1 . Global Essay Competition
The John Locke Institute encourages young people to develop the characteristics that turn good students into great writers. Our Essay Competition invites students to explore a wide range of challenging and interesting questions beyond the limits of the school curriculum (课程).
All of our essay prizes are judged by senior academics from the University of Oxford. The judges will choose their favourite essay from each subject category and an overall “best essay” across six subjects: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology and Law.
Entry Requirements
Entry is open to students from any country. Candidates must be eighteen years old, or younger, on the date of the submission deadline, 30 June. Candidates for the Junior Prize must be fourteen years old, or younger, on the date of the submission deadline. Each essay should address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed (超过) 2, 000 words.
Key Dates
30 June: Submission deadline
14 July: Short-listed candidates informed
26 August: Awards Dinner for the Junior Prize
2. September: Awards Dinner for the Economics Prize and other prizes
Prizes
There is a prize for the best essay in each category. The prize for each winner of a subject category, and the winner of the Junior category, is a scholarship worth US $2,000 towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute programme, and the essays will be published on the Institute’s website. The prize-giving ceremony will take place in Oxford.
The candidate who submits the best essay overall will be awarded an honorary John Locke Institute Junior, Fellowship, which comes with a US $10, 000 scholarship to attend one or more of our summer schools.
1. What should the entry be about?| A．The limits of school courses. | B．The characteristics of great writers. |
| C．One of the given questions. | D．Anything in the chosen fields. |
| A．It sets a word limit on essays. |
| B．It has six subject categories. |
| C．Its prizes are judged by voting online. |
| D．It is open to any student regardless of his or her nationality. |
| A．10 | B．14 | C．18 | D．20 |
| A．On 30 June. | B．On 14 July. |
| C．On 26 August. | D．On 2 September. |
| A．A fellowship at Oxford University. | B．A summer school scholarship. |
| C．A chance to get published. | D．A US $1, 000 award. |
2 . Do you find yourself pulling away from others, especially if you’ve experienced a deep disappointment? Maybe the most
A man who lost his wife to cancer found himself wanting to be
His friends became
The man responded that he felt better
They sat in
The man sat in silence,
We cannot
| A．exciting | B．common | C．difficult | D．obvious |
| A．independent | B．cheerful | C．sociable | D．alone |
| A．enjoyed | B．refused | C．looked back to | D．took part in |
| A．quit | B．reduced | C．kept | D．became fond of |
| A．hurriedly | B．hopefully | C．straight | D．eagerly |
| A．greetings | B．visits | C．kindness | D．invitations |
| A．annoyed | B．alarmed | C．disappointed | D．curious |
| A．warm fireplace | B．beautiful garden | C．bright window | D．TV set |
| A．inspired | B．told | C．encouraged | D．required |
| A．inform | B．expect | C．leave | D．allow |
| A．while | B．without | C．regardless of | D．because of |
| A．besides | B．otherwise | C．generally | D．therefore |
| A．turn | B．silence | C．tears | D．talks |
| A．frightening | B．heartwarming | C．unusual | D．interesting |
| A．black | B．burnt | C．dark | D．flaming |
| A．watching | B．holding | C．admiring | D．ignoring |
| A．down | B．away | C．ahead | D．around |
| A．point | B．invitation | C．news | D．notice |
| A．think | B．understand | C．escape | D．survive |
| A．welcomed | B．concerned | C．connected | D．affected |
3 . What’s On?
Electric Underground
7.30pm－1.00am Free at the Cyclops Theatre
Do you know who’s playing in your area? We’re bringing you an evening of live rock and pop music from the best local bands. Are you interested in becoming a musician and getting a recording contract? If so, come early to the talk at 7.30 pm by Jules Skye, a successful record producer. He’s going to talk about how you can find the right person to produce your music.
Gee Whizz
8.30pm-10.30pm Comedy (喜剧)at Kaleidoscope
Come and see Gee Whizz perform. He’s the funniest stand-up comedian on the comedy scene. This joyful show will please everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. Gee Whizz really knows how to make you laugh! Our bar is open from 7.00pm for drinks and snacks(快餐).
Simon’s Workshop
5.00pm-7.30pm Wednesdays at Victoria Stage
This is a good chance for anyone who wants to learn how to do comedy. The workshop looks at every kind of comedy, and practices many different ways of making people laugh. Simon is a comedian and actor who has 10 years’ experience of teaching comedy. His workshops are exciting and fun. An evening with Simon will give you the confidence to be funny.
Charlotte Stone
8.00pm-11.00pm Pizza World
Fine food with beautiful jazz music; this is a great evening out. Charlotte Stone will perform songs from her new best-selling CD, with James Pickering on the piano. The menu is Italian, with excellent meat and fresh fish, pizzas and pasta(面食). Book early to get a table. Our bar is open all day, and serves cocktails, coffee, beer, and white wine.
1. Who can help you if you want to have your music produced?| A．Jules Skye. | B．Gee Whizz. | C．Charlotte Stone. | D．James Pickering. |
| A．The Cyclops Theatre | B．Kaleidoscope | C．Victoria Stage | D．Pizza World |
| A．It requires membership card. | B．It lasts three hours each time. |
| C．It is run by a comedy club. | D．It is held every Wednesday. |
| A．5.00pm-7.30pm. | B．7.30pm－1.00am. | C．8.00pm-11.00pm. | D．8.30pm-10.30pm. |
4 . Have you ever come out of a steamy hot shower and tried to look at your reflection in the mirror when it’s completely steamed and fogged up? I often think that is how we tend to view our beauty—through fogged up mirrors. We are seeing ourselves but the picture isn’t exactly clear! The mirrors have been fogged up through different life experiences and memories as we have grown up, and now blend together to form our own definition of our beauty.
The first mirror is formed as a young child and is often based on what was said about us from our parents and those around us. I remember being told that I was a cute child, so that when I got a little older and was around six or seven and another child tried to tell me I was ugly- everything within me rose up against the statement because my self-belief in what my parents had said stood strong.
The second mirror is the mirror of adolescence, those formative years when we are pushed into the big wild world and out of the protection of home. As a teenager I went to a boarding school, and I was one of the only two black people in the entire school. Children being naturally curious, I felt like I was asked a million and one different questions about both my hair and skin tone- -and I don’t think there has ever been a time when I have been more acutely aware of my appearance, which in turn opened up the door for me to question how I looked and to thankfully embrace my differences.
The final mirror comes from socially constructed ideas of beauty. We are often faced with numerous images in the media, popular culture, society, peers and social media, which can create a false ideal of beauty in our eyes. We tend to compare ourselves to those ideals and use it as some sort of margin (差值) of measurement.
However, real beauty comes from within. It is acceptance of yourself, perceived flaws and all. You are a masterpiece, a unique blend of genes and life experiences. It’s essential to appreciate yourself like any other work of art or natural wonder, without judgement. Maybe it’s time to create a fourth mirror, a new mirror that is wiped clean and is minus the fog of comparisons, accusations, judgments and expectations.
1. What do the fogged-up mirrors represent according to the first paragraph?| A．The difficulties of seeing oneself in the mirror. |
| B．The various sources of beauty standards. |
| C．The unclear perceptions of one’s beauty. |
| D．The life experiences and memories. |
| A．She felt embarrassed. |
| B．She completely denied it. |
| C．She sought comfort from her parents. |
| D．She questioned what her parents had said. |
| A．They push teens out of home protection. |
| B．They arouse acute awareness of one’s appearance. |
| C．They may mislead people’s idea of beauty. |
| D．They are the exact measurement of beauty. |
| A．A mirror not affected by external factors. |
| B．A mirror going against society’s expectations. |
| C．A mirror reflecting one’s childhood experiences. |
| D．A mirror showing the beauty ideals from social media. |
| A．bring happiness to those around us |
| B．keep our resolve despite obstacles |
| C．change ourselves to achieve an ideal |
| D．embrace our real inner beauty |
5 . National Music Theater Competition
The 2024 National Music Theater Competition (NMTC) will be held. It was launched in 2011 as the first national competition for the emerging professional music theater soloist (独唱者). NMTC has provided industry connections for past competitors and winners that have led to their success on Broadway and other venues.
Prizes (each prize only for a person)
The champion: $5,000 plus a concert at the next national conference of National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), a $1,000 Gift Certificate from Hal Leonard, a Career Management Services package from Stage Door Connections.
The runner-up: $2,500 plus a $500 Gift Certificate from Hal Leonard.
The third place: Louise Lerch Prize; $1,000 cash prize.
The fourth place: Bill Hayes Prize; $750 cash prize.
Qualification
Singers aged from 20 to 28 as of September 15, 2023.
Entrance Procedure
Application requires a fee of $900, but for these students of NATS members the fee is $75. Application fees due to cancellation by the applicant won’t be returned. All application materials must be submitted by September 15, 2023. If you are planning to submit your application for the online round, you must complete the submission by September 15, 2023, but you’ll have 30 days after the deadline to upload your audition (试唱) videos. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
Where to Audition
The preliminary (预选的) round
Live auditions: November 1 to 10, 2023 in New York City.
Online auditions: Video submission deadline is October 15, 2023.
Semifinal and final rounds
Live auditions: The semifinal round: January 3 to 9, 2024; the final round: January 15 to 20, 2024.
The semifinal and final rounds will be held in New York City as part of the 2024 NATS Winter Workshop.
1. Why was the National Music Theater Competition launched?| A．To make people like music. |
| B．To promote the leisure industry. |
| C．To popularize Broadway musicals. |
| D．To seek promising talents. |
| A．A $500 Gift Certificate and Louise Lerch Prize. |
| B．$2,500 in prize money and a Gift Certificate. |
| C．A Career Management Services package. |
| D．A chance to perform at a concert. |
| A．Being at least 28 years old. |
| B．Applying for membership of NATS. |
| C．Submitting application materials on time. |
| D．Uploading audition videos by September 15. |
| A．Competitors can enter the semifinal round on January 18, 2024. |
| B．Both online and live auditions are available in any round. |
| C．There are three rounds in the competition in total. |
| D．Application submission deadline is October 15, 2023. |
| A．To call on people to explore their potential in music. |
| B．To attract young singers to apply for the competition. |
| C．To appeal to young singers to become NATS members. |
| D．To encourage people to enter the musical industry. |
6 . What is your calling? What is your purpose in life? What did you come to this world to do? Every day we read about how we should find our purpose and pursue it throughout our lives in order to find meaning and contentment. There are even scientific studies that show people who view their work as a calling rather than just a career or a job have a higher life and work satisfaction. So, what exactly is this calling?
I’ve personally struggled with this concept for many years. I knew that happiness not only came from a present state of joy, but also from the pursuit of an objective that gave me something to pursue. That is, until I found myself feeling empty despite my achievement of those goals.
And as I reflected on these feelings of emptiness and boredom that had arisen despite my successes, I realized something. Meaning and satisfaction come from a personal devotion to what we do and the intrinsic (固有的) fulfillment we get from it. It has nothing to do with financial gain, social advancement or any other type of external reward or motivation. It is about doing something that we love. It is about focusing our efforts and spending our time on passions that light the spark inside of us and allow us to share with the world the unique gifts we possess.
I had never before stopped to think about what I found intrinsically rewarding or fulfilling. Financial gain and external recognition were pretty much the only drivers I knew. More so, I thought this calling meant having one passion we were born with to pursue relentlessly (不懈地).
So, I spent some years trying to find this long-lost purpose of mine. I discovered during that time passions I had no idea I even had. Yet, I wasn’t sure how to make them into my life purpose. I searched for an answer but couldn’t find it. It wasn’t until I came to understand the truths about our purpose in life that I was able to find my place in this world.
Our purpose can consist of various things that make us feel alive. As we grow and evolve throughout the different stages in our lives, we may discover new passions and desires that change our sense of purpose and calling.
We all have a longing for lives that give meaning to our existence. The difference lies in how we go about accomplishing this. We must each find our own “shine” and then shine on.
1. According to the passage, the calling refers to________.| A．one’s view about careers |
| B．a task one has to carry out |
| C．a life-long career one chooses |
| D．a strong desire or sense of duty to do a job |
| A．Financial gain and external recognition. |
| B．Pursuing passions relentlessly. |
| C．Discovering new passions. |
| D．Finding purpose in life. |
| A．Trying to do everything that you can. |
| B．Trying to achieve your ambitious goals. |
| C．Doing meaningful things with your passion. |
| D．Doing something that can be successful easily. |
| A．the author spent some years making changes |
| B．the author used to think he had no passion at all |
| C．the author didn’t know how to search for the life purpose |
| D．the author has known his passions since he started to work |
| A．It’s wise to give up discovering our one true passion. |
| B．It’s useless to pursue financial gain and external recognition. |
| C．It’s necessary to find our own calling and pursue it with vigor. |
| D．It’s important to share our passion with the world without stopping. |
7 . People say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. That
After Dad was
As we started throwing out old phone books and every medical bill from every
I’m realizing all these things
| A．thought | B．goal | C．principle | D．coincidence |
| A．looked for | B．looked into | C．looked through | D．looked after |
| A．with | B．to | C．for | D．by |
| A．retired | B．ill | C．gone | D．injured |
| A．clean | B．strange | C．modern | D．empty |
| A．pleased | B．familiar | C．disappointed | D．astonished |
| A．saved | B．enjoyed | C．purchased | D．designed |
| A．decisions | B．bargains | C．challenges | D．responsibilities |
| A．person | B．neighbor | C．doctor | D．child |
| A．bought | B．discovered | C．buried | D．lost |
| A．even | B．just | C．only | D．yet |
| A．liked | B．bought | C．kept | D．lost |
| A．school | B．army | C．college | D．countryside |
| A．receive | B．direct | C．sense | D．describe |
| A．repaired | B．cleaned | C．spotted | D．set |
| A．descriptions | B．introductions | C．memories | D．communications |
| A．recognized | B．represented | C．instructed | D．confirmed |
| A．supermarket | B．church | C．office | D．house |
| A．merely | B．always | C．really | D．never |
| A．Anything | B．Nothing | C．Everything | D．Something |
8 . When I spent the summer with my grandmother, she always set me down to the general store with a list. Behind the counter was a lady like no one I’d ever seen.
“Excuse me,” I said. She looked up and said, “I’m Miss Bee.”
“I need to get these.” I said, holding up my list. “So? Go get them.” Miss Bee pointed to a sign. “There’s no one here except you and me and I’m not your servant, so get yourself a basket from that pile.”
I visited Miss Bee twice a week that summer. Sometimes she shortcharged me. Other times she overcharged. Going to the store was like going into battle. All summer long she found ways to trick me. No sooner had I learned how to pronounce “bicarbonate of soda” and memorized its location on the shelves than she made me hunt for it all over again. But by summer’s end the shopping trip that had once taken me an hour was done in 15 minutes.
“All right, little girl,” she said. “What did you learn this summer?” “That you’re a meanie (小气鬼)!” I replied. Miss Bee just laughed and said, “I know what you think of me. Well, I don’t care! My job is to teach every child I meet life lessons. When you get older you’ll be glad!” Glad I met Miss Bee? Ha! The idea was absurd…
Until one day my daughter came to me with homework troubles. “It’s too hard,” she said. “Could you finish my math problems for me?”
“If I do it for you, how will you ever learn to do it yourself?” I said. Suddenly, I was back at that general store where I had learned the hard way to add up my bill by myself. Had I ever been overcharged since?
1. What did the author’s grandmother always ask her to do during her summer vacation?| A．Go to see the lady in a store. | B．Make lists for her shopping. |
| C．Buy something in the general store. | D．Send lists to the lady in the general store. |
| A．Teaching kids lessons was Miss Bee’s job at that time. |
| B．She neither shortcharged the author nor overcharged her. |
| C．Her tricks made the author finish shopping in a shorter time. |
| D．She used to learn to pronounce the names of some goods in the store. |
| A．express her opposition to Miss Bee |
| B．tell readers Miss Bee’s influence on her |
| C．show her satisfaction with her kid’s homework |
| D．inform readers of her irresponsibility for her kid |
| A．A Precious Lesson By Meanie | B．Being a Responsible Mother |
| C．Making a Meaningful Life List | D．An Unforgettable Summer Travel |
9 . From now on, never spend your precious time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.
The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome (令人惊叹的) machine ever created: the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner. You were born rich. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
You cannot be successful without first developing your self-esteem (自尊). Your level of self-esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-esteem are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are leaves tossed(摇摆)by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather.
You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.
Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence.
If you associate with positive-thinking people, you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding, planting, and nurturing (养育) the seeds that contain future victory, born from setbacks (挫折).
In short, in all areas of your life, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, you are on the road to success.
1. People with low self-esteem are compared to leaves because they ______.| A．are ready to change their minds |
| B．don’t have the ability to control themselves |
| C．can’t be successful with self-control |
| D．are easily affected by windy weather |
| A．their failure is accidental |
| B．working hard will lead to success |
| C．they are responsible for success |
| D．they should make efforts to succeed |
| A．our success results from our attitudes |
| B．one can rise to the level that one expects |
| C．we should be responsible for our thoughts and beliefs |
| D．setting our expectations is essential before taking action |
| A．the proof of the author’s points |
| B．an introduction to another topic |
| C．the conclusion of the argument |
| D．a comparison between two views |
| A．The secrets of success. |
| B．How to achieve success. |
| C．Develop our confidence. |
| D．Success depends on you. |
10 . Take a look inside a high school classroom. You will most likely find a teacher at the front of the class and students sitting at their desks. Yet, look closer, and you might notice a familiar scene: many of these students are not paying attention. Instead, they are dozing off (打盹) or even completely asleep.
Today, the majority of high school students are not getting enough sleep. This is a serious problem, especially as students are doing more than ever with their time. They come to school early, spend hours listening to teachers and taking tests, then run off to practices and meetings, and come home to be faced with even more work. And the homework load these days is not light; teachers give hours’ worth of homework each night.
Most kids need at least nine hours of sleep per night in order to function properly. Yet the period of this nine hours shifts as a child gets older. After puberty (青春期), the body’s internal clock changes so that it is difficult for teens to fall asleep before 11 p.m. So even if a student falls asleep at eleven, they would need to sleep until at least 8 am, to get a full night’s sleep. Considering the time at which most high schools in this country begin, those nine hours are clearly being shortened. Few high schools start after 8 a.m.
However, there are schools that have paid attention to this research and pushed backward the start of their school day. In schools where the start time is after 8:30 in the morning, the teachers believe that there has been a real change in their students. They note that the students miss class less, pay more attention in class, perform better in class, and report lower levels of depression. The researchers of these studies say that the results are quite important and that more schools should consider pushing backward their start time of their school day.
1. Which of the following would the author agree with?| A．High school students must go to bed before 10 p.m. |
| B．High schools should begin their school day at a later time. |
| C．Most schools should push forward the start of their school day. |
| D．Kids should shorten their sleep time gradually as they grow older. |
| A．why high school students should get more sleep |
| B．what’s life like for college students at present |
| C．why high school students feel sleepy in the classroom |
| D．how to lighten high school students’ homework load |
| A．arrives | B．reduces | C．increases | D．changes |
| A．Disappointed. | B．Satisfied. | C．Puzzled. | D．Surprised. |
