Born to Travel
Burton Holmes was a born traveller if ever there was
one. He was born in Chicago in 1870. When he was 16, his
grandmother took him to Europe. He took a camera with him, and took pictures. When he was 17, he went to Europe again with his grandmother. That year they also went to California and to Cuba.
Burton was on the road all the time after that. Everywhere he went, he took at least one camera. Then Holmes began giving talks to the Chicago Camera Club. His talks were so popular that he decided to build a business on them.
Holmes’s first travel pictures were on glass slides(幻灯片). These were in black and white. Then he decided to have the slides painted so that his pictures would appear in colour. A few years later, in 1897, Holmes began showing moving pictures of his travel experiences. This was only a year after movies first were shown to a group of people in New York. Later, he set up a film company and his films became popular. There is even
a star with his name on Hollywood Boulevard. In 1910 Holmes published a set of books about his travel experiences. These books also included the general travel information for others to follow.
Burton Holmes had many adventures over the years. He took pictures at the first modern Olympics, in Athens, Greece, in 1896. In 1899 Holmes took the first moving pictures of a war. He was the first person to take moving pictures in China, and the first person to drive a car in Denmark. He photographed the opening of Yellowstone National Park, in 1916. When things happened, Burton Holmes was there. In travelling for 62 years Holmes kept time in his photographs, saving it for generations to come.
1.When was Burton Holmes born?
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2.Did Burton take at least one camera with him everywhere he went?
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3.Why did Burton decide to have the slides painted?
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4.What did Burton Holmes do in 1910?
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5.What was the most valuable thing Burton did for future generations?
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No summer beach vacation in the northeast U. S. A state of Massachusetts is complete without an order of fried clams at a seaside restaurant. People enjoy eating the shellfish, which are dipped(蘸) in a mixture made from flour, water and spices and then cooked in hot oil.
One restaurant known for its seafood is Nancy’s on Matha’s Vineyard.
Martha’s Vineyard is a small island off the coast of Massachusetts U. S. President Barack Obama and his family like to visit Martha’s Vineyard in the summer. The Obama family often eats at Nancy’s during their vacations. It seems that one Obama has even started working at Nancy’s this summer.
The Boston Herald newspaper first reported that Sasha Obama the president’s younger daughter has a job there. She is 15 years old. The story says that Sasha Obama is helping the restaurant get ready for its lunch service each day. She is also bringing customers their food orders at a take-out window. She works about four hours. Her last day is Saturday, when the rest of the Obama family arrives for vacation. One of the other workers at the restaurant said Sasha started working earlier the week. She has been using her full name, Natasha, while on the job.
Many people followed the story on social media.“Sasha Obama” became a hot twitter topic. One person wrote on Twitter: “Keeping it real.” Another added hash-tag “Respect”. But a third person twittered that someone else who really needs the money should have the job. He said that Sasha Obama was only working because people would like the story.
The president’s daughter does have a safe team looking out for her. But they have been waiting in a large car nearby while she works.
1.Is Matha’s Vineyard the name of a restaurant?
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2.Who first reported the story of Sasha?
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3.How long did Sasha work at the restaurant a day?
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4.According to a third person, why did Sasha work at a restaurant?
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5.What do you think of Sasha?
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Television is one of the greatest technological inventions of the 20 century. A Scottish man called John Logie Baird invented it. Inventors in the USA and Europe were working on electronic television systems but Baird used a mechanical(机械的) system. In 1925, he was able to send the first black and white picture—of the head of a doll—from one end of his flat to the other. He then used a local office boy, not the doll, and this teenager was the first person ever to appear on TV.
In January 1926, Baird invited scientists to his flat and showed them his invention. He called it a “televisor”. Later that year, Baird started the world’s first TV station and gave it the name 2TV. In 1927, he sent images 730 kilometres from London to Glasgow using telephone cables(电缆). A year later, his company sent the first transatlantic(大西洋彼岸的) TV images from London to New York. Baird made the first television programmes for the BBC in 1929. These programmes had sound, not just pictures.
However, Baird's system was very limited and basic( 基本的). A totally electronic American system was more popular and practical. The inventor of this electronic system was an American, Philo Farnsworth. In 1936, the BBC started using Farnsworth's system because the picture was better than Baird’s.
More and more people had televisions after the Second World War. Colour TV began in the USA in the 1940s but only a small number of people had colour televisions in their houses. They were very expensive. In Britain and the USA, the first regular(有规律的) colour TV programmes only began in1967.
Now in the 21 century, we have digital television. TV has changed a lot since the face of a boy appeared on TV in John Logie Bairds flat.
1.Is television a great technological invention of the 20century?
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2.How far were the images sent from London to Glasgow in 1927?
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3.Who invented the totally electronic system?
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4.When did colour televisions go into their houses in America?
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5.What is the passage mainly about?
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DIY. which means Do It Yourself, is quite popular in UK. Lots of stores and supermarkets sell DIY things. TV programs show people how to DIY.
English people like DIY. There is a saying in UK—“An Englishman’s home is his castle(城堡)”. Huge numbers of people spend their holidays making their homes beautiful “castles”. If there is anything that needs fixing around their homes, such as painting the walls or putting in a new shower, they will do the jobs themselves. They share DIY experience with their friends. More and more people have discovered the joy of DIY. Sometimes people also DIY for saving money. With the economy (经济) becoming worse at present, many people cannot afford a big house. They are looking at how they can make their house better without spending a lot of money. It is not surprising that DIY is so popular.
DIY can be difficult. There is a huge market for DIY furniture. People need to get together pieces of furniture with a few basic tools. However, people often find it not easy to build a piece of furniture because they can't understand the instructions. Sometimes the instructions are simple and clear, but the furniture itself is difficult to build. One thing is for sure, though most DIY projects are started with the best ideas, many of them may not get finished. DIY can also be dangerous. For example, anything electrical should be done by a professional worker. Unluckily, many people don't care about this warning and put themselves in danger. It is reported that in just one year over 230, 000 people were hurt while doing DIY in UK, including 41, 000 who fell off ladders.
Therefore, DIY can bring us fun and help us save money, but it is not always as easy as it is thought to be if we bite off more than we can chew. Maybe factories should make products that are easier and safer for us to DIY. All in all, it is a very good and suitable thing for many people.
1.Is DIY quite popular in UK?
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2.How do many English people spend their holidays?
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3.What do people get together pieces of furniture with?
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4.How many people were hurt while doing DIY in UK in a year?
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5.Why do people in UK like DIY?
Dealing with sleep-away Camp
I have never been away from home, at least not for more than three days, much less two whole weeks. When I got the chance to go to Journalism Camp, I was afraid. Of the 19 other students there, I Knew no one.
What if I had to go home during camp time because I wouldn't be able to get used to the new situation? What if my roommate and I don't get along? How do I even use a washing machine?
Well, after the first night, nearly all of my problems were solved. The students were amazing, and my roommate was perfect. She knew how to do crazy braids(辫子) with my long hair and she loved to listen to me talk loudly! I couldn't have asked for more.
The two weeks nearly flew by, and I learned to take responsibility for myself: washing clothes, cleaning and other things like that.
However, in the process I didn’t realize how tied I had become to the usual order of waking up early, running to get to the newsroom in time, and coming back to a large room full of friends who shared similar feelings as I did.
On the last day, I couldn’t get myself to turn in my room keys. It couldn't be over. I become emotionally tied really easily, so it was hard for me to pull away. I couldn't push away my tears. Leaving camp Just left me empty.
I wasn't having the “blues”, but I felt really sad about leaving. Returning home, I was in the state of disappointment for a few days. I kept to myself, sleeping through most of the day so I wouldn’t have time to look back.
I needed to get used to life at home again. This was my challenge. I was lucky to have the two-week experience, but I had to learn to accept that not all things last forever.
I could still keep in touch with my new friends while continuing on with the rest of my summer. I know I will go through the same experience when I leave high school after senior year. High school life will never return after graduation, but I can still keep in touch with my friends and look forward to other experiences I will have.
1.How did the writer feel when she got the chance to go to Journalism Camp?
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2.After the first night, what did the writer think of the students and her roommate?
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3.How long did the camp last?
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4.What was her challenge?
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5.What did the writer learn from the experience?
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Today in our P. E. class, we all had to play basketball. There are only 7 girls in our P.E. class, so the class is mostly boys. And because we’re girls, they don't really like us. We hate basketball, and they hate us. So we asked them if we could sit on the chairs and not play. They agreed and so we talked and laughed happily on the chairs.
Well, today, Just while all the girls were talking happily, the P. E. teacher came in. Angrily, he looked at all the boys running around with the basketball. Seeing that not a girl was playing, he looked at us. Shaking his head, he blew his whistle( 哨子). Everyone looked up. We were all surprised.
“Why aren't you playing?” he asked us.
“Well，they said that we didn’t have to play，Mr. Backus!” We quickly blamed(归咎于) the boys, afraid to get into trouble.
“What? They didn't want to play!” the boys didn't want to get into trouble, either. Mr. Backus told us to get up and made all of us run around the playground for 5 minutes. Later, he made us sit down and listen to him. The boys complained, but he made them listen anyway.
“Am I ever unfair to you?” he asked. We all shook our heads. It was true. Mr. Backus was the nicest P. E. teacher ever! He never shouted and complained. He was just nice. “Well, then I hope you are fair to me. I don t care whose fault(错误) it was. One person’s fault, the whole class’s fault. Understand?”
We nodded and waited. It was the only thing he ever asked us to do: to be fair. It was not much; it was not anything. So we listened on.
“This time I catch you not doing anything, you run for 5 minutes. Next time. you run for 10 minutes. It’s your choice. You could play games or run. I don’t really care, but I think you care. Remember, one person's fault: the whole class's fault. Got it?”
As we nodded again, he left. We could see him smile as he closed the door. Mr. Backus was just too nice. That was why we all liked him and he certainly loved us.
1.Do the girls in the class like basketball?
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2.What did the girls do in their P. E. class?
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3.How long did Mr. Backus ask the students to run?
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4.What did the students think of Mr. Backus?
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5.What did Mr. Backus want his students to learn from his lesson?
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