Students usually go to school from Monday to Friday. But some schools in the USA are getting shorter weeks. Classes go for four days instead of five.
There are some reasons for this change. School leaders hope longer weekends may give teachers a good rest. And schools could spend less money on buses or electricity.
But is a four-day school week better for students and parents?
Some experts did research to find out the effects. They talked to people about the change. “Some people really like it,” said Christopher Doss, an expert. “Parents get to spend more time with their kids. And they think everyone can be less stressed and sleep more.”
The experts didn’t just want opinions though. They looked at the data. “In fact, we could not find a lot of data to support the parents,” Doss said. Parents did spend more time with their kids. But the study didn’t find that they were less stressed.
The experts also discovered a problem. “We found that kids probably learned a little less every year,” Doss said. “That can add up to a lot less.” So the question is while the change is welcomed, is it worth having kids learn less?
Many students have their own ideas about the change. “I think weeks should be four days,” Chris said. “Every Sunday, I wish for just one more day to prepare for school.” Maya is more in the middle. “I don’t mind a four-day week, but I still like school,” she said. “The bad side is that Tuesday will feel like Monday!”
Are you for a four-day week? Or are you OK with five?
1. What are the reasons that some schools in the USA are getting shorter weeks?①To save money.
②To give teachers a good rest.
③To make parents less stressed.
④To help kids get better prepared for school.
| A．②③ | B．①② | C．③④ | D．②④ |
| A．Those to support students’ ideas. |
| B．Those to support school leaders ‘ideas. |
| C．Those to show parents were less stressed. |
| D．Those to show parents spent more time with their children. |
| A．Students learned less. |
| B．Students had busier weekends. |
| C．Parents had less time to care for their kids. |
| D．Parents had to learn to teach their kids by themselves. |
| A．Travel. | B．Culture. | C．History. | D．Education. |
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【推荐1】I love parties. I love planning for them, making the invitations, planning the games and decorating my own cake. The only thing that I don’t like is deciding on the guest list. When I was in grade school my mum would tell me the maximum number of friends that I could invite and it was always a number too small for my list. I also liked all different kinds of people. I never quite fit into one of the many little groups at my school, so I just kind of floated around, accumulating friends from various backgrounds. There was an “in” crowd made up of the cool kids who had the power to rule the school — if a coo kid wore two different coloured socks to school one day, everyone thought it was great. But if an uncool kid did the same thing, the other kids would turn away in disgust (厌恶). It made getting dressed in the morning a very scary thing.
Shannon was one of my friends who seemed to unknowingly break the rules of uncoolness all the time. I don’t know why she was targeted, but people found it acceptable to make fun of her. Shannon was a nice girl and wore pretty clothes, but was somewhat overweight and didn’t talk much. She was picked on a lot. Whenever there was an strange noise or smell in the classroom the kids would giggle (咯咯笑) and point at her. Shannon never said anything, but it made me feel sick inside. Shannon was innocent, I thought.
One year to celebrate my birthday, my mum told me I could have a party at our house. I struggled for days deciding on which girls to invite. Once I had chosen all the names, I made the invitations and handed them out to my friends at school.
“Why did you invite her?” asked one of my cool friends when it was discovered that I had invited Shannon. She pressured me to tell her not to come. There were other people I could add in her place who would be more acceptable.
阅读短文完成下面的表格
5W | Details |
Who | Shannon was one of my friends, but she was often |
When | One year to |
Where | Shannon was invited to attend my |
What | One of my cool friends suggested that I should not invite |
Why | I was pressured. If I invited Shannon, maybe I would become the |
【推荐2】I grew up 3 hours outside of Pittsburgh, with my mother and 3 younger brothers and sisters. My mom was a single mother and worked a minimum wage job, so we never had much, but that was OK, we made ends meet anyhow.
In Senior 1, I started saving money for college by taking a part-time job. I was accepted into the University of Pittsburgh and received some scholarships. But I couldn’t afford the housing because it was way too expensive for me. As result, put mattress (床垫) in an old van (货车) and had the windows painted. I bought parking pass on campus, chose spot on the top level of the parking garage and lived there for the next 2 years.
The weather in Pittsburgh was bad Being homeless forced me to take advantage of everything the campus had to offer since I wanted to spend as little time in my van as possible. I ended up spending most of my time throughout the week at the library and studying and reviewing classroom material a lot more than I would have if I had the luxury of going home and turning on the TV or falling asleep for hours in my room. I got close to some of my professors because of visiting them often, which really helped me become outstanding among my classmates. I made lot of new friends by attending social events, plays, charities, student life events around campus too.
Before college I would have considered myself shy, I didn’t really speak much unless spoken to, but I move out of my comfort zone and do new things, then develop an outgoing personality.
I really think that having to deal with the struggles that I had to go through really made me a better person.
1. From the first paragraph, we can learn that the author lived a ________ life.| A．hard | B．painful | C．boring | D．happy |
| A．In the van. | B．In his own house. |
| C．In the library. | D．In professors’ office. |
| A．Being devoted to studies. |
| B．Living a tough life in college |
| C．Developing an outgoing personality. |
| D．Learning to overcome difficulties in life. |
【推荐3】Are you scared about moving up to senior high school？It can be a new experience, but you shouldn’t worry. We’ve put together a guide to help you in the first week.
You’re not alone
Remember everybody else in your year is in the same boat. They may not realize it, but they’re just as nervous as you are. Moving to senior high school is an opportunity, not a problem. Things are different and all you need to do is to be polite and learn the new rules.
Teachers are ready to help
If you’re unsure what to do or are worried about anything, then ask for help. Teachers are probably the best people to turn to as they’re experienced in helping new students. Some senior high schools also have a “friends system”. If your school has this, then you will be paired with an older student. He/She will help you if you have any problems or questions.
All change
There are lots of differences between junior high school and senior high school. You’ll have a homework diary or a student planner. You will have your lessons with different teachers in different rooms. You will have homework for different subjects on different days, so make sure you get organized. Make sure you have a copy of your school timetable written down so you know which rooms your classes are in and on which days you will have your different subjects.
Other points
If you’ve got an older brother or sister at the school, then ask them for advice. Be yourself! It sounds simple, but people will know you much better if you just act naturally.
Having early nights makes a difference and you’ll find it easier to get up in the morning!
1. New students turn to teachers first when having problems because teachers ________.| A．can find friends for students |
| B．are good at helping new students |
| C．can look after students like parents |
| D．care for younger students more |
| A．You should act in a natural way. |
| B．You should go to bed early. |
| C．You must know how to dress properly. |
| D．You can ask your older brother for advice. |
| A．tell students the importance of learning |
| B．warn students not to ignore friendship in senior high school |
| C．make a difference when moving up to senior high school |
| D．help new students to get used to the life in senior high school. |
【推荐1】Jet airplanes are one of the largest causes of human pollution. About 3% of the world’s carbon emissions(碳排放）are believed to come from airline travel. Thai number is likely to go up—the number of people traveling by plane has been growing for years, and is expected to keep increasing.
To help fight climate change, Dutch airline KLM has started a program asking people to “ Fly Responsibly”. The company is asking its customers to think about their choices before they buy a plane ticket. In a video, the airline suggests that travelers ask themselves questions, such as whether they could lake a train instead.
However, some people have suggested that instead of asking the public to think carefully about their actions, KLM, and other airlines, need to be considering solutions that lie with the industry itself . “ Voluntary (主动的）actions by customers are not enough; the cost of flying must increase." said Justin Francis, founder of Responsible Travel.
Anna Hughes, who runs Flight Free UK, Sees much of the “greening" in aviation(航空) as problematic. She said, “The simple fact is that climate change, worsened by our use of (fossil fuels(化石燃料），will make it difficult for our children to live on this planet. While we welcome action，to make aviation friendlier to the environment, airlines must be honest about their influence on climate change."
But the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is backing the KLM program. Rafael Schwartzman, IATA's vice-president for Europe, said, “We support it in the sense that you do have a choice. In certain cases you could have another choice. " But, he added, “the UK is an island. If you want to trade internationally, you will have to count on aviation.”
1. What does KLM suggest travelers do?| A．Spend less on traveling. | B．Think twice before they fly. |
| C．Act responsibly on a plane. | D．Travel by train whenever possible. |
| A．To turn to cleaner fuels. |
| B．To raise the price of tickets. |
| C．To encourage customers to volunteer. |
| D．To tell the public how to cut air pollution. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uninterested. | D．Unclear. |
| A．To introduce a Dutch airline. |
| B．To list the harms of airline travel. |
| C．To discuss a program of an airline. |
| D．To call on people to fight climate change. |
【推荐2】Can I talk about salary at work? In a word:yes.As HR company Insperity put it in a recent blog post:Can your employees discuss their salaries or wages with their co-workers? Yes.Even if you have a company policy against it? Yes.
The freedom to discuss your salary at work is a protected right under federal labor law.The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 protects your right to discuss the conditions of your employment，including issues related to safety and pay，even when you're not protected by a union.
Talking about salary with colleagues can be uncomfortable，since there's such a taboo about discussing money matters，but it's an important step towards achieving equal pay for equal work.One barrier，however，stems from how we think of our own financial worth.Too many people I talk to wrongly consider their salary a reflection of their worthiness，a statement about their skills，experience，or value.At the end of the day，if we can all separate our self-worth from our salaries a bit more，it'll become easier to talk frankly with our colleagues.
Asking about money outright can be tough，so one trick I've picked up along the way is to ask for your colleagues to confirm or deny.For instance，you might volunteer your salary first and ask“Does that sound about right to you?”by way of comparison.Or，let's say you're interviewing for a promotion to become a manager.You might ask a fellow manager about the kind of salary you should expect by saying，“I'm seeing salaries for this kind of position ranging from $65，000 to$70，000—does that seem accurate to you?”This way，even if your colleague isn't comfortable sharing their salary outright，they can help you identify if your expectations are on point or way off.
1. What makes co-workers uncomfortable to talk about salaries?| A．The safety issue. |
| B．The federal 1abor law. |
| C．The wrong idea about salaries. |
| D．The reflection of their worthiness. |
| A．A prohibited practice. |
| B．A religious belief. |
| C．A general agreement. |
| D．A social custom. |
| A．One of my interview experiences. |
| B．My way of asking about money. |
| C．The method of raising questions. |
| D．An example of getting promoted. |
| A．How to Discuss Salaries at Work |
| B．Ways of Talking about Salaries |
| C．Do Salaries Stand for Self-worth? |
| D．Can Salaries be Talked about at Work? |
You can’t depend on someone else to make you happy. That is a lesson I learned early in my marriage. I realized that I couldn’t rely on my husband as my source of happiness. I learned that my happiness depended on myself and not my husband’s actions. I learned that you have to choose to be happy.
You can choose your emotions. True happiness comes from within, and it can’t be forced by outside force. So how do you choose happiness? The same way, you choose to smile or choose to wear a certain outfit（一套衣服）. You choose it because that’s what you want to experience in you life.
You want to buy a new pair of shoes so you choose a pair that you like and feels good. You wouldn’t buy a pair of shoes that you don’t like or that doesn’t fit well, right? So why do we keep choosing emotions and feelings that don’t make us feel good?
Choosing to be happy after you realize your anger has shown up (or even choosing to be calm) can be beneficial. We choose our feelings; no one else can do that for us. If we let others get to us, influence our emotions — we are giving them power over us. When others cause us anger or pain, we are giving them our power.
We need to keep our feelings in check and not to react（反应） automatically to what is thrown at us. We need to think our actions out instead of just reacting to what someone says or does.
Remember that we can always choose happiness. At first it will be difficult to just switch（使转变）your thoughts and feelings from anger, self-doubt, or fear to joy and happiness. But it is only a thought away. Don’t dwell on（细想） what happens to you unnecessarily but realize what is causing you to feel that way. Realize that thoughts, feelings and emotions can change. Then move on and choose to be happy.
1. What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Pretend to Be Happy |
| B．Choose Your Emotions |
| C．Choose to Be Happy |
| D．Find Happiness |
| A．one can’t depend on someone else to make himself or herself happy |
| B．balancing the relationship between husband and wife is an art |
| C．she can depend on her husband to find happiness |
| D．happiness can be influenced by outside force |
| A．To offer advice on how to choose comfortable shoes. |
| B．To use it as an example to illustrate（阐述）her point of view. |
| C．To compare choosing shoes and choosing an outfit. |
| D．To help move to the next paragraph easily. |
| A．let others control our feelings |
| B．respond immediately to others’ words |
| C．hold back our feelings properly |
| D．pay more attention to words than actions |
