In high school, "cool" is the rule, so teenagers will do anything to avoid possibly embarrassing situations. But not Samantha Elton, 15. She seeks them out. And if she can make a fool of herself as in the process, well, that's even better. For the past two years, Elton, has been a practitioner of improvisation, doing things that others would be embarrassed to consider. Elton is a member of High School Jesters, a group that teaches improvisation techniques to students. The group was founded two years ago by Nicholas Kopatich, himself a keen improviser. "I was sitting in my dorm room and some friends were having chats about comedy and improvisation," Kopatich recalls. They asked for lessons after Kopatich told them he had improvisation experience. The small group turned out to be pretty good at it, so they did a show for the dorm. And things snowballed. While even her mother marvels at Elton's ability to get up in front of audience without a script to fall back on, the teen enjoys such opportunities. Performing improvisation comes with a certain freedom that theater doesn't provide. "What I like about it the most is that I don't have to be a certain character or a certain way, and because of that I can't get anything wrong," Elton says, "I get to write the story while I'm doing it." Monica Elton, Samantha's mom, thinks the workshops are a valuable outlet that a lot of students may not get in their schools. High school kids don't usually like to act silly or look uncool, she says, but improvisation teaches them that it's OK to have flaws. "I like to think we give kids positively that allows them to gain confidence," says Brent Mukai, a High School Jesters instructor. The great thing about improvisation is that it is an art form that is open to anyone. But there's more to it than getting up in front of audience and telling jokes or acting silly. "You don't need to be the most amazing actress to be an improviser," Samantha Elton says, "It's really a place where I can show people my creativity. I can paint pictures... What do we know about improvisation? A) Performers act as a certain character. B) Performers need a script to act on. C) Performers intend to make audience embarrassed. D) Performers develop the story as they are playing.
D
One Sunday, my family had gathered at my parents' house to feast upon Mom's wonderful cooking. During the normal dinner chatter , I noticed that my father was slurring his words. No one mentioned this during dinner, but I felt compelled to discuss it with my mother afterward. We decided that there was something seriously wrong and that Dad needed to see the doctor. Mom phoned me two days later. "The doctor found a brain tumor . It's too large at this point to operate. Maybe they can do something then, but _ ." Even with the treatment, my father's condition worsened, and the doctor finally informed us that this condition was terminal . During one of his stays in the hospital, we brought our baby daughter Chelsey with us when we visited him. By this time he had great difficulty speaking. I finally figured out that he wanted Chelsey to sit on his stomach so he could make faces at her. Watching the two of them together, I realized I was living an experience that would stay with me forever. Though grateful for the times they could share, I couldn't shake the feeling of a clock ticking in the background. On the visit to my parents' home during what we all know was my father's last days, my mother took Chelsey from my arms and announced, "Your father would like to see you alone for a minute." I entered the bedroom where my father lay on a rented hospital bed. He appeared even weaker than the day before. "How are you feeling, Dad?" I asked. "Can I do anything for you?" He tried to speak, but he couldn't make out a word. "I'm sorry, but I can't understand you," I said. With great difficulty he said, "I love you." We don't learn courage from heroes on the evening news. We learn true courage from watching ordinary people rise above hopeless situations. In many ways my father was a strict, uncommunicative man. He found it difficult to show emotion. The bravest thing I ever saw him do was overcome that barrier to open his heart to his son and family at the end of his life. What does the writer attempt to tell us? A) We don't often value health until we lose it. B) Don't wait to see a doctor till it is too late. C) Life is short, so live your life to the fullest. D) Bravely express your love for your family.
D
(Q).
The sharp drop in world oil prices has led oil companies in the United States to dismiss thousands of workers. Some companies have also delay new oil drilling and exploration projects. The drop in oil prices has also affected small service companies and even stores that do business with oil companies in big producer states like Texas. But the drop in oil prices has not been bad for everyone. Oil platform workers are often called roughnecks. In Texas, many roughnecks have lost their jobs because of the drop in oil prices. The effect of falling prices has been worse in states like Alaska and North Dakota. That is because production costs are higher there than they are in the Eagle Ford area of south-central Texas. Adam Perdue is an economist at the University of Houston's Institute for Regional Forecasting. He has been studying the effect of falling oil prices in Texas. He says oil company exploration and production budgets are being cut between 10 and 50 percent, with most of them being cut by a third. He thinks the lower spending will affect the local economy. The economic slowdown will affect companies that manufacture pipes and other equipment for oil exploration and production. It will also have an effect on trucking companies that supply sand and chemicals, and other small businesses that serve the energy industry. But low oil prices are good for chemical companies. They use hydrocarbons found in oil to make fertilizer, plastic and other products. Adam Perdue says a new chemical plant project near Houston will provide jobs for many skilled workers "A lot of these roughnecks that are gonna lose their jobs out there in the field are gonna be able to come home and, and, and get a welding job or a construction job." he says. But some oil industry experts believe prices will rise again in about six months when the oversupply of oil is reduced. Which of the following has benefited from the drop in oil prices? A) Oil service companies B) Chemical companies C) Welding companies D) Construction companies
(A).
B