1 . 2024 Illustration Competition
Enter the competition most respected and admired in the industry for creativity in illustration, the Communication Arts Illustration Competition. Selected by distinguished professionals, the winning entries will be distributed worldwide in the Communication Arts Illustration Annual and on commarts.com, ensuring important exposure of the creations. Each winner will receive a professionalized Award of Excellence, made from solid aluminum, and an award certificate. Communication Art’s Award of Excellence is one of the most desired awards. If chosen, winning places you in the highest ranks of your profession.
What To Enter With
Any illustration first published or produced from Jan. 2023 to Jan. 2024 is qualified. Entries may originate from any country. Description sin English are necessary for the judges to read.
Entries Can Be Submitted In The Following Formats
Digital Images: RGB images in JPG format with a maximum file size of 2MB. GIF images maybe livelier but would be turned down, and so would the PNG ones.
Motion Entries: In MOV, MP4 or MPG format, with a maximum file size of 500 MB.
Illustration Competition Categories & Entry Fees
| Category | Single illustration | Series of illustrations |
| Books(covers, jackets, etc.) | $30 | $60 (limit of 5) |
| Motion(media for films, videos, etc.) | $70 | $140(limit of 3) |
| Student Work | $15(Image) $40(Video) | $30 (Images, limit of 5) $80 (Video, limit of 3) |
For more categories, please download the category PDF.
Late Fees
Entries must be registered no later than Jan.13, 2024. Entries registered after that date will be charged a fee of $10 each. No entries can be registered after Jan. 27, 2024.
1. What is an advantage of winning an award?| A．You will be given a large bonus. |
| B．You will be exposed to world-famous works. |
| C．You will be widely recognized in the industry. |
| D．You will be employed as a professor in the industry. |
| A．$60. | B．$100. | C．$110. | D．$150. |
| A．England. | B．English-speaking countries. |
| C．America. | D．Any country in the world. |
2 . 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. |
3 . Boston Marathon runners in recent years may have seen a smiling furry face around the two-mile mark. It’s Spencer, the therapy (治疗) dog, who became known as an unofficial mascot (吉祥物) for the marathon, He’s shown up on the sidelines every year since 2015—rain or shine.
One particularly rainy marathon catapulted Spencer’s fame, In 2018, his owner, Richard Powers, decided to put a bright yellow rain coat on the dog, making him stand out even more than he usually does. Photos of Spencer, who holds a “Boston Strong” flag in his mouth, went viral, and he became an inspiration to runners and onlookers alike, During the marathon, some runners stop in their tracks to take selfies with the dog-the line sometimes growing to 20 runners long.
But in 2020, Spencer was diagnosed with a tumor (肿瘤). His owner was worried, but Spencer is a fighter. He got the care he needed and survived. In 2021, he was back on the course and it was really kind of a miracle and that really hit home to a lot of people.
Unfortunately, Spencer caught another tumor—this one cancerous—and Spencer began chemotherapy. Powers didn’t think his beloved dog would make it out to the marathon of 2022. “Miraculously, he’s still here with us and an even bigger miracle, he was strong enough to go to the marathon,” he said.
After recovering, Spencer was back to work—not just at the marathon—but as a therapy dog, alongside his companion, Penny, who is also a golden therapy dog. Powers takes his two therapy dogs around to schools, hospitals and senior living centers.
“He’s a gift to us and we’re very lucky to have him. He’s too good so we want to share him with as many people as we possibly can. He does make a difference,” Powers said.
1. Why is Spencer referred to as a mascot for Boston Marathon?| A．He has a smiling furry face. | B．He appears at the event annually. |
| C．He is not recognized officially. | D．He works as a therapy dog for runners. |
| A．Motivation. | B．Satisfaction. | C．Fantasy. | D．Barrier. |
| A．A failure in the marathon. | B．Caring for his owner. | C．Fighting against a disease. | D．Going viral. |
| A．Confident, | B．Supportive. | C．Objective. | D．Negative. |
4 . Ian Happ is a professional baseball player for a baseball team in the United States. When he first started playing with the team in 2017, he was looking for pictures to hang in his home. An idea and an unlikely partnership with a British artist came from that simple desire.
Happ wanted to show Wrigley Field, the team’s ballpark, from a different artistic vision. He said that many baseball fans had been to Wrigley Field but had never seen what the ballpark looked like, from the field. He thought looking up from the field was such a cool experience that he intended to bring that to more fans. So, from his point of view, he let the British artist Patrick Vale create three large drawings of Wrigley Field. Instead of having pictures hung in his home, the partnership led to something quite different.
Happ’s views of Wrigley Field became the project, Through My Eyes, in which fans could purchase prints. The money made in this way went toward those people in need. The drawings by Vale became See What I See, an exhibition at a Chicago’s gallery. The show lasted a period of time.
Happ ever brought Vale to Chicago in September of 2018 and showed him around Wrigley Field. Vale knew little about the sport of baseball. But he understood the connection fans had with Wrigley Field. Happ had to explain to Vale the importance of the 400-foot sign in the center field and the famous manual scoreboard. He had to teach him the correct positioning of the players. He also explained what it felt like standing in the field under the bright lights with a loud crowd.
Vale took pictures and used them to help him create drawings in great detail. He was very modest and would send rough drawings to Happ, who would mark them up in red ink, like a teacher, with suggestions. It was in this way that their cooperation was so successful.
1. What did Happ ask Vale to do?| A．Join the baseball team. |
| B．Find a different baseball field. |
| C．Create three pictures of his home. |
| D．Draw according to his own perspectives. |
| A．To hold an exhibition. | B．To do charity. |
| C．To attract baseball fans. | D．To promote the printing trade. |
| A．What Vale explained to Happ. |
| B．How Vale corrected Happ’s mistakes. |
| C．What Happ and Vale felt about the field. |
| D．How Happ introduced Vale about Wrigley field. |
| A．Humble. | B．Humorous. | C．Casual. | D．Conventional. |
5 . 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 skateboards 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 designed to skate on the level ground. |
| C．It is probably suitable for U-shaped ramps. | D．It is modeled on the design of roller-skates. |
| A．Bilbo. | B．Logan Earth Ski. | C．Newquay. | D．Sky Brown&. Skateistan Almost. |
| A．Skateboards are still low-tech products. |
| B．Skateboarding won its acceptance immediately. |
| C．Skateboarders were always admired by the public. |
| D．Skateboarding will be very popular around the world. |
6 . TEC Community Event Series
Date and time
Thursday, July 13, 11 a.m.—11:45 a.m.
Location: Online
Duration: 45 minutes
Join our monthly community event! At TEC we have found that community increases success and consistency.
Have you ever wondered why the needle does not move, even when you get your 10.000 steps in? Do you still feel overly sore after a weekend full of activities? Or you can’t seem to break the pattern with ongoing injuries?
If this sounds like you, then TEC has you covered! From movement to mindset, we will help you engage your body and give you easy-to-follow movements that you can do from anywhere. This will help you accomplish your fitness goals, feel great in all your summer activities and avoid the roller coaster of injuries!
TEC monthly community event!
Stay active beyond your training for performance, and prioritize your overall health.
Each movement will help you maximize your recovery and avoid any of the bad effects of your workouts, for example, overuse injuries, tightness, range of motion issues, etc.
Have a body and mind ready to interact in all the activities the healthy way!
Connect with other athletes and individuals.
Ask TEC coaches and other athletes questions and collaborate (合作) on best practices to optimize (优化) your mindset!
This event is for you if：
★You desire a community to grow with.
★You have strong feelings of enthusiasm for workouts.
★You enjoy achieving at a high level.
★You are looking for support for your mindset, sport or fitness.
This event is not for you if：
★You are close-minded and are not looking to be challenged or encouraged.
★You don’t value learning from others.
★You are looking for a place to sell your products or services.
1. What can we learn about this event?| A．It takes place every month. |
| B．It offers 45-minute offline training. |
| C．It shows people the secret to success. |
| D．It aims to help measure people’s weight. |
| A．They will recover immediately when injured. |
| B．They will gain permanent free workouts. |
| C．They will get one-to-one guidance from a coach. |
| D．They will learn how to avoid some injuries when exercising. |
| A．Those who hope to enjoy a quiet weekend. |
| B．Those who want to attract potential customers. |
| C．Those who attach importance to an active lifestyle. |
| D．Those who desire good academic performance. |
7 . Italy’s Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo have been announced as the hosts of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Italy’s bid ahead of Stockholm, Sweden.
Skating sports and ice hockey will be held in Milan, while most skiing events will take place in the resort of Cortina. Other snow sports will be held in the Italian Alps, including Bormio and Livigno.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place from February 6 to 22. Cortina hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956, while Turin staged the 2006 Winter Olympics.
There were only two bidders left that were considered suitable for the Winter Olympics after four other bidders — the Swiss city of Sion, Japan’s Sapporo, Graz in Austria and the Canadian city Calgary, which had earlier dropped out of the race with concerns over the event’s size and cost.
The results showed Milan-Cortina had received 47 out of the 82 votes cast. Sweden has never hosted a Winter Games before and received 34 votes.
IOC president Thomas Bach said: “Congratulations to Milan-Cortina. We can look forward to an outstanding Olympic Winter Games in a traditional winter sports country. The passion and knowledge of Italian fans, together with experienced sporting event operators, will create the perfect atmosphere for the best athletes in the world.”
Knowing the winning, Italian people shouted “Italia, Italia” as the decision was announced.
1. How many votes did Italy get?| A．22. | B．34. | C．47. | D．82. |
| A．All events will be held in Milan. | B．The 2026 Winter Olympics will last about two weeks. |
| C．Sweden held the Winter Olympics once. | D．Calgary gave up the bid considering the time. |
| A．Discouraged. | B．Surprised. | C．Doubtful. | D．Excited. |
| A．The 2026 Winter Olympics Games |
| B．The competition for holding Winter Olympic Games |
| C．Italy’s successful bidding for 2026 Winter Olympic Games |
| D．The introduction of Winter Olympics Games |
8 . All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy and happy, and to live longer.
Some sports or games go back thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese wushu, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet.
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game together they often become good friends.
| A．And think of people in cold countries. |
| B．Sports help to train a person’s character. |
| C．Not a few people like sports in the world. |
| D．Many people like to watch others play games. |
| E．People aren’t inventing new sports or games. |
| F．Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere take part in them. |
| G．People are inventing new sports or games all the time. |
9 . Race walking shares many fitness benefits with running, research shows, while most likely contributing to fewer injuries. It does, however, have its own problem.
Race walkers are conditioned athletes. The longest track and field event at the Summer Olympics is the 50-kilometer race walk, which is about five miles longer than the marathon. But the sport’s rules require that a race walker’s knees stay straight through most of the leg swing and one foot remain in contact (接触) with the ground at all times. It’s this strange form that makes race walking such an attractive activity, however, says Jaclyn Norberg, an assistant professor of exercise science at Salem State University in Salem, Mass.
Like running, race walking is physically demanding, she says, According to most calculations, race walkers moving at a pace of six miles per hour would burn about 800 calories(卡路里) per hour, which is approximately twice as many as they would burn walking, although fewer than running, which would probably burn about 1,000 or more calories per hour.
However, race walking does not pound the body as much as running does, Dr. Norberg says. According to her research, runners hit the ground with as much as four times their body weight per step, while race walkers, who do not leave the ground, create only about 1.4 times their body weight with each step.
As a result, she says, some of the injuries associated with running, such as runner’s knee, are uncommon among race walkers. But the sport’s strange form does place considerable stress on the ankles and hips, so people with a history of such injuries might want to be cautious in adopting the sport. In fact, anyone wishing to try race walking should probably first consult a coach or experienced racer to learn proper technique, she says. It takes some practice.
1. Why are race walkers conditioned athletes?| A．They must run long distances. |
| B．They are qualified for the marathon. |
| C．They have to follow special rules. |
| D．They are good at swinging their legs. |
| A．It’s more popular at the Olympics. |
| B．It’s less challenging physically. |
| C．It’s more effective in body building. |
| D．It’s less likely to cause knee injuries. |
| A．Getting experts’ opinions. |
| B．Having a medical checkup. |
| C．Hiring an experienced coach. |
| D．Doing regular exercises. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Objective. |
| C．Tolerant. | D．Conservative. |
10 . The boy sat on his chair, with his hands above the keyboard. He thought about what to write.
He recalled that the competition deadline was merely a week away. But he still had not even started on his piece. He looked at the brochure again.“WRITING COMPETITION！” the title read. His mom had encouraged him to enter the writing competition, and now he was taking it on as his personal task for the holidays.
As the boy reflected on his previous writing efforts, he realized how hopeless his task of winning was. Every story he ever wrote was based on other stories. He had little imagination, and unfortunately, imagination was the key to writing.
Suddenly, he had a brainwave. This time, he came up with an original and imaginative story.
The words shot towards him like a storm of leaves. Words were coming easily, flowing through him, faster than he could type. He typed faster than he ever had before. He continued to type, amazed how easy writing this story was. The boy could not stop writing. He looked at the word count and saw the number “248” staring right back at him. He was not even halfway yet.
Then he heard his mother’s call of saying time for bed. He continued writing the piece, ignoring her. He had to make up for the time he had lost in thinking about a topic to write.
Finally, he finished. The word count now read “498”.
“Perfect，” he thought, “just under the word limit.” He knew this was the story that would win.
He went to the website and searched for the competition. He found the page but there was no “Enter” button.
Confused, he then reread the page again. It read COMPETITION CLOSED.
1. What caused the boy to take part in the writing competition?| A．A new computer. |
| B．The prize money. |
| C．His own interest. |
| D．His mom’s encouragement. |
| A．His mom helped him. |
| B．He copied others’ ideas. |
| C．His friends assisted him. |
| D．He used his imagination. |
| A．Because he was terribly lazy. |
| B．Because he didn’t know what to write. |
| C．Because he wasn’t confident. |
| D．Because he read too many stories. |
| A．100. | B．250. |
| C．500. | D．1000. |
