TGBWP (the Great Books Winter Program) is an experience like no other in American education. For the past eleven years, TGBWP has gathered outstanding middle and high school students from across the world to read selections from the greatest works of literature, experience college-level lectures, engage in lively discussions and enjoy winter camp fun with other literary-minded students.
Here is a sample of what you will get at Great Books:
Membership in an international community of enthusiastic young learners and distinguished college teachers who read and discuss great books and big ideas. You will discuss the likes of Plato, Mark Twain, Dickens, and Tolstoy with other teens from around the globe who love literature just as much as you do!
Find your voice in the classroom. TGBWP gives students the opportunity to grow academically and socially as they prepare for high school and college. Open discussions encourage students to express themselves and give power to their ideas. Students gain confidence in their ability to read a text closely and express their ideas clearly both orally and in writing.
Experience time away from home and spend it at a top college -- choose from two campus settings: Amherst College in Massachusetts and Stanford University in California. This is the perfect opportunity to preview life on a college campus!
Don't miss this opportunity to join students from 47 states and 28 countries in this unique learning environment.
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Categories |
Reading/Writing Arts/Photography/Film Music/Singing/ Dancing Travel/ Touring Academic/Pre-College |
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Ages |
11-18 |
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Type |
Overnight/Residential |
More information: CLICK HERE
D . Activity arrangements.
When people think about British music, for the most part they think about the 60s or 70s with the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones or more modern artists like Adele or Ed Sheeran. However, stuck between these two ages was, in my opinion, British music's best period. The 90s were an optimistic time for Britain and indeed Europe, with the economy recovering from the lows of the 80s and the Cold War ending.
One of the defining features of 90s music was the birth of "Britpop". This was a style of pop music that aimed to promote "Britishness" and commonly featured electric guitars, drums and male singers. Britpop was the style used by world-famous bands such as Oasis, Blur, Pulp and Suede who became known as "The Big Four". The summer of 1995 was dominated by the "Battle of Britpop" which was between Blur and Oasis for the number one spot. Eventually, Blur won the battle and Oasis settled for second.
However, the 90s weren't only for the boys, with major female groups also finding fame, the most well-known of which were "the Spice Girls" who were extremely popular in Britain and around the world. Once again they promoted "Britishness" and had catchy melodies and lyrics, but they also started the "Girl Power" movement which helped empower girls and women worldwide. It isn't too far to assume that without their music, many female singers and artists who we love today would not have had the confidence to pursue their dream.
British music may have had many great times, however the 90s are often overlooked. Although I was not alive to enjoy the music properly, the 90s had a huge impact on British culture that can be felt today and I feel that the decade should get the recognition it deserves!
America's first transcontinental railroad, completed 150 years ago today at Promontory Summit in Utah, connected the vast United States and brought America into the modern age. Chinese immigrants contributed greatly to this notable achievement, but the historical accounts that followed often ignored their role.
Between 1863 and 1869, as many as 20,000 Chinese workers helped build the dangerous western part of the railroad, a winding ribbon of track known as the Central Pacific. At first, the Central Pacific Railroad's directors wanted a whites-only workforce. When not enough white men signed up, the railroad began hiring Chinese men for the backbreaking labor. Company leaders were skeptical of the new recruits' ability to do the work, but they proved themselves not only capable but even superior to the other workers.
Chinese workers cut through dense forests, filled deep narrow steep-sided valley, constructed long trestles (高架桥) and built enormous retaining walls (防护墙) -- some of which remain complete and undamaged today. All work was done by hand using carts, shovels and picks but no machinery. However, progress came at great cost: an estimated 1,200 Chinese laborers died along the C—entral Pacific route.
Despite these facts, Chinese workers were often left out of the official story because of their identity of foreigners. On the transcontinental railroad's 100th birthday, the Chinese workers were still not honored. It was another fifty years later that their role was gradually highlighted. To celebrate the railroad's 150th anniversary in 2019, the California assembly passed a resolution in 2017 to recognize and honor the Chinese railroad workers by designating May 10, 2017, and every May 10 thereafter, as California Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial Day.
Recently, researchers at the University of Toronto figured out a way with a quick video selfie to accurately measure blood pressure with your smartphone's camera by developing a technology known as transdermal optical imaging (TOI)(透皮光学成像).
Cameras on smartphones can catch red light reflected from hemoglobin (血红素）under our skin, which permits TOI to visualize and measure blood flow changes. Researchers measured the blood pressure of 1,328 Canadian and Chinese adults by getting two-minute videos of their faces on an iPhone. "From the video got by the technology, you can see how the blood flows in different parts of the face and through this flow, you can get a lot of information," said Kang Lee, lead author of the study.
Lee also helped create an app called Anura, which allows people to try out the TOI software for themselves, giving them the ability to record a 30-second video of their face and receive measurements for stress levels and resting heart rate. Lee said more research was needed to make sure that the measurements were as accurate as possible, explaining that the study didn't test people with very dark or very fair skin.
"In order to improve our app to make it usable, particularly for people with hypertension (高血压), we need to collect a lot of data from them, which is very hard because a lot of them are already taking medicine," Lee explained. "We cannot tell them not to take medicine, but from time to time, we get participants who don't take medicine so we can get hypertensive people this way."
The scientists said there were many potential applications of the technology, including providing health services for those who lived in remote areas.
No-friend eating trend
When you eat lunch in a restaurant, you might see many people eating by themselves, watching videos on their phones. Do you worry they're lonely?
You probably didn't even notice because you were looking at your own phone. The New York Post says that eating alone with electronic devices is a growing trend among young people around the world.
According to a new survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of the US-based Highbush Blueberry Council, the average adult eats six meals alone each week and 387 meals each year.
Maybe not.
"The way we define 'togetherness' and what it means to be connected seems to be evolving as technology evolves. Keeping our relationships strong doesn't always require being together physically," wrote the report.
Nowadays, many young people spend more time studying and working in competitive environments. Instead, it's natural to communicate with others through text, email and social media.
Daniela Galarza, from the US, is one of these young people. She told the New York Post that she spent nearly 10 hours on her work every day. She said, "Engaging with my friends and families on social media platforms for about half an hour every day always helps me feel more connected with them. "
"Today, 'togetherness' is more of a feeling than a physical state, and people get creative to stay connected, " a spokesperson for The Highbush Blueberry Council told the New York Post. ""
A. I'm not lonely any more.
B. Do you feel pity for them?
C. Being together all the time is great.
D. Does it mean there are a lot of lonely people?
E. They enjoy eating alone with electronic devices.
F. They have less time to gather and eat with their friends or families.
G. The joy of being together – however you manage it – never changes.
We've all been there before: You're driving down the road when suddenly a pothole (凹坑) seems to appear out of nowhere and sends the1jumping. Most people think potholes are2, but artist Jim Bachor sees them as a canvas (画布) for his artwork.
Bachor uses the3art form of mosaic (马赛克) to create eye-catching 
colorful images of famous artists like Aretha Franklin or simple everyday4like food. He even makes less-appealing visuals of insects.
Bachor was a graphic designer for 20 years before he began his5in mosaic. He regards an incidental trip to Europe as his motivation to change careers. While6in Italy, Bachor fell in love with Pompeii, the preserved ancient Roman city. A tour guide pointed out a mosaic, made of mainly glass and marble, and told Bachor, "Glass and marble don't 7. So, this looks essentially the way the artist intended. "Bachor says," That kind of staying power just8me so much."
A year later Bachor returned to attend a mosaic class in Ravenna, Italy, to learn the proper way to9the ancient technique. Years after that, he mastered the technique. He10that mosaics can be just as significant today as the art form over 1,000 years ago. "I just saw that there was a(n)11to bring it into the new age as a contemporary subject," he says.
So, Bachor decided to make a special piece of12for that pothole. He has13mosaic pothole art around Chicago, Detroit, New York City and even in Finland.
While he may not be getting14from drivers or passengers, Bachor's art is15a pleasant surprise to discover.
Leather is a hugely popular material for a range of products, but this(popular) comes at a price. The global leather industry kills over a billion animals every year. This (cause) many to ask the question: is it possible to meet the global demand of leather without (do) any harm to animals? A process called biofabrication (生物制作) may be the answer.
Biofabrication is not new; it is already commonly used in medicine. Scientists have applied the technique to grow body parts like ear, skin, and bones for transplants (移植). But it can also (use) to make other products, such as leather. Scientists will be able to make biofabricated leather with whatever qualities they want, such as extra softness, greater strength, or even different colors and patterns.
But how (exact) does biofabrication work? (grow) leather, scientists begin by taking some cells from an animal, not hurting animal in any way. They then set the cells apart and grow them in a lab. This process takes millions of cells and expands them into billions. Next, the scientists take the cells and spread them out to form thin sheets, are then put together to combine into a little (thick) sheets. Anyone can then dye and finish the leather and design it in any way they like.
Andras Forgacs supports biofabrication. He says it may even be a "natural evolution of manufacturing for mankind." We will be able to make the products we need in an efficient, responsible, creative way.
注意：
1）词数 80 左右；
2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
'Usual boring day!' This would be the answer from Roman if somebody asked him how his day was. These days he found everything boring, nothing excited him.
One day he was lying in his room as usual. Suddenly light went off. His room was rather hot without an air conditioner. Though he did not want to leave his room, he had to. Unwillingly, he left his room and came to living room. Living room was slightly cool as it had two huge windows.
His young brother was playing with his friend. They were rolling on the floor. He was looking out for the TV remote, but couldn't find. He got up and searched it everywhere, but remote was nowhere. He looked at his brother who was still lying on the floor playing.
He asked him, "Where is the remote?" "Under the Sofa," his brother yelled.
He tried to look through, but it was dark. He put his hand under the sofa. He touched something, grabbed it and took his hand out. OMG! It was a snake in his hand!
After seeing that his brother started to yell," Snake, snake!" Mom came as soon as she heard their shouting. She too was horrified to see a snake. She was so scared that she even couldn't speak a word. Two kids were trying to hide into each other's back. "What an old trick!" Roman thought and threw it over kids.
As the snake landed on the floor near to the kids, it started moving from left side to the right. Only then did Roman realize that the snake was real, not a toy. He threw the snake over kids because he thought it was a fake snake and kids were playing some tricks.
This time mom almost got heart attack. Now he was scared too. The snake was only 10 meters away from kids and was staring at kids. They even couldn't call a rescue team. There might be some deadly damage before their arrival. There was not much time to think. It was the time for a quick action.
Paragraph 1：
As Roman was farther from the snake, he jumped to the window and grabbed the curtain.
Paragraph 2：
After the rescue team caught and took the snake away, everyone went inside the home.
