Reasons to Consider Learning a Second Language
In our current society, having the ability to understand a second language is becoming increasingly valuable.1.. So take a look at why this is such a valuable skill to have.
You will be more competitive in the job market.
Businesses are always looking for people who are bilingual to be translators and to communicate with non-English speaker. Bilingual employees get paid 5%-20% more than people who only speak one language.2.
You can get credit for it during college.
If you study another language at a university, you will get credit (学分) toward graduating. You can startfrom the very beginning and learn a brand-new language or continue on from what you were studying in high school. Be aware, however, that college classes can move quickly and are considered to be difficult at times.3.
You can study abroad in a wider range of countries.
Studying abroad is an amazing experience that everyone should take advantage of. About 79% of Americans believe that students should seize the opportunity to spend a semester in another country.4. Learning another language can help expand the number of countries you can choose from.
Learning a language is a big commitment and is not easy by any means. If you don’t have the time to learn a language in school, there are still many, way to become proficient in another language. One program to look into is Livemocha which is a free online program where you can learn a foreign language.5.There are many other countries and written resources to consider as well.
A.This is only one suggestion.
B.So only take what you can handle.
C.Many people learn a language in order to get high marks.
D.There are a wide range of countries that you can choose from.
E.You can even go for a major in a language if you get far enough along.
F.Being able to communicate in more than one language can open countless doors.
G.Having knowledge of a second language can make you stand out in the job market.
It warmed my heart today to walk into the Thirsty Camel downtown in the Thanksgiving Day, for a quick lunch before a haircut and library trip. Ihan, a food shop owner, said that he was refusing to take money today because it was Buy Nothing Day. To increase awareness(意识) of the strange’s over-spending nature of our society, Ilan suggested a trade for food today. He simply asked that you offer something of equal personal value for the meal you received.
At first I was really uncomfortable, wondering if it would be fair to exchange a yet to be determined “I Owe You” (IOU) for food? What could I give him of equal value? After all, his food is the best in the town!
We ended up writing our IOU’s with promises of a book, some paintings and the offer of work in a variety of ways if he needs it.
I think the idea isn’t that the trade is “equal” so much as the importance of the kind of transaction. We put thought into our offer and we had an even greater understanding for the meals we ate.
We don’t buy a lot, especially at this upcoming time of year. We don’t give gifts at all in fact. The holiday time is spent enjoying each other’s company and doing things together with family and friends. This is what seems most sensible.
Ilan is a good person. We are all lucky to have someone like this in our community.
1.Ilan did not take any money that day in order to .
A.have a quick lunch before a haircut and library trip
B.trade for something of equal value in return
C.make people aware of their over spending
D.buy nothing that day to save some money
2.For the meal, the author finally offered Ilan .
A.some promises B.a book
C.some paintings D.work in different ways
3.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “transaction”?
A.transport B.trade
C.meal D.giving
4.What is the author’s attitude to Buy Nothing Day?
A.Disagreeable B.Meaningless.
C.Doubtful. D.Supportive.
Last night Mr. and Mrs. Rojas stayed home. It was cold and rainy and they didn’t want to go out in the bad weather. Mrs. Rojas made some popcorn and ice tea. At 8:00, Mr. and Mrs. Rojas went into the living room, sat on the sofa and began the movie and ate and drank. At 8:15, Mr. and Mrs. Rojas realized they already watched the movie last year and they didn’t want to watch it again.
“Now what?” asked Mr. Rojas. “Let’s play cards!” answered Mrs. Rojas. At 8:30 Mr. and Mrs. Rojas started to play cards. They were playing for about 10 minutes when Mr. Rojas looked out the window. The rain changed to snow and the trees were covered in beautiful white snow. “I’m happy we stayed home tonight. It looks beautiful outside but this weather is very dangerous to drive in.” said Mr. Rojas. “You’re right,” said Mrs. Rojas, “but I’m bored. Let’s play some music and dance.”
Mr. Rojas was surprised. “Dance? But I really don’t ….”
“Oh come on!” Mrs. Rojas insisted. She put on a romantic CD and they both started to dance. They were dancing for about 1 minute when suddenly the music stopped and the lights went out. Mrs. Rojas laughed. “We’re just not very lucky tonight, are we?” she said. Mr. Rojas said, “Of course we’re lucky! We are together!” He kissed her and continued to dance with her, in the dark and without music.
1.Why did Mr. and Mrs. Rojas stay at home last night?
A.They wanted to stay together. B.The weather was so terrible.
C.They had a dinner at home. D.They planned to watch a movie.
2.When it started to snow, Mr. and Mrs. Rojas were _________.
A.making popcorn B.watching a movie
C.playing cards D.dancing to the music
3.We can infer from the passage that .
A.It was a rainy day in summer B.Mrs. Rojas cooked very well
C.Mr. Rojas loved to dance at first D.Mr. Rojas was in love with his wife
Craziest Food Festivals sounds like a joke topic, but once you start looking into it, you’ll realize they’re everywhere — the crazier, the better.
1. Bibimbap Festival
In the South Korean town of Jeonjuloves, their “mixed rice” dish is a hearty serve of rice topped with raw beef, a rainbow of vegetables, a raw egg and gochujang sauce so much. They take four days out of October to celebrate it.
Like any festival there’s music, entertainment and magic, but making it that little bit different is the bibimbap that’s whipped (搅拌) up in a big bowl by dozens of chefs and served to over 400 people.
2. Waikiki Spam Jam
Who knew this canned meat had so much love? Well, it turns out that a can of Spam is the go-to item in Hawaii, along with a grass skirt and garland (花环). The people of Hawaii love Spam so much that they even spend a day in May giving out the best Spam, a type of cheap canned meat made mainly from pork.
3. Bessieres Easter Egg Festival
At Easter time, for those in the French town of Bessieres it’s all about an egg far less sweet.
Here they celebrate the holiday by getting dozens of chefs to make one large omelette (煎蛋卷) — 15,000 eggs strong — for the townsfolk (市民).
4. Potato Days Festival
This festival actually takes place in Barnesville, Minnesota, the US. Over the last Friday and Saturday in August the town celebrates its potato-growing skills by hosting potato picking and peeling contests, as well as a Miss Tater Tot pageant (盛典) for five- and six-year-old girls.
1.What makes Bibimbap festival special?
A.They take four days to celebrate it.
B.The mixed rice is rich in many vegetables.
C.There’s music, entertainment and magic during the festival.
D.The rice dish needs to be mixed in one big bowl by dozens of chefs together.
2.What do we know about Waikiki Spam Jam ?
A.The spam is the most favorite for Hawii people.
B.People spend one day to prepare the Jam.
C.The Jam isn’t affordable for the plain townsfolk.
D.The Jam is mainly made from raw beef.
3.If you have time in August, you can go to ______.
A.Bibimbap Festival B.Waikiki Spam Jam
C.Bessieres Easter Egg Festival D.Potato Days Festival
阅读下面短文,根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
Scientists in London say they have found the best diet for both humans and the planet. If the world followed the so-called "planetary health" diet, the scientists told Reuters that each year more than 11 million early deaths could be prevented. Scientists say that the way we produce and eat food is very bad for the planet. For the health of the planet, they claim the same diet would reduce greenhouse gases and save more land, water and animals.
Tim Lang, a professor at Britain's University of London, co-led the research. He told Reuters, "The food we eat and how we produce it determines change what we eat and the way we eat by "improving food production and reducing food waste."
Well, what do you eat on the planetary health diet? The scientists who created this diet say it is largely plant-based but still has small amounts of dairy, fish and meat. The diet calls for cutting red meat and sugar by 50 percent and doubling the amount of nuts, fruits, vegetables and legumes.
Food situations around the world are not equal. In certain areas, this would mean great changes. People in North America, for example, eat 6.5 times the recommended amount of red meat. On the other hand, people in South Asia eat only half the amount suggested by the new planetary health diet. Meeting the targets for vegetables would need big changes in other areas. In sub-Saharan Africa, people on average eat 7.5 times the suggested amount of vegetables like potatoes and cassava.
The scientists admit their goal will be difficult to achieve. But for them doing nothing is also not an option. Willet said, "If we can't quite make it, it's better to try and get as close as we can."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定你是李华，你的英国朋友Peter来信告知他上周通过了孔子学院(the Confucius Institute)的笔试，而且下周三要参加其面试，现征询你的意见。请你写封回信，内容包括：
1. 写信目的；
2. 提出建议（至少2条）；
3. 表示祝愿。
注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
