From Art to Zoo, the Smithsonian, the world's largest museum and research complex, has something to interest kids and students of all ages.
Plan ahead online with The Official Kids Guide to the Smithsonian Institution – an interactive guidebook just for kids.
The Last American Dinosaurs: Discovering a Lost World
November 25, 2014 – 2018
Museum: Natural History Museum
Location: 2nd Floor, West
Explore how we learn about past ecosystems and organisms through the study of their fossils and find what goes into making a large-scale fossil exhibition. Watch fossils being prepared in a working fossil preparation lab.
As We Grow: Traditions, Toys, Games
August 22, 2012 – Indefinitely
Museum: American Indian Museum
Location: 1st Floor, near Imaginations Activity Center
All children play. Native American children play like any others, but their toys and games are more than playthings. They are ways of learning about the lives of grown men and women and ways of learning the traditions of their families and their people. The toys, games, and clothing come from all over North, Central, and South America, representing many tribes and many time periods.
The First Ladies
November 19, 2011 – Indefinitely
Museum: American History Museum
Location: 3rd Floor, Rose Gallery
On view are more than two dozen gowns, including those worn by Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, and Jacqueline Kennedy. Four cases provide in-depth looks at Mary Todd Lincoln, Edith Roosevelt, and Lady Bird Johnson and their contributions to their husband's presidential administrations.
Apollo to the Moon
July 1, 1976 – Permanent
Museum: Air and Space Museum
Location: 2nd Floor, East Wing
This gallery traces NASA's manned space program beginning with Project
Mercury's Freedom 7 (1961); then the Gemini Project (1965 – 66); followed by the Apollo Program
(1967 – 1972), with Apollo 17 as the last manned exploration of the moon.
1.The purpose of the text is to ______.
A. promote some scientific projects
B. highlight some children activities
C. release some entertainment videos
D. introduce some museum exhibitions
2.If you are interested in American history and politics, you can go to ______.
A. the 1st Floor B. the East Wing
C. the Rose Gallery D. the Natural History Museum
3.Which of the following has been on for the longest time?
A. The First Ladies.
B. Apollo to the Moon.
C. As We Grow: Traditions, Toys, Games.
D. The Last American Dinosaurs: Discovering a Lost World.
4.If you visit all the four locations, you can _______.
A. see gowns once worn by Edith Roosevelt
B. help prepare a dinosaur fossil exhibition
C. learn about Apollo 17's space exploration
D. play with children's toys from Central America
When Lucy and Maria Aylmer tell people they are twins, disbelief is the response. The 18-year-olds from Gloucester, U.K. are two of the five children born to their Caucasian (白种人的) father and "half-Jamaican" mother. While their other siblings (brothers and sisters) have a blend (混合) of features from their parents who have different skin colours, Lucy and Maria are unique: Lucy has fair skin and red hair, while Maria has brown skin and dark hair.
"No one ever believes we are twins because I am white and Maria is black," Lucy said. "Even when we dress alike, we still don't look like sisters, let alone twins. When we meet friends for the first time they all refuse to believe we are twins and some have even made us produce our birth certificates to prove that we are really twins."
Unlike identical (同卵的) twins, fraternal twins are bom from two separate eggs. The BBC reports that for a biracial (双人种的) couple expecting twins, there is about a 1 in 500 chance those twins will have different skin colors.
The Aylmers are proud of their uniqueness.
"Now we have grown older, even though we still look so different, the bond between us is much stronger," Lucy said. "Now we are proud of the fact that we are each other's twin sister. Maria loves telling people at college that she has a white twin sister — and I'm very proud of having a black twin sister, too."
1.Lucy and Maria are unique because _______.
A. they are fraternal twins
B. their siblings are all black
C. they are hybrids of multi-racial parents
D. they are twins with different skin colours
2.How do people usually react to the twins' physical appearances?
A. They think it possible.
B. They joke about them.
C. They find it unbelievable.
D. They regard them as lucky dogs.
3.What can we learn about Maria from the text?
A. She comes from Jamaica.
B. She was born of biracial parents.
C. She bears mainly features other father.
D. She shares a birth certificate with her twin sister.
If your job requires a lot of sitting, you could be putting your health at danger.
The American Journal of Epidemiology (流行病学) did a study in 2010 on the correlation (相互联系) between sitting and an individual's physical health. In the study, 53,440 working men and 69,776 working women were surveyed on their time spent sitting. The subjects were all disease free when employed. The researchers identified 11,307 deaths in men and 7,923 deaths in women during the 14-year follow-up.
The findings: Women who reported sitting for more than six hours per day had an approximately 40 higher all-cause death rate than those who reported less than three hours a day, and men had an approximately 20 higher death rate.
Well, now's a fine time to get this information. But why didn't they tell me this years ago? I would have planned on taking a more active job instead of the sedentary (坐着的) job of an editor.
So what can you do if you have to work for a living at a job that requires a lot of sitting? Here are some ideas:
Take frequent breaks. It is recommended that workers vary activities, change their position, and take short breaks every 20 minutes to rest muscles and increase blood circulation. Get a standing desk. Some studies have shown that working from an upright position may be better for health. The serious fitness people can even purchase a treadmill (跑步机) desk. It only goes about one mile per hour. Have a walking meeting. If your group is kind of small, going for a walk while discussing topics is a good alternative.
1.According to the text, the study in 2010 ______.
A. found men reporting shorter sitting time than women
B. surveyed more men than women on their daily sitting time
C. identified fewer deaths in men than in women during the 14-year follow-up
D. discovered correlation between sitting and physical health in men and in women
2.We can infer from the text that the author did not recommend ______.
A. using a standing desk B. resting one's muscles
C. quitting sedentary jobs D. taking a walk while discussing
3.What does the underlined word "subjects" in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. Things being discussed. B. People being studied.
C. Areas of knowledge being learned. D. Objects being painted.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A. Your job could be killing you.
B. Working out leads to health risks.
C. Long-time sitting is positively associated with health.
D. A study on sitting time and physical health was completed.
In 1992, I had just launched a new business called Video News International.
It was the world's first video journalist network. The idea was to cover news and sell the service to news organizations.
One day, a young intern (实习生) who was working for us named Anthony Lappe pulled me aside.
"There is something you have to see," he told me. "Comcast is doing this really cool thing."
"What?"
"The Internet," he said. "It's going to be really big."
Anthony later introduced me to the head of the Internet project.
"We are looking for content to put on our network here," the guy said to me.
Well, I said I had lots of content to offer.
The guy's eyes lit up. "Cool," he said. "We would like to put it on our network."
Well, I was always looking for new clients.
"What are you going to pay?" I asked.
He said that they could not pay anything for the content, but they would set up a URL for me.
"What's that?" I asked.
"It's kind of like your address on the web."
"What would I do with this URL thing?"
"Well, it could be your business."
"I don't see how it is a business, and there's not even any advertising," I cleverly replied.
"Not yet," he said. "But one day there might be."
I thought about it for two seconds.
"Naah..." I said. "I've got bigger fish to fry. I've got to be going now. Maybe we can cooperate next time."
And I walked out.
Idiot!
Well, that Internet thing turned out to be so much bigger than I had thought. I wish I had never made such a mistake. Sorry Anthony. You were right.
1.The head of the Internet project expected the author to _______.
A. become a user of their product
B. put advertisements on their web
C. provide video news for their network
D. get an email address from the Internet
2.The guy's offer was rejected because the author ______
A. didn't think it a good deal
B. was unwilling to trust a stranger
C. was too occupied to start a new business
D. was worried about the safety of e-business
3.What does the underlined sentence mean?
A. I don't believe your words.
B. I ought to cook dinner now.
C. I need to get more payment.
D. I have something more important to do.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for this text?
A. Power of New Technology
B. Never Too Old to Learn
C. My Biggest Mistake Ever
D. Building a Business Partnership
继网络购物之后,团购热潮也开始兴起。某编辑部正在征集读者对网购的看法,假如你是李华,请你写一篇文章谈谈你的看法。
参考词汇:团购 group purchase
注意:1.词数120左右;
2.开头语和结束语已给出,不计入总词数。
Dear editor,
I’m Li Hua, a student from No. 2 middle school.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
Today, many people think competition is the key for success. They struggle for our own personal goals with no regard for the people around them. I believe such thinking is out of the date. I believe contemporary society, including society like a whole as well as individuals, demands that we cooperated with others. The world economy is expected remain favorable.
However, the negative effects of high oil prices, competition for resources and global pollution is on the rise. To overcome these problem, countries must pay attention to their relationships and act together. The fight against problems so as AIDS and terrorism requires cooperation. Our own personal success is not differently. In order to succeed, we must cooperate to solve problems.
