1. My Gentle Sun

Carlos rubs my feet and kisses my toes when we lie under the sun near the Hudson River. I like to watch him. It soothes me to know someone so gentle moves through this world and has chosen to move through it with me. When he laughs his eyes crinkle, and he covers his mouth because he thinks his teeth are a mess. I think his teeth are beautiful.When it’s cloudy, he tells me not to worry, his dance will wish away the rain. What he doesn’t know is that it matters little — Carlos is the sun. — Madhuri Pavamani

当我们躺在哈德逊河附近的阳光下时，卡洛斯会蹭着我的脚，亲着我的脚趾，我喜欢看着他。当我知道一个如此温柔的人走过这个世界，选择和我一起共行时，我感到很欣慰。

他一笑眼睛就眯起来，并捂住嘴，因为他觉得自己的牙齿一团糟。我倒是觉得他的牙很漂亮。

阴天的时候，他告诉我不要担心，他舞蹈就会让雨消失。他不知道的是这无关紧要-卡洛斯，你就是那太阳。

3. 三词一句

3.1  soothe【牛津】常见释义：1.to make sb who is anxious, upset, etc. feel calmer 安慰;抚慰;劝慰 SYN calm. 2. to make a tense or painful part of your body feel more comfortable 减轻,缓解，缓和(身体某部位的紧张或疼痛）

The music soothed her for a while. 音乐让她稍微安静了一会儿

3.2 crinkle 【牛津】to become covered with or to form a lot of thin folds or lines, especially in skin, cloth or paper 卷曲、（尤指皮肤、布料或纸张）变皱，起皱纹 文中这里我们笑起来眯着眼，大家感受一下是表达出这样的意味？

3.3 wish  看似入门级词汇，我们来check out它的短语搭配形式的使用，高频常用【牛津】：

as you wish:悉听尊便；

wish for sth. : to think very hard that you want sth, especially sth that can only be achieved by good luck or magic 盼望；企求；想要。

wish sth. away: to try to get rid of sth by wishing it did not exist 从心里竭力摆脱；希望…不再存在

透过这篇百字文，我们也能看到，看似稀松平常处，却是挚爱流露时。

1.Just Me and My Sea Monkeys

I was in love and in lockdown in a small flat in Leith, Scotland. I had a lot of feelings and nowhere to put them. So I bought sea monkeys. I poured in the powder and checked the water temperature. For weeks, nothing. My last-ditch effort at finding something small (and within the rental agreement) to nurture was pointless. But then, so small you could barely make them out, a glimmer of hope and companionship in two tiny wriggling specks. — Claire Aubin

2.就我和我海猴鱼

我恋爱了，被关在苏格兰莱思的一个小公寓里。我有很多情感，却无处安放。

所以我买了海猴鱼。我加注了饲养剂，检查了水温，几个星期了，却什么都没有。

我最后一次努力想养一些小东西（在租赁协议范围内），似乎无疾而终。

但是，那么小，你几乎看不出来，终于在两个微小的蠕动的斑点上，闪烁着希望和陪伴之光。

-克莱尔·奥宾

3.

3.1  last-ditch【牛津】: used to describe a final attempt to achieve sth, when there is not much hope of succeeding 作最后努力（或尝试）的；孤注一掷的。

last-ditch effort 最后的努力

last-ditch attempt 最后一搏

last-ditch agreement 最后关头

3.2 a glimmer of

a glimmer of hope 一丝希望

a glimmer of fear 一丝恐惧

a glimmer of intelligence 很少一点情报

3.3 wriggling: twist and turn with quick movement

wriggling movement 蜿蜒运动

wriggling instability 蠕动不稳定性

It’s OK to Feel This Way

He got sad first. In a sea of anxiety, he lost his sense of self and self-worth. Sometimes, I cradled him in my arms and covered his face with kisses. Sometimes, I retreated into the calm of my own inner world. I got sad second. One morning, after arguing with my mother over coronavirus conspiracy theories, I couldn’t get up. He coaxed me out of bed with promises of light refracting off waves and briny winds, a sanctuary from the wildfire smoke. Walking hand-in-hand, our toes in the cold Pacific, I cried, finally allowing myself to feel the world’s weight. 

— Lilian Caylee Wang

Division Decisions

Years ago while away for the weekend, I woke up before my friend. In the refrigerator I found a small amount of orange juice and split it between two glasses. When she woke up and saw the juice she was surprised. She said that if her husband had found the orange juice, he would have poured it all in one glass for himself. I realized that if my husband had found the small amount of juice, he would have saved it all for me. We are still together; they are not. 

—by  Darah Latourelle

分享的抉择

几年前，当我外出度周末时，我比我的朋友早醒了。我在冰箱里找到了一点橙汁，把它分成两个玻璃杯。当她醒来看到果汁时，她很惊讶。她说，如果她丈夫找到了橙汁，他会把所有的橙汁都倒在一个杯子里。我意识到，如果我丈夫找到了那少量的果汁，他会把它全部留给我。我们还在一起，而我朋友他们两，确不再是。

Dating Advice From Dad

After church, eating cinnamon buns at a diner in Carson City, Nev., I asked my father for dating advice. I was frustrated with the men I had met on apps. He chewed, nodded and smiled. A professor, my father relishes the opportunity to provide wisdom. “Abby, successful relationships are about shared values and companionship.” His words didn’t fully resonate until months later, when Laura approached me at work in the hospital’s courtyard while I was reading on lunch break. When she invited me to join her queer book club, my father’s words drowned out my cautious inner monologue. — Abby Yee