Every morning at 6 am Alan Swallow gets out of bed, has breakfast and reads the paper. And for that he is an unsung hero.
When he reads The Southland Times in the morning, he reads it aloud and records if for people who are visually impaired(受损的).
The Blind Foundation provides its members with the Telephone Information Service(TIS) which has articles from more than 70 newspapers, radio and TV schedules, finance information, public and government notices and updates from the Blind Foundation. For 17 years Swallow has read the paper for the service. In the early days someone would head down to the local studio to record the news for the day and they had one chance to get it right. Nowadays, the news readers can work from home suing their phones.
The TIS service is available 365 days a year, and it could sometimes take him an hour to get through the local news items he had chosen. “It doesn’t take much effort, but it does take a commitment because people are relying on it.” He said.
The service had struggled for some time with volunteers because not many people knew about it. Swallow said, “It was fulfilling to know that people were benefiting from what he was doing.”
For Blind Foundation social function organiser Liz Anstice, the opportunity to give back to a foundation that had given much to her, was a nice aspect of the role. She has been involved with the foundation for five years after she became visually impaired. She said the biggest challenge was building the trust that people had in the local branch of the foundation.
Anstice reformed the social committee group and changed things so people did not get bored. The Christmas celebrations had been so well received members from the Blind Foundation in Balclutha were coming down for them. However, sometimes getting members to the events was a challenge because of a lack of volunteers available to transport them, she said. She was proud of being a finalist for the Volunteer Recognition Award.
1.How does Alan Swallow work for The Blind Foundation?
A. By writing newspaper articles.
B. By reading news for the blind.
C. By updating local news every day.
D. By collecting telephone information.
2.How does Alan Swallow feel about his work for the TIS service?
A. Time-consuming. B. Challenging. C. Satisfying. D. Struggling.
3.What’s the problem for getting members to the events according to Liz Anstice?
A. People’s distrust. B. Costs of transport.
C. Boredom of events. D. Shortage of volunteers.
4.What’s the best title for the text?
A. Blind Foundation Recognizes Its Unsung Heroes
B. Work for Telephone Information Service
C. Great Challenges to Blind Foundation
D. Blind Foundation: Reforms Going on
The UP Series is a series of documentary films produced by Granada Television that have followed the lives of fourteen British children since 1964, when they were seven years old. So far the documentary has had eight episodes(连续剧) lasting 49 years (one episode every seven years) and the documentary has been broadcast on both ITV and BBC.
The children were selected to represent the range of social economic backgrounds in Britain at that time, with the assumption that each child’s social class predetermines their future. Every seven years, the director, Michael Apted, films material from those of the fourteen who choose to participate. The aim of the series is stated at the beginning of 7 Up, as, "Why do we bring these children together? Because we want to get a glimpse of England in the year 2000. The shop assistant and the manager of the year 2000 are now seven years old."
The subjects are first seen on a group visit to London Zoo, where the narrator announces “We brought these 20 children together for the very first time.” The series, however, only follows fourteen. Because the show was not originally intended to become a repeating series, no long-term contract was signed with the participants. The interviews since 7 Up have been voluntary, although the participants have been paid an unknown sum for their appearance in each film.
Although the series began as a political documentary, it has become a film of human nature. In the director’s commentary for 42 Up, Apted comments that he did not realize the series had changed tone from political to personal until 21 Up. He also comments that this realization was a relief to him and allowed the films to breathe a little more.
1.When was the fourth episode of the series made?
A. 1985. B. 1992. C. 2000. D. 2005.
2.What was the goal of the Up Series at the beginning?
A. To research human nature.
B. To predict the future job changes.
C. To gather the 20 children together.
D. To foresee England in the year 2000.
3.What can we learn about the participants in the documentary?
A. They joined in it for free.
B. They were not on good terms.
C. They did not expect a repeating series.
D. They were praised for their appearance.
4.Why did Apted think the realization was a relief?
A. He could breathe a little more.
B. He could direct the films more freely.
C. He had finished the whole series finally.
D. He changed his idea about human nature.
A teacher from Relax Kids in Tamworth, UK, used two apples to show her students the damaging, and often unseen, consequences of bullying. And her post about the powerful lesson has gone viral.
Rosie Dutton explained that during one of her classes she introduced the children to two red apples. What the kids didn't know was that prior to the lesson, Dutton had repeatedly dropped one of the apples on the floor. And yet, on the outside at least, both apples looked perfect. "I picked up the apple I'd dropped on the floor and started to tell the children how I disliked this apple, that I thought it was disgusting, it was a horrible colour and the stem was just too short," Dutton wrote.
She then encouraged the students to do the same. Some of the children looked at her like she was “crazy”, but the students passed the apple around the circle, calling it names.
Continuing the exercise, the teacher then passed the second apple around the circle. This apple, however, was showered with comments like: “Your skin is beautiful," and "what a beautiful colour you are."
Dutton then showed the students both apples once again, highlighting that "there was no change, both apples still looked the same."
That is, until she cut them open. "The apple we'd said unkind words to was bruised and all mushy inside," she said.
There was, she said, an immediate "light bulb" moment for her students. "They really got it. What we saw inside that apple, the bruises, the mush and the broken bits is what is happening inside every one of us when someone mistreats us with their words or actions."
Dutton explained how important it is to teach children to stand up for one another, and to stop any form of bullying.
“Let’s create a generation of kind caring children,” the teacher wrote. “The tongue has no bones, but is strong enough to break a heart. So be careful with your words.”
1.What had the teacher done to the first apple before the lesson?
A. She had introduced it to the kids.
B. She had damaged it purposely.
C. She had made it look perfect.
D. She had coloured it brightly.
2.What does the underlined part “calling it names” (Para. 3) mean?
A. Saying rude things. B. Making fun of it.
C. Cheering for it. D. Shouting at it.
3.What did the teacher instruct the kids to do with the second apple?
A. Drop it. B. Praise it. C. Ignore it. D. Observe it.
4.What’s the purpose of the teacher’s using two apples in class?
A. To draw the kids’ attention.
B. To explain her personal preferences.
C. To make a comparison between them.
D. To help the kids understand the results of bullying.
Most people who took vacations were happier than non-vacationers. So why not start planning your next trip right now? Here are the 4 places you can visit in 2017.
New Zealand
No doubt, many readers—particularly those who love outdoor recreation—will have dreamed of visiting beautiful New Zealand. Now may be the time to do it. The number of airline seats available to travelers going to New Zealand has roughly doubled in the past year, which means you can get relative deals on airfare to the country.
United Kingdom
It won’t be cheap to visit the U. K., but, it will be cheaper than it has been in years, experts say. The pound has fallen significantly against the dollar in recent months, and airfares are good deals now, too. One of the best ways to get deals is to book a hotel-and-airfare package.
The Gulf Coast of Florida
The western edge of the Sunshine State includes such cities as Clearwater, Tampa and St. Petersburg and is known for blue waters and sugar-sand beaches—and, more recently, for relaxing beach vacations on a budget. Seven new hotels opened in that area in 2016, offering extra value of consumers.
Iceland
This country has been on budget travelers’ radar for a number of years, but it’s still offering plenty of deals. Hotels in the country are reasonable. Three-star hotels in May coast about $130 per night and in January $180 per night. One thing not to miss in Iceland: seeing the Northern Lights, best done from October to March.
1.Which destination is especially recommended for tourists who prefer outdoor activity?
A. New Zealand. B. United Kingdom.
C. The Gulf Coast of Florida. D. Iceland.
2.In which month should you go to visit Iceland if you want to save money?
A. January. B. March. C. May. D. October.
3.What benefits can the four places offer tourists?
A. Nice food and goods.
B. Cheap airlines or admission fees.
C. Convenient service and transport.
D. Economical flights or accommodations.
假如你是李华，今年春节去美国旅游度假一周。你的美国朋友Luke招待了你。 请给他写一封信，表示感谢。要点如下：
1．玩得很开心；
2．谢谢他的招待；
3．邀请其来中国旅游。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文流畅。
I have an aunt work in London. It has been five years that we met each other. Last summer vacation my parent and I took a trip there. I didn’t expect live in a city in England could be much expensive than in my home country in eastern Europe. We went to Cambridge on the other day. They were many kinds of delicious food, so we got ourselves something to eat. I eat Coriander crisps, which were extreme tasty. Although I was tired that day, I really had wonderful time.
