1 . Directory of camps for kid and teens. Find the best overnight, residential and sleepaway camps for this summer.
*Game On! Sports Camp 4 Girls
Girls Only - Day Camp
Chicagoland Area, Illinois, USA - (847) 229-9959
Game On! Sports 4 Girls is the best organization committed to empowering young girls through sports. Our unique & fun programming, all-girl environment, and staff of passionate role models foster the “GIRLSTRONG” crucial to every girl’s development as an athlete and a person.
*International Riding Camp
Girls Only - Overnight Camp
Greenfield Park NY, New York, USA - (845) 647-3240
Located 90 miles NW of NYC. 2, 4 and 8 week sessions, Mother Daughter week. Horse shows, jumping, three hours riding daily. Beginners welcome. Tennis, water skiing, jet skiing, arts and crafts. Swim your horse in the ocean! Organic food menu. One week Equestrian(马术)Teen Tour of Russia.
*All Tournament Players Park
Boys Only - Day Camp
Marietta, Georgia, USA - (678) 384-6500
Baseball, volleyball, softball, and basketball camps for all levels.
*Ak-O-Mak
Girls Only - Overnight Camp
Ahmic Harbour, Ontario, Canada - (705) 387-3810
Ak-O-Mak: “B ound by tradition and inspired by the future”. Founded in 1928, as North America’s first competitive swim camp, Ak-O-Mak is dedicated to providing the perfect combination of traditional camp experience and sport activity. Instruction provided in over 25 sports/activities.
*Michigan Tech Sports Camps
Both boys and girls - Day and Overnight Camp Houghton, Michigan, USA - (888) 829-9688
Basketball, cheer, skating, football, ice hockey, mountain biking, soccer, tennis & volleyball.
*Endicott College Sports Mania
Both boys and girls - Day and Overnight Camp
Beverly, Massachusetts, USA - (978) 232-2312
The Endicott College Sports Mania Day Camp is a dream come true for the child who loves sport.
1. Which number should you call if you want to improve your swimming skills?| A．(847) 229-9959. | B．(845) 647-3240. | C．(678) 384-6500. | D．(705) 387-3810. |
| A．International Riding Camp. | B．All Tournament Players Park. |
| C．Ak-O-Mak. | D．Michigan Tech Sports Camps. |
| A．Enjoying horse performances. | B．Practicing cooking organic meals. |
| C．Riding horses through the day. | D．Travelling to Russia for a week. |
2 . Why experiencing a new culture is good for you
Dealing with culture shock
In general terms, culture shock is a response to your new surroundings when abroad that can leave you confused, anxious and feeling lonely.
Learning to adapt
People often say that travel is a great way to develop new skills, since you’re constantly being put in new and unpredictable situations.
Language skills
Perhaps the most obvious lesson learned with travel is the importance of language. Even just learning the basics of the local language can make getting about and making new friends easier. Trying to overcome language barriers also teaches you about the importance of non-verbal communication. Since you can’t rely on what is being said, you learn to understand people’s tones and body language.
Classes and courses
Besides the incidental (附带的) skills you develop along the way while travelling, many travellers use the occasion to actively learn a new skill through classes.
Meeting new people
Meeting people and making friends while overseas is both a necessity and one of the most enjoyable aspects of the experience.
| A．You can come up with more creative solutions. |
| B．This could mean taking language or cooking classes. |
| C．Do a little research to avoid making any signs of disrespect. |
| D．Travelling to new cultures is a great way to expand your social circle. |
| E．Even just learning to deal with unpredictable things is a skill in itself. |
| F．It includes how upsettingly different the simplest things can be in a new culture. |
| G．This makes you a better communicator even when you’re speaking your native tongue. |
3 . How to Succeed in a Job Interview
While most people want jobs, few look forward to being interviewed. Job interviews are stressful situations for even the most qualified candidates because applicants have only one opportunity to show that they will do better than the other applicants in the position they are seeking.
Applicants should research the company and learn about it as much as possible. They should not just focus on the department that may hire them.
Applicants should be careful about their non-verbal (非言语的) communication. Gestures, expressions and actions can speak a great deal louder than any words. For example, the interviewers notice an applicant glance at his or her watch or cell phone during an interview.
Although an applicant can never see precisely how an interview will go on, careful planning, detailed answers and attention to non-verbal communication will make the process of applying for a job more likely to be successful.
| A．Instead, they should get to know the company as a whole. |
| B．They expect a good answer that they have never heard before. |
| C．Therefore, they need to pay attention to the way they use gestures. |
| D．To ensure a better chance for the job, consider the following advice. |
| E．To approach a job interview successfully, applicants should prepare well. |
| F．Applicants should consider ways to make their answers unique so that they will stand out. |
| G．It is quite possible that the interviewers will likely feel that this person is not that interested in the position. |
4 . Behind the enthusiastic song of an all-male choir (合唱队) lies a force that is better known for shaping the lives of hopeful frogs and crickets, research suggests. Recordings of a top boys’ choir, once directed by Johann Sebastian Bach in Germany, reveal that the more mature boys in the group boosted their voices when girls were appreciating their performances. The effect, seen only among the older singers, aged 16 to 19, is thought to be similar behaviour more often observed in frogs and crickets, which enhance their individual calls to stand out from the crowd during mate-attracting choruses.
“The boys’ singing sounds more brilliant and has a more attractive quality when girls are in the audience, but it is subtle,” said Keller, a professor who led the work at the centre for music in the brain at a university in Denmark. Keller and his colleagues teamed up with a well-known choir in Germany after a student and former member of the choir mentioned that the boys boosted their voices in a barely noticeable manner when female audience members were present.
Sound analysis of the boys singing a song composed by Bach found that, in the presence of girls aged 15 to 16, the boys improved their vocal brilliance and carried power by putting more energy. But it was unclear whether people, as opposed to sensitive sound devices, could detect the shift in voices, and if they could, whether the resulting sound was more or less appealing because of the enhanced singer’s performance.
To find out, the researchers ran two online studies in which 2,247 male and female volunteers listened to recordings of the boys singing with and without girls in the audience. While both male and female participants showed a difference between the two performances, only female volunteers preferred the boosted singing. “It’s really hard to tell,” Keller said. Details are published in a journal.
For the recordings, the boys performed once before an all-male audience and a second time when a group of teenage girls joined the front row on the pretence of being on a school trip. In interviews after the concert, the boys felt they sang better in front of the girls but none admitted trying to attract their attention.
According to the scientists, the findings suggest choir singing is a special form of social communication where cooperation and competitiveness, the latter potentially motivated by the opposite sex, can exist alongside one another. “You have a group of people working together,” said Keller, “but at the same time individually having this parallel channel of communication, sending out the competitive signal saying: pick me!”
1. What drives the mature boys to sing better according to Paragraph 1?| A．Their directors. | B．Their audience. | C．The frogs. | D．The crickets. |
| A．Brilliant. | B．Competitive. | C．Unforgettable. | D．Unnoticeable. |
| A．By observing the singers. | B．By studying documents. |
| C．By doing field research. | D．By conducting studies online. |
| A．Cooperation or Competition | B．Force behind Boy’s Choir |
| C．Research into the Performance | D．Attractive Frogs and Cricket Songs |
5 . Iceland is Europe’s westernmost country. Over 1,000 years ago, ancient explorers migrated from northern Europe to Iceland and established the country. Most visitors’ popular destination is its capital city, Reykjavik, known for its stylish architecture. The city’s downtown area is lined with shops, art galleries, cafes, and bookstores.
Iceland is one of the most volcanically active nations in the world with a number of hot springs, all of which are heated naturally by volcanic activity. In fact, Iceland changes energy from these springs into electricity, which powers and heats people’s homes. As a result, Iceland burns very little fossil (化石) fuel, such as oil and gas. Hot springs are also popular among tourists. They receive more than 1.3 million visitors a year, who can relax their muscles and release their tension in the hot water.
Apart from springs, there is a range of outdoor activities for visitors to enjoy elsewhere in the country. “Iceland is an adventure,” says Squire, whose company organizes adventure trips. “We have Europe’s biggest glaciers (冰山), active volcanoes, cave explorations, and skiing.” One of Iceland’s most popular attractions is caving. Exploring Iceland’s unusual caves requires only basic caving knowledge and equipment. Ice caves are more challenging, however, and require special clothes and hiking tools.
If exploring caves and glaciers doesn’t interest you, head south. No trip to Iceland would be complete without a visit to the Golden Circle, which connects Gullfoss, Geysir, and Thingvellir Valley. Adventurers go to the Thingvellir Valley, where the land is actually separating and the stony ground beneath your feet frequently shifts. Hold on while you hike!
1. What is Reykjavik famous for?| A．Fashionable buildings. | B．Small shops. | C．Art galleries. | D．Modern cafes. |
| A．From solar power. | B．From hot springs. | C．From oil. | D．From gas. |
| A．Risky. | B．Enjoyable. | C．Boring. | D．Rewarding. |
| A．Scientists. | B．The locals. | C．Tourists. | D．Business travellers. |
6 . Americans are responsible for throwing out more stuff than any other nation. “We keep going at this pace and we’ll reach the heat death of the earth,” said Adam Savage, the host of a website aimed at makers, as he worked on repairing a heavy wood-and-metal-shaping machine. “It’s time human beings reminded themselves of fixit culture.”
Most people don’t have Savage’s drive for Extreme DIY. Nevertheless, the appetite is on the rise. U.S. consumers show an increased interest in prolonging the life of the things they own, rather than getting rid of them. Online how-to videos are getting hundreds of thousands of hits, and people are heading to community repair workshops across the country.
“There’s this cultural shift, and then the policy work has to be done,” said Shawn Rosenmoss, a senior environmental specialist. “They have to go hand in hand.” What Rosenmoss means by policy work is legislation (法规) that empowers people to fix things themselves or do so through a repair provider of their choice. So-called “Right to Repair” legislation is focused on getting producers to offer people their parts, tools and service information. Dozens of Right to Repair bills are working their way through the legislative process, and have passed in a few states while there’s resistance to them.
“The bills will ask producers to provide any third parties with sensitive information tools and parts without requiring any of the critical consumer protections that are afforded by authorized repair networks like training and competency certification,” said David Edmonson, vice president of state policy. “That could threat market orders.” Nevertheless, some electrical companies expanded their self-repair programs.
At an electronics repair store in San Francisco, owner Michael Ghadieh said he started fixing smartphones when they came on the market around 15 years ago. “Parts were difficult to obtain,” Ghadieh said. “Now the case is different of course.” But he’s seen a drop in his phone repair business, with producers offering ever-more appealing deals to customers who give used products in part exchange for shiny new ones. “So repair’s future is still unknown.”
1. What new phenomenon in the U.S. is described?| A．Laws on repair are introduced. | B．More waste is produced than ever. |
| C．Fixing things becomes popular. | D．Environmental problems get solved. |
| A．By publicizing knowledge of repair. | B．By providing them with free repair service. |
| C．By reducing the cost of fixing things. | D．By making things needed for repair accessible. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Favorable. | C．Doubtful. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．Lack of phone parts. | B．The appearance of trading in old items. |
| C．Difficulty in fixing phones. | D．Opposition from authorized networks. |
7 . Nocturnal (夜间的) exposure to blue light containing short wavelength emissions (450-500 nm) — the kind of light produced by the screens of many devices raises blood sugar levels and increases sugar intake, according to a study performed on Sudanian grass rats.
“Much of the artificial light we are exposed to comes from LED lights and screens, which emit high levels of blue light,” said Anayanci Masis-Vargas from the Universities of Strasbourg and Amsterdam and his colleagues. According to their study, retinal (网膜的) cells of the eye are sensitive to this blue light and directly convey information to areas of the brain that control appetite.
In the study, the scientists exposed diurnal Sudanian grass rats to nighttime blue light (490 nm) and measured their food consumption and glucose (葡萄糖) tolerance the following day. “In order to better model human light exposure, the rats were diurnal, meaning awake during the day and asleep at night, rather than the typical nocturnal laboratory rats which are awake during nighttime hours,” the researchers explained. They found that after only one hour of nocturnal blue light exposure, glucose tolerance was changed in the rats, a warning sign of pre-diabetes.
To investigate what happens with appetite control and food choice after exposure to blue light at night, in the follow-up study, the rats were given the option to choose among a nutritionally balanced food, water, pig fat, and sugar water. After the exposure to blue light, the study authors observed that the rats preferred sugar water and drank more of it that night than during the nights with no blue light exposure. As the experiment continued, the researchers noticed more exposure to blue light caused rats’ heavier bodies as well.
“Limiting the amount of time that we spend in front of screens at night is, for now, the best measure to protect ourselves from the harmful effects of blue light,” Masis-Vargas said. “In case it is necessary to be exposed to device s at night, I would recommend the night mode features on the devices, which turn the screens more orange and less blue or the use of blue light filtering glasses that are already available in the market.”
1. According to the study,nocturnal exposure to blue light will ________.| A．affect blood pressure | B．influence appetite |
| C．disturb the delivery of information | D．decrease retinal cells of the eye |
| A．Their sleep model is simpler to follow. |
| B．Their sugar intake is easier to measure. |
| C．Their light contact is similar to that of humans. |
| D．Their glucose tolerance is close to that of humans. |
| A．Food choice. | B．Animal weight. |
| C．Food consumption. | D．Animal gender. |
| A．Upgrading phone mode. | B．Changing the color of the screen. |
| C．Restricting night screen time. | D．Wearing blue light filtering glasses. |
8 . It was the winter when I taught in a small country school on the west coast of Vancouver Island. I had three grades of little people in my class, all beaming with the desire to learn all they could. One little boy named David from my grade one class wanted to learn more than all the others. His round swollen face would smile up at me, reminding me over and over of his disease—leukemia. More often than not, he would be missing from our classroom for rounds of treatments.
All of us were so pleased, then, to have that happy little boy with us for Christmas. We decorated our classroom, practised for the concert, and prepared Christmas stories to share.
Two days before school let out for the three-week Christmas holiday, I read a story to the class. It was the story of “The Littlest Angel”. This little angel had an awful time in heaven. He could not adjust to the routine. He was always in trouble, bumping into other angels, tripping over clouds or dropping his halo. Nothing seemed to make his time easier until one celestial day an archangel suggested that the little angel take some items with him. Just a few things to remind him of his good old days, which might be of some help.
As I read the story, a complete silence fell over the class as each child became more involved in the plight of the angel. Everyone was sympathetic for his misfortune, including David.
The following day during our regular show-and-tell time, holding a small wooden box, David began his sharing, “This is my first tooth,” he explained. “This is a ribbon from my sister’s hair, and this is my puppy’s collar. My dad gave me this old key. My mom says this big coin is for good luck.” Even before he told us the purpose of the box, we all seemed to know. Shiny tears went dot-to-dot down the faces of the other children. The rest of the day witnessed all of us carefully preparing items to fill David’s wooden box.
When the holidays came to a close, we all returned to our class—all except David. He had got a good chance and left for a big city to get better treatment, clutching the wooden box that held his hope and memories, and ours.
1. What can we learn about David from the first paragraph?| A．His attractive smile impressed his teacher a lot. |
| B．Though seriously ill, he was passionate to learn. |
| C．His disease prevented him from going to school. |
| D．Though looking normal,he suffered from a fatal disease. |
| A．The past time. | B．The promising future. |
| C．The awful situation. | D．The daily routine. |
| A．To share his items. | B．To help the little angel. |
| C．To treat his disease. | D．To hold the good memories. |
| A．Intelligent and diligent. | B．Sociable and adventurous. |
| C．Strong-willed and ambitious. | D．Optimistic and courageous. |
9 . Walled Cities Of The World
There are numerous historical walled cities across the world, whose walls date back several centuries. These walls were fortification (碉堡), a necessity throughout medieval eras for defense. They have been preserved as historical monuments and popular tourist attractions in the modern time.
York, England
The city of York is a medieval city situated in the north of England. Historically, the city was ruled by the Romans, Angles, and the Vikings before being incorporated as part of the Kingdom of England in 954. Located in the city are walls built in 71 AD which have been restored and extended with time.
Xi’an, China
The city of Xian is one of the oldest cities in China. It prospered economically as the eastern last station of the Silk Road. The existing walls were originally built in 770 BC and reconstructed in the 14th century under the Ming Dynasty. The walls are well preserved and are a major tourist attraction in the city.
Quebec City, Canada
Quebec City was a colonial (殖民地的) town which was fortified by the settling Europeans. The walls began to be built in 1608 under both British and French regimes (政权). A fort was constructed by the British as an additional defensive measure and remains undamaged to date. The city’s fortifications were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
Mexico City, Mexico
Historically, the City of Mexico gained importance as the Aztec Capital. The Spanish then drove out the Aztecs and rebuilt it as the Spanish Capital. The walls protecting the city were built in 1521. Mexico City is also home to numerous colonial-era buildings which together with the walls are major tourist attractions in the city.
1. Which city has walls of the longest history?| A．York, England. | B．Xi’an, China. |
| C．Quebec City, Canada. | D．Mexico City, Mexico. |
| A．They were once colonies of other countries. |
| B．They were once the capital of the Aztec empire. |
| C．Their walls were once built under British regime. |
| D．Their walls were once damaged after construction. |
| A．Culture. | B．Entertainment. | C．Science. | D．Society |
10 . It’s perhaps the world’s most famous underwater attraction that remained in film and in legend: the Titanic. But now experts say the ocean liner, once a wonder of the high seas, is falling to pieces.
Capt. Alfred McLaren, the scientist who in July led the most recent expedition to the ship’s underwater grave, said his team saw clear signs of the accelerating damage of the wreck (残骸). There was damage likely caused by rust and sea life, and the captain’s cabin had collapsed.
“I was absolutely astonished,” McLaren said.
Worse still, the fallen mast (桅杆) that crushed the ship’s deck is believed by many to be the result of an unapproved salvage (打捞) operation. “It was almost depressing to see how quickly she was getting worse,” McLaren says. “I would be really surprised if there’s very much standing up from the bottom, two decades from now.”
Ed Kamuda, who runs the Titanic Historical Society in Springfield, Mass., says adventure tourists — who pay $36,000 each to visit the wreck — are also contributing to the destruction of it.
“This is something I expected. I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly,” Kamuda said. “People are going down just as an ego trip to say ‘I was there.’ All this takes a fare on the ship.”
The Titanic has sat at the bottom of the Atlantic since it sank after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage on April 14, 1912. More than 1,500 people died that night. The ship came to rest at the bottom of the freezing North Atlantic, more than 2 miles beneath the waves. The wreck was discovered in 1985, and since then it has been repeatedly visited by treasure hunters.
But still some scientists say those divers, and other thrill seekers are not necessarily to blame for the Titanic’s current problems.
Capt. Craig McLean of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration went on an expedition to the Titanic in June as part of a government study that is monitoring the condition of the ship. He says it’s unclear what part of the damage is from Mother Nature and which is from human nature.
“It’s too early and there isn’t enough evidence to put our fingers on anything,” McLean said.
Regardless, most agree there’s little that can be done for this most famous of wrecks. And soon, the mighty Titanic could well be lost again.
1. McLaren expected that in twenty years _______.| A．Only a minor part of the wreck would remain as it is |
| B．The wreck would be getting worse at a faster speed |
| C．Only salvage operation with the purpose of research would be approved |
| D．The wreck would be completely destroyed by unapproved treasure hunters |
| A．To contribute to the breaking down of the Titanic. | B．To help finance the preservation of the Titanic. |
| C．To satisfy their curiosity and adventurousness. | D．To better understand the history of the Titanic. |
| A．Visitors should not be prohibited from the Titanic and other famous wrecks |
| B．The influence of the thrill seekers on the wreck will finally be determined |
| C．The government should contribute more to the monitoring of the Titanic |
| D．The damage of the Titanic is not necessarily attributed to the adventure tourists |
| A．promising | B．discouraging | C．controllable | D．vague |
