The cheerful smiles and legendary strength of the Sherpas (夏尔巴人）have been an essential part of Mount Everest climbing expeditions (探险) from the very beginning. Indeed, very few significant successes have been achieved without them.

    When Western mountaineers first set their sights on the world's highest peak, they found in the Sherpas a people ideally suited to the hardship of high-altitude climbing, unfailingly positive, stout at altitude, and seemingly resistant to cold.

    Sherpas did not venture into the high peaks until European mountaineers began arriving to climb in the world's greatest mountain range. Mount Everest, known as Chomolungma or "Goddess Mother of the Land" to the Sherpas was long considered as a living place of the gods where humans were not allowed to go. Although Everest now sees many a human footprint, the Sherpas still regard the mountain as a holy place.

    Sherpas were first employed as porters, tasked with carrying large amounts of equipment to supply the military-style expeditions of the day. The early climbers were amazed at the strength of these people, from the fittest of mature men to the young and elderly. In addition to their heavy loads, some of the women even carried along their babies. The whole troop of Sherpas slept outside, using only rocks for shelter, as temperatures dropped well below freezing.

    Stronger Sherpas soon graduated from porter status and began to undertake challenging climbing. Those who distinguished themselves were awarded the Tiger Medal, and many desired this honor and the higher pay rate it afforded. Despite the potential dangers, the Sherpa people remained enthusiastic about taking part in Everest expeditions, which even then were becoming an important source of income for a poor mountain folk.

    Everywhere inside Valerie Tolman's home in Missouri City are signs that she has a big heart. There are family photos, including those of two biological and two adopted children who are all now grown; her two rescue dogs, Ivy and Ellie, are close by and, in an upstairs bedroom, are four kittens she's looking after. Her love of animals and passion for helping strays (走失的宠物) find homes earned her the Missouri City Volunteer of the Year award in 2017.

    Tolman, a former newspaper reporter and software-industry analyst, started the volunteer program at the Missouri City Animal Shelter in 2014 after she retired. She later formed the Friends of the Missouri City Animal Shelter, a nonprofit to expand the group's efforts to keep animals healthy, alive and adoptable. "I like living things, and it breaks my heart to think something is suffering — animals or humans," Tolman said.

    She even challenged city officials about the lack of funding (资金提供) for the shelter, and encouraged the public to complain (投诉) in letters and emails to the City Council. Eventually, the council budgeted $250,000 for the shelter. "I fought city hall and won," she said. "The animals are in such better shape. I'm proud of that."

    But she's most proud of her efforts to send high school students from low-income families to college. She and her husband Davis Tolman, a retired petroleum geologist, started a scholarship for first-generation college students in 2001. Tolman said 5l students have received full tuition (学费), including books, through the program. Although the graduation rate for the scholarship receivers is 54 percent, Tolman said all of the students tended to become successful in life simply because they attended college. Most of the students are the first in their families to go to college.

    "It has a ripple effect, and even though some may not finish, there is a feeling that anything is possible," she said. "We now have nurses, teachers and engineers because of this program."

    People may set an alarm on the phone or clock that sounds like this: beep beep beep. That hard, unpleasant sound may be making it harder to shake off the sleepy feeling in the morning known as grogginess. So, is there a better way to wake up? A recent study says yes. The answer is music.

    The study, carried out by researchers in Australia, involved 50 people. The researchers found that people who wake up to musical alarms reported feeling more awake and alert. Stuart McFarlane, a lead writer of the study stated, "We are very surprised by these findings as one might expect a harsh beeping sound to be more successful at waking up a person."

    Sleep inertia is another term for grogginess. It means a person has a heavy feeling when waking up, and has trouble getting moving again after sleeping. McFarlane said people need to better understand sleep inertia's harmful effects on human performance later in the day.

    Not everyone will experience the full effect. But for those who do, "care should be taken" when performing duties that require a top performance within this period, he said. This includes "dangerous tasks like driving or riding our bikes" shortly after waking up. The same is true for people who work in dangerous situations shortly after they wake, including firefighters and pilots.

    So, what makes musical alarms better for waking up? The researchers think the music may be more successful in reducing sleep inertia because it has several tones, compared to the single tone of a "beeping" alarm. McFarlane said that the changes over time between the music tones may help increase a person's attention when waking from sleep.

    And is there a kind of music that is best to wake up to? There may be, McFarlane said. "We could suggest alarm sounds that are tune full and easy to hum or sing along with. The current sounds I have been using include ‘Close to me' by the Cure and 'Borderline' by Madonna."

    No matter how you wake up, experts say, the amount of sleep you get also matters a lot.

    Many healthcare workers know that washing hands is important to prevent the spread of infectious disease.  During a study conducted by Nicas and Best at Berkley University, they counted the number of times people touched their face with their hands.  Whether we are aware of our actions or not, most of us can agree that we touch our face with our hands frequently enough.

    Imagine that you are able to record a full day of your actions. Better yet, reflect on what you did when you woke up yesterday morning. Let me give you an idea of my previous morning. I was woken by the alarm clock at 6 am.  Then I checked my phone for messages, turned on the TV for morning news, started making my coffee and finally hit the shower. It wasn't even 5 minutes from the time I awoke and I already touched 5 different objects. The points of this is to be aware that even in our homes we are exposed to germs in places we don't realize.

    Luckily, the human body has amazing defense against harmful germs.  Our white blood cells are like soldiers coming to the rescue. Unfortunately, there are a lot of areas on our face that do not have the protection of skin such as the eyes and mouth. There's a reason to every wise proverb and our parents annoying us to wash our hands before dinner is not for nothing,

     If you have children, it is even more important to set the example because children are known to learn from adults. Let's start a good habit of washing hands. As for your friends, don't be shy about checking to make sure their hands are clean. Asking someone if they have washed their hands is caring. Checking to see if someone has washed their hands will benefit not only that person but you and your family.

A. Our skin is the first line of defense.

B. Several minutes later, I turned off the alarm clock.

C. It is easy for us to admit that we wash our hands regularly.

D. They are more self-aware that hand washing should be practiced as needed.

E. Most importantly, it is our duty to set the right example for friends and family.

F. They found that the subjects touched their face 15.7 times per hour on average.

G. Do the rest of your family members, especially children, wash their hands regularly?

    I was going to see my grandma Ruthy.

    Approaching her apartment, I was suddenly seized with the1 that I was going to die one day. I walked in to see my grandmother sitting on the sofa, 2 and pale. Once she would have 3 me in her huge bear hug, but now it seemed like the sofa was going to have her4 alive.

    I knew I was supposed to hug her but I wanted to 5. I didn't want to even make eye contact with this woman that I had loved so 6, because if I did, maybe death would   7 from over her shoulder and touch me too.

My grandmother, dying of cancer, 8 pulled herself to the edge of the sofa and 9 herself up and said, "So where are we going for dinner?" I turned to my mom 10 I didn't know what food went with dying.

    The next minute, we ended up 11 her off the sofa, down the steps, into the car, and driving to the closest 12. She hadn't managed solid food in weeks, and could 13 do a sip of water due to the pain. But she ordered a large cup of beer. We ate and she drank.14, there was no death. There was no cancer. There was a moment like that in every 15.

    Then we said 16. I was waiting for the icy cold hand of 17 on my heart. But I didn't feel it, because she had 18 a shield (防护物) around me — the meal.

    The last 19 my grandma Ruthy taught me is that one day, I'm supposed to look over my shoulder and say, "Hello, Death. Before we go, I'm going to have one more 20."

    For those lacking sleep at night, a nap (小睡) can often be the perfect solution. Naps improve your performance, which is why you feel  (refresh) after taking one. The length of your nap  (determine) the benefits. A 20-minute nap is the most  (suit) to improve moving skills and attention, while an hour to 90 minutes of napping helps solve creative problems. Just set an alarm  (get) the right amount of sleep.

    Regular, short naps can help relieve tension, which decreases your risk of heart disease. Get the most health benefits  your nap by doing it right. Stick to a regular napping schedule during right  (hour), between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. The time is right for a nap as it is usually after lunch,  your blood sugar and energy starts to dip. So, keep shut-eye short and nap in a dark room as soon as possible during this period.

    As anyone suffering from  sleepless night knows, it's hard to be happy the next day. Napping can help erase the bad mood for lack of sleeping. A short nap is a  (wise) choice than drinking black coffee, since  (take) caffeine in the afternoon or evening can badly affect your nighttime sleep.

1）写信目的；

2）推荐理由

注意：

1）词数 80 左右；

2）可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Plant-Based Diet

    What is a plant-based diet? Is it just a fashionable new term for a "vegan (严格素食主义者)"? While there is no set definition, a plant-based way of eating focuses on consuming plant-sourced wholefoods (全天然食物) that are least processed in their original form, for example whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. These are full of vitamins, minerals, and provide an abundance of nutrients for your body. Following a plant-based lifestyle doesn't necessarily mean fully avoiding animal products like a vegan. For plant-based eaters, animal proteins can happily fit in with the lifestyle, yet they play more of a supporting role. Overall, "plant-based" is more of a broad and flexible way of thinking about nutrition rather than a rigid diet. With a plant-based diet, the focus is on simple, nutritious wholefoods.

    Why people start following a plant-based diet? One of the main reasons is the health benefits. Now, more so than ever, research is showing how eating more plants and less meat can positively affect health. Particularly, a plant-based lifestyle has been linked to heart health. In a study of more than 10, 000 adults published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, it was shown that those who followed a more plant-based diet had a 16 percent lower risk of having cardiovascular (心血管的) disease and a 32 percent lower risk of dying of cardiovascular disease.

    A plant-based lifestyle can also help to promote weight loss and help to maintain your goal weight. Weight loss commonly occurs because the diet consists of foods that are full of fiber and have a high-water content, which easily make you feel full up.

    Another major reason to jump at the plant-based eating train is the external (外界的，外部的) benefits. Plant-based foods are loaded with vitamins, which help brighten your skin. One of the plant-based all-star vitamins is vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant. A large number of fruits and vegetables contain vitamin C. They assist in smoothing lines, and reducing wrinkles.