What’sOnStageAnacrobaticshow:T-优题课

Being young is great. Most of the parts of your body still work great, you have a full head of hair, you’re energetic, and you have a world of opportunity in front of you. However, there’s going to come a time when you start to get older. And as you get older, you’ll have new responsibilities, complete independence, and perhaps most importantly, less time to recover from mistakes.
You see, we all make mistakes in life. Maybe you spent more money than you should have on a car, you passed up on a great job opportunity, or you didn’t try as hard as you could have in school. It’s a part of life and we learn from it. But there are certain mistakes that are much better made while you’re still young and have plenty of time to recover.
I’m definitely not telling you that you should purposely go out and make these mistakes (because they’re a pain to recover from). But these are all mistakes that are much better made when you’re younger so that you can learn from them and not have them ruin your entire life.
Starting the wrong career
Wouldn’t you hate to be 45 years old and discover that you absolutely hate what you do for a living? It’s a reality that a lot of people face and it can be difficult to fix. You see, when you’re 23 and find out you don’t like the career path you’ve chosen, you can easily explore new career options.
We no longer live in an age when people are expected to stay with one company until they retire. You can bounce around a little bit and find out what you want to do. When you get older, just switching careers whenever you want isn’t as simple.
You have to consider your family, retirement, the difficulties you might run into with starting from the bottom in a new industry, and plenty of other issues that someone in their early 20’s just doesn’t have to deal with.
Dating the wrong person
The divorce rate in the U.S is extremely high. Other parts of the world aren’t doing too much better either. While everyone gets divorced for their own reasons, I think we can all agree that it’s better to find out that the person you’re with is wrong for you sooner rather than later.
Hopefully you find out whether or not the person you’re with is right for you before you tie the knot, because around 50% of first marriages end in divorce.
Messing up your credit
Ruining your credit is never a good idea. Even if you ruin it while you’re young, it could affect you in the future. The upside of having bad credit while you’re young instead of older is that you have time to build it back up.
It can take 7-10 years to rebuild your credit if you have a history of late payments, loan defaults, foreclosures, or bankruptcy. During those 7-10 years, you’ll have a hard time financing anything unless you have a cosigner or put down a substantial down payment.
Most people tend to make most of the bigger purchases in life when they get older such as a house or their dream car. If you have bad credit, you can kiss all of that goodbye.
Making bad investments
If you’re investing money for your retirement, making bad decisions can mean you’ll be working your entire life. Whether you choose to pay someone to do the investing for you or handle it all yourself, it’s a lot better to take risks when you’re younger.
If you invest in stock or even real estate while you’re young and the market takes a hit, you’re not ruined. Investing is a long-term venture, so the younger you start, the more fluctuation you can withstand and still come out with a positive return.
Blowing your money
What would you do if you went broke at 60 years old? You would be working your behind off when you really should be relaxing and getting ready to retire soon.
But if you’re 25 and broke, you still have plenty of time to earn more money. Also, nobody will judge you because it’s not unusual for people in their 20’s to not have money these days. You might have blown your money on a nice car or have an obsession with all the newest gadgets.
When you get older, you’ll be able to look back and realize how dumb you were for spending $20,000 on a brand new car when you were only 20 years old. But when you’re older and waste your money, you’ll REALLY have nothing to show for it.
The following are all the advantages of being young EXCEPT ___________.

A．you have more time to recover from mistakes

B．most of the parts of your body still work great

C．you have many responsibilities and complete independence

D．you have a world of opportunity in front of you

You can bounce around a little bit and find out what you want to do. “Bounce” in this sentence is most similar in meaning to __________.

A．My father would burst into the kitchen bouncing a football.

B．The wind was bouncing the branches of the big oak trees.

C．I was an army brat, I always bounced a lot when I was young

D．The ex-boxer's job is to bounce people who want to enter this private club.

What does the author really mean by saying “it’s a lot better to take risks when you’re younger”?

A．You should purposely go out and make these mistakes so that you can learn from them and not have them ruin your entire life.

B．There are certain mistakes that are much better made while you’re still young and have plenty of time to recover.

C．When you get older, you’ll have rich experiences to share with your friends and families however dumb you were

D．The younger you start, the fewer risks you can withstand and still come out with a positive return.

We can infer from the passage that ___________.

A．about 50% of first marriages end in divorce in the U.S, much higher than other parts of the world

B．never tie the knot before you make sure he or she will not divorce you

C．it usually takes 7-10 years to rebuild one’s credit if it is broken for any reason

D．it’s unusual for people in their 20’s to have money these days

The author wrote this article mainly to tell the young ____________.

A．if you are to take risks, the earlier, the better

B．it’s better for the young to take any risk than the older

C．that they should make big purchases such as a house when they get older

D．if you don’t take risks when young, your youth will be dumb

Chinese International School
Application Form
Before an applicant can be invited to take part in an assessment, an application form should be returned to the Admissions Office, and the application fee of HK$1,000 cannot be returned. For overseas applicants wishing to pay in currencies other than HK dollars, the fee is US$145. Checks are also good for payment to “Chinese International School”.
The application should include:
※ Applicant’ academic report from the last school year.
※ A recent passport-sized photo (attached to the application form).
※ A copy of the applicant’s Hong Kong ID card or a passport showing a valid Hong Kong visa.
※ Only for applicants applying under a Corporate Nomination(提名) Right: A company letter confirming the nomination.
Please note that the application fee is non-refundable. Applicants who would like to re-apply for another academic year are asked to submit a new application and application fee.
Acceptance
Applicants will be informed of their acceptance status in writing by postal mail. Initial (最初的) offers for Reception will be sent out from late March once all assessments have been completed.
Some applicants who have been assessed may be held on a reserve list. Acceptances may also be made on a conditional basis among the applicants on the reserve list.
Applicants who have been assessed but who have not been admitted are welcome to reapply for the next academic year. Please note that such applicants will be asked to submit a new application and application fee.
Confirmation of Acceptance and Enrollment (录取)
Once an applicant has been admitted, the applicant family will be asked to confirm acceptance and hold the student’s place with immediate payment of the required fees for the Nomination Right (HK$ 500), plus the sum of HK$ 7,500 as the first tuition (学费) payment.
In addition, enrollment will not be considered complete until the following have been received, normally one month before the start of the new school year:
Physical examination results
Tuition (first month)
According to the passage, if the applicants reapply for an academic year, ______.

A．the application fee can be reduced to a half

B．applicants on a reserve list needn’t be assessed

C．the initial application form should be returned to the Admissions Office

D．a new application and application fee are to be required

Which of the following is true?

A．Once applicants are refused, they can’t apply for it again.

B．Applicants held on a reserve list will not be admitted.

C．The applicants should show either a Hong Kong visa or a Hong Kong ID card.

D．Applicants don’t have to get a company letter to confirm their application.

How will the applicants possibly be informed of the acceptance status?

A．By fax.	B．By e-mail.
C．By regular mail	D．By telephone.

According to the Application Process, the first tuition payment is ______.

A．HK$ 500	B．HK$7, 500
C．HK$1, 000	D．US$ 145

If an applicant has been admitted, the applicant family ______.

A．will be asked to submit a new application

B．will receive physical Examination results

C．will be asked to only pay the first month fee

D．will be asked to confirm acceptance and pay the fees

More than a hundred reporters from around the world thronged and bustled in the Stock Exchange Building in Stockholm's Old Town for about an hour before the doors to the Swedish Academy swung open. Notably, there were many Japanese reporters present, hoping to break the news that Haruki Murakami had won the prize. Finally, the Swedish Academy's Permanent Secretary Peter Englund stepped out from the doors and said Canadian short story writer Alice Munro has won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature.
The following is a truncated Q&A with reporters and Englund. (The questions have been simplified and clarified.)
Why did Alice Munro win?
We gave her the Nobel Prize in Literature because she is a master of the contemporary short story.
Which book to begin with?
One of the amazing things about her is that she has no weak works in her writing. She has always worked to the best of her ability; she has always cultivated the short story to perfection. And she has never really written a weak or bad book. So you can take your pick. 'The Moons of Jupiter' was the first book I read by her and you can see both her different themes in that book and also her very special narrative mode, you can find it there. She tells her stories a bit like nobody else. She has a very economical language and sparse style. You can find that in 'The Moons of Jupiter.' You can take your pick. The latest one is obviously very interesting, 'Dear Life,' which contains a number of autobiographical sketches at the end that gives a key to the entire authorship of Alice Munro.
How was she informed?
Well, I left a message on her answering machine. I couldn't reach her and it was of course pretty early in the morning. But she will be notified by courier, by email to her both agents, by standard mail and so on.
What kind of message did you leave?
Basically, congratulations! You've won the Nobel Prize in literature.
What's the Importance of a woman winning?
Don't ask me. We picked her for excellence, nothing else. Of course it matters when you start doing the headcount. But she is no representative. She has received this prize just because of what she has done. Nothing else.
So the sexual balance doesn't count?
We don't have these kinds of quotas; thank god ... We don't have any quotas. We could, if we wanted to, award this prize four times in a row to a children's book writer working in the United States. If we wanted to. We can do as we please. We don't have to fill any quotes in any direction. We just give it to authors who show an extraordinary literary quality. One of these is Mrs. Alice Munro.
Why were there so many Japanese reporters in the Stock Exchange Building in Stockholm's Old Town?

A．They were waiting there to report who would win the 2013 Nobel Prize in 2013.

B．They had expected that Haruki Murakami would win the prize.

C．They just wanted to be the first to report the 2013 Noble Prize winner.

D．They were waiting in the stock market to give the world a big surprise.

Alice Munro would most probably be informed of her winning by ________?

A．picking up her answering machine	B．email from both of her agents
C．standard mail	D．The passage doesn’t clarify it.

According to the passage, Alice Munro was awarded the 2013 Noble Prize in Literature mainly for ________.

A．she has an obvious advantage over Haruki Murakami

B．it is rare for a woman to have written so many perfect stories

C．she is a master of the contemporary short story

D．she deserves a prize for her hard work for so many years

Alice Munro is best known for her work ________.

A．“Dear Life”, which contains a number of autobiographical sketches that gives a key to her entire authorship

B．“The Moons of Jupiter”, which represented both her different themes and also her very special narrative mode

C．“DanceoftheHappyShades”, which helped her win the first Governor General’s Award

D．no specific work, but the uniqueness and perfection reflected in all her works

When your parents advise you to “get an education” in order to raise your income, they tell you only half the truth. What they really mean is to get just enough education to provide manpower（人力资源）for your society, but not so much that you prove an embarrassment to your society.
Get a high school diploma, at least. Without that, you will be occupationally dead unless your name happens to be George Bernard Shaw or Thomas Alva Edison, and you can successfully dropout in grade school.
Get a college degree, if possible. With a B. A., you are on the launching pad. But now you have to start to put on the brakes. If you go for a master’s degree, make sure it is an M.B.A., and the famous law of diminishing(逐渐减少的) returns begins to take effect.
Do you know, for instance, that long-haul truck drivers earn more per year than full professors? Yes, the average salary for those truckers was $24000 while the full professors managed to earn just $23030.
A doctorate is the highest degree you can get. Except for a few specialized fields such as physics or chemistry where the degree can quickly be turned to industrial or commercial purposes, if you pursue such a degree in any other field, you will face a future which is not bright. There are more doctors unemployed or underemployed in this country than any other part of the world.
If you become a doctor in English or history or anthropology or political science or languages or—worst of all—in philosophy, you run the risk of becoming overeducated for our national demands. Not for our needs, mind you, but for our demands.
Thousands of doctors are selling shoes, driving cars, waiting on table, and endlessly filling out applications month after month. They may also take a job in some high school or backwater(闭塞) college that pays much less than the doorkeeper earns.
You can equate the level of income with the level of education only so far. Far enough, that is, to make you useful to the gross national product, but not so far that nobody can turn much of a profit on you.
According to the writer, what the society expects of education is to turn out people who ______.

A．will not be a disgrace to society

B．will become loyal citizens

C．can take care of themselves

D．can meet the nation’s demand as a source of manpower

Many doctors are out of job because ______.

A．they are improperly educated

B．they are of little commercial value to their society

C．there are fewer jobs in high schools

D．they prefer easier jobs that make more money

The nation is only interested in people ______.

A．with diplomas

B．who specialize in physics and chemistry

C．who are valuable to the gross national product

D．who receive little education

Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Bernard Shaw didn’t finish high school, nor did Edison.

B．One must think carefully before pursuing a master’s degree.

C．The higher your education level, the more money you will earn.

D．If you are too well-educated, you’ll be overeducated for society’s demands.

The writer sees education as ______.

A．a means of providing job security and financial security and a means of meeting a country’s demands for technical workers

B．a way to broaden one’s horizons

C．more important than finding a job

D．an opportunity that everyone should have

Most of the guests who come on our trips have never been to Egypt before .We want to make everyone comfortable and at ease, but we do always get the same questions in advance of trip. So here I will give you some travel tips.
What should I wear?
If you’re lucky enough to visit Egypt between November and February, pack a sweater. You’ll need it——the desert gets rather cold at night. During the day, the temperature will be agreeable and comfortable. Any other time, pack as if you’re going to Phoenix of Vegas in August. For the ladies, bathing suits are normal if there’s a pool where you are going, but leave the string bikini at home –it is a Muslim country, after all. Last, if you are planning on visiting any mosques（清真寺）or certain parts of upper Egypt, ladies will need to plan on bringing something that comes at least to the elbow（肘部）, and no shorts for men or women in those areas.
What special things do I need to pack?
One of my favorite things in the world to bring to Egypt is an Evian Mister, a sprayer with a fine mist of Evian water. You may be able to find it in your local drug store. Spray a little on your face or head , and your body temperature will feel like it’s dropped 10 or 15 degrees. Other items include your camera, sun block and extra batteries.
How do I communicate with home?
Internet cafes are plentiful everywhere, especially in Cairo, Luxor, and Alexandria. If you have international calling on you phone, you should be able to use it-AT＆T and Sprint both work internationally for sure, but make sure you have the international coverage. A satellite phone is best if you are certain to need coverage in the middle of the country, like while sailing up the Nile , but for most people these days a cell phone is fine.
What medical preparation do I need?
In a word: none! The one thing you may come down with in Egypt is politely called “Pharoah ’s Revenge. ” The thing that gets rid of pharoah’s Revenge is a regionally produced medicine, and is available at every drugstore for ＄1 a box . DON’T drink local water. DO drink bottled water, avoid the skins of fresh vegetables, and you’ll be fine.
What clothing is proper for ladies visiting a mosque?

A．String bikinis	B．Bathing suits
C．Long-sleeve clothes	D．Shorts.

What’s the use of an Evian Mister?

A．To relieve your thirst.	B．To cool yourself down.
C．To prevent sunburns.	D．To drive away insects.

What information is provided about distance communication?

A．A cell phone is enough for most people.

B．AT＆T and Sprint offer free service in Egypt.

C．A satellite phone doesn’t work in Mid-Egypt.

D．Internet cafes are only available in big cities.

What does “Pharoah ‘s Revenge” probably refer to in the last paragraph?

A．A battle	B．A tale
C．A disease	D．A plant

The purpose of this passage is to.

A．describe a journey to Egypt to the tourists

B．offer some practical tips on traveling in Egypt

C．warn readers of the awful insects in Egypt

D．appeal to more possible tourists to the journey