POETRY CHALLENGE
Write a poem about how courage, determination, and strength have helped you face challenges in your life.
Prizes
3 Grand Prizes：Trip to Washington, D.C. for each of three winners, a parent and one other person of the winner's choice. Trip includes round-trip air tickets, hotel stay for two nights, and tours of the National Air and Space Museum and the office of National Geographic World.
6 First Prizes：The book Sky Pioneer：A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart signed by author Corinne Szabo and pilot Linda Finch.
50 Honorable Mentions：Judges will choose up to 50 honorable mention winners, who will each receive a T-shirt in memory of Earhart's final flight.
Rules
Follow all rules carefully to prevent disqualification.
■Write a poem using 100 words or fewer. Your poem can be any format, any number of lines.
■Write by hand or type on a single sheet of paper. You may use both the front and back of the paper.
■On the same sheet of paper, write or type your name, address, telephone number, and birth date.
■Mail your entry to us by October 31 this year.
In the mid-1990s, Tom Bissell taught English as a volunteer in Uzbekistan. He left after seven months, physically broken and having lost his mind. A few years later, still attracted to the country, he returned to Uzbekistan to write an article about the disappearance of the Aral Sea.
His visit, however, ended up involving a lot more than that. Hence this book, Chasing the Sea: Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia, which talks about a road trip from Tashkent to Karakalpakstan, where millions of lives have been destroyed by the slow drying up of the sea. It is the story of an American travelling to a strange land, and of the people he meets on his way: Rustam, his translator, a lovely 24-year-old who picked up his colorful English in California, Oleg and Natasha, his hosts in Tashkent, and a string of foreign aid workers.
This is a quick look at life in Uzbekistan, made of friendliness and warmth, but also its darker side of society. In Samarkand, Mr Bissell admires the architectural wonders, while on his way to Bukhara he gets a taste of police methods when suspected of drug dealing. In Ferghana, he attends a mountain funeral（葬礼）followed by a strange drinking party. And in Karakalpakstan, he is saddened by the dust storms, diseases and fishing boats stuck miles from the sea.
Mr Bissell skillfully organizes historical insights and cultural references, making his tale a well-rounded picture of Uzbekistan, seen from Western eyes. His judgment and references are decidedly American, as well as his delicate stomach. As the author explains, this is neither a travel nor a history book, or even a piece of reportage. Whatever it is, the result is a fine and vivid description of the purest of Central Asian traditions.
According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research, both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake. And contrary to existing research that says you should avoid eating with heavier people who order large portions（份）, it's the beanpoles with big appetites you really need to avoid.
To test the effect of social influence on eating habits, the researchers conducted two experiments. In the first, 95 undergraduate women were individually invited into a lab to ostensibly（表面上）participate in a study about movie viewership. Before the film began, each woman was asked to help herself to a snack. An actor hired by the researchers grabbed her food first. In her natural state, the actor weighed 105 pounds. But in half the cases she wore a specially designed fat suit which increased her weight to 180 pounds.
Both the fat and thin versions of the actor took a large amount of food. The participants followed suit, taking more food than they normally would have. However, they took significantly more when the actor was thin.
For the second test, in one case the thin actor took two pieces of candy from the snack bowls. In the other case, she took 30 pieces. The results were similar to the first test: the participants followed suit but took significantly more candy when the thin actor took 30 pieces.
The tests show that the social environment is extremely influential when we're making decisions. If this fellow participant is going to eat more, so will I. Call it the "I'll have what she's having" effect. However, we'll adjust the influence. If an overweight person is having a large portion, I'll hold back a bit because I see the results of his eating habits. But if a thin person eats a lot, I'll follow suit. If he can eat much and keep slim, why can't I?
Some individuals are born with a gift for public speaking.Do you want to be a good public speaker? Here are some principles you must master.
People want to listen to someone who is interesting, relaxed and comfortable. Too often when you stand up to give a speech, you focus on the "public" at the expense of the" speaking." Focus on the speaking. Talk directly to your audience, be yourself and make a connection.
Even the most successful public speaker will make mistakes. Yet, the only one who cares about any mistake is the one who is speaking. People's attention wanders constantly. In fact, most people only absorb about 20 percent of a speaker's message. So, don't stop speaking when you make a mistake unless it's a truly serious one.
Your goal is not to be a perfect public speaker.And like everything else in life, that takes practice. Remember, even world champion athletes practice their skills on a consistent basis.
It's rare to hear someone say, "I wish that speaker had spoken longer. "On the other hand, you probably can't count the times that you've thought, "I'm glad that talk is over. It seemed to go on forever! "So surprise your audience. Always make your presentation just a bit shorter than anticipated. It's better to leave your listeners wishing for more than shifting restlessly in their seats waiting for your speech finally to end.
A. Do the opposite.
B. You want to be an effective public speaker.
C. You don't need to apologize for a minor slip.
D. When it comes to public speaking, less is usually more.
E. The objective of most speeches is to benefit the audience
F. Take the fear out of public speaking by focusing on your listeners
G. However, the majority of people are effective speakers because they train to be.
Molai grew up in a tiny village in India. The village lay near some wetlands which became his second1. He learned the value and beauty of 2 there from a very young age.
When he was 16, Molai began to notice something 3 happening around his home. A flood had hit the area earlier that year and the 4 it caused had driven away a number of birds. 5, the number of snakes had declined as well. He 6 that it was because there weren't enough trees to protect them from the 7. The solution, of course, was to plant trees so the animals could seek 8 during the daytime. He turned to the 9 department for help but was told that nothing would grow there. However, Molai went looking on his own and 10a nearby island where he began to plant trees.
11 young plants in the dry season was 12for a lone boy. Molai built at the 13 of each sapling(幼树)a bamboo platform, where he placed earthen pots with small holes to14 rainwater. The water would then drip(滴落)on the plants below.
Molai 15 to plant trees for the next 37 years. His efforts have resulted in 1,360 acres of naturally-grown land that has become home to many plants and animals.
Many people have the hobby of collecting things, e.g. stamps, postcards or antiques. In the 18th and 19th centuries, (wealth) people travelled and collected plants, historical objects and works of art. They kept their collection at home until it got too big until they died, and then it was given to a museum. The 80,000 objects collected by Sir Hans Sloane, for example, (form) the core collection of the British Museum opened in 1759.
The parts of a museum open to the public (call) galleries or rooms. Often, only a small part of a museum's collection (be) on display. Most of it is stored away or used for research.
Many museums are lively places and they attract a lot of visitors. As well as looking at exhibits, visitors can play with computer simulations (模拟) and imagine (they) living at a different time in history or (walk)through a rainforest. At the Jorvik Centre in York, the city's Viking settlement is recreated, and people experience the sights, sounds and smells of the old town. Historical (accurate) is important but so is entertainment. Museums must compete people's spare time and money with other amusements. Most museums also welcome school groups and arrange special activities for children.
1）参加人员:
2）跑步路线：从校门口到南山脚下:
3）活动反响。
注意：
1）写作词数应为80左右:
2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A Cross-Country Running Race
A MOTHER'S DAY SURPRISE
The twins were filled with excitement as they thought of the surprise they were planning for Mother's Day. How pleased and proud Mother would be when they brought her breakfast in bed. They planned to make French toast and chicken porridge. They had watched their mother in the kitchen. There was nothing to it. Jenna and Jeff knew exactly what to do.
The big day came at last. The alarm rang at 6 a.m. The pair went down the stairs quietly to the kitchen. They decided to boil the porridge first. They put some rice into a pot of water and left it to boil while they made the French toast. Jeff broke two eggs into a plate and added in some milk. Jenna found the bread and put two slices into the egg mixture. Next, Jeff turned on the second stove burner to heat up the frying pan. Everything was going smoothly until Jeff started frying the bread. The pan was too hot and the bread turned black within seconds. Jenna threw the burnt piece into the sink and put in the other slice of bread. This time, she turned down the fire so it cooked nicely.
Then Jeff noticed steam shooting out of the pot and the lid starting to shake. The next minute, the porridge boiled over and put out the fire. Jenna panicked. Thankfully, Jeff stayed calm and turned off the gas quickly. But the stove was a mess now. Jenna told Jeff to clean it up so they could continue to cook the rest of the porridge. But Jeff's hand touched the hot burner and he gave a cry of pain. Jenna made him put his hand in cold water. Then she caught the smell of burning. Oh dear! The piece of bread in the pan had turned black as well.
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。
| As the twins looked around them in disappointment, their father appeared. The twins carried the breakfast upstairs and woke their mother up. |
