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The Cambridge Science Festival Curiosity Challenge
Dare to Take the Curiosity Challenge!
The Cambridge Science Festival Curiosity Challenge Dare to Take the Curiosity Challenge! The Cambridge Science Festival (CSF) is pleased to inform you of the sixth annual Curiosity Challenge. The challenge invites, even dares school students between the ages of 5 and 14 to create artwork or a piece of writing that shows their curiosity and how it inspires them to explore their world.
Students are being dared to draw a picture, write an article, take a photo or write a poem that shows what they are curious about. To enter the challenge, all artwork or pieces of writing should be sent to the Cambridge Science Festival, MIT Museum, 265 Mass Avenue, Cambridge 02139 by Friday, February 8th.
Students who enter the Curiosity Challenge and are selected as winners will be honored at a special ceremony during the CSF on Sunday, April 21st. Guest speakers will also present prizes to the students. Winning entries will be published in a book. Student entries will be exhibited and prizes will be given. Families of those who take part will be included in the celebration and brunch will be served.
Between March 10th and March 15th, each winner will be given the specifics of the closing ceremony and the Curiosity Challenge celebration.The program guidelines and other related information are available at: http://cambridgesciencefestival.org.
1.Who can take part in the Curiosity Challenge?
A. School students. B. Cambridge locals.
C. CSF winners. D. MIT artists.
2.When will the prize-giving ceremony be held?
A. On February 8th . B. On March 10th.
C. On March 15th. D. O n April 21st.
3.What type of writing is this text?
A. An exhibition guide. B. An art show review.
C. An announcement. D. An official report.
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I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job. I also think my work is important. There was a time when I thought I would never have that sort of career.
I wasn’t an excellent student because I didn’t do much schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn’t have much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn’t the type to have a career.
I then found myself a job—looking after two little girls. It wasn’t too bad at first. But the problems began when I agreed to live in so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening. We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week, she’d give me time off the next. But unfortunately, it didn’t often work out. I was getting extremely tired and fed up, because I had too many late nights and early mornings with the children.
One Sunday, I was in the park with the children, and met Megan who used to go to school with me. I told her about my situation. She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification（资格证书）if I wanted to work with children. I didn’t think I would be accepted because I didn’t take many exams in school. She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful. My experience counted for a lot and I got on a part-time course. I had to leave my job with the family, and got work helping out at a kindergarten.
Now I’ve got a full-time job there. I shall always be thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career, even if you aren’t top of the class at school.
1.What is the author’s present job?
A. Working part-time in a college.
B. Taking care of children for a family.
C. Helping children with their schoolwork.
D. Looking after children at a kindergarten.
2.When staying with the two girls’ family, the author ________.
A. was paid for extra work
B. often worked long hours
C. got much help from her boss
D. took a day off every other week
3.Why did the author leave her first job?
A. She found a full-time job.
B. She was fed up with children.
C. She decided to attend a part-time course.
D. She needed a rest after working extra hours.
4.What has the author learned from her own experiences?
A. Less successful students can still have a career.
B. Qualifications are necessary for a career.
C. Hard work makes an excellent student.
D. One must choose the job one likes.
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Since the first Earth Day in 1970, Americans have got a lot “greener” toward the environment. “We didn’t know at that time that there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it,” says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA.
But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement. Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. “The understanding has increased many, many times,” says Gaylord Nelson, the former governor from Wisconsin, who thought up the first Earth Day.
According to US government reports, emissions (排放) from cars and trucks have dropped from 10.3 million tons a year to 5.5 million tons. The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9. Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with, the world is a safer and healthier place. A kind of “green thinking” has become part of practices.
Great improvement has been achieved. In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs; today in 1995 there are about 6,600. Advanced lights, motors, and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution.
Twenty-five years ago, there were hardly any education programs for environment. Today, it’s hard to find a public school, university, or law school that does not have such a kind of program. “Until we do that, nothing else will change!” says Bruce Anderson.
1.According to Anderson, before 1970, Americans had little idea about _______.
A. the social movement B. recycling techniques
C. environmental problems D. the importance of Earth Day
2.Where does the support for environmental protection mainly come from?
A. The grass-roots level.
B. The business circle.
C. Government officials.
D. University professors.
3.What have Americans achieved in environmental protection?
A. They have cut car emissions to the lowest.
B. They have settled their environmental problems.
C. They have lowered their CO levels in forty cities.
D. They have reduced pollution through effective measures.
4.What is especially important for environmental protection according to the last paragraph?
A. Education. B. Planning.
C. Green living. D. CO reduction.
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A typical lion tamer (驯兽师) in people’s mind is an entertainer holding a whip (鞭) and a chair. The whip gets all of the attention, but it’s mostly for show. In reality, it’s the chair that does the important work. When a lion tamer holds a chair in front of the lion’s face, the lion tries to focus on all four legs of the chair at the same time. With its focus divided, the lion becomes confused and is unsure about what to do next. When faced with so many options, the lion chooses to freeze and wait instead of attacking the man holding the chair.
How often do you find yourself in the same position as the lion? How often do you have something you want to achieve (e.g. lose weight, start a business, travel more) -- only to end up confused by all of the options in front of you and never make progress?
This upsets me to no end because while all the experts are busy debating about which option is best, the people who want to improve their lives are left confused by all of the conflicting information. The end result is that we feel like we can’t focus or that we’re focused on the wrong things, and so we take less action, make less progress, and stay the same when we could be improving.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Anytime you find the world waving a chair in your face, remember this: All you need to do is focus on one thing. You just need to get started. Starting before you feel ready is one of the habits of successful people. If you have somewhere you want to go, something you want to accomplish, someone you want to become…take immediate action. If you’re clear about where you want to go, the rest of the world will either help you get there or get out of the way.
1.Why does the lion tamer use a chair?
A. To trick the lion.
B. To show off his skills.
C. To get ready for a fight.
D. To entertain the audience.
2.In what sense are people similar to a lion facing a chair?
A. They feel puzzled over choices.
B. They hold on to the wrong things.
C. They find it hard to make changes.
D. They have to do something for show.
3.What is the author’s attitude towards the experts mentioned in Paragraph 3?
A. Positive. B. Doubtful.
C. Respectful. D. Supportive.
4.When the world is “waving a chair in your face”, you’re advised to _______.
A. wait for a better chance B. break your old habits
C. make a quick decision D. ask for clear guidance
