The “Understanding Contemporary China” Foreign Language Contests were held in Beijing from December 4 to 8．

Nearly one million college students from more than 1,300 universities participated , with about 2,500     1     (enter) the national final. The contests aimed to     2     (deep) college students’ understanding of China, enhance their linguistic (语言的) abilities and intercultural communication     3     (competent), and provide a platform for them to tell China’s stories well.

The champion of the English group     4     (determine) through a simulated (模拟的) “Global Youth Summit”. Three contestants discussed     5     (topic) including cultural diversity and the future development of mankind with Xinhua News Agency’s reporter Simon Keith Robinson,     6     tested their knowledge and ability to handle diverse subjects.

Xu Chengcheng, from Beijing Foreign Studies University, won     7     national championship of the International Communication Contest. She demonstrated a high-level of English proficiency(熟练)and strong communication skills in the prepared speech     8     the Global Youth Summit session(会议).

A special session of “Multilingual Champions Showcase” was part     9     the closing ceremony, where champions used their foreign language skills     10     (share) stories about their understanding of China and communication with the world, showcasing youthful insights.

On February 10, 2024 ambitious young scientists flooded Brown University’s classrooms and laboratories, ready to put their knowledge to the test at the 7th Annual Brown Science Olympiad tournament, which provided a     1     (true) enriching and enjoyable experience for all involved.

The STEM competition welcomes nearly 1, 000 high schoolers from across New England.     2     (feature) a lineup of 23 diverse challenges, the single-day academic tournament integrates written assessments with hands-on design and build tasks. Each challenge     3     (score) individually, with points awarded based on performance, accuracy and completion of tasks. Teams win by accumulating (累积) the highest total score across all 23 challenges in the tournament.

Contestants get     4     (them) involved in various scientific disciplines, from fundamental subjects like biology, chemistry and physics to     5     (specialize) areas such as astronomy and robotics. Throughout the event, students engage     6     a series of activities in a day filed with curiosity, creativity, exploring the     7     (wonder) of science and pushing the boundaries of their intellectual capabilities.

But the Brown tournament isn’t just about becoming a strong competitor. It also offers a platform for young scientists     8     (wander) Brown’s campus. “With the tournament, you can get an insight into college life and     9     great understanding of the whole college experience,” Golditch a contestant, said. “Participating in the Science Olympiad has been the most valuable experience     10     allows us to explore fun science concepts,” added Golditch.

Despite being 75 years old, Chai Tixia’s expertise in Jianzi is truly impressive. With quick kicks, he effortlessly sends the Jianzi into the air and gracefully guides it to land    1     (gentle) on his head.

Jianzi,    2     game that dates back to the Han Dynasty, is surprisingly simple: players must keep the Jianzi in the air,    3     (use) any part of their body except their hands and arms. However, to master this game    4     (require) a lot of practice.

While enjoyed throughout China, Jianzi     5     (describe) by Chai as an important aspect of hutong culture. The narrow alleyways, situated within Beijing’s inner city, provide the setting for the game’s    6     (popular). Each mormning, Chai and his fellow hutong residents gather for their shared passion for Jianzi.

Chai’s spirited matches with his neighbors have a big audience     7     (draw) to the artistry and excitement of the game. The onlookers who watch them playing with great athleticism are amazed at     8     Chai and his fellow players can achieve.

Having practiced Jianzi for over 30 years, Chai cherishes the physical and social     9     (benefit) the game brings. Engaging in lively matches with his neighbors energizes his body, enhances his flexibility,     10     promotes unity within the community. Through Jianzi, Chai harvests not only health but a sense of belonging and friendship.

5 . 阅读下面短文, 在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式｡

Tai Chi is definitely part of the life in Handan. Early morning walks are     1     (reward) with high quality Yang Tai Chi being performed all over the place.

Each morning on one of Handan’s main     2     (square), only a few minutes’ walk from the Jinan Hotel, large groups of Tai Chi practitioners gather     3     (study) with a variety of teachers. The quality of the Tai Chi is really good. Across the road is the main park of Handan, with     4     (it) rebuilt historic buildings from the Warring Period. The park is great to wander through.

Again there are people everywhere     5     (perform) Tai Chi in the mornings, big groups around teachers, and individuals     6     (elegant) practicing. The quality often looked very high, and as people walked past, I’d note their posture (姿势) and stride (步态) and wonder     7     made them so good at Tai Chi.

A seven-yuan taxi ride can get you to any of     8     other parks, all of which seem to be well used in the mornings. In another park, I     9     (spot) a group of women practicing sword forms and they were beautiful to watch. There was also a smaller group of people on a wooden platform next     10     a lake, and their Tai Chi was more elegant against the clear water.

For the last two weeks, 32 women’s football teams have been playing in stadiums (体育场) across Australia and New Zealand as part of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Along the way, there have been some     1    (excite) matches, along with several surprises. Now there are only eight teams     2    (leave).

This is the     3    (nine) Women’s World Cup. The competition     4    (begin) in 1991 and is held every four years. For the first time ever, the competition is being hosted     5    more than one country. The first match took place in New Zealand. The final match will    6     (hold) at Stadium Australia in Melbourne on August 20.

In another change, this year, for the first time ever, 32 teams were invited to compete.   In the past, there were only 24 teams. For the eight     7    (country), this was the first time they’d ever made it into the World Cup.

Some people criticized (批评) the move, saying the new teams were too weak. But several teams     8     were included for the first time performed (表现) very well even beating teams that were expected     9     (do) much better. Morocco beat both South Korea     10    Colombia. Morocco is the only one of the new teams to make it into the final 16 teams in the competition.

Tai chi is a centuries-old Chinese martial art and an internationally popular form of exercise. It is a series of postures (姿势) and motions that develops one’s     1     (strong)and flexibility through careful, flowing movements and focused breathing. Each posture     2     (slow) transforms into another, and we gradually need to shift our weight     3     (maintain) balance. At the end, we return to the starting position: in other words, all of the movements     4     (connect) in an endless, continuous flow.

The practice of tai chi is rooted in     5     (tradition) Chinese philosophy, particularly the ancient concept of yin-yang. The tai chi symbol, or taijitu,     6     (show) yin and yang together: yin symbolizes the dark, female force in nature,     7     yang represents the bright, male force. Yin cannot exist without yang, and yang cannot exist without yin. Tai chi aims to achieve balance     8     opposites in life: yin and yang; soft and hard; mind and body, and so on. At the heart of tai chi is the concept of qi,     9     generally translates as “vital energy”. The different exercises help move the qi through your body,     10     (produce) positive effects on one’s mental and spiritual health.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Traditional Fitness Qigong Wins Hearts of Young Chinese

No one could have expected that slow-moving Qigong    1    (become) popular among Chinese young people in the past several years. Short videos of young Chinese doing traditional fitness Qigong have flooded video websites, among     2    a video of Baduanjin has been played for more than 10 million times and received over 6, 000 comments on a video sharing platform targeting young people.

Baduanjin is one of the oldest fitness     3    (method) to stay healthy in China, originally created over 800 years ago during the Song Dynasty. The name refers    4    how the eight individual movements provide a soft quality for the movement of the body.

Compared with more    5    (physical) demanding sports such as the ball games or swimming, Baduanjin is slow and usually accompanied by restful music, so it used to be considered as the sport    6    (intend) for the elders. However, not requiring much space, equipment or time, it’s perfect for office workers, as they often suffer from back and neck pain caused by    7    (sit) in front of computers for hours.

“I’ve been doing Baduanjin for a couple of months, which makes     8    (I) sleep well and get strong,”     9    young netizen commented below the video. “I owe big thanks to Baduanjin as it offers a much    10    (good) lifestyle.”

China’s taijiquan has become     1    (increasing) popular as a form of mind-body exercise and stress reduction, especially among young people. Song Fei,     2     was the former female champion of a fitness model     3    (compete) in Beijing, has been sharing the changes in her body and mind after learning taijiquan on lifestyle-sharing platform Xiaohongshu. Song Fei told that as pain started to develop in her legs, she thought it was time     4    (look) for some correctional treatment and taijiquan     5    (come) up in her search result. Besides     6    (practise) it each morning now, she also weaves(编入) elements of the Chinese martial art into her fitness courses.

“When I first started, it was quite boring and I had to practise     7     same set of movements for nearly two years. But it’s a process of reconnecting all     8    (part) of my body.” Gradually Song started to feel a sense     9     calmness. She explained that in the gym she would listen to music or think about other things while working out because each exercise was repetitive. Yet in taijiquan, each movement was flowing and she had to constantly stay     10    (focus).