TEENSGIVING in SPRING 2010
Frequently Asked Questions
What is TEENSGIVING?
TEENSGIVING is an exciting yearly event where hundreds of New York City teens gather together yearly for a remarkable day of community service. This year, TEENSGIVING in SRING 2010 participants will once again better New York City and influence thousands of lives!
When is TEENSGIVING in SPRING2010?
SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010
Where is TEENSGIVING?
All over New York City. Everyone will meet at the 92nd Street Y (92nd and Lexington) at 9:00 AM for the event kick-off. Then, all TEENSGIVING volunteers will spread across the city to work with our partnering agencies where they will make a HUGE difference and have fun!
Who participates in TEENSGIVING?
Hundreds of teenagers from around the city. Teens come from the 92nd Street Y, various city schools, youth groups, and organizations in the area. In addition, many adult volunteers (aged 21 and older) will contribute their time to TEENSGIVING in SPRING 2010.
What projects do participants do at the agencies?
Sample projects include painting park benches, planting gardens, visiting and playing with the poor children, assembling(組裝) model planes for children in hospitals, assisting at animal shelters（收容所）, working at soup kitchens, delivering meals and celebrating with families at homeless shelters.
Do I get anything for participating in TEENSGIVING?
Yes! Everybody benefits! Teen volunteers will receive *6 hours* of community service credit, good towards honor society, high school graduation and college application requirements. Adult volunteers will be “thanked” with a light breakfast, a gift certificate(證明，證書) for their troubles, and the satisfaction of helping our city’s youth contribute to their community. In addition, all teen and adult volunteers will receive a cool TEENSGIVING in SPRING 2010 T-shirt.
This sounds amazing! How do I record my name for TEENSGIVING in SPRING2010? Interested teens and/or adults should e-mail the TEENSGIVING Coordinator Josh Hyman at jhyman@92Y.org (subjet: TEENSGIVING ) to receive more information and to register for this fantastic event!
**Teens can also contact their school’s Community Service Advisor**
TEENSGIVING is sponsored by the 92nd Street Y.
小題1: TEENSGIVING is an event which is held ______.

A．fromtimetotime	B．onceeveryyear
C．everytwoyears	D．twiceayear

小題2:Teenagers may do all the following in the event EXCEPT ____.

A．wateringflowers	B．cooking
C．cleaningstreets	D．takingcareofanimals

小題3:An adult volunteer may get _ for his time devoted 
to TEENSGIVING  in SPRING 2010.

A．communityservicecreditandaT-shirt

B．a(chǎn)highschoolcertificateandalightbreakfast

C．a(chǎn)T-shirtandagiftcertificate

D．a(chǎn)giftcertificateandcommunityservicecredit

小題4:The writer’s purpose in writing this passage is to _______.

A．informreadersofsomefrequentlyaskedquestions

B．introduceTEENSGIVINGinSPRING2010toreaders

C．encouragereaderstoaskmorequestionsaboutTEENSGIVING

D．callonreaderstoparticipateinTEENSGIVINGinSPRING2010

A staycation is a vacation when you do not travel at all. Some people use a staycation to just stay at home, and others prefer to experience the attractions around them without traveling very far.
There are many choices for staycations. Any town or city has plenty of choices for things to do if you know where to look. If the weather is nice, you can visit the local gardens or forests for a hike. You can look online for several historic places and create your own history tours. Of course, you can also visit other attractions in the areas like museums, restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, and so on. Often, if you drive just a few hours, you can find a city that you can walk around and see. Then by driving home you can save the cost of a hotel and a plane ride.
Others take the term “staycation” word for word and do not leave their houses at all. Some choices for this can include taking time off to cook a great meal and enjoy it together or spending all day at a pool.
Just as a coin has two sides, staycation has its advantages as well as disadvantages.
Since you are not traveling or staying in a hotel, a staycation can be unbelievably costeffective（低成本的）. You don’t have to pay for a hotel, so that cost has been completely eliminated. You are also saving by not driving very far and by not taking an airplane anywhere. Travel costs have become really high, and the farther you go, the higher they are. By staying close to home, you cut that cost by quite a bit. You are also pushing money back into your local economy（經(jīng)濟(jì)）by spending your money at local businesses rather than in cities that are far away from home.  Finally, any stress that you feel with travel, whether that is from driving long distances or looking for an airport, will completely disappear.
小題1:For what purpose is the text written?

A．To introduce the general information of staycatons.

B．To compare staycatons with other vacations.

C．To persuade more people to have staycations.

D．To provide different ways of staycations.

小題2:What is one of the advantages of a staycation?

A．The economy in other cities is also improved.

B．People spend nothing when staying at home.

C．You can visit local attractions for free.

D．There is no stress from traveling.

小題3:What does the underlined word “eliminated” in Paragraph 5 probably means?

A．included	B．removed
C．covered	D．raised

小題4:What will probably be discussed in the following paragraph?

A．When to take a staycation.	B．What disadvantages a staycation has.
C．Why people prefer a staycation.	D．How to have a staycation safely.

For generations here in the deepest South, there had been a great taboo（禁忌）: publicly crossing the color line for love. Less than 45 years ago, marriage between blacks and whites was illegal, and it has been forbidden for much of the time since.
So when a great job about an hour’s drive north of the Gulf Coast attracted him, Jeffrey Norwood, a black college basketball coach, had reservations. He was in a serious relationship with a woman who was white and Asian.
“You’re thinking about a life in South Mississippi?” his father said in a skeptical voice, recalling days when a black man could face mortal（致命的） danger just being seen with a woman of another race, regardless of intentions. "Are you sure?"
But on visits to Hattiesburg, the younger Mr. Norwood said he liked what he saw: growing diversity. So he moved, married, and, with his wife, had a baby girl, who was counted on the last census（人口普查） as black, white and Asian. Taylor Rae Norwood, three, is one of thousands of mixed-race children who have made this state home to one of the nation's most rapidly expanding multiracial populations, up 70 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to new data from the Census Bureau.
In the first comprehensive accounting of multiracial Americans since statistics were first collected about them in 2000, reporting from the 2010 census, made public in recent days, shows that the nation’s mixed-race population is growing far more quickly than many researchers had estimated, particularly in the South and parts of the Midwest. That conclusion is based on the bureau’s analysis of 42 states; the data from the remaining eight states will be released soon.
In North Carolina, the mixed-race population doubled. In Georgia, it grew by more than 80 percent, and by nearly as much in Kentucky and Tennessee. In Indiana, Iowa and South Dakota, the multiracial population increased by about 70percent.
Census officials estimated the national multiracial growth rate was about 35 percent since2000 according to the known result, when seven million people ----- 2.4 percent of the population ------ chose more than one race.
小題1:If a black man married a white woman 50 years ago, the worst result was that _____.

A．he was sentenced to death	B．he was considered to be immoral
C．he was criticized by the public	D．he was treated as a lawbreaker

小題2:The underlined word “serious” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “____”.

A．stable

B．bad

C．mixed

D．dangerous

小題3:What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A．Jeffrey Norwood was born in Hattiesburg and grew up there.

B．Taylor Rae Norwood’s mother is a white-Asian.

C．70 percent of the people in Mississippi are multiracial.

D．Mississippi has the largest multiracial population in the US.

小題4:Which of the following states had the fastest growth rate of mixed-race population?

A．Georgia.

B．Tennessee.

C．North Carolina.

D．South Dakota.

Every ten years there is a national census （人口普查）to count the number of people. The Census Office asks every household to answer questions on a census form.
The census counts...
● the number of people in each area
● the numbers of men and women and whether they are single, married, widowed or divorced
● how many children there are, how many teenagers, people in their twenties, thirties, forties... retired people and so on
The census counts people by...
● the kind of housing they live in
● the country in which they were born
● the kind of job they do and how they travel to work
Some uses of the census:
Housing: to work out present and future needs we must know how people are housed now, and the sizes and ages of their families.
Hospitals, schools and other local services: the size of annual grants made by the Government to these services depends largely on the numbers and needs of people in the area. Many of the figures come from the census.
Planning: the census shows how many people have moved from one area to another and how the local workforce is changing. This information is used when factories, offices, shops, public transport and places for leisure are being planned.
In strict confidence
The census is taken in order to provide figures about the nation as a whole; it does not give information about any named person, family or household.
Names and addresses are needed to take the census accurately, but they are not fed into the computer.  After the census, the forms are locked away and will not be released to anyone outside the Census Office for 100 years.
The answers you give on your census form will be treated in strict confidence. NO one outside the Census Office will see your completed form.  Everyone working on the census is sworn to secrecy and can be charged if he or she improperly reveals information.
小題1:The writer is mainly ________ in this passage.

A．persuading people to support census

B．giving information about the importance and practice of census

C．showing the government’s determination in conducting census

D．warning people not to provide inaccurate information

小題2:The census is not interested in ________.

A．how many houses you have	B．how old you are
C．what your job is	D．how much money you have

小題3:The census shows the changes that have taken place regarding ________.

A．the size of hospitals in the area

B．the types of public transport in the area

C．the number of people who work in the area

D．the use of power in the area

小題4:The following statements are true except _________.

A．the information is not fed into a computer

B．the census gives information about the whole country

C．the people who don’t work on the census will not see the completed forms

D．it is illegal for people to disclose the confidential information on census

Want to be perfect at a holiday dinner party? Follow these tips on good manners, and your dinner companions are sure to be thankful.
*Arrive no earlier than the time the host has announced and no later than half an hour after the time.
*Plan to stay about an hour after dinner unless travel plans or sleepy children which make you leave a bit earlier.
*Bring a gift and write a note of thanks afterwards.
*Offer to help set up for dinner and to clean afterwards.
*Tell the host of any special dietary needs---if you are a vegetarian, diabetic or allergic to common foods. You can tell the host how to prepare a dish you can eat, or even better, offer to bring that dish yourself.
*If you’re going to a potluck (百樂(lè)餐) dinner, bring a serving dish with you as an offer. Remember, the best potluck dishes are those that need little preparation in the host’s kitchen, can be served at room temperature and need only a fork to eat.
小題1:To be a perfect guest, you should _______.

A．never be late for a holiday dinner party

B．leave right away after meal if necessary

C．bring a gift with some words of thanks on

D．help to make table and clean afterwards

小題2:“Diabetic or allergic” here refers to people who _____ .

A．have some special needs for certain foods

B．a(chǎn)re more important than other dinner companions

C．never try some common foods served at dinner

D．a(chǎn)lways bring dishes to dinner themselves

小題3:According to the passage, potluck dinner dishes are those  _______ .

A．usually given by the guests

B．carefully prepared in the kitchen

C．served only at room temperature

D．eaten only with a fork and knife

小題4:The passage is mainly written for  _____ .

A．holiday makers

B．companions

C．dinner hosts

D．dinner guests

Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead.”
Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt－a mistake 75% of US population makes every day. The big question is why.
There have been many myths about safety belt ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.
Myth the Number One: It’s best to be “thrown clear” of a serious accident.
Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to “throw you clear” is able to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are you’ll have traveled through a windshield(擋風(fēng)玻璃) or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty－five times in cases where people are “thrown clear”.
Myth Number Two: Safety-belts “trap” people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious(昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situation, not to be trapped in them.
Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren’t needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour(mph).
Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 metres.
小題1:Why did Elizabeth say to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead”?

A．He was driving at a great speed.

B．He was running across the street.

C．He didn’t have his safety belt on.

D．He didn’t take his medicine on time.

小題2:The reason why father was in a hurry to get home was that he          .

A．wasn’t feeling very well

B．hated to drive in the dark

C．wanted to take some exercise

D．didn’t want to be caught by the people

小題3: According to the text, to be “thrown clear” of a serious accident is very dangerous because you      .

A．may be knocked down by other cars.

B．may get serious hurt thrown out of the car

C．may find it impossible to get away from the seat

D．may get caught in the car door

小題4:Some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt because they believe          .

A．the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident

B．they will be unable to think clearly in an accident

C．they will be caught when help comes

D．cars catch fire easily

小題5:What is the advice given in the text?

A．Never drive faster than 30 miles an hour.

B．Try your best to save yourself in a car accident.

C．Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving.

D．Drive slowly while you’re not wearing a safety belt.

In the past,when people had problems,they went to their families or friends to get advice.Today it is possible to get advice from radio shows.TV programs or telephone hot lines,too.A hot line is a telephone line that offers a direct way of getting in touch with advicers.Most hot lines are completely anonymous(匿名的)—callers do not have to say their names or telephone numbers.Most hot lines are usually free,too.Callers do not have to pay for their advice or the phone calls—even if the calls are long distance.At some hot lines,the advicers are volunteers.Other hot lines pay their advicers for their work.Usually the advicers are full-job people with years of education and experience,but sometimes the advicers have only taken a short class before starting to work on the hot line.All the advicers listen to the people and help them solve their problems.
小題1:A hot line is a telephone line ______.

A．that is hot

B．through which people get advice

C．whose number no one knows

D．through which callers take a short class

小題2:When people call the hot line advicers,they______.

A．often give their names and telephone numbers

B．generally have to pay for the long distance calls

C．usually pay nothing for most of the calls and advice

D．a(chǎn)lways try to get in touch with the volunteer advicers

小題3:The advicers working at hot lines______.

A．a(chǎn)re not all paid

B．have all been trained for a short time

C．a(chǎn)re all volunteers

D．a(chǎn)ll have years of education and experience

小題4:The writer of the article seems to think that______.

A．with hot lines people won’t get advice from their families and friends

B．hot lines help the callers a lot

C．people had better pay for the advice and phone calls

D．the hot line advicers will solve all of the callers’ problems

Education cuts(削減) have become routine (慣常的) over the past few years, which has made it difficult for students to learn. The results of a survey of 1,850 Los Angeles County high school students show just how much the cuts are affecting students.
Because of teacher layoffs (解雇), class sizes at some high schools have risen to 50 students — even in math and English classes. Some 37 percent of students report that they sometimes don’t have a desk to sit at. Sixty-seven percent say crowded classrooms make them feel the teachers don’t have enough time to teach, and 30 percent say they’ve not been able to join in a program because it’s no longer offered at their school.
At a time when technology is an important skill, 52 percent of students say there aren’t enough computers. Or they’re often broken, and there’s no one to fix them. Fifty-one percent say they’ve had to share textbooks with a classmate because there aren’t enough copies to go around. Fifty-seven percent say they’ve had to copy information because their school doesn’t have enough paper to make copies.
“We have only one science teacher for the entire(整個(gè)的) high school,” writes Felix Ruano, a 16-year-old student. He goes on to describe how that teacher, who is only qualified to teach chemistry, is teaching physics — or, at least, is trying to do so. “He shows physics videos and we teach ourselves from our textbook,” says Ruano. And, as has been seen elsewhere, “all but one of the restrooms” at Ruano’s school “have been closed because we don’t have enough people to clean them.”
Ruano notes that though faced with the challenges, 97 percent of students say they plan to go to college. But without “properly trained teachers and the best resources,” says Ruano, it’s not likely that every student will achieve that goal. “Unless schools fix these problems,” he says, “students could lose hope.”
小題1:According to the text, education cuts have led to the following results EXCEPT that _____.

A．class sizes at some high schools have risen

B．some students don’t have a desk to sit at

C．some students have to share textbooks

D．some students have to leave school

小題2:The underlined word “qualified” in the fourth paragraph can best be replaced by “_____”.

A．fit

B．willing

C．bored

D．worried

小題3:According to Ruano, _____.

A．he is good at teaching himself

B．most students plan to go to college

C．his school is going to be closed

D．most students are hopeful about their school

小題4:What would be the best title for the text?

A．What caused education cuts?	B．Education cuts, right or wrong?
C．Education cuts have hurt students	D．How to deal with education cuts

Millions of British people have ditched the traditional ‘thank you’ and replaced it with the less formal ‘cheers’, according to a survey.
Although the average person will say ‘thank you’ nearly 5,000 times a year, one in three are more likely to throw in a ‘cheers’ or ‘ta’ where it’s needed, rather than risk sounding old fashioned.
One in 20 now say ‘nice one’ instead, while younger generations are more likely to offer a ‘cool’ than a ‘thank you’.‘Merci’, ‘fab’ and even ‘gracias’ were also listed as common phrases to use, as was ‘much appreciated’.
One in twenty who took part in the survey of 2,000 people by the Food Network UK for Thank You Day, which is marked on November 24, 2011, said a formal ‘thank you’ was now not often needed in everyday conversation. More than one in ten adults said they regularly won’t say thank you if they are in a bad mood. Most people declared that saying thank you was something drilled into them by their parents. A huge 70 percent of those questioned will say thank you to a person’s face without even meaning it, while a fifth avoid saying it when they know they should — on at least two occasions every day.
It seems our friends and family get the brunt (壓力) of our bad manners with half admitting they’re not good at thanking those closest to them — many justifying (為…辯解) the lack of thanks because their family ‘a(chǎn)lready know I’m grateful’.
When spoken words won’t do, it falls to a nice text to do the job for most people. A third will still send a handwritten thank-you note — but 45 percent admit it’s been more than six months since they bothered to send one.
A quarter of British people say thank you with food, with 23 percent cooking a meal to show their appreciation to someone. Another 15 percent bake a cake.
It follows that 85 percent of people will be annoyed at not getting the gratitude (感激) they feel they should receive.
小題1:Most of the people who took part in the survey say that they say “thank you” _____.

A．when they are in good mood

B．completely out of habit

C．when they feel truly grateful

D．purely out of politeness

小題2:The underlined word “ditched” in Paragraph 1 means “________”.

A．given up

B．used

C．shared

D．grasped

小題3:It can be learned from the passage that _______.

A．different ways of expressing gratitude are all fashionable

B．people should avoid saying “thank you” nowadays

C．a(chǎn) thank-you note is still appreciated by most people

D．people in a bad mood never say “thank you”

小題4:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Most people express their gratitude to others by buying food for them.

B．About fifty percent of people try not to say thank you when they should.

C．Most people may feel natural when they fail to receive others’ gratitude.

D．Many people think it unnecessary to say thanks to their family members.

The Convention(公約)concerning the protection of world cultural and natural heritage appeared from a need to call for international cooperation to protect the world's natural and scenic areas and historic sites for present and the future generations.
In 1959 there was international concern over the flooding of the Abu Simbel temples, a treasure of ancient Egyptian civilization, to build the Aswan High Dam in Egypt. Through an international campaign by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) on the request of Egypt and Sudan, resources were found to move the temples to a new site. In 1965,a conference at the White House in Washington DC, USA called for a "World Heritage Trust" and international cooperation to protect "the world's superb natural and scenic areas and historic sites for the present and the future". In 1969, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) developed similar proposals for its members .Therefore, the Convention was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO in 1972. By regarding heritage as both cultural and natural, the Convention reminds us of the ways in which people interact with nature , and of the basic need to keep the balance between the two.
The Convention identifies the natural or cultural sites on the World Heritage List, and sets out their role in protecting them .Although the emphasis has been on sites and natural features of "outstanding universal value", each country promises not only to conserve the World Heritage sites situated in its country, but also to protect and conserve its cultural and natural heritage.
There is also a "List of World Heritage in Danger" which are sites threatened by serious and specific dangers caused by changes in the use or ownership of the land , wars or natural disasters.
小題1:What is the purpose of the World Heritage Convention according to the passage?

A．To call for international cooperation to help poor people.

B．To protect the world's natural and cultural heritage.

C．To save the natural resouces for next generation in the world.

D．To raise money for the endangered heritage in the world.

小題2:What can we infer from the second paragraph in the passage?

A．The history of the UNESCO is very long.

B．The World Heritage Convention is not accepted by people.

C．The Abu Simbel temples in Egypt are moved to a new site.

D．The adoption of the World Heritage Convention takes al long time.

小題3:The last two paragraphs mainly tell us __________.

A．the detailed purpose of the World Heritage Convention

B．how to make a list of world heritage in danger

C．how to make a world heritage list

D．the importance of making two lists

小題4:Which of the following has the same meaning as the underlined word "conserve"?

A．Pretend.

B．Prevent.

C．Preserve.

D．Prepare.

小題5:According to Paragraph 4, there are many sites in danger for reasons EXCEPT________.

A．a(chǎn)buse of land

B．conflicts

C．lack of money

D．natural disasters