2 . International Letter-Writing Competition for Young People 2024

Since 1971, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) has inspired young writers aged 9-15 to write letters on a given theme to win exciting prizes. The competition is an excellent way of making young people aware of the important role postal services play in our societies. It develops their skills in writing and their ability to express thoughts clearly. A group of international judges invited by the International Bureau judge the letters and select the winners.

The UPU has launched its 53rd International letter-writing Competition for Young People this year.

Competition theme

In 2024, participants will be encouraged to reflect on the future of the world under the theme: “At 150 years old, the UPU has served people around the world for more than eight generations. The world has changed enormously since then. Write a letter to future generations about the world you hope they inherit (继承).” The theme encourages young people to voice their thoughts on current global challenges and propose innovative solutions. It also allows youths to draw upon the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, providing a framework for their visions of a better world.

Competition rules

• Entries must be in the form of a letter and contain the necessary parts of a letter (heading, greeting, body, complimentary close, signature line and postscript).   

• Letters must be strictly in agreement with the topic and contain no more than 800 words in the original language.

• At the national level, the competition is organized by UPU member countries. Entries must reach the UPU International Bureau no later than May 5th.

For more information, please contact us at communication@upu.int.

1. What can competitors learn from the competition?

A．The history of the UPU	B．The skills of communication.
C．The importance of postal services.	D．The meaning of expressing thoughts.

2. What is most likely to be the topic of this year’s competition?

A．The enormous change in the world.	B．The world for the future generations.
C．Global challenges and innovative solutions.	D．Sustainable development for a better world.

3. What should competitors do?

A．Write the letters in right format.	B．Hand in their entries on May 6th.
C．Write a letter of at least 800 words	D．Send their entries to the official email.

5 . Research from a UK charity has found that girls are likely to become less interested in sports as they move into their teenage years.

Women in Sport conducted a poll (调查) of more than 4,000 teenagers and found that 43 percent of girls felt they had been sporty as primary school students, but no longer saw themselves this way.

“Worryingly, girls lose their love of sport and exercise during teenage years, and this presents a significant psychological barrier throughout life,” the report said.

The majority of those who no longer considered themselves sporty said they had become less interested in sports because they didn’t like other people watching them.

The girls also spoke about how anxiety over their appearance led them to be less likely to participate in sports. The boys examined in this study didn’t show any change in their willingness to take part in sports. This points to a relationship between the mental well-being of girls and their willingness to engage in sports.

“It’s an absolute travesty (嘲讽) that teenage girls are being pushed out of sport at such a scale,” said Stephanie Hilborne, the chief executive of Women in Sport. She added that losing sports at this formative stage of their lives was equal to “a loss of joy as well as good lifelong health”.

“It is well documented that taking part in physical activity can have a profound and positive effect on mental well-being as well as provide many important life skills such as resilience (适应力), teamwork and communication,” she added.

The charity is calling on schools and sports clubs to increase the focus on keeping girls interested in sports, which can help them gain confidence when facing pressure from social media and their peers. Sports are crucial to keeping people active and social through puberty (青春期), which can already hit a young person’s self-confidence.

1. What do we know from the survey conducted by the UK charity?

A．Girls who are interested in sports don’t experience psychological barrier.

B．It is most commonly seen among teenagers that they lose passion in sports.

C．A large number of girls gradually become less interested in sports.

D．About half of the girls lose love in sports when in primary school.

2. What is the main reason for teenage girls’ loss of interest in sports?

A．They don’t like to be the focus of others.

B．They worry about their looking when doing sports.

C．They are afraid of being compared with the boys.

D．They are mentally unwilling to do sports.

3. What benefit can sports bring for the girls according to the article?

A．Equipping themselves with lots of meaningful life qualities.

B．Learning to understand their feelings when facing pressure.

C．Developing better relations with their friends.

D．Keeping a good shape of the body.

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1. What is the major concern of people who want to take a ski holiday?

A．Price range.	B．Snow conditions.
C．Temperature changes.	D．Equipment rental.

2. Why is mid-March a special time for skiing?

A．It is far quieter than January.

B．It can help avoid busy school holidays.

C．It has a record for the lowest temperature.

D．It guarantees both fresh snow and sunny days.

3. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To spread knowledge about skiing.

B．To encourage more people to ski.

C．To offer skiers some suggestions.

D．To advertise a ski holiday discount.

7 . David Brown is known as the world’s fastest completely blind runner. He was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease at 15 months old, which led him to completely lose his sight by age13.

Brown says he was living in fear for a number of years until he discovered his passion for running. After winning an essay contest, he earned the ticket for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. It was at that time that he knew he wanted to compete himself.

Paralympic runners train and compete alongside sighted guides. At the Rio Games in 2016, Brown and his partner Jerome Avery ran 10.99 in the men’s 100-meter dash to take home the gold. Brown made his way to running from another sport. He explains that he lost his left eye when he was 3, and lost vision in his right eye over time. He played basketball as a kid, but was increasingly getting injured because he couldn’t see the ball coming. “I took the opportunity to run on the playground, and realized I had some speed there,” he says.

He pursued his passion at the Missouri School for the Blind. Brown started at the school when he was 11, and it was there that he really started running track.

He got to his first Paralympic games by writing about running. Brown was one of the 25 winners of an essay contest that got to attend the event in Beijing. He says he wrote about how he used sports to overcome obstacles, noting that as he grew up he struggled with depression.

It’s important to be in sync with your running partner. His new partner Steward says he doesn’t have to slow down when running with Brown, because he’s fast. A 10-or 11-sccond race doesn’t require much speaking, Steward says. “It’s also an honor,” Brown says. He notes that Paralympic runners can’t do what they do without guides like Steward, who could theoretically run solo but choose not to. He calls it “a great honor”.

1. What made David Brown decide to take part in the competition himself?

A．Winning an essay contest.	B．Winning an Olympic medal.
C．Attending the 2008 Olympics.	D．Attending the Missouri School.

2. What made David Brown change from basketball to running?

A．His change in personal interest.	B．The decline and loss of his vision.
C．The diagnosis with Kawasaki disease.	D．His participation in his first Paralympic games.

3. What can we know about David Brown’s essay?

A．It was inspiring.	B．It was interesting.
C．It was pessimistic.	D．It was depressing.

4. Which proverb best describes David Brown’s story?

A．All roads lead to Rome.	B．Every dog has its day.
C．Where there is a will, there is a way.	D．Hope for the best, prepare for the Worst.

10 . A recent study conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) showed that while sportsmanship among players has improved over the years, sportsmanship in the fans and parents has reduced. It has always interested me why people in the stands often feel they have invested more than the actual participants. Is it the time and money invested into private lessons and travel teams? Is it the college scholarship we need our children to earn? Is it the fear of seeing our kids fail? In any event, we, as parents and fans, should all take a step back and determine if we are helping our kids, or undermining the experience.

As a father of four kids who enjoys participating in athletics, I have to remind myself that it is okay when my kid misses a shot, strikes out, or doesn’t play good enough defense. That fact is, it is their game and their experience, and my playing days are over. A good reminder for me when I feel that my kid needs my advice from the stands comes from the great John Wooden, basketball player and head coach at the University of California at Los Angeles. He once said, “Young people need models, not critics (批判者) .”

Instead of being upset with what my kid is not doing well, or how an official has “cheated” our team, I should focus on helping my kid learn to respect the other team. I should watch my language and the negative comments that could come from my mouth. I should respect the officials and not argue every call that is made. Perhaps most importantly, I should support my kids’ team, win or lose.

Life is tough, and life is not fair. Like life, sports are tough and not always fair. Yet sports can be a wonderful training ground for life’s challenges. Just like we win some and lose some in sports, we also deal with plenty of successes, challenges and failures in our lives. Let’s try to be good sports in both the winning and losing situations and during our successes, challenges and failures.

1. Why does the author mention NCAA’s recent study?

A．To introduce the topic of sportsmanship.

B．To prove the reduction of sportsmanship.

C．To stress the experience of sportsmanship

D．To show the improvement of sportsmanship

2. What does the underlined word “invested” mean in paragraph 1?

A．Profited.

B．Absorbed.

C．Devoted.

D．Harvested.

3. What should parents do to encourage sportsmanship according to the text?

A．Express deep concern about the other teams’ skills.

B．Make positive comments on their kids’ performance.

C．Back their kids’ team whatever the result of athletics is.

D．Respect the other players’ honor whatever cheating happens.

4. Which words can best describe the author?

A．Modest and demanding.

B．Strict and responsible.

C．Kind and warm-hearted.

D．Understanding and broad-minded.