WASHINGTON—Laura Straub is a very worried woman. Her job is to find families for foreign teenagers who expect to live with American families in the summer.
It is not easy, even desperate.
“We have many children left to place—40 out of 75,” said Straub, who works for a foreign exchange programme called LEC.
When foreign exchange programmes started 50 years ago, more families were accommodating. For one thing, more mothers stayed at home. But now, increasing numbers of women work outside the home. Exchange-student programmes have struggled in recent years to sign up host families for the 30, 000 teenagers who come from abroad every year to spend an academic year in the United States, as well as the thousands more who take part in summer programmes.
School systems in many parts of the U.S., unhappy about accepting non-taxpaying students, have also strictly limited the number of exchange students they accept. At the same time, the idea of hosting foreign students is becoming less exotic(有异国情调的).
In search for host families, who usually receive no pay, exchange programmes are increasingly broadening their requests to include everyone from young couples to the retired.
“We are open to many different types of families,” said Vickie Weiner, eastern regional director for ASSE, a 25-year-old programme that sends about 30,000 teenagers on academic-year exchange programmes worldwide.
For elderly people, exchange students “keep us young—they really do”, said Jen Foster, who is hosting 16-year-old Nina Post from Denmark. According to the text, why was it easier for Laura Straub to find American families for foreign students?
| A．American school systems were better than now. |
| B．The government was happy because it could gain tax. |
| C．Foreign students paid hosting families a lot of money. |
| D．More mothers didn’t work outside and could look after children. |
To deal with the problem in recent years, exchange programmes have to ______.
| A．extend the range of host families |
| B．limit the number of the exchange students |
| C．borrow much money to pay for the costs |
| D．make hosting foreign students more exotic |
Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A Exchange Students Keep Old People Young.
B. Idea of Hosting Students is Different.
C. Foreign-exchange Program Is Going on.
D U.S. Struggle to Find host Families.
There are many people who are interested in knowing how to become a better person in life. Though there’re many people who can guide you to becoming a better person, you can become one only if you’re eager enough to bring about a change in yourself.
If you wish to learn to become a better person, then you should first of all learn to recognize your mistakes. Think of what are those things which you do in your day-to-day life and aren’t liked by other people around you. Then analyze(分析)them and try to avoid them as far as possible. However, you should be very patient and brave to change yourself.
Then you should also apologize for your past mistakes. If you don’t apologize, then you’ll always be ridiculed(奚落) in the society for being a person who is badly-behaved. By apologizing to those whom you’ve hurt, you can hope to get a second chance from them to prove that you’re as good as the others.
Forgetting the past misbehavior and thinking about the present and the future is one of the best ways to become a better person. This is because it’s impossible for you to change the past. Start your life again and make sure to go on the path of honesty. You can keep a personal diary in which you can write the dos and don’ts for yourself.
Having a role model is also very important. A role model is someone you respect. You should study the thoughts and sayings of these great people and try to understand what they actually mean. Read informative books on these people and this will definitely change the way you think and look at the things. However, just reading about the great people won’t help you. You’ll have to practically carry out their thoughts to earn respect for yourself in the society.
So actually becoming a better person isn’t difficult.
| Title |
How to become a better person |
|
| |
Recognizing your mistakes. |
●Think of your daily performance others dislike. ●Analyze them and try to ●Need a lot of patience and |
| Making an |
●To avoid being ridiculed for being a person with bad ●To prove you are as good as the others. |
|
| Forgetting the past and |
●Be ●Write the dos and don’ts for yourself in your dairy. |
|
| Having role models. |
●Study the great people’s thoughts and sayings to understand their actual ●Read informative books on them to change your way of thinking and viewing. ● |
|
| It’s not difficult to become a better person. |
Michelle Obama made a daring decision to return to the same designer who created her Inaugural（就职）Ball dress four years ago --- and the risk paid off.
The First Lady looked extremely attractive in a red dress by designer Jason Wu. She teamed the dramatic dress with heels by Jimmy Choo and a diamond ring by Kimberly McDonald.
She surprised the fashion world by returning to a Wu design which had been made for her.
Four years ago at her first Inauguration Ball, Michelle shone in a white, one-shouldered floor-length dress by the designer.
Wu, who was 26 at the time and had only been working in fashion for three years, saw his career take off after the First Lady’s surprise decision to wear one of his dresses.
He said at the time that he was unaware she had chosen the dress and had been watching at home on his couch and eating pizza when she appeared.
After her 2013 decision, Wu told Women’s Wear Daily: “Mrs. Obama likes to keep her secrets. She fooled me again.”
Wu released a women’s clothing and accessories（配饰）collection at Target last year and continues to be popular with the First Lady for official appointments.
The sleeveless dress with low-cut back flattered （突出）49-year-old Michelle’s arms and neat waist.
It had been created especially for her by Wu and was a departure from the dark and plain color tone she stuck to at earlier inauguration events.
Vice-President Joe Biden’s wife Jill also looked attractive in a blue silk dress by Vera Wang at the Inauguration Ball.What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Mrs. Obama’s 2013 decision. |
| B．Wu, a great designer. |
| C．The First Lady’s secrets. |
| D．Michelle Obama’s inaugural ball dress. |
Michelle Obama’s brave decision proved to be a _________.
| A．risk | B．success | C．surprise | D．danger |
Which of the following best describes Jason Wu?
| A．Daring and gifted. | B．Unusual and cautious. |
| C．Talented and lucky. | D．Careful and brave. |
We can infer from the passage that _________.
| A．Wu was aware that Mrs. Obama had chosen his work again |
| B．Being First Lady, Mrs. Obama hasn’t stuck to her dark and plain color tone. |
| C．Mrs. Obama told Wu to give away her secrets |
| D．Mrs. Obama should have told Wu the truth |
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