2 . This year over twenty-three hundred teenagers (young people aged from 13-19) from all over the world will spend about ten months in US homes. They will attend US schools, meet US teenagers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.

Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America.

Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected—much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that were usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.

Family life, too, was different. The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car. “Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”

At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea.“I suppose I should criticise American schools,” he said. “It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much.In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”

4 . Since several organisations plan to put the first man on Mars by 2030, new trips to the Moon will take place around 2025. If you go to the Moon, you need a place to stay in. So what will it be like? Maybe the following article can give us some inspiration.

August 23, 2025—Today a new chapter in space travel was written. Rod Markham and his wife-to-be Susan Millster arrived safely on the Moon to spend 5 nights as the first guests at the Starbright Hotel that was set up for this purpose two years ago.

Not only are they the first hotel guests on the Moon, but they also set a new record for expensive accommodation since the price was $3.7 million per night, per person. However, the move from the Earth to the hotel is included in the price.

The hotel itself will probably have a hard time just to try to gain one star in any hotel rating system, because there is no room service. The guests have to do the cleaning of the room themselves and there is no bathroom in it. However. they have more stars than they need just outside their windows.

Rod and Susan will get married by linking their local minister in San Diego, California at 9:00 p.m. EST tonight, and the wedding will be broadcast live by several major TV networks in a 1-hour special report, including the preparations for the trip.

Six astronauts are along with them and during the stay they’ll set up further accommodations for the guests who have made reservations at the Starbright Hotel next year. The hotel has no employees, only some workers when guests stay at it.

5 . When it comes to summer, most of us think of outdoor fun. So it seems like we should naturally lose weight over the summer. In reality, summer isn’t all beach volleyball and water sports. Therefore, we can gain weight easily in the summer.     1     Here are four ways to beat summer weight gain.

    2     When we don’t have a plan, it’s easy to spend summer moving from the couch to the computer, with regular stops at the fridge. Avoid this by aiming for a specific goal, like volunteering, mastering a new skill, or working at a job. Just be sure to plan for some downtime so you can relax a little!

Stay busy. When we’re bored, it’s easy to fall into a trap of doing nothing and then feeling low on energy. In addition to helping you avoid the cookie jar, filling your days with something to do can give you a sense of accomplishment.     3     .

Beat the heat. Don’t let summer heat put your exercise plans on hold.     4     If a gym isn’t your scene, try bowling or an indoor climbing wall. If you love being outdoors, try joining a local pool or move a regular run or soccer game to early morning or evening.

    5     With school out, we lose our daily routines. If you don’t have a specific job or an activity to get up for, it’s easy to sleep late, watch too much TV, and snack more than usual. Make sure your summer days have some structure — like getting up at the same time each day.

6 . Over the years, cheerleading has taken two primary forms: game-time cheerleading and competitive cheerleading. Game-time cheerleaders’ main goal is to entertain the crowd and lead them with team cheers, which should not be considered a sport. However, competitive cheerleading is more than a form of entertainment. It is really a competitive sport.

Competitive cheerleading includes lots of physical activity. The majority of the teams require a certain level of tumbling (翻腾) ability. It’s a very common thing for gymnasts, so it’s easy for them to go into competitive cheerleading. Usually these cheerleaders integrate lots of their gymnastics experience including their jumps, tumbling, and overall energy. They also perform lifts and throws. This is where the “fliers” are thrown in the air, held by “bases” in different positions that require strength and working with other teammates.

Competitive cheerleading is also an activity that is governed by rules under which a winner can be declared. It is awarded points for technique, creativity and sharpness. Usually the more difficult the action is, the better the score is. That’s why cheerleaders are trying to experience great difficulty in their performance.

Besides, there is also a strict rule of time. The whole performance has to be completed in less than three minutes and fifteen seconds, during which the cheerleaders are required to stay within a certain area. Any performance beyond the limit of time is invalid.

Another reason for the fact that competitive cheerleading is one of the hardest sports is that it has more reported injuries. According to some research, competitive cheerleading is the number one cause of serious sports injuries to women. Emergency room visits for it are five times the number than for any other sport, partially because cheerleaders don’t use protective equipment. Smiling cheerleaders are thrown into the air and move down into the arms of the teammates, which may easily cause injuries. Generally, these injuries affect all areas of the body, including wrists, shoulders, ankles, head, and neck.

There can be no doubt that competitive cheerleading is a sport with professional skills. Hopefully, it will appear in the Olympics since cheerleaders are just as athletic and physically fit as those involved in the more accepted sports. It should be noted that it is a team sport and even the smallest mistake made by one teammate can bring the score of the entire team down. So without working together to achieve the goal, first place is out of reach.

A．	B．
C．	D．

7 . Many cities and towns have laws that require people to recycle paper and plastics. Now some state and local governments have passed laws that demanding citizens recycle their food waste as well. California and Vermont have statewide laws about recycling food waste that apply to businesses and homes. The process of recycling food waste and turning it into usable soil is called composting (堆制肥料).

Food waste that can be composted includes fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds, tea bags, and eggshells. Garden waste such as stems and leaves can also be composted. Meat, fish, and dairy food waste cannot be recycled.

According to environmental groups, composting reduces the amount of garbage going into landfills, and composted waste holds a wide range of nutrients (营养物). When compost is added to the soil in gardens and fields, it helps crops grow.

Reducing the amount of waste that goes into landfills is one reason why cities and states are passing food-waste recycling laws. “ Our landfills far from enough for the creation of new ones are shrinking. ” Renee Crowley, a project manager at the Lower East Side Ecology Center in New York City, told TFK. Officials in Seattle, Washington, say that food waste accounts for 30% of the trash going into landfills, and they are looking to reduce that percentage. That city has a law requiring people to recycle food waste. It is banned from all garbage. There is a fine (罚款) for people who put it into regular garbage.

Those who are against food-recycling laws say that the composting process is costly. In addition, it can be difficult for people who live in apartments to store their waste because they don’t have access to outside storage bins. Patti Ferguson from Orange County, California, told her local newspaper that she thought an indoor container containing food waste would get smelly.

9 . ★LOUDOUN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL

Grades: Preschool-Grade 8

LCDS.org 703-777-3841

Award-winning school features a low student-teacher ratio (比率). Courses include art, STEM ( Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematic ), computer programming, languages, athletics, instruments. BYOT ( Bring Your Own Technology ), one-to-one program in fourth through eighth grades. It’s famous for its unique field trips.

★NYSMITH SCHOOL

Grades: 3 years-Grade 8

Nysmith.com 703-552-2912

Top 10 in the world, fun, award-winning program, up to 4 grade levels of diversification (多样化) in reading and math classes, daily science, computers, logic, foreign languages, much more. 1:9 ratio. Minimal (最少的) homework. Hands-on experimental learning, a great attraction for students across the country. 2014 Tommy Award from TJ for the special achievement of Nysmith Alumni.

★FUSION ACADEMY TYSONS

Grades: 6-12

FusionTysonsCorner.com 866-461-8039

Fusion Academy is a private middle and high school where all classes are one-to-one: one student and one teacher per classroom. Here, positive relationships unlock students’ potential (潜力). Scheduling is personalized, and no homework goes home. Come soon to Tysons, Virginia, and achieve school & life balance.

★RANDOLPH-MACON ACADEMY

Grades: 6-12, Postgraduate

rma.edu 540-636-5484

R-MA is a college-prep boarding school with Air Force JROTC, devoted to developing students of academic achievement, leadership, and responsible citizenship. With smaller classes—on average, 14-17 students per class—students at R-MA find themselves building their confidence because our teachers care about each student. Graduating classes have a 100% college acceptance rate and average over $56.6 million in college scholarships offers each year.

10 . Parents often tell kids that playing video games will harm their brains. But last June a study found the opposite — certain video games can give your brain help. Researchers from the University of Montreal, in Canada, asked a group of people to play Super Mario 64 for 90 hours over the course of about 10 weeks. They found that those people experienced growth in the part of the brain that is responsible for memory.

But many people think that there’s nothing good about looking at a screen for hours at a time. They say that playing sports, reading, and doing other activities can give you the same benefits (好处) that playing video games does. Plus, some video games can be harmful. The study from the University of Montreal also found that playing shooter games like Call of Duty has a different influence from playing Super Mario 64 — it causes the area of the brain that’s responsible for memory to shrink (缩小).

Here’s what two of our readers think.

Playing video games can be beneficial because it requires skills like problem-solving, strategic (战略上的) thinking, and sometimes teamwork. A study by researchers at the University of Glasgow, in Scotland, found that playing video games improves your communication skills and ability to find ways to solve problems. Video games can also help you become more creative. For example, Minecraft requires you to think outside the box and build things with materials you never even knew existed (存在). You can build your dream house! Some schools are even using Minecraft to teach topics like math and computer science.

— Mackenzle Reldy, Nebraska

Playing video games takes time away from other more important things. I used to spend a lot of time playing them. Sometimes that kept me from doing things I needed to do, like studying my spelling words. Playing video games can also be bad for your health. Last year, researchers studied kids and teens in Canada who play video games. They found a connection between playing video games for hours before going to bed and being overweight.

— Devin Lewis, Arizona