One of the biggest difficulties in learning a language is learning the idiomatic phrases, slang and common usage of native speakers. These four books focus on giving students a hand when they are learning North American idiomatic language.
Ya Gotta Know It! by Hania Hassan
It provides an excellent mixture of materials for classroom lessons and American slang reference. Its unique feature is that students are provided with ongoing contexts reminding learners of idioms learned while improving their understanding by using the same characters and a developing storyline. Exercises provide a chance for students to practice in proper situations.
Price: $ 11.66
ISBN: 9780074560167
Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts by Richard A. Spears It has a wide variety of resources on American English. It contains more than 2,000 phrases and idioms. It is excellent for classroom use as this reference guide focuses on standard phrases that can be found in everyday standard usage.
Price: $ 7.06
ISBN: 978007405607
American Idioms and Some Phrases Just for Fun by Edward Swick
The book's strength is its translation of more formal English of a number of idioms. These phrases are then repeated in a number of different contexts giving students a good idea of common usage. There are also a number of exercises designed to help students put their new-found idiomatic understanding into use.
Price: $ 5.49
ISBN: 9780764108075
American Slang by Robert L. Chapman
It provides a guide for advanced level English students. This reference guide to slang is best used by those interested in the very latest and up-to-date slang and slang you might hear in the latest films from Hollywood.
Price: $ 1.99
ISBN: 9780062731722
【小题1】What do the books have in common?

A．They all contain lots of exercises.

B．They are suitable for students of all language levels.

C．They teach students knowledge of idiomatic language.

D．They are good for students to learn about informal English.

【小题2】In what way is Ya Gotta Know It! different from the other books?

A．It offers readers ongoing contexts.

B．It is mainly about American slang.

C．It has the largest number of idioms.

D．It is made up of some short stories.

【小题3】Which book helps you understand the latest Hollywood films?

A．Ya Gotta Know It!.

B．Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts.

C．American Idioms and Some Phrases Just for Fun.

D．American Slang.

Several Jobs That Will Be Automated By Artificial Intelligence(AI) And Robots
Translator
Image recognition software and voice recognition software are bringing some major advances to language translation．Applications like Google’s Word Lens can translate words from signs and documents in real time and there are a lot of translation apps that allow you to type in a word or phrase and will translate it for you．
Some will even speak the phrase for you and raw word-to-word translation will be fully automated soon．
Fast food workers
Automated ordering booths have already made their way into a few McDonald’s restaurants around the world，and cooking positions could be removed next．The booths probably can’t handle customer service problems well，so televideo systems could bring in an office employee to deal with complaints．
Field technician
New advances in the Internet of Things could make this work obsolete.
Low-cost sensors combined with high availability cellular／satellite communications and cloud technology are being started to automate and alarm these sites, and can be checked and maintained from a desktop or mobile device.
Sales representative
But, e-commerce is changing how we make purchasing decisions, especially those where there isn’t much differentiation among the major competitors.
If you’re selling a high-differentiation product and／or a high-price, low-volume product you have some job security, but if you’re selling a high-volume, low-differentiation product, you better start polishing your resume, said Doug Camplejohn, CEO of Fliptop. “These kind of product sales are all moving online.”
【小题1】What can Google’s Word Lens do?

A．Translate by image and voice recognition software.

B．Speak the phrase or word for you.

C．Make real-time translation.

D．Allow you to type in a word or phrase.

【小题2】What can we infer from the second part?

A．All the restaurants own automated ordering booths.

B．Service problems can’t be handled automatically.

C．Cooks will not be automated by AI and robots.

D．Customers will have no complaints because of AI．

【小题3】What does the underlined word“obsolete”mean in Part 3?

A．Abandoned.	B．Welcome.
C．Forbidden.	D．Efficient.

【小题4】What does the author mean by“you better start polishing your resume” in the last paragraph?

A．You must value your present work.

B．You have some job security.

C．Your resume needs correcting further.

D．You should consider changing the job.

   Leaders shape history and here is a selection of the most remarkable views on these public figures plus first-hand accounts (描述) by those with access to them.

Margaret Thatcher by Charles Moore (2013)

Before Moore published the first volume of his biography, there had already been a mountain of books on Thatcher. Moore’s account is different. He shows that far from being fearless, she could often be fearful without cause. The final volume will include her fall from power.

Churchill by Roy Jenkins (2001)

Jenkins writes a politician as well as a historian, analyzing Churchill’s historic moves from the opinions of one who had also spoken in the Commons. Jenkins had resigned from high positions in battles over policy, as one that changed parties, though not as frequently as Churchill did.

Roy Jenkins by John Campbell (2014)

Campbell calmly narrates many political and personal dramas, including Jenkins’ intense relationship with Anthony Crosland when they were both students at Oxford. Campbell also addresses Jenkins’ various affairs with women. Like Jenkins’ political heroes, he led many lives. Campbell is sharp in describing each of them.

Diaries, Volumes One to Six by Alastair Campbell (2017)

Love or hate him, Alastair Campbell remains the master of the inside story, and not just because of his unusual ideas on the relationship between Tony Blairand Gordon Brown. This is an incredibly detailed book on what it’s like to live inside No. 10: the cruel space of events; and the constant conflict with the media.

【小题1】Which of the following leaders may have the largest number of books written about him or her?

A．Roy Jenkins.	B．Churchill.
C．Margaret Thatcher.	D．Tony Blair.

【小题2】Which writer was once a politician?

A．Alastair Campbell.	B．Charles Moore.
C．John Campbell.	D．Roy Jenkins.

【小题3】What’s the purpose of the passage?

A．To introduce some histories of countries.

B．To recommend some books on leaders.

C．To tell some mysteries about historians.

D．To think highly of some famous leaders.

Earth Day Photo Contest

A picture is worth a thousand words! Enter the TFK photo contest and show us: Why is Earth Day important to our planet?

To enter the contest online, visit timeforkids. com and get details below.

TIME

●The contest begins on January 9,2017.

●The contest ends on April 20,2017.

INSTRUCTIONS

●An original and previously unpublished photograph that answers the Earth Day question “Why is Earth Day important to our planet?” and that was photographed by the entrant (参赛者) between June 1,2016, and April 20,2017.

●A brief description describing the picture: what is happening, where the photo was taken, the date the photo was taken and why the entrant chose to enter this image.

●Entrant’s first name only; entrant’s e-mail address; and parent’s, teacher’s or guardian’s e-mail address. Limit one work per person. Sponsors are not responsible for lost, late, or incomplete entries, or entries not received for any reason. Works belong to sponsors, and none will be acknowledged (承认) or returned.

●By entering, the entrant ensures that the work is first made and has not been published in any medium or won an award.

ELIGIBILITY

Open to the elementary school students at age 8-13 at the time of entry in the USA.

WINNERS’ LIST AND PRIZES

Judges will select 10 semifinalists (半决赛选手) from whom one grand prize winner and nine finalists will be chosen. The grand prize winner will receive a digital camera — approximate retail (零售) value: $300. The photograph entry of the grand prize winner will be published in the April 22 Earth Day issue of TIME For Kids. The photograph entries of all semifinalists will be published in the gallery of timeforkids. com. Winners will be informed by e-mail, and must respond within five days.

【小题1】What should an entrant who wants to participate in the photo contest do?

A．He or she should send an original photo after the Earth Day.

B．He or she should present a related description of the photo entry.

C．He or she should inform the sponsors of his or her delayed e-mail.

D．He or she should offer his or her e-mail address and family name.

【小题2】Who can enter the photo contest?
A. A college student in the USA.

A．A teacher of an elementary school in New York.

B．A 10-year-old elementary school student in California.

C．An American professional photographer.

【小题3】What do we know about the photograph entry of the grand prize winner?

A．It will be published in a magazine and a gallery.

B．It will amount to approximately $300.

C．It will be selected from nine finalists’ entries.

D．It will be acknowledged and returned afterwards.

   The editor of the new Cool Camping Britain guide chooses some of his favorite new finds in England, Wales and Scotland.

Cleadale, Isle of Eigg, Inner Hebrides

Is this Britain’s most beautiful campsite? From the grassy point looking seaward to the mountains, it’s not hard for campers to see how the island inspired The Lord of the Rings author’s fantasy landscapes. The campsite itself is as wild and wonderful as its setting.

Open April — September, from ￡5 per tent per night.

Swattesfield, Thornham Magna, Suffolk

Deep in the wilds of north Suffolk, this seven-acre campsite has only been open for a few years, with two fields separated by a lake and surrounded by woodland. The position is perfect. It’s a great place to do nothing but get into nature. You can put up your tent in the bottom field or the woodland beyond.

Open Easter —October, from ￡10 per tent per night.

Pleasant Streams Farm, near St Austell, Cornwall

This site, by a lake, is all about simple pleasures. Located in the former mining village, it has a summerhouse（凉亭）with books and games for a rainy day. There are many animals including pigs, hens, goats and ducks on the farm and a pub just a 10- minute stroll away. There’s very little to do here, no bells and no whistles. Campfires are encouraged.

Open Easter — September, from ￡10 per tent per night.

Troytown Campsite, St Agnes, Isles of Sciily

Its only campsite, Troytown, couldn’t be in a more remote position. Isolation is its greatest advantage — so bring plenty of books to read and don’t expect a phone signal. But at least one of life’s necessities is available. Lying on the hillside overlooking the bay and near the island of the Gugh, it might just win the prize for best beer garden view in England.

Open March-- October, from ￡7. 50 per tent per night,

【小题1】Which of the following is TRUE about Cleadale, Isle of Eigg, Inner Hebrides?

A．It has been open for a few years.	B．A beautiful lake surrounds it.
C．It offers the longest service.	D．The rent of a tent per night is the lowest.

【小题2】Which place can you choose if you like a simple farm life?

A．Cleadale, Isle of Eigg, Inner Hebrides.

B．Swattesfield, Thornham Magna, Suffolk.

C．Pleasant Streams Farm, near St Austell, Cornwall.

D．Troytown Campsite, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly.

【小题3】In Troytown Campsite, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly, you can’t ________.

A．contact others by phones	B．view the bay from the hillside
C．get everyday necessities	D．relax yourself by reading