never_givin_up (Learning_English) все записи автора

Long ago in a small, far away village, there was place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the House, he thought to himself, “This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often.”

In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, “That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again.”

All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?

never_givin_up (Learning_English) все записи автора

If you can look at the sunset and smile, then you still have hope…
If you can find beauty in the colors of a small flower, then you still have hope…
If you can find pleasure in the movement of a butterfly, then you still have hope…
If the smile of a child can still warm your heart, then you still have hope…<br/>If you can see the good in other people, then you still have hope…
If the rain breaking on a roof top can still lull you to sleep, then you still have hope…
If the sight of a rainbow still makes you stop and stare in wonder, then you still have hope…
If the soft fur of a favored pet still feels pleasant under your fingertips, then you still have hope…

If you meet new people with a trace of excitement and optimism, then you still have hope…
If you give people the benefit of a doubt, then you still have hope…
If you still offer your hand in friendship to others that have touched your life, then you still have hope…
If receiving an unexpected card or letter still brings a pleasant surprise, then you still have hope…

If the suffering of others still fills you with pain and frustration, then you still have hope…
If you refuse to let a friendship die, or accept that it must end, then you still have hope…
If you look forward to a time or place of quiet and reflection, then you still have hope…
If you still buy the ornaments, put up the Christmas tree or cook the turkey, then you still have hope…

If you still watch love stories or want the endings to be happy, then you still have hope…
If you can look to the past and smile, then you still have hope….

If, when faced with the bad, when told everything is futile, you can still look up and end the conversation with the phrase… yeah….BUT.. Then you still have hope…

Hope is such a marvelous thing. It bends, it twists, it sometimes hides, but rarely does it break… It sustains us when nothing else can… It gives us reason to continue and courage to move ahead, when we tell ourselves we’d rather give in…

Hope puts a smile on our face when the heart cannot manage… Hope puts our feet on the path when our eyes cannot see it… Hope moves us to act when our souls are confused of the direction….

Hope is a wonderful thing, something to be cherished and nurtured, and something that will refresh us in return… And it can be found in each of us, and it can bring light into the darkest of places…

Never lose hope.

ExquisiteGirl (Learning_English) все записи автора

А very tired traveler came to the banks of a river.

There was no bridge by which he could cross. It was winter, and the surface of the river was covered with ice. It was getting dark, and he wanted to reach the other side while there was enough light to see. He debated about whether or not the ice would bear his weight.

Finally, after much hesitation and fear, he got down on his knees and began very cautiously to creep across the surface of the ice. He hoped that by disturbing the weight of his body, the ice would be less apt to break under the load.

After he made his slow and painful journey about halfway across the river, he suddenly heard the sound of singing behind him. Out of the dusk, there came a 4-horse load of coal driven by a man singing merrily as he went to his carefree way. Here was the traveler, fearfully inching his way on his hands and knees. And there, as if whisked along by the winter’s wind, went the driver, his horses, his sled, and the heavy load of coal over the same river!

The story illustrates how many of us go through life.

Some stand on the bank of decisions unable to make up their minds about the course to take. Others stand on the banks trying to muster enough courage to cross over to the other side of the task or problem encountered.

On the other hand, some individuals crawl and creep through life for fear of thin ice.

Their faith is not strong enough to hold them up. Still there are those who whisked along whistling as they go. Their faith is UNSHAKABLE.

When we face the river of difficulties, we do not have to fear, nor do we creep through life. 

Remember_Angel (Learning_English) все записи автора

Whether you realize it or not, you are throwing the boomerang today. As you know, a boomerang is an angular club you toss away from you that eventually returns to you.

In the game of life, you throw the boomerang daily, in the form of actions and behaviors that you send out into the world, and which return to you at some later date — often multiplied on the rebound.

You’ve probably heard this principle stated in different ways, including, What goes around comes around. Give and it shall be given unto you and As you sow, so shall you reap.

But how does this principle apply to your day-to-day life Simply put, if you treat others with love and respect, you will find that others will generally love and respect you. If you serve others, you will likely be served. Of course, this law also applies to negative behaviors. If you are critical and judgmental, don’t be surprised when you are criticized and judged.

Many people don’t believe in the boomerang principle because they fail to view it with a long term perspective. In fact, the return for your actions is seldom immediate. There is often a delay between your actions and the rebounding consequences.

People also have trouble with this concept because they look for the return to come from the same person to whom they gave something. It doesn’t usually work that way. You’ll never know where the return will be coming from — or when it will arrive — but it always comes.

It’s really quite simple send it out and receive it back. So, if you want to receive love… give love. If you want people to appreciate you… show your appreciation for others. And if you want others to help you, then lend a helping hand yourself.

You have the power to create the life you want. It all depends on how you throw the boomerang!

Клаудия-не-Шифер (Learning_English) все записи автора

One of the most fascinating and remarkable creatures is the world is the ant. There are more than 3.500 different kinds of ants, and they are found almost everywhere in the world. All ants are very much alike except in size. And all ants live in colonies. But there are tremendous differences in their way of life and their habits.One of the most interesting types of ants, for example, is the “army ant”. It eats living things! In Africa, there is a type of army ant called the “driver” ant. These ants go out in armies of many thousands. They kill and eat everything in their way.  Now you might wonder, “How can a little insect like the ant eat and kill everything in its way?” Well, there are thousands and thousands of them, and if a creature cannot run – then good-bye! The army ants will kill and eat it, whether it is a fly or a crocodile or a wounded lion!

There are army ants which eat only small things. They are called “legionary” ants. They may be found in the southern , and in Central and South America. Legionary ants travel in lines of thousands of individuals. In , people move out of there houses when they come. The ants eat all the roaches, rats, mice, and lizards that may be in the houses. Then the people move back to vermin-free houses!Did you know that there are also ants who own slaves? There are the Amazon ants. The Amazon workers are all soldiers, and so they cannot gather food or tend to the young. So they must raid other ants to get slaves who will do this work.

They raid the nests of certain small, black ants. They kill any ants who try to resist them. Then they take the cocoons and larvae to their own homes. When the black ants come out of the cocoons, they will work in the Amazon colony, just like slaves!!!!

Vocabulary

Japanese-Girl (Learning_English) все записи автора

The city has also rediscovered its river. The area between the South Bank Arts Centre, which includes the National Theatre, and Tower Bridge, has been brought back to life and the city has found a new heart along the forgotten riverside. As you walk eastwards along the river from Westminster, you will discover that old ware-houses have been transformed into galleries, shops and clubs.
Across the river from London Bridge is ‘’The City of London’’, the financial district of the capital. The City has its own historic delights such as the 15th century Guildhall and churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The best way to explore the City is on foot. For instance, you can "walk through the ages", starting from Fournier Street and ending at the modern Lloyd's building on Lime Street. Remember, however, that in London you are never far away from the past; the old-fashioned red telephone boxes are becoming popular again and many London pubs - where a visitor might ask for a pint of bitter - have been restored to their original Victorian beauty.
But the capital is not a historical theme park. It is a lively and exciting metropolis which is well-known for its popular culture, music, clubs, street fashion, and visual arts. Today, many of its wide variety of restaurants claim to be as good as in any other European capitals.
Much of London's energy and originality is now centred in Soho, the city's liveliest and most bohemian area, squeezed in between the department stores of Oxford Street and the bookshops of Charing Cross Road. Soho, once considered one of the dirtiest and most dangerous parts of London, was cleaned up in the early 1980's. Today, with its gurgling cappuccino machines and pavement cafes, it has become a meeting place for all kinds of people from all over the world, whatever the hour of day or night.
So, even if you are new to the city, you don't have to try hard in order to experience the real London. Despite its heavy traffic and shaking underground railway, it is still one of the world's greatest and most cosmopolitan cities.