1 . The winning artworks from the first Young Botanical Artist Competition are appearing in an exhibition at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London. The competition was open to young people aged 16 to 25 and received more than 1, 000 entries from people in 77 countries.
Botanical art is a special type of drawing or painting that helps botanists describe plants and fungi. It brings to life the tiniest details of grasses, flowers and trees, including their colour and shape, and has been an important scientific tradition for hundreds of years. In fact, Kew Gardens, which is 264 years old and home to 50, 000 plants, has always had a botanical artist in its team.
The theme of the competition was trees, and the winner of the 16 to 18 age group was Marianna Zych (aged 17) from Poland. Her entry, Prunus Serrula, shows the delicately peeling bark of the Tibetan cherry tree, which Zych created with watercolours after just one month of painting classes. The winner of the 19 to 25 category was Khanh Ly Nguyen from Vietnam, whose watercolour, Bauhinia Variegata Leaf, reveals the clear details of an orchid tree leaf.
Both will appear in an exhibition of 50 artworks at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery at Kew Gardens. All of the featured artworks were picked for their creativity and accuracy by a panel of judges that included botanical artists from around the world. The exhibition runs until April 2024 and visitors are also being asked to vote for the People’s Choice award, which will be announced in April.
Maria Devaney, who manages galleries and exhibitions at Kew Gardens, said botanical art is about inspiring curiosity and discovering the natural world. “It’s been wonderful to see such an enthusiastic response to the competition as a whole,” she said. Dr Shirley Sherwood, a writer and botanist who collects plant pictures, said she was delighted to see first-hand the next generation of talented botanical artists.
1. What can be inferred about Marianna from the third paragraph?| A．She has formally studied painting since childhood. |
| B．She is from Poland which is full of Tibetan trees. |
| C．She has limited experience in watercolor painting. |
| D．She is famous for revealing the details of tree leaves. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Indifferent. | C．Disappointed. | D．Optimistic. |
| A．The Historical Significance of Botanical Illustration |
| B．Young Talents Blossom at the Royal Botanic Gardens |
| C．The Evolution of Botanical Art in Modern Times |
| D．Gardening Tips from the Experts at Kew Gardens |
| A．On a fashion website. | B．In a gardening magazine. |
| C．In an academic textbook. | D．In a cooking review journal. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
This year I enter the Great Gorilla Run in London. This is a programme run by The Gorilla Organization to raise money save the world’s last remaining gorillas from die out. Each runner received the gorilla suit and off we went! It was a bit hot and sweat inside the suit, and my legs ached, and it was interesting. The funniest moment was that someone watching the race offered I a banana — a real treat for a running gorilla! I had a great day out of in London, as well as helping to save gorilla!
3 . Scientists are now digging into precisely why exercise holds so many benefits for our mental health and memory. The answer, studies say, lies in our brain chemistry.
Each time you work up a sweat, your body releases feel-good happy hormones (荷尔蒙), including endorphins, dopamine and endocannabinoids, the latter being responsible for the so-called runner’s high. Now researchers are also pointing to myokines (肌肉因子) as an important contributor to the mental health benefits of exercise. When our muscles contract, myokines are released into the bloodstream, helping your muscles and organs communicate. They think this communication increases resilience to stress, reduces symptoms of mental suffering and anxiety and has a direct effect on depression.
A 2021 scientific report published in Neuropharmacology showed evidence that myokines boost brain function, like improving memory and mood. “Myokines reduce systemic inflammation (炎症), which is especially beneficial for people with drug-resistant depression whose low mood is linked to high inflammation,” explains Dr Jennifer Heisz, an expert in brain health and associate professor in the department of kinesiology at McMaster University in Canada.
A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that treatment for depression can be much more effective when physical activity is added to the usual care. Participants found benefits after 12 weeks of exercising for 30 to 60 minutes a day. “While exercise is not a replacement for professional mental health treatment, physical activity can complement and enhance the effects of the treatment,” says lead researcher Ben Singh, a research fellow at the University of South Australia.
“It is amazing to consider how moving our bodies can heal our minds,” says Heisz. Whether you’re cycling, walking around your neighbourhood or doing yoga, getting sweaty is good for your body and mind. To get the biggest overall health boost, the key is to zero in on sports and activities you enjoy, so you’ll keep going back to them.
1. How do myokines boost our mental health?| A．By bonding muscles with organs. |
| B．By slowing down our bloodstream. |
| C．By contracting muscles through the body. |
| D．By releasing happy hormones in our brain. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Negative. |
| C．Uncertain | D．Approving. |
| A．Adapt to. | B．Give up. |
| C．Focus on. | D．Put off. |
| A．By making comparisons. |
| B．By presenting research findings. |
| C．By offering suggestions. |
| D．By conducting some experiments. |
| A．She watched an exciting game. |
| B．She played for the school team. |
| C．She was busy working yesterday. |
Chinese singer Liu Genghong posts fitness videos on Douyin,
Pu Zhengning, associate professor of Southeast University, says the epidemic (流行病) has limited access
As an alternative to people
“Cloud fitness” is no flash in the pan, offering a great alternative to expensive gym memberships. In the past, aerobics on TV proved
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Last Sunday witnessed a friendly basketball game between students and teachers in our school with the aim of fueling students’ passion for sports as well as release their overwhelming pressure. Bathing in sunshine, players from Grade 3 competed with their teachers in the basketball court surrounded by the rest of the students, who were watching excited. Both teams were playing at their best in high spirit. Although the teachers took the lead in a game at first, the students did not lose their heart and tried to catch up with their opponents. The game was filled in great excitement and passion, and ends in a draw of 2:2. Not only the exciting game relieve the students’ intense stress, and their relationship with the teachers was also strengthened.
7 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号( )，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
By cycling you can not only enjoy the sights along the way but also can exercise your muscles or burn your fat. You can probable burn a lot of calories if you go for one-hour bicycling trip. If weight loss is your objection, one pound a week is beneficial. People who lost weight quickly are likely regain weight within the first year.
If cycling is part of our life, it is not necessary to give up sugar and coffee at a same time. Besides, a healthy diet is of great important as well. Eating fruit and vegetable can fuel your body on your cycling trips. If you cycle every day along with healthy eating, you will feel much more healthier.
8 . From its origins in the California hills in the US to its acceptance on urban streets worldwide, the history of skateboarding spans (跨越) seven decades over which it has developed from an unwelcome sport to an Olympic event in 2020. Now, a London exhibition is to show the path from those humble homemade boards of the 1950s to today’s hi-tech professional models.
The exhibition will feature about 90 rare and unique boards along with more than 100 other related objects, including safety equipment and magazines. Half of the skateboards will be on loan from the Skateboarding Hall of Fame Museum in California. A highlight will be a 1967 Bilbo board produced by European Surfing Company, which was set up at Newquay in Cornwall in southwestern England in 1965 and marketed the first skateboards in the UK.
Also on display will be the famous skateboarder Tony Hawk’s first professional model, from 1982, with its adaptations for the vert style of skateboarding which uses vertical ramps (垂直坡面) rather than level ground; early homemade boards from 1950s California modeled on the design of roller-skates and surfboards; and the first two models to feature a kicktail —the raised tail enabling skaters to turn or balance the board on the back wheels.
It will also feature Laura Thornhill’s Logan Earth Ski from the 1970s, the first women’s professional model. Sky Brown, who at 13 won bronze for Team Great Britain at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is represented through her first professional model, the Sky Brown & Skateistan Almost model.
“Skateboards, often misunderstood as being just toys, are now hi-tech products responding to constantly changing urban environments,” said Jonathan Olivares, the show’s director. “This exhibition is centred around a single question: how did the skateboard get to positioning the skateboard as a truly unique object.”
1. When were skateboard s invented?| A．In the 1950s. | B．In the 1960s. | C．In the 1970s. | D．In the 1980s. |
| A．It is a homemade board with a kicktail. |
| B．It is probably suitable for vertical camps. |
| C．It is designed to skate on the level ground. |
| D．It is modeled on the design of roller-skates. |
| A．Bilbo. | B．Newquay. | C．Sky. | D．Logan Earth Ski. |
| A．Skateboards are still low-tech products. |
| B．Skateboarding won its acceptance immediately. |
| C．Skateboarding will be very popular around the world. |
| D．Skateboarders were always admired by the public. |
Two years ago, Song Fei’s muscle pain was getting worse, despite years of gym exercise. A month after
China’s taijiquan has become
This integration of traditional wisdom into modern lifestyles
10 . Summer Badminton Camp
Our annual badminton camps are back this June holidays! Come and join us for some fun and action! All camps will be held at the Chestnut Sports Hall. There are a total of 4 fun-filled camps lined up for this amazing holiday. The aim is to allow them to understand and lift their game to the next level or just for recreation, at the same time adding fun elements in training to build a strong interest in the sport.
Camps Available
| Beginner: For those who want to learn basic badminton skills. Date: 12 to 14 June 2024 Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Fees: $80 Ages: 5-8 years old only | Intermediate: For those who know the basics of playing badminton and want to improve their skills further. Date: 15 to 17 June 2024 Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Fees: $100 Ages: 7-12 years old only |
| Advanced: For those who want to take up badminton as a competitive sport. Date: 19 to 21 June 2024 Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fees: $150 Ages: 11-12 years old only | Recreation: For those who want to make new friends while staying active. Date: 12 to 14 June 2024 Time: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Fees: $60 Ages: 13-16 years old only |
| Guest Speaker Badminton world champion, Adrian Goh, will address the participants at the start of each camp. He will share invaluable tips and his experience of playing badminton competitively. |
| Special Camp Present All participants will receive our summer badminton camp sweater and water bottle. |
| Early Bird Special First 20 participants to register will be given a pair of Yinex badminton bats. For more information, call Mr. Tan at 67892111 or visit our website at www. sbssummer camps. com |
| A．The beginner camp. | B．The advanced camp. |
| C．The intermediate camp. | D．The recreation camp. |
| A．A summer badminton camper. | B．The badminton camp organizer. |
| C．A badminton world champion. | D．A sponsor for the summer camp. |
| A．To give away free badminton bats. |
| B．To promote the special camp bottles. |
| C．To invite people to attend Mr. Goh’s talk. |
| D．To encourage people to sign up for the camps. |
