Society today tells us that automatic pencils are a lot better than manual ones which you have to sharpen every 5 seconds. Maybe this is true. However, there are some benefits from using an old-fashioned traditional pencil which you cannot get with an automatic one.
To be honest, it is quite convenient to use an automatic pencil with an easy press on the button. Meanwhile a manual pencil doesn’t enjoy any plus point. But it is sort of strange that manual pencils should be used in standardized tests today. Chances are that the manual pencil makes the line of grey look nicer.
Nowadays, it is always a battle of who has the newest, most high-tech gadget(小装置), from pencils, cars to clothes. The newer it is, it seems the more popular it becomes. If you walk around school, you will for sure find at least three out of ten people walking around with the latest iPhone 4S. If you are one of the luckier ones walking around with the newest Nokia phones, you will get laughed at.
Maybe an automatic pencil is better at the moment, but after using it for a while, usually the pencil will break. Most people lose them and don’t remember to carry extra lead(铅芯) to fill them up with, as it sometimes can do so much that it needs a lot of lead, just like an iPhone 4S needs to be charged after it has done so much work. As for the manual pencil, the lead will also run out but unlike the mechanical pencil it will last longer. Besides, the automatic pencil and the iPhone 4S are more likely to get stolen while the manual pencil along with the Nokia phone will be left alone and most likely-returned to you.
| Title |
Automatic Pencils |
| People’s |
●The newer-gadget like the iPhone 4s becomes more ●You will be |
| Advantages |
●We can use the automatic pencil more easily by ●The manual pencil is ●The manual pencil can last longer. |
| |
●The automatic pencils usually tend to ● People often ● |
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HARVARD, the top university in the United States, is a dream place for many students. Imagine being able to see how unique Harvard students are. Asking them what they learn. And how their classes are conducted.
This month, 300 students from different parts of China had an opportunity to spend a week with Harvard students. They gathered in the High School Attached to Fudan University in Shanghai where the Harvard College Association for US-China Relations Summit for Young Leaders in China (HSYLC 2007) took place. Over 40 Harvard undergraduates took part in it!
Around 2,000 Chinese students applied online for the program, which included various activities. Wang Wenjing, 17, from Shanghai Jingye High School was one of the 300 participants to be selected.
Seminars (研讨会)
Every day, the schedule was very busy filled with seminars, lectures, workshops (研习班), games and parties. Wang liked the seminars most.
Seminars are small classes with no more than 10 students. Wang could choose six from 40 different seminars to attend. A Harvard student led each one.
"They explored international issues such as US immigration (移民). We were allowed lively discussion and sometimes the only thing we did in a class was debate," Wang said. "To prepare for the next seminar, we often stayed up late doing research. No one could keep silent and it was fun to share ideas with others."
Celebrities’(名人) lectures
Each day, two or three lectures were given. Wang was excited that the lecturers were famous figures that before she had only seen on TV.
"I finally know why people are crazy about Yi Zhongtian. He is intelligent and eloquent (有口才的). Pu Bajia taught me how to overcome difficulties and plan for the future. All the lectures were inspiring," she said.
At the closing ceremony, Wang and her partner from Nanjing presented their workshop project. It was a survey of how Chinese view Americans, as an article about how Americans view Chinese is popular on the Internet.
"The program taught me what I could not otherwise learn in the classroom. Harvard students also let me know how important to be creative," she said.
| Background information |
300 Chinese students had an opportunity to spend a week with students of Harvard University, the most _ |
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| The programme was _ |
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| About 2000 Chinese students applied online, but only 300 were luckily chosen. |
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| __ |
Seminars |
Seminars are small classes with only 10 students, __ |
| There were 40 different seminars for participants to choose from. |
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| The Chinese students had to __ |
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| Everyone had to stay up late, __ |
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| Celebrities’ lectures |
Every day two or three _ |
|
| Conclusion |
Participants had to present their workshop projects, intended to encourage their ___ |
Can you escape from a sinking vehicle? The answer is obviously yes. “But you’ve got to be quick.” said Gordon Greisbeck, a professor from the University of Manitoba’s. Here he gives four rules of survival.
Rule 1. Don’t call 911 until you are out of the car. You should get out of that vehicle immediately after unbuckling. Think about calling 911 once you’ve made it out alive. ‘Time is very important,” Greisbeck says, “If you touch your cell phone, you’re probably going to die.”
Rule 2. Don’t open the door. Roll down or break the windows instead. Opening the door is very difficult against the water pressure and it also allows so much water into the vehicle that it will speed up the sinking process. Since most vehicles now have electronically controlled windows, it is probable that the circuits (电路) will short before you have a chance to roll them down. So you’ll need a tool like the Life Hammer to break the windows open. And make sure these tools are within reach at all times.
Rule 3. Children first. Everybody should get out of their own window if possible, but the kids are going to have a harder time fighting through the rush of water, so push them out if you have to. Greisbeck suggests starting with the oldest kids and taking the youngest out in your arms.
Rule 4. Get out. Swim through the broken windows as fast as possible. You can’t imagine what will happen in the next second. Any intention to take your belongings can be deadly.
If you’ve failed to get the windows rolled down or broken, you’ll still have the slightest of chances to escape. Once water fills the car, the pressure will be equalized and you will be able to open the door. But to do this, you will also have to be expert at holding your breath in an extremely stressful situation.
| How to |
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| Rules |
Details |
|
| Don’t call Immediately. |
Make a phone call once you’ve |
Time is of great importance. |
| Don’t Open The door. |
Roll down the windows or use a Life Hammer to make the windows |
◆The water pressure can make opening the door ◆The vehicle will sink ◆Most cars have electronically controlled windows and the circuits will |
| Children first. |
Push the oldest kids out first, and then go out with the youngest in your |
Kids have more difficulty |
| Get out. |
Swim through the broken windows as fast as possible. |
What will happen is |
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容或括号内单词的正确形式。
It seems recently that more and more of my friends are facing some seemingly unbeatable challenges in their lives. Some have lost their jobs and some have __ ___ (fail) marriages. All too many have health problems.
I don’t know if it is desperation _____ causes them to turn to me for advice or whether they have come to value our friendship. But __
___ is difficult to offer words of hope when all they feel is hopeless. They expect answers to get them back __
___ their feet again.
I have often struggled with what to say, ______ (most) because I have faced many of the same challenges in my own life. I remember how empty I felt after someone cheerfully offered words like “Things will get better!”
Now , being thought of _____ a source of hope or a good example of what to do through printed words, I have even __
___ (many) people contacting me.
So what do I say? “Begin again.”
It sounds too simple, _____ it is indeed the answer. All life __
___(challenge) bring about an ending and the chance for __
___(begin).
You work hard for your money so why not keep it? Nothing is more disappointing than working hard all week just to have nothing to spend on the weekends or even worse, having to sit at home on vacation. Try these simple tips to help gain back your financial independence.
1．Educate yourself. Write down what you have spent. Look closely at where your money has been going the last few months. Are you spending a lot more money on morning coffee than you want to? Just by adding up what you're spending and where you're spending it each month will help you make better decisions about the purchases you make.
2．Keep your change. Instead of spending your change, make a habit of putting it all in a special jar or “piggy bank” at home. You will be surprised how quickly your change adds up. Want to go on a family vacation next summer but don't think you can afford it? Try having everyone in the family contribute their change to a “vacation jar”. Your family will enjoy pitching in and your children will learn valuable lessons in saving money and enjoying the reward.
3．Be a host! Like to go out with your friends for a good time? Sure, everyone does, but no one likes getting the bill at the end of the night. Going out to eat and have a few drinks can really put the strain on your wallet. Try going to the grocery store and purchasing food and drinks that can be made at home and inviting everyone over. Yes it can be expensive to play the host every time, but if you take turns going to friends, houses you can keep the cost down and still have a good time while enjoying the same food and drinks.
4．Plan your groceries. Grocery shopping can be dangerous in many ways. One way is to go shopping when you are hungry. Think about it, when you are hungry and want something to eat, you are more likely to put everything in your cart that you just don't need. Impulse(冲动)shopping brings us to the next point. Make a list(and check it twice)．Plan out your meals for the coming week and list all the ingredients you need at the store.
Saving money can be easy and even funny when you see how much you are able to save. Start by educating yourself and your family as to where the money goes every month and then set goals. Make games out of saving your change and look forward to the reward.
| Title：Save your money |
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| Problem |
You work hard but end up having no money at last. |
| Tips |
1.Educate yourself： ◆Write down your __ ◆Check where your money has been going and you can __ 2.Keep your change. ◆Make a habit. ◆Encourage your __ 3.Be a host： ◆Invite your friends to dinner by making food and drinks by _ ◆Play the host in _ 4.Plan your groceries： ◆Just __ ◆__ |
| Conclusion |
◆Your awareness of your _ ◆Keep the tips in mind and set _ ◆Saving money should be seen as a __ |
At the beginning of the twentieth century, many people thought that the American family was falling apart. A century later, we know that this was not the case. However, although the family is still alive in the United States, its size and shape were very different 100 years ago.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there were mainly two types of families in the United States: the extended and the nuclear. The extended family usually includes grandparents, parents, and children living under the same roof. The nuclear family consists of only parents and children.
Today there are many different kinds of families. Some people live in “traditional” families, that is, a stay-home mother, a working father, and their own biological children. Others live in two-paycheck families, single-parent families, adoptive or foster families, blended families (where men and women who were married before marry again and combine the children from previous marriages into the new families），childless families, and so on.
What caused the structure of the family to change? In the early 1900s the birthrate began to fall and the divorce rate began to rise. Women were suddenly choosing to go to college and take jobs outside the home. In the 1930s and 1940s, many families faced serious financial, or money problems during the Great Depression, when many people lost their jobs. During World War II（1939-1945)，5 million women were left alone to take care of their homes and their children. Because many men were at war, thousands of these "war widows" had to go to work outside their home.
During the next ten years, the situation changed. There were fewer divorces, and people married at a younger age and had more children than the previous generation. It was unusual for a mother to work outside the home during the years when her children were growing up. Families began leaving cities and moving into single-family homes in the suburbs. The traditional family seemed to be returning.
In the years between 1960s and 1990s, there were many important changes in the structure of the family. From the 1960s to the early 1970s, the divorce rate doubled and the birthrate fell by half. The number of single-parent families tripled, and the number of couples living together without being married doubled again. In fact, the single-parent household, once unusual, has replaced the "traditional" family as the typical family in the States. If we can judge from history, however, this will probably change again in the twenty-first century.
The Changes of the American Family
| Main comparisons |
Contexts |
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| Different___ |
There were two __ |
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| Nowadays __ |
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| Changes in different ___ |
In the 1900s and 1940s |
Many of the women had to work outside due to the __ |
| In the 1950s |
Divorce rate slided and there were more children . The families tended to be ___ |
|
| In the years between 1960s and 1990s |
Different types of familes__ |
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| A trend worth noting |
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| Author’s opinion on changes |
Judging from what has happened in the past,it is ____ |
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