Putting a bunch of college students in charge of a $300,000 Dance Marathon, fundraiser surely sounds a bit risky ¹.When you consider the fact that the money is supposed to be given to children in need of medical care, you might call the idea crazy.

    Most student leaders don"t want to spend a large amount of time on something they care little about, said 22-year-old UniversityofFloridastudent Darren Heitner. He was the Dance Marathon"s operations officer for two years.

    Yvonne Fangmeyer, director of the student organization office at theUniversityofWisconsin, conducted a survey in February of students involved in campus organizations 2. She said the desire for friendship was the most frequently cited reason for joining.

    At large universities like Fangmeyer"s, which has more than 40,000 students, the students first of all want to find a way to "belong in their own corner of campus".

    Katie Rowley, a Wisconsin senior, confirms the survey"s findings."I wanted to make the campus feel smaller by joining an organization where I could not only get involved on campus butalso find a group of friends."

    All of this talk of friendship, however, does not mean that students aren"t thinking about their resumes. "I think that a lot of people do join to "fatten up their resume"", said Heitner."At the beginning of my college career, I joined a few of these organizations, hoping to get a start in my leadership roles."

    But without passion student leaders can have a difficult time trying to weather the storms that come. For example, in April, several student organizations atWisconsinteamed up 3 for an event designed to educate students about homelessness and poverty. Student leaders had to face the problem of solving disagreements, moving the event because of rainy weather, and dealing with the university"s complicated bureaucracy.

    "Outside-of the classroom learning really makes a big difference", Fangmeyer said.

词汇：

bunch /bʌntʃ/n．群

marathon /"mærə,θən/n．马拉松；耐力活动

fundraiser /"fʌnd"reizə/n．募捐

weather /"weðə(r)/v．经受风雨

bureaucracy /bju"rakrəsi/n．官僚机构

注释：

1.Putting a bunch of college students in charge of a $300,000 Dance Marathon, fundraiser surely sounds a bit risky．让一群大学生去负责募集30万美元的马拉松式的跳舞活动，这种募捐听起来肯定有点儿冒险。"putting... in charge of…”是“让……负责……”。

2.Yvonne Fangmeyer, director of the student organization office at theUniversityofWisconsin, conducted a survey in February of students involved in campus organizations. Yvonne Fangmeyer是威斯康星大学学生组织办公室主任，在2月组织了一次学生参加校园组织的调查。"a survey of students involved in campus organizations”太长了，所以“in February”插到了中间。

3. team up：参加。

An extracurricular activity like raising a fund of $300,000 is risky because most student leaders_________.

A:are lazy B:are stupid C:are not rich enough D:will not take an interest in it

By any standard, money manager Malcolm Gissen has had a complicated relationship with risk over the past couple of years. After losing 62 percent in 2008, the Encompass Fund, which Gissen co-manages, gained a staggering 137 percent last year, cementing its reputation as one of the more volatile funds in the industry. "Most mutual fund managers tend to invest for mediocre results. Their goal is to perform in line with their benchmark," says Gissen, whose returns--for better or worsen-have been anything but mediocre.
Encompass is one of a small group of funds that have a "go-anywhere" mandate (meaning they can invest in essentially any type of security), and Gissen wields that power freely. Late last year, for instance, his fund had about 20 percent of its assets in gold-related investments. Despite all that, Gissen’s attitude toward risk is surprisingly straightforward: "We don’t like risk," he volunteers.
This, of course, begs the question: What exactly constitutes a risky portfolio "When people think about risk.., they think, ’What’s going to be the next AIG or the next Enron’" says Chris Konstantinos, a portfolio risk manager at Riverfront Investment Group, a Virginia-based advisory firm. "That’s a really important risk, but it’s not the entire side of the risk equation. It’s just one piece. "
Lately, the market has shone a light on an entirely different type of risk, one that’s far more paradoxical and difficult to grasp. "Sometimes the biggest risk you can have in your portfolio is not having enough risk," says Konstantinos. "And certainly since March of 2009, that’s clearly been the case. "
Advocates of this philosophy point to two main scenarios. In one, a traditionally safe asset class falls off, pulling the rug out from underneath investors who were overexposed to it. That’s what many analysts expect will happen to bond investors once interest rates start creeping up. In the other, a risky type of investment takes off, leaving those who don’t own it behind in a cloud of dust. That’s what occurred when consumer discretionary stocks surged during last year’s rebound.
In both scenarios, the advantage goes to investors with portfolios that are traditionally seen as risky. The challenge, of course, is achieving the right balance. Many investors can’t stomach the swings associated with funds like Gissen’s, but there’s middle ground to be found. "The right way to look at risk is to look at it from a portfolio construction perspective, which means that in a highly diversified portfolio, there’s room for what’s perceived as risky kinds of investments," says Konstantinos.
Most managers tend to invest portfolio that ______.

A:has the highest value B:doesn’t contain too much risk C:is more risky than any others D:can get more returns

By any standard, money manager Malcolm Gissen has had a complicated relationship with risk over the past couple of years. After losing 62 percent in 2008, the Encompass Fund, which Gissen co-manages, gained a staggering 137 percent last year, cementing its reputation as one of the more volatile funds in the industry. "Most mutual fund managers tend to invest for mediocre results. Their goal is to perform in line with their benchmark," says Gissen, whose returns--for better or worsen-have been anything but mediocre.
Encompass is one of a small group of funds that have a "go-anywhere" mandate (meaning they can invest in essentially any type of security), and Gissen wields that power freely. Late last year, for instance, his fund had about 20 percent of its assets in gold-related investments. Despite all that, Gissen’s attitude toward risk is surprisingly straightforward: "We don’t like risk," he volunteers.
This, of course, begs the question: What exactly constitutes a risky portfolio "When people think about risk.., they think, ’What’s going to be the next AIG or the next Enron’" says Chris Konstantinos, a portfolio risk manager at Riverfront Investment Group, a Virginia-based advisory firm. "That’s a really important risk, but it’s not the entire side of the risk equation. It’s just one piece. "
Lately, the market has shone a light on an entirely different type of risk, one that’s far more paradoxical and difficult to grasp. "Sometimes the biggest risk you can have in your portfolio is not having enough risk," says Konstantinos. "And certainly since March of 2009, that’s clearly been the case. "
Advocates of this philosophy point to two main scenarios. In one, a traditionally safe asset class falls off, pulling the rug out from underneath investors who were overexposed to it. That’s what many analysts expect will happen to bond investors once interest rates start creeping up. In the other, a risky type of investment takes off, leaving those who don’t own it behind in a cloud of dust. That’s what occurred when consumer discretionary stocks surged during last year’s rebound.
In both scenarios, the advantage goes to investors with portfolios that are traditionally seen as risky. The challenge, of course, is achieving the right balance. Many investors can’t stomach the swings associated with funds like Gissen’s, but there’s middle ground to be found. "The right way to look at risk is to look at it from a portfolio construction perspective, which means that in a highly diversified portfolio, there’s room for what’s perceived as risky kinds of investments," says Konstantinos.
According to Konstantinos, the biggest risk of portfolio is that ______.

A:you invest in any type of security B:the portfolio can not achieve the right balance C:you continue a risky portfolio D:your portfolio does not have enough risk

Cirque du Soleil (say it: Serk du So-lay) is being accused of out-dated thinking about the dangers of AIDS. It is a modem acrobatic circus from Canada that tours in the United States and other countries.
Last April, the company fired Matthew Cusick because he was HIV positive. This was after he spent four months learning his part in an act.
A spokesman for the circus said Cusick was fired for safety reasons. They said he was a danger to others.
He disagreed.
Hundreds of people picketed a show in San Francisco. They said that firing him was not legal.
Cusick says the company knew he was HIV positive when they hired him. R was not fair to let him put so much time into learning his act, and then fire him before he performed.
He says he is not a danger to others. People can only get AIDS if infected blood contacts another person’s blood, or open wound.
The company says what their acrobats do is very, very dangerous. They perform tricks without nets. Someone might fall and get hurt. It could be bloody. They say it is too risky to let a person with HIV take part in an act.
People who run the circus say it hurts to be accused of discrimination,
Matthew Cusick says he feels hurt that he can’t perform in the big blue and yellow tent.
Dozens of artists, actors, writers and entertainers got involved in protesting the firing of Matthew Cusick, Some names you might know are: the Actors’ Equity Union (45,000 members), Rosie O’Donnell, Rod McKuen, and Chad Allen, They also protested at a showing in Orange County. They said "HIV discrimination is unacceptable./
Acrobats and gymnasts are in danger of hurting themselves in Cirque du Soleil performances because ______ .

A:they haven’t practiced enough B:the equipment is in need of repairs C:they perform risky acts without nets D:some are HIV positive

Cirque du Soleil (Say it: Serk du So-lay) is being accused of out-dated thinking about the dangers of AIDS. It is a modern acrobatic circus from Canada that tours in the United States and other countries.
Last April, the company fired Matthew Cusick because he was HIV positive. This was after he spent four months learning his part in an act.
A spokesman for the circus said Cusick was fired for safety reasons. They said he was a danger to others.
He disagreed.
Hundreds of people picketed a show in San Francisco. They said that firing him was not legal.
Cusick says the company knew he was HIV positive when they hired him. It was not fair to let him put so much time into learning his act, and then fire him before he performed.
He says he is not a danger to others. People can only get AIDS if infected blood contacts another person’s blood, or open wound.
The company says what their acrobats do is very, very dangerous. They perform tricks without nets. Someone might fall and get hurt. It could be bloody. They say it is too risky to let a person with HIV take part in an act.
People who run the circus say it hurts to be accused of discrimination.
Matthew Cusick says he feels hurt that he can’t perform in the big blue and yellow tent.
Dozens of artists, actors, writers and entertainers got involved in protesting the firing of Matthew Cusick. Some names you might know are: the Actors’ Equity Union (45,000 members), Rosie O’Donnell, Rod McKuen, and Chad Allen. They also protested at a showing in Orange County. They said "HIV discrimination is unacceptable. /
Acrobats and gymnasts are in danger of hurting themselves in Cirque du Soleil performances because ______.

A:they haven’t practiced enough B:the equipment is in need of repairs C:they perform risky acts without nets D:some are HIV positive

Cirque du Soleil (say it: Serk du So-lay) is being accused of out-dated thinking about the dangers of AIDS. It is a modem acrobatic circus from Canada that tours in the United States and other countries.
Last April, the company fired Matthew Cusick because he was HIV positive. This was after he spent four months learning his part in an act.
A spokesman for the circus said Cusick was fired for safety reasons. They said he was a danger to others.
He disagreed.
Hundreds of people picketed a show in San Francisco. They said that firing him was not legal.
Cusick says the company knew he was HIV positive when they hired him. It was not fair to let him put so much time into learning his act, and then fire him before he performed.
He says he is not a danger to others. People can only get AIDS if infected blood contacts another person’s blood, or open wound.
The company says what their acrobats do is very, very dangerous. They perform tricks without nets. Someone might fall and get hurt, It could be bloody. They say it is too risky to let a person with HIV take part in an act.
People who run the circus say it hurts to be accused of discrimination.
Matthew Cusick says he feels hurt that he can’t perform in the big blue and yellow tent.
Dozens of artists, actors, writers and entertainers got involved in protesting the firing of Matthew Cusick. Some names you might know are: the Actors’ Equity Union (45,000 members), Rosie O’Donnell, Rod McKuen, and Chad Allen. They also protested at a showing in Orange County. They said "HIV discrimination is unacceptable./
Acrobats and gymnasts are in danger of hurting themselves in Cirque du Soleil performances because______.

A:they haven’t practiced enough B:the equipment is in need of repairs C:they perform risky acts without nets D:some are HIV positive

About eight million school-age children are home alone after school. These are the hours when the number of violent crimes peaks and when youths are most likely to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Many older children take care of themselves after school for an hour or two until a parent comes home, and research suggests that some of these children are more at risk of poor grades and risky behaviors.
Studies have been done to find out what helps to reduce these kinds of risky behaviors among youths. One study of Chicago neighborhoods showed that after-school programs resulted in less violence even in poor neighborhoods.
After-school programs can help to reduce crime and violence because they offer activities to children and youths during their out-of-school time. In addition to helping youths make use of after school hours, after-school programs provide teens with opportunities to develop caring relationships with adults. Studies have found that high-quality relationships with parents and other adults, as well as good use of time, are very important for healthy development in youth.
After-school programs can also be used for teens who hang out at friends’ houses and play basketball when a parent or other responsible adult is at home. The programs can also be helpful for formal after-school activities, including "drop-in" programs that are provided by organizations.
Despite the benefits of after-school programs, there are many reasons why some parents do not use them. Programs may be too expensive, of poor quality, or hard to join. Some other children and young teens may refuse to attend programs that seem like they are just child care. Parents may feel uncertain about how much freedom is proper for children and youths who are beyond the traditional child care years. However, research supports the effectiveness of these programs in protecting middle school and high school youths from risk and harm.
Which of the following is a benefit of after-school programs

A:They help to avoid crime and violence during that time. B:They help youths do things on their own during after-school hours. C:They help teens develop caring relationships with classmates. D:They help to reduce risky behaviors among youths.