Journey Back in Time with Scholars
Classical Provence(13days)
Journey through the beautiful countryside of Provence, France, with Prof. Ori Z. Soltes. We will visit some of the best-preserved Roman monuments in the world. Our tour also includes a chance to walk in the footsteps of Van Gogh and Gauguin. Fields of flowers, tile-roofed villages and tasty meals enrich this wonderful experience.
Southern Spain(15days)
Spain has lovely white towns and the scent(芳香) of oranges, but it is also a treasury of ancient remains including the cities left by the Greeks, Romans and Arabs. As we travel south from Madrid with Prof. Ronald Messier to historic Toledo, Roman Merida and into Andalucia, we explore historical monuments and architecture.
China's Sacred Landscapes(21days)
Discover the China of "past ages," its walled cities,temples and mountain scenery with Prof. Robert Thorp. Highlights include China's most sacred peaks at Mount Tai and Hangzbou's rolling hills, waterways and peaceful temples. We will wander in traditional small towns and end our tour with an exceptional museum in Shanghai.
Tunisia(17days)
Join Prof. Pedar Foss on our in-depth Tunisian tour. Tour highlights include the Roman city of Dougga, the underground Numidian capital at Bulla Regia, Roman Sbeitla and the remote areas around Tataouine and Matmata, uique for underground cities. Our journey takes us to picturesque Berber villages and lovely beaches.
When I was 9, we packed up our home in Los Angeles and arrived at Heathrow, London on a gray January morning. Everyone in the family settled quickly into the city except me. Without my beloved beaches and endless blue-sky days, I felt at a loss and out of place. Until I made a discovery.
Southbank, at an eastern bend in the Thames, is the center of British skateboarding, where the continuous crashing of skateboards left your head ringing. I loved it. I soon made friends with the local skaters. We spoke our own language. And my favorite: Safe. Safe meant cool. It meant hello. It meant don't worry about it. Once, when trying a certain trick on the beam(横杆), I fell onto the stones, damaging a nerve in my hand, and Toby came over, helping me up: Safe, man. Safe. A few minutes later, when I landed the trick, my friends beat their boards loud, shouting: "Safe! Safe! Safe!" And that's what mattered—landing tricks, being a good skater.
When I was 15, my family moved to Washington. I tried skateboarding there, but the locals were far less welcoming. Within a couple of years, I'd given it up.
When I returned to London in 2004, I found myself wandering down to Southbank, spending hours there. I've traveled back several times since, most recently this past spring. The day was cold but clear: tourists and Londoners stopped to watch the skaters. Weaving(穿梭)among the kids who rushed by on their boards, I found my way to the beam. Then a rail—thin teenager, in a baggy white T—shirt, skidded(滑)up to the beam. He sat next to me. He seemed not to notice the man next to him. But soon I caught a few of his glances. "I was a local here 20 years ago," I told him. Then, slowly, he began to nod his head. "Safe, man. Safe."
"Yeah," I said. "Safe."
With the young unable to afford to leave home and the old at risk of isolation(孤独), more families are choosing to live together.
The doorway to peace and quiet, for Nick Bright at least, leads straight to his mother-in-law, she lives on the ground floor, while he lives upstairs with his wife and their two daughters.
Four years ago they all moved into a three-storey Victorian house in Bristol - one of a growing number of multigenerational families in the UK living together under the same roof. They share a front door and a washing machine, but Rita Whitehead has her own kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room on the ground floor.
"We floated the idea to my mum of sharing at a house," says Kathryn Whitehead. Rita cuts in: "We spoke more with Nick because I think it's a big thing for Nick to live with his mother-in-law."
And what does Nick think? "From my standpoint, it all seems to work very well. Would I recommend it? Yes, I think I would."
It's hard to tell exactly how many people agree with him, but research indicates that the numbers have been rising for some time. Official reports suggest that the number of households with three generations living together had risen from 325,000 in 2001to 419,000 in 2013.
Other varieties of multigenerational family are more common. Some people live with their elderly parents; many more adult children are returning to the family home, if they ever left. It is said that about 20% of 25-34-year-olds live with their parents, compared with 16% in 1991.The total number of all multigenerational households in Britain is thought to be about 1.8 million.
Stories like that are more common in parts of the world where multigenerational living is more firmly rooted. In India, particularly outside cities, young women are expected to move in with their husband's family when they get married.
Rainforests are home to a rich variety of medicinal plants, food, birds and animals. Can you believe that a single bush（灌木丛）in the Amazon may have more species of ants than the whole of Britain! About 480 varieties of trees may be found in just one hectare of rainforest.
Rainforests are the lungs of the planet-storing vast quantities of carbon dioxide and producing a significant amount of the world's oxygen. Rainforests have their own perfect system for ensuring their own survival; the tall trees make a canopy（树冠层）of branches and leaves which protect themselves, smaller plants, and the forest animals from heavy rain, intense dry heat from the sun and strong winds.
Amazingly, the trees grow in such a way that their leaves and branches, although close together, never actually touch those of another tree. Scientists think this is the plants' way to prevent the spread of any tree diseases and make life more difficult for leaf-eating insects like caterpillars. To survive in the forest, animals must climb, jump or fly across the gaps. The ground floor of the forest is not all tangled leaves and bushes, like in films, but is actually fairly clear. It is where dead leaves turn into food for the trees and other forest life.
They are not called rainforests for nothing! Rainforests can generate 75%of their own rain. At least 80 inches of rain a year is normal-and in some areas there may be as much as 430 inches of rain annually. This is real rain-your umbrella may protect you in a shower, but it won't keep you dry if there is a full rainstorm. In just two hours, streams can rise ten to twenty feet. The humidity（湿气）of large rainforests contributes to the formation of rainclouds that may travel to other countries in need of rain.
A housewarming party is a special party to be held when someone buys or moves into a new apartment or house. The person who bought the house or moved is the one who throws the party. The party is a chance for friends and family to congratulate the person on the new home. And it is good time to fill the new space with love and hopeful presents.
Some people register a list of things they want or need for their new home at a local stores. Some common things people will put on a gift registry include kitchen tools like knives and things like curtains. Even if there isn't a registry, a good housewarming gift is something to decorate the new house with, like a piece of art or a plant.
This is often appreciated since at a housewarming there isn't a lot of food served. There are usually no planned activities like games at a housewarming party. The host or hostess of the party will, however, probably give all the guests a tour of their new home. Sometimes, because a housewarming party happens shortly after a person moves into their new home, people may be asked to help unpack boxes.
Housewarming parties get their name from the fact that a long time ago people would actually bring firewood to a new home as a gift. Now most homes have central heating and don't use fires to keep warm.
A. This isn't usual though.
B. It is traditional to bring a gift to a housewarming party.
C. If you're lucky enough to receive gifts, keep them in a safe place.
D. It also gives people a chance to see what the new home looks like.
E. You can also bring food or drinks to share with the other guests.
F. This was so that the person could keep their home warm for the winter.
G. The best housewarming parties encourage old friends to get together.
In1973,I was teaching elementary school. Each day, 27 kids 1 "The Thinking Laboratory." That was the name students voted for after deciding that "Room 104" was too 2 .
Freddy was an average 3 , but not an average person .He had the rare balance of fun and kindness. He would 4 the loudest over fun and be the saddest over anyone's 5 .
Before the school year ended, I gave the kids a special 6 , T-shirts with the words "Verbs Are Your 7 " on them. I had advised the kids that while verbs may seem dull, most of the 8 things they do throughout their lives will be verbs.
Through the years, I'd run into former students who would provide 9 on old classmates. I learned that Freddy did several jobs after his10 from high school and remained the same 11 person I met many years before. Once, while working overnight at a store, he let a homeless man sleep in his truck. Another time, he 12 a friend money to buy a house .
Just last year, I was conducting a workshop when someone knocked at the classroom door. A woman 13 the interruption and handed me an envelope. I stopped teaching and opened it up. Inside were the "Verbs" shirt and a 14 from Freddy's mother. "Freddy passed away on Thanksgiving. He wanted you to have this."
I told the story to the class. As sad as it was, I couldn't help smiling. Although Freddy was taken from us, we all 15 something from Freddy.
In 1863 the first underground passenger railway in the world opened in London. It ran for just under seven kilometers and allowed people to avoid terrible (crowd) on the roads above when they travelled to and work. It took three years to complete and was built using an interesting method. This included digging up the road, (lay) the track and then building a strong roof over the top. When all those had been done, the road surface was replaced.
Steam engines (use) to pull the carriages and it must have been fairly unpleasant for the passengers, with all the smoke and noise. However, the railway quickly proved to be great success and within six months, more than 25,000 people were using it every day.
Later, engineers managed (construct) railways in a system of deep tunnels, became known to the Tube. This development was only possible with the (introduce) of electric-powered engines and lifts. The central London Railway was one of the most (success) of these new lines, and was opened in 1900. It had white-painted tunnels and bright red carriages, and proved (extreme) popular with the public.
内容包括：
1. 阅读的必要性
2. 你推荐的书目及其介绍；
2. 发出倡议。
注意：内容要完整，语法要精准，句子要写长，书写要整洁。
Dear fellow students,
……
Yoghurt （酸奶）
It was a rough week. The price of oil skyrocketed as the temperature dropped sharply in Maine. We were looking at a high of eight degrees that week, and I had missed three days of work so my paycheck was going to be lower than normal. I was stressed, to say the least. I shopped strategically, looking for every possible way to cut pennies so I could buy groceries and keep the house warm.
My eight-year-old son didn't understand when I told him we were struggling that week. He wanted a special kind of yoghurt, but I didn't have the extra three dollars to buy it for him. It was the kind of yoghurt with a cartoon kid riding a skateboard on the front of the box, and a mere two spoonfuls in each cup. It was the kind of product that wastes a parent's money and makes me hate advertising.
I felt guilty as a parent when those big eyes looked at me with confusion, as if to say, "It's just yoghurt. What's the big deal?" So I found a way. I put something back as single mothers often do. He got his yoghurt.
On the way driving back from the grocery store, I noticed a homeless man holding a sign by the side of the road. My heart hurt, and I tried not to look at him. I watched people stay away from him on the street and walk by without even meeting his eyes. My son didn't seem to care much, either. I looked at the man closely then — bare hands grasping a piece of cardboard, snot frozen to his face, a worn-out jacket. And there I was struggling because I had to buy oil and groceries. But I decided to help. I pulled over to the man and handed him a five-dollar bill.
注意：
1. 只写第一段，注意衔接句和常用句型的使用；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Seeing this, my son became confused and surprised.
……
On that day, my son performed an act that most adults wouldn't have done. He took his yoghurt and handed it to the man outside his window. Even if it was just a matter of a few spoonful of yoghurt, it was all he had, and he gave it to someone who needed it more than he wanted it. He showed me that I was doing well as a mother. There are always blessings to count if we open our eyes, and always have the opportunity to be a blessing for someone else.
