The UN has recognized the contributions of volunteers on Dec. 5, International Volunteer Day. Here, the four things are offered to consider before taking the leap into overseas volunteering.
Choose your organization carefully
1. volunteering may be a fundraising mechanism(筹资机制) for a development project. For others, volunteering is fundamental to their programs, and those serving take on professional roles in longer-term development.
2.
Volunteers want to help and make a difference, but most know this isn’t a purely selfless act. You will learn new skills, broaden your horizons and come to better understand yourself and the world. 3. Reflect on your motivations. You want to help reduce global poverty or protect the natural world, but what else? Have you always wanted to travel, but not as a tourist? Work with kids? When you understand your motivations, you’ll be in a better position to choose the option that is right for you.
Work alongside the local community
Often times, travelers volunteer in isolation(隔离) from the local community in which they are working in. 4. This enables you to ensure you are committing to a project that promotes long term and sustainable change.
A volunteer trip is just the beginning
5. Further ignite(点燃) the global change maker in you by taking your experience one step further when you return home. Spread the message of your transformative experience to others, helping to spark the change within them.
A. And that’s all OK.
B. Know why you’re going.
C. Don’t assume you know it all.
D. Communities always welcome volunteers.
E. Volunteer travel is a life-changing experience.
F. Some organizations require you to pay your own way, and often include a fee.
G. Make sure to travel with organizations that have strong partnerships with local communities.
When we go out traveling,we need either a map or GPS to point us in the right direction.But bumblebees（大黄蜂）have neither of these things,yet they still know the best route.Why is that?
It turns out that these hard-working little bees try many possible passages before picking out the best one and remembering it the next time they journey out.They learn from“trial and error”,according to a study by scientists from the University of London.
We use it all the time in our daily lives—trial and error is a helpful problem-solving method.It is the basic concept of“learning from your mistakes”.Most of the time,we fail on our first try,so we analyze the failure,make adjustments and try again.After repeating this a few times,we finally get things right.
This might sound a bit tiring,but it’s certainly effective and it works for bumblebees.
In the study,scientists set up five artificial flowers in a field.Each one of them was fitted with motion-triggered（运动触发的）cameras and had landing platforms with drops of sugar in the middle to attract the bees.
At first,scientists noticed the bees’ flying routes were long and complex.But after they gained enough experience,they gradually got to their destination quicker.Every time a bee tried a new route that was shorter than the route it had tried before,it was likely to use it again.Otherwise the new route would simply be given up and another one was tested.
“The speed at which they learn through trial and error is quite extraordinary for bumblebees,as this complex behavior was thought to be one that only larger-brained animals have,”Professor Lars Chittka,leader of the study,told Sciencedaily.com.
In fact,the smart bumblebees don’t try every possible route.Normally,they would only try about 20 out of the 120 possible routes to visit the flowers.
More interestingly,scientists found that if they removed a flower,bees would continue looking at that location,even if it has been empty for a long time.“It seems bees don’t easily forget a fruitful flower,”Chittka said.
1.The bumblebees are good at finding the best route because ________.
A. they have relatively smaller brains
B. their body parts function like GPS
C. they try out different routes and remember the best ones
D. they take the trouble of testing every possible route
2.The author explains the bumblebees’ behavior of trial and error by ________.
A. using numbers B. making a metaphor（比喻）
C. making comparisons D. talking about human behavior
3.The study led by professor Lars Chittka suggests that ________.
A. bumblebees try to keep their flying routes long and complex
B. every new route the bumblebees take is shorter than the one they take before
C. bumblebees are familiar with every flying route they have taken before
D. scientists find it unbelievable that bumblebees learn from their mistakes so quickly
4.What is the main point of the article?
A. Bumblebees are as smart as large-brained animals.
B. Trial and error is an effective way to solve our daily problems.
C. A new discovery about how bumblebees find the best routes through trial and error.
D. How bumblebees remember the best routes,small as their brains are.
A few weeks ago, I called an Uber to take me to the Boston airport for a flight home for the holidays. As I slid into the back seat of the car, the warm intonations(语调) of the driver’s accent washed over me in a familiar way.
I learned that he was a recent West African immigrant with a few young children, working hard to provide for his family. I could relate: I am the daughter of two Ethiopian immigrants who made their share of sacrifices to ensure my success. I told him I was on a college break and headed home to visit my parents. That’s how he found out I go to Harvard. An approving eye glinted at me in the rearview window, and quickly, we crossed the boundaries of rider and driver. I became his daughter, all grown up — the product of his sacrifice.
And then came the fateful question: “What do you study?” I answered “history and literature” and the pride in his voice faded, as I knew it might. I didn’t even get to add “and African-American studies” before he cut in, his voice thick with disappointment, “All that work to get into Harvard, and you study history?”
Here I was, his daughter, squandering the biggest opportunity of her life. He went on to deliver the age-old lecture that all immigrant kids know. We are to become doctors (or lawyers, if our parents are being generous) — to make money and send money back home. The unspoken demand, made across generations, which my Uber driver laid out plainly, is simple: Fulfill your role in the narrative(故事) of upward mobility so your children can do the same.
I used to feel anxious and backed into a corner by the questioning, but now as a junior in college, I’m grateful for their support more than anything. This holiday season, I’ve promised myself I won’t huff and get annoyed at their inquiries. I won’t defensively respond with “but I plan to go to law school!” when I get unrequested advice. I’ll just smile and nod, and enjoy the warmth of the occasion.
1.What disappointed the driver?
A. The author’s attitude towards him.
B. The school that the author is attending.
C. The author’s majors in history and literature.
D. The author’s interests in African American studies.
2.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “squandering” in Paragraph 4?
A. wasting
B. creating
C. valuing
D. seizing
3.Why are immigrant kids expected to be doctors or lawyers?
A. Their parents want them to move upward in society.
B. Their parents are high achieving as well.
C. They have more opportunities.
D. They are very smart in general.
4.How did the author react to the driver’s questioning?
A. Getting upset.
B. Feeling satisfied.
C. Defending herself.
D. Appreciating his concern.
Everyone should be so lucky as to have a friend like Francia Raisa. On Thursday, singer and actress Selena Gomez, 25, used Instagram to explain why she was “laying low” this summer. She posted a photo of herself in a hospital bed with her friend Francia Raisa holding hands. She said she recently received a kidney transplant from her best friend because of complications(并发症) from lupus(狼疮), an autoimmune disease, which means it is the result of the immune system attacking normal tissue, including the kidneys, brain, heart and lungs.
People with lupus may first experience tiredness, joint pain or a little bit of rash(皮疹) on their bodies and can go for a long time before their doctors realize it is more serious. Many people see two or four doctors before the real problem is picked up. According to Dr. Kyriakos Kirou, roughly a third to one-half of people with lupus develop kidney disease, and up to one in five of them will eventually need a transplant, sometimes because they weren’t treated with effective drugs to prevent the immune system from attacking the kidneys. Though Gomez said that she was “very well now,” she warned about the dangers of not taking medical diagnoses seriously, like she initially did.
Her Instagram post also called attention to two major health topics: the need for living organ donators and the fact that Gomez represents three groups more likely to be diagnosed with lupus and lupus-related kidney disease. Nine out of 10 people diagnosed with lupus are women, and most develop the disease between the ages of 15 to 44. And lupus is two to three times more common among women of color, including Hispanic women, according to the Lupus Foundation.
Raisa is Latina, and Gomez’s father is of Mexican origin. While it’s not essential that the organ donator and receiver be of the same ethnicity, people who share a similar background sometimes are better matched, according to data from the United Network for Organ Sharing.
1.What can we learn about Francia Raisa?
A. She is lucky.
B. She is selfless.
C. She is optimistic.
D. She is encouraging.
2.What is lupus like at its early stage?
A. It is deadly.
B. It is hard to recognize.
C. Its symptoms are psychological.
D. It reminds you of a kidney disease.
3.What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. People with lupus.
B. Colored women lupus patients.
C. Lupus patients with kidney disease.
D. Women between the ages of 15 to 44.
4.What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?
A. Raisa and Gomez have a similar background.
B. Gomez has fully recovered thanks to the kidney from Raisa.
C. It is vital for the donator and receiver to be of the same race.
D. The organ from the donator of the same race matches the receiver better.
Choosing where to live may be one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when you move to Sydney,but you’ll have plenty of help.
Temporary arrival accommodation
Before you move to Sydney,we recommend that you book a temporary place to stay.Once you get here,you can look for longer-term accommodation.
--sydney.edu.au/accommodation/short-term
On-campus-residential colleges(fully catered)
The University has eight residential colleges on the Camperdown/Darlington Campus,comfortable,fully furnished single rooms and daily meals,along with sporting,cultural,leadership and social programs.They also include on-site tutorials（辅导课）in addition to campus-based classes.
--sydney.edu.au/colleges
On-campus residences(self-catered)
The University has two self-run residence—Queen Mary Building(QMB)and Abercrombie Student Accommodation—on the Camperdown/Darlighton Campus.Both just under a year old,they house up to 1000 students.These residences provide modern single-study rooms with large common living,learning and study spaces,shared kitchens,a theatre,gyms,soundproofed music rooms,art studios,sky lounges and rooftop gardens.
--sydney.edu.au/campus-life/accommodation/live-on-campus.html
Off-campus living
More than 90 percent of our students don’t live on campus.The University is close to many dynamic and multicultural suburbs such as Annandale,Newtown,Chippendale and Glebe.A great place to search is our large online database of properties.
--sydney.edu.au/campus-life/accommodation/live-of-campus.html
1.Where can you find a place to live temporarily?
A. On“sydney.edu.au/colleges”.
B. On“sydney.edu.au/accommodation/short-term”.
C. On“sydney.edu.au/campus-life/accommodation/live-on-campus.html”.
D. On“sydney.edu.au/campus-life/accommodation/live-off-campus.html”.
2.What do students living in QMB have access to?
A. Their own kitchens. B. On-site tutorials.
C. Daily meals. D. Gyms.
3.What is the most popular choice among students?
A. Living off campus.
B. Living in host families.
C. Living in self-catered flats on campus.
D. Living in full catered houses on campus.
假如你是学生会主席李华，在网上看到英国某校的孔子课堂（the Confucius Classroom)发布将在中国招聘教学助理的广告，特别欢迎中国学生参加。请用英语 给该校负责人Mr. Smith发一封电子邮件申请参加。
内容主要包括：1.自我介绍；2.申请理由；3.希望获准。
注意：1.词数100左右；开头与结尾己给出，不计入总词数。
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。 /
Dear Mr. Smith, -
Pm Li Hua, President of the Student Union.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
LiHua
