1 . Age has its privileges (特权) in America, and one of the most important of them is the senior citizen discount. Anyone who has reached a certain age — in some cases as low as 55 — is automatically entitled to a dazzling array of price reductions at nearly every level of commercial life. Eligibility (资格) is determined not by one’s need but by the date on one’s birth certificate. Practically unheard of a generation ago, the discounts have become a routine part of many businesses — as common as color televisions in motel rooms and free coffee on airliners.
People with gray hair often are given the discounts without even asking for them; yet, millions of Americans above age 60 are healthy and solvent (有支付能力的). Businesses that would never dare offer discounts to college students or anyone under 30 freely offer them to older Americans. The practice is acceptable because of the widespread belief that “elderly” and “needy” are synonymous. Perhaps that once was true, but today elderly Americans as a group have a lower poverty rate than the rest of the population. To be sure, there is economic diversity within the elderly, and many older Americans are poor. But most of them aren’t.
It is impossible to determine the impact of the discounts on individual companies. For many firms, they are a stimulus to revenue. But in other cases the discounts are given at the expense, directly or indirectly, of younger Americans. Moreover, they are a direct irritant (刺激物) in what some politicians and scholars see as a coming conflict between the generations.
Generational tensions are being fueled by continuing debate over Social Security benefits, which mostly involve a transfer of resources from the young to the old. Employment is another sore point. Supported by laws and court decisions, more and more older Americans are declining the retirement dinner in favor of staying on the job — thereby reducing employment and promotion opportunities for younger workers.
Far from a kind of charity they once were, senior citizen discounts have become an economic privilege to a group with millions of members who don’t need them. It no longer makes sense to treat the elderly as a single group whose economic needs deserve priority over those of others. Senior citizen discounts only enhance the myth that older people can’t take care of themselves and need special treatment; and they threaten the creation of a new myth, that the elderly are ungrateful and taking for themselves at the expense of children and other age groups. Senior citizen discounts are the essence of the very thing older Americans are fighting against — discrimination by age.
1. We learn from the first paragraph that ______.| A．offering senior citizens discounts has become routine commercial practice |
| B．senior citizen discounts have enabled many old people to live a comfortable life |
| C．giving senior citizens discounts has boosted the market for the elderly |
| D．senior citizens have to show their birth certificates to get a discount |
| A．tax | B．expense | C．profits | D．expansion |
| A．Businesses, having made a lot of profits, should do something for society in return. |
| B．Old people are entitled to special treatment for the contribution they made to society. |
| C．The elderly, being financially underprivileged, need humane help from society. |
| D．Senior citizen discounts can make up for the inadequacy of the Social Security system. |
| A．Senior citizens should fight hard against age discrimination. |
| B．The elderly are selfish and taking senior discounts for granted. |
| C．Priority should be given to the economic needs of senior citizens. |
| D．Senior citizen discounts may well be it type of age discrimination. |
2 . School Spirit Is in the Bag!
Now you can design your own Taft Tiger bags and backpacks.
What’s in your bag?
School books, homework, and gym clothes are just a few of the money items that successful students at Taft Middle School carry around every day. The right bag or backpack can help you get organized. Carry your school gear with style and show your Tiger Pride with one of these sturdy (结实的) SCHOOL SPIRIT TO GO bags.
Which bag do you need?
| Backpack | ● Made with durable materials and zippers ● Comfortable, padded shoulder straps ● Two large compartments for books and notebooks ● Small zippered pouch for pens, pencils, calculators and more | $20 |
| Duffle bag | ● Perfect for holding gym clothes, shoes, and towels ● Large enough to hold up to three basketballs ● Comes with removable shoulder straps and short handles | $15 |
| Tote bag | ● Ideal for light loads ● Use it to carry a sweater and snacks for a field trip ● Take it to the library’ to carry’ books and research materials | $10 |
Satisfaction guaranteed
There is no reason to hesitate! These premium bags are a great bargain and a super way to show school spirit! SCHOOL SPIRITTO GO guarantees 100% quality; however, manufacturing errors can occur. If the bag has a defect, simply return it within 30days of receipt for an exchange of equal value or a full refund. Complete satisfaction is our number one priority!
How to order your bag
All orders must be placed in person and during the week of Sept. 26-30 only.
1. Visit the SCHOOL SPIRITTO GO representatives in the cafeteria to see samples of Taft Tiger bags.
2. Complete the order form. Be sure to include your first-period teacher’s name on the form.
3. Submit your payment with the order from to the representatives.
The bags will be delivered to the school in three weeks. First-period teachers will distribute the bags to students who placed orders.
Do you have questions?
Visit the SCHOOL SPIRITTO GO table during the week of September 26-30. If you would like to see pictures of bags made for other schools, visit www.schoolspirit/togo.com.
Compete the form. Extra forms are also available in the school office.
Order Form
Name: ______ Grade: ______
First-period teacher: ______
E-mail address: ______ Phone number: ______
(E-mail address and phone number will be used only if there is a question about your order.)
Select your bag
Check one box:
□ Backpack $20
□ Duffle bag $15
□ Tote bag $10
Optional:
Personalization $5
□ Name: ______
Total amount due: $ ______ □ Cash □ Check
Design your bag
Check one box in each category (color scheme, text, mascot) below:
Choose a color scheme: Choose text: Choose a school mascot!
□ Solid orange with block trim □ Go Tigers! □ Official Tate Tiger mascot
□ Solid black with orange trim □ Fate Tigers □ Taft Tiger sports mascot
□ Orange /black tiger print with black trim □ Taft Nickle School □ Taft Tiger music mascot
□ Taft Tiger art mascot
□ Taft Tiger drama mascot
1. Compared with Tote bags, Duffle bags ______.| A．are a little cheaper | B．have small bags for tiny items |
| C．can have their shoulder straps taken off | D．are suitable to be carried to the library |
| A．It is held by Tall Middle School. |
| B．It allows students to customize bags in terms of color, text and mascot. |
| C．It allows students to return bags without reasons. |
| D．It includes offering free gym clothes to students. |
| A．Going to a given place to get the bags. |
| B．Giving payments to their first-period teachers. |
| C．Including the representatives’ names on the forms. |
| D．Placing the orders during the last days of September. |
I’ve always enjoyed walking but never in a million years
Back in 2013 I did a guided one-day hike along one of the most beautiful and
Fast forward a few years and I set off from Barcelos with a friend of mine
This was truly a slow travel experience, as we were averaging about 20 kilometers per day. I
I will never forget the sense of achievement and progress tit the end of each walking day, and the relief and pride I felt when we finally made
We met people
4 . When Liam McGee quitted as president of Bank of America in August, his explanation was surprisingly straight up. Rather than announce his leaving in the usual vague excuse, he came right out and said he was leaving “to pursue my goal of running a company.” Broadcasting his ambition was “very much my decision,” McGee says. Within two weeks, he was talking for the first time with the board of Hartford Financial Services Group, which named him CEO and chairman on September 29.
McGee says leaving without a position waiting for him gave him time to reflect on what kinds of company he wanted to run. It also sent a clear message to the outside world about his ambition. And McGee isn’t alone. In recent weeks the No.2 executives at Avon and American Express quit with the explanation that they were looking for a CEO post. When boards scrutinize(审查)succession plans(后续计划) in response to shareholder pressure, executives who don’t get the nod also may wish to move on. Economic depression also has senior managers careful of letting vague announcements cloud their reputations.
The decision to quit a senior position to look for a better one is unconventional. For years executives and headhunters have followed the rule that the most attractive CEO candidates are not the sitting ones，but the ones who must be hunted elsewhere.
Those who jumped without a job haven’t always landed in top positions quickly. Ellen Marram quit as chief of Tropicana when the business became part of PepsiCo (PEP) a decade ago, saying she wanted to be a CEO. It was a year before she became head of a tiny internet-based commodities exchange. Robert Willemstad left Citigroup in 2005 with ambitions to be a CEO. He finally took that post at a major financial institution three years later.
Many recruiters say the old disgrace is fading for top performers. The financial crisis has made it more acceptable to be between jobs or to leave a bad one. “The traditional rule was it’s safer to stay where you are, but that’s been fundamentally inverted,” says one headhunter. “The people who’ve been hurt the worst are those who’ve stayed too long.”
1. When McGee announced his departure, his manner can best be described as being______.| A．modest. | B．frank. | C．self-centered. | D．impulsive. |
| A．their expectation of better financial status |
| B．their need to reflect on their private life |
| C．their strained relations with the boards |
| D．their pursuit of new career goals |
| A．top performers used to cling to their posts |
| B．loyalty of top performers is getting outdated |
| C．top performers care more about reputations |
| D．it’s safer to stick to the traditional rules |
| A．CEOs; Where to Go? |
| B．CEOs: All the Way Up? |
| C．Top Managers Jump without a Net |
| D．The Only Way Out for Top Performers |
5 . Why stress and anxiety aren’t always bad
People generally think of stress and anxiety as negative concepts, but while both stress and anxiety can reach unhealthy levels, psychologists have long known that both are unavoidable - and that they often play a helpful, not harmful role in our daily lives, according to a presentation at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.
“Many Americans now feel stressed about being stressed and anxious about being anxious,” said Lisa Damour, PhD, a private-practice psychologist who presented at the meeting.
Stress usually occurs when people operate at the edge of their abilities - when they push themselves or are forced by circumstances to stretch beyond their familiar limits, according to Damour.
“It’s important for psychologists to share our knowledge about stress with broad audiences that stress is a given in daily life, that working at the edge of our abilities often builds those capacities and that moderate levels of stress can actually have an inoculating (预防的) function, which leads to higher than average resilience (适应力) when we are faced with new difficulties,” she said.
Viewing anxiety as sometimes helpful and protective allows people to make good use of it. For example, Damour said she often tells the teenagers she works with in her practice to pay attention if they start to feel anxious at a party because their nerves may be alerting them to a problem.
“In other words, stress causes harm when it exceeds any level that a person can reasonably absorb or use to build psychological strength,” she said.
| A．Anxiety, too, gets some unnecessarily criticism, according to Damour |
| B．Unfortunately, by the time someone reaches out to a professional for help, stress and anxiety have already built to unhealthy levels |
| C．That doesn’t mean that stress and anxiety can’t be harmful, said Damour |
| D．Anyone feeling overwhelmed by stress should, if possible, take measures to reduce his or her stress |
| E．It’s also important to understand that stress can result from both bad and good events |
| F．Likewise, anxiety becomes unhealthy when its alarm makes no sense |
6 . 2019 Spring Evaluation Schedule for Learn To Skate
MT. KENT ICE CENTER* 900 MOON AVENUE* LEVARD CITY, RI 02916
(103)561-4363 www.mtkent.org
WHO: Skaters of all ages and abilities
Any Preschool & Kindergarten-aged child who has never taken lessons at the Mt. Kent Ice Center needs to make an appointment to be evaluated. Anyone first grade or above does not need an evaluation.
The online registration feature does not apply to the registration for evaluation.
EVALUATIONS: Evaluations help to determine both readiness and class placement. Upon completion of the evaluation, it is recommended that you register for classes with a coach in the ice center office.
A variety of days and times for the evaluations are also listed online and at the Ice Center. Evaluation registration may be done in person or by phone at 103-561-4363.
| EVALUATION DATES AND TIME | |||
| DAY | EVALUATION DATES | TIME | EVALUATION FEE |
| Saturday | March 9, 2019 | 12:00 p.m. | $5.00 |
| Sunday | March 10, 2019 | 12:00 p.m. | $5.00 |
| Monday | March 11, 2019 | 10:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. | $5.00 |
| Wednesday | March 13, 2019 | 10:00 a.m. or 1: 00p.m. | $5.00 |
| Thursday | March 14, 2019 | 10:00 a.m. or l: 00 p.m. | $5.00 |
Additional days and times may be added — to be determined by Management
REFUND POLICY: Refund requests must be made a minimum of 7 days before the scheduled appointment. See www.mtkent.org for details.
EVALUATION REGISTRATION:
In person — Stop by the Mt. Kent Recreation Center, ground floor, Monday through Saturday 9: 00-11: 00 a.m., Sunday 1: 00 — 4: 00 p.m.
By phone — Call the Ice Center at (103)561-4363 to schedule your skating evaluation appointment
QUESTIONS: Please call the Mt. Kent Ice Center staff at (103)561-4363
KentALERT — A FREE notification (通知) service (phone, text, e-mail). In the event of an emergency and to provide you with updates about cancellations and recreation department programs and events. Please visit www.mtkent.org, browse Services at the top of the page. Under Information Technology Office, click KentALERT. All recreation participants should sign up, and at minimum select the “Cancellation category.”
1. The passage is primarily intended to ________.| A．recommend an ice center | B．advertise a skating programme |
| C．introduce an evaluation schedule | D．tell readers about a notification service |
| A．at 1:00 p.m. on Monday | B．at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday |
| C．at 4:00 p.m. on Friday | D．at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday |
| A．Any kindergarten-aged child must make an appointment to be evaluated. |
| B．You can go to www.mtkent.org to complete the registration for evaluation. |
| C．You will be informed of any cancellations after signing up for Kent ALERT. |
| D．Refunds should be claimed within seven days after the registration. |
The writer Martin Bailey believes Vincent van Gogh drew inspiration from Hokusai’s The Great Wave when he painted one of his most dazzling and celebrated works, Starry Night.
Side by side, the similarities are obvious. In the Hokusai, Bailey points out that the wave towers over the volcanic peak of Mount Fuji. In the Van Gogh: “The swirling mass in the sky hurtles towards the more gentle slopes of Les Alpilles.”
It is known by art historians that Van Gogh had a passion for Japanese art and was a keen collector of Japanese prints. He particularly admired Hokusai’s The Great Wave which is today one of the most recognizable and reproduced artworks of all.
Starry Night was painted in the summer of 1889 when Van Gogh was in a small mental asylum on the outskirts of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
“I did research on the other patients in the asylum and they were all in a terrible state so it must have been very, very difficult for him to adjust his life. I think it was art which kept him sane and gave him a reason to live.” He painted Starry Night in June, inspired by the night sky that he looked up at through the bars of his cell and the stunning Provence landscape with its wheat fields, cypress trees and olive groves.
Bailey argues that Van Gogh was also inspired, possibly unconsciously, by his memories of The Great Wave. “He didn’t have the print with him but he obviously remembered it in great detail. He had a very strong visual memory.” Bailey, however, insists that the comparison should not be seen as diminishing the brilliance of Starry Night. The painting was “a work of imagination with all sorts of conscious and unconscious elements which must have come into Vincent’s mind when he was doing the painting.”
“It is surprising no one has made this comparison before. I’ve put it to a number of Hokusai and Van Gogh experts and they have all said it is a very interesting theory. It is difficult to prove but my feeling is that it is highly likely.”
Starry Night is today regarded as one of Van Gogh’s true masterpieces although the artist himself never regarded it that way. “It is incredible,” said Bailey.
“If you go to the Museum of Modern Art in New York where Starry Night is on display there are more people with their cameras out in front of it than probably any of the other paintings there. “Who would imagine someone living in a mental asylum would be able to paint such a marvelous work?”
1. Which of the following claims may Martin Bailey support?| A．Starry Night is a masterpiece inspired by The Great Wave to some extent. |
| B．The existence of The Great Wave makes Starry Night less brilliant. |
| C．Starry Night was created based on the general idea of The Great Wave. |
| D．The Great Wave and Starry Night have nothing in common. |
| A．Both of them were created in mental asylums |
| B．Both of them depicted a natural landscape. |
| C．Both of them impress people with the natural power they embody. |
| D．Both of them drew their main elements from Japan. |
| A．Van Gogh sold Starry Night to make ends meet. |
| B．The painting was created when Van Gogh was in the wheat field. |
| C．The print of The Great Wave carried by Van Gogh inspired him to draw Starry Night. |
| D．The unique ability to memorize painting details might have helped Van Gogh complete Starry Night. |
| A．Those living in mental asylums have no chance to create great works. |
| B．It is astonishing that artists are able to create masterpieces in terrible surroundings. |
| C．The negative influence of the surroundings urge artists to draw better. |
| D．Only those staying in mental asylums are able to paint such an incredibly beautiful masterpiece |
If cities were people, Chengdu would be a “happy drifter (流浪汉)
It’s the leisurely and slow-paced lifestyle
One of the greatest pleasures in Chengdu is its food. Famous for the use of the tongue-numbing Sichuanese pepper corn and hot chillies, Chengdu dishes are an obsession for locals. “
In fact, according to Wang Xudong, editor-in-chief of Sichuan Cuisine magazine, Chengdu has the highest density of restaurants of any city in the world - there are around 40,000. No wonder it became the first Asian city that
Another important part of daily life is the city’s teahouses,
“Feet
It is difficult to fathom (彻底了解) the importance of the arts when there are many more
Life
It is far more important for us to let our kids, our future,
Art is innovation at its most basic level. Art is conception and inspiration. Most importantly, art is about discovery, not mistakes. In a world where we concentrate on what is right and wrong, what is correct and incorrect, the world of art is a place where judgment is suspended and great discoveries are made
Art makes it possible to grasp
