High School Studio Workshops
Single museum visit, 2.5 hours
Grades 9–12
These half-day art workshops include an in-depth examination and discussion of works of art in the galleries, followed by behind-the-scenes access to the Education Studio, where students create a related art project.
During the workshop, National Gallery of Art educators will encourage students to look carefully at works of art and then share their responses and develop theories based on their observations.
Students will have the opportunity to create a work of art in the studio inspired by what they have seen in the galleries.
Museum Makers: Exploring Art and Museums
Grades 11–12
The Museum Makers program explains how museums operate and what they have to offer. It gives upper-level high school students the tools to experience, understand and interpret art. Participants will gain an insider's view of how an art museum works.
Students meet for seven Saturday sessions from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Completion of the program requires attendance of all seven sessions.
Creative Writing in the Galleries
Grades 7–12, 90 minutes
Students will provide a voice for their personal responses to art through creative writing while looking at a selection of artworks in the galleries. Using close observation, group discussion, and personal reflection, they will be guided through exercises that use different writing forms, including free-form poetry.
A maximum of 30 students (minimum of 15) will be accommodated (容纳) at each session.
From checking social media every minute to being lost in computer games, we tend to overuse technology. "For many people, a moment without your phone or laptop in sight can feel like a lifetime," the Daily Mail commented. A team from the US-based company Toll Free Forwarding built a three-dimensional model to sniff out the negative effects technology can have on human bodies in less than 800 years. The computer model called Mindy may persuade many people to think twice.
"Spending hours looking down at your phone strains your neck and throws your spine (脊柱) off balance," explained Caleb Backe, a health and wellness expert in the US. Then, the muscles in our neck need to spend extra effort to support the head, making our back hunched (驼背的) and neck wide.
"The way we hold our phones can cause strain in certain points of contact – causing text claw (手机手)," Nikola Djordjevic, a physician in Serbia, told the team. It affects the elbows too, causing pain in the arm. Scientifically, it is called cubital tunnel syndrome (肘管综合征). That's why Mindy has a 90-degree elbow, and her hands look like she's always holding a mobile phone.
Some people also commented that human evolution may not work this way. They believe that only features with actual benefits would be kept throughout the years. For example, features that can increase the rate of survival, instead of the negative impact of technology.
However, current human lifestyles still raise concerns. A model called Emma was built by researchers in the UK in 2019 to show how the way people work at their desks could change them in 20 years. The research team built Emma based on the health issues mentioned by over 3,000 workers in France, Germany and the UK. Emma's back stays bent, and her legs are swollen (肿胀的) due to the time people spend in front of computers. With little time spent outdoors and in the sun, her skin is pale, too.
Mark Twain looked down upon those people who think it is possible for someone to learn how to write a novel. "A man who is not born with the novel-writing gift has troublesome time of it when he tries to build a novel", he said.
But now new technology is making a difference to help an author write a novel. Michael Green, a US data scientist-turned-novelist, felt that technology could help him.
He said that the process had become difficult to manage: "In the midst of editing, I got to the point where I started feeling like I had a lot of plots and characters" he said "I had all these documents on the deeper aspects of the world I was creating. I was worried about not being able to keep track of it all. That is when I switched into my more data science-minded approach to solving a complex problem with a lot of different places. "
Green went on to create Lynit
a digital platform to help authors plan and weave together the many elements that form a story, such as the themes, characters and major events.
"As the author gets a new idea that they want to bring into the story they are able to input it into a natural framework, " he said "piece by piece they are adding to the story. As new ideas come in, they change, maybe by creating new nodes (节点) new relationships. "
Once the book has been published, technology is also playing an ever-increasing role in publicity and connecting with readers. Websites and APPs from specialist firms allow authors to participate in live-question-and-answer sessions with their audience. Michael Green believes technology will become even more important as a new generation of tech savvy (精通技术的) writers becomes more well known.
"What I'm finding with the Generation Z and even younger writers is that they are looking for technology to give them guidance, " he said, "They see it as a tool to learn and grow with rather than extra work. "
Adam Ryan, 31, has worked at Target in Christiansburg, Virginia, for three years. "I have to live with my family because I can't afford rent on my own. I don't have health insurance. Target has told me I don't qualify for their benefits because I don't get enough hours," said Ryan, who is also an organizer with Target Workers Unite, an independent initiative of Target workers. He makes $13 an hour, the hourly minimum wage at Target since June 2022, which is scheduled to increase to $15 an hour by the end of 2023.
But Ryan and several other Target workers say Target is cutting their schedules and doubling their workload as it increases minimum wage under its ‘modernization plan' to increase efficiency. They think that broader influences in the retail sector (零售业) are responsible for their difficulty – especially, the actions of their hard-charging rival Amazon.
"They're responding to what Amazon is doing," Ryan added. "They are trying to turn these stores into their own distribution centers, using brick-and-mortar stores (实体店). We have to be warehouse workers and customer service workers. "
Target Workers Unite recently released a survey of more than 500 Target workers around the US, representing 382 different stores in 44 states. Only 12. 7% of the workers who responded said they could survive on the wages from Target alone, with 56% of workers citing they have ran out of food while employed at Target, and 12. 8% of workers reported experiencing homelessness.
The survey also provides some insight into Target's opposition to workers organizing. Many workers surveyed report they have been scolded by management for discussing workplace issues in the store or on social media.
As Target workers report struggling to make ends meet while experiencing cuts to their schedules, loss of benefits, and increased workloads, Target reported record share prices (股价) at the end of 2022, consistently beating predictions of sales and profits in 2022 and finding a balance between physical stores and digital commerce. The retail chain is ranked the eighth-largest retail corporation in the US based on sales. Target is preparing for the arguments against the workers' survey's finding and claims from workers over working conditions and schedule cuts.
How to Make Your Holiday Wonderful
Don't want to spend a holiday alone feeling blue?
1 Don't Force Cheer
At family gatherings, when your relatives make some untruthful compliments (赞美), you will probably try to force a smile. But a 2011 study by researchers at Michigan State University might make you think twice. They followed dozens of bus drivers for two weeks, looking to see when they force a happy face at their passengers. The results showed that on days when the drivers tried to pretend to have a good mood, their actual moods got worse.
2 Don't Suppress (压制) Sadness
The results of the bus-driver study can be explained by researchers from Stanford University, who found that negative feelings like sadness or anger only worsen when we try to suppress them. Expressing our sadness can help us get comfort and compassion from those who care about us. By contrast, suppressing our emotions can actually harm our relationships.
3 Respond Mindfully
When you respond mindfully to an emotional trigger (诱因), you pause rather than reacting. Instead of blaming yourself, you simply notice what you're feeling without judging that response as right or wrong. Studies suggest that a mindful response to a negative event reduces the amount of negative emotions we experience.
Inevitably, the holidays will bring a mix of highs and lows. Perhaps the most important lesson to keep in mind is that this variety of emotions might be the best thing possible for your overall well-being.
A. A smile might seem like the most mature response.
B. And mindfulness is a skill you can develop over time.
C. So trying to hide their feelings seems to lead to an opposite result.
D. Psychological research suggests some effective ways to help beat the holiday blues.
E. Instead, if properly understood, they can help contribute to a healthy and happy life.
F. Recently, scientists have been paying special attention to the benefits of mindfulness.
G. That's because we feel worse when we try to control and hide our negative inner feelings.
Several years ago, my wife and I went to the University of Hawaii to do research for a new book. We stayed at a1seaside hotel, ate a delicious meal, and slept deeply on our first night. The next morning, we decided not to eat2and headed out in the morning rush hour. After several3lights, we were still far away from the crossing. Then we4behind a big yellow school bus. It was warm. Our windows were down, so we could hear the joyful5of the children on the bus, but we were6and unhappy.
Then we noticed a young man7on the muddy ground with a cardboard(硬纸板) 8on his knees. It was too far away to read the lettering, but we supposed it was a cry for9because of an unknown situation in which he found himself. He looked pretty10. He clearly didn't have money.
Suddenly, he got up, put his sign on the ground and11toward the school bus. As he got near, a little girl12with a brown paper lunch bag in her13As the stranger came closer, she14him the bag. There was no15so we could hear no words16 but he took the bag and very17kissed her little hand. Then he went back to his place where he had sat, the light18, and we slowly moved forward. We could see the19on his face.
I am ninety-four years old now, and there are few moments in my life that have20me more than that little hand giving a total stranger her lunch bag.
Shaanxi kuaiban is a (tradition) Chinese form of storytelling in the Shaanxi local language to the strong regular repeated sound of bamboo clappers. On June 10, 2021, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (recognize) a new group of 325 national intangible (非物质的) cultural heritage items in Beijing, increasing the list established in 2006 to 1,557 items. Shaanxi kuaiban, can date back to the late Qing Dynasty (1644 — 1911), has been included. It can (perform) by a group or alone. With one or two pairs of kuaiban of different sizes in hand, the performers speak in the local language while (tell) stories, which are usually about sufferers or heroes.
Shaanxi kuaiban is popular that there are many professional artists and performers in China. According to its performers, the art was originally used by farmers (share) their knowledge and earn money. time going by, more and more people perform Shaanxi kuaiban in different particular events — for example, at festival celebrations, parties and art shows. (support) by the government, it has been one of the (good) art forms in Shaanxi and has been introduced to local schools as part of their art education.
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Dear Liu Fang,
Today the weather was wonderful, so I went out to the local park with some friends to fly kites. It seemed that half the city joined in us, so we had trouble find a good place to stand. But I felt so relaxing when we were done.
Over lunch, I was told that kites were invented by a man naming Mozi, who was something of a philosopher and worked hardly to bring peace between warring countries. He also created many clever inventions from wood. I think it is so wonderful that Mozi could invent something would bring relaxation and happiness to such many people. I never thought to yourself that something like kites needed a inventor.
Anyway, I have to do my homeworks. Talk to you later!
Love,
Peter
1）助残的必要性；
2）如何关爱残疾人；
3）发出倡议。
注意：1）词数100词左右；
2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3）题目已写好，但不计入总词数。
Caring for Disabled People Is Our Duty
