4 . Senior high school is not only just attending classes and attempting to get high grades. Students can make the most of the opportunities high school offers you to explore your interests and sometimes interact with fellow students in clubs. Here are some introductions of popular clubs.

Do you enjoy talking? Do you think you can be a future lawyer? Try out for the school’s speech team. Not only will you meet people and make friends, you’ll also get to practice public speaking, a valuable, important tool that you will use at every stage of your life. By researching, talking about debating hot- button political, social, cultural and environment topics, you will also become more aware and up-to-date on current events.

Are you in a band in junior high? If so, you probably remember always hanging around with your musical friends. If you haven’t joined any high school club yet, you should! Most high school bands give performances, and even go on trips to Disney land. Not sure? Did I mention that studies show that students with music education tend to receive higher grades? You read it right.

If you are interested in the medical field or planning to take a combined M.D. program, perhaps you should consider joining your school’s Chinese Red Cross Club. As part of the high school club working with the local Red Cross chapter, you can become a lifeguard, learn how to perform first aid, or become a trained instructor who teaches others.

Can you speak Spanish, French, or German? Or maybe you just really like the foreign language class! Either way, you should consider joining your school’s language clubs and lean a new language during your past time. Spanish, French and German clubs put on several charity and cultural events throughout the academic year. You could be helping others in need, and making new friends all at the same time!

5 . Earth Hour is organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature. It's a big event usually at the end of March every year. On this evening, people “go dark”.     1    

It's true that turning off lights for just one hour saves only a small amount of power.    2    On one level, joining in Earth Hour makes people think about the problem of climate change and what we can do in everyday life to protect nature.

But on another level, a large number of people’s acting together sends a powerful message to governments and companies.     3     They begin considering green issues when big decisions.

The logo(标识) of Earth Hour is “60+” .The number 60 is for the 60 minutes of Earth Hour.     4     In fact, people who join in Earth Hour say that taking part makes them want to do more for the environment.

    5     Musicians give concerts by playing acoustic(原声的) instruments instead of electric ones, and using candles instead of electric lights. Celebrity chefs have created special recipes for families to prepare and eat by candlelight. Tree-planting sessions, group walks and runs are also among the options.

The International Horticultural Exhibition(世界园艺博览会) 2019 Beijing opened to the public on Monday at the foot of the Great Wall in the Chinese capital’s Yanqing District. Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the     1     (open) of the Beijing expo on Sunday evening.

Sharing with the world the concept and approach of green development, the expo demonstrates Chinese people’s     2       (determine) and confidence in building a beautiful China and a beautiful world.

The Beijing expo       3     (schedule) between April 29 and Oct.7, lasting 162 days.    4     is the second time that China has held such a horticultural expo. The southwestern Chinese city of Kunming held the horticultural expo in 1999.The Beijing expo has drawn participation of about 110         5     (country) and international organizations as well as more than 120 non-official exhibitors. About 2,500     6     (culture) activities, such as parades and performances of world ethnic cultures, will be held throughout the expo,     7     average of 15 for each day.

Over the past 40 years, China’s forest area and forest stock volume have both doubled and its forest coverage rate     8     (increase) to 21.66 percent. The country is home     9       the world’s largest man-made forest in scale, with a preserved area of 69 million hectares. A recent Boston University study     10     (base) on NASA satellite data shows that China alone accounts for 25 percent of the global net increase in leaf area over the last two decades.

7 . How Disney grew its $3 billion Mickey Mouse business — by selling to adults

In March 2019, Gucci began selling a $4,500 purse in the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head. Between the creature’s round black ears is a small handle embossed (凸印) with the word “Gucci.” On the brand’s website, a male model stares seriously into the camera without the slightest trace of irony (讽刺) that he is, in fact, carrying around the head of a children’s cartoon character.

It’s perhaps the most luxurious Mickey Mouse products designed for adults.     1     Maybelline created makeup sets with packaging covered in Mickey’s face. Uniqlo made dozens of graphic T-shirts with Mickey in various poses. So as not to miss out on the action, Apple launched $300 Beats headphones that paid homage to (向……致敬) the Mouse.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Mickey Mouse and his friends sold $3 billion in merchandise (周边商品) in 2018, a figure that includes both adult and children’s products.

This brings up the question: Why would adults wear items decorated with the face of a smiling rodent in the first place? What accounts for the enduring appeal of this anthropomorphized (拟人化的) mouse, while other Disney characters, such as Anna from Frozen, hardly ever appear in adult products?

Mickey Mouse was big business almost as soon as he made his debut (首次亮相) in Walt Disney’s animated short Steamboat Willie (《汽船威利号》) in 1928. Within five years, Mickey was earning $1 million a year in merchandise sales. These products were largely targeted at children, including stuffed toys, trains, and nursery (托儿所) wallpaper.

Everything changed in the years after World War II.     2     For one thing, Mickey was nearly twenty years old, which meant that the first audience, who enjoyed the cartoons as children, were now in their thirties. Disney was willing to transform Mickey into a symbol of innocence in the postwar years, when people were desperate for something hopeful to cling to.

All the marketing worked. In 1947, products featuring Disney characters brought in $100 million in revenue (收益) in merchandise. In addition to kids’ products, many of the items sold were for adults, such as radios and phonographs (留声机).

    3     He made Mickey’s face and body rounder, and eyes larger, like those of a baby. Scientists have shown that adults are more drawn to childlike faces. That look is more likely to subconsciously (潜意识地) produce a greater level of attachment in the viewer.

    4     For instance, the company has done everything in its power to ensure that they do not use images of Mickey drinking and smoking.

By and large, though, the symbolism Mickey represents is the one Disney has put forth: that of innocence and positivity.     5     In World War II, people used Mickey to help cope with the horrors before them. This might also help explain why Mickey Mouse has been popular over the past few years when many people are experiencing political instability.

8 . LEGO began as one man’s small business. But today, it is the second largest toy company in the world. The LEGO company sells small, brightly colored plastic bricks (积木). People can buy LEGO bricks in over 90 countries.

Ole Kirk Kristiansen from Denmark began his own business in 1932. He made products (产品) from wood including colorful wooden toys. Kristiansen’s young son, Godtfred, worked with him. Their business helped them make a lot of money.

By 1934, the Kristiansens named their company LEGO, which came from two Danish words, “leg” and “godt”， meaning “play well”. The LEGO company grew slowly. But it continued to create excellent wooden toys.

By 1947, the LEGO company began using a new material (材料) to make their toys — plastic. One of the toys they sold was called the Automatic Binding Brick. A person could put the bricks together to build something. But the bricks did not hold together easily. Still, they were a popular toy.

A few years later, in 1954, Godtfred Kirk Kristiansen had a big idea. He wanted all of the LEGO bricks to fit together. Finally, four years later, in 1958, the LEGO company found their answer. They invented the first modern style LEGO brick, which was similar to the Automatic Binding Brick but each piece would fit with any other piece.

Since that time, any toy that the LEGO company created would fit with any other toy they created. Today, LEGO is not only the second largest toy maker in the world, but also making its products a great way for children to learn creative building skills.

In the United States, over 25 percent of senior citizens (people over 65) live alone. Without friends and family nearby, seniors are at risk of     1     (have) depression (抑郁).

Many communities are trying to deal with this problem. Providence Mount St. Vincent, a retirement home (退休疗养院) near Seattle, Washington, has     2     (recent) run a program. Over 400 senior citizens live at Providence Mount St. Vincent, and over 40 children from a few months old     3     age five go to daycare there. The children spend the day there with the senior citizens while     4     (worker) look on.

The program has clear advantages. For the older people, their social life improves (改善); they read to and play games with the children, and encourage     5     (they) to do other activities. This makes the seniors feel     6     (use) and happy, and if they feel happy, their health may improve.

The children also get a lot from the program. They have     7     patient group of people to play with in a safe environment. Some of the older people     8     (be) disabled, and staying with them helps children learn     9     (be) more understanding of people with disabilities.

Now, there are many programs like the one at Providence Mount St. Vincent.     10     is believed that even if the very young and the very old don’t have a shared past or future, their shared present can be perfect.

10 . Finding a suitable name for a baby is a big deal in China.When picking out a Chinese name,parents usually select two or three characters that have a carefully thought out meaning, but when deciding on an English name, many of them struggle.That's where Jessup and her company, Special Name,come in. In the last few years, Jessup has helped name 677,900 Chinese babies, and earned over $400,000 in the process, more than enough to pay her college fees.

Jessup came up with the idea for Special Name in 2015,after accompanying her father on a business trip to China.One of her dad's business partners,a Mrs.Wang, asked her to help choose an English name for her daughter.Jessup felt honored and quickly realized the importance of choosing a proper name in Chinese culture.The woman wanted people to be surprised by the things her daughter could achieve,so Jessup suggested the name"Eliza"after the character Eliza Doolittle from the play Pygmalion.Mrs.Wang seemed delighted with Jessup's choice."If Mrs.Wang needed this service,maybe other parents would as well,"Jessup thought.

After returning to UK,Jessup borrowed ￡1,500 from her parents and paid a web designer to build a website,She then spent her free time filling up a database(数据库)with around 4,000 English names,associating them with five major personality characteristics,like honesty and optimism.

In the beginning, Jessup offered the service for free to promote the website,but later,she started charging fees.The business is almost completely self-sufficient,requiring only a small team in China that manages technical operations.She updates the database each month,allowing her to focus full-time on studies.