1 . 4 Best Basketball Camps in the USA
PGC Basketball Camps
For the last few decades, PGC (point guard college) basketball camps have helped thousands of players improve a variety of skills. While the name may have you believe it's for point guards only, that's not the case.PGC basketball camps operate in a number of different states and they have over 100 camps all over the country.While many of the PGC basketball camps are aimed at youth in high school and college athletes,there are also the Skills Academy camps for those as young as the 4th grade.
Nike Basketball Camps
Nike offers introductory camps, shooting camps, overnight camps, day camps and many more. There are even camps that let you work with former or current NBA and WNBA players. One of the best things about Nike camps are the quality of coaching and instruction you will get. They also operate in nearly every state,so no matter where you are, there is likely a Nike basketball camp close. These Nike camps are also great for all ages.
NBC Basketball Camps
Since the early 1970s, NBC(Northwest Basketball Camp) has been among the world leaders in the space.Whether you are in elementary school, junior high or high school, there is an NBC basketball camp for you. These camps are offered across the USA,as well as in Canada and even the UK. The camps they offer include clinics.team camps, overnight camps, and college prep camps, just to name a few. They aim to provide you all of the tools you need to succeed in basketball and in life.
The National Basketball Academy
The National Basketball Academy (also known as TNBA) partners with NBA teams like the Bucks and Pacers to provide camps, clinics, and training for basketball players of all ages. TNBA operates in Milwaukee,Orlando. Houston. Indiana, and Cleveland. It also operates in many other nations around the world such as Brazil, France, Argentina, and Spain. These camps and clinics range from a single day to multiple weeks. They also host various tournaments(锦标赛) so you can show off the skills you have learned.
1. What do we know about PGC basketball camps?| A．They have the most camps | B．They are mainly aimed at little kids. |
| C．They hire some former NBA coaches. | D．Not only students of PGC can join them. |
| A．They focus on teamwork. | B．They hold various tournaments. |
| C．They only offer long-term camps. | D．They operate both at home and abroad. |
| A．A PGC basketball camp. | B．A Nike basketball camp. |
| C．A NBC basketball camp. | D．A TNBA basketball camp. |
2 . The Red Cross is known for carrying out some of the most heroic acts in the world. There are Red Cross societies in 190 countries all over the world. Their task is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of sudden serious situations by organizing volunteers and the people who want to donate(捐献).
In 1860, Swiss businessman and social activist, Jean Henri Dunant, saw the effects of war, and countries not prepared or able to deal with the suffering of those who had been injured in the Battle of Solferino during the second War of Italian Independence. Dunant organized a group of volunteers to help bring water and food to the injured, to help with medical treatment, or to write letters to the families of those who were dying. After that moment, he knew that more had to be done, and he wrote the book, A Memory of Solferino, which encouraged the public to create an organization which would help the wounded. His writing encouraged more people to support him in creating the International Federation of the Red Cross. And in 1863, International Committee of the Red Cross was founded.
The modern-day Red Cross does more than nursing soldiers during wartime. The group began to devote itself largely to disaster relief (灾难救援) and epidemic (流行病) treatment. It has achieved even greater service in humanitarian (人道主义的) programs that serve continuously in both peace and war.
One of the easiest ways you can help the Red Cross is to make sure you are able to donate blood and make an appointment at the Red Cross website. But, donating blood isn’t the only way you can help out —the Red Cross also encourages you to donate your time if you can, along with other things the modern-day Red Cross wants you to know.
1. What does the underlined word “alleviate” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Reduce. | B．Report. |
| C．Express. | D．Find. |
| A．To make more people know the Red Cross. |
| B．To ask more people to help the wounded. |
| C．To let people see the cruelty of wars. |
| D．To call on people to stop wars. |
| A．To introduce the Red Cross website. |
| B．To explain the Red Cross’s future work. |
| C．To show how the Red Cross helps needy people. |
| D．To encourage people to offer help to the Red Cross. |
Students in Alabama take the Alabama High School Graduation Exam, which consists of multiple-choice questions. In the classroom, Alabama high school students must prove specific skills in English and take certain math classes.
Among the 2013 U.S. News Best High Schools in Alabama, two were awarded gold medals, 16 received silver medals and 72 were considered bronze medal schools. One of the gold medal schools, Loveless Academic Magnet Program High School, lies about 90 miles south of Birmingham in the state capital of Montgomery, within the Montgomery County School District.
Alaska
To graduate, Alaska high school students must get at least 21 credits, including a half credit in Alaska history. Alaska judges students from the third grade through senior grades. Students first take the Alaska High School Graduation Qualifying Examination at the tenth grade. It includes math, reading and writing skills.
10 schools were awarded silver medals and 21 received bronze medals among the U.S. News Best High Schools in 2013. While Alaska’s capital is Juneau, several of the state’s Best High Schools are in or near Anchorage, in the Anchorage School District.
Delaware
Delaware students have a high GPA (平均绩点) and 10 hours of community service. If they hand in their FAFSA (自愿联邦奖学金) by a certain date, they may get the Inspire Scholarship, which helps pay for tuition at Delaware State University. Before they go to college, however, students must pass the Delaware Student Testing Program Exams.
Among the Delaware schools in the 2013 U.S. News Best High Schools, there are three silver medal schools and four bronze medal schools. The top school in the state is Delmar Senior High School. It is part of the Delmar School District and is about 50 miles from Delaware’s capital, Dover.
1. What’s the passage mainly about?| A．Scholarships in the Best High Schools in three states. |
| B．The different examinations in several high schools. |
| C．The introduction to the best high Schools in three states. |
| D．The things students should do before going to college. |
| A．The High School Graduation Exams are multiple-choice questions. |
| B．Delmar Senior High school is the best in Delaware. |
| C．There were 21 silver medal schools in Alaska in all. |
| D．Both the gold medal schools in Alabama are in its capital. |
| A．it includes all the subjects the students learn |
| B．it includes math, reading and writing skills |
| C．it includes its own state history as well |
| D．it includes 10 hours of community service |
4 . Juliette Brindak started a social networking site for teens when she was 16, and it’s doing better than ever. Miss O And Friends has 10 million monthly visits, a twenty-fold increase from its start in 2005. It’s also worth around $15 million, according to the supporting company Procter & Gamble.
When she was ten, Brindak drew characters for a set of five friends she called “Cool Girls,” who were all inspired by real-life girls. The main cool girl, Miss O, represents her younger sister Olivia. The set of “Cool Girls” would in the end become Miss O And Friends. In the beginning, like many start-ups, Brindak reached out to family members and friends for support in money. Her mother, a graphic (绘画的) designer, brought her drawings to life while her father, who has a background in business, offered help in the basic things of creating the company.
The site became popular and was the third largest girls-only website in 2011, according to Inc Magazine. Now, at 30, Brindak isn’t in tune with what teen girls are looking for, so she uses the site as a route to understand their needs. Through polls, quizzes, and the “Girl2GirlWall”, Brindak could keep herself updated.
Through high school and college, the site has continued to improve. When it was originally started, there was little more than a few attractive graphics. “There was a homepage, which had the five Miss O characters and simple flash animations,” Brindak says. “There was hardly anything to it, but it was definitely a start.” Now the site is proud of having message boards, quizzes, games, music, and more.
“I was able to learn so much about cultures around the world and also become informed and aware of different ways that I can reach out to women.” Brindak says. “The goal for the site was, and still is, to help young girls build confidence and pride in themselves,” “We started off with a business plan that we have used as our guide, but that business plan is always changing. We continue to find new ways to attract girls, and create new markets that are suitable for Miss O and out community.”
1. What mainly leads to the popularity of Miss O And Friends?| A．The support Brindak gained from her friends. |
| B．Understanding the needs of teen girls easily. |
| C．The characters she drew at an early time. |
| D．Her mother’s designing attractive graphics. |
| A．She is unable to understand teenage girls. |
| B．She keeps up with the girls’ needs through different ways. |
| C．She is proud of hardly anything on the homepage. |
| D．She has followed the plan made at the beginning. |
| A．Finding new ways to help the girls. |
| B．Providing message boards, quizzes, games and more. |
| C．Drawing the characters for real-life girls. |
| D．Helping girls gain self-trust and self-respect. |
5 . How cool can libraries be in an era(时代) of iPods and Kindles? More than you think. Only if you now where to go.
Central Library: Seattle, Washington, United States
The Central Library in Seattle is modern and fashionable and has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours. It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and American designer Joshua Ramus. Tours began in 2006, two years after its opening.The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events, while visitors can stop by the chocolate cart for a coffee and scan through the gift shop anytime.
Trinity College Library: D.ublin, Ireland
The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. It is the largest single library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 of the library’s oldest books. The Long room houses one of the oldest harps (竖琴) in Ireland. Dating to the 15th century, the old harp is the model for the symbol foreland.
Geisel Library: University of California, San Diego, United States
At first glance, it looks like a spaceship. Architect William Pereira, who helped design actual space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Houston, Texas, designed the library in 1970. It has been featured in sci-fi films, short stories and novels. The library hosts “Dinner in the Library,” which invites readers for cocktails, and also a special speech from well-known authors.
Bishan Public Library: Singapore
Located in the heart of Bishan, the award-winning Bishan Community Library spans 4,000 square meters. It was designed to look like a tree house. The colorful pods (吊舱) that stick out of one side of the building represent books sticking from a bookshelf. Inside the library, these pods offer private spaces for reading. Its ceiling-high glass windows also make it fun to watch people walking and reading from inside the building.
1. If you want to enjoy a movie, you can go to ________.| A．Central Library | B．Geisel Library |
| C．Bishan Public Library | D．Trinity College Library |
| A．It has very large glass windows. | B．It has ever won a prize for its size. |
| C．Queen Elizabeth I founded the library. | D．It is the largest single library in the world. |
| A．To encourage readers to visit these libraries. |
| B．To make an advertisement about these libraries. |
| C．To offer some information about these libraries. |
| D．To tell readers the importance of visiting libraries. |
6 . You may have heard of the Red Cross. It is an organization that helps people who are in need. It may be because of a flood, a war or an earthquake. No matter how bad the situation is, it will always be there to help! But it hasn’t always been this way. For example, in the United States, but for the passion (热情) of a woman named Clara Barton, the American Red Cross may have never been formed!
When Clara was young, she was very shy. One day when she was 11 years old, her elder brother, David, was badly injured. He was ill for two years. Clara cared for him the whole time. Through this experience she learned something very valuable about herself. She found out that she came alive when she cared for others.
Soon, Clara began taking care of injured animals. Neighbors began bringing their pets to her. And almost always, she made them better. When she was older, she became a nurse in the American Civil War and she helped save hundreds of soldiers.
After the Civil War, Clara went to Europe for a holiday. But that did not last long. Soon she began caring for soldiers in battle once again! But this time, she learned about an organization called the Red Cross which worked alongside her on the battlefield. Its task was to help those who needed it most.
She believed that the Red Cross was badly needed in America. Over several years, she asked different Presidents to bring the Red Cross to America. They all said no. But then, thanks to her persistence, one of the Presidents changed his mind! And the American Red Cross was born.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．Who Clara cared about most. | B．Why Clara liked to care for others. |
| C．What Clara did for the Red Cross. | D．How Clara discovered her own value. |
| A．took a holiday in Europe |
| B．cared for her brother |
| C．helped injured soldiers in Europe |
| D．worked as a nurse in the American Civil War |
| A．Encouragement. | B．Determination. |
| C．Bravery. | D．Achievement. |
Whether you’re looking for a quick hotel in the city or a isolated resort in the tropics, where you choose to stay can make or break your vacation experience. But even the most seasoned travelers may not know the difference between the two main types of homes-away-from-home. Besides their first letter, is there any real difference between hotels and motels?
These two types of lodging(宾馆) have the same basic purpose—a place for travelers to sleep—but there are plenty of features that set them apart. For instance, they came to be for different reasons, and at very different times. The word “hotel” dates back to the 1600s and comes from a French word, hotel. That word, just like the English one, referred to a place that provides lodging, meals, entertainment, and other services to travelers.
Motels, on the other hand, are a much more recent—and pretty much exclusively American—lodging option. This word dates back to the 1920s and combines the words “hotel” and “motor.” As America’s major highway system developed, so did motels, filling the need for roadside stops for motorists traveling cross-country.
There are also some smaller differences that can help you figure out which type of place you’re in. Hotels tend to be built for longer stays, while motels are geared more for one- or two-night stops along a journey. Because of this, hotels are much more likely to have offerings like lounges, gyms, and entertainment.
So, in the end, it comes down to what you want from your trip and from your lodging. Want the place you stay to be just as much a part of your travel experience as anything else? Opt for a hotel. Just need a place to pop in and out of to shower and sleep? A motel might be the better choice.
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8 . If you want to have a garden full of life and motion, you have to attract some wildlife.
It’s not as difficult as it may sound. Your garden will attract insects, bugs, birds and mammals.
Provide food.
Provide some shelters for wildlife. You need to plant evergreen plants, too, because they are a suitable place for wildlife to take shelter.
Provide water. It’s important to provide water. Some animals can use even your pool to have a bath. Bees love shallow water.
Provide a place for wildlife to raise young. A birdhouse or a pile of brush can be a nice place for wildlife to raise their young. It’s good to have climber-covered walls and fences to increase the possibilities not only for raising children, but also for feeding, nesting, roosting and hibernating.
| A．It’s advisable to have the grass. |
| B．Keep invasive species away. |
| C．Silence won’t bother you anymore and you won’t be alone. |
| D．It’s reasonable to keep native species. |
| E．Kill invasive species as soon as it appears. |
| F．This can be as simple as placing a bird feeder. |
| G．You can have a fountain and a small artificial pond. |
