School Activities

Our school activities are suitable for all ages and levels including primary, secondary and A-Level. We offer workshops, hands-on activities and a teacher support service to help you get the most out of your visit. All school services are free, but must be booked in advance.

Darwin Centre

Find out who you really are and where you come from in our interactive films about evolution, described by Sir David Attenborough.

Hands-on Activities

Get up close and personal with Museum in these hands-on activities, where you can handle real specimens from our collections. Hundreds of real, natural history specimens for students to touch and explore are in our hands-on science centre.

Self-led Activities

Pupils can engage with specimens through role-play in a self-guided explorer challenge through the Museum.

The Great Debate School Program

Students are introduced to the history of the debate during a lively tour. They are then divided into groups and use exhibits to prepare presentations representing the views of the debated key characters.

Booking

All school activities must be booked in advance by calling the schools booking line: 4420 7942 6666.

1.If you’re interested in human evolution, you’d better choose ________.

A. Hands-on Activities

B. Self-led Activities

C. The Great Debate Schools Program

D. Darwin Centre

2.Which of the following programs is the most suitable one for team work?

A. Hands-on Activities.

B. The Great Debate School Program.

C. Self-led Activities.

D. Darwin Centre.

At thirteen, I was diagnosed(診斷) with a kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.

In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.” She glanced down at me through her glasses, “You are no different from your classmates, young man.”

I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.

In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots(點(diǎn)), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.

Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was no different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problems, why should I ever give up?

I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs.Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day—with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words: “See what you can do when you keep trying?”

1.The author didn’t finish the reading in class because ________.

A. he wanted to take the task home

B. he was new to the class

C. he had an attention disorder

D. he was tired of literature

2.What was Mrs. Smith’s attitude to the author at the end of the story?

A. Angry.B. Impatient.C. Sympathetic.D. Encouraging.

3.The underlined phrase spilled out in Paragraph 5 probably means ________.

A. put inB. crowded inC. cheated inD. broke in

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. A teacher can open up a new world to students.

B. One can find his way out of difficulties with efforts.

C. The disabled should be treated with respect.

D. Everyone needs a hand when faced with challenges.

We produce 500 billion of plastic bags in a year worldwide and they are thrown away polluting oceans, killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1,000 years to decompose. Researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for a solution.

The 16-year-old Canadian high school student, Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade(降解) in as few as 3 months, a finding that won him first prize at the Canada Wide Science Fair, a ＄10,000 prize, a ＄20,000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.

Burd’s strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms(微生物)．If those microorganisms could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.

With this goal in mind, he grounded plastic bags into a powder and concocted(調(diào)制) a solution of household chemicals, yeast(酵母) and tap water to encourage microbes growth．Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for 3 months．Finally, he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags, exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control．Sure enough, the plastic exposed(暴露) to the live bacteria was 17% lighter than the control after six weeks.

The inputs are cheap, maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide.

“Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have piles of plastic bags falling on top of me．One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags．The answer: not much．So I decided to do something myself.” Said Daniel Burd.

1.Daniel Burd won first prize at the Canada-Wide Science Fair because ________.

A. he found a way to degrade plastics in shorter time

B. he contributed much to environmental protection

C. he found a new kind of microorganism

D. he could encourage microbe growth in an easier way

2.Daniel Burd exposed one plastic sample to dead bacteria to ________.

A. make the live bacteria work better

B. know which bacteria worked faster

C. test how effective his method was

D. control the temperature in the process

3.Maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because ________.

A. plastics can get hot easily

B. microbes can produce heat themselves

C. much carbon dioxide is produced

D. the temperature can be controlled

4.Daniel Burd got his idea from ________.

A. his school textbook

B. the failure of researchers

C. his everyday work

D. the practice of other people

Why is setting goals important? ___1.___ Instead of just letting life happen to you, goals allow you to make your life happen. Successful people imagine how their life should be and set lots of goals.

By setting goals you are taking control of your life. It's like having a map to show you where you want to go. Think of it this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination in mind which can be found on a map. She can drive straight there surely without any wasted time of wrong turns. ___2.___ She starts off at the same time from the same place as the first driver, but she drives aimlessly around, never getting anywhere, just using up gas. Which driver do you want to be?

Winners in life set goals and follow them through. They decide what they want in life and then get there by making plans and setting goals. ___3.___ Goals aren't difficult to set and they aren't difficult to reach.

___4.__ You are the one who must decide what to achieve and in what direction to aim your life.

Research tells us that when we write a goal down we are more likely to achieve it. ___ 5.__ Like a contract(合同) with yourself, they are harder to neglect or forget. Also when you write your goals in a particular way, you are able to make yourself continuously aware of situations that will bring you nearer to your goal.

A．Because everybody should have a goal in his mind.

B．Unsuccessful people usually just let life happen by accident.

C．The other driver has no goal, or destination or map.

D．It's difficult for a driver to reach his destination without a map.

E．It's up to you to find out what your goals really are.

F．Because goals can help you do, be, and experience everything you want in life.

G．Written goals can be reviewed regularly, and have more power.

閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A，B, C和D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

I have always believed that “Any man can be a father, but it ____ someone special to be a dad.” This is true. Since the____ of my son, Joshua, things have changed a lot in my life, but the____ have been good! My wife and I have been through many____ moments which have made both of us stronger.

My son was born ____ a serious breathing problem and he couldn’t keep his medicine down. He was put on several different medications, ____he did not get any better. My wife and I were both told many times by people that Joshua ____he was born early; he had not___ much weight since he was born.

As time progressed his regular doctor advised my wife and me ____ Dr. Eid, a specialist in Louisville. He was____by my son’s condition and so we were sent to Louisville’s Children’s Hospital. Joshua ____many different checkups. The____spent there was very demanding for my wife and me. But we did make it____. Our son Joshua was diagnosed (診斷) with asthma (哮喘), and with acid reflux syndrome (酸回流綜合癥). After the treatment, his____ began to improve slowly.

Joshua is 1 year and 1 month old now and his progress has been____ he is up to 27 pounds now. I keep telling my wife that if he keeps____ like this he might become a football ____someday. There is a ____ that has helped me get through these troublesome times, “Problems will either___you or break you.” When you think the__35__hours are upon you, remember the dawn is just in sight.

1.A. breaksB. takesC. tells D. brings

2.A. success B. illness C. death D. birth

3.A. needs B. becomes C. changes D. causes

4.A. boring B. challenging C. exciting D. puzzling

5.A. in B. at C. without D. with

6.A. but B. so C. since D. until

7.A. looked about B. looked for C. looked like D. looked at

8.A. kept B. lost C. gained D. raised

9.A. visit B. to visit C. visiting D. have visited

10.A. angeredB. scared C. disappointedD. shocked

11.A. went into B. put into C. went throughD. broken through

12.A. hour B. money C. time D. holiday

13.A. out B. down C. off D. through

14.A. diet B. skill C. healthy D. health

15.A. great B. slow C. little D. enough

16.A. walkingB. running C. training D. growing

17.A. supporter B. player C. coach D. fan

18.A. saying B. says C. said D. say

19.A. cheat B. make C. beat D. find

20.A. easiest B. latest C. brightest D. darkest

閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入適當(dāng)?shù)膬?nèi)容（不多于3個(gè)單詞）或括號中的單詞的正確形式。并將答案填寫在答題卡標(biāo)號為36-45的相應(yīng)位置上。

W: Hello! May I speak to Mr. White, please?

M: Mike White speaking.

W: Hello. 1.___ is Alice Green, Tom’s neighbor.

M: Hello. 2. _____ can I do for you?

W: Well, Tom said he’s been taking piano lessons from you for two years, and I wonder if I can learn from you, 3.____.

M: I don’t think that’s a problem. Have you had any musical4.______ (experience) before?

W: Well, when I was a college student, I spent about half a year 5._____ (learn) to play the guitar. But that was almost ten years ago.

M: Good. 6.___ that case we don’t have to start from the very 7.____ (begin).

W: Then can I go with Tom to your next class?

M: I don’t think 8.____. All the people in that class 9.________ (study) with us for about two years, and they come on Sunday mornings. But you can come to another class, on Saturday evening 10.___ Sunday afternoon.

W: Saturday evening is better for me. See you then.

短文改錯(cuò)

假如英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處語言錯(cuò)誤，每句中最多有兩處。每處錯(cuò)誤僅涉及一個(gè)單詞的增加、刪除或修改。

增加：在缺詞處加一個(gè)漏字符號（∧），并在其下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除：把多余的詞用斜線（\）劃掉。

修改：在錯(cuò)的詞下面劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出改正后的詞。

注意：1.每處錯(cuò)誤及其修改均僅限一詞；

2.只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計(jì)分。

Hunter likes to go traveling in summer, but he had bad lucky this time. Last week he went to an old temple on a high mountain alone. On the way there it suddenly began to rain heavily, so he ran down the mountain quick. When he got to the foot of the mountain, he found that the wooden bridge was under of the water. He had to spend the rain night in a broken house. He was so cold that he could hardly fall sleep.

The next morning the rain stopped and the bridge was damaged. He thought the river was not deep, so he tried to swim. In the center of the river, the water nearly washed he away. Luckily, he was saved by two man, but he lost his bag. Then they gave him some foods and dry clothes.

快餐在現(xiàn)在的中國很流行，但快餐對人的身體卻沒什么好處。請你根據(jù)下面要點(diǎn)以“Fast Food”為題寫一篇英語短文。

注意：

1．快餐在中國十分流行，人們，尤其是兒童和青少年喜歡吃快餐。

2．快餐受歡迎至少有三個(gè)方面的原因；

⑴方便、節(jié)約時(shí)間；

⑵既可在快餐店里吃又可帶回家吃；

⑶店里的環(huán)境干凈、舒服；

3．從營養(yǎng)角度講，快餐食品卻不盡人意；

4. 建議：如時(shí)間來不及可考慮吃快餐，但以偶爾品嘗為宜；孩子要盡 量少吃快餐。

詞數(shù)100左右。 參考詞匯：營養(yǎng)(nutrition)

A cat with his own Facebook page and Instagram account is taking the Internet by storm thanks to his expressive eyebrows. Curious-looking Sam has racked up 150,000 Instagram followers and 530,000 likes on Facebook since bursting onto the scene in 2012.

Owner Amanda Collado, 26, from New York, has been handling the large amount of requests from fans and media for the past three years. She said, “There have definitely been situations where I have had to ignore friends, family or work to take the time to do Sam's posts or answer emails on his behalf. Everyone gets a little annoyed when I'm on my phone and not paying attention to them. I never thought Sam would be so popular.”

Amanda's mum, Ivette Rodriguez, noticed the abandoned cat outside her home one evening.

Ivette said, “I saw a little niche (壁龕) next to the house and there was a cat in there. He willingly gave himself up to me—I guess he was so tired of being outside.”

Amanda created an Instagram account for Sam after a friend pointed out his expressive brows. She said, “I didn't notice his eyebrows initially.”

“He had about 800 followers at first—but in February someone posted his photo on Reddit and he blew up overnight—I woke up with 1600 followers. From there we made a Facebook and all other social media accounts.”

Amanda posts pictures to Sam's account every two days, but spends most of her day keeping up with all of his fans. But the effort she puts into her pet's social media has paid off—and she has bigger plans for Sam's future, including merchandise (商品).

“Right now we're trying to share him in a free way. Eventually we'll sell Sam merchandise, because I know many people do like having cute little mugs, Sam mugs, or posters, T-shirts.”

1.Why does Amanda sometimes ignore her friends?

A. She is absorbed in her work.

B. She is popular with her fans.

C. She gets along badly with her friends.

D. She is busy with Sam's business.

2.How did Amanda get the cat called Sam?

A. She bought it from her friend.

B. One of her friends gave it to her.

C. Her mother found it and adopted it.

D. The text didn't mention it.

3.What does Amanda plan to do about Sam?

A. She plans to post Sam's photo on Reddit on the Internet.

B. She plans to post pictures to Sam’s account every day.

C. She plans to buy more cats.

D. She plans to sell Sam products.

Whenever something looks interesting or beautiful, there is a natural desire of us to capture (捕捉)and preserve it—which means, in this day and age, that we are likely to reach for our phones to take a picture.

Though this would seem to be an ideal solution, there are two big problems associated with taking pictures. Firstly, we are likely to be so busy taking pictures that we forget to look at the world whose beauty and interest encourage us to take a photograph in the first place. And secondly, because we feel the pictures are safely stored on our phones, we never get around to looking at them, so sure are we that we’ll get around to them one day.

The first person to notice the problems was the English art critic(評論家), John Ruskin. He was a keen traveler who realized that most tourists make a poor job of noticing or remembering the beautiful things they see. He argued that humans have a natural tendency to respond to beauty and desire to have it, but there are better and worse expressions of this desire. At worse, we get into buying souvenirs or taking photographs. But, in Ruskin’s eyes, there’s just one thing we should do—attempting to draw the interesting things we see, regardless of whether we happen to have any talent for doing so.

Ruskin said, “Drawing can teach us to see: to notice properly rather than gaze absent-mindedly. In the process of recreating with our own hand what lies before our eyes, we naturally move from a position of observing beauty in a loose way to one where we acquire a deep understanding of its parts.”

Ruskin deplored the blindness and hurry of modern tourists, especially those who prided themselves on travelling around the whole Europe in a week by train, “No changing of places at a hundred miles an hour will make us stronger, happier, or wiser. There was always more in the world than men could see, if they ever walked slowly; they will see it no better for going fast. The really precious things are thoughts and sights, not pace.”

1.According to Paragraph 2, when taking pictures, people tend to ________.

A. forget to appreciate something attractive on the spot

B. find it hard to learn skills of taking good pictures

C. find a good way to keep things in their minds

D. have a chance to meet the challenge of new technology

2.According to Ruskin, what should travelers do to best express their appreciation of and desire for something beautiful?

A. To speak it out openly.

B. To photograph it instantly.

C. To purchase it directly.

D. To paint it immediately.

3.From the fourth paragraph, we can infer that Ruskin encourages us to be ________.

A. considerate and determined

B. active and adventurous

C. creative and thoughtful

D. sensitive and ambitious

4.The underlined word “deplored” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.

A. appreciatedB. criticizedC. favoredD. ignored