1 . History Fair Competition

Understanding history is vital to understanding ourselves as a people and as a nation. History is much more than the study of dusty old objects and events long past. Thornton Middle School History Fair Competition makes understanding history exciting, engaging, and fun!

This Year’s Theme

All participants must address how communication or transportation technology has promoted the quality of life for Americans throughout history. To many people, technology means computers, hand-held devices, or vehicles that travel to distant planets. However, technology is also the application of scientific knowledge to solve a problem, touching lives in countless ways.

Individuals or groups may enter one of the follow ing categories:

• Performance

• Documentary (纪实作品)

• Essay Writing

Category Requirements

Performance: A dramatic presentation of the topic no more than 10 minutes long. If special clothes are used, they should truly represent a given period.

Doc umentary: A visual presentation (such as a video, slide show, or computer project) no more than 10 minutes long. A desktop computer, screen, projector, and loudspeakers will be available. Students must provide their presentations on CDs before Friday, March 23.

Essay Writing : An academic paper of 2,000 to 2,500 w ords. No illustrations ( 图解)are allowed. Please do not include covers. A list of references must be included.

Important Dates

February 5 Submit a first draft of your essay, performance script ( 剧本), or documentary highlights.

February 19 A committee of teachers will evaluate materials and give opinions. Students then have an opportunity to improve their products.

March 9 Submit a final draft of your essay.

March 15 Performance and documentary committee preview

March 24 Thornton Middle School History Fair Competition

7:00 A.M. — 9:00 A.M. Participants signing in at the gym

10:00 A.M. — 6:00 P.M. Competition and judges’ review

7:00 P.M. Awards ceremony and picnic

1. What is the theme of this year ’s competition?

A．Technology advances science.

B．Science interacts w ith technology.

C．Science has made the study of history easy.

D．Technology has improved the life of Americans.

2. What w ould a participant have to do with an essay of 1,500 words to meet the category requirement?

A．Include more information in the essay.	B．Remove the references.
C．Provide a cover for the essay.	D．Explain the details w ith illustrations.

3. What will the committee of teachers do on February 19?

A．Preview performances and documentaries.

B．Make comments on the materials.

C．Improve the participant’s first draft.

D．Collect a second proposal from the participant.

2 . The Winter Olympics is also called the White Olympics. At this time, many colorful stamps are published to mark the great Games. The first stamps marking the opening came out on January 25, 1932 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics. From then on, publishing stamps during the White Olympics became a rule.

During the 4th Winter Olympic Games a group of stamps were published in Germany in November 1936. The five rings of Olympics were drawn on the front of the sportswear. It was the first time that the rings appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics.

In the 1950’s, the stamps of this kind became more colorful. When the White Olympics came, the host countries(东道国)as well as the non-host countries published stamps to mark those games.

China also published four stamps in February 1980, when the Chinese sports men began to take part in the White Olympics. Japan is the only Asian country that has ever held the White Olympics. Altogether 14,500 million stamps were sold to raise money for this sports meet. Different kinds of sports were drawn on these small stamps. People can enjoy the beauty of the wonderful movements of some sportsmen.

1. The White Olympics and the Winter Olympics ____________.

A．are the same thing	B．are different games
C．are not held in winter	D．are held in summer

2. The world made it a rule to publish stamps to mark the great world games ____________

A．after the year 1936	B．after the 3rd White Olympics
C．before the 3rd White Olympics	D．before the year 1932

3. The Winter Olympics is held once ____________.

A．every two years	B．every three years
C．every four years	D．every five years

4. Which of the following is TRUE ? ____________

A．Only the host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.

B．Only the non-host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.

C．All the countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.

D．Japan can’t publish stamps to mark those Games.

3 . 假定你是李华，你的留学生朋友Paul对体育运动很感兴趣，想要开始进一步学习一项球类运动。请你给他写一封邮件并给出建议。内容包括:
1. 表明写邮件的目的；
2. 给出建议的理由；
3. 提供学习方法。
注意:1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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4 . Competitive eating has become big business. The International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) holds events for competitive eating all around the world. One of the most popular contests (竞赛) is held every 4th of July on Coney Island in New York. Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest started in 1916 and the event has been dominated (占据优势) by Takeru Kobayashi. The Japanese competitor set his first record in 2001, when he ate 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes and has won the contest six years in a row.

The main types of food eaten in the contests are fast food. Hot dogs, chicken wings, pickles, corndogs and pizza are main foods of the contests. The contests usually last from around 8 to 12 minutes. Now most of the competitors are men, but there are also women who take part in competitive eating.

Being large and overweight isn’t necessarily an advantage in competitive eating. The biggest advantage a competitor can have is the ability to actually stretch (扩张) their stomach. Many competitors will drink plenty of water over a period of time in order to achieve this. Apart from having an unusually stretchable stomach, another important thing seems to be hand to mouth speed.

The IFOCE has very strict safety guidelines laid out regarding competitive eating. Competitions must take place in a controlled area and only competitors over the age of 18 are allowed to enter. They also advise against any type of home training. There has been much talk regarding the inclusion of competitive eating as an Olympic sport. Although the IFOCE has talked about that with the Olympic committee, it seems that they will not agree to it at present.

1. Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest _____.

A．has a history of over 200 years

B．takes place once a year in Japan

C．is becoming less popular than before

D．has made Takeru Kobayashi famous

2. What do we know about eating contests?

A．Fast food is the only type of food.

B．They usually last ten minutes or so.

C．Only men are allowed to enter a contest.

D．They are open to competitors of all ages.

3. What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A．How to win an eating contest.

B．The history of competitive eating.

C．Safety guidelines from the IFOCE.

D．The disadvantages of eating too much.

4. What’s the main purpose of the text?

A．To report.

B．To advertise.

C．To introduce.

D．To warn.

5 . Swim safely!

Swimming is great exercise, and a trip to a pool or beach is a good way to have fun with friends in summer.     1    , so it’s important to stay safe as you do it. Here are a few things you can do to swim safely.

    2    . Don’t swim unless there is a life guard at work. If you’re on a beach near the ocean, this is especially important. In some places fast-flowing water can move swimmers away without warning. So if a sign says “no swimming”, pay attention to it.

Be careful when diving（跳入）into the water headfirst.     3    . In natural water, don’t dive unless you know that the water is deep enough. Or you could hurt your head on the bottom, causing injury or death.

Around water, adults should watch children at all times to make sure they are safe. Those who don’t know how to swim should wear life jackets. But by themselves they are not enough, so an adult should always be present. If you have to rescue a child from drowning（淹）,a few seconds can make a big difference.

Make sure you have a friend with you whenever you swim.     4    , that person can make sure you get help.

Drink a lot water. The sun’s heat   and the physical activity may make you sweat（出汗）more than you realize.

By following these simple rules, you can make sure your swim time is safe as well as fun.     5    !

A．That way if something goes wrong

B．Now get out there, and enjoy the water

C．Swim only in areas set apart for swimming

D．Make sure everyone in your family swims well

E．But sometimes swimming can also be very dangerous

F．Most pools have marked deep ends where diving is safe

G．Many children who drown in home pools were out of sight within minutes

6 . 假如你是李华，获悉中国日报(China Daily)将举办“最美中国”(Amazing China)手机摄影大赛。请写封邮件建议你的美国留学生朋友George参加，邮件内容包括:
1.作品要求:展示风土人情，附上作品名称；
2.投稿方式与截止时间：12月30号前发邮件至acchinadaily.com.cn
3.表示愿意提供帮助。
注意：1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯的；3.开头语已为你写好。
Dear George,

How is everything going?

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Yours,

Li Hua

7 . 假定你是李华，你的笔友林涛来信说，因学习忙、锻炼少，最近经常生病，影响学习。请根据提示写一封英文回信。
要点包括：
1.锻炼的重要性；
2.锻炼有利学习；
3.提出锻炼建议。
要求：1. 100词左右；

2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

Dear Lin Tao,
Sorry to hear that you have been sick for days and hope you are better now.___________________________
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_________________________________________________________________________

Sincerely yours,

Li Hua

8 . 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下列作文。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：把多余的词作斜线（\）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l1处起）不计分。

I often went for a morning walk because the nature is at her best in the morning. The best place I like to go is the park where is not far away my house. In the morning, I can breathe the fresh air, hear the birds singing, but enjoy the beautiful sunshine. For the whole day, I will feel happier and more relaxing. My morning walk protect me from illnesses and improves my healthy. In my opinion, the morning walk is too healthy that I can’t love them more.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

According to a review of evidence in a medical journal, runners live three years     1    (long) than non-runners. You don't have to run fast or for long    2    (see)the benefit. You may drink, smoke, be overweight and still reduce your risk of     3     (die) early by running. While running regularly can't make you live forever, the review says it     4     (be) more effective at lengthening life    5     walking, cycling or swimming. Two of the authors of the review also made a study published in 2014    6    showed a mere five to 10 minutes A day of running reduced the risk of heart disease and early deaths from all     7    (cause).

The best exercise is one that you enjoy and will do. But otherwise…   it's probably running. To avoid knee pain, you can run on soft surfaces, do exercises to    8    (strength)your leg muscles(肌肉),avoid hills and get good running shoes. Running is cheap, easy and it's always    9    (energy).If you are time poor, you need run for only half the time to get the same benefits as other sports, so perhaps we should all give    10    a try.

10 . 语法填空。
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
I will never forget watching my son play soccer in his middle school. My son was not a star player.     1    fact, he didn’t have the opportunity to play for long in each game because the rules at that time made sure everyone should join in the game. In one game, with the score tied and time     2    (run) out, he was playing a defensive position. The other team’s star player got     3    ball but my son was in his way. Somehow, when they met, the result was that the star player     4    (fall) on the ground and my son got the ball. He ran with     5    and had a clear path to the goal. His coach jumped up and down     6    (shout) “go” and most of the parents cheered for victory.
When my son kicked the ball several yards towards the goal, he     7    (sudden) stopped and went back to the star player, helping him up. When we all got     8    (enthusiasm) about the game and forgot about basic values of fairness and fun, my son helped a player of the other team. Deeply     9    (touch) after the game, I hugged my son with     10    (proud). I was so glad that my son knew there was something more important than winning.