1 . Let’s Go Fly a Kite

—at Piedmont Middle School’s celebration of kites!

Come and learn how to build all sorts of kites, from the simplest diamond-shaped kites to the most complex box kites. Stay as long as you like and build as many kites as you want. Once you have finished a kite, get advice on flying techniques from kite expert Lorena Hallsberg. The celebration will be at Piedmont Middle School, 151 Piedmont School Drive.

The Piedmont Middle School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) has organized a refreshment (茶点) tent. All profits will benefit future PTO activities. Take a break from kite flying and drink some lemonade! While you are doing so, why not join the PTO? Membership is free; you just donate your time. Show your support for Piedmont Middle School by joining the PTO this Saturday!

When: Saturday, April 11, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Where: Piedmont Middle School

Why: For fun!

Cost: Free, thanks to a generous gift from Bizarco Kite Company!

Schedule

9:00 am: Kite-building booths open. All materials are supplied for kites.

10:00 am: Kite-building shows by Lorena Hallsberg in the courtyard. Come by and learn how to build box kites and kites that look and fly like butterflies.

11:00 am: Kite-flying shows on the school track. Learn all the most important skills.

12:00 pm: Kite-flying competitions on the school track.

1:00 pm: Presentation by Dr. Brian Lehrman in the show tent: “The History of Kites”.

2:00 pm: Best Kite competitions and judging in the show tent. Come see the most artistic kites and the most interesting theme kites.

3:00 pm: Presentation by Dr. Lehrman in the show tent: “Kites and Science”.

3:30 pm: Awards ceremony conducted by Headmaster Seward on the football field. The results of the day’s judging will be announced, with awards such as Best of Show, Most Artistic, Highest Flyer, and others. Winners will receive gifts from the Bizarco Kite Company!

4:00-5:00 pm: Let’s all go fly a kite! Everyone flies kites at the same time, creating a wonderful sight for all to enjoy.

Come to the kite celebration, enjoy yourself and learn more.

1. The main purpose of Paragraph 2 is to ask people to ____.

A．build a kite	B．support the PTO
C．take a break	D．join the fun

2. Which times are most important for people who want to join in kite competitions?

A．10:00 am and 11:00 am.	B．12:00 pm and 2:00 pm.
C．1:00 pm and 3:00 pm.	D．2:00 pm and 4:00 pm.

3. From the passage, we know that the kite celebration ___.

A．is enjoyable and educational

B．is strict about the shapes of kites

C．gets money from PTO of Piedmont Middle School

D．gives people a chance to see kites from around the world

4. The passage is intended for ____.

A．school staff	B．kite experts
C．students and parents	D．kite companies

2 . Many young people in America go to camps when they are out of school during the summer. They are offered a chance to explore different things: nature, sports, music, technology ——even business and economy.

One such program for high school students in the Pacific Northwest is called Washington Business Week. The program began in 1975. Officials say forty-five thousand people have attended Washington Business Week. Other states now have similar camps.

Washington Business Week describes itself as a way to learn more about how to plan for the future in an ever-changing economy. Students form an executive(行政的) management (管理) team. They lead an imaginary company to financial success.

The camp is held at three colleges in Washington State. The high school students live in the college housing. The cost of the camp is almost three hundred dollars, but families can receive financial assistance(援助).

Some business camps are free. These are for students from poor areas. The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship（企业家）(NFTE) is an organization based in New York City that supports such camps. It has programs around the United States and its Web site lists international partners in China, Tanzania and a few other countries. NFTE says it has served more than one hundred thousand young people since 1987.

Among other business camps is Camp C.E.O.. C.E.O is an chief executive officer. And this camp is for girls only. Camp C.E.O. is supported by the Girl Scouts of America and takes place for one week each summer.

The camp took place last month in Tennessee. The girls worked with successful businesswomen

from different industries. The girls learned how to build a business and develop an idea into a product. And, we imagine, they also had some fun.

1. In Washington Business Week, students successfully run a company_______.

A．that they are working in	B．that belongs to the American government
C．that does not actually exist	D．that was once shut down

2. Which of the following is True about NFTE?

A．It offers financial help to all students.

B．It has programs in America and some other countries.

C．It was organized by many rich New Yorkers.

D．One of its aims is to train students to be business managers.

3. What can we conclude from the passage ?

A．The Americans are good at enjoying their lives in many camps.

B．The young Americans are living a happy life in camps.

C．The Americans pay attention to developing the students’ abilities.

D．It is easier to organize business camps in America than other countries.

4. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．Summer camps for students	B．Summer camps for future C. E.O.
C．Summer camps being popular	D．Summer camps in the world

3 . This summer, Monika Lutz’s life took an unusual turn. Instead of heading off to college, the high school graduate packed her bags for a Bengali jungle. Lutz, like a growing number of other young Americans, is taking a year off. Gap(间隔) years   are quite common in Britain and Australia, but they are just beginning to catch on in the U.S. Lutz, who grew up in Boulder, Colo., has put together a 14-month schedule that includes helping deliver solar power to some communities in India and interning (实习) for a fashion designer in Shanghai---experiences that are worlds away from the lecture halls and university dormitories that await other students. “I could not be happier,” she says.
Why are students attracted to the gap-year concept? According to new survey data from Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson, education-policy experts and co-authors of The Gap-Year Advantage, the most common reason for this is to avoid burnout. “I felt like I was focused on college as a means to an end,” says Kelsi Morgan, an incoming Middlebury College freshman who spent last year interning for a judge in Tulsa, Okla., and teaching English at an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. The hope is that after a year out of the classroom, students will enter college more energized, focused and mature. That can be an advantage for colleges too. Robert Clagett, dean of admissions at Middlebury, did some research a few years ago and found that a single gap semester was the strongest predictor of academic success at his school.
Most experts recommend securing a spot in college before taking a gap year and warn against using the time off to lengthen your resume. “Most admissions folks can see right through that,” says Jim Jump, the academic dean of St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, Va. But for students like Lutz, who, after getting rejected from five Ivies, decided to take time off, a gap year can help focus interests. Lutz now plans to apply mostly to non-Ivies that have strong marketing programs. “This experience has really opened my eyes to the opportunities the world has to offer,” she says.
But at least one education expert doesn’t want schools spreading the gap-year message. In a study that followed 11,000 members of the high school class of 1992 for eight years after graduation, Stefanie DeLuca, a sociology professor at Johns Hopkins University, found that, all things being equal, those who delayed college by a year were 64% less likely to complete a bachelor’s degree than those who didn’t. DeLuca did not say whether these students voluntarily started college late, but at the very least, her work indicates that taking a gap year doesn’t guarantee success. “I’m not going to say that time off does not have benefits,” says DeLuca. “But I think we should not be so enthusiastic.”
1. The students take gap years mainly because ______.

A．they want to be more unusual

B．they want to refresh themselves

C．some experts advise them to do so

D．their parents think it good for them

2. According to Lutz, the gap year has made her more ______.

A．energetic	B．relaxed
C．practical	D．enthusiastic

3. Stefanie DeLuca probably agrees that ______.

A．students should think twice before taking gap years

B．taking gap years enables students to achieve success

C．schools should encourage their students to take gap years

D．taking gap years increases students’ chances of getting a good job

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards gap years?

A．Sceptical.	B．Positive.
C．Disapproving.	D．Objective.