Young people decide (P1)
I. Pre-reading
Discuss the following question with your partner.
 What is the voting age in China?
The voting age in China is 18 years old. This is the voting age for the majority of the world, although in Brazil you can vote at 16.
 Why do you think voting is important?

II. Reading
Read the article and fill in the blanks with the correct words according to the article.
The 1. ______ in the voting age for the Scottish independence referendum
Significance of Scottish independence referendum Its result decided whether Scotland eventually became 2. ______ or not.
Change in the voting age • At age 16, Scottish residents are allowed to join the 3. ______, get married, and work.
• In the UK, the normal voting age is 4. ______. But in 2013, Scottish law was changed to 5. ______  the minimum voting age to 16 for the referendum. 
• Because of the change, more than 6. ______ Scottish teenagers aged 16 to 17 took part in the referendum.
Advantages of the change • The government believed “younger voters are more likely to vote with their 7. ______, not their heads – and embrace radical change by voting for the pro-independence Yes Scotland campaign”.
• According to The Associated Press, the new age group has “demonstrated how the youngest voters can be some of the most 8. ______ in a mature democracy”.
9. ______ about the change Some worried that high school students might not be as 10. ______ as adult voters.
Experts’ views • Professor Jan Eichhorn of the University of Edinburgh insisted that there was no 11. ______ to suggest that Scottish teenagers are less 12. ______ than adults of voting. They get the relevant information through social media.
• Professor Jason Brennan of Georgetown University said, “by 16, most people have about as 13. ______ an ideology … as they are going to get”.
14. ______ of Scotland’s move to change the voting age  It has led to a 15. ______ about whether the voting age ought to be lowered to 16, both in the UK and the US.

Key:
1. change   2. independent  3. military   4. 18     5. lower/decrease   
6. 109,000  7. hearts   8. enthusiastic  9. Doubts/ Concerns  10. informed
11. evidence  12. capable    13. stable   14. Impact/ Influence  15. discussion

III. After-reading
Further thinking:
Do you think it is necessary to lower the voting age to 16? Why or why not?

Applying differently (P3)
I. Pre-reading
Discuss the following question with your partner.
 Would you choose to study abroad if you could?
 What are the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad?

II. Reading
Read the article and complete the table below according to the article.
Early 1. ______ programs Early Action Early Decision
Definitions • Applicants apply early and know early whether they have been 2. ______ or not.
• Students are allowed to apply under an Early Action program to as 3. ______ colleges as they choose. • Early decision is where applicants apply earlier and 4. ______ to enroll if accepted.
• Students are allowed to apply to 5. ______ school under an Early Decision program.
Application deadlines 6. ______ is the deadline for many colleges and universities. In early 7. ______.
Notification time  In most cases, before Jan 1. By 8. ______.

Key:
1. admissions   2. accepted   3. many    4. promise
5. just one   6. Oct 15   7. November  8. mid-December

Read the article and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.
1. What is the author’s purpose in writing the article?
A. To inform readers of the process of applying to study in the US.
B. To describe two types of US college early admissions programs.
C. To encourage students who want to study in the US to apply early.
D. To list the benefits of early admissions programs.
2. Which of the following statements is TRUE of Early Action according to the article?
A. A student who is accepted as an Early Action applicant must attend the college they apply to.
B. The deadline for Early Action is usually two months earlier than the one for Early Decision.
C. Students can apply to several colleges at the same time under an Early Action program.
D. Students can apply for Early Action at the majority of universities and colleges in the US.
3. Early Decision applicants are informed of the college’s decision _____.
A. before Oct 15  B. in early November
C. around Jan 1   D. before Christmas
4. The underlined word “reversed” in Paragraph 6 probably means _____.
A. changed   B. balanced  C. accepted  D. arranged
5. What can be concluded from the article?
A. Students are not allowed to apply for both Early Decision and Early Action at the same time.
B. Students applying for Early Decision impress colleges because they tend to be more active than others.
C. Early Decision is most appropriate for students who are absolutely sure that one college is their first choice.
D. Those applying for Early Decision have a better chance of being accepted than those applying for Early Action.

Key:
1. B。本文主要介绍了美国大学的两个提前录取项目：提前申请（Early Action）和提前决定（Early Decision），所以答案为B。
2. C。由第四段的 “Students apply early, and are allowed to apply under an Early Action program to as many colleges as they choose.”可知，C为正确答案。Early Action可以申请好几所，如果获得了录取，可以选择不去所申请到的学校；而Early Decision只能申请该项目下的一所大学，而且录取了是必须要去就读的，所以A不对；Early Action的申请截止时间为Oct 15，而Early Decision为early November，所以B项的两个月也不对。由第四段的“Roughly 15 percent of colleges and universities offer an Early Action option.”可知D不对。
3. D。由倒数第四段的“Early Decision deadlines are in early November, with colleges letting students know by mid-December.”可知D为正确答案。
4. A。由下文的“students who are accepted must take back their other applications and should attend that school”可以推知关于Early Decision的承诺是不可改变的，所以答案为A，reverse意为“改变”。
5. C。由于提前决定（Early Decision）只能申请该项目下的一所大学，而且录取了是必须要去就读的，所以该项目适合清楚知道自己第一选择的学生申请，所以Ｃ为正确答案。根据文中的“students who are accepted must take back their other applications and should attend that school. Students are allowed to apply to just one school under an Early Decision program”可知申请Early Decision的同时还可以申请其他项目，只是一旦被所申请的Early Decision的大学所录取，就必须撤回其他申请，所以A不对。B项文中没有提及；由倒数第三段的“Many students believe that they are more likely to be accepted if they apply for Early Decision, but it actually depends.”可知D项描述并不准确。

III. Language study
1. It has started a domino effect (多米诺效应): Letting students know earlier and earlier if they have been accepted, and earlier application deadlines.
The domino effect is a chain reaction that occurs when a small change causes a similar change nearby, which then causes another similar change, and so on in linear sequence. It typically refers to a linked sequence of events where the time between successive events is relatively small.

2. Parents and students need to keep in mind that the higher rates of acceptance with Early Decision can often come from a lot of different factors (因素).
本句中that引导的从句作keep的宾语。Keep in mind 记住。

Drama and me (P4)
I. Warming up
 Are you interested in drama? Why or why not?
 If so, what kind of drama do you prefer?
 Have you ever been in a play?
 What do you think makes a good play?

II. Reading
Read the article and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.
1. According to the article, the author ____.
A. prefers tragedy to comedy
B. is confident in his singing and acting
C. has been interested in drama for several years
D. was invited to play a role in a musical but he refused
2. Why didn’t the author get the role of Reverend Hale that he wanted?
A. He hadn’t prepared well enough.
B. He failed to control his emotions well enough.
C. As a non-native speaker, his English had limitations.
D. He didn’t understand the story thoroughly enough.
3. When the author took part in the rehearsals as a member of the audience, he ____.
A. understood the play better than any of the actors
B. was so devoted that he got more and more involved in the play
C. was lucky enough to be chosen to replace an actor who didn’t do well
D. learned from the actors about how to show emotion and deliver intonation
4. What is the main lesson the author learned from his experience?
A. We should try to overcome our limitations.
B. A good beginning makes a good ending.
C. Never be discouraged by your failure.
D. It’s not the result but the participation that counts.

Key:
1. C。由第一段可以得此答案。AD文中没有提到；根据第二段的“I am fully aware of my lack of singing talent”可知B有误。
2. C。根据第三段的“The director told me my understanding of the role and control of emotion were among the best, but as a non-native speaker the tone of my voice was not good enough because we would not be using microphones.”可知C为正确答案。
3. B。根据第四、五段可以得此答案。A的说法过于绝对；第五段的“… and going onto the stage when an actor was not there”意思是当有演员缺席时作者替他在台上走位，并不是取代那个演员，C有误；根据第四段的“I also learned from the director how an actor …”与D的learned from the actors不符。
4. D。根据最后一段的“I learned a more important lesson: Even without a successful beginning, I can still actively participate in things I like, and the reward often comes from the participation.”可以得此答案。

III. After reading
1. But when I heard that the next show was The Crucible (《萨勒姆的女巫》), a classic tragedy (悲剧), I decided to give it a shot.
give it a shot：试试看（=have a try/give it a try）。例如：
A: It would be so cool if I could win this competition. I just don’t think I’m good enough.
B: Give it a shot! You never know.
 
2. I jumped at the opportunity.
短语jump/ leap at the chance/opportunity (to do sth)意为“迫不及待地接受，欣然应承（机会），即：accept an opportunity/chance eagerly”。例如：
Frank leapt at the opportunity to go to Moscow.
John’s company proposed sending him to England, and he jumped at the chance.

IV. Writing
Although the author failed to get the role of Reverend Hale that he wanted, he had a lot of fun in the rehearsals that followed and learned a lot from them. Which of the extracurricular activities that you have taken part in has impressed you the most? What did you learn from it? Write a short article describing that activity and your feelings about it.