Below you will find a profile of each gap year program. If there is a specific program you are interested in or a question you have regarding these programs, please feel free to contact them directly.

    Youth International

    Since 1997, Youth International has been providing many people with the most exciting and educational experience of their life. It is a learning program that combines international travel, inter-cultural exchange, home stays, volunteer community service work and outdoor adventures.

    Phone: 720-270-3323

    Carpe Diem Education

    Through volunteer service, travel and cultural exchange, students of Carpe Diem Education receive a personal insight into themselves and their cultures. We specialize in guiding summer and semester programs for high school students. Each course is carefully crafted to develop leadership and self-awareness within our students, who return home better prepared to be leaders in thought and action.

    Phone: 503-285-1800

    Center for Interim Programs

    Founded in 1980, Center for Interim Programs is the first independent gap-year organization in America. Based on students' interests and budget, our experienced teachers help make individual course choices including: low cost volunteer options, language programs, research trips, and so on. We are committed to helping students find more experiences of formal education and work.

    Phone: 413-585-0980

    EF Gap Year

    EF Gap Year offers students the ability to explore several countries where you will learn a language, volunteer for a good cause, gain international work experience. Choose between a 12-week semester or 26-week academic year. You can then personalize your program to meet your learning goals and interests by deciding where, when, and how you wish to study on your own. Our well-structured curriculum even allows you to place out of college-level classes and earn advanced credits toward graduation.

    Phone: 800-726-9746

    I believe in the power of science fiction, not just for its capacity to transform dreams into reality, but also for its power to bond together those who share a common vision of the future. For me, that's true for my relationship with my dad. Some fathers and sons bond over sports, fishing or hunting, but my dad and I bond over Star Trek. We tried a trip to Disney World, but one of my earliest memories wasn't Mickey, but a Klingon battle cruiser(巡洋) on the screen.

    Over the years, nearly every setting and situation has become far away for my dad and me. When it's warm at night, we're not driving along some dark streets in Indiana, but going at a slow speed with stars dimly shining. Both of us are thinking of them, without needing to say a word. All these visions of other universes have together created a private universe for my dad and me.

    Gene Rodenberry, creator of Star Trek, once said, " Science fiction is a way of thinking, a way of logic that bypasses(绕过)a lot of nonsense. It allows people to look directly at important subjects. "A lifetime of science fiction has influenced more than just my relationship with my dad, but has also helped me shape my own hopes for the future. I'm now a science writer.

    Yes, science fiction has made me into a "nerd"(书呆子), and it also has been a source of joy for my family, making me an optimist while enabling me to think critically about the danger of technology. Thank those authors who have shared their visions; the world and my family are better for it. Thank my dad, who is both the best storyteller and the best man I have ever known because he helped me realize the truth of Tennyson's words," Since I dipped into the future, I saw the vision of the world, and all the wonders that would be."

    If plastic had been invented when the Pilgrims sailed from Plymouth, England, to North America-and their Mayflower had been stocked with bottled water and plastic- wrapped snacks, their plastic waste would likely still be around four centuries later. Atlantic waves and sunlight would have worn all that plastic into tiny bits. And those bits might still be floating around the world's oceans today, waiting to be eaten by some fish or oyster, and finally perhaps by one of us.

    Because plastic wasn't invented until the late 19th century, and its production only really took off around 1950, we have a mere 9.2 billion tons of the stuff to deal with. Of that, more than 6.9 billion tons have become waste. And of that waste, a surprising 6.3 billion tons never made it to a recycling bin-the figure that shocked the scientists who published the numbers in 2017.

    No one knows how much unrecycled plastic waste ends up in the ocean, the earth's last sink. In 2015, Jenna Jam beck a University of Georgia engineering professor, caught everyone's attention with a rough estimate between 5.3 million and 14 million tons of plastic waste each year just come from coastal regions.

    Meanwhile, ocean plastic is estimated to kill millions of marine(海洋的）animals every year. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by it. Some are harmed visibly, stuck by abandoned things made of plastic. Many more are probably harmed invisibly. Marine species of all sizes, from zooplankton to whales, now eat microplas-tics, the bits smaller than one-fifth of an inch across.

    "This isn't a problem where we don't know what the solution is, "says Ted Siegler, a Vermont resource economist who has spent more than 25 years working with developing nations on garbage." We know how to pick up garbage. Anyone can do it. We know how to deal with it. We know how to recycle. "It's a matter of building the necessary institutions and systems, he says, ideally before the ocean turns into a thin soup of plastic.

    A study found wireless signals are able to pass through bags and suitcases to judge the sizes of dangerous metal objects and identify them." These items could include weapons, chemicals, laptops and batteries for bombs, "the research team said on Tuesday.

    Research suggested that Wi-Fi can now be used to estimate the volume of liquids such as water, acid, alcohol and other chemicals for explosive material. The study led by researchers at the Wireless Information Network Laboratory (WINLAB) in the School. of Engineering showed a wireless device with two to three antennas(天线)that could be fitted in existing Wi-Fi networks.

    The detection system analyzes what happens when wireless signals go through and bounce off objects or materials. The approach, which the paper states, works by separating the wireless interference(干扰)caused by two factors of objects-the material and shape." Most dangerous objects such as weapons are usually metal or liquid, which have significant interference," researchers said.

    When it was tested on a backpack, the accuracy rate topped 95 percent. "But the accuracy dropped to about 90 percent when objects inside bags are wrapped. And the tech could save lives if used in museums, stadiums, theme parks or schools," the team said, noting its design can inspect bags or luggage without being an exposure to privacy.

    It uses channel state information (CSI) that is readily available in low-cost Wi-Fi devices." This could have a great impact on protecting the public from dangerous objects," said Yingying Chen, a co-author of the study," There's a growing need for that now. In large public areas, it's hard to set up expensive screening equipment like what's in airports. Manpower is always needed to check bags and we want to develop a method to try to reduce manpower.”

    The peer-reviewed study, which recently won a best paper award at the 2018 IEEE Conference on Communications and Network Security, is now published online." Future work will continue to focus on ameliorating the accuracy of identifying objects and imaging shapes and volumes," researchers said.

    With a tough economy, it's difficult to meet our employees' expectation of salary increases. Well, here are four important factors that help keep employees motivated, in addition to money.

    The first one is recognition. Examples include taking someone to lunch and letting them know how much you value their performance and how you thank them because they're loyal, publicly recognition someone's performance with details of what they did, and presenting certificates of recognition for "extraordinary contributions to the business and the organization".

    If you can't afford to give every deserving employee a raise, invite them to a party to simply celebrate their good work, and tell them how much you appreciate their hard work and loyalty. Ask them to help you achieve your business goals so that next time you can reward them in better ways.

    Another one is motivational climate. Take a look around at the work environment and do whatever you can to make it a more pleasant place. Redecoration, better work spaces and working environment that isn't expensive will be appreciated by those who spend 8-10 hours a day working there.

    The last but most important factor that can motivate employees is trust. It's important to build trust in all your work relationships. Take an interest in their families, their hobbies, and their development. Treat people with respect.

A. The next one is celebrations.

B. The second one is persuasion.

C. Conduct team discussions on ways to increase business profits.

D. Appreciating a person's strong contribution can make a difference.

E. To achieve this, spend time with your employees and show your care about them.

F. If you aren't sure what to do, ask your employees what they'd like in terms of it.

G. How can we motivate them in other ways to keep them from leaving the company?

    I come from a small rural area, where college education is very important to make a good living. I am considering gaining a good 1and a job I absolutely love. My parents weren't so 2to have such an opportunity. My dad dropped out of school during his senior year to drive truck and move out on his own.

    As a high school student, I know I can be very smart if I 3 myself so I've studied a lot of courses. I plan to attend college, one of the 4I'm faced with. Though we aren't wealthy and college can be very 5, I intend to get a good education so my 6can have a better life. Knowing college is very hard to 7 pushes me to do my best. Luckily, Colorado State University (CSU) can offer a lot and will 8my plan.

    My 9has always been to do well in my life and give my family a better 10 of life. The life I live isn't bad but I want to try to make a11. My life is 12of ups and downs but I always keep my head high and make the best out of every 13. I first understood it when I started realizing my parents 14financially for what we really needed. Nowadays it gets 15 to support a living in this economic depression. Seeing this, I want to make a change and get a good job that I will 16for the rest of my life.

    I 17to go to CSU and major in biomedicine. I can get distracted easily, but 18this shouldn't be a problem as long as I keep my goals in sight. I have determined to do well in college and 19in life. CSU would be a(n) 20opportunity with a great environment and it would be an honor to be a student there.

    Chinese art is a visual art that is practiced in China or by Chinese artists. The Chinese art of overseas Chinese can also be viewed part of Chinese art, because it is based on Chinese culture.

    Early" stone age art" dates back to 10,000 BC, mostly (consist) of simple pottery and sculptures. After that, Chinese art, like Chinese history, is typically classified by dynasty, probably lasted several hundred years.

    Chinese art has the oldest continuous tradition in the world. Since the Renaissance, the decorative arts have been(extreme) important in Chinese art, especially in Chinese ceramics(陶器).

    Different forms of art have changed under the influence of great philosophers, (religion) figures and even political figures. Early Chinese poetry (influence) by the Book of Songs, and the Chinese poet and statesman Qu Yuan.

    Chinese painting became a highly (appreciate) art, including a wide variety of (style) such as Ming Dynasty painting. Early Chinese music was based on percussion (打击乐器), which later gave way to stringed instruments. In the Han dynasty paper cutting became new art form after the invention of paper. Chinese opera would also be introduced and branched regionally in addition to other (perform) formats such as variety shows.

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

    Li Xiao is my classmate who is very helpfully. If anyone need help, she is always ready and willing to help them. Although she is usually very quiet, but she can be quite enthusiastic about some things when she wants to do them good. For example, when our school decides to start a recycling program for Earth Day, Li Xiao was one of the student organizers. She helped set up bins to collect rubbishes around the school and spent time every Sunday morning in the local park collect bottles to recycle. She will miss her when she returns home at end of the term. I hope to visiting her in Beijing someday.

1）活动目的：实施劳动教育；

2）所需物品：手套、扫把、浇水壶等；

3）具体安排：清理垃圾和杂草，给农作物浇水。

注意：

1）词数100左右；

2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。