ABOUT OUR SCHOOL Blanchmo unt School is a mixed school with about 1,200 students. Classes start at 8:30 a. m. and finish at 3:30 p. m. The timetable includes traditional subjects as well as more unusual lessons such as dance, theater, and even surfing(冲浪). Our students have about two hours of homework a day. They can't join in fun activities like surfing unless they finish all their homework! | USEFUL INFORMATION ●School exams are from 16th-21st March. Students must arrive on time and should bring a pencil and rubber. ●Year 8 and 9 students will be able to register (登记) for Mr Kay's new after-school theater club from 10th February. Sign up early to get a place. |
UPCOMING EVENTS ●Year 10 students are going on a language exchange trip to Germany in May. They are looking forward to staying with host families in Munich and joining in language classes. ●The Family Fun Day is happening again this year, on 2nd February. Everyone bakes or cooks something delicious for the food stalls(摊). | |
When Zeki Basan was 16, he lived in a tent for almost a year on the island of Skye in Scotland. It can seem unusual for someone to live like that, especially if you are a teenager, but it wasn't for him. He was on a course at the School of Adventure Studies, and thought it was good to learn how to live away from the city while he was studying. The fact that some of his best memories were of growing up in the mountains in the Highlands with his mother and sister probably helped him make this decision. They used to live far away from any towns and even had to use cross-country skis(滑雪板) to take food there every winter.
Zeki experienced a few difficult situations while he was learning how to live alone in the tent. Once he was in the mountains when the weather got really bad while he was hiking. It was impossible to see very far in front of him, but he knew to stay calm and not panic (恐慌). That ability was also really useful when he was on a camping trip with his classmates and the weather was terrible. Some people were extremely tired and anxious and had to leave, but it wasn't a problem for him.
Zeki doesn't live in a tent anymore, but would like to see more people living the way that he did, so close to nature, for a short period of time. He says:"People don't really know their environment... they don't tend to explore it. But to really know your own environment... is quite an incredible thing." He feels that if people connect more with nature, they will understand and enjoy it. Zeki continues to enjoy the outdoors and to use his skills in his life now as a young adult - he works in Iceland as a guide, and in Scotland as a survival(生存) skills instructor.
When Australia had terrible bushfires, people gave money to help the animals. Schoolchildren sold cakes and sports stars donated money, too. The fires were worse than others in the past.
Koalas are slower than animals like kangaroos, so the fires are more dangerous for them. Many died and many were very sick. One koala hospital needed $25,000. It asked people to give money online and they sent millions of dollars!
People love koalas. They are cute. But what about more unusual and unattractive animals? There are kinds with bigger problems than koalas, for example, the Mary River turtle (海龟), also from Australia.
This turtle looks stranger than others. It's got two"fingers" under its chin (下巴) and green "hair", so it's also called the"punk turtle". The hair is actually a plant that grows on its head and parts of its body. Unfortunately, it's harder to get money to help animals like this. The Mary River turtle's problems began in the 1960s, when people took the baby turtles from the river to sell them in pet shops. Now, people live closer to its home than before and their dogs kill the turtles for food. The Mary River is dirtier than before and more polluted, too. A few years ago, scientists believed there were very few turtles living in the area. We don't know how many there are now.
Destruction(破坏) of the places animals live in is putting them in danger - we kill the plants they eat, we make the air and water dirty, our pets eat them. All animal species on Earth are important because if one species dies, that changes the habitat for all other animals. We need to look after all animals - not just the more popular ones.
Right now a baby is shouting because he doesn't want to eat his lunch. What are the parents doing? They' re filming the scene on a smartphone. Soon after, they' re posting the video on social media. A teenage boy is playing a new song on his guitar. His mother is filming him. Two days later, the boy discovers that other people are watching the video online.
Parents in the UK post about 1,000 photos of their children online from when they are born until their fifth birthday, a phenomenon(现象) called"sharenting". Babies don't care about this at the time. But a study by the University of Michigan suggests that there is a difference with 10-to 17-year-olds. Teenagers don't always like parents posting some photos. All babies cry, but teenagers don't want people to see old photos of themselves doing this.
Some parents share all sorts of photos of their children, maybe even when they are doing something silly. They do it with good intentions, for example to share special moments with grandparents who live far away. But some middle-aged users of social media don't check their privacy(隐私) settings and share posts with others by accident.
In some countries, it isn't allowed to post photos of your own children without their permission. In Italy, a 16-year-old boy is allowed to force his mother either to stop sharing photos of him on social media or pay a €10,000 fine! In France, parents pay fines of up to €45,000 and can spend a year in prison(监狱) when they post photos of their children without their permission.
Parents are usually very sensible about photos of their children. The report from the University of Michigan suggests this is an area where it's important for parents to listen to children over ten. Let them say what they are happy to share, and who with. That way the whole family can enjoy looking back at all those special moments.
GREEN BANK
THE TOWN WITHOUT WI-FI
●Can you live without wi-fi or smartphones?
For young people in Green Bank, West Virginia, in the US, the answer is, "Yes, I can."___ People use landlines to make phone calls and the Internet doesn't connect quickly or easily.
●Why doesn't Green Bank have modern technology?
There's an important and huge telescope(望远镜) there, but scientists need it to study space. ___ It's a radio telescope and it listens carefully for radio signals (信号) from planets, for example. Wi-fi and smartphones can stop these and then the telescope can't pick up the radiosignals clearly.
●What do teenagers in Green Bank do without wi-fi?
They study in the town's library and help their parents on their farms. In their free time, they play sports and go kayaking(皮划艇). ___ Green Bank school has got a robotics club. They build great robots and their team is the winner of West Virginia.
●___
Life in Green Bank is different. There aren't any shopping centers, restaurants or cinemas. People can't search online for news or for phone numbers. They read the newspaper and look in phone books. The telescope uses 21st century technology, but the town is like small towns from the 1950s-that's unusual!
A. What is everyday life like there? B. They can also join after-school clubs. C. What can you see from the huge telescope? D. It doesn't receive pictures or take photos of stars. E. Life without wi-fi and smartphones is normal there. |
Do you think Green Bank is an interesting place to visit? Why?(不超过15词) ___
I was twelve years old and my parents and I were on holiday in Cornwall. They are both biologists and we all love nature. One morning, Dad suggested1 along the beach to a distant village.
It was a lovely day for a walk, but after an hour,I noticed some dark 2 . I asked my parents if they thought we should 3 . They smiled at each other, and then Mom said we were nearly there. Suddenly, there was loud thunder(雷) and it started to 4 . "Come on, quick!" my father said. "We' re almost there."
I 5 a cottage(小屋) not far away. Dad started running towards it 6 we ran after him. When we got there, he seemed really 7 , which I must admit(承认) was a bit strange. 8 , there was no one home. "That's unlucky," said Dad"but wait..." Suddenly, he took a(an)9 from his pocket, unlocked the door and 10 it open. He was 11 for a moment.Then with a smile he said:"Come in. And welcome home!" What a surprise!
In fact, thinking back to my parents'12 during the first part of our holiday, I knew something 13 was going on-but I had no idea what! Our new holiday home was the perfect place for14 lovers. It was amazing!
We still live in London, but our cottage in Cornwall is our dream house, and I will never forget the day I first15 it.
without help chore clothes take out |
We need to keep our homes clean. We need to do this so we can be healthy and comfortable. Your parents might ask you to do work to help keep the house clean. These are called ___ . They might ask you to help with some of them:" Could you please ___ the garbage?" "Could you please clean up the room?" "Could you please put away the ___ ?""Could you please pick up the boxes?" Of course, you could also help out ___ being asked. You could turn off the lights when you leave a room. You could wash your own dishes when you finish eating. Doing chores ___ your parents, and it helps you, too. What could you do to help out around your house more?
In a small Chinese village a young boy named Wei lived with his grandparents. His grandfather was a master of ___(传统) Chinese calligraphy(书法). Wei ___(钦佩) his grandfather's skill and dreamed of learning the art himself.
One spring festival ___(季节), the village held a calligraphy competition. Wei ___(敢于) to sign up, despite his limited experience. He practiced every day, carefully watching how the brush should move on the paper's ___(表面). His grandfather gave him advice, reminding him that true calligraphy wasn't just about skill, but also about ___(表达) one's inner(内心)thoughts and emotions.
On the day of the competition, the air was filled with excitement. Villagers gathered to watch the event, and Wei felt his hands shaking as he took his ___(位置). When it was his turn, he remembered his grandfather's words and let his brush flow freely, focusing not on perfection but on meaning.
To his surprise, the judges praised his work, not for its technical mastery, but for the heart ___(后面) it. He didn't win first prize, but as his grandfather ___ (拥抱) him proudly, Wei realized that true ___ (胜利) lay in his heart.
Yumiko is a very unhealthy person. She is overweight and she never exercises. ___(recent), her doctor told her that she needs to stop eating junk food or she ___(have) a heart attack. The problem is that Yumiko loves sweet food ___ she wants to eat it all day! She promised ___(eat) healthily, but she always ends ___ eating pastries(甜点) or candy. The other day she didn't want to eat some donuts(甜甜圈) that our sister Mina ___(forget) to take home, but she didn't resist (忍住) and chose to eat all of them. A few ___(hour) later, she regretted eating the whole box of donuts. I told Yumiko to try eating sugar free food, she promised to do it, but I believe she will go on doing ___ same, eating candy. I don't mean to be pessimistic (悲观), but I know ___(she) very well. After all, she is my sister. I remember seeing her eating a whole cake when we were little. I hope to see her eating ___ (well) and that she realizes how much we love her. I also hope that she starts doing something about this situation.
注意：（1）文中不得出现真实姓名、学校等信息。（2）词数80左右；文章开头已经给出，不计入总词数。
Good afternoon, everyone! Welcome to our school!