More and more Chinese students are putting study tours in foreign countries on their plans this summer.

Including language courses, sightseeing and international communication(交流), study tours meet the needs of Chinese parents and students for a long and fruitful holiday.

A recent report showed most study tour participants (参与者) were teenagers in middle schools. According to the report, 73 percent were middle school students, 11 percent primary school students and only 3 percent college students. And it’s getting more and more popular in middle schools.

According to a blue book about study tours, developing children’s horizons(视野) was the No. 1 reason for parents, while improving language skills, experiencing independence(独立) and different cultures were also popular.

Zhan Fuman, a 14-year-old girl from Guangzhou, is now on a 15-day study tour in Australia with a price tag of 32,800 yuan (about 4,870 U.S. dollars), and she went to the United States for her first study tour last winter. “She has been much more confident (自信) and independent since her first tour in the U. S. and learnt to use knowledge from books and real life communication,” said Zhu Wanxia, Zhan’s mother. “Going on a study tour does not lead to going to a foreign university in the future,” Zhu said, adding that she preferred her child to go to a top Chinese university instead.

1.Which of the following is NOT included in a study tour according to the passage?

A.Language courses and sightseeing.

B.Meeting friends in foreign countries.

C.International communication.

2.Who is more likely to have a study tour according to the report?

A.Jenny, 3 years old. B.Mike, 14 years old. C.John, 22 years old.

3.What is the most important reason for parents to let their children have a study tour?

A.Developing children’s horizons.

B.Improving language skills.

C.Experiencing independence.

4.Zhan Fuman has been much more confident and independent after ________.

A.she went to Australia for a study tour

B.she went to America for a study tour

C.she went to school in Guangzhou

5.Which of the following is NOT true about a study tour?

A.More and more college students want to have a study tour.

B.One may know more about different cultures from a study tour.

C.It may help to learn to use knowledge from books and real life communication

This Family Keeps Their Community Warm by Cutting Firewood for Those in Need

Washington is home to lots of trees—it is the Evergreen State, after all—— and it has lots of fireplaces and wood-burning heaters too. But what if you lived there and couldn’t cut wood or couldn’t afford to pay someone to do it? Luckily, Shane McDaniel and his twin sons, Harrison and Henry McDaniel, are happy to help. The three men cut truckloads of wood—then give it to those m need.

The idea actually started as a father-son relationship project, Shane told msn.com. “I cut wood with my dad. He just loved doing it, " said Shane. He wanted to pass along that feeling, so he and the twins spent the summer cutting. The result was a great wall of wood piled up (堆积)around their house. To buy that much it would cost about $10,000.

It was too much for the McDaniels to use themselves, and when the weather turned cold that November, Shane started thinking of others. He posted online: "IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF FIREWOOD AND CANNOT AFFORD IT, PLEASE PM [personal message] ME! ... If you know someone who BURNS WOOD, please help me and my boys make sure NO ONE GOES COLD IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, The response(反应)was immediate. One man offered to donate (捐赠)a wood-burning stove. Others raced over to Shane's house with more wood. One woman, noticing the photo of the McDaniels, started to feel warm in other ways: "I don't need the wood. But I am truly happy for what you have done! ”

Single mom Katelyn Ticer, 29, and her four-year-old daughter depended on a wood-burning stove as their only way of heat, so it was so good to receive a truckload of firewood from the McDaniels. "To get that much wood brought me to tears/' she told msn.com. “ So much stress and worry is off my shoulders. I couldn't be more thankful.

Shane is ready to help more people. “Giving is the reward”, he said. "It has nothing to do with how well it’s received; it's about how much it’s needed.”

1.What did Shane and his sons do to help their neighbors?

A.They gave firewood to those in need. B.They bought wood-burning stoves.

C.They raised about 10,000 dollars. D.They paid someone to cut wood.

2.What happened after Shane posted messages online?

A.His family received lots of presents. B.Some people quickly offered to help.

C.Lots of wood piled up around their house, D.The weather suddenly turned freezing cold.

3.What did Shane think of what he had done to help others?

A.Being needed drives us to give. B.Love is not giving but receiving.

C.Helping others is just helping ourselves. D.It’s better to help people fish than to give them fish.

What day leaves you a deep impression(印象)? For teachers in Yali group, Dec 11th was a big day, when teachers from 17 middle schools joined in the “Teaching Contest(比赛) in Yali Group”.

All the teachers were given 3 hours to prepare for their ten-minute presentation on a fixed topic. Although they couldn’t choose their favorite topic, they could choose their favorite way to teach. For example, if Lily thought she was good at how to guide students to read, she could design(设计) her class as a reading class. Time was limited, but the teachers’ abilities were limitless. In the end, all the teachers performed well. Their magic creation of the materials and the abilities to control the classes won them much praise. But what drew the audience(观众)’s most attention was the great charm(魅力) of their personalities.

The group leader of Yali group, Ms. Huang, thought highly of the contest. She gave a short speech using four key words to express her feelings.Youth — All the contestants are young, and she hoped their minds could be young and energetic forever. Apple — Some of the teachers were green hands, but it also meant they could have a bigger chance to improve themselves. Ladder(梯子) — The big achievements they got today were based on not only their own efforts, but also the teamwork. Imagination — Never give up imagining because imagination could help students be interested in English study. Her words were really encouraging.

1.When was the “Teaching Contest in Yali Group” held?

_____________________________________________________________________

2.Could teachers choose their favorite topic to teach?

_____________________________________________________________________

3.What drew the audience’s most attention?

_____________________________________________________________________

4.How did Ms. Huang like the contest?

_____________________________________________________________________

5.In Ms. Huang’s opinion, why could the contestants get their achievements?

_____________________________________________________________________

Do you have good friends? Do you sometimes feel so close to them that they are like family to you?

It turns out that this isn’t just an expression. A study by Yale University has found that you and your friends have more genes(基因) in common than strangers do. Researchers looked at the genes of 1, 932 people and compared them in pairs of unrelated friends and strangers. They found that friends have 1% of genes that match.

“1% of genes may not sound like much to the layperson(外行), but to geneticists(遗传学家) it is a larger number,” Professor Nicholas Christakis of Yale University told Discovery News. In fact, this is the same amount of genes you share with your fourth cousins, those who have the same great-great-great grandparents as you.

So do you happen to become friends with people who share your genes? Not at all. In fact, it is evolution(进化) that brings you together.

People who share certain genes also share skills and have similar likes and dislikes, researchers said. In ancient times, it was important that people who were alike stayed together. For example, people who had a similar susceptibility(易感性) to the cold were more likely to help each other build a fire, giving them a better chance to stay alive.

Researchers also found that among all the genes studied, those producing a change in sense of smell were the most similar in friends. This is probably because people who smell things in the same way are more easily drawn to similar environments. For example, people who like the smell of coffee may hang out at cafes(咖啡馆) more often and as a result are more likely to meet and become friends with each other.

With their findings, the team has developed an interesting test called the “friendship score”. It can help tell how big the chances are that two people will be friends by studying their genes.

So, here is a question for you: would you like to take this test and know in advance(提前) who your friends are going to be, or would you still prefer to learn about it by yourself and let time be the judge?

1.From the passage, we know that friends ________.

A.look like our cousin B.share 1% of genes with us C.feel close to our family D.can help us when we feel cold

2.According to the passage, the writer probably agrees ________.

A.we develop our friendship by chance B.our genes decide who we can make friends with

C.everyone should take the test called “friendship score” D.people sharing certain genes have skills and interests in common

3.The writer takes the example of ancient people in Paragraph 5 to ________.

A.study how ancient people dealt with the cold B.predict that similar environments lead to friendship

C.prove that it is evolution that brings friends together D.explain why ancient people gave each other chance to keep alive

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A.Friendship: Its Influence on People and Behavior B.Friendship: Its Benefits to Teens and Decision Making

C.Friendship: Is It Necessary to Be Judged by Time? D.Friendship: Is It Possible to Be Influenced by Genes?

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