3 . Unlike many other people, who have birthmarks on their bodies, I have them on my lips and inside my mouth. I used to consider them ugly. However, my mom calls them beauty marks.

My birthmarks are caused by an genetic condition from my mom’s side of the family. This syndrome causes polyps (息肉), which are small non-cancerous growths in the intestinal tract (肠道). Every other year I have a procedure where the doctor removes them from my intestines. On the day before, I can’t eat anything solid because the doctors need my intestines to be clear so that they don’t mistake food for a polyp. I also cannot drink anything red, because they may mistake it for blood on the scan. Before the procedure they give me anesthesia (麻醉).

No matter how many times I go through the process. I always get nervous — but that’s understandable. At the end of the day I always know I’ll end up okay.

My younger cousin faces a similar challenge. She has a huge birthmark that takes up her whole arm. Her birthmark is pretty noticeable and looks like faded red splotches of paint. She’s never tried to hide her birthmark or change her appearance. It really inspires me. She has always been so much more confident about her birthmark than I am. Once, her grandmother told her mom that her birthmark looked extremely prominent and suggested that she should wear long sleeves more often. If my younger cousin’s mom had actually taken that suggestion, my younger cousin wouldn’t be as confident about her birthmark as she is.

I could have covered up my birthmarks a while ago by wearing black lipstick. But I’m glad I didn’t. Using black lipstick would be straying away from accepting facial features that make me different. I am finally accepting who I am and now I won’t tolerate people making fun of me. I don’t hesitate when someone asks me about them either. I say, “They’re beauty marks”.

1. What do we know about the author from the first two paragraphs?

A．She likes to be different from others.

B．Her birthmarks can be deadly.

C．She should eat some solid food before the operation.

D．Her birthmarks cause her some trouble.

2. What does the underlined word “prominent” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Apparent.

B．Brilliant.

C．Harmful.

D．Impressive.

3. What can be inferred about the author’s cousin?

A．She has hidden her birthmark.

B．Her confidence encourages the author.

C．She has taken her grandma’s suggestion.

D．She never judges others by their looks.

4. What can we learn from the story?

A．Every coin has two sides.

B．Don’t judge a person by his appearance.

C．Learn to accept who you are.

D．Overcome the nervousness.

5 . Fall 2021 Story Contest

Our Fall Contest is open to all fiction and nonfiction writers. We're looking for short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, all forms of literary nonfiction, and excerpts (摘录) from longer works of both fiction and nonfiction. Entries (参赛作品) must be previously unpublished, no longer than 15,000 words, and must not have been previously chosen as a winner, finalist, or honorable mention in another contest.

As always, we are looking for works with a strong narrative drive, with characters we can respond to, and with effects of language, situation, and insight that are intense and total. We look for works that have the ambition of enlarging our view of ourselves and the world.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR WORKS

Awards: First Prize is $2,500, second Prize is $l,000, Third Prize is $500, and up to ten finalists will receive $100 each. All entries will be considered for publication.

Submission Fee: There is a $27 fee for each entry. With your entry, you'll receive three months of free access to Narrative Backstage.

All contest entries are qualified for the $4,000 Narrative Prize and for acceptance as a Story of the Week.

Timing: The contest deadline is November 30, 2021, at midnight, Pacific standard time.

1. Which of the following will be accepted by the contest?

A．A short story once published in a magazine.	B．A novel that entered the 2020 year ten finalists.
C．An essay not ever published with 2,000 words.	D．An essay having won honorable mention in other contests.

2. What will you receive if your entry is accepted?

A．$27 for submission.	B．Qualification for prize money.
C．A guarantee of publication.	D．Free lifetime access to Narrative Backstage.

3. What can we say about the contest?

A．It is held in the UK.	B．It is free for every entry.
C．It charges $100 as entrance fee.	D．It has a deadline of November 30, 2021.

7 . New research suggests that a gene that governs the body's biological (circadian) clock acts differently in males versus females and may protect females from heart disease. The study is the first to analyze circadian blood pressure rhythms (节奏) in female mice.

The body's circadian clock-the biological clock that organizes bodily activities over a 24-hour period-contributes to normal variations in blood pressure and heart function over the course of the day. In most healthy humans, blood pressure dips (下降) at night. People who do not experience this temporary drop, called “non-dippers”, are more likely to develop heart disease. The circadian clock is made up of four main proteins (encoded by “clock genes”) that regulate close to half of all genes in the body, including those important for blood pressure regulation.

Previous research has shown that male mice that are missing one of the four clock genes (PER1) become non-dippers and have a higher risk for heart and kidney disease. A research team studied the circadian response and blood pressure of female mice that lack PER1 and compared them with a healthy female control group. On both low-and high-salt diets, both groups “retained an apparent circadian rhythm” of blood pressure, the researchers explained. Unlike the male mice in previous research, the females without PER1 showed normal dips in blood pressure overnight.

These results suggest that the lack of PER1 acts differently in males and females. The findings are consistent with research showing that women are less likely to be non-dippers than men of the same age. "This study represents an important step in understanding sex differences in the regulation of cardiovascular (心血管) function by the circadian clock," the researchers wrote.

1. What does the new research find?

A．Biological clock may protect males from heart disease.

B．Biological blood pressure rhythms in female mice acts normally.

C．Biological clock organizes bodily activities over a 24-hour period.

D．A gene controlling biological clock works differently between sexes.

2. What role can circadian clock play according to the text?

A．Helping males cure heart disease.

B．Helping blood pressure vary normally.

C．Contributing to abnormal variations in blood pressure.

D．Making up four main proteins regulating almost half of all genes.

3. Which word can best replace the underlined word “retained” in paragraph 3?

A．treated.

B．warned.

C．kept.

D．watched.

4. What would be a suitable title for the text?

A．One clock gene is important	B．Women may benefit from body clock
C．New study analyzes blood pressure rhythms	D．Blood pressure of healthy humans dips at night

8 . In a remote corner of Brazil's Amazon tropical（热带的）rainforest, researchers have spent decades catching and measuring birds. Over 40 years, dozens of Amazonian bird species have declined in mass（质量）. Many species have lost nearly 2% of their average body weight each decade, researchers report November 12 in Science Advances. Some species have grown longer wings. The changes could help birds stay cool in a hotter, more changeable climate, the researchers say.

"Climate change isn't something of the future. It has been happening and has effects we haven't thought of," says Ben Winger, an ornithologist（鸟类专家）at the University of Michigan, who wasn't involved in the research but has documented similar shrinkage（缩水）in migratory birds.

To see if non-migratory birds have also been shrinking, Jirinec and colleagues analyzed data collected from 1979 to 2019 in a remote region in the Amazon that spans 43km. The data include over 11,000 individual birds of 77 species as well as climate for the region.

All species declined in mass over this period, the researchers found. Species lost from about 0.1% to nearly 2% of their average body weight each decade. The motmot, for example, shrunk from 133g to about 127g over the study period.

These changes coincided with an overall increase in the average temperature of 1℃ in the wet season and 1.65%℃ in the dry season. Birds' mass decreased the most in a year or two after especially hot and dry seasons, which tracks with the idea that birds are getting smaller to deal with heat stress.

Wing length also grew for 61 species, with a maximum increase of 1% per decade. Jirinec thinks longer wings make for more efficient, and thus cooler, fliers.

"The Amazon rainforest is mysterious, remote and full of biodiversity," Jirined says. "This study suggests that even in places like this, far removed from civilization, you can see signatures of climate change."

1. What changes have happened to Amazonian birds over 40 years?

A．They have lost weight.	B．They have grown prettier.
C．They have become fewer. un	D．They have become larger.

2. What do does the underlined phrase "coincided with" in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Contrasted with.

B．Compared with.

C．Corresponded to

D．Contributed to.

3. What's a reason for the tropical birds' changes?

A．Climate change

B．Food shortage.

C．Massive hunting

D．Scientific research

4. What might be the best title of the text?

A．Researchers measuring birds in Amazon	B．Climate change shrinking tropical birds
C．Longer wings improving flying efficiency	D．Human activities damaging Amazon rainforest

9 . Some parents may have had trouble getting their kids away from electronics and outside this summer. But for one Virginia family, this wasn’t the case. Josh and Cassie Sutton recently completed a full-length hike of the Appalachian Trail with their son, Harvey.

At just 5 years old, Harvey, who earned the nickname “Little Man” from fellow hikers, is one of the youngest people known to have completed the roughly 2, 100-mile trail that stretches across 14 states in 209 days.

When Harvey was 2 years old, his parents began training him for hiking by going on mini walks. They slowly increased their mileage day by day—eventually making him adapt to his big adventure. “A lot of people are surprised at how well he did. They’re like, ‘How did you get your 5-year-old to do that because my 5-year-old won’t even walk half a mile without com-plaining?’” Mom Cassie Sutton said.

The Suttons said that while the adventure of the 2, 100-mile hike was fun as a family, it did have its challenges—especially when it came to keeping Harvey entertained. “We learned that he is gifted in hiking, but as long as we’re playing make-believe with him all day long, then he moves quickly and hikes a lot faster than a lot of us imagine,” Josh Sutton said.

While the Suttons have plans for more hikes and family adventures ahead, the family is getting adjusted to life at home again as Harvey begins his latest adventure: kindergarten.

1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?

A．A 5-year-old hiked 2, 100 miles in about 7 months.

B．Josh earned the nickname “Little Man” because of his son.

C．Harvey is the youngest person to cover the 2, 100-mile trail.

D．One Virginia family had trouble getting away from electronics.

2. What is the challenge of making Harvey finish the adventure?

A．Playing make-believe.	B．Keeping him amused.
C．Hiking fast enough.	D．Having meals as a family.

3. Which word can best describe Harvey in hiking?

A．Negative.

B．Naughty.

C．Talented.

D．Normal.

4. What is Harvey’s next adventure?

A．To have more games.	B．To get adjusted to family life.
C．To have more hikes with his family.	D．To receive pre-school education.

10 . On Thursday, a Chinese astronaut returned a science class from a space station under construction in the country. The lecture mainly explained how weightlessness affects buoyancy (浮力) and the movement of objects and optics (光学). Primary students from five cities, including Beijing and Hong Kong, interacted with the astronaut. The event was also open to the public through the live stream.

Wang Yaping, the only woman on the station, served as the main instructor, with the support of Ye Guangfu, and the commander-in-chief, Zhai Zhigang, who operated the camera. Wang taught similar lessons while riding one of China’s early experimental stations in 2013.

The three arrived at the station in October with a six-month stay, preparing the main Tianhe module (舱) for the arrival of two additional modules named Mengtian and Wentian, primarily before completion by the end of next year. Wang became the first Chinese female to do EVA last month. She and Zhai spent six hours outside the module installing the equipment and testing it with the robot service arm at the station.

Their mission, Shenzhou 13, has been China’s longest and China's become the third country after Russia and the United States since it first introduced humans into space in 2003. The three are the second crew members of the permanent station, which weighs about 66 tons when completed, much smaller than the International Space Station, which launched the first module in 1998, and weighs about 450 tons. The crew is evaluating the living conditions of Tianhe while installing equipment in preparation for the expansion of the station.

1. What subject did the lecture from the space station focus on?

A．Medicine.

B．Chemistry.

C．Language.

D．Physics.

2. Who had experience in teaching lesson in space station?

A．Ye Guangfu.

B．Wang Yaping.

C．Zhai Zhigang.

D．Mengtian.

3. The underlined word “EVA” in the third paragraph may refer to _______.

A．the robot service arm at the station	B．two additional modules sent to space
C．the movement of objects and optics	D．activities outside Tianhe module

4. Which of the following is a task of the crew in the space station?

A．Fixing the International Space Station.	B．Taking apart some equipment.
C．Getting ready for expanding the station.	D．Measuring the weight of module.