Why I've taken a break from holidays

    It is now close to four years since I last took a holiday. This is because I have come to the conclusion, over the course of my adult life, that I am not very good at it. You might think this sounds like saying you're not very good at drinking tea or listening to music. What could possibly be difficult about the natural act of putting your working life on hold for a couple of weeks and going somewhere warm to do nothing?

    I was a model holidaymaker as a kid. However, the problems started during my twenties. A trip to the south of France was ended after just two days, mainly because I had an urge to check my e-mails. Similarly, my honeymoon was cut short by 48 hours—not because my wife and I weren't enjoying ourselves, but because we were missing our cats.

    So what is my problem? On the surface, I'm probably a bit of a homebody. And I just find the pressure of being on holiday too severe: it always feels like having a gun held to my head and being forced to have fun. Somehow, packing a list of possessions and meeting a scheduled flight has none of the excitement of suddenly deciding to take a day off and driving somewhere for the fun of it.

    Thankfully, I'm not alone. This summer, most of my friends have decided not to have a break. And a recent survey (调查) proved the downside of holidays, with the results showing that nearly two thirds of people found that the calming effects of a holiday wore off within 24 hours, as stress levels returned to normal. And this year The Idler magazine published its Book of Awful Holidays. Here you will find a list of the five most ecologically-damaging vacations it's possible to take, along with 50 painful holiday experiences voted for on The Idler website.

    What interests me is what the concept of a “holiday” says about our lives. For me, the point of living is to have a life you enjoy for 52 weeks a year. The more I like my life and the better I structure it, the less I want to go away. Maybe I'm an unusual person for not liking holidays, but I just feel the time when I'm not working is too valuable to waste on them.

    The percentage of women working in technology has decreased since the 1990s.Women make up only a quarter of all jobs in computer and math professions.I think all girls should learn how to code（编码）.Here is why.

    If we want to be part of one of the fastest growing job markets out there,we need to jump on board!Over the last ten years the growth in STEM jobs has been three times faster than that in non-STEM fields.Women will never be able to keep up with men in the professional workplace if we don't join the fastest growing fields.

    Just like hundreds of years ago,people who could read and write controlled the future,and now those who are at home with technology will shape the world we live in.You can use coding in every aspect of your life,even if you don't enter a field that involves coding.You cant use coding to create your own website or to program games.You can animate your YouTube videos,or make graphic designs.Programming is now being used in every profession, including medicine and airplane design.

    You can have fun creating your own website,programming a robot to get the remote for you when you're lying on the couch,photoshop pictures to change the color scheme to something better than the Instagram filters,and so much more.Coding allows you to realize your wildest dream,and create anything you can imagine.Coding allows you to rule the world.

    It's not very hard to learn to code.You could learn to code on YouTube,in the Girls Who Code club;you could take a free course online on Code Academy;you could even just Google how to code.

You learned to read,you learned to drive-now learn to code.

    Are you interested in higher education in the United States? The following advice might help you.

●College, University or Institute

    College and universities offer undergraduate degrees in arts and sciences. And both can help prepare young people to earn a living. But many colleges don't offer graduate studies. Universities are generally bigger, offer more programs and do more research. An institute of technology can offer a wide choice of programs and activities. Seventy-five percent of freshmen go there with a strong interest and involvement in the arts.

●The Application Process

    International admissions officers advise students to apply to at least three schools. You may be able to apply online and pay the application charge with a credit card, or by mail. You should study the websites of schools to find information about how and when to apply, how much it will cost and whether any financial aid is available.

●Get a Student Card

    If you requesting a visa for the first time, you will have to go to an American embassy or consulate（领事馆）. You will need to bring a government form sent to you by your American school that shows you have been accepted. A consular official will also take your picture and your fingerprints. You will also need banking and tax records that show you have enough money to pay for your education.

●Financial Aid

    American schools provide aid, like scholarships, fellowships, to almost half of foreign graduate students, but only ten percent of undergraduates. But grants, which, unlike a loan, does not have to be paid.

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案，并将选定答案的字母标号填在题前括号内。

    The following books provide tips on how to learn languages for language learners.

    The Vocab Cookbook

by Kerstin Hammes

    The book is mainly about the best vocabulary learning methods and explains them step by step. It shows you how to choose your best vocabulary learning method, where to find the best system for remembering words forever, how vocabulary learning methods can be turned into your own learning styles, and how remembering grammar is different from remembering vocabulary.

    Buy from: Amzon.com or Amazon. co.uk

    Fluent in 3 Months by Benny Lewis

    Benny Lewis, who has been travelling around the world and learning languages since 2003, runs the language-learning blog, Fluent In 3 Months, and works hard to find better, faster, and more efficient ways to learn languages. This book is a collection of tips on how to learn any language quickly. Many of the tips have appeared on his blog, and many tips and resources are available there for readers of this book.

    Buy from: Amazon. com or Amazon. co. uk

    How to Learn Any Language by Barry M. Farber

    If you're considering learning a language and are not sure where or how to start, this book will help point you in the right direction. It's full of practical tips on how to study and includes a brief introduction to some of the world's main languages.

    Buy from: Amazon. con or Amazon. co. uk

    Language is Music by Susanna Zaraysky

    The book makes learning foreign languages fun, easy and affordable through watching TV, listening to music, going to cultural events and other enjoyable activities. also it includes suggestions of many online resources you can use to help you learn languages.

    Buy from: Amazon. com or Amazon. co. uk

    Nearly 19 percent of teachers of color (有色人种教师) left their jobs after the 2014-2015 school year. Some left for personal reasons like taking care of their families. But 50 percent said they left because they were dissatisfied with their employment situation, such as poor working conditions, student discipline problems and large class sizes. Thus, taking immediate measures to improve it is our top priority.

    For years, researchers have proved the benefits of increasing the share of minority teachers in schools, especially as our public school system has turned to one that is made up mostly of minority students. Teachers of color, who are more likely than their white counterparts to choose to work in racially diverse (多种多样的) schools, offer particular benefits to their students. Graduation rates increase among minority students when they are taught by racially similar educators, research shows. They can also serve as positive role models, and their presence reduces the chance of racial discrimination at school.

    The Shanker Institute report suggests that the rate of minority teacher hiring is not the whole problem. The problem is what happens after these teachers enter the classroom. These teachers often work in high-poverty rural schools. They are more likely to have less-desirable working conditions.

    Diversity is a key component to equality and opportunity. Where there's a diverse teaching workforce, all kids thrive. So solutions must be found at once to turn this trend around. Firstly, schools should develop mentorship programs that support minority teachers once they are in the classroom. Secondly, more money should be spent in improving working conditions in these schools. Of course, school headmasters should also be evaluated on their ability to retain teachers of color.

The Palace Museum's clock collection, more than 1,500 in number, is arguably one of the most breathtaking clock preservations worldwide. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} (make) between the 18th century and the 20th century, some were crafted in Britain, France and Switzerland, some were from the Clock Worship of the Qing Palace, the others were {#blank#}2{#/blank#} mixture of both the East and the West.

The {#blank#}3{#/blank#} (major) of British clocks feature bronze cases inlaid with splendidly colorful jewels. They are diverse {#blank#}4{#/blank#} form, recreating all kinds of architecture and natural sights, and often include automatic {#blank#}5{#/blank#} (decorate) such as fountains, moving figures, boats and birds. These clocks represent the highest level of craftsmanship in Britain.

Most of the French clocks here are the products of the early 20th century. Whether in terms of theme {#blank#}6{#/blank#} decorative style, the French clocks in the collection have a style of {#blank#}7{#/blank#} (they) own, and deserve their place in history.

The Swiss timepieces {#blank#}8{#/blank#} (most) comprise small, unconventionally shaped desk clocks and delicate pocket watches. They were specially made {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (suit) the tastes of Chinese customers.

Clocks may turn back in time, but humans may never dream of doing so. Today, the Palace Museum {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (aim) to carry on this touching tale of "time" as guardians of this traditional craftsmanship.