【推荐1】Twenty–six years after a terrible bicycle accident which left her in a coma(昏迷) for two months and with permanent brain injuries, Barbara Buchan performs many actions more slowly than others. But on September 10 in Beijing, Buchan, at 52, the oldest member of the United States Paralympic team, broke the record and won the gold medal for her disability class in the individual 3,000–meter cycling pursuit.
“You can be very upset at the world and have everyone take care of you.” Buchan said by telephone from Beijing, “or get back on your feet again.”
Buchan first dreamed of Olympic gold at age 15 while watching the 1972 Munich Games. She became a top American cyclist by July 1982, when a terrible road–race crash injured her brain and left doctors doubtful about whether she would survive. She was wearing only a soft leather helmet at the time; her accident made the rule put into practice that cyclists wear the hard–shell helmets that are now common.
Buchan recovered enough of her athletic ability to run track in the 1988 Paralympics in Seoul, where she won a silver medal in the 800 meters. Women’s cycling was not included in the Paralympics yet, so Buchan trained to the point where she raced against men in the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, Australia-she finished 9th and 10th in two races-and then successfully fought for a separate women’s cycling program beginning in 2004 in Athens, where she did not get a medal.
Even though she was approaching her 50s, Buchan kept racing and again made the United States Paralympic team for Beijing-where she is twice the age of most of her teammates and competitors.
“Barbara’s almost the leader of our team-she’s been through it all,” said Craig Griffin, the United States cycling coach. “She’s never tired. She’s never let her body go and then come back. I don’t think age is as big of a deal as people make it out to be.”
1. According to the text, after the accident,               .

A．Buchan asked her friends to take care of her

B．cyclists started to wear helmets in competition

C．Buchan could not answer questions correctly

D．doctors doubted whether Buchan could come back to life

2. What’s the right order of the events related to Buchan?
a. She won a gold medal in Beijing.
b. She became a top American cyclist.
c. She won a silver medal in the 800 meters.
d. She suffered a terrible bicycle accident.
e. She took part in a cycling program in Athens.

A．c-d-b-a-e	B．b-c-d-a-e
C．b-d-e-c-a	D．c-b-d-e-a

3. What does the underlined phrase “get back on your feet” in the second paragraph mean?

A．rise to your feet	B．walk on your way
C．go beyond yourself	D．depend on yourself

4. Which the following can be the best title for this passage?

A．The Making of a Hero	B．From a Loser to a Winner
C．All Roads Lead to Rome	D．Health is Better than Wealth

【推荐2】National Public Radio (NPR) Music’s Tiny Desk Contest is back. Artists can begin to submit an entry from this morning on Feb. 2nd. The submission will last 14 days. This isn’t just another regular year of the Contest-it’s the 10th anniversary.

The panel (小组) of judges has doubled in size compared to previous years. The panel has a group of industry experts who are eager to see what this year’s participants can share. And there’s a great team of NPR’s Music station hosts on the panel: Amelia Mason. Novena Carmel and Stas THEE Boss.

Also new this year: Not only will the 2024 winner play a Tiny Desk concert，be interviewed on All Things Considered and go on tour with NPR Music-they’ll also be paired with a tutor in the industry who will help them navigate their music journey. Our judges are determined to give this year’s winner the support they’ll need to take their music to the next level. The winner will also be featured at two festivals this summer: Celebrate Brooklyn and the Millennium Park Summer Music series in Chicago.

And for the first time this year, the Contest is introducing a fan favorite vote. Later this spring, Contest judges will share their favorite entries as part of the annual Tiny Desk-Contest Top Shelf series on YouTube — and then artists and fans will be able to vote for their favorite among those selections.

Here’s how to enter: Record a video of you playing one original song — behind a desk, upload your video to YouTube. and submit the video on our Tiny Desk Contest website.

1. What’s the deadline of the submission?

A．Feb. 21.

B．Feb. 2.

C．Feb. 16.

D．Feb. 15.

2. In what way is the Contest special this year?

A．There are fewer judges in the panel.	B．Fans are able to vote in the Contest.
C．Judges go on tour with NPR Music.	D．Winners host festivals this summer.

3. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To attract people to join in the Contest.	B．To remember musicians in the Contest.
C．To mark the anniversary of the Contest.	D．To talk about the history of the Contest

【推荐1】Middle School Academic Summer Camp Courses

Enrichment Theme: Creative Minds

August 15- August 27

A wide variety of enrichment courses await you at R-MA’s Summer Academic Camp in the Northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Come and explore the galaxy, master technology, broaden your reading base….It’s a summer that you’ll never forget!

Science Explorer:

Students will uses simple machines to invent Rube Goldberg challenges. Weekly creations will provide students chances to work together and think creativity with others. This course is our most popular, apply early to reserve your space!

Reading & Writing:

Get occupied with non-fictional text that describes some of the greatest inventors of all time. Create digital text that is both interactive and animated (交互的和动态的).

History in Action:

Recreate some of the most influential architectural features from the early civilizations by using everyday materials. Let your imagination head to another world with hands-on activities on a daily basis.

Music:

You can use our digital keyboarding software to make a variety of music Are there chances to

play instruments in space? How does it sound and What are the challenges? Learn about how music plays a role in space.

Middle School Academic Enrichment. Camp Fees

Tuition (学费): For one two-week session:$ 645

For both two-week sessions: $1180

Personal account: $565

Notes:

* There are four periods each day and each course runs for two periods. Students can only choose one or two topics for the summer.

* All courses are for enrichment only. This is a learning enrichment camp, not a summer school program. Students cannot take these courses to make up for courses failed during the normal school year.

* Tuition does not include the cost of meals or uniforms. Personal account covers board, uniforms and trips.

1. What do the courses focus on for students?

A．Their teamwork.	B．Their creativity.
C．Their failed courses.	D．Their school grades.

2. How much will Steven pay for both History in Action and Music in total?

A．$1180.	B．$1210.
C．$1290.	D．$1745.

3. What will students have the chance to do at the Summer Camp?

A．Play various musical instruments.

B．Turn ancient materials into products.

C．Invent some stories about great scientists.

D．Explore some simple machines for challenges.

【推荐2】UNESCO Announces New World Heritage Sites

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, meets each year to choose the latest additions to its World Heritage list. The World Heritage Committee chooses sites based on historical and cultural importance, as well as their beauty. Here are some recent additions:

Babylon (Iraq)

The ancient city of Babylon is closely connected with one of the seven wonders of the ancient world — the Hanging Gardens. Now, the area is gaining World Heritage Site status. The city on the Euphrates River is about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad. The 4,300-year-old Babylon is where dynasties have risen and fallen since the earliest days of settled human civilization.

Paraty and Ilha Grande (Brazil)

The historic coastal town of Paraty and the island Ilha Grande are already popular places for visitors to Brazirs Rio de Janeiro state. Now, they make up a newly named UNESCO site. Paraty was the final stop along the Gold Route, along which gold was shipped to Europe in the 1600s. The area is also home to a huge number of animals, some of which are threatened.

Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City (China)

The ruins of Liangzhu represent an early state with a collective belief system based on rice growing, dating from 3300 to 2300 BCE. The site is made up of four areas along the Yangtze River Basin. The ruins, UNESCO says, are an “outstanding example of early urban civilization”. They include an ancient water system and social divisions represented in different kinds of burials.

Writing-on-Stone (Canada)

Canada’s Writing-on-Stone monument, known also as Aisinai’pi，has a large number of protected rock paintings and rock carvings. Some of them are 2,000 years old. The markings were left by Blackfoot Native Americans, who live in parts of Western Canada and the far northern United States. The Blackfoot people consider the area to be holy.

1. Why does the World Heritage Committee meet annually?

A．To assess potential sites.

B．To choose world wonders.

C．To recommend cultural cities.

D．To study various social systems.

2. What do we know about Paraty?

A．It witnessed gold transport.

B．It lay in the south of Baghdad.

C．It developed based on rice growing.

D．It was once famous for rock paintings.

3. Which country will you visit if you want to learn about early urban civilization?

A．Iraq.	B．Brazil.
C．China.	D．Canada.

【推荐3】In 2016, the world’s population cast aside 49 million tons of electronic waste, known as e-waste.

It has been calculated that this number will grow to more than 60 million tons by 2021.

What is causing the upsurge ( 激增 ) in e-waste? Technology is becoming more and more widespread, covering almost every aspect of our lives. Meanwhile, the lifespan of devices is getting shorter---many products will be thrown away once their batteries die, to be replaced by new devices. Companies intentionally plan the obsolescence ( 过时 ) of their goods by updating the design or software and discontinuing support for older models, so that now it is usually cheaper and easier to buy a new product than to repair an old one. Since prices are falling, electronic devices are in demand around the world.

As more people buy electronic equipment, manufacturers ( 制造商 ) are beginning to face shortages of the raw materials needed to make their products, so recycling and reusing materials from discarded products and waste makes economic and environmental sense.

Recycling e-waste is practiced both formally and informally. Proper or formal e-waste recycling usually involves taking apart the electronics, separating and sorting through the materials and cleaning them. Companies must obey health and safety rules to reduce the health and environmental hazards of handling e-waste by using pollution-control technologies. All this makes formal recycling expensive. Informal recycling is typically unlicensed and uncontrolled. At informal recycling workshops, men and women recover valuable materials by burning devices to melt away non-valuable materials. Usually they do not wear protective equipment and lack any awareness that they are handling dangerous materials.

With the amount of e-waste growing around the world, recycling alone will not be enough to solve the problem. In order to reduce e-waste, manufacturers need to design electronics that are safer, and more durable, repairable and recyclable. The best thing you can do is resist buying a new device until you really need it. Try to get your old product repaired if possible and, if it can’t be fixed, resell or recycle it responsibly. Before you recycle your device, put any broken parts in separate containers and close these tightly to prevent chemicals from leaking. Wear latex gloves and a mask if you’re handling something that’s broken.

1. How do companies contribute to the rapid growth of e-waste?

A．They sell their new products at extremely low price.

B．They plan a short lifespan for the batteries intentionally.

C．They do not provide support for old model on purpose.

D．They update the design and software to cover every aspect of our lives.

2. The underlined word “hazards” in paragraph 4 probably means _________.

A．harm

B．problems

C．concern

D．protection

3. The passage is intended for ________.

A．manufacturers

B．consumers

C．managers

D．salesmen

4. The purpose of the article is _________.

A．to call for everyone to play a part in reducing e-waste

B．to promote a style of living without electronic devices

C．to explain why manufacturers need to recycle e-waste

D．to appeal to the companies to sell less devices