修改时间:2024-07-12 浏览次数:273 类型:期末考试
Thanks for Taking Care of Me
Like most elementary schools, it was typical to have a parade of students in and out of the health clinic throughout the day. As principal, my office was right next door to the clinic, so I often dropped in to lend a hand and 1out with hugs.
One morning I was putting a Band-Aid on little Mary's bloody knee and I 2 that she was shivering in her thin little shirt. I found her a warm sweater and helped her pull it on. “Thanks for 3me,” she whispered.
It wasn't long after that when cancer invaded me. I considered whether or not to tell the students about my 4 The word cancer seemed so frightening. When it became evident that the children were going to find out one way or another, I 5to tell them myself. The empathy and 6 I saw in their faces told me I had made the right decision. When I gave them a 7 to ask questions, they 8wanted to know how they could help. I told them that what I would like best would be their letters, pictures and prayers.
Little Mary threw herself into my arms and looked up into my face. “Don't be afraid, Dr. Perry,” she said earnestly, “It's our 9 to take care of you.”
No one 10have ever done a better job. The kids sent me a book they had written and a video of every class in the school singing get-well songs. When I would have an operation, the letters and pictures11 coming until they covered every wall of my room. What healing 12 I found in being surrounded by their caring!
At long last I was13 enough to return to work. As I headed up the road to the school, I was suddenly overcome by 14If the kids have forgotten all about met what should I do?15they don't mint a skinny bald principal? Then I caught sight of the school marquee “Welcome Back, Dr. Perry,” it read. As I16 closer, everywhere I looked were pink ribbons.17flooded over me.
Little Mary was first in line to 18 me. “Dr. Perry, you're back!” she called. “See, I told you we'd take care of you!”
What an amazing day! I didn't look for or expect anything in 19 when I helped them, but when they did return the favor, it was an enormous and positive 20
Dear Student of Star Middle School:
As your student council president, I am writing to ask for your support to start the Count-Your-Steps walking program. Mr. Stewart Thomas, a parent of two students at Star Middle School, firstly came up with the idea. Mr. Thomas is a fan of walking and wants to encourage others to appreciate the activity. He shared his idea with our principal, Ms. Howser, who immediately agreed that we should try it.
Ms. Howser contacted the other middle schools in the district, and all the teachers eagerly adopted the program. Now a team of Count-Your-Steps organizers made up of representatives from the middle schools, has established the program's goal: to increase awareness of the benefits of walking. Organizers want middle school students to accept this challenge and make walking one of their daily activities.
The program has clear guidelines. Interested participants must only commit to recording the number of steps taken daily. Ms. Earley, the assistant principal, will give each of us a log for recording our steps and a pedometer, which is a small, digital tool used to count the steps of the person wearing it. All participants need to do each day is to wear the pedometer, walk as much as possible, and then record the number of steps in our logs. Clearly, the process is simple and convenient.
While the benefits of walking are multiple, this challenge offers all who participate the opportunity to work together, achieve success, and make positive changes. Remember that the other schools in the district are signed up for the Count-Your-Steps too, and each one will try to take more steps than our school. I hope many will agree to this challenge and show everyone the Star Middle School Cougar Spirit.
Please take into careful consideration this valuable and well-planned program, and then sign up today! In the words of Mr. Thomas, “Together we can enjoy the advantages of walking.”
Sincerely,
Cora Jeffries
The Amazing Penguin Rescue
The summer of 2016, the ship MV Treasure sunk, creating an oil spill. Thirteen hundred tons of fuel oil were flowing right in the middle of the African Penguins' habitat. Soon the oil covered about 20,000 penguins. Without swift help, the seabirds would have no chance for survival. Volunteers were showing up by the thousands and I also took part in what was the largest animal rescue operation ever.
A warehouse was turned into a rescue center near the habitat and hundreds of pools were built to hold about 100 oiled birds each. When walking into the center, I couldn't believe my ears. I had expected to walk into a chorus of honking and squawking(叫声). Instead, the center sounded like a library. The penguins were dead silent. My heart ached for the painful birds. Cleaning them all seemed like an impossible task. But we had to carry on like doctors in an emergency room. There was no time for doubt. Cleaning oil off a penguin wasn't easy. Even with more than 12,500 volunteers, it took a month to bathe all 20,000 birds at the center.
While volunteers were busy bathing the oiled penguins, another crisis (危机) was developing. Oil from the spill had started moving north. Tens of thousands of penguins were in the oil's path. But we already had our hands full with 20,000 recovering birds. If any more birds were oiled, we wouldn't have enough resources to save them.
One researcher came up with an idea: What if the penguins were temporarily moved out of harm's way? Experts decided to have a try. Volunteers rounded up the penguins and released them 500 miles away. The hope was that by the time the seabirds swam home, the oil would be gone. The plan worked! Another 20,000 penguins were saved.
The entire penguin rescue took about three months. More than 90% of the oiled penguins were successfully returned to the wild. Looking back on the rescue, I am still amazed by the work of the volunteers. What I could hardly believe was that we accomplished an impossible task.
Researchers at Brigham found about one in five teenagers now have some degree of hearing damage. The researchers did not say why hearing loss has risen, but other experts have strong suspicions. One likely culprit, they say, is MP3 players.
An MP3 player can be dangerous to hearing when its decibel level is turned up too high. High-decibel sounds can damage nerve endings, called hair cells. If a sound is loud enough, the damage can be permanent. A loud sound can shake the membrane (薄膜) on which the hair cells sit- “like an earthquake”. That shake can break or even uproot hair cells. When that happens, the hair cells are finished. Human ears cannot regrow hair cells. Therefore, when listening to an MP3 player, set a volume limit and avoid exposure to loud sounds.
On the other hand, the loudness of today's music may not be totally under your control. Music companies have been purposely turning up the volume. It's a trend called the fight for loudness.
Play a CD from the 1990s. Then play a newly released tune. Don't touch the volume control. You'll probably notice that the new CD sounds louder than the old one. Why? Sound engineers who create CDs are using dynamic range compression (压缩), a technology that makes the quiet parts of a song louder and the loud parts quieter. The overall effect of compression is a louder recording.
Many musicians and sound engineers aren't pleased. They say that compression is driving down the quality of today, s music, making it sound flat and blaring. Gray Hobish, a sound engineer, explains that music should be a combination of loudness and softness. But music companies want to make music louder so it will stand out. That's important in the competition among recording companies.
What about listeners? Many teenagers listen to music on the go in noisy places and through headphones, all of which reduce sound quality. So young listeners may not notice the poorer quality of modem recordings. “To their ears,” says Hobish, “the music sounds fine. And they are not aware of the hidden threat of the music they are enjoying.”
Antiquities are ancient objects and artworks. Museums acquire works to display from many different sources. Sometimes they purchase them. Other times they receive donations. Today there are strict rules forbidding art that has been stolen from other countries. However, antiquities that have been at museums for decades or even centuries may have arrived there by questionable means. Now, some countries claim that museums have a responsibility to return these antiquities to their original locations.
There are many examples of this debate. Perhaps the most famous is the argument between Greece and the UK over the Elgin marbles. In the early 19th century, the Earl (伯爵) of Elgin had numerous sculptures taken from Greece to the UK. When Elgin did this, Greece was still a part of the Ottoman Empire. He claimed that he had received a permit to export the sculptures. Today the marbles are on display in the British Museum^ However, Greece wants them to be returned to their original location.
Should museums return these antiquities? Experts disagree. Malcolm Bell III says yes. Bell is a retired professor of art at the University of Virginia. He says, “Many antiquities and artworks have special cultural value for a particular community or nation. When these works are removed from their original cultural setting they lose their context and the culture loses a part of its history.”
According to Bell, a country's request for the return of an antiquity “usually has a strong legal basis.” It “was exported illegally, and is now stolen property.” He called the return of antiquities “an expression of justice.”
James Cuno says not always. Cuno is president of an art museum in Los Angeles. He is also the author of the book Who Owns Antiquity?. Cuno agrees that museums have “a social and legal responsibility” to return illegally exported antiquities. However, he doesn't support the return of legally acquired works.
“An area of land held today by a given nation-state in the past likely belonged to a different political entity (实体). Even if one wanted to reunite scattered works of art, where would one do so? Which among the many countries, cities, and museums in possession of parts of a work of art should be the chosen 'home' of the reunited work?” Cuno believes that museums should collect art from the world's diverse cultures. This should be done “through purchase or long-term loan and working in cooperation with museums and nations around the world.”
This debate is far from over. As a complex question with no easy answer, the issue requires more study.
History of Broadway
When people think of Broadway, they may think of that part of the world-famous road in New York City that runs between 42nd and 53rd Streets. It is a billion-dollar industry that includes theatrical shows in New York and live theater entertainment throughout the world.
New York's Theatre District has only 39 official Broadway houses. A play house must have 500 or more seats to be considered a Broadway theater. Not all Broadway theatres arc located on Broadway. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, buildings on Wall Street and places such as City Hall may have served as smaller theaters, and other locations in downtown New York City also did.
development of larger theaters away from the downtown area. Some people may have doubted these theaters would be successful, but they turned out to be. With the rise of the new theater district, downtown changed forever as people happily traveled to the outskirts (郊区) of the city to see the best in live entertainment.
When these theaters began, many actors came from European countries. In 1857 actor Edwin Booth helped transform the Broadway theatre by popularizing a type of acting realism. Unlike actors before him, Booth did not stand still on the stage and simply deliver his lines. Booth's style had a notable effect on the theater, and many considered him to be the greatest actor of his time.
Specifically, comedies and dramas often centred on then-current events such as women's right to vote, the Labor Movement, and war. Broadway developed again in 1866, and the Broadway musical was created. From then on actors entertained their audiences by singing and dancing accompanied by an orchestra.
Now, Broadway is famous for various theatre productions and moving performances.
A. In fact, the shows have brought it fame throughout the world.
B. However, Broadway is much more than a geographical location.
C. Theatres, holding 100 to 499 people, are called Off-Broadway theatres.
D. Instead, he liked moving around and showing great emotion while acting.
E. Plays followed a popular style that encouraged typical characters and plots.
F. As this new style grew in popularity, the content of the shows began to change.
G. Madison Square Theater, built by the Mallory family in 1880, was one of them.
试题篮