English Conversation

Leader: Mandi Ashmore

english@ iwc-lausanne. org

    We meet on Mondays at 14：30 at the IWC clubhouse. We chat for about an hour and discuss everything. Mandi asks “students” to contact her on Monday to confirm the class as sometimes she needs to cancel for various reasons or occasionally she may choose to hold the class at a different venue(举办地点) or at an earlier time for us to be able to have lunch together.

French Conversation, Advanced Beginner

Leader: Marielle Sulmoni

frenchconvo@ iwc-lausanne. org

    I'm French (born in Bordeaux) and Swiss by marriage. I hold an advanced beginners' French conversation class on Tuesday afternoons from 14：30 - 16：00. We meet weekly at the clubhouse in a friendly atmosphere. I hope to help you use your knowledge of French, allowing you to speak with no fear of making mistakes, which in time will become fewer and fewer.

French Language Lab, Beginner

Leader: Maija Remlinger

frenchlab@ iwc-lausanne. org

    The group meets on Thursday afternoons from 15：00－16：30 at the clubhouse. The first half of the class is devoted to reading out loud from the book “Easy French Reader”, working on pronunciation and phrasing. During the second half, we listen to audio recordings from “New French with Ease” and work on oral comprehension.

French Conversation, Advanced

Leader: Juliette Brull

french@ iwc-lausanne, org

    We meet every Tuesday at the IWC clubhouse from 9：30－11：00. Most of our time is devoted to very lively discussions about current events and various topics. We also read a book written by a French author and sometimes we see a French movie.

    Many kids don't drink enough water daily, according to a new study. The study's lead author, Erica Kenney, at first planned to look into the amount of sugary drinks kids were drinking in schools. However, during her research she found that many kids were simply not drinking enough water.

    Kenney and her team examined data from a group of 4,000 children, aged 6 to19. The data was taken from the National Health and Nutrition Survey, a study on the health of children in the United States done each year by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

    While looking through the survey results, she noticed that more than half of the kids who took part in the study were dehydrated (脱水的). Of that group, boys were 76% more likely than girls not to have enough water in their system. Nearly one quarter of the kids in the survey reported drinking no plain water at all.

    “These findings highlight (突出) a possible health issue that wasn't given a lot of attention in the past,” Kenney said in a statement. “Even though for most of these kids this is not an immediate and great health risk, this is an issue that could really be reducing quality of life and well-being for many children and youth.”

    The United States-National Agriculture Library says average kids need between 10 to 14 cups of water every day. This water can come from a mix of drinks and foods that contain high amounts of water, such as celery, melons or tomatoes. It is also suggested that fluids (液体) come from water instead of sugary drinks that are high in calories and can lead to weight problems.

The Grand Canyon(大峡谷)Helicopter Tour

    You'll discover the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon as your helicopter flies to the west edge，passing over Lake Las Vegas，Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam．During the flight，you can listen to a recorded introduction to the Grand Canyon and its surroundings via headphones．At noon，you'll land for an unforgettable champagne picnic，3，200 feet below the edge．While you share a bottle of champagne，your pilot and guide will be happy to answer any questions you may have．Your flight ends with a low-level pass over the famous Las Vegas Strip．On landing，a comfortable car is waiting to bring you back to your hotel．

    Each helicopter carries a maximum of 6 people including your pilot．For a roomier experience，upgrade your flight to an EC-130 helicopter which provides larger leg room and can accommodate more weight per seat．See Additional Info for details on weight restrictions．

Pricing Information

    Services included：45-minute(approx)flight each way，hotel pickup and drop-off by   limousine，lunch．

    Our price is constantly updated．Click to check pricing & availability on your preferred  travel date．

    Additional Information

    The maximum weight per passenger to ride in an A-Star helicopter is 2751bs．If passengers weigh in between 2751bs and 3001bs，you will be required to upgrade to the    EC-130．

    Pickup is available from selected Las Vegas hotels．You must contact the local travel    agency to fix your pickup time．

    All flight times are approximate and might be influenced by weather conditions．

    Traveler Review

    This is an absolute must do．The view of the Grand Canyon at his height was absolutely amazing! Our pilot was funny，knowledgeable and a great guide．All the staff from booking to check-in and helicopter departure were fantastic．I would recommend this tour to everyone．

    One day when I was 12, my mother gave me an order: I was to walk to the public library, and borrow at least one book for the summer. This was one more weapon for her to defeat my strange problem — inability to read.

    In the library, I found my way into the “Children's Room.” I sat down on the floor and pulled a few books off the shelf at random. The cover of a book caught my eye. It presented a picture of a beagle. I had recently had a beagle, the first and only animal companion I ever had as a child. He was my secret sharer, but one morning, he was gone, given away to someone who had the space and the money to care for him. I never forgot my beagle.

    There on the book's cover was a beagle which looked identical to my dog. I ran my fingers over the picture of the dog on the cover. My eyes ran across the title, Amos, the Beagle with a Plan. Unknowingly, I had read the title. Without opening the book, I borrowed it from the library for the summer.

    Under the shade of a bush, I started to read about Amos. I read very, very slowly with difficulty. Though pages were turned slowly, I got the main idea of the story about a dog who, like mine, had been separated from his family and who finally found his way back home. That dog was my dog, and I was the little boy in the book. At the end of the story, my mind continued the final scene of reunion, on and on, until my own lost dog and I were, in my mind, running together.

    My mother's call returned me to the real world. I suddenly realized something: I had read a book, and I had loved reading that book. Everyone knew I could not read. But I had read it. Books could be incredibly wonderful and I was going to read them.

    I never told my mother about my “miraculous” (奇迹般地) experience that summer, but she saw a slow but remarkable improvement in my classroom performance during the next year. And years later, she was proud that her son had read thousands of books, was awarded a PhD in literature, and authored his own books, articles, poetry and fiction. The power of the words has held.

    A few weeks ago, I called an Uber to take me to the Boston airport for a flight home for the holidays. As I slid into the back seat of the car, the warm intonations(语调) of the driver's accent washed over me in a familiar way.

    I learned that he was a recent West African immigrant with a few young children, working hard to provide for his family. I could relate: I am the daughter of two Ethiopian immigrants who made their share of sacrifices to ensure my success. I told him I was on a college break and headed home to visit my parents. That's how he found out I go to Harvard. An approving eye glinted at me in the rearview window, and quickly, we crossed the boundaries of rider and driver. I became his daughter, all grown up — the product of his sacrifice.

    And then came the fateful question: "What do you study?" I answered "history and literature" and the pride in his voice faded, as I knew it might. I didn't even get to add "and African-American studies" before he cut in, his voice thick with disappointment, "All that work to get into Harvard, and you study history?"

    Here I was, his daughter, squandering the biggest opportunity of her life. He went on to deliver the age-old lecture that all immigrant kids know. We are to become doctors (or lawyers, if our parents are being generous) — to make money and send money back home. The unspoken demand, made across generations, which my Uber driver laid out plainly, is simple: Fulfill your role in the narrative(故事) of upward mobility so your children can do the same.

    I used to feel anxious and backed into a corner by the questioning, but now as a junior in college, I'm grateful for their support more than anything. This holiday season, I've promised myself I won't huff and get annoyed at their inquiries. I won't defensively respond with "but I plan to go to law school!" when I get unrequested advice. I'll just smile and nod, and enjoy the warmth of the occasion.

In the Ming Dynasty, a Chinese man {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (name) Wan Hu made the world's first rocket(火箭), {#blank#}2{#/blank#} unluckily he lost his life with it. It was not until April 24, 1970 {#blank#}3{#/blank#} China launched(发射) its first man-made satellite Dongfanghong-1 successfully. To celebrate the first big success in the country's space {#blank#}4{#/blank#} ( develop), we now make April 24 China's Space Day.

China also announces new plans {#blank#}5{#/blank#} ( make) a space station and go to Mars and further space. It will finish building its space station around 2022. According to China's top space scientist Zhou Jianping, at that time, {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (become) an astronaut will be a normal job. More astronauts are needed than ever before. They need to be able to finish difficult {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (task).

By now, China has been choosing astronauts {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (main) from pilots like Yang Liwei. In the future, astronauts {#blank#}9{#/blank#} ( pick ) from engineers, doctors and space technology experts. Another plan is about Mars. In order to explore Mars, China sent {#blank#}10{#/blank#} spacecraft(航天器), whose name is Tianwen-1, to Mars on July 23, 2020. It will land on Mars and even bring back things from Mars.