II.

Tina was not like many of her classmates. She didn’t listen to popular music or watch many movies, and she wasn’t interested in nice clothes. When she got together with her friends, they wanted to listen to rock and pop music. When Tina asked  if  they would  like  to  try classical  (古典的) music, they all looked at her strangely.“Classical music  is  for old people, ” one of  her friends said. Tina was worried that something was wrong with her. She decided to talk to her father. As she entered his study (书房), her father could feel something was wrong.

“Dad, am I strange?” she asked her father.“Of course not, ” he answered. “Why do you ask that?” “Because I don’t like the same things as my classmates do. They want to listen to Mariah Carey’s music. I like Yo Yo Ma’s.” “I can understand, Tina,  it’s all  right  to be your own person. You don’t have to copy (模仿) what other people do. Everybody has different tastes. Some of them are popular, and others aren’t. ”After talking with her father, Tina felt better. She realized (意识到)  that being different made her special.  It was an important lesson for her to learn.

People like to give gifts to others on big days. Do you know how to choose(挑选) gifts? You should choose gifts that your family or friends like. Different gifts are for different people. For example, boys often like to play with robots(机器人),toy guns(枪)and balls. And girls may like something lovely, like flowers, dolls and beautiful clothes. Of course, you don’t need to choose something expensive. Your feeling is much more important than money. There is a Chinese saying, “A small gift means far much. ”

What will the weather be like in the future? Some people say they can forecast the weather from some animals.

If birds are flying high in the sky, there will be a nice day. When they sit in trees or stay close together, bad weather is on the way. Ants(蚂蚁) often build their homes on the steep(陡峭的) side just before the rain comes. Cats like to clean their ears before the rain. Chickens make a loud noise and run here and there when the rain is coming. Frogs will stay in the water and make a lot of noise, too. But on a nice day, they are quiet and jump out of the water. Turtles(海龟) often look for higher places and cows like to lie down when the rain is on the way。

根据材料内容选择最佳答案。

New York is 3 hours ahead of California, but it does not make California slow, or that New York is fast. Both are working based on their own “ Time Zone”（时区）.

Someone graduated at the age of 22, yet waited 5 years before finding a good job! And there is another who graduated at 27 and got hired immediately!

Someone became a CEO at 25, and died at 50.While another became a CEO at 50, and lived to 90 years.

Someone is still single, while someone else got married and waited 10 years having a child. There is another who had a baby within a year of marriage.

Obama retires(退休) at 55, but Trump starts at 70.

Absolutely everyone in this world works based on their Time Zone. People can have things worked out only according to their pace. (步调)

People around you might seem to go ahead of you; some might seem to be behind you. But everyone is running their own race, in their own time.

Don’t envy them or laugh at them. They are in their TIME ZONE, and you are in yours!

Life is about waiting for the right moment to act. Hold on, be strong, and stay true to yourself .Fight in your time zone.

So, RELAX. You’re not LATE. You’re not EARLY. You are very much ON TIME , and in your time zone destiny set up for you.

Have you ever heard of e-waste(电子垃圾), which can be produced every day? How do you deal with your computers, MP4 players and mobile phones when they’re broken or you want a new one?

Most people just throw them away. With the development of electronic industry(电子产业), e-waste pollution has become a serious problem. According to the United Nations, in2014, people around the world produced 41.8million tons(吨) of e-waste and only recycled 6.5 millions tons. The US the biggest waster, producing 7.1 million tons. China came second, with 6 million tons.

   It’s important to pay attention to e-waste. It can either be valuable or harmful, depending on how we deal with it. E-waste is a valuable urban mine(城市矿藏). The value of the metals, like gold and silver in the waste around the world, is surprising. And the metals can be reused. But if people throw them away, the toxic chemicals（有毒化学物质）can get into the earth or air, affecting  the environment and people’s health.

Apple, for example, now recycle people’s used products in China when they are buying new ones. The company will test and repair the used ones and sell them at lower prices. To help reduce e-waste, we can buy longer lasting electronic products. If you have unwanted electronics, find a new home for them. You can also take computers and phones to see if companies offer recycling programs.

Four years ago when I was a boy of 11, I got into the biggest trouble as a kid. It was a Saturday morning. Both my parents were out, leaving me and my 10—month—old sister home alone. Anyway, my sister was still asleep in her room. In fact I had the house to myself. I decided to do some drawing. Soon I gave up. Nothing was on TV, so I felt bored and touched the candles on the shelf…I had an idea! What would happen if I set fire to some kitchen paper? Well, of course it went on fire, but it wasn’t the tiny flame(火苗)I’d expected, and I couldn’t blow it out. I threw it on the floor, and then luckily got my dad’s boots(靴子)and stamped it out.

I thought I was safe until there was a HUGE hole in my room. When my mum came home later, she smelt the smoke immediately. She dropped the shopping bag, luckily for me, over the hole. I thought this meant she would never see it. However, after running round the house checking for a fire, she of course picked up the bag and saw the hole. Next I was grounded(关禁闭)and in trouble for months. Even worse though, the hole was still there, reminding me of what I did.

①The boy set fire to some kitchen paper.

②The boy did some drawing.

③The boy was grounded.

④The boy stamped the fire out.

⑤His mother checked for a fire.

 Australia has a lot of lovely animals. You cannot find them anywhere else in the world. The most famous are kangaroos and koalas (树袋熊).

   The kangaroo is the symbol of Australia. They have large eyes and ears. They don't walk. They jump. They use their strong back legs. They can jump at 74 kilometres per hour.

   They can go over nine metres in one jump. Kangaroo mothers have pouches to carry their babies. The babies stay inside to get milk and keep warm.

   Kangaroos are everywhere in Australia. They are on TV, in books and in the shops. But do you know that millions of kangaroos are killed every year? There are too many of them. There are about 20 to 25 million kangaroos in Australia. That's more than the number of people in the country. Some kangaroos go hungry because there is not enough food to eat. They break into farms for food. Farmers are very angry with them.

   The koala is another famous Australian animal. They look like bears, and have small eyes and big noses. They eat leaves from gum trees (桉树). Koalas have a special smell. They use it to mark their home—“This is my place. You can't come in!” Like kangaroos, a koala baby lives in its mother's pouch, too.

Last year, a special kind of glove came out. It was invented to help blind people to learn Braille, which is a special system for the blind to read by touching. Shaking motors (震动马达) are put on each finger of the glove. They can make different sounds to tell a user which letter he is touching. Recently, two British college students have invented another special glove for the blind. It can make the user feel small and quick movements. An ultrasonic sensor (超声波传感器) with a battery is put on the back of the glove. When the user wearing the glove is close to an object (物体), ultrasonic waves (超声波) from the glove are sent out (发出). As soon as they hit the object in front, the waves will return to the glove. Then the waves cause the glove to shake. And the ultrasonic sensor makes different kinds of sounds. The sounds make the user know how far he is from the object.

   In the college invention competition, the two students got first prize and won 1,540 pounds. One of the designers said, “Now the ultrasonic sensor on the glove is quite large. We're going to use the money to develop a smaller and lighter ultrasonic sensor.”

A

To travel around the world is the dream of many adventurous people. But very few people can afford a global tour because hotels, food and airplane tickets are too expensive. Some people, however, have thought of some ways to realize their dreams.

Laura Cody and Tanbay Theune, a couple from Britain, decided to travel around the world. They have found a good way to pay for their trips. They look after pets for rich house owners. In exchange, they can stay in the houses for free. They have looked after horses, cows, cats, dogs and fish. In two years, the couple has been to Australia, Germany, Spain and Italy. They have stayed in big cities and small villages. The home owners are usually very generous and have given them food, wine and day trips.

Another person who tries to realize her travel dream is photographer Rhiannon Taylor. She travels around the world to visit, review and take photos of the best hotels. She shares the places she stays and the food she eats on the Internet with tens of thousands of followers.

With these ways of making money, traveling around the world is no longer a dream. More and more young people are thinking creatively to make their dream come true.

Here are a few suggestions for what you can do to make sure that you and your group have a successful and educational visit to CU Museum.

   Before the Visit

   Discuss the coming trip with your students.

   Use the pre-visit (参观之前的) activity ideas with your class.

   Use one of the CU Museum Classroom Resources (资源) as a pre-visit activity.

   After the Visit

   Discuss the trip with your class. Talk about what was learned and answer their questions.

   Ask them to write about their museum experiences.

   Use the post-visit activity ideas with your class.

   Use one of the CU Museum Classroom Resources as a post-visit activity.

   For more information on how you can make your visit a success, please call us at (303) 492-1666 or (303) 492-4843.

   For other questions, please send an email to cumuseum @ colorado. edu.