvited from birthday parties or sleepovers, or I learn certain kids are no longer friends with mine after their parents saw me at school.

When my kids were young, I explained how my special purple skin was rare and we talked about acceptance and never judging others on how they look. When my girls kiss my purple-skinned cheek, I feel "normal" around them and their unconditional love. With time going by, both my daughters have become my strongest supporters. Thanks to them, I've begun to feel more self-confident as I try to be a good role model.

Their worldviews are similar to mine. We see the world a little differently and with a kinder, more accepting heart. As the saying goes, your daughters will grow up to be your best friends. I know that will be the case for me!

A

FAMOUS CHINESE PAINTINGS, ARTISTIC TREASURES

With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the most culturally unique nations. Over many centuries, Chinese artists have created paintings that are now in the hearts of more than a billion people.

Nymph of the Luo River—Gu Kaizhi

The legend has it that Cao Zhi, a prince of the state of Cao Wei, fell in love with the governor's daughter. However, she married his brother, Cao Pi, and the prince became upset. Later, he composed an emotional poem about the love between the goddess and common people. In the 4th century, Gu Kaizhi, a Chinese artist, was moved by the story and illustrated the poem.

Court Ladies Adorning Their Hair with Flowers—Zhou Fang

During the Tang Dynasty, China had a prosperous economy and flourishing culture. In this period, the genre of "beautiful women painting" enjoyed popularity. Coming from a noble background, Zhou Fang, a Chinese artist, created artworks in this genre. In his painting, the ladies stand as though they are fashion models, but one of them is entertaining herself by teasing a cute dog.

Along the River During the Qingming Festival—Zhang Zeduan

Zhang Zeduan depicted the landscape in his work Along the River During the Qingming Festival. However, instead of concentrating on the vastness of nature, he captured the daily life of the people of Bianjing, present-day Kaifeng. His work shows much about life in the Northern Song Dynasty.

A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains—Wang Ximeng

Not only did officials and scholars enjoy listening to music, but they also found pleasure in depicting nature. One such painter was Wang Ximeng. He was a prodigy. Wang Ximeng painted A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains when he was only seventeen years old. He died several years later, but he left one of the largest and most beautiful paintings in Chinese history.

John and Nancy were left with their grandmother Linda after their mom was hospitalized for illness. They were curious about when they could finally see their mom.

"The hospital won't allow her to leave until all of her medical bills are settled. I have given your mom all I could, but there's still a large amount that we need to pay off," Linda explained. John and Nancy missed their mom a lot and wanted her to come back home as soon as possible.

"What if we put up a lemonade stand (摊位) John?" Nancy asked her older brother.

"We can pick the lemons from the garden and make fresh juice out of them," she suggested. Her brother smiled, "That's a great idea, Nancy!" From then on, John and Nancy stayed outside the entire afternoon after school selling lemonade. A week went by, they only managed to earn ten dollars.

On Saturday morning, they sat on the side of the yard, looking worried. After a couple of seconds, their silent pondering (沉思) was interrupted by loud police sirens. "Hey, fellas!" one of the policemen greeted. "My colleague Jacob said that his neighbor had a lemonade stand in front of their yard." The two children nodded. "I'm sorry, officer. But I didn't think there would be anything wrong with that. Besides, we didn't earn a lot," John tried to explain.

"Don't worry. You're not in trouble. I bought a cup of it from you two the other day, remember? I asked why you were selling lemonade, and you told me it was to raise funds to get your mom out of the hospital," Jacob interrupted upon seeing John and Nancy looked nervous.

"I told my friends over here, and we decided we wanted to help. Come to the back of the police car, and we have something to show you," Jacob told the kids. They slowly made their way to the back of one of the police cars and saw a nicely-painted wooden lemonade stand. "That's beautiful!" Nancy said in surprise.

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。

"There's a big food festival downtown today, and we got you a stand." Jacob said. "Why not go there and give it a shot?"

There was a large crowd eager to buy lemonade.

1. 比赛目的及过程；

2. 你的感受。

注意： 

1. 词数80左右； 

2. 请在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Morley Safer has worked in television news for 61 years. He's spent 46 of those years on his broadcast, longer than anyone else. As a (travel), he holds some sort of record, (take) planes, trains, boats, even bicycles to the ends of the Earth.

When he was 24, a door opened that would change his life. He was hired a television news writer at the CBC, Canada's premier broadcasting network. And soon enough, he was foreign correspondent(记者), the job he'd dreamed of. His passport filled up quickly. In late 1963, Morley caught the eye of the American network leaders, hired him to join the great CBS bureau in London. From his base in London, he covered shooting wars in Algeria and Cyprus.

By the time he was 35, he (cover) news in Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. It's fair (say) that nobody alive today has seen as much and reported on it as (brilliant) as Morley. Simply by example, he's made the rest of us better journalists. His writing (consider) the best in the business. His toughness and kindness and sense of humor are legendary.

In a business that's fast-moving and sometimes competitive, he survived and prospered, either outworking outliving everyone else, trying to get to the bottom of things.

Traffic Regulation and Accident Prevention

We live in a remarkable time, and many of the once fatal diseases can now be cured with modern medicine and surgery.  Expectations of life have greatly increased. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the incredible killing of men, women and children on the roads. Man fights against the motor-car. It is a never-ending battle which man is losing.  

Nothing can seriously increase your risk of potentially fatal car accidents other than speeding and failing to pay due attention to weather conditions. There is no doubt that the motor-car often brings out a man's very worst qualities. Usually quiet and pleasant people, when they are behind the steering wheel, will become unrecognizable. They are impolite, aggressive, self-willed like two-year-old, completely selfish. All their hidden frustrations, disappointments, and jealousy seem to be caused by driving.

It's all for his own convenience. Due to a serious tragedy, the city is almost uninhabitable and the huge parking lot makes the town ugly. The destruction of rural areas and the annual mass killings are just a statistic, easily forgotten. With regard to driving, the laws of some countries are not strict and even the strictest are not strict enough.

Traffic rules are for everyone to follow under any circumstances, and no one can make an exception unless you make a joke of your own life. Universally accepted standards can only have a significant beneficial on the incidence of accidents. Governments should develop safety codes for manufacturers.  These measures may sound cruel. However, if these measures result in a reduction in the loss of life every year, they should certainly not be considered serious. After all, the world belongs to humans, not cars.

A. There are five reasons for the accident and you are guilty.

B. Every year thousands of people are horribly killed, and we sit still and let it happen.

C. Surprisingly, society should smile at the driver and forgive him.

D. Someone has rightly said that when a person is sitting behind the steering wheel, his car becomes an extension of his personality.

E. All advertisements that emphasize power and performance should be banned.

F. It is time to develop a universal norm to reduce this senseless waste of human life.

G. It is almost certain that one day a cure will be found for the rest of the diseases.

D

No one likes interruption. We are born to seek balance and order. No matter what it is that you are doing, being interrupted involves a forceful stop midway and then having to re-enter your previous state, sometimes with great difficulty.

Popular belief has it that interruption breaks the flow of your thinking and affects productivity negatively, and so it is advisable that you have an uninterrupted session of intensive work before your next break.

However, a Russian psychologist, Bluma Zeigarnik, might tell you otherwise.

The connection between interruption and memory came to her attention when she was dining in a restaurant. She noticed how the waitresses had an amazing memory of the detailed orders yet to be paid for but scarce memory of the orders that were already completed.

Back in her laboratory, she conducted studies in which subjects were required to complete various puzzles. Some of the subjects were interrupted during the tasks. All the subjects were then asked to describe what tasks they had done. It turns out that adults remembered the interrupted tasks 90% better than the completed tasks, and that children were even more likely to recall the uncompleted tasks. In other words, uncompleted tasks will stay on your mind until you finish them!

In comparison to tasks that were already finished and ones that we haven't even started, half-done projects are given the priority in the mental to-do list our brains sketch out for us. Zeigarnik described this finding in her doctoral thesis (论文) in the late 1920s, which was later called Zeigarnik effect.

One possible explanation is that with interrupted tasks, we are desperate for their closure to reclaim a sense of balance. Finishing them also means that we can finally clear up the mental backlog (积压的工作) and give the space to more upcoming tasks.

Zeigarnik's effect can be found everywhere, especially used in media and advertising. Have you ever wondered why cliffhangers work so well or why you just can't get yourself to stop watching that series on Netflix?

Ernest Hemingway once said about writing a novel, "It is the wait until the next day that is hard to get through." So next time, when you are interrupted, appreciate it and take advantage of it to promote your productivity.

C

Poetry is one of the important art forms of literature, and is an easy way to express your feelings. Moreover, everyone understands it in their own way. Some find relief in poems; some read them simply for peace; some read poems for simple artistic pleasure.

There are some special features of poetry, which make it quite different from other forms of literature. First of all, poems have rhythmic patterns. Generally, most parts of a poem follow the same form of rhythm. Poems may have rhyme, but they don't have to. The lines are neatly arranged together so that they express a particular feeling or emotion.

There can be various types of poems but according to the pattern or the form, there are mainly three types: 

Lyrics: The lyric mainly concentrates on human thoughts and emotions rather than a story. Lyrics always bear song-like appeal. These are mainly short poems. Popular lyric poem forms are the elegy, the ode and the sonnet. William Shakespeare, Edmund Waller and John Keats are some of the greatest lyric writers of all times.

Narrative poems: This type of poetry tells a story. Narrative poems are usually long poems. Epics and ballads fall under this type. Some of the greatest epic poets are John Milton, Dante, Edgar Allan Poe, Alexander Pope, William Shakespeare, etc.

Dramatic poems: Any drama that is written in verse is a dramatic poem. These poems generally tell a story. Black verse, dramatic monologues and closet drama belong to this type. William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson are some of the great dramatic poets.

Whatever the form is, one thing, which, cannot be denied, is that poetry is one of the most powerful tools to express our feelings.

B

I once met a young woman who had dreams of swimming for the U.S Olympic team. She had to get up every morning at 4 a.m. to swim for 3 hours before going to school. She did not party with her friends on Saturday night. She had to study and keep her grades up, just like everyone else. 

When I asked her what compelled her with such super-human ambition and sacrifice (牺牲). She simply said, "I do it for myself and the people I love. It's love that gets me over the hurdles and sacrifices."

A reason or a purpose is a combination of "wants" and "don't wants". When people ask me what my reason for wanting to be rich is, it is a combination of deep emotional "wants" and "don't wants".

I will list a few. First the "don't wants", for they create the "wants". I don't want to work all my life. I don't want what my parents aspired for, which was job security and a big house. I don't like being an employee. I hated it that my dad always missed my football games because he was so busy working on his career. I hated it when my dad worked hard all his life and the government took most of what he worked for at his death.

Now the "wants". I want to be free to travel the world and live in the lifestyle I love. I want to be young when I do this. I want control over my time and my life. I want money to work for me.

Those are my deep-seated, emotional reasons. What are yours? If they are not strong enough, the reality of the road ahead may be greater than your reasons. I have lost money and been set back many times, but it was the deep emotional reasons that kept me standing up and going forward. I wanted to be free by age 40, but it took me until I was 47 with many learning experiences along the way. 

I wish I could say it was easy. It wasn't, but it wasn't hard either. But without a strong reason or purpose anything in life is hard.

A

Grand Canyon National Park

Located in northern Arizona, the park covers 277 miles of the Colorado River and nearby uplands. One of the most awesome examples of erosion (侵蚀) in the world, Grand Canyon is unmatched in the incomparable view it offers to visitors.

Park Openings and Closings

The Village and Desert View on the South Rim are open all year and park entrances remain open 24 hours a day. North Rim facilities open mid-May and close mid-October. Park entrances remain open 24 hours a day during this time. Hours for visitor centers and businesses vary throughout the year.

Park Information

The park produces a Pocket Map with a North Rim and South Rim edition that contains a map and information about services, facilities, and park ranger programs. It is available in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Chinese. A hiking brochure is available for those planning to hike one of the park's main trails down into Grand Canyon. Obtain publications at entrance stations, visitor centers, or atgo.nps.gov/136oil.

Accessibility

The terrain (地形) is rugged with narrow, rocky trails and steep cliffs. Visitors using wheelchairs or having visual disabilities may need assistance. For more information about accessibility in Grand Canyon National Park, see go.nps.gov/1rtxl2.

Park Entrance Fees

Admission to the park us $35 per private vehicle; $30 per motorcycle; and $20 per person entering the park through Grand Canyon Railway, park shuttle bus, walking, or riding a bicycle. The pass can be used for seven days and includes both rims. Pay fees at park entrance stations or at some businesses outside the park. Every year the National Park Service offers entrance fee free days. For complete fee information, please visitgo.nps.gov/y5uu6f.

Sustainability

Grand Canyon National Park involves sustainability in all aspects of its operations. Use your refillable water bottle to fill up on free Grand Canyon spring water at visitor centers and grocery stores. Recycling containers are conveniently located and as common as trash bins. Discover what else you can do to protect the environment while traveling here and beyond. at go.mos.gov/lb2rzt.

A few days before my fiftieth birthday, I experienced a bad brain injury. At the time, I was a long-distance runner, and sports had always helped me deal with my-life-long depression. But depression after a brain injury became severer, and I needed something new in my life.

So at the age of fifty, depressed and brain-injured, I did what many women would do: learning the circus (马戏表演). I was athletic as an adult but not as a kid, and I had never taken dance lessons or gymnastics. I was strong, but neither very flexible nor graceful in the least.

Since the beginning of my severer depression I had kept to myself. I took time away from work, my social circle became much smaller, and I felt very alone. I was often afraid to leave the house. Even booking my first circus class was a leap in the dark (冒险之举) for me.

When I walked into my first circus class, I wasn't surprised to find I was the oldest student; in fact, even my teachers were young enough to be my daughters! But I was determined to stretch beyond my comfort zone, and the "kids" welcomed me. One of my classmates said to me, "Wow, my mom would never do this!"

After a group stretch and warm-up, my coach Katelyn told us that weeks after finishing the course, there would be a student performance. All students would be invited to give a performance, showing what they had learned in class. And all the performers' family members and friends would be invited to watch. I felt worried.

After talking about that performance, the coach asked which equipment I'd like to learn. There were silks, trapezes and the aerial hoop (空中吊环). I eyed the aerial hoop, Oh, how I wanted to sit up in the hoop and learn to fly like a bird! But I didn't have the arm strength to lift myself up onto the hoop. I was discouraged. My excitement was replaced with self-doubt and disappointment.

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。

When I expressed my upset to my coach, she smiled and said, "Just keep trying!"

When my name was called, I stood up, confidently walking to the stage. 

1. 广播目的；

2. 加入条件、报名要求；

3. 加入的好处。

注意：

1. 写作词数应为80左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Boys and girls,

That's all. Thank you.

For centuries bees, among the  (hard) working creatures on the planet, have benefited people, plants and the environment.

Under the theme "Bee engaged in pollinator-friendly agricultural production", World Bee Day 2023 calls for global (act) to support pollinator-friendly agricultural production and highlights the importance of preserving bees and other pollinators (传粉者), (particular) through evidence-based agricultural production practices.

The global World Bee Day ceremony,  was held in hybrid format at the FAO headquarters on Friday, 19 May, is  opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of adopting pollinator-friendly agricultural production practices  (protect) bees and other pollinators, while contributing to the resilience, sustainability and efficiency of agrifood systems.

By  (observe) World Bee Day each year, we can raise awareness on the essential role bees and other pollinators play in keeping people and the planet  (health) and on the many challenges they face today. We  (celebrate) this day ever since 2018, thanks to the efforts of the Government of Slovenia with the support of Apimondia, which led the UN General Assembly to declare 20 May  World Bee Day.

In the mid-20th century, boys could study technical subjects while girls were expected not. However, Bell Burnell's parents challenged these1 , which enabled her to study science. Bell Burnell knew before leaving school that she wanted to be a radio astronomer. That2 led her to go to the University of Glasgow, where she was the only3 in her class. After graduation, Bell Burnell went to Cambridge University, where she yet again had to prove that she4 .

Her first project, working with her thesis supervisor (论文导师) Hewish, was 5 certain objects called quasars (类星体). It was 6 to have a female student on this project. Bell Burnell herself has said that the only other females 7 were secretaries. At this stage, it was she who 8 the telescope and analyzed the data.

One day, checking on the data, Bell Burnell saw a signal that she couldn't9 . To understand what it was she ended up bringing this10 to Hewish, who said it was interference. He thought that Bell Burnell had wired up the radio telescope11 and that is why the new signal had appeared. However, she saw the signal again afterwards.12 , she tried to reach Hewish. Once he13 the pulse with his own eyes, he knew it wasn't interference, and a new research project began. But, with just one pulse it was hard to have a(n)14 discovery.

A couple of days later, Bell Burnell was in her study, and she saw something 15 to the first pulse, and thus 2 pulsars were discovered.

To create paper and other wood products, millions of new trees must be planted each year. 

Don't use products that come with excessive (过度的) packaging.

A candy may come in an individual wrapper (包装纸), within a bag that's also placed inside a box. Buy items that haven't been wrapped several times. Next time you or your family go shopping, make sure you take reusable bags and buy things without packaging.

Another large cause of paper waste is takeout food containers. They are often made of paper products or packed in paper bags. Next time you and your family decide to eat out for a meal, request that you sit down in the restaurant instead of taking the food in to-go containers. Most fast food restaurants use paper products to individually wrap all food. Therefore, ask your family if you can cat at a conventional sit-down restaurant for your next night out.

Encourage others to save paper.

To have an even bigger impact, you can encourage others to save paper as well. One of the best ways to reach the most people is to put up signs that inform people how they can help.  They will help raise awareness of the importance of protecting trees. Make sure you print or draw your signs on reused paper (like the back of old homework). Trash containers and recycling bins are a great place for signs.

A. Choose to use paper plates and dishes.

B. Here are some ways to save paper.

C. It is a good way to reduce paper waste from packaging.

D. Many grocery stores provide paper bags to pack groceries.

E. Dine in instead of using takeout containers at restaurants.

F. Many of today's consumer items are wrapped several times.

G. There are lots of signs that you can print off from the Internet.

Using the health records of more than a million Swedish conscripts (应征入伍者), a recent study revealed that keeping cardiorespiratory (心肺的) fitness in their late teens and early twenties can cut the risk of developing nine types of cancer by 40% when older. The research team from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden said, "These results could be used to further strengthen the promotion of interventions aimed at increasing fitness in youth."

Almost a third of people aged from 16 to 24 in England aren't physically active, without meeting guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week including walking, riding a bike and dancing.

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) measures how well the heart, lungs and linked systems work to get oxygen to muscles during constant activities. The conscripts, aged between 16 and 25, had tests of CRF on exercise bikes between 1968 and 2005. The researchers used Swedish health data to see who went on to have cancer during an average follow-up of 33 years. The study found that increasing fitness was beneficial, regardless of body weight. However, they also found that higher fitness was linked to a higher risk of skin cancer. The researchers explained that this trend might be driven by exposure to sunlight.

Findings from those observational studies provide much evidence for a link between higher levels of physical activity and a lower risk of cancer. However, these studies cannot fully rule out the possibility that active people have lower cancer risk because they engage in other lifestyle behaviors. The researchers cautioned that they had no access to full data on factors such as diet, alcohol intake and smoking and so couldn't fully account for those.

Dr Claire Knight, of Cancer Research UK, said, "The NHS recommends 150 minutes of activity a week, but it's fine to build up activity over time and there are lots of ways to be more active. You don't need to run a marathon or join a gym. Anything that gets you warmer and slightly out of breath and your heart beating faster counts."

If you've ever waded into the ocean for a swim and suddenly realized that the shore is getting farther away, not closer, you may have encountered a rip current (离岸流). Common at beaches worldwide, these powerful currents flow from the shore toward the sea at speeds up to several feet per second.

It's important to know what rip currents are and how to look for them, because they are a leading cause of drownings in the surf zone near shore. Rip currents can form in several ways. One type of rip current, known as a channel rip current, forms when there are gaps between breaking waves. As waves break, they push water toward the beach and raise the level of the water slightly. If waves break on a sandbar (沙洲), but not in a deeper channel that cuts through the sandbar, the extra water that the waves have pushed toward the beacon escapes back to the ocean through the channel. The darker corridor of the escaping water acts like a conveyor belt, moving water, unsuspecting swimmers and small marine organisms offshore.

Another type, known as a transient or flash rip current, forms when surf is choppy (波涛汹涌的). The edges of breaking waves push on the water and make it spin, like a fast ice skater crashing into someone.

Think of a rip current as a swift river cutting through the surf away from the shore. Swimming against the current is going to tire you out and put you at risk of drowning. Instead, swim parallel to the beach—think of heading for the "river banks"—until you are out of the rip current's pull. Once you're no longer fighting it, you can swim back to shore.

Rip currents aren't just a safety issue. Scientists are beginning to better understand the crucial ecological role they play in the ocean. Many marine organisms including oysters, barnacles, fish and coral, rely on ocean currents to find suitable habitats. These organisms swim up or down or attach to floating or sinking material and are transported by multiple ocean processes. Rip currents are a key mechanism for carrying larvae (幼体) to deeper waters or recalculating them in shallow waters. The type and behavior of the rip current may affect the movement of marine organisms.

After over a decade of faithful service my old desktop computer finally died. It simply wouldn't start. With no computer repair places open my daughter talked me into purchasing a new laptop to replace it. What followed was two days of pure frustration. It was like going from driving an old Model T Ford to flying the Space Shuttle.

After my daughter set it up, I looked for the old e-mail program I used to use, only to find that it wasn't on this model. When I tried to download the older version again it wouldn't work. I also had a terrible time downloading my old word processing program again. Then there were some difficulties of transferring all of my old stories that I had saved on a jump drive. The laptop computer's fancy new programs were an icon minefield that I had to navigate. Each time I accidentally touched one of them it changed everything on my screen and I had to work hard to figure out how to change them back. In the end I had screwed up the settings so badly that I asked my daughter to do a reset so we could start over. Finally after two days I think we have set up the new computer to do the few simple things I need it to do so I can ignore the thousand other functions that I have no use for. I only hope it will work as long and faithfully as my old desktop did.

One thing I did learn from all of this is that when it comes to computers and life I want to keep things simple, simple, simple. Life is simple. Love is simple. It is we who make things complicated. Take some time today then to turn off your electronics and turn on your heart. Be a person, not a program. Be yourself, not your "Selfie". Fill your days with purpose, your years with happiness, and your life with love.