★LOUDOUN COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL

    Grades: Preschool-Grade 8

    LCDS.org • 703-777-3841

    Award-winning school features a low student-teacher ratio (比率). Courses include art, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), computer programming, languages, athletics, instruments. BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology), one-to-one program in fourth through eighth grades. It's famous for its unique field trips.

    ★NYSMITH SCHOOL

    Grades: 3 years-Grade 8

    Nysmith.com • 703-552-2912

    Top 10 in the world, fun, award-winning program, up to 4 grade levels of diversification (多样化) in reading and math classes, daily science, computers, logic, foreign languages, much more. 1:9 ratio. Minimal (最少 ) homework. Hands-on experimental learning, a great attraction for students across the country. 2014 Tommy Award from TJ for the special achievement of Nysmith Alumni.

    ★FUSION ACADEMY TYSONS

    Grades: 6-12

    FusionTysonsCorner.com • 866-461-8039

    Fusion Academy is a private middle and high school where all classes are one-to-one: one student and one teacher per classroom. Here, positive relationships unlock students' potential. Scheduling is personalized, and no homework goes home. Come soon to Tysons, Virginia, and achieve school & life balance.

    ★RANDOLPH-MACON ACADEMY

    Grades: 6-12, Postgraduate

    rma.edu • 540-636-5484

    R-MA is a college-prep boarding school with Air Force JROTC, devoted to developing students of academic achievement, leadership, and responsible citizenship. With smaller classes — on average, 14-17 students per class — students at R-MA find themselves building their confidence because our teachers care about each student. Graduating classes have a 100% college acceptance rate and average over $56.6 million in college scholarships offers each year.

    Nick Vujicic was born with no arms or legs, but the brave 32­year­old man plays football and golf, swims, and surfs. Nick has a small foot on his left side, which helps him balance and enables him to kick. He uses his one foot to type, write with a pen and pick things up between his toes.

    "I call it my chicken drumstick(畸形的小腿)," joked Nick. "I'd be lost without it. When I get in the water I float because 80 per cent of my body is lungs and my drumstick acts as a propeller (螺旋桨). "

    When Nick was born, his distraught mother couldn't bring herself to hold him until he was four months old. "It was so hard for my parents, but right from the start they did their best to make me independent." said Nick.

    Throughout his childhood Nick dealt with the typical challenges. At the age of seven, Nick tried out some specially designed electronic arms and legs, in the hope that he would be more like other kids. But they turned out to be much too heavy for Nick to operate, affecting his flexibility quite significantly.

    "When I was 13 I read a newspaper article about a disabled man who had managed to achieve great things and help others," said Nick. "I realized why God had made us like this — to give hope to others. It was so inspirational to me that I decided to use my life to encourage others and decided to be thankful for what I do have, not get angry about what I don't."

    "I tell people to keep on getting up when they fall and to always love themselves," he said. "If I can encourage just one person then my job in this life is done." By now, he has visited 35 different countries, touring the world as a motivational speaker.

    Many cities and towns have laws that require people to recycle paper and plastics. Now some state and local governments have passed laws that require citizens to recycle their food waste as well. California and Vermont have statewide laws about recycling food waste that apply to businesses and homes. The process of recycling food waste and turning it into usable soil is called composting (堆制肥料).

    Food waste that can be composted includes fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds, tea bags, and eggshells. Garden waste such as stems and leaves can also be composted. Meat, fish, and dairy food waste cannot be recycled.

    According to environmental groups, composting reduces the amount of trash going into landfills, and composted waste holds a wide range of nutrients (营养物). When compost is added to the soil in gardens and fields, it helps crops grow.

    Reducing the amount of waste that goes into landfills is one reason why cities and states are passing food-waste recycling laws. "Our landfills are far from enough for the creation of new ones is shrinking." Renee Crowley, a project manager at the Lower East Side Ecology Center in New York City, told TFK.

    Officials in Seattle, Washington, say that food waste makes up 30% of the trash going into landfills, and they are looking to reduce that percentage. That city has a law requiring people to recycle food waste. It is banned from all garbage. There is a fine (罚款) for people who put it into regular garbage.

    Those who are against food-recycling laws say that the composting process is costly. In addition, it can be difficult for people who live in apartments to store their waste because they don't have access to outside storage bins. Patti Ferguson from Orange County, California, told her local newspaper that she thought an indoor container containing food waste would get smelly.

    Advice to "sleep on it" could be well founded, scientists say. After a good night's sleep a problem that couldn't be solved the night before can often appear more manageable, although the evidence until now has been anecdotal. But researchers at the University of Luebek in Germany have designed an experiment that shows a good night's sleep can improve insight and problem-solving.

    "If you have some newly-got memories in your brain, sleep acts on these memories and restructures them, so that after sleep the insight into problem which you could not solve before increases," said Dr. Jan Born, a neuroscientist, at the university. To test the theory, they taught volunteers two simple rules to help them turn a string of numbers into a new order. There was also a third, hidden rule, which could help them increase their speed in solving the problem. The researchers divided the volunteers into two groups: half were allowed to sleep after the training while the rest were forced to stay awake.

    Dr. Jan Born and his team noticed that the group that had slept after the training were twice as likely to figure out the third rule as the other group. "Sleep helped," Born said in a telephone interview. "The important thing is that you have to have a memory representation in your brain of the problem you want to solve and then you sleep, so it can act on the problem.

    "But Born admitted that he and his team don't know how restructuring of memories occurs or what governs it. Pierre Maquet and Perrine Ruby of the University of Liege in Belgium said the experimental evidence supports the anecdotal suggestions that sleep can help develop creative thinking. Although the role of sleep in human creativity will still be a mystery, the research gives people good reason to fully respect their periods of sleep, they added.

    Sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you find it hard to tolerate someone's actions or words. Try to understand where each person is coming from, and avoid making it into a personal battle. You can try to develop a more tolerant attitude by learning about different people, developing confidence in yourself, and coming to appreciate differences.

    Make efforts to understand someone else. You may have very different backgrounds and experiences.  So try to see things from his side.

    Ask for an explanation. If you are talking to someone and he says something that you find hard to accept, you can figure out his perspective without being intolerant. For example, you might say something like, "OK, tell me more about that. What makes you think that？" Anyway, remember that tolerance does not mean accepting unacceptable behavior.

     This may be a more negative kind of tolerance than learning to accept and value differences, but it can be useful. To do this you would have to avoid certain topics of conversation, or swiftly change the subject when necessary.

Deal with a conflict. When you have difficulty tolerating someone's actions or words, you can start by calmly describing what you find offensive. And you should then explain how the problem would be dealt with.

A. Try to ignore your differences.

B. Use "I" statements rather than "you" statements.

C. Start by stating what you think a good situation is.

D. Try to understand his views well by asking him to explain them.

E. Here are tips that help you tolerate others in difficult situations.

F. What seems obvious to you might seem strange to someone else.

G. Next, try to get a better understanding of each other's views about it.

    I was on my cellphone sharing my excitement about the stories we received for a new book about resolutions (决心). When I 1 my call, my 11-year-old son Bailey asked if he could write a story. I was surprised by his 2 and asked if he had “resolved”to do something 3 in his life. His reply 4 me. He said,“I have resolved to be nicer to younger children.”

    Bailey has always been generous with older kids.5 , when it comes to younger kids, he falls 6. He gets angry when they touch his Lego creations or7 to understand how to play his video games.

    My husband and I have many friends with younger children who8 regularly. Each time before they arrive, we tell Bailey how we would 9it if he were more patient with the younger kids. He starts out great, but as the night wears on, his patience 10. I found it interesting that he was 11making a change.

    Later, I12 our conversation and realized that Bailey had actually taken action. The last time our friend's son, Brayden, 13, Bailey invited him to play with his Legos. Instead of getting angry that Brayden was not 14correctly, according to Bailey's15, he allowed him to create his own version of an airplane. When playing video games, instead of telling Brayden he was too 16 to understand the concept, he gave him an unplugged (没插电的) 17and let Brayden believe he was fighting alongside Bailey.

    As parents, we often feel as if our18fall on deaf ears, but now I realize that my son has been listening all along. He is19to be a better person and I am20of him.

    In China, the history of people planting and using bamboo can date back to as far as 7,000 years. As early as the Shang Dynasty, bamboo was being used in ancient people's daily lives. It was used for food, clothing, housing, transportation,(music) instruments and even weapons.

    The  (apply) of bamboo in science and technology is thrilling. In 251 BC, Li Bing, in Sichuan,(lead) the local people in building the Dujiang Weirs, the first irrigation network in the world, in which bamboo played important role. The world's oldest water pipe was also(make) of bamboo. During the Han Dynasty, the people in Sichuan(successful) sank a 1,600­metre­deep well with thick bamboo ropes. This technology did not spread to Europe  the 19th century, and it was by using the technologythe Americans drilled the first oil well in Pennsylvania in 1859.

    In Chinese culture, bamboo is well­known as one of the "four gentlemen" in plants. To many distinguished men, bamboo is a symbol of goodness and (honest). It is always closely related to people of positive spirits. Bamboo culture contributes to encouraging people to hold on when(face) tough situations.

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(Λ)，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 Jackie,

    The school holidays are drawing to near. I feel very exciting at the thought that I am going to visit America in the holidays. It's the first time for me to travel abroad on my own, but I need your help. I'd like to visit some areas of scenic beauty, such for mountains, rivers or forests, which I could enjoy the beauty of nature. Could you suggest several place for me to visit? Beside, I prefer to live in a hotel and I hoped the traffic isn't too heavy. Perhaps you could help me book hotel.

    I'm expecting to hear from you, and I'm looking forward to meet you in America.

Yours,

Zhang Nan

1）你的建议；

2）说明理由；

3）表达祝愿。

注意：1）词数100左右，开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数；

2）可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Dear John,

    I'm very glad to hear you're studying at a new boarding school. ……

Yours,

Li Hua