Crossroads International
1. How does Crossroads work?
Crossroads is a resource network. We take goods Hong Kong doesn’t want and give them to people who badly need them. We collect those goods and give them out in the welfare(福利)center in Hong Kong, Mainland China, elsewhere in Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa.   1 
2. Who do we help?
  2 They are grass-root groups who have seen a need and tried to meet it. They can’t get the job done without back-up, though, so our task is to help them do their task. Our warehouse is full of goods, from computers to high chairs, clothing to books, stationery to medical provision, cupboards to dining sets. They send us a list of their needs and we try to match it with the resource we have in stock.
3.   3 
Crossroads itself also operates on a low budget. We do not buy the goods we send. They are donated.   4  Nobody in our organization receives a salary. Even our full-time staff work on a voluntary basis.
Those that donate goods and services:
●Factories     ●Manufacturers
●Hospitals     ●Hotels
●Educational Institutions  ●Householders
●Transport Companies   ●Offices
●Other Charities
  5 While we receive large quantities of goods and there is never a short supply of requests for them, we are always in need of hands to help sort and prepare them for shipping．

A．One resource that we are always in need of is people．

B．So Crossroads is just that: a Crossroads between need and resource．

C．What can I do?

D．The welfare agencies we help do not run on large budgets．

E. How do we operate?
F. All volunteer work is done at our warehouse．
G.. Similarly, rather than raising funds for freight （货运）, we ask transport companies to donate their services．

Grandparents might be known for spoiling grandchildren, but a new study says they might also be helping the kids improve their social skills and behavior.
Spending time with grandma and grandpa especially appears to help children from single-parent, divorced/separated or stepfamily households, according to the report, published in the February Journal of Family Psychology.
"Grandparents are a positive force for all families but play a significant role in families undergoing difficulties," the study's lead author, Shalhevet Attar-Schwartz, of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said in an American Psychological Association news release. "They can reduce the negative influence of parents separating and be a resource for children who are going through these family changes."
In interviewing 11- to 16-year olds from England and Wales, Attar-Schwartz and her team found that the more conversations the youths had with a grandparent, including asking for advice or even money, the better they got along with their peers and the fewer problems they had, such as hyperactivity and disruptive behavior.
"This was found across all three family structures," she said. "But adolescents in single-parent households and stepfamilies benefited the most. The effect of their grandparents' involvement was stronger compared to children from two biological parent families."
The study did not look at children who lived solely with their grandparents, though.
The findings have great implications for people in the United States, the authors said, because American grandparents are increasingly sharing living space with their grandchildren. A 2004 U.S. Census Bureau survey found that more than 5 million households include a grandparent and a grandchild under 18, up 30 percent since 1990, according to background information in the news release.
【小题1】It is generally believed that a grandmother __________ .

A．can help a child through hard times

B．can help kids develop social skills

C．can spoil a child

D．is a positive force for all families

【小题2】 According to the passage, grandparents will be of least benefit to a child __________ .

A．from two biological parent families

B．from a single—parent household

C．from a divorced household

D．from a stepfamily household

【小题3】A child who asks his grandmother for money will __________ .

A．have difficulty in getting along with his peers

B．still get along well with his peers

C．be easier to be spoiled than his peers

D．not be popular with peers

【小题4】 We can learn from the last paragraph that ___________ .

A．there are more families in America undergoing difficulties

B．American parents are much busier than those from other countries

C．American grandparents are much better at bringing up their grandchildren

D．American kids like to share more living space with their grandparents

【小题5】 The passage implies that __________ .

A．children who live solely with their grandparents may benefit the most

B．grandparents are a source of comfort to children from families undergoing difficulties

C．grandparents play a more positive role than parents in children’s growth

D．all families should leave their children to be brought up by grandparents

In summer, millions of people will head for the beach．And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way．Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity．

    “Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland．“There is certainly a lot of energy in waves．”

    Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity．

    Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean．“The winds start out by making little ripples （波纹） in the water, but if they keep on blowing , those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves, ”Taylor said．“Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey．”

    When waves come towards the shore, people can set up dams or other barricades to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine （涡轮） ．The turbine can then power an electrical generator （发电机） ．

    The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy , and it is already being used in Scotland．

    The resource is huge．We will never run out of wave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil and coal．

    Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface．That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world．There are some drawbacks, however．

    Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money．He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown．Plus, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic．

    With more research, however, “many of these problems might be overcome,” Taylor said．“Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world．Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day．”

    In the future, when you turn on a light switch, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!

1.Which of the following is NOT true?

    A．Wave power doesn’t cost too much money．

    B．Wave energy is so clean that it doesn’t create the same amount of pollution as other energy sources．

    C．Wave power affects fishing and boat traffic．

    D．Wave power may affect marine animals．

2.We can infer from the passage that ______．

    A．finding more new energy sources is not necessary because of wave energy

    B．wave energy is a resource that will never run out and is used all over the world

    C．wave power is not quite perfect for creating energy around the world

    D．wave power doesn’t create any pollution

3.The underlined word “drawbacks” probably means ______．

    A．regrets  B．adventures   C．disadvantages    D．difficulties

4.What can be the best title for the passage? 

    A．How to Get Electricity by Waves     B．The advantages of Wave Energy

    C．Can Waves Make Electricity?          D．The Disadvantages of Wave Energy

 

In summer, millions of people will head for the beach．And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way．Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity．

       “Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland．“There is certainly a lot of energy in waves．”

       Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity．

       Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean．“The winds start out by making little ripples （波纹） in the water, but if they keep on blowing , those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves, ”Taylor said．“Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey．”

       When waves come towards the shore, people can set up dams or other barricades to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine （涡轮） ．The turbine can then power an electrical generator （发电机） ．

       The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy , and it is already being used in Scotland．

       The resource is huge．We will never run out of wave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil and coal．

       Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface．That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world．There are some drawbacks, however．

       Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money．He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown．Plus, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic．

       With more research, however, “many of these problems might be overcome,” Taylor said．“Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world．Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day．”

       In the future, when you turn on a light switch, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!

1.Which of the following is NOT true?

       A．Wave power doesn’t cost too much money．

       B．Wave energy is so clean that it doesn’t create the same amount of pollution as other energy sources．

       C．Wave power affects fishing and boat traffic．

       D．Wave power may affect marine animals．

2.We can infer from the passage that ______．

       A．finding more new energy sources is not necessary because of wave energy

       B．wave energy is a resource that will never run out and is used all over the world

       C．wave power is not quite perfect for creating energy around the world

       D．wave power doesn’t create any pollution

3.The underlined word “drawbacks” probably means ______．

       A．regrets                B．adventures           C．disadvantages       D．difficulties

4.What can be the best title for the passage? 

       A．How to Get Electricity by Waves            

       B．The advantages of Wave Energy

       C．Can Waves Make Electricity?                                              

       D．The Disadvantages of Wave Energy