as far as the eye can see
The crowd stretched away as far as the eye could see.
as far/near as I can tell
As far/near as I can tell, he is happy at his new job.
without (a) doubt
They are, without doubt, the nicest people I’ve ever met.
My English Words List - June - 2026
sundae
noun
ice-cream sundae
This knockout sundae is a fun twist on the classic summer dessert. — Victoria Spencer, Martha Stewart, 8 June 2026
Sunday
noun
Sunday best, Sunday suit
Sunday driver
pudding
noun
corn pudding
bread pudding
chocolate/vanilla pudding
rice pudding
jump rope
noun
An Atlanta couple turned their love of a classic jump rope activity into a workout that’s helped thousands get moving and get fit. — Monique John, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
father figure
noun
The coach was a stern, wise father figure to his players.
loon
noun
crane
noun
verb
craning her neck to get a better view
craned her head to see the roof
game-changing
adjective
a game-changing discovery
mythos
noun
tomboy
noun
I was still the tomboy who used to arm-wrestle the boys and sometimes win. - My Journey, by Olivia Chow
defy
verb
Is the GOP Starting to Defy Trump?
upbeat
adjective
I’m feeling upbeat today
noun
business that is on the upbeat
murky
adjective
the murky bottom of the lake
He offered a murky explanation.
place value
noun
The hieroglyphs are beautiful, but the Egyptian number system was fundamentally flawed. They had no concept of a place value.
The periodic table of the elements
1. H（氢）
2. He（氦）
3. Li（锂）
4. Be（铍）
5. B（硼）
6. C（碳）
carbon dioxide
carbon emissions
7. N（氮）
nitrogen fertilizer
8. O（氧）
an oxygen mask
9. F（氟）
Toothpastes containing fluorine, in the form of sodium fluoride, can help prevent cavities.
Research has shown that small quantities of fluorine can retard the occurrence of cavities in teeth.
10. Ne（氖）
neon lights
11. Na（钠）
Sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda.
12. Mg（镁）
Excess acids in the stomach can be neutralized by milk of magnesia, a suspension of magnesium hydroxide.
13. Al（铝）
aluminum foil
14. Si（硅）
silicon chips
silicon-based semiconductors
15. P（磷）
16. S（硫）
17. Cl（氟）
18. Ar（氩）
19. K（钾）
20. Ca（钙）
The calcium ion is known as one of the “hardness ions” because its presence products hard water.
Most concretes used today are based on Portland cement. Discovered by an English bricklayer in 1824, Portland found on the Isle of Portland in England. The cement is made from a mixture of limestone, sand, clay, and gypsum. When it is mixed with sand and water, it hardens into the familiar material we see in so many of the structures of our daily life.
21. Sc（钪）
22. Ti（钛）
23. V（钒）
24. Cr（铬）
25. Mn（锰）
26. Fe（铁）
Iron plays a crucial part in the transport of oxygen throughout the body.
27. Co（钴）
28. Ni（镍）
29. Cu（铜）
30. Zn（锌）
31. Ga（镓）
32. Ge（锗）
33. As（砷）
34. Se（硒）
35. Br（溴）
36. Kr（氪）
74. W（钨）
Because tungsten has the highest melting point of any metal, it is used in the filaments of ordinary light bulbs.
- A Guide to the Elements Second Edition, by Albert Stwertka
- Periodic table
My Monthly Digest List - May - 2026
The New Yorker
May 11&18, 2026
Out of office - A Reporter at large
In the Trump era, what role should an ex-President play?
By Peter Slevin
When Obama met Trump for a ritual pre-Inauguration visit to the Oval Office, he was struck by how unschooled and incurious the President-elect was.
After the new President delivered his “American carnage” speech—a dark address that led George W. Bush to note, “That was some weird shit”
Waterloo Region Record
Tuesday, May 5
Good things come in threes
Trillium have three leaves, three petals, three sepals, and a three-sectioned seed pod.
Mental Health Week, Waterloo Public Library, Scanvenger Hunt
Exercise
Getting exercise releases endorphins in your body, which reduce pain and make you happier.Play a Game
Play a game to have fun and spend some quality time with your friends and family.Talk It Out
Talking about your feelings with trusted adults or friends can help when you feel sad or worried.
Quotes of philosophers
© selected from The Philosophy Book, DK
Superstition sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches them. - Voltaire
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. - William Shakespeare
Happy is he who has overcome his ego. - Siddhartha Gautama
I am a citizen of the world. - Socrates
I died as a mineral and became a plant.
I died as a plant and rose to animal.
I died as animal and I was Man. - Rumi
It is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things. - René Descartes
Man is but a reed, the weakest nature; yet he is a thinking reed. - Blaise Pascal
Immense harm is caused by the belief that work is virtuous. - Bertrand Russell
The morality of work is the morality of slaves, and the modern world has no need of slavery. - Bertrand Russell
What sort of a world can we prepare for our great-grandchildren? - Richard Rorty
My English Phrases List - May - 2026
get down to (something)
It’s time to stop delaying and get down to work.
Let’s get down to business.
get down to work
You need to get down to work if you want to finish the assignment on time.
My English Words List - May - 2026
standout
noun
She is a standout among the available candidates.
stand out
verb
His performance really stood out.
derby
noun
octogenarian
noun
The octogenarian uses a cane for walking.
hantavirus
noun
Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship.
lithium
noun
lithium-ion battery
Why kids need to take more risks
In the 1930s, Danish landscape architect Carl Theodor Sørensen noticed that his neighborhood’s children loved playing in old building sites. Watching kids swing from exposed beams, scavenge for scrap materials, and hammer together bridges inspired him to transform an abandoned housing estate into a dedicated junk playground. Sørensen’s site became a huge success, and soon countries throughout Europe were making playgrounds out of derelict building yards and even former World War I bomb sites. These environments might look dangerous, especially to 21st century parents who tend to be far more anxious about their childrens’ safety than previous generations. But research has found these seemingly scary setups teach kids important lessons that standard playgrounds don’t.
Play is profoundly important for childhood development. Creating games and following rules helps teach problem solving. Moving our bodies through varied terrain helps hone our motor control. And playing with others lets us practice language and refine our social skills. Since play comes naturally to all of us, children are likely to develop these skills in most environments. But researchers have identified a few factors that can maximize these benefits. Chief among them is freedom. Play is all about experimentation, and kids need the agency to explore and shape their surroundings without adults getting in the way. The next factor is novelty — kids are always hungry for new and unpredictable play elements. Finally, they need time to see their plans through.
While we could all use more time to play, the best play environments offer freedom and novelty that kids can explore as much or as little as they like. But traditional playgrounds don’t offer much flexibility here. Swings, slides, and climbing frames are hardly novel structures. They also have relatively low affordance — a term used by play researchers to indicate how open-ended an object’s design is. Items with high affordance, like a sandbox, can be interacted with in many ways. Meanwhile, objects with low affordance, like a slide, were designed with a single use in mind. Even when kids are creative enough to find new uses for low affordance objects, they’re still more limited playthings. To address these problems, some designers are looking back at Europe’s junk playgrounds to create modern adventure playgrounds — big, open spaces full of high affordance structures and free play possibilities. Berlin’s Kolle 37 features scrap and building tools for kids to manipulate. In Tokyo’s muddy Harapa Park, children shape water slides, sink holes, and splash pools out of the natural landscape. And in London’s Glamis Adventure Playground kids burn things in fire pits, with the help of play worker employees.
While some parents worry these unpredictable spaces are too dangerous, play researchers like Ellen Sandseter would say this so-called risky play is essential. Giving kids the space to experiment with fast speeds, high heights and getting lost helps them develop better judgment and confidence. In fact, risky play is how kids learn to manage risk and keep themselves safe. One study even found that kids were more likely to get seriously injured in traditional playgrounds — perhaps because adventure playgrounds encourage them to be more aware of their surroundings. Risky play also helps develop skills for managing mental health. Experimenting with small doses of uncertainty gets kids used to life being unpredictable, helping them better manage anxiety for years to come.
Adventure playgrounds aren’t the only places for risky play. Nature playgrounds encouraging kids to explore creeks, caves, and tree climbing combine the perks of risk-taking with the health benefits of connecting with nature. Meanwhile, other designers are working to bring more freedom and novelty to traditional designs. This Philadelphia park features a 30-person mega-swing, and Nebraska’s Omaha Riverfront Playground uses a ribbon of multi-layered decking as a play spine, warping up and down to reveal secret tunnels and rope forests.
So the real key is to design a variety of playgrounds, supporting a wide range of activities that promote fun, agency, and a dash of uncertainty — inviting kids to fill in the possibilities.
诗中有画
早春呈水部张十八员外
韩愈
天街小雨润如酥，草色遥看近却无。
最是一年春好处，绝胜烟柳满皇都。
莫道官忙身老大，即无年少逐春心。
凭君先到江头看，柳色如今深未深。
春夜喜雨
杜甫
好雨知时节，当春乃发生。
随风潜入夜，润物细无声。
野径云俱黑，江船火独明。
晓看红湿处，花重锦官城。
忆江南
白居易
江南好，风景旧曾谙。
日出江花红胜火，春来江水绿如蓝。
能不忆江南？
绝句
杜甫
两个黄鹂鸣翠柳，一行白鹭上青天。
窗含西岭千秋雪，门泊东吴万里船。
渔歌子
张志和
西塞山前白鹭飞，
桃花流水鳜鱼肥。
青箬笠，绿蓑衣，
斜风细雨不须归。
三衢道中
曾几
梅子黄时日日晴，小溪泛尽却山行。
绿阴不减来时路，添得黄鹂四五声。
小池
杨万里
泉眼无声惜细流，树阴照水爱晴柔。
小荷才露尖尖角，早有蜻蜓立上头。
晓出净慈寺送林子方
杨万里
毕竟西湖六月中，风光不与四时同。
接天莲叶无穷碧，映日荷花别样红。
山行
杜牧
远上寒山石径斜，白云生处有人家。
停车坐爱枫林晚，霜叶红于二月花。
枫桥夜泊
张继
月落乌啼霜满天，江枫渔火对愁眠。
姑苏城外寒山寺，夜半钟声到客船。
逢雪宿芙蓉山主人
刘长卿
日暮苍山远，天寒白屋贫。
柴门闻犬吠，风雪夜归人。