Volunteer Abroad Projects
Volunteering Solutions offers incredible and meaningful volunteer programs in different countries, where you can play an active role in building houses, schools, community clubs and more. These programs would be a perfect choice for gap year travelers as well as college student groups, who wish to travel together and combine their efforts in making a difference by getting involved in voluntary work.
Not only will you help the host communities, but you'll also get to learn a lot and gain first-hand work experience that'll boost your career in the future.
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Urban Gardening Rio De Janeiro I Community Development | 1. Assist in community gardening in the rural area 2.Keep the local residents away from low nutrition processed food 3. Work 8 hours a day,4 times a week |
| Community Development Project Tamale | Community Development | 1. Work in village communities located 15-20 km outside the city of Tamale 2. Organize health awareness programs for school children 3. Work on weekdays |
| Thailand—1 Week Special Surin I One Week Volunteer Abroad | 1. Volunteer for the rural communities in Surin 2. Help in daycare centers 3.Explore the charm of Bangkok with a local guide |
Rock and pop hitmaker Jim Steinman, who wrote and composed music for Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Celine Dion, and more, died Monday in Danbury, Connecticut. He was 73. Steinman's brother Bill confirmed that the cause of death was kidney (肾) failure.
A statement posted on Steinman's Facebook page read, "It's with a heavy heart that I can confirm Jim's passing. There will be much more to say in the coming hours and days as we prepare to honor this giant of a human being and his glorious legacy."
Steinman's wholly unique career found him working as a composer, lyricist, and producer for many artists in a variety of styles. According to a biography on his website, the records he's worked on have sold more than 190 million copies worldwide. He was nominated (提名) for four Grammys, and won Album of the Year for his work on Dion's 1996 smash, Falling Into You.
Steinman began his career in a musical theater while in college, writing and starring in a rock musical called The Dream Engine, which gained the attention of New York theatrical producer Joe Papp. After graduating, Steinman worked at the Public Theater (which was established by Papp). In 1973, Yvonne Elliman recorded Steinman's song "Happy Ending", which became Steinman's first commercially released tune. That same year, the Public Theater staged his musical More Than You Deserve.
One of the actors who auditioned for More Than You Deserve was Meat Loaf, and he and Steinman soon struck up a close personal and professional relationship. The two began working on Meat Loaf's solo album, Bat Out of Hell, in the early 70s, but it wouldn't be released until 1977. It wasn't until about one year later — after Meat Loaf performed on Saturday Night Live — that the album became a hit.
"There is no other songwriter ever like him," Meat Loaf said. "I can never repay him. He has been such an influence, in fact, the biggest influence on my life, and I learned so much from him that there would be no way I could ever repay Mr. Jim Steinman."
a. Meat Loaf performed on Saturday Night Live.
b. Jim released his first commercial tune Happy Ending.
c. Jim and Meat Loaf released the album Bat Out of Hell.
d. Jim starred in a rock musical called The Dream Engine.
e. Jim's musical More Than You Deserve was put on show.
f. Jim won Album of the Year for his work on Falling Into You.
The shade of a single tree can provide welcome relief from the hot summer sun. But when that single tree is part of a small forest, it creates a considerable cooling effect. According to a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, trees play a big role in keeping our cities cool.
According to the study, the right amount of tree cover can lower summer daytime temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. And the effect is quite noticeable from neighborhood to neighborhood, even down to the scale of a single city block. "We knew that cities are warmer than the surrounding countryside, but we found that temperatures vary just as much within cities," says Monica Turner, a professor in the department of Integrative Biology, Wisconsin-Madison University and a co-author of the study.
With climate change making extreme heat events more common each summer, city planners are working on how to prepare. Heat waves drive up energy demands and costs and can have big human health impacts. One potentially powerful tool, the study's authors say, are organisms that have been around long before human civilizations could appreciate their leafy benefits. And those trees may be the secret to keeping the places we live livable.
Essentially, says Turner, roads, sidewalks and buildings absorb heat from the sun during the day and slowly release that heat at night. Trees, on the other hand, not only shade those surfaces from the sun's rays, they also release water into the air through their leaves, a process that cools things down.
To get the maximum benefit of this cooling service, the study found that tree cover must be more than 40 percent. In other words, an aerial picture of a single city block would need to be nearly half-way covered by a leafy green network of branches and leaves.
NASA has flown an aircraft on another planet for the first time. On Monday, April 19, Ingenuity, a 1. 8-kilogram drone (无人机) helicopter, took off from the surface of Mars, flew up about three meters, then hovered for 40 seconds and took photos above with one of its two cameras. The historic moment was livestreamed on YouTube. “We can now say that human beings have flown a drone helicopter on another planet,” said MiMi Aung, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, at a press conference. “We, together, flew at Mars, and we, together, now have our Wright brothers moment,” she added, referring to the first powered airplane flight on Earth in 1903.
The details: The flight was a significant technical challenge, thanks to Mars' s bone-chilling temperatures (nights can drop down to -130 °F / -90 ℃) and its incredibly thin atmosphere — just 1% the density of Earth' s. That meant Ingenuity had to be light, with rotor blades (螺旋桨) that were bigger and faster than would be needed to achieve liftoff on Earth (although the gravity on Mars, which is only about one-third of Earth's, worked in its favor). The flight had originally been scheduled to take place on April 11 but was delayed by software issues.
Why it's significant: Beyond being a significant milestone for Mars exploration, the flight will also pave the way for engineers to think about new ways to explore other planets. Future drone helicopters could help astronauts by scoping out locations, exploring inaccessible areas, and capturing images. Ingenuity will also help inform the design of Dragonfly, a car-size drone that NASA is planning to send to Saturn's moon Titan in 2027.
What's next: In the next few weeks, Ingenuity will conduct four more flights, each lasting up to 90 seconds. Each one is designed to further push the limits of Ingenuity's capabilities. Ingenuity is only designed to last for 30 Martian days, and is expected to stop functioning around
May 4. Its final resting place will be in the Jezero Crater as NASA moves on to the main focus of its mission: Getting the Perseverance rover (毅力号火星探测器) to study Mars for evidence of life.
How to Deal With Rudeness
When you encounter rude people, do your best to maintain your dignity. That might make them madder, but only you have control over your own behavior and how you deal with them. And whatever you do, never let the other person's bad behavior provoke (激起) you into throwing your own temper outburst.
●Show empathy and sympathy.
This requires understanding why the person is being rude. For example, if someone yells at someone else in public (even you), you might mention that you've had rough days too, and you totally understand how he's feeling. Chances are, that won't calm down someone who is rude to the core, but if it's a momentary lapse (一时的失误) in manners, he'll probably apologize. Accept it and move on. If he gets angrier, let it go.
●
If someone you can't get away from is consistently rude to you, have a conversation and address the issue. Ask him if he realizes that the things he says or does show a lack of respect for others. He might not realize he's being rude. If he cares, he'll apologize and try to be more polite. If he's a coworker or next-door neighbor, it's difficult to completely stay away from him, but you can limit your contact as much as possible.
●Offer extra kindness.
However, if you are able to keep your head up and set an example, sometimes the other person will eventually calm down and follow your lead. Don't count on this happening, but it might be worth a shot if you don't have a choice but to be around him.
A. Nothing is impossible to tolerate.
B. Call the person out on his behavior.
C. If he doesn't, then you need to avoid this person.
D. Here are some ways you can try to deal with them.
E. Remember, you are only human and it is OK to get mad.
F. There's nothing you can do to stop him or make him behave.
G. This might be difficult or even impossible if the rudeness is more than you can bear.
A wildfire burned down a couple's house in California in 1963. The couple, Chris and Lindy Date, were especially 1 to find their wedding2 gone with the flames.
"The photos are3 forever," Lindy thought, overwhelmed by a sense of loss. After careful research, 4, Mr Date decided to make a "longshot request" to the Cambridgeshire Collection, the county's archives (档案) service.
As they recalled, their wedding had been5 by Lettice Ramsey, of Ramsey and Muspratt.
"I did some online6 and found that the company had7 their negatives (底片) to the Cambridgeshire Collection in the 1980s," Mr Date said. "Ramsey and Muspratt was quite8 in Cambridge at the time, taking pictures of many of the city's best-known names."
He9 the archive "more in hope than expectation" to ask if the negatives had10
"They responded quickly to say they had photos which they11 were ours and sent three to me to12 ," Mr Date said. "The time I received them — I knew we would get our photos back! I was so13 to see them.
Steve Criswell, a local councillor, remarked, "We have a14 libraries and local studies team who are committed to helping the15, no matter how difficult it is to satisfy their requests.
Chinese kite makers have a lot to worry these days. As China becomes more modern a new generation is playing video games instead of (attach) painted silk to bamboo frames (支架). The only kite makers remain are growing old quickly nearly all of them are men.
Han Fuling has been making (tradition) kites for nearly all of his 82 years. He can remember the special feeling when he (build) his first kite at the age of 7.
Yet these days, Han doubts that any of his (child) will carry on his kite making. "Not only my son decide not to make kites, but also he says I am old and I should rest now," Han said. "But kites are my passion. How can I stop making kites?"
The slow downfall of kite making is part of a larger story in China. Historic architecture, crafts and music are being overwhelmed by China's (grow). It has become quite difficult (preserve) its older way of life.
Gramma Goodie visits her grandkids every Sunday afternoon. Every visit starts the same. First she rings the doorbell. Then Chris bounces down the stairs. Jamie runs to open the door. And every time, Gramma Goodie has gifts. But the kids never know what she'll bring.
Sometimes it's stuff you need, like socks or underwear. It could be a kite or a stuffed baby kangaroo. It could be a lollipop that turns your tongue bright blue.
Well, one Sunday, Gramma rang the doorbell. Chris hurried down the stairs. And Jamie threw open the door.
"Hello, my darlings," Gramma Goodie said with a smile. "Look what I have for you" She pulled out a deck of cards, and they played "Go Fish" all afternoon. At the end of the day, Gramma gave everyone kisses. Then she said her good-byes.
As she drove away, Chris and Jamie heard their parents talking. They said that Gramma Goodie's birthday was next Sunday. They were going to plan a special dinner and bake a delicious cake for her birthday surprise.
"Gramma Goodie has a birthday?" they thought. Both were a little confused. Grown-ups have birthdays? Who in the world knew? "Well, we have to get her a gift," Jamie decided. "But what?" asked Chris. "Gramma Goodie has absolutely EVERYTHING!"
Jamie thought about scarves, flowers, and perfume. But Gramma had plenty of scarves, a humongous rose garden, and bottles of French perfume. Chris thought about books, pillows, and a flute.
A diary? She had one. An umbrella? She had that, too. A radio? There's one in her kitchen. Oh, what would Chris and Jamie do? They spent all week thinking. They thought in math class. They daydreamed during recess. They thought themselves to sleep! Nothing came to mind.
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:
Their parents gave them a suggestion.
Paragraph 2:
On Sunday morning, the doorbell rang.
