For centuries, people have moved to and lived in cities. These urban centres are places to find work, friends and fun. It's no surprise that they continue to grow as more and more people flood in hoping to make the most of the chances they offer but adding to the congestion and pollution that already exist.
According to a report by the United Nations, 54 percent of the world's population lives in urban areas and it predicts that by 2050,this figure will have increased to around 70 percent. But as more and more people move from the countryside to the city to get better chances, they can end up with nowhere to live.
This is true in places such as Rio de Janeiro, where the people from the countryside can't rent or buy a home,and they end up building their own communities and houses on unoccupied land. These are called shanty towns— poor communities where the houses are built out of cheap materials—and often don't have any electricity or water supply.
These are, of course, not the future cities we want to see. Some serious urban planning is needed to make our cities of the future good, safe and modern places to live in. This involves improving the housing conditions, the chances for education and employment and so on.
Something urban planners are looking at now is the creation of“smart cities”. According to John Rossant, founder and chairman of the non-profit organisation New Cities Foundation, technology is the way forward. He thinks that it's generally accepted that “cloud computing, ubiquitous Internet, robust 5G networks etc, will change our cities”. He says technology is really “a game changer” in urbanization (城市化). It would collect large amounts of data about how a city is working and may improve how a city functions.
1.Why will a larger population be living in a city by 2050?
A.Because the government encourages the development of cities.
B.Because more people will have more children.
C.Because the countryside will disappear.
D.Because more people will move into the city to get more good opportunities
2.What can we know about shanty towns?
A.They have good quality housing built for poor people.
B.They are filled with people living under poverty.
C.They are built by the government.
D.They are developed and modern.
3.What name is given to a city that uses technology to help it function properly?
A.Traditional cities. B.Future cities.
C.Smart cities. D.Developing cities
Volunteer Opportunities for Young Adults
When you give back——to others less fortunate or in need of special help, you will definitely feel good about yourself and the world. If you have a wish to be personally connected to the charity or organization where you are giving your time and money, here are some volunteer opportunities.
★Watsi
Founded by Chase Adams after a bus ride in Costa Rica in 2011, Watsi is a digitally focused heath nonprofit for young adults. Watsi offers real-time tracking of where money donated goes, from basic medical services to surgeries.
★Pencils of Promise
Pencils of Promise was founded by Adam Braun in October 2008. It is an on-profit organization that puts all of its time and funds into education in the developing world. Pencils of Promise encourages their donors to connect with others to increase donation. All the donation will be used to build schools, provide supplies and train teachers in poor and under educated countries.
★Project Linus
Everywhere you see young men and women knitting and crocheting(钩). They are using those skills to make blankets for children in need. Founded in 1995, in Denver, Colorado, Project Linus is an non-profit organization. Its goal is to provide warmth and safety through blankets to children across the nation in need. The organization is now led by Carol Babbit with the headquarters in Normal, IL.
★Girls on the Run
Girls on the Run was set up in1996 in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a team of 13 brave girls. Program founder Molly Barker struggled in her own life, and came to realize that a running program gave her “respect for my body and all the things it can do”. Girls on the Run is a volunteer opportunity for teaching young girls about the benefits of running.
1.Which organization has existed for about 9 years?
A.Watsi. B.Pencils of Promise.
C.Project Linus. D.Girls on the Run.
2.How does Pencils of Promise help the world?
A.It sells pencils to poor students. B.It focuses on children's health.
C.It provides social media for poor kids. D.It helps increase educational opportunities.
3.Which is right about Project Linus?
A.It was set up by Carol Babbit. B.Its goal is to teach children how to knit.
C.It supplies blankets to kids in need. D.It's an all-female organization.
4.Who set up Girls on the Run?
A.Chase Adams. B.Molly Barker.
C.Carol Babbit D.Adam Braun
假如你是李华，是一名中牟三高高二年级的学生。你听说美国哥伦比亚大学对外交流部暑假期间对中国中学生进行英语培训，你有意参加。请你给该校对外交流部写一封报名信。
内容包括：1). 学习时间。
2). 学习目标。
注意：1. 词数100左右。
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Sir or Madam,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其正下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（╲）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词正下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均限一词，请严格按照要求格式修改。
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
My cousin and I usually stay out lately with some friends on Saturday evenings, left Grandpa alone at home. It was so cold yesterday, however, that none of us wanted to suffer from the frozen wind outside. So after dinner we stay at home sitting around a fire and listening to Grandpa tell his experiences in Second World War. In fact they sounded familiar to us, so we were still listening attentively so as to make him be happy. Now and then we asked Grandpa some questions, that he answered in a humorous way. We burst out laughing from time to time and he laughed too. Full of joy, we all felt especially warm in the cold evening.
Late one recent night, Carol Spale picked up the phone and heard quiet sobbing on the line. It was her _______, an old lady who had lived on her own across the street for many years.
Spale runs the local “Neighborhood Services” committee, so she’s _________ to receiving calls like this. The committee is_______ to those living in North Riverside, Illinois, where being good to neighbors is taken _________ by everyone in the small village. The commitee is the _________ of Mayor Richard N. Scheck’s 1992 call for community-building ideas. The committee _________ 90 “block captains”, each of whom looks over a street in North Riverside.
For people nearby, Spale is the guardian（监护人）. But why was the old lady _________? As the story goes, Spale called up the lady after _______ her garage was open later than usual. Spale became _______ when the lady called back in tears. Spale’s first ________ was that she was in trouble, but it turned out to be a lot ________ than that. “She was crying because my call let her know someone is ________ her. It made her feel good now that she’s __________.” Spale said.
Three times a year, the committee has __________ where the locals come together to talk about the good-neighbor things they’ve __________. The speakers are often children, __________ by their parents to do good. At a recent gathering, one little girl __________ how she made a card for a neighboring old gentleman she made __________ with, who had had a heart __________.” It seems there’s no age difference between them,” Spale said.
These kindnesses are __________ in a book sold on Amazon called We Can Build Community with the money going to the locals in need.
1.A.mother B.captain C.neighbor D.minister
2.A.used B.reduced C.devoted D.limited
3.A.equal B.simple C.similar D.familiar
4.A.secretly B.recently C.seriously D.obviously
5.A.choice B.product C.discover D.suggestion
6.A.trains B.employs C.manages D.controls
7.A.laughing B.crying C.singing D.shouting
8.A.noticing B.admitting C.mentioning D.predicting
9.A.sorry B.angry C.happy D.nervous
10.A.memory B.thought C.impression D.recognition
11.A.safer B.luckier C.better D.stronger
12.A.seeking B.minding C.changing D.honoring
13.A.alone B.stressed C.healthy D.energetic
14.A.competitions B.debates C.congratulations D.meetings
15.A.performed B.expected C.witnessed D.remembered
16.A.reminded B.required C.persuaded D.encouraged
17.A.showed B.shared C.explained D.confirmed
18.A.bets B.promises C.friends D.decisions
19.A.operation B.treatment C.application D.emergency
20.A.taken B.printed C.written D.recorded
Africa is a very diverse land with many different tribes （部落）. One tradition that many of these groups share is painting or marking their bodies and faces in color. They do this for many reasons. Some marks are used to identify people as part of a group. 1. Let’s look at some different examples of body painting.
2. Among the Masai of East Africa, when men are old enough to marry and make decisions for their people, they participate in a special ceremony in which they paint their heads and faces red. This ceremony takes place every seven to fourteen years, so there is not an exact age far participating in it. The Samburu, also from East Africa, like to paint their faces and hair red because they think it looks attractive.
3. To show that he has killed a lion, a man will paint his body with a natural white material, making special marks to represent this accomplishment. The Masai men also use this white to show that they are no longer boys and are considered adults.
One quite unusual example of face painting is done by the Wodaabe people of West Africa. Once a year, they have a beauty contest for men. 4. Then they add white and black circles and lines. Black paint is used near the eyes and on the lips to draw attention to the whiteness of their eyes and teeth, which the Wodaabe consider most beautiful. 5..
As you travel, enjoy the beautiful and bright colors of Africa.
A.The men pretend to fight each other.
B.The ceremony expresses hope for rain.
C.The men paint their faces yellow and red.
D.The women then decide which man they like best.
E.The Masai men also have a unique way of showing that they are brave.
F.Other marks are used for ceremonies such as weddings and during times of war.
G.Often representing health and long life, red is the common color in body painting.
