【推荐1】Below you will find a profile of each gap year program. If there is a specific program you are interested in or a question you have regarding these programs, please feel free to contact them directly.

Youth International

Since 1997, Youth International has been providing many people with the most exciting and educational experience of their life. It is a learning program that combines international travel, inter-cultural exchange, home stays, volunteer community service work and outdoor adventures.

Phone: 720-270-3323

Carpe Diem Education

Through volunteer service, travel and cultural exchange, students of Carpe Diem Education receive a personal insight into themselves and their cultures. We specialize in guiding summer and semester programs for high school students. Each course is carefully crafted to develop leadership and self-awareness within our students, who return home better prepared to be leaders in thought and action.

Phone: 503-285-1800

Center for Interim Programs

Founded in 1980, Center for Interim Programs is the first independent gap year organization in America. Based on students’ interests and budget, our experienced teachers help make individual course choices including: low cost volunteer options, language programs, research trips, and so on. We are committed to helping students find more experiences of formal education and work.

Phone: 413-585-0980

EF Gap Year

EF Gap Year offers students the ability to explore several countries where you will learn a language, volunteer for a good cause, and gain international work experience. Choose between a 12-week semester or 26-week academic year. You can then personalize your program to meet your learning goals and interests by deciding where, when, and how you wish to study on your own. Our well structured curriculum even allows you to place out of college-level classes and earn advanced credits toward graduation.

Phone:800-726-9746

1. Which phone number can you dial if you want to improve your leadership?

A．720-270-3323.	B．503-285-1800.
C．413-585-0980.	D．800-726-9746.

2. What is EF Gap Year’s unique feature?

A．Its reasonable fee.	B．Its experienced teachers.
C．Its personalized program.	D．Its diverse curriculum choices.

3. What do the four programs have in common?

A．They pay attention to volunteer service work.

B．They combine education with home stays.

C．They mainly offer cross-cultural education.

D．They raise students’ interest in adventure.

【推荐2】Creative learning

High school programs at the National Gallery of Art value depth over breadth, exploring original works of art through a single specific question or theme.

High School Studio Workshops

Grades 9-12, Single museum visit, 2.5 hours

These half-day art workshops include an in-depth examination and discussion of works of art in the galleries, followed by behind-the-scenes (幕后的) access to the Education Studio, where students create a related art project.

During the workshop, National Gallery of Art educators will encourage students to look carefully at works of art and then share their responses and they will inspire students to develop theories based on their observations.

Students will have the opportunity to create a work of art in the studio inspired by what they have seen in the galleries.

Museum Makers: Exploring Art and Museums

Grades 11-12

The Museum Makers program explains how museums operate and what they have to offer. It gives upper-level high school students the tools to experience, understand and interpret art. Participants will gain an insider’s view of how an art museum works.

Students meet for seven Saturday sessions from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Completion of the program requires attendance of all seven sessions.

Creative Writing in the Galleries

Grades 7-12, 90 minutes

Students will provide a voice for their personal responses to art through creative writing while looking at a selection of artworks in the galleries. Using close observation,group discussion, and personal reflection, they will be guided through exercises that use different writing forms, including free-form poetry.

A maximum of 30 students (minimum of l5) will be accommodated (容纳) in each session.

1. What can students do at High School Studio Workshops?

A．Get basic training as an artist.	B．Put forward their own art theories.
C．Discuss with artists about their works.	D．Learn about artists’ hobbies and habits.

2. What can students get from Museum Makers: Exploring Art and Museums?

A．Tools to create artworks.	B．Experience of designing a museum.
C．Knowledge about how museums work.	D．Academic credits for completing all sessions.

3. Which of the following groups can attend Creative Writing in the Galleries in each session?

A．Two families of eight.	B．Thirty Grade 10 students.
C．Forty high school students.	D．Twenty-five college students.

【推荐3】If you’re interested in pushing yourself academically while experiencing college life, our Summer Programs for Pre-College Students (SPP) can be ideal for you. Our long-running summer term pre-college offerings include a choice of one-, two-, three-, and six-week programs that prepare you for success in college. With five exciting and challenging pre-college summer programs to choose from, you can earn college credit, discover a new subject area, perform cutting-edge research in university labs, or immerse yourself in hands-on learning.

Academic life

SSP invites you to join other highly motivated teens from 87 countries in our summer programs for high school students — and take the leap into college life and academics. You can take college courses alongside undergraduates either on campus or online. And you can also earn up to eight college credits by conducting in-depth STEM research with individual instructors or as part of a group project. Or, you can immerse yourself in a variety of inspiring noncredit seminars (研讨会) that combine lectures with experiential learning, discussions, and projects.

Campus/Residence life

Embracing college life is an exciting experience. Whether you live on campus or commute, you’ll get to know the ins and outs of college and city life. If you live on campus, you will stay in the residence hall, sharing a room and participating in dorm activities. There are typically two students per room and safety is our highest priority: residence halls have live-in university staff and 24-hour security. Resident program assistants provide guidance, coordinate and lead social activities, ranging from group activities that include comedy shows to field trips.

Your hard work will be combined with social events and fun activities — and you’ll still have time for your own adventures on campus! Email the SPP office at sppoffice@mail.edu.

1. What does SPP aim to do?

A．To help college students to achieve academic success.

B．To provide admission guidelines for pre-college students.

C．To get high school students well-prepared for college life.

D．To encourage students to participate in hands-on learning.

2. What are students supposed to do to earn the required credits?

A．Attend various seminars.	B．Finish the courses online.
C．Carry out STME research.	D．Join in experiential learning.

3. What can we know about students living on campus?

A．They can organize social activities.

B．They are provided with good security.

C．They will have access to a single room.

D．They are advised to direct comedy shows.

【推荐2】Carrots are grown all over the world. They are easy to plant and easy to harvest. They have a good taste.

When people think about carrots, they usually think they are a kind of long, thin, orange-colored vegetable. In fact, carrots are in many different sizes and shapes. And not all carrots are orange.

Carrots should be grown in a field that does not have water for a long time. The earth also should not be too hard. To prepare your carrot garden, dig up the earth and turn it over.

Weather, soil condition and time affect the taste of carrots. Warm days and cool nights are the best time to grow great delicious carrots.

The best way to decide if a carrot is ready to be harvested is by its color. Usually, the brighter the color is, the better the taste is.

Most people do not know that carrots can be grown during the winter months. If the winter is not cold enough to freeze the ground, you can grow carrots the same way as you do during the summer months.

Carrots are prepared and eaten in many different ways. They are cut into thin pieces and cooked with other vegetables or meat. Or, they are washed, and eaten just as they come out of the ground.

1. What can affect the taste of carrots?

A．Weather and time	B．Weather and soil condition
C．Soil condition and time	D．Weather, time and soil condition

2. Which is the right order according to the article?
a. Carrots are eaten in different ways.
b. Carrots are in many sizes and shapes.
c. Dig up the earth and turn it over before planting carrots.
d. The best way to decide if a carrot is ready to be harvested is by its color.

A．b→a→c→d

B．b→c→d→a

C．c→b→d→a

D．d→c→b-a

3. Which of the following is Not true?

A．Carrots are easy to plant and easy to harvest.

B．Carrots should be grown in a field without water for a long time.

C．Everyone knows that carrots can be grown during the winter months.

D．Carrots have a good taste.

【推荐3】For any astronaut hoping to survive on the surface of the moon, growing crops will be essential. Now, scientists have taken “one small step” towards growing plants on the lunar surface, after showing it’s possible to grow thale cress, a small flowering plant, in lunar soil.

The findings raise hopes that plants could be grown on the moon during future space missions, and even enable mankind to set up a lunar settlement. “For future, longer space missions, we may use the moon as a launching platform,” explained Professor Rob Ferl. “It makes sense that we would want to use the soil that’s already there to grow plants.” Until now, scientists have not grown plants in the soil. “So, what happens when you grow plants in lunar soil? What would plants do in a lunar greenhouse? Could we have lunar farmers?” Professor Ferl questioned.

To answer these questions, researchers from Florida set out to plant thale cress seeds in lunar soil, add water, nutrients, and light, and see what happened. The researchers chose to use thale cress because its genetic code has already been fully mapped. For comparison, the researchers also planted seeds in a range of soils, including those that simulate Martian soils. To their delight, the researchers found that nearly all of the seeds grew. However, they did observe differences between the plants grown in the lunar soil and those grown in the control soils. Some of the plants grown in the lunar soils were smaller, while others grew more slowly or were more varied in size.

Growing plants in lunar soils may also change the moon itself, according to Dr. Stephen Elardo. “The moon is a very, very dry place”, he said. How will minerals in the lunar soil respond to having a plant grown in them, with the added water and nutrients? Will adding water make the minerals friendlier to plants? The researchers hope to answer these questions in follow-up studies.

1. What’s the second paragraph mainly about?

A．The significance of the findings.	B．The plants grown in the lunar soil.
C．The missions of future space exploration.	D．The hope for setting up a lunar settlement.

2. Why did researchers use thale cress in the experiment?

A．Its genes are suitable for lunar soil.	B．It has a long evolutionary history.
C．It has been tested with lunar soil before.	D．People have a good knowledge of its genes.

3. What did researchers find about the plants grown in lunar soil?

A．They absorbed few nutrients.	B．They didn’t grow well enough.
C．They grew slowly in the dark.	D．They needed more water to grow bigger.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Preparing for Farming on the Moon

B．Conducting a Study on Lunar Soil

C．Growing Plants in Lunar Soil

D．Making Lunar soil friendlier to plants