Around the world, 62 million girls are not in school. The White House’s Let Girls Learn effort aims to change that.
At 13, Hawa Abdulai Yorke left her family’s home, in Ghana, Africa, to live with an aunt who promised to send her to school. Instead, the aunt put Yorke to work as her maid. Determined to go to school, Yorke returned home and began selling water in a nearby city to raise money for her education. She did that for three years. What hurt most was that her father had the money to pay the school fees. But he chose to spend the money on a motorcycle.
Yorke’s story is familiar to girls growing up in Ghana. There, a girl’s place is in the home. Educating girls is considered a waste of money.
“It happens more than it should, where parents have money to send their girls to school but choose not to,” says Ryan Roach, a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, where nearly 55% of girls are not enrolled in secondary school. “Cultural beliefs say education is not a wise investment(投资)”
The White House’s Let Girls Learn is working to change this view of girls’ education, in Ghana and in countries worldwide. First Lady Michelle Obama says parents have to be persuaded that girls’ education is a better investment than marriage or household labor. A World Bank study backs that up. It shows that for every year of secondary-school education, a girl’s earning power increases by 18%.
Today, Let Girls Learn works in 13 countries, and there are plans to expand the program. Recently, Let Girls Learn hosted a 24-hour event at which girls in different parts of Ghana joined Peace Corps volunteers, tech experts, and university students to brainstorm creative solutions for the barriers to girls’ education. Yorke’s team came up with an idea for an app that sends a recorded message to parents’ phones from a Ghanian celebrity about the benefits of girls attending school.
Yorke, now 22, is about to finish high school. Thanks to Let Girls Learn, she plans to attend college and study computer science. She says working alongside women college students at the Let Girls Learn event strengthened her determination. “I’m focused on my books,” says Yorke. “I know if I study hard, I, too, can go to the university and live a happy life.”
1.What was the attitude of Yorke’s aunt towards girls attending school?
A. She was against it. B. She had no idea of it.
C. She was in favor of it. D. She considered it hard work
2.According to Ryan Roach, the reasons for girls not receiving education is that .
A. they are too busy to go to school
B. their families are too poor to afford it
C. there are few secondary schools for girls
D. cultural beliefs prevent from attending school
3.What can we learn about Let Girls Learn?
A. It has spread all over the world.
B. It is a Ghana-based organization.
C. It aims to offer free education to girls.
D. It has got support from Michelle Obama
4.What’s Yorke’s next plan?
A. To further her studies. B. To join in Let Girls Learn.
C. To write some books for girls. D. To get a computer-related job.
5.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. What people need is education
B. Encourage girls to attend school
C. Let girls to live a happy life
D. Educating girls is unnecessary
A scientist once said: “I have concluded that the earth is being visited by intelligently controlled vehicles from outer space.”
If we take this as a reasonable explanation for UFOs (unidentified flying objects), questions immediately come up.
“Why don’t they get in touch with us, then? Why don’t they land right on the White House lawn and declare themselves?” people asked.
In reply, scientists say that, while this may be what we want, it may not necessarily be what they want.
“The most likely explanation, it seems to me,” said Dr. Mead, “is that they are simply watching what we are up to—that responsible society outside our solar system is keeping an eye on us to see that we don’t cause a chain reaction that might have unexpected effects for the outside of our solar system.”
Opinions from other scientists might go like this: “Why should they want to get in touch with us? We may feel we’re more important than we really are! They may want to observe us only and not interfere(干涉) with the development of our civilization. They may not care if we see them but they also may not care to say ‘hello’.”
Some scientists have also suggested that Earth is a kind of zoo or wildlife reserve. Just as we set aside wilderness areas and wildlife reserves to allow animals and growing things to develop naturally while we observe them, so perhaps Earth was set aside ages ago for the same purpose.
Are we being observed by intelligent beings from other civilizations in the universe? Are they watching our progress in space travel? Do we live in a huge “zoo” observed by our “keepers,” but having no communication with them?
Never before in our history have we had to face ideas bravely like these. The simple fact is that we, who have always regarded ourselves as supreme in the universe, may not be so. Now we have to recognize that, among the stars in the heavens, there may very well be worlds lived by beings who are to us as we are to ants.
1.People who ask the question “Why don’t they get in touch with us then ?” think that ________.
A. there are no such things as UFOs
B. UFOs are visitors from solar system
C. there’s no reason for UFOs to contact us
D. we are bound to see UFOs sooner or later
2.According to Dr. Mead, the beings from outer space ________.
A. hope to keep in touch with us
B. want to keep watch on us
C. try to protect us from dangers
D. get ready to help others
3.What’s the writer’s attitude towards the existence of other intelligent beings in space?
A. Doubtful B. Neutral C. Negative D. Positive
4.The passage is mostly taken from a(n) ________.
A. commercial advertisement B. science fiction novel
C. newspaper column D. travel leaflet
Inspired by a 9-year-old cyclist, Lauren Turner, who can only use one hand, a group of University of Guelph students has won an international award for their invention－a bike brake lever (刹车手柄) that pulls both the front brake and the back brake at the same time.
Lauren Tuner was able to ride her bike, but not as confidently and quickly as her friends.
“She couldn’t use the front brake. She only used the back brake, but the front brake makes you stop twice as fast,” says Micha Wallace, who, with Katie Bell, Anina Sakaguchi and Andrew Morries won second prize in the James Dyson Award for their single-handed bike brake lever.
“Lauren Turner tried the device (装置) first and she used it all last summer. She had no problems. It helped her go faster because she felt more confident in her braking abilities. She felt safer.” says Wallace.
The invention was the fourth-year design project for the four students. They designed, tested and created a prototype (模型) within a four-month period.
When Wallace heard about the James Dyson Award on the news, she and her co-inventors entered their project in the U.K.-based contest, which rewards students designers who create products that improve the way we live. The students collected the runner-up prize－£2,000 for them and £500 for their school.
As well, they had a chance to meet James Dyson, a U.K. famous inventor. Praising the students for their invention, Dyson says the single-handed brake lever could improve safety for all cyclists. By using both brakes at once, you could prevent the possibility of flying over the handlebars and ending up with an injury.
The students hope to sell it to a major company. It may be used in other devices that require two hands for operation.
1.According to the passage, the James Dyson Award was named after__________.
A. a well-known place B. a famous inventor
C. a famous university D. a government leader
2.The underlined part “the runner-up prize” in Paragraph 6 means___________.
A. the second prize B. the rich prize
C. the top prize D. the prize for runners.
3.According to the passage, we know that the brake lever___________.
A. has already been widely used
B. can only serve the disabled cyclists
C. can protect you from any injuries
D. may have a wide market in the future
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.How long did the speaker work a day?
A. For 9 hours. B. For 10 hours. C. For 12 hours.
2.According to the speaker, what was interesting in his work?
A. Taking different people to restaurants.
B. Meeting interesting dressers.
C. Showing tourists the beautiful city.
3.Which trip brought the speaker the most money?
A. The one to the club. B. The one to the airport. C. The one to the theatre.
4.Why did the speaker give up the job?
A. He was tired. B. The traffic jams bothered him. C. Some passengers weren’t nice.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What does the woman do at the beginning of a day?
A. She deals with post.
B. She sends out photographs.
C. She visits artists.
2.How often does a new exhibition take place?
A. About twice a week. B. About twice a month. C. About once a month.
3.Why is the woman pleased with her job?
A. Her life is nice and calm.
B. She spends time dealing with artworks.
C. Her boss is easy to get along with.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Where did the man go last year?
A. To Italy. B. To France. C. To Scotland.
2.What does the woman like doing in summer?
A. Doing outdoor sports. B. Learning dancing. C. Visiting art galleries.
3.What does the woman dislike about Scotland?
A. The hotels. B. The castles. C. The weather.
