【推荐2】Experiencing culture

CHI’s Academic Year Program (AYP) is your chance to study in America and spend either an academic year or a semester living with a volunteer host family.

The requirements for studying in America

*High school students who are aged 15 to 18

*A score of at least 212 on the ELTiS (English Language Test for International Students) exam

Application

Contact a partner agency in your country or a nearby one. We can also send you a list of partners near you. They will set you up with an application and let you know what you need to submit in order to be considered.

Admission and visa

Our Admission Department reviews and accepts your application. We issue and send your agency the Form DS-2019, which is the official US Department of State document that allows you to apply for and receive your J-1 visa. Once you receive the DS-2019, you can make your visa appointment, When the visa is granted(授予), you are set to travel to America.

Homestay

Meanwhile, our Field and Operations staff work hard to find you the perfect family and school as soon as possible! Once they find the right host family for you, you can start to get to know your host family by email.

Depart to the US and meet your family and friends

Your agency will book your flight according to your school start date. When you arrive, we will give you a student orientation(迎新会)and introduce you to other exchange students and the surrounding community. When school starts, you will begin the process of cultural exchange.

Contact us: 1-800-432-4643; 1-415-459-5397

Location: 255 W End Avenue San Rafael, CA 94901

1. Who can take part in this homestay project?

A．15-year-old high school students with 210 on the ELTiS exam.

B．17-year-old high school students with 213 on the ELTiS exam.

C．20-year-old college students with 220 on the ELTiS exam.

D．18-year-old college student with 218 on the ELTiS exam.

2. What should applicants do before making a visa appointment?

A．Gain approval from their school’s Admission Department.

B．Get a letter of introduction from their teacher.

C．Contact the host family via email.

D．Fill and send the Form DS-2019.

3. What awaits the students when they arrive in the US?

A．A student orientation.

B．A party with their host family.

C．A volunteer activity in the community.

D．A meeting with the Field and Operations staff.

【推荐1】A
Though the Web is becoming increasingly popular, the TV never fails to attract people．Do you know which television network is the largest in America? It is not ABC, CBS, or Fox．Nor is it one of the cable net-works such as CNN, which carries only news and news stories．It is not ESPN, the all-sports cable net-work, or even MTV, which is famous for its music videos．Rather it is PBS, Public Broadcasting System, a non-profit public broadcasting TV service．PBS has 349 member television stations in the U．S．and some member stations by cable in Canada．
PBS only attracts a minority of all TV viewers, about 2 percent．The industry leader, NBC, however, attracts 11 percent of viewers．But the growth of public television in the past two decades has been dramatic．This is especially noteworthy （值科关注） when one considers that public television stations must often survive on very limited budgets, on viewers' donations, and on private foundations and some governmental funding．
The level of quality of PBS programs, whether in national and international news, entertainment, or education, is excellent．Almost a whole generation of children throughout the world is familiar with Sesame Street and the characters of The Muppet Show．PBS is especially well known for the quality of its many educational TV programs．Over 95 percent of all public television stations have tale-courses．These courses are accepted and supported by more than 1,800 colleges and universities throughout the US．Each year, over a quarter of a million students take   courses this way．
1. According to this article, PBS received part of its funding from___．

A．the audience

B．public schools

C．advertising agencies

D．other television stations

2. What is PBS most famous for?

A．Cable services．

B．Generous donations．

C．Tele-courses．

D．Live news broadcasts．

3. Which of the following is TRUE about public television stations ?

A．The majority of their viewers are minority people．

B．Ninety-five percent of their programs are tele-courses．

C．They are shrinking in number because they make no profits．

D．Their courses are accepted by many universities in America．

4. Which of the following has the highest percentage of viewers?

A．ABC	B．PBS
C．NBC	D．Fox

【推荐3】Chances are that you can name a few animals that are facing extinction. But what about plants? With some 40% of plant species under threat of extinction — and given humankind’s dependence on the plant world — one might think they should be protected as soon as possible. However, so many people suffer from plant blindness which refers to the inability to see or notice the plants in one’s own environment, leading to the inability to recognize the importance of plants.

Now a paper published by Oxford University Press might have found a solution for that. That’s watching nature documentaries. Having noticed that TV shows like Seven Worlds, One Planet, Planet Earth II, and Blue Planet II increased viewers’ interest in the animals on the shows, the researchers set out to discover if TV shows could do the same for plants.

For the paper, they focused on The Green Planet. The show was watched by nearly 5 million people in the United Kingdom. It features various plant species and doesn’t shy away from environmental concerns. To figure out if the documentary attracted viewers enough to make them want to learn more, the researchers noted which species appeared on the show and then looked at data on Google Trends and Wikipedia page hits for those same species before and after the episodes (剧集) of the documentary aired.

Actually, some 28.1% of search terms representing plants mentioned in The Green Planet had peak (高峰时期的) popularity in the UK, measured using Google Trends, the week after the broadcast of the relevant episode. Wikipedia data showed this as well. Almost a third (31.3%) of the Wikipedia pages related to plants mentioned in the documentary showed increased visits the week after the broadcast. The researchers also noted that people were more likely to do online searches for plants that enjoyed more screen time on The Green Planet.

“Our results suggest that the viewers found certain plant species particularly attractive. These plants could be used for promoting plant conservation efforts,” said the paper’s lead author, Joanna Kacprzyk.

1. What is the problem mentioned at the beginning of the text?

A．The harm of introduced plant species to native plants.

B．Limited education about local wildlife protection

C．The lack of public awareness about plants.

D．People’s increasingly poor eyesight.

2. How did the researchers study viewers’ interest in The Green Planet?

A．By showing news about extinct plant species.

B．By comparing its popularity with other TV shows’.

C．By measuring people’s online behavior towards it.

D．By recording viewers’ preferences for social media sites.

3. What effect did The Green Planet cause?

A．Better sales of natural products.

B．A rise in online searches for specific plants.

C．Growing public interest in outdoor activities.

D．More educational websites related to wildlife.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．An effective solution to animal protection

B．The changing views about nature programs

C．Plant blindness: a widespread phenomenon

D．Nature documentaries: a hidden guardian of plants

【推荐1】While smartphones stand accused of a variety of crimes, these pocket computers can certainly be a force for good. Your phone is always with you, making it the perfect device to push you into a more beneficial way of living. Here are some of the best apps that can help.

Habitica

Habitica turns the goal of forming good habits into a game, with its own characters and scoring. It's a lot of fun, and the app also lets you build habits with friends and family. In addition to regular repeating habits, you can add a more general to-do list, and the rewards you get can be customized too---you could treat yourself to a meal out or an extra hour of games.

Smoke Free

If you’ ve got a specific habit in mind, then you'll usually find specific apps to help, like Smoke Free. If you’re determined to give up smoking, then this is one of the most comprehensive apps for giving you that extra push you need to make a permanent change. The app offers a host of useful features to people wanting to go smoke-free: the ability to see your progress over time, charts showing how your health is improving, day-by-day encouragement, and some advice on techniques for giving up smoking.

My Fitness Pal

You can find tons of health and fitness apps for your phone, but My Fitness Pal stands out not just because it is easy to use, but because it makes practical suggestions for you. It can take in a host of data, from the calories(卡路里) you’re taking in to the number of swims you're doing per week, and offer reports on calorie consumption and macronutrient(大量营养素) breakdown.

1. What can Habitica help you to do?

A．Win a tough game.	B．Start a lasting friendship.
C．Find a fancy restaurant.	D．Develop a pleasant habit.

2. Which of the following can Smoke Free provide?

A．Charts showing the improvement of health.	B．The ability to make progress.
C．Advice on how to continue smoking.	D．Charts about your excellent health.

3. If you want to know your calories consumption, which app should you choose?

A．Habitica

B．Smoke Free

C．My Fitness Pal

D．All of the above

4. What can we learn about the three apps mentioned in the text?

A．They're cheap.

B．They're practical.

C．They're free.

D．They're interesting.

【推荐2】The Gold Rush (1925)

Charlie Chaplin as the Little Tramp eats his shoe for Thanksgiving dinner while trapped in a snowstorm in this endearing silent film classic from 1925. Watch this one if you’re in the mood to see a leather shoe prepared and eaten as if it were a delicious turkey. It makes you thankful for what you have!

One True Thing (1998)

Meryl Streep was nominated (提名) for an Academy Award for her performance in this movie as a wife and mom who struggles with cancer. Renée Zellweger plays the grown daughter who has to come home to help with the holiday. The two try to hold the family together, especially during a tense Thanksgiving meal when guests get all the attention.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)

Return to the iconic moment when Lucy pulls the football away from Charlie Brown right as he’s about to kick it. Life is hard, but in this animated film, sweetness wins when the Peanuts group prepares a Thanksgiving feast, complete with jelly (果冻) beans.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

This John Hughes comedy starring Steve Martin and John Candy is already a Thanksgiving classic for many. Neal ends up rerouting the plane because of a snowstorm. As he struggles to find a way home for Thanksgiving, he gets stuck with extremely positive Del.

1. What could The Gold Rush remind many viewers of?

A．The thankfulness for something you have.

B．The sweet memories of good old days.

C．The history of football games.

D．The origin of animated films.

2. Which film best suits people who want to see a Thanksgiving feast with jelly beans?

A．The Gold Rush.	B．One True Thing.
C．A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.	D．Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

3. What do these four films have in common?

A．They tell interesting family stories.

B．They are all related to Thanksgiving.

C．They describe some holiday activities.

D．They are all based on the authors’ own lives.

【推荐3】Four Art Exhibitions to View in N. Y. C.

“Arts of China” at the Brooklyn Museum (ongoing)

These exhibitions successfully combine attractive pieces by contemporary Chinese artists with the institution’s century-old collection, drawing 5,000 years of art into a single thrilling conversation. Look out for the 14th-century wine jar decorated with unusual paintings of a whitefish, a mackerel, a freshwater perch and a carp.

(Will Heinrich) 718-638-5000, brooklynmaseum. org

“In Pursuit of Fashion: The Sandy Schreier Collection” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (through May 17)

Featuring about 80 pieces of clothing, this exhibition is, more than anything else, the reflection of one woman’s love affair with fashion. Schreier’s collection contains all the major names, but what defines it more than anything else is her own appreciation of pretty things.

(Vanessa Friedman) 212-535-77l0, metmnseum. org

“Edith Halpert Alepert and one Rise of American Art” at the Jewish Museum (through Feb. 9)

This rare show covers the life of an influential art gallery, founded in 1926 by Halpert. Skilled at both business and publicity, she represented excellent pre-war American artists like Stuart Davis and Jacob Lawrence and promoted folk art.

(Roberta Smith) 2l2-423-3200, thejewishmuseum. org

“Nature—Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial” at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (through Jan. 20)

Plastics transformed the material world after World War II. Today, they pollute our oceans. A better future will be made with... algae. “Nature” provides us with a post-consumption future.

(James S. Russell) 212-849-2950, cooperhewitt. org

1. Where can you go to enjoy both ancient and modern art?

A．The Jewish Museum.	B．The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
C．The Brooklyn Museum.	D．Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

2. What is special about the exhibition of Sandy Schreier’s collection?

A．It consists of Friedman’s major collections.	B．It sees the rise and fall of American folk art.
C．It talks about the pollution of plastic materials.	D．It provides fashion lovers with a clothing stage.

3. If you want to learn more about the sustainable development of our planet, you would like to visit ________.

A．cooperhewitt. org	B．thejewishmuseum. org
C．metmuseum.org	D．brooklynmuseum.org