2 . Students to Compete in 34th National Science Bowl

Thousands of students from middle and high schools across the country have committed themselves to extra study hours as they prepare to compete in the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s)34th National Science Bowl(NSB). These students are hard at work now to win their regional competitions, hoping to advance to the final competition.

The first regional event will take place on January 13th with high schools from the D. C. /Maryland area. Teams will face off in a fast-paced, question-and-answer format, and their knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics will be tested. Regionals will continue weekly until mid-March.

The winning team from each qualifying regional competition will be qualified to compete in the National Finals to be held in Washington, D. C. , from April 25-29, 2024, with all expenses paid by DOE. The national event consists of several days of science activities and sightseeing, along with the competitions.

In the National Finals, the top two teams will earn $5, 000 for their schools’ math and science departments. Schools ranking in the top 16 will receive $1, 000 for their science departments. But to many, the ultimate prize is simply the honor of winning the National Championship.

Today, the NSB annually draws more than 10, 000 middle and high school competitors. Since the first competition in 1991, approximately 344, 000 students have faced off in the NSB Finals. The 2024 competitors will follow in the footsteps of previous NSB contestants and will blaze a trail for students in science, math, and engineering. For more information, please visit the Office of Science website.

1. Which word can best describe the regional competitions?

A．Fair.

B．Interesting.

C．Special.

D．Challenging

2. What can we learn about the National Finals?

A．The championship victory is highly valued.

B．The event only involves fierce competitions.

C．Most of the expenses will be covered by DOE.

D．The prize money will be awarded to individuals.

3. What is the text?

A．A news release.	B．A survey report.
C．A learning project.	D．A scientific review.

3 . The rate of childhood obesity in the U. S. has tripled over the past 50 years. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) made waves this year by recommending that doctors put obese kids as young as two years old on intensive, family-oriented lifestyle and behavior plans. It also suggested prescribing weight-loss drugs to children l2 and older and surgery to teens 13 and older. This advice reflects the organization’s adoption of a more active position on childhood obesity.

Yet the lifestyle programs the AAP recommends are expensive, inaccessible to most children and hard to maintain. Few weight-loss drugs have been approved for children. And surgery has potential risks and few long-term safety data. Furthermore, it’s not clear whether interventions in youngsters help to improve health or merely add to the psychological burden overweight kids face from the society.

Rather than paying close attention to numbers on a scale, the U. S. and countries with similar trends should focus on an underlying truth: we need to invest in more and safer places for children to play where they can move and run around, climb and jump, ride and skate.

Why is it so hard to get kids moving? Experts blame the problem on the privatization of sports — as public investment in school-based athletics dwindles, expensive private leagues have grown, leaving many kids out. In addition to fewer opportunities at school, researchers cite increased screen time and a lack of safe places for them to play outside the home. New York City, for example, had 2,067 public playgrounds as of 2019 — a very small amount for its large population. In Los Angeles in 2015, only 33 percent of youths lived within walking distance of a park.

Kids everywhere need more places to play. Public funding to build and keep up these areas is crucial, but other options such as shared-use agreements can make unused spaces available to the public. These opportunities aren’t primarily about changing children’s waistlines — they’re how we keep childhood healthy and fun.

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

A．Childhood obesity is well under control in recent years.

B．Weight-loss surgery are recommended to children 12 and older.

C．AAP plays a more active role in fighting against childhood obesity.

D．Expensive as it is, lifestyle programs are practical for most children.

2. The underlined word “dwindle” is closest in meaning to ______.

A．decline

B．quit

C．increase

D．develop

3. In the author’s opinion, what measures should be taken to create more safe areas?

A．Prepare fitness equipment at home.

B．Live within walking distance of a park.

C．Promote investment in private athletics.

D．Open up playgrounds when school’s out.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Sports play an important role in children’s growth.

B．More safe areas for outdoor fun are in urgent need.

C．Family-oriented lifestyles are crucial to children’s health.

D．Medical intervention is important to ease psychological burden.

6 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

The Save

Instantly Casey raised her hand, she feared she had made an awful mistake.

“OK,” Coach said. “Casey will be goalie (守门员) in the fourth quarter.”

Casey nodded uneasily. She had just joined the Eagles. Now she had volunteered to be goalie, a position that required confidence, which she lacked.

Casey swallowed hard when taking her turn in front of the goal for pre game warm-ups. The goal suddenly looked as big as a movie screen.

When Casey jogged over to her dad near the sidelines, she said quietly, “I cannot do it.”, blinking back tears. “Sure you can,” Dad encouraged her. “Just keep your head up and be aggressive (好斗的). You might surprise yourself.”

The game kicked off and Casey’s teammates scored three quick goals. Clearly, they were the better team mostly because their opponents’ best player was at a piano recital (演奏会). At halftime the Eagles led, 4 to 0. But then she noticed the Comets’ star, number 25 racing toward the field. The piano recital had ended.

Number 25 was flashing across the field, dribbling (带球) past defenders. She zipped past several players and kicked the ball hard into the goal. It was 4 to 1. Two minutes later, number 25 intercepted (拦截) a pass and weaved down (穿行) the field, controlling the ball as if it were tied to her foot. She scored again. It was 4 to 2.

Casey felt her stomach tighten. Soon she would be the one helplessly guarding the goal.

The whistle went. Number 25 scored a third time. The Eagles led by one goal.

“OK, Casey,” Coach said as the Eagles huddled up before the fourth quarter. “You go in goal.”

Casey stood in front of the net. She yelled for her teammates, who were dominating the game again. They hadn’t scored, but Casey hadn’t had to make any saves either. Number 25 appeared to be tired.

Casey’s heart raced whenever the ball came. But each time it was kicked away. Now there were two minutes left. “Hurry up,” Casey thought. “If I never have to touch the ball, we’ll win the game. I’ll never ...”

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Suddenly number 25 had the ball and was racing up the side-line.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Casey backed quickly toward the net as number 25 sent another shot.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . I’m a walker, logging an average of 9000 steps a day several times a week around my neighborhood. On recent trips to Copenhagen and Stockholm, I noticed tall, fit Scandinavians (斯堪法尼亚人) walking along on city streets with poles, as if they were cross-country skiing without any snow.

It was a surprise to learn that the addition of the poles makes it a more vigorous, full-body exercise than simply walking – and, as a 76-year-old looking to stay healthy while enjoying the outdoors, I decided to give it a try.

There’s plenty of help online for the new Nordic (北 欧的 ) walker: stand tall, swing your arms out as if to shake hands, and plant your poles with vigour. Then there’s the little matter of the strap (带子) on the pole. This allows the walker to grip the pole when thrusting forward and then relax that hand as the other hand pushes forward – a skill of coordination that builds stronger muscles.

For a warm-up, I started slow: Nordic walking down the hall that extends from my front door to the deck. Keeping balance wasn’t my only problem. The novel use of my arms and upper body was surprisingly demanding. After half an hour, my heart was pounding and I was sweating, but I still wasn’t much good.

Still, I carried on because there’s no arguing with the exercise’s benefits. Nordic walkers’ upper-body exercise increases their heart rate significantly more than walking without poles. And according to cardiologist Dr Aaron Baggish, with poles “you’re engaging 80 to 90 per cent of your muscles.” It also helps people with Parkinson’s, says Burrill. “We put poles in their hands and it’s amazing because they start walking with real rhythm.”

After a few clumsy days of being convinced I would never succeed, suddenly everything clicked. Not only was I able to coordinate the movements, I was aware that my heart, arms and core were getting a workout. Nordic walking is a form of exercise I expect to enjoy for years to come.

1. What inspired the writer to try Nordic walking?

A．Enjoying the outdoor skiing.	B．Observing Scandinavians walking.
C．Getting tired of simple walking.	D．Fancying a healthy lifestyle.

2. What was the main challenge for the author during the initial stages of Nordic walking?

A．Building strong muscle in the arms.

B．Using arms and upper body harmoniously.

C．Sweating with heart pounding.

D．Feeling discouraged for lack of progress.

3. What does the author want to show by mentioning people with Parkinson’s?

A．The great benefits of Nordic walking.	B．The wide practice of Nordic walking.
C．The urgency to promote Nordic walking.	D．The promising future of Nordic walking.

4. What is the author’s intention in writing this passage?

A．To persuade readers to try Nordic walking for fun.

B．To share the experience of trying a new fitness activity.

C．To emphasize the great difficulties of Nordic walking.

D．To compare Nordic walking with simple walking.

8 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What did the two men plan to do?

A．Attend a sailing race.

B．Travel between two islands.

C．Get away from their country.

2. How did the two men feel about the adventure?

A．Relieved.

B．Optimistic.

C．Upset.

3. How were the two men rescued?

A．They were found by a passing boat.

B．They boated to the nearest shore.

C．They found a floating device.

10 . The title of “Aaron’s younger brother” was earned when I had won the second place in my first tennis tournament at the age of six. Whenever I ________ onto a tennis court, it was as though a gluey name label, which had been ________ stuck onto me.

I wanted to ________ Aaron, my older brother, whose fame had reduced me to a ________ tennis player. Then came a big tennis match against Aaron. As I shook Aaron’s hand at the start of the match, I stared at him and focused on how this match was going to ________ everything.

The tennis court seemed to stretch out further than usual, but I could still ________ the confident look on Aaron’s face. He knew that my honor ________ in comparison to his. Finally, we were down to the last set, neck and neck in points. That was when the setting sun cast his figure over me, ________ me that I would always be walking in his ________ if I did not prove myself.

I prepared myself for the finishing blow, ________ of Aaron’s past matches flooding through my mind as I ________ the weakness of his smash (扣球) the ball would always fly towards the left of the court. I extended my arm to the left in anticipation of where the ball was going to land. The ball made ________ with my racket and was lobbed over Aaron’s head successfully. He could do nothing but ________ his undefeated status as champion being removed by his younger brother.

While I was still enjoying the unfamiliar feeling of ________ minutes after the match was over, a man, whom I vaguely recognized from a ________ tennis club, approached me. “What is your name, son?” he asked. A smile spread across my face.

1.

A．marched

B．stepped

C．jumped

D．rushed

2.

A．frequently

B．originally

C．permanently

D．occasionally

3.

A．recommend

B．praise

C．evaluate

D．defeat

4.

A．nameless

B．hopeless

C．worthless

D．fearless

5.

A．appreciate

B．change

C．explore

D．settle

6.

A．put down

B．pull out

C．take up

D．make out

7.

A．disappeared

B．wrinkled

C．paled

D．doubled

8.

A．reminding

B．ordering

C．instructing

D．expecting

9.

A．trust

B．shelter

C．credit

D．shadow

10.

A．scores

B．images

C．records

D．highlights

11.

A．hid

B．admitted

C．recalled

D．overcame

12.

A．contact

B．progress

C．movement

D．adjustment

13.

A．maintain

B．improve

C．confirm

D．witness

14.

A．harmony

B．success

C．competition

D．relief

15.

A．previous

B．special

C．famous

D．tiny