1 . 2024 Western Colorado Elementary Science Fair
EUREKA! and D51 are partnering to host our annual elementary (小学的) science fair! Here’s your chance to apply your love of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) by conducting your own scientific investigation.
Participation is open to all 3-5th graders living in Wester Colorado, and students can either enter as an individual or as a team of no more than 3 members. Judging will be based on grade, and a team composed of students from multiple grades will be judged in the grade category of the oldest participant’s grade.
Project Submission
All participants must complete all of the following by March 7, 2024:
●Complete the registration form (one per team)
●Create a display poster (either physical or electronic) summarizing their project and email the file or a clear photo of it to the science fair committee
● Create a video presentation (less than 5 minutes) explaining their project to the judges, and submit it to the science fair committee
Public Viewing
Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Location: EUREKA! McConnell Science Museum
Participants can display their posters and present their projects to the public (optional) .
Safety Regulations
It is important to wear proper protective gear (装备) when necessary in addition to disposing of (处理) waste properly when conducting a scientific investigation. We strongly recommend that guardians look up and study Safety Data Sheets for any chemicals that their students use and have responsibility for not allowing students to experiment with dangerous chemicals. EUREKA! holds the right to not display projects if they believe the components break our safety regulations.
1. What is an entry requirement for the science fair?| A．A team must consist of three members. |
| B．A team must be led by-the oldest participant. |
| C．All participants must be from Western Colorado. |
| D．Teams must be formed by students in the same grade. |
| A．Submit a display poster. | B．Video the investigation process. |
| C．Present their project to the public. | D．Fill in the registration form individually. |
| A．Disposing of waste improperly. |
| B．Performing experiments without a guardian. |
| C．Involving harmful chemicals in your project. |
| D．Conducting your investigation without protective gear. |
2 . Changing schools can be a difficult experience for a child, because making new friends can be hard in a new environment.
10-year-old RafaelAnaya and Amanda Moore have proven that friendship can go beyond any language barrier (障碍). Rafael had just begun going to Paloma Elementary after he moved to California from Mexico with his family. Amanda noticed that her classmate Rafael ate lunch and went home alone, and looked sad in the cafeteria every day without any friends. She felt sympathy (同情) for him.
One day she decided to join Rafael for lunch. When trying to communicate, she realized that he spoke Spanish but did not speak much English, so the next day she decided to write him a note using Google Translate. Amanda translated her note into Spanish and began practicing reading the note so she could speak with her new friend. On the way to school, Amanda asked her mom Kimber to correct her note, and her mom was so proud of her kind little girl that she decided to share her story online.
Hundreds of thousands of people online were deeply touched when hearing of the kindness of Amanda to reach out to Rafael at their school. Amanda’s note read:
“Would you like to sit with me today? Look for me and I will show you where I sit. We can paint or simply tell scary stories. Thank you for your time.”
Amanda’s mom said that since her daughter gave Rafael the note, the two have become good friends. They spend time together at school and also go trick-or-treating together for Halloween. Rafael told ABC news that he and Amanda would be friends “forever.”
Amanda’s act of kindness shows how wonderfully she was raised; to be kind to others, regardless of their language ability or country of origin.
1. At school, Amanda Moore found that________ .| A．Rafael Anaya was lonely | B．many students didn’t talk to RafaelAnaya |
| C．Rafael Anaya liked eating alone | D．RafaelAnaya cried in the cafeteria |
| A．Rafael was too shy to talk. | B．Rafael just spoke a little English. |
| C．She was afraid of saying something wrong. | D．She thought that could make Rafael feel comfortable. |
| A．they painted pictures together | B．they sat together to have lunch |
| C．Amanda sent Rafael a note in Spanish | D．Amanda showed sympathy for Rafael |
| A．Easy-going and generous. | B．Thoughtful and kind-hearted. |
| C．Creative and determined. | D．Patient and careful. |
3 . Online, English has become a common language for users from around the world. In the process, the language itself is changing. There are now thought to be some 4.5 billion web pages worldwide. Some language experts predict that within 10 years English will occupy the Internet — but in forms will be very different to what we accept and recognize as English today.
That’s because people who speak English as a second language already outnumber native speakers. And increasingly, they use it to communicate with other non-native speakers, particularly on the Internet where less attention is paid to grammar and spelling and users don’t have to worry about their accent (口音).
Users of Facebook already socialize in a number of different “Englishes” including Indian English, Spanish English and Korean English. While these different styles have long existed within their cultures, they’re now expanding and coming online. Technology companies are introducing newly-developed English words with products aimed at enabling users to add words that are not in the English dictionary. And most large companies have English websites, while smaller businesses are learning that they need a common language — English — to reach global customers.
The increasing popularity of the Internet allows more languages to develop quickly.
“Most people actually speak several languages — it’s less common to only speak one,” says Mr. Munro. “English has taken its place as the world's common language, but it’s not pushing out other languages.” Instead, other languages are pushing their way into English, and in the process creating something new.
1. What does the text mainly talk about?| A．English is a common language around the world. |
| B．There are now many different language styles. |
| C．English is developing with the Internet. |
| D．Smaller businesses are learning a common language. |
| A．People need to spell exactly. |
| B．Grammar is not so important. |
| C．People need to pay attention to their accent. |
| D．Most English speakers are native speakers. |
| A．We can only communicate online in English. |
| B．It's impossible to find all the English words in the dictionary. |
| C．Some technology companies start to publish English dictionaries. |
| D．Smaller businesses are not allowed to have English websites. |
| A．The other languages are enriching English. |
| B．One can’t live well without speaking several languages. |
| C．English will become the only language in the world. |
| D．Chinese used to be the world's common language. |
4 . While many people adventure to the tops of mountains, there is a lot to be found underground as well. Here, we’ve found four secret caves that are worth knowing about.
1. Hidden Cave at Grimes Point, Nevada
Hidden Cave was formed about 21,000 years ago. Native Americans used it to store tools. The cave was discovered by four kids out looking for treasure in 1927. When they found the cave, they were the first humans in the 20th century to see it. Today, Hidden Cave is a free public tourist attraction.
2. Ice Caves, North Dakota
Ice Caves, located in the northwest part of North Dakota, were first discovered by Joe Quinion in the early 1900s. These caves get their name from their cool temperatures. People have reported seeing ice and snow from the previous winter in the caves well into July. The caves ’ thick sandstone and limited air flow help keep ice from melting.
3. The Ramble Cave, New York
Unlike other secret caves that are located in remote (偏远的) areas, the Ramble Cave is located right in the middle of America’s biggest city — in New York’s Central Park. However, it wasn’t originally part of the designer’s plan for the park. Instead, it was discovered by accident by workers in the 1850s. The cave was a popular attraction for children in its early days but was closed in 1934 after a man was shot and killed in this cave.
4. Tears of the Turtle, Montana
This cave wasn’t found until 2006. It is located in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness, a vast area with no roads. That means to reach this cave, you have to hike or ride a horse 33.7 kilometers into the wilderness area from Meadow Creek. Also, with a depth of 496.5 meters, the cave is definitely not for inexperienced explorers.
1. What is the reason why Ice Caves get their name?| A．Snow will not melt in the caves. |
| B．It is quite cool inside the caves. |
| C．They were formed in winter season. |
| D．They are located in the coldest place in the world. |
| A．Its location is far away from the city center. |
| B．It was included in the designer’s original plan. |
| C．It is not accessible to the public because a crime (犯罪活动) happened there. |
| D．It was discovered later than Hidden Cave. |
| A．Hidden Cave | B．Ice Caves |
| C．the Ramble Cave | D．Tears of the Turtle Cave |
5 . Rescue Dog Frida played an important role in many natural disasters. She saved many people during her working life. Now she has moved on to a more peaceful life after her huge contribution.
Frida is a 10-year-old yellow dog. She spent her life helping rescue survivors around the world after natural disasters. And now she’s finally exchanging her working equipment for something else: a dog toy.
After a long career saving people’s lives, Frida has retired from rescue work, according to Mexico’s government. While she has found at least 41 bodies and a dozen people alive over her career, the dog became well-known after a deadly earthquake in Mexico in 2017.
Frida and her trainer were called in after the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that rocked Mexico City in 2017. The dog worked with other rescue dogs and became a symbol of hope for many in the area during the time. Fifteen dogs were called in during the search, but Frida was the most popular on social media.
Last summer, a statue of her was shown at a park in Puebla City. Next to her statue (雕像) is a statue of her trainer, Israel Arauz. A plaque (牌匾) in front of the two reads: “Memorable symbols of the strength Mexicans can have when we decide to come together for great causes.”
In addition to her famous work after the 2017 earthquake, she also worked on two international groups after earthquakes in Haiti and Ecuador. Frida’s retirement was part of the navy’s “International Day of the Rescuer”. She was given a toy at the ceremony to celebrate her retirement. Frida stole the heart of all Mexico and thousands more abroad. Her bark (犬吠声) always gave hope.
1. What will Frida do for the rest of her life?| A．Save people after natural disasters strike. |
| B．Enjoy her life after retirement. |
| C．Help people deal with earthquakes. |
| D．Find more animals that are lost. |
| A．She found at least 41 bodies. |
| B．She became interested in dog toys. |
| C．She became very famous on social media. |
| D．She moved to a peaceful place. |
| A．It was built by her trainer. |
| B．It was built in the city where she was born. |
| C．It is beside the statue of her trainer. |
| D．It has a plaque behind it. |
| A．She was given a toy. |
| B．She travelled abroad with her trainer. |
| C．Her bark was recorded. |
| D．She took a vacation in Haiti. |
6 . One Saturday in December, Annacarin Elf, the head of operations at Gothenburg City Library, just happened to walk by her workplace. Noticing that the door was open, she entered the library, and was astonished to see the heartwarming scene that people were using it like on a regular day.
It was scheduled to be closed for the New Year holiday. The people in the library behaved as usual. Many were sitting reading newspapers, some families were in the children's section and others were searching for books on the computer.
It seemed that Elf's colleagues had simply forgotten to lock the door, and because this popular library is usually open on Saturdays. visitors just assumed they could walk in. Elf called to check with her staff team, before announcing to the people present that the library was about to close. Then she expressed her regret for what had been done wrong and caused them a problem. It later turns out that 446 locals visited the city library borrowing a total of 246 books during the day. What's remarkable is that people checked out their books through the library's electronic self-service system, and that to date, all the books have been retuned!
Many Swedes have reacted positively to this uplifting demonstration of local respect for the library, a center that can be seen as a sign of the community, and what the locals did has strengthened their sense of belonging in their community.
Elf says, “Nothing was destroyed. It's amazing that Gothenburgers entered an empty library and treated and so lovingly.” The city leader has even suggested that this unusual Saturday serve as an accidental experiment to analyse the possibility of operating a totally automated library without staff.
1. Why did Elf feel surprised after entering the library?| A．The library staff were in it. | B．People kept reading on holidays. |
| C．People came in without permission. | D．It was used though supposed to be closed. |
| A．She left the library open. | B．She asked the staff back. |
| C．She apologized to the visitors. | D．She read books in the library. |
| A．It displays community spirit. | B．It gives the library much uplift. |
| C．It is a positive reaction to society. | D．It strengthens trust between people. |
| A．People tend to show care for others. | B．Life is always full of the unexpected. |
| C．Libraries can be automated sometimes. | D．A library can bring out the best in people. |
7 . Consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) has increased over the past 20 years. UPFs (超加工食品) contain few or no whole foods, are industrially produced, are ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat, and include additives (添加剂). The ultra-processing of food reduces its nutritional value. It has been known that higher UPF consumption is associated with overweight and heart disease. Now, research has been extended to examine its impact on mental health.
In a new study, over 72,000 participants who were at least 55 years old and didn’t have dementia (痴呆) at the start of the study were followed for an average of 10 years, during which they filled out questionnaires regarding their diet. By the end of the study, 518 people were diagnosed (诊断) with dementia. After adjusting for other factors that could affect risk of dementia such as age, gender, and heart disease, researchers found every 10 percent increase in daily intake of UPFs was associated with a 25 percent higher risk of dementia. They also found replacing 10percent of UPFs with unprocessed or minimally processed foods was associated with a 19 percent lower risk of dementia.
In another study, researchers found individuals who consumed the most UPFs had significant increases in the symptoms (症状) of mild depression, “mentally unhealthy days”, and “anxious days”. Eric Hecht, Founder and Executive Director of the Institute of Etiological Research, said, “More than 70 percent of packaged foods in the US are classified as UPFs and represent about 60percent of all calories consumed by Americans. Considering the degree of exposure to and effects of UPF consumption, this study has great significance in clinical practice and public health. It might help improve future development of dietary guidelines.”
Facing such alarming data, maybe it’s time for Americans to reconsider their food choices. Researchers recommend taxes on UPFs and carrying out policies to reduce the consumption. They also support programs and policies to increase the availability and affordability of whole foods, especially among disadvantaged populations.
1. What do we know about UPFs?| A．They have no nutritional value. | B．They are ready-made and instant foods. |
| C．They are cheap and mass-produced. | D．They serve as additions to our daily diets. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Ambiguous. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Collecting higher taxes on UPFs. | B．Decreasing UPFs’ consumption in diet. |
| C．Focusing on the nutrient content of foods. | D．Increasing public awareness of whole foods. |
| A．Public Health Response to UPFs | B．Physical Disorders Linked to UPFs |
| C．Rising Consumption of UPFs in the US | D．Negative Effects of UPFs on Mental Health |
8 . You are staring at a blank page 5, 000 words to go. You are well aware that your computer can write this thing for you. To use AI or not to use AI? That is the question.
The rapid development of AI tools has led many people to question their impacts on academic life. During an event to educate students about AI and academic integrity, Emily Bonano, chief justice of the All-Campus Judicial Council (ACJC), which is responsible for hearing individual cases relating to academic integrity, stressed that although AI as a common tool is a recent development, its impacts on academic honesty are already clear. “People are using it practically like any common tool,” Bonanno said. “People run into issues where they make assumptions and say ‘Oh, I’m just going to use it’ or ‘It doesn’t really matter. It’s just a little paragraph’. But it does matter.”
The Academic Honesty Policy defines academic honesty as “Acting with truthfulness and sincerity in carrying out all aspects of our individual and collaborative (合作的) work, maintaining ownership of our work and acknowledging our debt to the work of others”. The use of AI tools in completing tasks might be thought of as the breach of academic integrity if it went against this policy, Bonanno said. She explained that using AI without an instructor’s permission might be considered as receiving or using unauthorized aid under the policy.
Many instructors prohibit the use of AI in their classrooms because it runs the risk of disregarding academic integrity, but there are exceptions. Professor Whitney is teaching a course called Writing About and With Artificial Intelligence, which examines the role that AI can play in writing and involves using AI tools to better understand how to write with them. Regardless of whether an instructor allows or forbids the use of AI, its rules should be laid out clearly, Bonanno said.
1. What do Emily Bonanno’s words in paragraph 2 imply?| A．We should be careful about academic use of AI. |
| B．AI has been a major risk to academic integrity. |
| C．Occasional use of AI tools for tasks is acceptable. |
| D．AI is far from a common tool in the academic field. |
| A．Misinterpretation. | B．Clarification |
| C．Representing | D．Breaking. |
| A．To present the practical application of AI. | B．To show another view on using AI in class. |
| C．To stress the important role of AI in writing. | D．To encourage the appropriate use of AI tools. |
| A．Is AI a Real Threat to Education? | B．Will AI Be Prohibited Academically? |
| C．Is Using AI Academically Dishonest? | D．Should You Use AI to Complete Tasks? |
9 . I was typing papers for new school students when Mama called. We talked about some senseless things for a while before she finally told me about it. “Well, Donner, there’s this class up at the high school this summer.” She said. “They say they can teach me to read and write. I’m trying to decide whether.”
“Of course, you should do it! That would be so wonderful. I’d be so proud of you.” I answered. She was 63 and had survived two alcoholic husbands and was an expert at buying and selling garage sale junk to keep food on her own table and buy Christmas presents for me and my brother’s kids. She used food stamps to buy food and other goods. Mama laughed, seemingly with relief. “Well, you know, I’d about gotten used to being the silliest old lady in town,” she said.
It turned out that her neighbor had found the class for her. The young woman had been doing Mama’s “business” for a while in my absence, helping to relieve my guilt over leaving Mississippi. The friend was a little crazy, but Mama liked her. She was real and, by then, I hated pretension as much as Mama did. When I was little, she would tell me: “Remember, Donner Kay, nobody’s better than anybody else.”
Three months into the class. Mama left a message on my answering machine: “Donner, I taught a class tonight!” She was almost singing the words. “The teacher let me teach the class!” She soon wrote me a letter in a careful, boxy print I had never seen, instead of the strange way she had long written family names she had memorized.
The next time I flew home to visit, we both laughed like 12-year-olds as she read words from billboards on the way from the airport. Her grammar was getting better. She kept talking about her classes and the other students.
1. Why did Donner’s mother phone her according to Paragraph 1?| A．To advise Donner to take a course. | B．To show her support for Donner. |
| C．To tell Donner her decision. | D．To ask Donner for advice. |
| A．Shocked. | B．Delighted. | C．Puzzled. | D．Worried. |
| A．What progress Donner’s mother made. |
| B．The difficulty Donner’s mother had in learning. |
| C．How Donner’s mother learned to read and write. |
| D．The effects other students had on Donner’s mother. |
10 . Humans are born to compete with one another. People compare how many “likes” they have on social media. Billionaires envy multibillionaires. The legendary NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt once stated, “Second place is just the first loser.”
Although the competitive spirit may be as natural as breathing air, it does not always lead to human prosperity (繁荣，成功). On the contrary, left unmanaged, it can create misery for ourselves and others. Fortunately, there is a formula to solve this problem without unrealistically suggesting that we entirely dispense with our competitive urge: Instead of always going for gold, shoot for the bronze.
To expand on the wisdom of Earnhardt, although second place may be the first loser, third place can be the real winner — at least when it comes to happiness and longevity (长寿). Recent research suggested that the bronze winners appeared consistently happier on average than the silver medalists. Regarding the life span of all three medalist categories, it was found that the athlete whose best performance was silver lived to 72. Gold medalists beat this by a solid four years, living to 76. But first prize in longevity went to the bronze medalists, who lived to 78.
The study had a handy explanation for this distinction: “Dissatisfactory competition outcomes may badly affect health.” In other words, silver medalists see themselves as the first loser because they only look up to the top step, whereas the bronze winners compare themselves favorably with all the others who never made it onto the podium (领奖台) at all.
One of the problems with most competitions against others is that it tends to lower one’s inner motivation, and thus enjoyment. Decades ago, researchers showed this by asking people to solve puzzles and then measuring the interest they reported. They found the puzzles less rewarding when competing against others rather than against the clock. Simply having a time limit means competing against themselves—which is often more fun. The principle at work here is that trying to improve your own past performance provides a sense not of “winning” but of progress. And the only person to whom you will have to compare yourself is you.
1. What does the underlined words “dispense with” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Stick to. | B．Depend on. | C．Get rid of. | D．Take charge of. |
| A．Treat competitions as all or nothing. |
| B．Aim to outperform others in competitions. |
| C．Check out others’ victories on social media. |
| D．Compare themselves with those less fortunate. |
| A．Always Going for Gold | B．The Victory of Coming in Third |
| C．Finding Satisfaction in Comparison | D．Second Place is Just the First Loser |
