1 . History Fair Competition

Understanding history is vital to understanding ourselves as a people and as a nation. History is much more than the study of dusty old objects and events long past. It is an essential part of who we are today and who we will become. Thornton Middle School History Fair Competition makes understanding history exciting, engaging, and fun!

This Year’s Theme

All participants must address how communication or transportation technology has promoted the quality of life for Americans throughout history. To many people, technology means computers, hand—held devices, or vehicles that travel to distant planets. However, technology is also the application of scientific knowledge to solve a problem, touching lives in countless ways.

Individuals or groups may enter one of the following categories:

 Performance

 Documentary

 Essay Writing

Category Requirements

Performance: A dramatic presentation of the topic no more than 10 minutes long. If special clothes are used, they should truly represent a given period.

Documentary: A visual presentation ( such as a video,slide show,or computer project) no more than 10minutes long. A desktop computer,screen,projector,and loudspeakers will be available. Students must provide their presentations on CDs before Friday,March 23.

Essay Writing: An academic paper of 2,000 to 2,500 words. No illustrations(图解) are allowed. Please do not include covers. A list of references must be included.

Important Dates

January 5 Submit a topic proposal to your history teacher. The teacher may require a second proposal if the first is off—topic or unclear.

February 19 A committee of teachers will evaluate materials and give opinions. Students then have an opportunity to improve their products.

March 9     Submit a final draft of your essay.

March 15   Performance and documentary committee preview

March 24   Thornton Middle School History Fair Competition

7:00A.M—9:00 A.M Participants signing in at the gym

10: 00A.M. 6:00PM. Competition and judges' review

7: 00P.M. Awards ceremony and picnic

1. What's the main purpose of understanding history?

A．To preserve national traditions.

B．To prepare for a history competition.

C．To better know the present and future.

D．To further explore historical mysteries.

2. What is the theme of this year's competition?

A．Technology advances science.

B．Science interacts with technology.

C．Science has made the study of history easy.

D．Technology has improved the life of Americans.

3. What will the committee of teachers do on February 19?

A．Make comments on the materials.

B．Improve the participant's second proposal.

C．Preview performances and documentaries.

D．Collect a second proposal from the participant.

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

China has named 24,126 primary and middle schools across the country as specialist football schools     1     (lead) youth football development, according to the Ministry of Education. It's required that at least one football class     2     (offer) each week in these schools so that they can encourage their students to     3     (active) participate in football training and matches.

“China aims to have 50,000 schools specializing in youth-football by the end of 2025," said Wang Dengfeng, an official of the Ministry of Education,    4     (add) that to realize this goal, the ministry will take various measures that include building school football fields, training football coaches and providing extra funding and policy support.     5     those measures in schools, 47 football training camps have also been built in     6     effort to promote the sport among young people. And outstanding or     7     (gift) players will also have the chance to join inter-school teams for regional     8     (competition) and even national summer camps.

In the past four years, local education departments have trained about 40,000 football teachers, 8,000 of     9     have obtained coaching certificates. Moreover, the country     10     (step) up its efforts in promoting football in schools since it set up a seven-department joint task force, including the education, sport and finance authorities as well as Chinese Football Association.

3 . How much do you know about athletes? Many people regard watching sports games as a form of _________. But for athletes, they are challenging the _________ of human beings and breaking boundaries. Intensive training is a task which they do every day as a matter of _________. On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister, who ran a mile in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds, _________ the whole world’s attention. People believed that it was _________ imagination for a person to run a mile within 4 minutes. Bannister made a（n）

_________ in what people believed was impossible. In the years since, more and more athletes have overcome the four—minute—mile _________. Today, the record—held by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco since July 7, 1999—_________ at 3 minutes and 43. 13 seconds!

Records are _________ at a lower and lower rate in both running and other fields. When new records are set, they're changed by a small proportion of a（n） __________ . The decimal point（小数点）,set at one- tenth of a second for Bannister's record, now __________ one-hundredth of a second. __________, we'll have to go to a third decimal place, and then a fourth.

The closer athletes get to being __________, the harder it is to make improvements. Even though they are __________ the best performances of human beings, excellent athletes can still __________ proportions of seconds off existing records. They have a real __________ to break records. The gaps between new and old records decrease __________. Athletes are getting closer and closer to physiological __________ performances all the time. It will be tougher and tougher __________. However, excellent athletes never __________ trying.

1.

A．attention

B．contribution

C．recreation

D．communication

2.

A．beliefs

B．rights

C．strengths

D．limits

3.

A．routine

B．situation

C．experience

D．opinion

4.

A．required

B．avoided

C．attracted

D．disturbed

5.

A．beyond

B．within

C．from

D．by

6.

A．cut

B．division

C．involvement

D．breakthrough

7.

A．difference

B．barrier

C．habit

D．fear

8.

A．aims

B．shoots

C．works

D．stands

9.

A．updated

B．held

C．checked

D．established

10.

A．minute

B．hour

C．second

D．day

11.

A．contains

B．measures

C．means

D．covers

12.

A．Instead

B．Soon

C．Meanwhile

D．Besides

13.

A．honest

B．strong

C．perfect

D．ordinary

14.

A．assessing

B．affecting

C．expecting

D．approaching

15.

A．shave

B．keep

C．pay

D．knock

16.

A．history

B．struggle

C．change

D．inspiration

17.

A．quickly

B．finally

C．normally

D．gradually

18.

A．satisfactory

B．peak

C．consistent

D．fair

19.

A．making sense

B．taking effect

C．making progress

D．losing heart

20.

A．stop

B．remember

C．start

D．suggest

4 . 假定你是李华，因新冠疫情，你市拟于今年春季举行的国际马拉松赛将延期。请给你的英国朋友Anderson写一封邮件告知此事。内容包括：
1. 表示歉意；
2. 延期原因；
3. 新的比赛时间。
注意：1 .词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：新冠病毒novel coronavirus 或COVID-19
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . Indian Army soldier Anandan Gunasekaran lost his left leg in a mine explosion in 2008. But that didn’t stop him from pursuing his dream of making it big as an athlete.

With an artificial leg, Gunasekaran made himself and the country proud by bagging three gold medals at the Military World Games in China in October 2019.

After he lost his leg in 2008, he didn’t inform his family. Then, half a year later, he landed in his hometown with an artificial leg and his family was in shock. “They said that I should quit my Army job and stay at home and take care of the farm,” he says. But he told them that he had just lost his leg, not his ambition to run faster than ever before and bring honor to his unit and the Army.

“Mind is the biggest thing in your body. You shouldn’t lose it. If you are determined, you can do anything. I am one example of that,” says Gunasekaran.

As an athlete since his teenage years, Gunasekaran says that he got a “new life” after he got the blade (刀锋) that he could run with confidence. “I started training as I used to before my leg was blown off, but I was more determined to do better as I knew that there would be many who would doubt my ability,” he says.

After the military games in China, this blade runner now is nursing bigger dreams. He wants to win medals at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020 and bring honor to his country.

He has one more hurdle to cross before he can make it to the Tokyo Paralympics. “I have to participate in the trials and win there to make it to the Paralympics,” he says. He is already training with that goal in mind. “My job is to work hard. I will do that.”

1. What was Gunasekaran’s dream after losing one leg?

A．Staying in the army.	B．Taking care of the farm.
C．Being a great athlete.	D．Having an artificial leg.

2. Why was Gunasekaran more determined to do better?

A．To prove himself.	B．To make a living.
C．To win himself honor.	D．To defeat his competitor.

3. How can Gunasekaran make it to the Tokyo Paralympics?

A．By sharpening his blade.	B．By winning the trials.
C．By tying more hurdles.	D．By training professionally.

4. What does the underlined word “hurdle” probably mean in the last paragraph?

A．Difficulty.

B．Race.

C．Jump.

D．Achievement.

6 . 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。

Schoolwork can be stressful sometimes, especially in the final year of high school. Daily routine can pile up and affect our health. Therefore, finding a good way to deal     1     pressure is important. I just discovered my new favorite method: the trampoline （蹦床）！

The door opens and you are amazed     2     （see） people jumping and flying around like superheroes. The trampoline park is full of     3     （colour） inflatables （充气气垫). For beginners, it is the best area to start

It was a little bit     4     （frighten） at the beginning, as we could hardly walk on the trampolines.     5     when I started to jump, I felt all the stress leave my body. After jumping for a while, I     6     （lie） down and closed my eyes, imagining I had become a bird that could touch the sky;

There were some other bouncing （弹跳）     7     （activity）. My favorite one was the

basketball dunking （扣篮）area,     8     included a full-height basketball hoop above runway trampolines. With the power of bouncing, I could dunk like     9     NBA superstar It was not only relaxing, but also fun!

While outdoor activities are     10     （laige） up to the weather; indoor trampoline parks are really good places to go whenever you want to have a good time.

7 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处域入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式.

Imagine staring up and seeing a high wall of rock. You take a deep breath and start climbing. You put your hands，feet and knees into small holes and cracks     1     the rock and slowly make your way to the top. As you go higher your body gets tired，but you keep climbing. You seek     2    （forget）about the pain and the fear until you reach the top.

While rock climbing is     3     extreme sport，most people use ropes and a harness （背带）to stay safe. The ropes will catch you if you fall.     4     others，like 31-year-old US climber Alex，make rock climbing even     5    （crazy）. He climbed it without ropes，a harness，or even a helmet. If he     6    （slip） and fallen，he would have died.

Not everyone     7     does rock climbing is as crazy as Alex. Many a person     8    （do）it safely，or on special indoor walls. It is a great way to build strength. According to The Huffington Post，working out the best way to climb up a wall also helps you develop your problem-solving skills. But Alex says most     9    （climb）do it for the same reason. "I think the sport makes you powerful，" he said. "     10    （overcome） your own fears all the time helps deal well with life's other challenges. "

8 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Dear Chris,

Are you exciting about our coming volleyball game against No.1 Middle School next Friday? Now I will give you an introduction for the game so that you can make full preparation for it.

First and foremost, the competition to take place in our school stadium will begin at 2 pm, last for roughly 3 hours. So significant was the game that it is required that everyone should present ourselves punctually. What’s more, it is necessary for you to take good rest, that will provide enough energy for you. To sum up, I wish you could live up to the expectations of our school. And I firm believe hard work will pay off it!

Yours truly,

Li Hua

9 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(一个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

The International Olympic Committee took the extraordinary step Tuesday of     1     (postpone) the 2020 Tokyo Games, which     2    (schedule) to start on July 24, because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Just how extraordinary was the step? This marks only the     3    (four) time since the first modern Olympics in 1896 that the Games have been affected     4    outside forces. The other three occasions were cancellations during the first and second World Wars. So this is the first time the Olympics have been postponed, rather than    5    (cancel).

“The Tokyo Olympics will still be held,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters in Tokyo after a call with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on     6    matter.

The IOC later said in a     7    (state) that the Games will be “rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not     8    (late) than 2021!”

This time around, it’s a pandemic(疫情), not a war,     9     is changing the Olympics schedule. The IOC said that “The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds     10    (it) at present.”

10 . Gidda’s Team

The door closed behind Malik, making Mama look up from the hot meal. “Just in time for dinner. Will you _____ Gidda, please?”

Gidda was staying in Malik’s bedroom. He didn’t _____ giving up his room for his 82-year-old grandmother at first. But then she didn’t leave. Malik _____ over her suitcase on the floor. “Sorry,” Gidda said. “I’m just a nuisance(讨厌的人) here. I’m _____” Malik didn’t answer as he helped her up from her chair.

At dinner, Mama asked Malik, “How’s your _____ with the coach?”

Malik was captain of school soccer team, and he had to discuss a fundraiser with the coach. They’d have to raise hundreds of dollars to _____ their old shirts, and that seemed unlikely unless Malik came up with a(n) _____ plan.

Unwillingly, Malik said, “It’s just team stuff.” Changing the _____, Malik turned to Gidda. “Do you want to go sit outside after dinner?”

Gidda agreed. In the soft warmth of the evening, Gidda settled herself beneath the enormous fig(无花果) tree. “Feels like home,” she said. But Malik _____, “It drops figs everywhere.” Right then, a fig landed on his head. Gidda laughed, picked it up, and took a _____. “Perfect. Pick me a bunch. I’ll make fig cakes.”

The next morning, Malik found Gidda making fig cakes in the kitchen. She offered him one. Malik, hoping it wasn’t too awful, put it in his mouth. His eyes _____ as he chewed. It was delicious. He eyed the tree in the backyard. How many fig cakes could it _____?

Malik grabbed his phone and started _____ in a rush of excitement. An hour later, most of the soccer team gathered in the kitchen, and ate up fig cakes.

“Gidda’s Fabulous(极好的) Fig Cakes!” Malik said. “We’ll _____ them! Gidda said they were easy to make; she’ll _____ us how.”

At dinner that night, Gidda shared their plan with Mama, smiling _____ as she repeated the title Malik gave on her, “Team Grandmother.”

The next day, the kitchen was full of _____. Walking slowly among the excited boys, Gidda taught them to make fig cakes. Soon the fig cakes piled up.

As Malik _____, Gidda’s Fabulous Fig Cakes were a huge hit and they were quickly sold out.

When the new _____ arrived just in time for the opening game, Coach Garcia invited Gidda to watch. She arrived early, and waved at Malik. Then she turned _____ to show off her shirt. On the back were the words Team Grandmother.

1.

A．watch

B．fetch

C．visit

D．serve

2.

A．allow

B．enjoy

C．consider

D．mind

3.

A．looked

B．handed

C．tripped

D．turned

4.

A．useless

B．unlucky

C．scared

D．nervous

5.

A．training

B．appointment

C．negotiation

D．meeting

6.

A．buy

B．replace

C．iron

D．abandon

7.

A．brilliant

B．random

C．original

D．personal

8.

A．plan

B．attitude

C．subject

D．way

9.

A．repeated

B．reported

C．explained

D．complained

10.

A．picture

B．test

C．bite

D．break

11.

A．widened

B．moved

C．focused

D．opened

12.

A．produce

B．donate

C．deliver

D．exchange

13.

A．running

B．texting

C．shouting

D．thinking

14.

A．present

B．send

C．sell

D．reserve

15.

A．prepare

B．show

C．choose

D．write

16.

A．proudly

B．politely

C．shyly

D．bitterly

17.

A．tension

B．hope

C．praise

D．energy

18.

A．promised

B．predicted

C．announced

D．identified

19.

A．socks

B．boots

C．uniforms

D．gloves

20.

A．back

B．away

C．down

D．around