question: Each year about a quarter of a million Americans study abroad. For many of them, a summer or a semester in a foreign country now involves more than just sitting in classrooms and hanging out with other American students. Instead, they are encouraged and sometimes required to be involved in the local communities they are studying in.

"It's ly important that they know something about how people in other parts of the world live and think, and how they behave," says William Finlay, head of the sociology department at the University of Georgia. In 2008, he co-founded a study abroad program with South Africa's Stellenbosch University. It combines traditional academic in-class learning with community involvement.

"We've been working with a non-government organization in the township. Our students typically either work with little children in day care centers or work in the library and teach very basic computer skills to young children," says Finlay.

The three-week program proved to be an unforgettable experience for Hillary Kinsey. She says, "It was interesting to learn the history of the area and then talk to these people and see what the social dynamics were, and how certain groups felt about other groups."

When Hillary Kinsey returned home from South Africa, she and other students in the program established a non-profit group. Kinsey says the group wants to contribute to advancing education and development in South Africa. "One of the purposes of the group is that we hope to raise money and awareness about the situation where those people live and help to promote any sort of educational development that we can, " Kinsey added.

While many study abroad programs focus on helping Americans to learn foreign languages, others take a more intensive approach. "In all of our locations, we place students with local roommates," says Mark Lenhart, director of CEF Academic Programs, which sends more than a thousand students to China, Korea and other countries each year.

He says American students benefit from such one-on-one interactions, in spite of the challenges they face. Lenhart says, "They have to adjust to the local life. This will enable students to become more employable when they graduate."
1. What is important?
2. what are they taking part in?
3. What level are they participating in during that?
4. Which one sends people to Asian countries?
5. Who runs the South Africa one?
6. Where does he work?
7. When was it founded?
8. How many go away to learn?
9. What do they do there?
10. What uni do they use in South Africa?
****
answer: 1. that students studying abroad know something about how people in other parts of the world live
2. a study abroad program
3. at the local community level
4. CEF Academic Programs
5. William Finlay
6. at the University of Georgia
7. In 2008
8. about a quarter of a million
9. Study and learn about the local communities
10. Stellenbosch University

question: I was the typical"I can't"child-whatever my mother told or asked me to do was immediately followed by my cry,"I can't."As a result,very few tasks or goals that I set out to achieve were ever completed. One evening,my mother called me into the family room."I want you to read this article,"Mother began."It's about Marlo Thomas.She tells how a simple poem that she was forced to learn by her father changed her life*She went from saying'I can't'to'I can'*According to this article,she was able to reorganize her life and her career by learning the principles in the poem." I took the small magazine from Mother and looked down at the pages.There was Marlo-my idol. Beside her photo was the poem my mother had spoken of,a simple poem entitled,"I Can"."I want you to memorize that poem,"Mother said firmly."Mama," _ ."I can't learn that poem.It's too long." "It's not too long and you can learn it.1 want you to know it perfectly by this time tomorrow,"said my mother. Unwillingly,I went back to my bedroom with the magazine.With a heavy heart,I threw myself into the bed and began my task. "Can't is a word that is the enemy to ambition,"I began.I repeated the line.I repeated it again and again."An enemy ambush to shatter your will..."I continued the process until I proudly recited the poem the following evening. It has now become my principle.Marlo 1 homas did not know me,but her story forever changed my life. Saying "I can" helped me to get through the worst moments of my life: Saying "I can" encouraged me to complete things I would have otherwise seen as out of my reach. A simple poem learned at seven is a poem that will support me to seventy-seven,maybe even longer.
1. Was I always confident that I could do things?
2. Did my mom ask me to read something?
3. What was it?
4. who was the author?
5. How made Marlo learn the poem?
6. What was the name of the poem?
7. Did I think I could learn it?
8. Why not?
9. What hinders ambition?
10. What was my response when my mom asked me to do something?
11. How old was I when I learned the poem?
****
answer: 1. no
2. yes
3. an article
4. Marlo Thomas
5. her fathe
6. I Can
7. no
8. too long
9. the word can't
10. I can't
11. seven

question: The corridor windows at the Hangzhou Entel Foreign Language School look a bit different from other schools. They are all decorated with beautiful paper cutting art. But they are not just for decoration. They are also to stop birds from flying into windows. Chen Zitong, 14, a Junior 3 student at the school came up with the idea. In early January, she wrote a letter to the headmaster and suggested this. She often saw birds fly into the clean windows and get hurt. After some online research, she found this solution. "Some people decorated windows with stickers or posters. Then I thought of replacing them with our traditional paper cutting art," Chen said. To Chen's surprise, the headmaster took her advice. The school organized a paper cutting art competition. Students' works that got awards were pasted on the corridor windows. In fact, there have been paper cutting art classes since 2011. "We have classes once a week for a month to teach paper cutting," said Fan Ming, an art teacher. The teaching building even has a display wall to show students' works. Through the class, Shi Jiawei, 14, fell in love with the art of paper cutting. "It's very fun. I can design my own patterns and present interesting things through it," she said. She created many works like bears and magpies . Paper cutting also helps students become more patient. Wang Yiyou, 12, was once an active boy. But now, he can carefully design a delicate paper cutting work with scissors and gravers . "I am so proud that I can make it look perfect," he said. (By Wu Qian, 21st Century Teens Staff)
1. How do they prevent birds from crashing into the windows?
2. Who came up with the idea?
3. Who is she?
4. How old is she?
5. What grade is she in?
6. What is the name of the school?
7. How were birds getting hurt?
8. Who witnessed this?
9. How did she come up with a solution?
10. What did she find?
11. What did other people put on their windows?
12. How do the get the artwork?
13. Which kids got their cuttings featured on the windows?
****
answer:
1. with beautiful paper cutting art
2. Chen Zitong
3. student at the schoo
4. 14
5. Junior 3
6. Hangzhou Entel Foreign Language
7. flying into window
8. Chen Zitong
9. some online research
10. solution
11. stickers or posters
12. paper cutting art competition
13. Students' works that got awards