【推荐1】The way students spend their weekends can vary. Once you get to college, students see the weekend to forget about everything. Most of the time it is going out with friends, but when you decide to turn that down, you are looked at to be lame. What's up with this?

In college, going out can seem like the main thing that happens during the weekend. But not everyone is into that —some students study or stay in with friends, and others simply just don’t go out because it is not their type of thing. If you are one of those people who decides to stay in, you probably know the feeling of being the “lame friend”.

When students feel this way, they can also feel pressured into doing something that they originally did not want to do. Just because a person does not want to go out and party and drink does not mean that they are lame—they just have a different idea of a fun weekend.

I don’t think we should assume that everyone needs to go out during the weekend in order to have fun, and the social pressure to do so can feel broken. I will speak from my own experience: When the weekend comes around, I overthink and start to get a rush of anxiety. Why? Because I might be judged for not going out, or I might miss something if I don’t go to this specific party that everyone is going to. I’m sure there are others that feel the same way and have had similar experiences, and they don’t deserve to feel the way I do either.

We should keep in mind that individuals are going through their own personal situations, and everyone has their own reasons for not going out. Staying in and watching a movie by yourself or with friends is not a bad thing, and people should normalize that not going out on the weekends is really not the worst thing.

1. Why does the author raise a question in paragraph 1?

A．To doubt students’behaviour.	B．To correct schools’ management.
C．To blame friends’ rejection.	D．To deny others’ judgement.

2. What is the lame friend probably like according to the text?

A．The one without friends.	B．The one with serious anxiety.
C．The one with less outside activities.	D．The one with the deadly leg disability.

3. What does the author suggest students do in the text?

A．How to spend weekends is up to you.

B．Study should be put first in college.

C．Going to the party everyone is going to is a must.

D．What to do at weekends is well worth considering.

4. What can we conclude from the text?

A．A good friend is my nearest relation.	B．Be the chess player, not the chess piece.
C．A man cannot be judged by his appearance.	D．Interest is the seed, the action are the fruits.

【推荐2】Having fun at winter camp

Here’s a list of some winter camps in Los Angeles to choose from. There are so many options: Kids could code (写代码), play Minecraft, play sports or make fun crafts. No matter what you choose, they’ll be happy!

·Photo Camp

This adventure begins with a basic overview of camera functions and ends with an exhibition featuring the kids’ work-from the week. Through games and traveling, we’ll change the way we see. We’ll learn through instruction and practice how to make images, rather than take them. Finally campers will develop their photographic eye and learn new ways of seeing.

Ages:8-16

Dates: Jan 5-Feb 5

Location: King Gillette Ranch 26800 West Mulholland Hwy, Cakabasas, CA91302

Skill/Experience Level: Beginning/ intermediate

What to Bring: flashcards, lunch, camera( we have cameras for those who don’t)

Tuition:$550

·CodeREV Kids Tech Camps

CodeREV Kids Tech Camps are the ultimate camp experience in education and fun. Whether learning to write code, 3D model and animate (把…制作成动画片)or develop the next great app or game, your kids and their friends will love sharing in the confidence-boosting experience of creating with technology as they explore and develop their multimedia STEM skills.

Ages:12-16 Dates: Dec 17-Jan 11

Location: Santa Monica Tech Studio, 1639, 16th St, Santa Monica, CA 90404

Skill/Experience Level: Beginning

Tuition: $650

·Digital Dragon

Students will encounter a different activity every day, selected by our instructors from a lot of favorite builds & tech exploration, including battling robots, game design, digital art projects, scratch programming, robot sports, YouTube videos and Minecraft of course! Students will take a break and walk to the nearby park for lunch and games.

Ages:16-18

Dates: Oct 15-Dec 15

Location: Hancock Park Elementary School, 408S. Fairfax Ave, LA 90036

Skill/Experience Level: Intermediate

Tuition: $600

·Iverbe Virtual Dance Camp

Each dance class will begin with a warm up where students learn to properly prepare their bodies for dance. Students will learn a variety of techniques (modern, jazz and ballet). They will learn part of a dance each day. The goal is to have fun, get moving and learn more about dance! No prior experience necessary.

Ages:9 and up

Dates: Jan 5-Feb 5

Location: 1024 Hanley Street, Los Angeles, CA90049

Skill/Experience Level: Beginning

Tuition: $400

1. What is required of the students to bring to the Photo Camp?

A．A camera.

B．A photo album.

C．Flashcards.

D．A notebook.

2. If Tom wants to take part in Iverbe Virtual Dance Camp, how much would he pay?

A．$550.

B．$650.

C．$600.

D．$400.

3. What do CodeREV Kids Tech Camp and Digital Dragon have in common?

A．Both are intended for beginners.

B．Both teach children skills to make robots.

C．Both help children improve programming skills.

D．Both encourage students to explore the nearby park.

【推荐3】Welcome to Princeton

Princeton University is a vibrant community of scholarship and learning that enrolls students of all background and interests. Established in 1746, Princeton is the fourth-oldest college in the United States. Princeton is an independent institution that provides undergraduate and graduate instruction in the arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering. As a world-renowned research university, Princeton seeks to achieve the highest levels in the discovery and spread of knowledge and understanding. Meanwhile, Princeton is distinctive among research universities in its commitment to undergraduate teaching.

Campus Life

A vast range of cultural, educational, athletic and social activities are available to Princeton students. Getting involved in campus life is the quickest way to become a part of the University community, and to create one's own Princeton experience. Campus life activities are built around the concepts of encouraging each community member to express his or her talents and to respect all members of our community.

Library

Princeton University Library consists of the Firestone Library and nine buildings across campus. The library's collections include more than 8 million books and impressive rare books, prints and other materials that require special handling. The library's extensive electronic resources include databases and journals, images and digital maps. Exhibitions from the library's rich collections are free and open to the general public.

Aid Program

Our aid program is designed to encourage all qualified students-regardless of financial circumstances-to consider applying for admission to Princeton. Any family, who feels they may need help to pay for a Princeton education is welcome to apply for aid.

For more information, please visit: http://www.princeton.edu.

1. What makes Princeton University outstanding among research universities?

A．Its long history.	B．Its high level in discovery.
C．Its undergraduate teaching.	D．Its wide range of institutions.

2. What can you enjoy as a Princeton University student?

A．Free undergraduate education.	B．Access to rare books and databases.
C．Free membership of sports clubs.	D．The quickest way to show talents.

3. The aid program of Princeton University is intended for_____.

A．any student from low-income families	B．qualified applicants to pay for Princeton
C．every student admitted into university	D．top students majoring in Finance

【推荐1】Though not as mainstream as devices like smartphones and fitness trackers, more companies are now experimenting with the concept of connected garments. Among the pioneers is London-based CuteCircuit, whose latest creation is the “Sound Shirt”, which allows deaf people to “feel” live music by transforming the tunes into touch sensations in real time.

The fashionable jacket achieves the incredible function using software that changes the music into data and wirelessly sends it to the 16-micro motors fitted inside the clothing’s fabric. The devices shake in sync（同步）to the intensity(强度）of the music being played, allowing the wearer to feel each instrument individually. The series of touch-like sensations across the wearer’s body enables them to feel the entire works, resulting in a fully amazing musical experience.

To ensure the shirt is comfortable, the designers chose to leave out wires and instead wove conductive textiles(传导纺织品) into the garment’s fabric. Francesca Rosella, co-founder, and chief creative officer of CuteCircuit, explains, “There are no wires inside, so we’re only using smart fabrics—we have a combination of microelectronics and very thin, flexible and conductive fabrics. All these little electronic motors are connected with these conductive fabrics so that the garment is soft and stretchable.”

CuteCircuit, which has been testing the Sound Shirt for three years, expects to make it available to the general public shortly. Priced at $3,673(3,000 pounds), the smart jacket will not be cheap. However, twin sisters Hermon and Heroda Berhane, who lost their hearing at a young age, believe the hi-tech garment is a worthwhile investment, especially for deaf people with a passion for dancing. “It’s almost like feeling the depth of the music,” says Hermon. “It just feels as though we can move along with it.” Heroda agrees, adding, “I think it could definitely change our lives.”

1. What is “sound shirt” meant for?

A．Deaf people.

B．Poor people

C．Students.

D．Musicians.

2. Which aspect of the “Sound Shirt” is mainly talked about in paragraph 2?

A．Special materials.	B．Powerful function.
C．Working principle.	D．Fashionable design.

3. How did the designers manage to keep the shirt comfortable?

A．By using wires.	B．By using smart fabrics.
C．By avoiding electronic motors.	D．By making the shirt very thin.

4. Why did the writer mention twin sisters Hermon and Heroda Berhane?

A．To persuade us to learn from them.

B．To get the public to know them better .

C．To state the smart jacket is affordable.

D．To prove the smart jacket enjoys promising future.

【推荐2】If your parents were to surprise you with a present on your birthday, which one would you prefer, a trip to the amusement park or a new pair of shoes?

According to Science Daily, about one-third of the people are likely to prefer shoes to a fun trip. These people are called "materialists", namely, those who value material goods more than experiences. But which of the two choices makes people happier?

Back in 2009, Ryan Howell, a professor at San Francisco State University, found that in the long run, experiences make people happier than possessions. This is because the joy of receiving a new object fades over time as you get used to seeing it every day. Experiences, on the other hand, can continue to bring you joy in the future through happy memories.

But materialists should at least be happy when they first buy something, shouldn't they?

To figure it out, Howell did another study. He classified a group of adults according to their personality types, ranging from less materialistic to more materialistic. Each person was asked different questions to see how they felt about spending money on material goods versus spending money on experiences.

As expected, the more materialistic participants got less happiness from purchases than the less materialistic, because such purchases didn't fit with their personalities and values. But to Howell's surprise, he found that materialists weren't any happier even if they spent money on material items.

This is because materialists worry that others may criticize or look clown on their choices. "There are certain value systems that are rejected by society," said Howell. "When we find out someone is materialistic, we think less of them, and that drives their happiness down.”

Another reason is that materialistic people always focus on what they don't have instead of what they have now. This makes them feel less satisfied and grateful.

If you happen to be a materialistic person, there's something you can try. "If materialists make more accurate purchases, rather than trying to impress others, they will be happier, “Howell said.

You should also remember what an ancient Greek philosopher once said, “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."

1. What did Ryan Howell find in his studies?

A．Material goods bring people less happiness than experiences.

B．About one-third of the people prefer material goods to experiences.

C．Materialists have more fun spending money on goods than on experiences.

D．Receiving a new object brings lasting joy while the joy of an experience fades soon.

2. What did Ryan Howell want to find out by doing another study?

A．How to judge whether a person is a materialist.

B．Why materialists are not happy with their purchases.

C．How materialists feel when they spend money on goods.

D．Whether materialists are happy when they first make purchases.

3. Why does the author use the ancient Greek philosopher's words in the last paragraph?

A．To advise materialistic people not to try to impress others.

B．To persuade people to be satisfied with what they have.

C．To prove it's unwise to be materialistic and desire too much.

D．To tell readers what they desire now might one day become theirs.

4. What can be the best title for the passage?

A．Are You a Materialist?

B．How To Acquire Happiness?

C．The Best Present For the Birthday

D．Which Can Make People Happier?

【推荐1】Commuters of the future could get some relief from congested roads especially the peak-hour traffic if Uber’s plans for flying taxis work out.

The battery-powered aircraft looks like a cross between a small plane and a helicopter with fixed wings and rotors (旋转器). It was presented at an international technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal.

Catering for the need of shorter city travel time, the vehicle is intended to soar over traffic congestion. Uber hopes it will eventually become a form of convenient mass transport and cost commuters aboard less than using their own car, though initially it will be more expensive than that, Uber’s Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden said.The scheme still faces plenty of challenges, including certification of the new vehicle by authorities, pilot training and constructing urban air traffic management systems that prevent collisions.

Holden declared that Uber is joining NASA’s project to expand air traffic systems, which scores of other companies already belong to.

He told The Associated Press in an interview that he has no dollar figure for the total investment. He said Uber is putting some of its own money into the project, developing software, while other investors are also involved, such as aircraft manufacturers that are developing the vehicle and real estate companies that are providing so-called “skyports” where people will catch their airborne taxi.

Uber is making a bid to reform and polish up its image which has been damaged by certain negative news. Holden said those episodes did not slow development of the flying taxi project of the great company that is in transition.

1. What result is Uber’s flying taxis aimed to achieve?

A．Better image of the company.	B．Smooth flow of traffic.
C．Higher economic efficiency.	D．Convenience of people’s life.

2. Which of the statement is correct according to Holden?

A．Flying taxis are more cost-effective than driving private cars.

B．Uber has to cooperate with NASA to reach its goal.

C．The success of this project will polish up Uber’s image.

D．The final achievement of Uber’s goal relies not only on the company itself.

3. What does the underlined word “episodes” in the passage probably mean?

A．incidents	B．exchanges
C．images	D．processes

4. What is implied in the last paragraph?

A．Uber’s reputation used to be ruined by rumors.

B．Uber is to accomplish its transition period in the near future.

C．Uber is committed to developing the flying taxi project.

D．Uber has recovered from its damaged image.

【推荐2】Curtis Whitson knew the water fall was coming. He'd rafted down the Arroyo Seco, a river in central California, before. But this year was different. Heavy snow and spring rains had turned the usually manageable falls into something fierce. And this year, instead of his friends, Whitson's companions were his wife, Krystal Ramirez, and his 13-year-old son, Hunter. As the three of them approached the falls late in the afternoon of the third day of their camping trip, Whitson could tell from the increasing roar of water in the narrow canyon that they were in serious trouble. There was no way they’d be able to rappel down(绕绳下降) the rocks as planned.

“The water was just gushing through there with tremendous force,” recalls Whitson.

They could wade to the shore, but would anyone find them there? They had no mobile phone service, and they hadn’t seen a single person in the past three days.

As he considered what to do, Whitson hit on a bit of luck-he heard voices coming from the other side of the falls. He yelled, but the sound of the rushing water drowned him out.

We have to get these people a message, Whitson thought.

Then he spotted his green Nalgene water bottle. Whitson grabbed it and carved “Help!” on it. Ramirez also reminded him that he had a pen and paper, which she'd brought to play games with, in his backpack. Whitson knew it was a long shot. But he scrawled “We are stuck here at the waterfall. Get help please!” and pushed the note into the bottle, throwing it over the waterfall perfectly.                                          

“All right, that’s all we can do,” Whitson told Hunter.

It took 30 minutes to navigate back upstream to the beach where they made a fire. With no reasonable expectation that their message in a bottle would find its way to anyone, they spelled out SOS in white rocks. As the evening wore on, they placed a headlamp with a flashing light on a ledge (岩石突出部) . Then, just after midnight, they heard a helicopter hovering above them. Whitson ran over to the headlamp and started flashing it at the helicopter. He, Ramirez, and Hunter were waving and hollering when they heard the magic words: “This is Search and Rescue. You have been found.”

It was a moment of pure happiness as the three chatted with the officers who had rescued them. Together, they marveled at the unlikelihood of it all. Two men had seen the water bottle in the water. When they picked it up, they noticed the writing on it - “Help!”.

A few days after news of the rescue broke, one of the hikers contacted Whitson.

That’s when he learned the story. There were actually two little girls hiking with the men that day. It was the girls who first spotted the bottle and swam to get it. Whitson is planning on having a big barbecue to meet the hikers-and thank them.

1. Which was NOT the trouble the Whitsons faced?

A．The water falls were fierce.

B．There was no mobile phone service.

C．All of them were not experienced in rafting.

D．They had to rappel down the rocks.

2. Which is the order that the Whitsons helped themselves out?
① They spelled out SOS on the rocks.
② Whitson squeezed the note “Get help please” into the bottle.
③ Whitson yelled to the other side of the falls.
④ Whitson carved “help” on his green bottle.

A．③④②①

B．②③④①

C．①④③②

D．④③②①

3. What does the underlined part in paragraph 6 mean?

A．It is a fantastic idea.	B．It’s a big challenge.
C．It’s a wild attempt.	D．It’s a long exploration.

4. Whitson is planning to have a big barbecue ______.

A．to celebrate their survival

B．to show gratitude to the hikers

C．to have a family union

D．to meet and thank the rescue officers

【推荐3】Traffic jam and cities, it seems, go hand in hand. Everyone complains about being stuck in traffic; but, like the weather, no one seems to do anything about it. In particular, traffic engineers, transportation planners, and public officials responsible for transportation systems in large cities are frequently criticized for failing to solve traffic jam.

But is traffic jam a sign of failure? Long queues at restaurants or theater box offices are seen as signs of success. Should transportation systems be viewed any differently? I think we should recognize that traffic jam is an unpreventable by-product of successful cities, and view the "traffic problem" in a different light.

Cities exist because they promote social interactions and economic transactions (交易) .

Traffic jam occurs where there are lots of people but limited spaces. Culturally and economically successful cities have the worst traffic problems, while decaying cities don't have much traffic. New York and Los Angeles are America's most crowded cities. But if you want access to major stock markets, you will find them easier to reach in crowded New York than in any other large cities. And if your firm needs access to satellite-guidance engineers, you will reach them more quickly through the crowded freeways of LA than through less crowded roads elsewhere.

Despite traffic jam, a larger number and wider variety of social interactions and economic transactions can be made perfect in large, crowded cities than elsewhere. Seen in this light, traffic jam is an unfortunate consequence of prosperity, not a cause of economic decline and urban decay.

So while we can consider traffic jam as increasing costs on the areas of big cities, the costs of inaccessibility in uncrowded places are almost certainly greater.

There is no doubt that traffic jam brings the terrible economic and environmental damage in places like Bangkok, Jakarta, and Lagos. But mobility is far higher and traffic jam levels are far lower here in the US, even in our most crowded cities. That's why, for now, we don't see people streaming out of San Francisco and Chicago, heading for cities like Phoenix, and Cleveland.

1. We can conclude from the first paragraph that _________.

A．traffic jam and weather are the two factors preventing the development of a big city

B．traffic jam seems to be very difficult to deal with

C．if traffic engineers try their best, traffic jam can be solved

D．public officials are always criticized for misusing their power

2. According to the passage, what's the author's opinion towards traffic jam?

A．Traffic jam is unavoidable in large cities.

B．Traffic jam is both a sign of success and a sign of failure.

C．Traffic jam is the consequence of successful cities.

D．Traffic jam is not unpreventable for a successful city.

3. According to this passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．Crowded cities tend to promote economic transactions.

B．New York and Los Angeles have less limited spaces than other cities.

C．The satellite-guidance engineers are needed most by the firms in LA.

D．Despite the traffic jam in LA, it's easier to reach your destination than in other cities.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Traffic jam has caused terrible bad effects in cities such as Bangkok and Lagos.

B．The traffic jam in San Francisco has resulted in the city becoming empty.

C．The traffic jam level in Chicago is lower than that in Cleveland.

D．Phoenix is as crowded and successful as San Francisco.