1 . Ready for a creative journey like never before? Welcome back to Axis Bank Splash! We are excited to invite you to dive into a world of imagination, where colors, words, and creativity come to life. But this year promises to be more exciting as entries showing your talents in drawing, craft, and literature are highly anticipated.
Themes
Choose the themes suiting yourself.
| Group | Theme |
| Kids 7—10 | Helping One Another |
| Kids 11—14 | Making The World A Kinder Place |
Prizes
The excitement doesn’t end with just showing your creativity. Winners in each age group have the chance to win fantastic prizes.
Cash Rewards: A generous reward awaits those whose creativity stands out.
Customized Campus Tours: Absorb yourself in the creative environment with a customized tour of noted art and design campuses.
Virtual Workshops from NID: Learn from the best! Winners will have the opportunity to attend virtual workshops conducted by the National Institute of Design (NID), a celebrated institution in design education.
Registration
Click on “Register”, add your phone number, and fill in the OTP (One-time Password). Fill in the “Submission Category” and attach your creative file. Need guidance? If yes, check out the sample submission here.
Don’t miss the chance to make a hit with your creativity. We are waiting for your masterpieces!
1. What is Axis Bank Splash?| A．An organization. | B．An art museum. | C．A tour. | D．A contest. |
| A．A check reward. | B．Admission to NID. |
| C．A visit to art colleges. | D．Access to design studios. |
| A．Completing the submission category. | B．Changing the password first. |
| C．Submitting the work by email. | D．Referring to the given sample. |
2 . Pickleball (匹克球) is like a combination of ping-pong and tennis, and attracts many beginners.
To build coordination (协调), about 15 minutes should be taken to do a few drills. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. and then quickly move side to side.
Choose the right gear (装备), too, including a paddle that is appropriate for your strength level. You may need different shoes for outdoor and indoor play.
| A．Firstly, assess your fitness level. |
| B．Repeat those steps with your other leg. |
| C．It’s quickly becoming a sport of choice for adults. |
| D．Have extra socks on hand to help prevent foot injuries. |
| E．When getting started, remember to do warm-up exercises. |
| F．For the cross-step drill, put your feet shoulder-width apart. |
| G．With its wild popularity, pickleball-related injuries are growing. |
3 . Tai Chi, a gentle martial art originating from China and involving slow movements with a focus on breathing and on what your body is doing in that moment, provides numerous benefits for both physical and mental well-being. Here are five convincing reasons to bring Tai Chi into your routine.
●It’s easy on the body.
Tai Chi offers gentle exercise suitable for individuals of all ages and fitness levels.
●It could prevent falls.
A review of studies conducted in 2019 indicated that Tai Chi could lower the risk of falls among older people. Certainly, the emphasis is on balance, with sideways and backwards movements aiding in the strengthening of the muscles necessary for stability.
●It may boost brain power.
●
A reduction in stress and anxiety, along with an increase in confidence, is another mental health benefit of Tai Chi, as indicated by research findings, though further research is needed to comprehensively understand and confirm these effects.
●You can do it at home.
Attending classes can be beneficial for receiving structured instruction and connecting with like-minded individuals.
| A．It has the feel-good factor |
| B．It can improve heart health |
| C．The benefits aren’t just physical |
| D．But there are videos available online too |
| E．They also improve flexibility and spatial awareness |
| F．Its low-impact nature minimizes the risk of joint injury |
| G．You can share experiences with these people face-to-face |
4 . Defeating Daniil Medvedev in New York on Sunday, Djokovic, one of the greatest tennis player, bagging 24 Grand Slam (大满贯) singles titles, equalized the record held by Australian Margaret Court, the same number of singles titles in the all-time count.
With the victory, Djokovic became the oldest US Open men’s singles champion in the Open Era. In total, he has 10 Australian Opens, seven Wimbledons, four US Opens and three Roland Garros titles, making him the only man to win all four majors at least three times. “When I realized that, I started to dream new dreams and set new goals. I never imagined that I would be here talking about 24 Slams,” he said afterwards.
Djokovic reached all finals in the Grand Slams in 2023, and the only loss was at Wimbledon, when Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, 20, brought home the champion after an intense battle lasting four hours and 43 minutes.
Djokovic, at 36, shows few signs of losing physical edge. He stays healthy, keeps exceptional skills and always desires to win more. Capturing his first Grand Slam in 2008, Djokovic bagged half of his 24 major titles after he turned 30.“One of the biggest lessons I have learned probably mentally throughout my career is that even if you find a formula (方案) that works, it’s not a guarantee, and actually most likely it’s not going to work the next year, so I keep reinventing myself and always trying to find better ways to win,” said Djokovic.
For Djokovic, who always gets tough when the going gets tough, 24 is just a number that he can go beyond. “I’ll continue to prioritize Grand Slams as my most important tournaments and where I want to play the best tennis. That will stay the same in the next season, or I don’t know how many more seasons I have in my legs,” he added, “So, let’s see.”
1. What does the underlined word “equalized” in the first paragraph probably mean?| A．Set. | B．Broke. | C．Levelled. | D．Approached. |
| A．He won 12 Grand Slams in his thirties. |
| B．He won all the finals in the Grand Slams in 2023. |
| C．He attached the same importance to all the matches. |
| D．He is the oldest men’s singles champion in the open era. |
| A．Losing physical edge. | B．Attending more Grand Slams. |
| C．Following a good formula. | D．Finding flexible and proper strategies. |
| A．Confident and emotional. | B．Ambitious and devoted. |
| C．Aggressive and stubborn. | D．Enthusiastic and generous. |
5 . “The Worthington Christian defeated the Westerville North by 2—1 in an Ohio boys’ soccer game on Saturday.” That’s according to a story that appeared last month in The Columbus Dispatch. That lead was written not by a sportswriter, but by an artificial intelligence (AI) tool.
Many news organizations are now examining how AI might be used in their work. But if they begin their “experimenting” with high school sports because they are less momentous than war, peace, climate change and politics, they may miss something crucial. Nothing may be more important to the students who play high school sports, and to their families, neighborhoods, and sometimes, the whole town. That next game is what the students train for, work toward, and dream about. Someday, almost all student athletes will go on to have jobs in front of screens, in office parks, at schools, in hospitals or on construction sites. They may suffer blows and setbacks. But the high school games they played and watched, as well as their hopes and cheers, will stay vivid in their memories.
I have a small idea. If newspapers will no longer send staff reporters to cover high school games, why not hire high school student journalists? News organizations can pay students an hourly wage to cover high school games. The young reporters might learn how to be fair to all sides, write vividly, and attract readers. That’s what some celebrities in sports did, and do.
And think of the great writers who were inspired by sports: Hemingway on fishing, Bernard Malamud and Marianne Moore on baseball, Chen Zhongshi on football, and CLR James on cricket, who said, “There can be raw pain and bleeding where so many thousands see the inevitable (不可避免的) ups and downs of only a game.” A good high school writer, unlike a robot, could tell readers not just the score, but the stories of the game.
1. Why is the lead mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To introduce an original idea. | B．To show AI’s wide application. |
| C．To bring in the opinion about AI. | D．To stress AI’s importance to news. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Eye-catching. | C．Competitive. | D．Far-reaching. |
| A．Rich in contents. | B．Fair in comments. |
| C．Centered on results. | D．Targeted on readers. |
| A．News Organizations Are Abusing AI | B．High Schoolers Can Do What AI Can’t |
| C．Great Writers Are Crazy About Sports | D．AI Ruins High School Students’ Memory |
6 . For many runners, a marathon can often be a challenge — but sometimes what gets a runner through the tough 26.2 miles is looking out into the crowd and seeing his or her loved one holding up a sign and shouting words of encouragement. For one mom, though, her loved one was a bit more hands-on.
While running the REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon in Salt Lake City, Courtney Rich, a self-taught baker and mother of two, was beginning to run out of energy just yards from the end when she was suddenly joined by her 10-year-old daughter, Avery.
The touching moment, caught on video and posted on social media, shows Avery running to her mother’s side to support her as she approached the end of the race. Rich’s face lit up when Avery joined her and helped her cross the finish line.
Rich later said in the video’s caption that being joined by her daughter to finish the race was “a moment I hope neither of us ever forget”. Rich said that her daughter could tell she was struggling after a phone call near the end of the race. “She knew I had struggled the last few miles,” Rich said. “She saw tears in my eyes when I called on mile 24.”
In the video, Rich’s facial expression changes from tiredness to a smile after seeing her daughter emerge from the crowd to join her. Then, Rich and her daughter ran hand-in-hand to the finish line. “Nothing could have prepared me for the moment my 10-year-old daughter would jump out of the crowd and run with me to the finish line,” she said. When the race was done, the two hugged each other at the finish line. The video ends with a final caption, “And then she just held me. She held me.”
In the past, the REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon has had other memorable moments of mothers caring for their children, but perhaps not as hands-on as this one.
1. What happened to Rich when she was coming to the finish line?| A．She fell down all of a sudden. |
| B．She was far behind others. |
| C．She felt herself struggling. |
| D．She was interrupted by Avery. |
| A．She helped Rich run to the finish line. |
| B．She tried to call for help at once. |
| C．She ran the rest in place of Rich. |
| D．She shouted encouraging words to Rich. |
| A．Doubtful. |
| B．Content. |
| C．Concerned. |
| D．Expected. |
| A．A Mother Would Never Give Up On Her Marathon Dream |
| B．A Mother Encouraged Her Daughter To Pursue Her Dream |
| C．A Daughter Got Involved In Her Mother’s Race By Mistake |
| D．A Daughter Cheered For Her Mother By Joining In Her Race |
7 . A new study shows that getting half of American 8-to 11-year-olds into 25 minutes of physical activity three times a week would save ＄21.9 billion in medical costs over their lifetimes.
The increase from the current 32 percent to 50 percent of kids taking part in exercise, active play, or sports would also result in 340,000 fewer overweight teenagers.
“Physical activity not only makes kids feel better and helps them develop healthy habits, it’s also good for the nation’s bottom line,” says Bruce Y. Lee, executive director of the Global Obesity Prevention Center at Johns Hopkins University. “Our findings show that encouraging exercise and investing in physical activity when kids are young pays big dividends as they grow up.”
The study, published in the journal Health Affairs, suggests an even bigger advantage if every 8 to 11-year-old in the United States exercised 75 minutes over three times in a week. In that case, the researchers estimate (估计), ＄62.3 billion in medical costs over the course of their lifetimes could be avoided and 1.2 million fewer youths would be overweight. And the money would increase if not just current 8-to-11 year olds, but every future elementary school child joined their game.
Exercise at least 25 minutes a day, three days a week, is a guideline developed for kids by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. An overweight person’s lifetime medical costs average ＄62,331. For the overweight person, these amounts are great.
“Even a little increase in physical activity could cause billions of dollars in savings,” Lee says. He also says there are other benefits of physical activity that don’t affect weight, such as improving bone density, improving mood, and building muscle.
Lee says “We need to be adding physical education programs and not cutting them. We need to encourage kids to be active, to reduce screen time and get them running around again. It’s important for their physical health and the nation’s financial (经济的) health.”
1. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?| A．Getting kids to run would save money. |
| B．Physical activity is important for kids. |
| C．Physical education programs: adding or cutting? |
| D．Overweight person’s lifetime medical costs are increasing. |
| A．Pays much money. | B．Pays little money. |
| C．Plays an important part. | D．Is a serious question. |
| A．The number of American kids from 8 to 11 who take part in physical activity is increasing. |
| B．Physical education programs should be cut to encourage the nation’s financial health. |
| C．25 minutes of physical activity three times a week may result in fewer overweight teenagers. |
| D．Physical activity can only make kids feel better but can’t help them develop healthy habits. |
8 . Youth Wildflower Art Contest
Have wildflowers ever inspired the inner artist in you? Shenandoah National Park’s annual Youth Wild flower Art Contest is coming again! This year’s artists can share their creativity by uploading their entries (参赛作品) online.
Who
The contest is open to all K-12 students (including home-schooled students) in the following counties (县):
Albemarle, Augusta, Greene, Madison, Page, Rappahannock, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Warren.
What
Each student may submit one piece of artwork. For the subjects of their artworks, artists must use wild flowers that are native to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Shenandoah National Park. To help you choose, we’ve put together a list of native wildflower species.
Submissions must be on flat media, and may include watercolor, pencil, fabric (织物), etc. Photographs, computer-generated, or computer-enhanced artworks will not be accepted. Works will be judged on the basis of original designs and artistic compositions.
If you’d like some art tips before getting started, be sure to check out our virtual wildflower water color workshops with artist Betty Gatewood.
When
We will kick off National Park Week with accepting submissions! You can submit your artwork from April16 through May 4. The winners will be notified after the judging process has been completed.
How
You can get started any time with your work! Participants will upload an image or scan of their art works online through Call for Entry website.
In order to upload your artwork, you must first sign up for a free Call for Entry account. After creating an account, you can upload your artwork. Detailed instructions for uploading artwork may be found on the website. Last, follow the instructions for applying to the contest and you’re all done.
Questions
Email shen_education@nps.gov for more information and questions!
1. Which of the following works is a disqualified entry?| A．A photo of flowers. |
| B．A piece of fabric. |
| C．A pencil painting. |
| D．A watercolor work. |
| A．On April 15. | B．On April 20. | C．On May 12. | D．On May 16. |
| A．Email shen_education@nps.gov. |
| B．Donate money to a virtual workshop. |
| C．Create a free Call for Entry account. |
| D．Ask for Betty Gatewood’s permission. |
9 . Though Marley has loved soccer for as long as she can remember, her involvement in the game didn’t extend beyond kickabouts with her father and brothers. But that all changed in 2014 when one day her son came home from school and handed her a flier (传单), saying that his soccer coach had asked him to deliver it to her. “I’m reading it... like ‘Wait, Jamaica has a women’s football team? Where did this come from?’” she said.
Six years earlier, in 2008, underfunding had led to the Jamaican Football Federation (JFF) disbanding the women’s national team program. The flier Marley’s son brought home was a fundraising request from the JFF to help restart the program. Marley got to work almost immediately, calling the JFF the following morning to ask what it needed.
“The needs were many,” Marley said, repeating the sentence as if to stress how dire the situation was. From travel and nutrition to accommodation and training camps, every area of the national team’s setup was in need of funding.
A skilled musician and multiple Grammy award-winning artist, Marley put her considerable musical talents to work. “My family came together with me. We recorded a song Strike Hard to raise funds,” she said.
Her efforts—and the work of countless others who were equally as committed to the cause—paid off as the women’s national team became the first Caribbean country to qualify for the Women’s World Cup.
Marley’s work has helped not only improve standards and conditions for players, but also shift the country’s attitude towards the women’s national team. “These girls have been told for a long time that women in sports, especially football in Jamaica, really weren’t that important,” Marley said. “Nobody wants to give us brand deals because it’s the female team. It’s so good now to see how all of that has changed dramatically, not just for our women, but around the world... and that makes me excited.”
1. How did Marley probably feel while reading the flier?| A．Astonished. | B．Disappointed. | C．Grateful. | D．Regretful. |
| A．Its coaches left the team. | B．Its players were unskilled. |
| C．It failed the football fans. | D．It lacked sufficient funds. |
| A．Amazing. | B．Terrible. | C．Fresh. | D．Stable. |
| A．Short-lived. | B．Negative. | C．Far-reaching. | D．Unidentifiable. |
10 . Now, new research suggests frequent exercise might help you live well in another meaningful way—that is, in terms of income. Researchers investigated whether individuals who stayed active would earn more money as a result of their active lifestyle. It revealed that staying active not only resulted in higher present earnings, but also predicted increased future income throughout one’s life.
The researchers set out to explore three key correlations (相互关系)：How mobility-the ability to move, affected income, how mobility influenced income overtime, and whether exercise could help people maintain their mobility as they aged. The team analyzed data from Health and Retirement Study(HRS), the largest study tracking changes overtime in Americans aged 50 and above. This study takes into account various life aspects, including work, social status, health, psychology and family matters, as individuals age.
To evaluate the impact of current mobility on income, the researchers examined data from over 19, 000 respondents (调查对象) to determine how well they could perform simple tasks, such as climbing stairs, or moving around a room. Each person received a score, with 5 indicating full mobility and 0 indicating difficulties with these tasks. The researchers found that for each decrease in the mobility category, individuals lost out on an average of $3, 000 in annual income compared to their peers. Those who were active were also significantly more likely to remain working for longer than the other group. It appeared that engaging in exercise enabled individuals to maintain mobility and engage in professional life for a longer period of time than those who were less active.
Looking at earnings overtime revealed even more substantial benefits for those who remained active throughout their lives. Active individuals showed an overall income level that was $6, 500 higher, along with higher rates of employment. For the third part of the study, it’s not surprising that those who engaged in exercise continued to maintain their mobility after the age of 55 and had higher employment rates. Even exercising just one day a week showed improvements in mobility outcomes.
While this study doesn’t definitively prove that leading a healthy lifestyle directly leads to higher earnings, it strongly suggests that staying healthy and mobile brings benefits beyond just lower levels of disease.
1. What didn’t researchers take into consideration when designing their experiment?| A．Family matters | B．Work and social status |
| C．Health and psychology | D．Educational background |
| A．Increased mobility slightly reduces annual income |
| B．Greater mobility is closely related to higher income |
| C．Decreased mobility greatly increases the overall income |
| D．Maintaining mobility has nothing to do with the income |
| A．Favorable | B．Indifferent | C．Opposed | D．Doubtful |
| A．Exercise Lowers Levels of All Diseases |
| B．Exercise Promotes Work Efficiency |
| C．Exercise Helps to Make More Money |
| D．Exercise Ensures A Longer Lifespan |
