1 . Writing Competitions for High School Students in 2024
Ocean Awareness Writing Contest
Ocean Awareness Writing Contest provides a platform for young people to understand environmental issues through artistic creation and creative thoughts, explore their relationship with the changing world, and become advocates of positive change.
Competition time: The deadline for submission is June 10, 2024. Students can upload their submissions starting from December 24, 2023.
Suitable for students: The contest is an international competition, which is open to any student aged 11—18 in middle or high school.
·Junior Division: 11—14 years old
·Senior Division: 15—18 years old
Young Authors Writing Competition
Young Authors Writing Competition is sponsored by the English and Creative Writing Department at Columbia College Chicago. The competition has grown into a yearly international con test of high school writers. You may enter up to two works (in separate files) in either of the categories: Creative Nonfiction and Creative Fiction. In the Poetry category, you may enter up to two files, but each can have 1—5 poems.
Competition time: The deadline is July 31, 2024.
Suitable for students: Open to students in grades 9—12 worldwide
Leonard L. Milberg’ 53 High School Poetry Prize
Leonard L. Milberg’ 53 High School Poetry Prize recognizes outstanding works by student writers in the 11th grade in the U. S. or abroad. Contest judges are poets on the Princeton University Creative Writing faculty.
Competition date: March 26, 2024
Suitable for students: Students in the 11th grade in the U. S. or around the world
The New York Times Annual Student Review Contest
The New York Times invites students to play critics and write an original review for their New York Times Student Review Contest. Students can review anything that fits into a category of creative expression that The New York Times covers—from architecture to music.
Competition date: April 6, 2024
Suitable for students: Students ages 11—19 anywhere in the world attending middle or high school can participate.
1. How many categories are included in Young Authors Writing Competition?A.2. | B.3. | C.4. | D.5. |
A.Ocean Awareness Writing Contest. |
B.Young Authors Writing Competition. |
C.Leonard L. Milberg’ 53 High School Poetry Prize. |
D.The New York Times Annual Student Review Contest. |
A.They are international contests. | B.They are organized by colleges. |
C.They are intended for all students. | D.They are open to different categories of works. |
2 . Using the health records of more than a million Swedish conscripts (应征入伍者), a recent study revealed that keeping cardiorespiratory (心肺的) fitness in their late teens and early twenties can cut the risk of developing nine types of cancer by 40% when older. The research team from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden said, “These results could be used to further strengthen the promotion of interventions aimed at increasing fitness in youth.”
Almost a third of people aged from 16 to 24 in England aren’t physically active, without meeting guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week including walking, riding a bike and dancing.
Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) measures how well the heart, lungs and linked systems work to get oxygen to muscles during constant activities. The conscripts, aged between 16 and 25, had tests of CRF on exercise bikes between 1968 and 2005. The researchers used Swedish health data to see who went on to have cancer during an average follow-up of 33 years. The study found that increasing fitness was beneficial, regardless of body weight. However, they also found that higher fitness was linked to a higher risk of skin cancer. The researchers explained that this trend might be driven by exposure to sunlight.
Findings from those observational studies provide much evidence for a link between higher levels of physical activity and a lower risk of cancer. However, these studies cannot fully rule out the possibility that active people have lower cancer risk because they engage in other lifestyle behaviors. The researchers cautioned that they had no access to full data on factors such as diet, alcohol intake and smoking and so couldn’t fully account for those.
Dr Claire Knight, of Cancer Research UK, said, “The NHS recommends 150 minutes of activity a week, but it’s fine to build up activity over time and there are lots of ways to be more active. You don’t need to run a marathon or join a gym. Anything that gets you warmer and slightly out of breath and your heart beating faster counts.”
1. What’s the significance of the research findings?A.They prove the importance of a good diet. |
B.They show how our health declines with age. |
C.They stress the importance of general health. |
D.They give reasons to improve the health of the young. |
A.It measures the blood oxygen level. |
B.It shows the ability of body systems. |
C.It indicates the level of exercise. |
D.It controls the spread of cancer in the body. |
A.It didn’t analyze the collected data thoroughly. |
B.It connected sunlight exposure with cancer. |
C.It failed to suggest the ideal time for exercise. |
D.It didn’t consider other health-related factors. |
A.Lifestyle changes in youth help reduce cancer risks |
B.Less exposure to sunshine can rid us of cancer |
C.The cardiorespiratory system plays a big role |
D.Sports have a great effect on our health |
3 . Endless studies show the physical, mental and longevity-based benefits of working out, while plenty suggest that avoiding activity is bad. But headlines about someone collapsing after a row always stick in the mind. So, how risky is training too hard?
The NHS recommends that healthy adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity — but doesn’t suggest where to stop. This is because the ability to handle excess exertion (过度努力) depends on many varied factors.
The exact cause of “overtraining”, in the sense of doing too much over an extended period, is still being debated.
The best advice is to pay attention when you lack energy or feel unwell and back off a bit. If you are a runner, this can also help with the common complaint of shin splints (胫骨骨膜炎), or more serious stress fractures, which are tiny cracks in the bone itself. The latter, which can be due to a sudden increase in training intensity, won’t heal until you ease off.
“The obvious risk factors are linked to impact and exertion,” says Steve Hoyles, a personal trainer and gym owner. “Running is a high-impact activity and analysis shows that inexperienced runners suffer an average of 17.8 injuries per 1,000 hours, whereas in gym users the average is 5.3 injuries per 1,000 hours.
A.The story is similar for men and women at risk of stroke. |
B.So do your best to avoid them by not pushing too hard, or too fast. |
C.Some experts theorise that it’s all about the central nervous system. |
D.Swimming and cycling are low-impact but offer limited strength benefits. |
E.And is there a way to make sure you never cross that red line into dangerous territory? |
F.If you don’t have existing problems, the chances of something going wrong are very low. |
G.Exercise will improve your quality of life and almost certainly your chances of living longer. |
1. What does the competition try to find this year?
A.The best dancer. | B.The best actor. | C.The best singer. |
A.By fax. | B.By phone. | C.Through the Internet. |
A.At 10:30 pm. | B.At 9:00 pm. | C.At 8:00 pm. |
A.It is bigger than the old one. |
B.It will be free for the first week. |
C.It will be open earlier than planned. |
5 . We all want to keep fit and stay healthy, but a few things may prevent it: laziness, a busy schedule, and maybe even a limited spend.
Babysit.
If you have your own kids, you’ll probably agree that looking after kids can help keep you fit. If you don’t, you can experience the wonderful world of toddlerhood by volunteering or signing up for a babysitting job. The best ages to babysit are those toddler years (2 through 5). Why?
Care for your yard.
Have you checked your storeroom, basement and kitchen lately? Well, moving small items from their storage areas and turning them into boxes for sale, donation pick-ups or just further storage will get your blood exciting. Even just pushing around a dust cleaner, or sweeping your garage floor should oil your joints (关节).
Use someone else’s sports or exercise equipment (设备).
Have you checked under your bed lately? All around the nation, there is a flood of unused exercise equipment sitting around in garages and hiding in spare rooms and basements.
A.Be your own gardener |
B.Volunteer or get active work |
C.Clean out or organize your house |
D.Actually there are some free ways to move your body! |
E.You could have these things right under your very nose. |
F.It doesn’t really take much to get yourself into better shape. |
G.In that case, you have to carry, lift, run and follow them around all day. |
6 . For the rapidly decreasing number of Americans who’ve never heard of pickleball, the little-known paddleball game is one of America’s fastest-growing sports.
Invented in 1965 by three middle-aged fathers in Washington state, pickleball is an odd cross among tennis, ping-pong and badminton, played with a paddle and a perforated (穿孔的) plastic ball. The founders are said to have named the game after a family dog called Pickles.
Most of pickleball’s core players — those who play more than eight times per year — are over age 65, but the game is getting younger, with the strongest growth among players under 55, according to USA Pickleball. But with so many new players, the US is struggling to keep up with the demand for courts. The country has only about 10,000 places to play, by USA Pickleball’s count, but that continues to grow by several dozen every month.
Pickleball is also fast becoming a spectator sport (观赏性运动). Its first professional tournament, the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour, was formed in 2018 and the professional players are being able to really become celebrities and spotlights. Traditional broadcasters’ interest in the sport is growing. So far, pickleball fans can watch amateur and professional matches on sports or social channels, mostly online.
“The ability for a sport to find an audience quickly via social media is unprecedented (前所未有的),” says Ben Shields, who lectures at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and studies the sports industry. Shields adds that pickleball still needs a famous star to draw in wider audiences, as has been the key to success for other sports leagues — that also started with grassroots and unusual names. “I think if pickleball, in its own humble way, can continue to grow its participation and find ways to make the sport an appealing fan product, who knows, 10, or 20 years, it could be a big competitor in the global sports industry.”
1. What do we know about the pickleball game from the text?A.It was named after a dog. |
B.It was popular among young kids. |
C.It’s a cross between tennis and volleyball. |
D.It was invented by three ordinary women. |
A.The playing time. | B.The form of matches. |
C.The number of courts. | D.The participation rate. |
A.Humble. | B.Inflexible. | C.Harmful. | D.Influential. |
A.The History of Pickleball | B.The Growing Popularity of Pickleball |
C.The Rise and Fall of Pickleball | D.The Rules of Playing Pickleball |
Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham are fans of the Tracy Anderson Method, which involves dance-based classes using body resistance and very light hand weights. Her online programme includes a new weekly workout, as well as access to existing classes, her digital magazine and meal planning guides. It’s at £69 per month, but you get a discount for annual membership.tracyanderson.com
RoarThe singer Ellie Goulding and the fashion designer Henry Holland are said to be fans of Roar’s daily live classes, which include the Overdrive—a high energy weights-based workout focusing on upper-body strengthening and cardiovascular fitness. Their founder, the three times Olympian speed skater Sarah Lindsay, has also trained the broadcaster Piers Morgan and the DJ Nick Grimshaw. There’s a 14-day free trial, then membership starts at โ12.50per month with live daily workouts and unlimited access to the library. roar-fitness.com
CentrThe Thor actor Chris Hemsworth and his personal trainer Luke Zocchi launched the Centr app in 2019. It features 20 and 40-minute session s of HIIT, Pilates, yoga, boxing and guided meditation, plus recipe ideas, a meal planner and stress and well being support. It’s offering a free seven-day trial, and starts from £7.83permonth. centr.com
Get It DoneThe former professional footballer and celebrity trainer Bradley Simmonds launched his platform, Get It Done, in 2020. The app includes daily live streamed and on-demand classes featuring yoga, core fitness and strength. From £22 per month. Getitdone. fitness
1. What do Tracy Anderson and Centr have in common?A.Dance-based classes. | B.Special magazines. |
C.Meal planning guides. | D.A free trial period. |
A.Tracy Anderson. | B.Roar. | C.Centr. | D.Get It Done. |
A.Professional athletes. | B.Fitness enthusiasts. |
C.Famous celebrities. | D.Personal trainers. |
1. 稿件要求;2. 投稿方式。
注意:
1. 写作词数应为80左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Contributions Wanted
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School English Newspaper
9 . The Price of a Dream
I grew up poor. We had little money, but plenty of love and attention. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, they could still afford a dream. My dream was athletics.
By the time I was sixteen, I was good at baseball and football. My high school coach was Ollie Jarvis. He not only believed in me, but taught me the difference between having a dream and showing conviction (信念).
One summer a friend recommended me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket — cash for dates with girls, certainly, money for a new bike and new clothes, and the start of savings for a house for my mother.
Then I realized I would have to give up summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing. I was afraid of this, but my mother said, “If you make your bed, you have to lie in it.”
When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as mad as I expected him to be. “Your playing days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them,” he said.
I stood before him with my head hanging, trying to think of the words that would explain to him why I dream of buying my mom a house.
“How much are you going to make at this job, son?” he demanded.
“Three point twenty-five an hour,” I replied.
“Well,” he asked, “is $3. 25 an hour the price of a dream?”
That question exposed the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I devoted myself to sports that summer, and within the year I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play rookie-league ball, and offered a $20, 000 contract. I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1984 for $1.7 million, and bought my mother my dream house.
1. Why was the writer grateful to Coach Jarvis?A.Because Coach Jarvis made him set a goal. |
B.Because Coach Jarvis supplied him with new clothes. |
C.Because Coach Jarvis gave him financial support. |
D.Because Coach Jarvis helped him show conviction. |
A.Balance summer baseball and the work schedule. |
B.Refuse the job offer for summer baseball. |
C.Give up summer baseball for the job. |
D.Ask his coach Jarvis for advice. |
A.You must eat the bitter fruit of your own making. |
B.Believe in yourself, but above all be patient. |
C.You must rely on yourself first, then others. |
D.A good beginning makes a good ending. |
A.He failed to buy his mother a house. |
B.He succeeded as a sportsman. |
C.He became a successful businessman. |
D.He made some money in the summer job. |
1.介绍该体育运动;
2.喜欢它的理由;
3.呼吁更多同学参与该运动。
注意:1.词数80左右;
2.可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
My Favourite Sport
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