History Fair Competition
Understanding history is vital to understanding ourselves as a people and as a nation. History is much more than the study of dusty old objects and events long past. Thornton Middle School History Fair Competition makes understanding history exciting, engaging, and fun!
This Year's Theme
All participants must address how communication or transportation technology has promoted the quality of life for Americans throughout history. To many people, technology means computers, hand-held devices, or vehicles that travel to distant planets. However, technology is also the application of scientific knowledge to solve a problem, touching lives in countless ways.
Individuals or groups may enter one of the following categories:
• Performance
• Documentary (纪实作品)
• Essay Writing
Category Requirements
Performance: A dramatic presentation of the topic no more than 10 minutes long. If special clothes are used, they should truly represent a given period.
Documentary: A visual presentation (such as a video, slide show, or computer project) no more than 10 minutes long. A desktop computer, screen, projector, and loudspeakers will be available. Students must provide their presentations on CDs before Friday, March 23.
Essay Writing : An academic paper of 2,000 to 2,500 words. No illustrations (图解)are allowed. Please do not include covers. A list of references must be included.
Important Dates
February 5 Submit a first draft of your essay, performance script ( 剧本), or documentary highlights.
February 19 A committee of teachers will evaluate materials and give opinions. Students then have an opportunity to improve their products.
March 9 Submit a final draft of your essay.
March 15 Performance and documentary committee preview
March 24 Thornton Middle School History Fair Competition
7:00 A.M. — 9:00 A.M. Participants signing in at the gym
10:00 A.M. — 6:00 P.M. Competition and judges' review
7:00 P.M. Awards ceremony and picnic
When young, I loved going on trail (小路) runs. It was my favorite way to escape stress. So, when I was back in my hometown after a tough first year of my Ph. D. program, I thought a trail run was just what I needed. But instead of helping me relax, the run did just the opposite.
After I moved to the city for college, where my runs were on flat concrete paths instead of winding dirt trails, I used a GPS watch. When I went on trail runs again in the country, it constantly reminded me of the fact that I wasn't keeping up with my usual pace. I turned my watch off, thinking that would allow me to enjoy my surroundings and find the peace I expected, but I worried I was underperforming. "Why can't I let go and just enjoy myself?" I wondered. But after some introspection (反省) , I realized why I was struggling—both on trail runs and in graduate school.
Going into my Ph. D. I had thought that my solid undergraduate track record would set me up for instant success. To my surprise, I was wrong. I lacked confidence in my research abilities which I thought stopped me performing well and I constantly felt my progress was too slow. Other students'self-confidence and their excellent results made me feel insecure. Finally, one day I broke down in tears in my adviser's office.
Then came my visit home: I was having trouble because I hadn't properly adjusted my expectations to the differences between an urban run and a trail run.
A Ph. D. is like a trail run: Sometimes you can run fast. Sometimes you might find yourself climbing up a steep, winding trail at a snail's pace. And that's OK. Barriers are unavoidable, and success looks and feels different on a challenging trail than it does on a smooth, flat path. Sometimes it's best to take a deep breath and do your best to meet the challenge.
For many white-collar workers around the world, the recent widespread disease has meant having to work from home. Their usual office location has been locked. This means different practices, which have advantages and disadvantages for employees. But the big question is, will they ever see their offices again?
Home working has made people realize what tasks they can perform at home, rather than going regularly to the office to do the same thing. It has given them more time with the family; they've been sleeping better and have saved money by not travelling or buying lunches on the go. And recent evidence suggests the majority of people working from home do as well and achieve as much as before.
For some people, this could be a lasting arrangement. In the UK, fifty of the biggest employers questioned by the BBC, have said they have no plans to return all staff to the office full-time in the near future. Of course, one main reason is that firms couldn't see a way of accommodating large numbers of staff while social distancing rules were still in place. But the BBC also heard that some smaller businesses are deciding to abandon their offices completely.
Other bigger companies are also looking at winding up offices to save money as many jobs can be performed remotely. Peter Cheese, head of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, told the RBC: "We are at a moment of real change in the world of work, driven by big existing risks."
But this isn't great news for everyone. Some employees can feel lonely at home, and there's less opportunity to network or team from other people, especially if they're a new worker. Also, city centers may suffer most from a change in working habits. Shops and cafes rely on the footfall of office workers, and without them, they face closure. The future is still uncertain, which is why it may be too early to say where our desks will be permanently located. But the office of the future may be your home.
Tree planting used to be regarded as an effective means of controlling climate change. Perhaps it's time for us to rethink this practice. Trees pull carbon dioxide or CO2 from the air. This effectively removes CO2 from the atmosphere, making trees an important part of the fight against climate change. But trees only hold onto carbon dioxide as long as they're alive. Once they die, trees decay (腐烂) and release that CO2 back into the atmosphere.
Recent studies have found that trees around the world are growing faster than ever. Rising atmosphere CO2 is probably driving that rapid growth, said Roel Brienen. High levels of this gas are boosting temperatures, which in turn speeds tree growth in those areas, he added. The faster trees grow, the faster they store carbon. It seems like good news. However, it is known that fast-growing tree species, in general, live shorter lives than their slow-growing relatives.
In order to see whether this is a universal phenomenon, Brienen and his colleagues analyzed over 210,000 individual tree ring records of 110 tree species from more than 70,000 sites worldwide."By measuring tree rings' widths one can tell how fast trees grew, while counting rings provides information on tree ages and allows making inferences about trees' maximum lifespan (寿命)." Brienen explained.
The team also created a computer program that modeled a forest. Early on, it showed that "the forest could hold more carbon as the trees grew faster", Brienen reported. But after 20 years, these trees started dying and losing this extra carbon again. "We must understand that the only solution to bringing down CO2 levels is to stop emitting (排放) it into the atmosphere," said Brienen.
Nowadays, many of us are working long hours at home, so more than ever, we are in need of a pet to help relieve anxiety and provide company for the lonely days. There are simply too many benefits to list, so we've gathered only our top reasons.
Working long hours from home can never be a nice thing. Without all the human contact we would normally get in the office, we can often find ourselves feeling lonely and isolated. However, with a pet at home we're likely to feel much better.
A call to head outdoors. For those who have an animal that enjoys going outdoors, pets can serve as a great reminder of heading outdoors to get some fresh air. However, often owners will return from their walks feeling calmer, more relaxed and more energized. Whatever the weather, getting outside is beneficial to us.
Caring for something else. Often, when we feel loneliness or anxiety, we tend to be focusing inwards, to our own worries and self-doubts. Therefore, it's advisable to invest time in our pet's well-being by giving them the best care we can.
Motivation (动力) and routine. Pets are a source of motivation for their owners simply because they rely on us so heavily. Without a pet, we'll find it hard to keep our daily routine while working at home. . But when we have a pet to look after, we have to get up early and be ready for the day ahead. This is going to benefit both the pet and ourselves.
A. An end to loneliness.
B. A time killer in daily life.
C. We tend to skip meals or sleep late.
D. Pets often walk here and there and make our house dirty.
E. The positive effects a pet can have on our mental health are amazing.
F. The task of heading out for a walk on a rainy day may not seem attractive.
G. Directing our attention to the outside world helps relieve those negative feelings.
My education started in a small village of India, and I did not have any English then. When I discovered that famous novelist George Orwell was born in Motihari, it made me wonder if I could be a writer too. That day, it became my 1.
My father opened up the world of books for me. I must have been seven or eight, when he first 2 me to a Hindi(印地语)storybook. When dad was reading the book for me, I was 3 by the stories. By the time I was in Grade 10, I had finished reading hundreds of novels. Also, my private tutor made me believe that it was out of 4for me to learn the language. After 10 months with her, I started reading picture books in English.
Two years later, I began to read my first English novel. Then I realized that I should try writing newspaper articles, improve my skills and then progress to longer forms. I 5 a couple of Hindi newspapers with my writing but was promptly turned down. They said my article didn't 6 their standards. I was so 7 that I doubted my ability. At this time, I met kind-hearted Daniel who published my first article after heavy editing. It was an important turning point for me, and my 8 as a writer began.
After writing a dozen articles and reviews, I knew it was finally time to plan my novel.
Creating the plot was really 9 for me. But I managed to write the first 10 of my novel! Full of 11, I sent it to Mary Mount, a famous editor right away. My submission (提交) was 12, but I was still grateful just to hear from her.
One year later, I finished my writing work again. I contacted another editor. A month later, the feed-back landed on my table, 13 it was desperate. I cried, believing I'd never get it published.
When I shared it with my friend, he helped me improve my manuscript (原稿)further. Then I submitted it to a few publishers and production houses. To my delight, my book would be published and one of the directors even 14 to adapt it for the screen. It is 15 my effort and the encouragement from my family and friend, after 21 years'struggling, that eventually I achieved my dream.
Chinese TV drama Awakening Age, which tells the story of how the Communist Party of China(CPC) （found) in 1921, ended several months ago, but it remains a hot topic on social media, the discussion shows that it has played a positive role in educating young people about China's revolutionary history.
The TV series (celebrate) this year's 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC has won high praise online. The stories of the young people in the drama—who devoted everything, even their lives, the revolution —have touched a large number of viewers. The storytelling in the show has also been praised by viewers for successfully showing the （deep) of the CPC's history and spirit, as well as the warmth of China and every family in the country.
Many audiences were inspired to find background information about the series and commented that this is their first time （learn) the history about the founding of the Party and the country. "I read many of Lu Xun's novels such as A Madman's Diary when I was in elementary school, I couldn't understand why he wrote them or the angry feelings hidden in the characters. After watching the drama, I read （they) again and found that I can now understand they wanted to convey to readers," said Li Lin, 18-year-old viewer.
假定你是李华。北京2022年冬奥组委会正在招募志愿者。请你用英文写一封申请信。
内容包括: 1）你的优势
2）相关经历
注意： 1）词数80左右; 2）可适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯。
Dear Sir/Madam,
Yours,
Li Hua
One June evening, Sylvia, 8, was driving her cow home through the woods. Suddenly a clear whistle broke the peace. Before she could hide into the bushes, she was stopped by a young man, who carried a gun over his shoulder. "Hello, little girl. I am hunting for some birds but I have lost my way," he said kindly. "Can I spend the night at your house?" Sylvia hesitated for a while and agreed to take him home at last.
Sylvia's grandma was really kind. She cooked for the young man and chatted with him. "Sylvia is very shy but she is popular with birds," Grandma said proudly. "Birds come and feed right out of her hands, and all sorts of birds."
"So Sylvia knows all about birds?" he asked excitedly. "I am making a collection of birds myself."
"Do you cage them up?" asked Grandma.
"Oh no, they're stuffed (制作标本) and preserved," said the young man. "I came here for a white heron (鹭), a tall white bird with long thin legs. It would have a nest perhaps in the top of a high tree." He looked at Sylvia, hoping for some answers. Sylvia's heart gave a wild beat. She knew the bird, but she said nothing.
"I would offer ten dollars to any helper," the man added desperately. Ten dollars was really a big sum. Sylvia agreed with a nod.
The next day they started early, the young man going first and Sylvia following. He proved to be really kind and told her many things about birds. She could not understand why he killed the very birds he seemed to like so much. In the evening, they returned, empty-handed.
Lying in bed, Sylvia suddenly thought of a great pine-tree, which stood at the farther edge of the woods and towered far above the others. "If I climb it at daybreak, maybe I could easily discover from where the white heron flew, and mark the place, and find the hidden nest." she thought. What a big secret!
注意：1）续写词数应为 150 左右；
2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1：
Sylvia stole out of the house before daybreak.
Paragraph 2：
Seeing Sylvia back in dust, Grandma and the young man were surprised.
