Voluntourism
Volunteering to help people in need combined with travelling to faraway places is a new trend in the travel industry. It is called voluntourism. 1. They find it is the best way to get the best of the world.
Recent statistics show that in the past few years voluntourism has been one of the fastest-growing areas of tourism. More than 1.6 million people around the world are volunteers in other countries. They help build schools, assist in hospitals and do farming work in developing countries. 2. They keep in touch with their host families after they return home, and many return to visit.
There are many reasons why people want to engage in voluntourism. When people choose to join a voluntourism program, they are joining a global network of volunteers who are living and working with diverse cultures on projects that have a positive effect. The volunteers come from all over the world, and they will share the passion for giving back and the desire to broaden horizons. Some students also see it as a gap year after school, while others simply want to take time out from a job and do something else. 3. However, many voluntourists do not see volunteering as what it is. They think it is a cheap way of travelling and don't really want to get involved in hard work.
While voluntourism has been around for over a century, modern volunteering started with the Peace Corps, a program that the US government started in the 1960s. From then on, voluntourism has become more and more popular. Many organizations start similar projects. 4. And they have hundreds of different types of programs for people to choose from in more than 30 developing countries. The programs run year round and each volunteer chooses when they want to start and the duration they would like to stay for.
5. They say that if people really want to help those in need, there are many opportunities in their own community to do this. On the other side, volunteers are often not skilled enough for the tasks that they do. Travel experts point out that in some cases voluntourists are often taken advantage of by the organization that sets up the trips.
A. Not everyone sees voluntourism in a positive way.
B. Some of them establish lasting bonds with people there.
C. And there are those who are bored and merely seek adventure.
D. Most voluntourism organizations employ people from similar fields.
E. By participating in voluntourism, they are contributing to local economy.
F. People travel to other countries, learn languages and gain new experiences.
G. They offer voluntourism trips to suit people's interest, experience level or age.
Comedy and Psychology
Earlier this year I did a part-time comedy course. The class was taught by Ryan, a professional comedian.I had performed a show, which wasn’t originally meant to be a comedy. However, the audience laughed at my first joke, then continued to laugh throughout the routines that were meant to be serious. So it was the audience who told me I was funny, but I didn’ t understand why or how to control the comic (滑稽的) moments. So, I joined the course to learn.
“Turn off your editor that makes you say the right thing and remember how to be a child,” explained Ryan. “Don’t try to be clever. Don’t try too hard to be funny…and knowing all about the theory of humor is unlikely to help you much. Just behave in a silly way. That’s what people want to see on stage.”Ryan would help us loosen up by saying things like, “Wander around talking to others, but make sure that you’re the lowest status person here.”
I’ d say that understanding the psychology of humor has actually helped. Recently I came across the book Inside Jokes: Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind. Its main idea is that any self-directed intelligent system will need to correct its own fault. There’s a risk that the occasional error will be made. If this was boring or burdensome, we’d be less willing to do it. However, evolution has made the process fun.
Here’s a joke in the book: Two fish are in a tank. One says to the other, “Do you know how to drive this thing?” It works on the principle that we have started to imagine one thing—that the tank is the typical container people keep fish in—and, just in time, the following words tell us that our first assumption was wrong—it’s a heavy vehicle. For correctly figuring out the error, we are rewarded with a pleasurable feeling. The joke is an efficient way of encouraging this natural reaction, and comedians have become experts in slightly touching this mental funny-bone in order to make us laugh.
Ryan was right when he said that knowing the theory of humor wouldn’t help us that much as a comedy.During one exercise in the course, four of us were told to perform an opera. Susan and Caroline sang earnestly on either side of the stage, and I brought Henry to the floor, where we wrestled (摔跤) each other like out-of-control teenagers. The rest of the group was in uncontrollable fits of laughter. As a performer, I’ ll never appreciate just why it seemed so funny. But the point is that I would never have written this on the paper. It was a joyous, found moment.
1.Why did the author attend the comedy course?
A.He wanted to see how the theories worked in practice.
B.He discovered he had some natural ability in comedy.
C.He worried about how other performers would find him.
D.He got unpleasant experiences when performing a comedy.
2.Ryan required the people on the comedy course to______.
A.copy their favorite performance
B.imagine other people’ s reactions
C.help themselves feel comfortable
D.behave in a more playful manner
3.What is the purpose of the joke mentioned in Paragraph 4?
A.To discuss what humor brings about exactly.
B.To give an example of another kind of humor.
C.To prove the point about psychology of humor.
D.To show why some people are funnier than others.
4.What view does the author put forward in the end?
A.Visual humor is what appeals to people most.
B.What people find funny is often unpredictable.
C.Theories explaining humor tend to be mistaken.
D.Learning comic skills proves to be a difficult task.
Ownership used to be about as straightforward as writing a cheque. If you bought something, you owned it. If it broke, you fixed it. If you no longer wanted it, you sold it or threw it away. In the digital age, however, ownership has become more slippery. Since the coming of smartphones, consumers have been forced to accept that they do not control the software in their devices; they are only licensed to use it. As a digital chain is wrapped ever more tightly around more devices, such as cars and thermostats, who owns and who controls which objects is becoming a problem. Buyers should be aware that some of their most basic property rights are under threat.
The trend is not always harmful. Manufacturers seeking to restrict what owners do with increasingly complex technology have good reasons to protect their copyright, ensure that their machines do not break down, support environmental standards and prevent hacking. Sometimes companies use their control over a product's software for the owners' benefit. When Hurricane Irma hit Florida this month, Tesla remotely updated the software controlling the batteries of some models to give owners more range to escape the storm.
But the more digital strings are attached to goods, the more the balance of control leans towards producers and away from owners. That can be inconvenient. Picking a car is hard enough, but harder still if you have to dig up the instructions that tell you how use is limited and what data you must give. If the products are intentionally designed not to last long, it can also be expensive. Already, items from smartphones to washing machines have become extremely hard to fix, meaning that they are thrown away instead of being repaired.
Privacy is also at risk. Users become terrified when iRobot, a robotic vacuum cleaner, not only cleans the floor but also creates a digital map of the inside of a home that can then be sold to advertisers (though the manufacturer says it has no intention of doing so). Cases like this should remind people how jealously they ought to protect their property rights and control who uses the data that is collected.
Ownership is not about to go away, but its meaning is changing. This requires careful inspection. Devices, by and large, are sold on the basis that they enable people to do what they want. To the extent they are controlled by somebody else, that freedom is compromised.
1.What benefit does it bring to customers if companies control the ownership of products?
A.It provides them with knowledge to prevent hacking.
B.It gives them the chance to be protected from danger.
C.It enables them to own the copyright of the products.
D.It helps them know more about complex technology.
2.The underlined words "that freedom" in the last paragraph refer to the freedom to ________.
A.control other people B.share the ownership
C.inspect devices at any time D.use devices as one wishes
3.The author may agree ________.
A.customers should buy fewer digital devices
B.producers should control property rights
C.property rights need to be protected
D.better after sales service is required
4.Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage?
I: Introduction P: Point Sp: Sub-point (次要点) C: Conclusion
A.
B.
C.
D.
While your competitors are still waiting for the water to warm up, you could be giving your dragon boat season a jumpstart with a paddling vacation in Orlando, Florida. Spring camp is suitable for all ages and levels, perfect for those looking for a break from the ordinary ( or cold) days while enjoying the sport of dragon boat with like-minded people.
The 2018 Florida Training Camp promises to be a week of fun and fitness on and off the water. Register as a team, small group or individual, with customizable(可定制的) add-ons for those looking to give an edge to their personal performance.
The week will close out on Saturday with a camp BBQ and a racing regatta! Opening festivities begin on the evening of Sunday April 15th with camp check-in. Training begins on Monday April 16th and ends on Saturday April 21st.
GWN FLORIDA TRAINING CAMP
Dates: Monday April 16th to Saturday April 21st, 2018
Price: $395, $370 before January 19th, 2018
Features include:
Daily schedule
Twice daily dragon boat training sessions
Daily video analysis
Individual help(twice weekly)
Additional daily group sessions
Camp-sponsored socials
CUSTOMIZE YOUR CAMP EXPERIENCE
The optifons outlined below are available during the week of camp and can be booked as an add-on. Add-ons can be included in your initial registration or purchased at a later time through the online registration system.
OPTION 1: High Performance Program
Cost: $75
If you want to learn how to move your boat faster, then the High Performance Program is for you! This option consists of three progressive one-hour sessions completely focused on racing techniques, strategies, and drills, with the goal of increasing your overall speed.
Option 2: Coaching Community Dragon Boat (Level1)
Cost: $175
This course is intended for anyone interested in entry-level coaching. Expect the material included in the course to cover safety, ethics(道德) in coaching, coach-athlete communication, basic dragon boat techniques, basic physiological requirements of dragon boat racing, race and practice planning, plus more.
1.According to the passage, ___________in the camp.
A.you will enjoy a BBQ at the opening B.you need to be over 18
C.you should have some dragon boat skills D.you can have fun on land
2.How much does the camp with Option 1 cost if you pay at the end of 2017?
A.$370 B.$395
C.$ 445 D.$470
3.We can learn from the passage that ___________.
A.Option 1 includes a three-hour session
B.add-ons can be bought during registration
C.Option 2 is for those fond of advanced coaching
D.video analysis is covered in the coaching course
4.The purpose of the passage is to ______________.
A.recommend an upcoming training camp
B.introduce the options in a training camp
C.provide ideas about how to spend a vacation
D.offer advice on how to win in dragon boat races
Most heroes are not super. They don't appear in comic books, on television, or in movies. They just do what they believe needs to be done to make their world a better place. Bike Batman is one of them.
Bike Batman is a 30-year-old married engineer who lives in Seattle, Washington. He's a cyclist who also buys and sells bikes as a hobby.
About three years ago, he was looking for a bike for his wife. He found one on Craigslist, a website where people list things they want to sell. As he often does, he also looked at Bike Index, a popular website that allows users to register their bikes and post reports when they're taken. The bike, which he was considering purchasing, clearly matched one reported stolen on Bike Index. Then he called the person who claimed to be the bike's owner and arranged to meet him-- supposedly to complete the sale. When the two men met, Bike Batman told the thief, "You've got two options. You can wait until a police officer gets here, or you can just get out of here." You can imagine what the thief did.
After that first success, Bike Batman developed a safer routine. When he sees questionable bike ads on Craigslist, he cross-references the image with bikes reported on Bike Index. Once he has confirmed it with the owner, he arranges a meet-up with the thief and will call the Seattle police department so that officers can participate in the action. In more than half of the 22 cases in which he has got back and returned bikes, the thieves have been arrested. In one case, Bike Batman even helped a family recover a wide range of prized possessions that suspects had stolen during a home burglary.
His nickname came from a discussion with a police officer who suggested he be called "Robin Hood". Since he wasn't exactly stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, "Batman" seemed a better fit. The idea of a superhero punishing criminals feels pretty silly to him, but the main reason he continues his work is to keep up Seattle's reputation as a friendly city.
1.When Bike Batman discovers a questionable bike, he will first ________.
A.contact the owner of the stolen bike B.look up the bike's information
C.call the police department D.arrange to meet the thief
2.Bike Batman helps find the lost bikes to ________.
A.become famous B.help poor people
C.punish bike thieves D.build a friendly city
3.From the passage, we can learn that ________.
A.Bike Batman felt relieved to see the thieves arrested
B.Bike Batman began his good deeds by accident
C.the police failed to perform their duties
D.the thieves refused to return the bikes
The snow was falling and the roads had become dangerous. The schools were dismissed early, but much to my surprise, my ____ wasn’t canceled. So I went, feeling especially heroic. As far as I could see, I was risking my life to keep my ____. Snow or no snow, I would be on time for my scheduled donation at the local ____ center.
When I got there, I discovered I wasn’t _____. Four more “hero-types” were already lying back in donor chairs with lines ____ to their veins, and machines quietly pumping away to ______ their lifesaving gifts.
Seeing my fellow donors honoring their own commitments, I realized why I was there. I lay back in my donor chair, ready to make a difference in the life of someone I would never _____.
To be honest, I’d never really thought about why I donate. I just do it. But a few months ago, during one of my ____ donations I learned that my blood was specifically for a cancer patient and for a newborn baby—both patients needed what I would give in order to live. I’ve viewed my visits to the blood center _____ ever since.
My wife Karen is a _____, too. And more importantly, she has been on the bone marrow (骨髄) list for fifteen years, ever since she signed up to provide bone marrow to a kindergartner with leukemia (白血病). That little girl died before Karen’s bone marrow could help her, ____ Karen was called again recently. Her test results were still on file, and it turned out she was a potential ____ for someone else. The caller asked Karen if she would still be willing to become a bone marrow donor. “Yes,” she said and then immediately began answering questions on the pages of paperwork for further testing. It was a race ____ time.
I wish I could say that this ____ was won. It wasn’t. The caller later thanked Karen for her participation and asked a few more questions—including whether or not she’d ____ on the donor list. “Of course,” Karen answered.
Last week Karen gave blood and next week I’ll make my usual donation. I’ll ____ an afternoon from my schedule and make an appointment. I don’t know whose life my donation may ____. Most likely it will be a ____, but on any day the person needing a blood product could be you or me or maybe a loved one. It is worthwhile to ___ our time to donate.
I really do feel _____ every time I donate. And I like the feeling.
1.A.appointment B.class C.meeting D.flight
2.A.secret B.balance C.shape D.word
3.A.service B.shopping C.blood D.care
4.A.alone B.welcome C.late D.lucky
5.A.exposed B.attached C.applied D.added
6.A.examine B.produce C.collect D.clean
7.A.meet B.forget C.miss D.recognize
8.A.regular B.unexpected C.special D.pleasant
9.A.wisely B.differently C.hesitantly D.carefully
10.A.receiver B.doctor C.patient D.donor
11.A.or B.but C.and D.for
12.A.risk B.customer C.match D.partner
13.A.beyond B.with C.against D.of
14.A.honor B.test C.prize D.race
15.A.rank B.sign C.appear D.remain
16.A.clear B.separate C.lose D.remove
17.A.touch B.affect C.create D.enrich
18.A.child B.stranger C.hero D.friend
19.A.spend B.save C.kill D.take
20.A.empty B.grateful C.proud D.nervous
