1 . I’ll always remember the first time I tried ballet. My mother was a dancer and I wanted nothing more than to be like her, but after making mistakes during my first class, I felt like I wanted to quit right away. However, I told my mom I couldn’t wait to dance again because it was only my first day.
Weeks passed and my dancing didn’t get any better. Then my dance teacher announced that we were going to perform in a show. I was scared of falling on my face in front of hundreds of people and disappointing my mom.
Even though I practiced hard for the show, I never quite got the hang of it. Finally, I went to my mom to tell her how I felt. She simply laughed and told me she would teach me all she knew about ballet.
My mom quickly discovered how bad at ballet I was, but she still taught me with the greatest patience, love and understanding. When I jumped and fell, she was there to catch me. When I lost my balance, she held me up. By the time the show arrived, I was as prepared as I could be.
The music began and my heart started to race. Breathing calmly, I began moving to the music without missing a step. When the music stopped, I ran off the stage and laughed in excitement.
My mom found me and gave me a huge hug, telling me how proud she was. I looked my mom in the eye and told her that there was no way this could have happened without her. Through this, I realized one important fact: My mom will always be there to catch me if I fall.
1. What happened to the author on her first day of ballet?| A．She fell down and hurt herself. | B．She made no mistakes while dancing. |
| C．She realized she was talented in ballet. | D．She lied to her mom about liking ballet. |
| A．learned to do it well. | B．lost interest in it. | C．had trouble with it. | D．jumped high in the air. |
| A．She simply laughed and ignored her concerns completely. |
| B．She encouraged her to quit and pursue something else. |
| C．She offered to teach her everything she knew about ballet. |
| D．She scolded her strictly for not practising enough. |
| A．nervous and dependable. | B．calm and impatient. |
| C．excited and concerned. | D．understanding and reliable. |
| A．Don’t be afraid of disappointing others. |
| B．Never try something you are not good at. |
| C．A mother’s love is pure and unconditional. |
| D．Every mom will be proud of their children’s achievements. |
Have you ever gotten stung by a bee? Well, for 18-year-old Mikaila Ulmer from the US, her first bee sting at the age of 4 was a special experience. It inspired her to make a difference and turned her into an entrepreneur.
The bee sting scared Mikaila, but it also made her interested in the insect. She soon learned how important bees are for the planet and how they are at risk of dying out.
At not even 5 years old, Mikaila wanted to do something to help save the bees. With her parents’ help, she set up a lemonade stand in her front yard. She used her grandmother’s homemade lemonade recipe and added a little bit of honey to it. The money from every lemonade she sold went to bee protection groups.
But Mikaila wanted to do more. She made her special recipe into a product, called Me and the Bees Lemonade. At age 10, she went on a TV show with her dad to try to get funding and public attention. It worked. Now, more than 10 years since her first lemonade, five different drink products are procurable at many restaurants and stores across the country.
In 2020, Mikaila brought out a book about her experience as an entrepreneur called Bee Fearless, Dream Like a Kid. As she explained to CNBC, “I always say that it’s important to dream like a kid and that (as a kid) it’s the perfect age to start figuring out what you enjoy and trying new things and taking risks.”
1. What did Mikaila want to do after she was first stung by a bee? (no more than 10 words)2. How did Mikaila make money at age 5? (no more than 10 words)
3. What does the underlined word “procurable” in Para. 4 mean? (1 word)
4. What is Bee Fearless, Dream Like a Kid? (no more than 5 words)
5. What do you think of Mikaila? And give your reasons. (no more than 20 words)
3 . In an air-conditioned office, you may see men sporting shorts while their female co-workers wear jackets to keep warm. Why do women feel cold more easily than men?
The accepted answer is that men and women feel temperature differently. Our bodies produce heat through metabolism (新陈代谢). One of the key factors of the metabolic rate is our muscles. Generally speaking, men have more muscles than women, leading to a higher metabolic rate. It means that more heat is created. As a result, men, on average, do not feel cold as easily as women. Yes, women and men have physical differences. But why is it women, in most cases, who feel more uncomfortable in a room set to a “comfortable” temperature? The answer lies in the data bias (数据偏见) behind the model of temperature setting in buildings.
In a 2020 article in the journal Nature, Boris Kingma, a human thermal (热量的) performance researcher in the Netherlands, pointed out that most office buildings set the temperature in light of a model based on men’s metabolic rate. Female data were not considered when setting the model. In other words, temperatures for comfort in office buildings are mainly comfortable for men, not women. In his article, Kingma called for the end of this so-called “bias in thermal comfort”.
This is just one example of data bias. In her book, Caroline Perez gave more examples in which women were ignored in data collecting for scientific and technological research and design. Women are more likely to die from a serious car accident because a car’s safety equipment is designed for the typical body of a man. The medicine aspirin (阿司匹林) shows better performance in men since it was developed on data collected mostly from males. Women, who form half of the world’s population, seem to be ignored in these cases.
1. Why don’t men feel cold as easily as women, according to the text?| A．Men have more fat to defeat cold. | B．Men exercise more to produce heat. |
| C．Men have a higher metabolic rate. | D．Men burn off less energy when moving. |
| A．Physical differences between men and women. |
| B．The data bias in thermal comfort models. |
| C．Variations in clothing choices. |
| D．Differences in heat tolerance. |
| A．Unfair. | B．Worrying. | C．Acceptable. | D．Reasonable. |
| A．Safety equipment in cars. | B．Temperature model setting. |
| C．Differences in clothing choices. | D．Performance of medicine aspirin. |
| A．Arguments about data bias. | B．More examples of data bias. |
| C．Commentary on data bias. | D．Reasons for human’s data bias. |
4 . Decades ago, I traveled alone for the first time in my life. The trip to Colorado was not for business or family reasons, but just to travel and
As I prepared for it, I felt excited and
As a good wife and mom, for me, travel is always about the
While traveling, I met locals and also other
It was quite a(n)
It was just me, my SUV and my backpack for a week.
| A．exchange | B．succeed | C．research | D．discover |
| A．tired | B．nervous | C．proud | D．lucky |
| A．sure | B．ready | C．confused | D．worried |
| A．disappointing | B．ordinary | C．memorable | D．difficult |
| A．fun | B．family | C．scenery | D．rest |
| A．enjoy | B．miss | C．see | D．arrange |
| A．helplessly | B．shortly | C．independently | D．confidently |
| A．remembered | B．wanted | C．doubted | D．promised |
| A．travelers | B．wives | C．moms | D．drivers |
| A．regularly | B．carefully | C．everywhere | D．elsewhere |
| A．challenging | B．depressing | C．eye-opening | D．strange |
| A．common | B．classic | C．annoying | D．incredible |
| A．dull | B．safe | C．healthy | D．exciting |
| A．all alone | B．in group | C．far away | D．very well |
| A．wrong | B．uncertain | C．special | D．fine |
| A．lonely | B．messy | C．empty | D．normal |
| A．Or rather | B．At last | C．Above all | D．In addition |
| A．wish | B．admit | C．prove | D．know |
| A．endless | B．enough | C．far | D．necessary |
| A．imagine | B．explore | C．improve | D．learn |
5 . The 2024 Peace Poetry Awards
The awards contest is to encourage people to explore peace and the human spirit. There are three age categories: Adult (19 & over), Youth (13-18), and Youth (12 & under). The yearly contest is open to people worldwide. Your poems must be unpublished, and in English.
Deadline
All entries must be submitted by July 1st. 2024.
Entry Fee
Adult (19 & over) — $15
Youth (13 - 18) — $5
Youth (12 & under) — no fee
Notes
1. You may submit up to three unpublished poems. At most 30 lines per poem.
2. Include name, address, email, telephone number, and age in the upper right-hand corner of each poem. For the Youth (12 & under) category, please also include your school’s name and your teacher’s name.
3. Title each poem.
4. Please keep copies of all entries as we will be unable to return them.
5. Email your entries to: cwarner@napf.org and Click here to pay your entry fee online; or send your entries and entry fee to Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, 1622 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
Awards
Adult Winner — $1,000
Youth (13-18) Winner — $200
Youth (12 & under) Winner — $200
Winners will be announced by October 1st, 2024 on our website. Winners will be notified by email. Past years winning poems can be found here.
1. What does the contest encourage people to explore?| A．Development and challenge. | B．Cooperation and competition. |
| C．Peace and human spirit. | D．Disease and health. |
| A．It includes two categories. |
| B．It is held every three years. |
| C．It only accepts poems in English. |
| D．It is only open to people aged 12 and over. |
| A．name | B．email | C．age | D．fax |
| A．pay an entry fee of $5 | B．write a poem of at least 30 lines |
| C．submit his entry by October 1st, 2024 | D．include his teacher’s name in his entry |
| A．$200 in prize money. | B．$1,000 in prize money. |
| C．A collection of this year’s winning poems. | D．A collection of past years winning poems. |
| A．By swimming. | B．By relaxing in the sun. | C．By going to a gym. |
7 . What do you usually do after school? Most of you may have to finish homework. After that, some of you may take after-school classes, such as Xueersi to learn English or take math classes. Do you feel like there’s too much work to do? Some of you may not have enough time to sleep. But there is some good news on the way that may cheer you up.
On March 5, during the first session (会议) of the 13th National People’s Congress (全国人民代表大会), Premier Li Keqiang delivered this year’s Government Work Report. Education was one of the highlights.
"We will give attention to solving the problem of heavy extracurricular burdens (课外负担) on primary and secondary school students," Li said during his speech.
Chinese parents often put a lot of effort and money into their children’s education. Many send their children to after-school classes. In 2016, China had about 180 million school-aged students, according to a report by the Chinese Society of Education. More than 137 million of them were taking part in extracurricular classes or off-campus training.
To work out this problem, the Ministry of Education (MOE,教育部) and three other ministries put out guidelines on Feb 26 that call for more action to be taken to reduce extracurricular burdens. Their targets are private training schools that create excess workloads (过度的作业量) and pressure for students.
The guidelines are aimed at training schools which have no professional qualifications (资格) or pose(造成) safety risks, said Lü Yugang, an official from the MOE. He also said that reducing workloads for students should be a priority.
"It is a must-do task for children to study happily and grow in a healthy manner … and sleep half-hour or an hour more every day," said Wang Guoqing, spokesman for the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Politial Consultative Conference (中国人民政治协商会议).
1. From the first two paragraphs, we know that _______.| A．students now have more homework than before |
| B．some students take after-school classes |
| C．many aduIts don’t get enough sleep nowadays |
| D．this year’s Government Work Report didn’t mention education |
| A．180 million | B．180 billion |
| C．137 million | D．137 billion |
| A．that are not approved by the MOE |
| B．that punish students physically |
| C．that have no professional qualificeations |
| D．that charge high tuition (学费) |
| A．Risks of off-campus training classes. |
| B．Reducing students’ workloads. |
| C．The 2018 Government Work Report. |
| D．Guidelines created by the 13th National People’s Congress. |
| A．the teachers | B．the parents |
| C．the students | D．the MOE offieials |
One day a student was taking a walk with his teacher. As they went along, they saw a pair of old shoes lying in the path. They were a poor farmer’s, who was working in the nearby field.
The student turned to the teacher, saying: “We will hide his shoes, and hide ourselves behind those trees, and wait to see what he will do.”
“My young friend,” answered the teacher, “we should never make fun of the poor. Why not put a coin in each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch?” The student did so and they both hid themselves behind the trees. The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes.
After putting on his coat, he put his foot into one of his shoes, and felt something hard. Then he bent (弯腰) down to feel what it was, and found the coin. Surprised, he looked at the coin, turned it around and looked at it again. He then looked around, but no person was seen. He put the money into his pocket, and continued to put on the other shoe. His surprise was doubled on finding the other coin.
He couldn’t control his feelings and fell to his knees, looked up to the sky and expressed his thanks. Then he spoke of his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without bread. He said the help would save them from dying.
The student stood there deeply moved, and his eyes filled with tears. “Now,” said the teacher, “are you not much happier than if you had hidden the shoes?”
1. Why did the student want to hide the farmer’s shoes? (no more than 10 words)2. What do you think of the teacher? (no more than 5 words)
3. How did the farmer find the coins? (no more than 15 words)
4. At the end of the story, what was the student’s feeling? (no more than 10 words)
5. What can we learn from the passage?
9 . When you enter high school this fall, you’ll find yourself immersed (沉浸) in traditional Chinese culture.
In January, the Ministry of Education worked out a new set of curriculum standards (课程标准) for high school students, People’s Daily reported. One of the biggest changes will be a greater focus on traditional Chinese culture.
According to Professor Han Zhen from Beijing Foreign Language Studies University, the new standards echo (回应) President Xi Jinping’s call for strengthening education. “The standards help students build cultural confidence,” he told People’s Daily.
The new standards call for students to be able to recite 72 ancient poems or articles. The number used to be 14. Recommended classic literature from ancient China includes The Analects of Confucius, Records of the Grand Historian and more.
Apart from Chinese language, other subjects such as fine arts, music and physical education will also focus more on traditional Chinese culture. For example, fine arts will include new lessons on Chinese alligraphy and painting.
China has also seen a growing interest in traditional culture in the private education sector. According to Southern Metropolitan Daily, since 2004, more than 3,000 traditional private schools have been built. They mainly teach traditional Chinese classics.
According to Fu Yan, a Chinese language teacher at Hangzhou Xuejun High School, learning about traditional Chinese culture is a good thing for students.
“At their age, the students may be too young to understand some classics,” Fu told Qianjiang Evening News. “However, as their life experience builds up, they may develop their own thoughts about the wisdom of the classics, which could be a driving force for their growth.”
Ancient Chinese culture is gaining popularity in China. This is reflected not only in the new curriculum standards, but also in the increasing interest in cultural TV programs.
For example, the weekly show National Treasure has become a big hit. It was first aired on China Central Television (CCTV) last December. The show uses dramatic performances to present some of China’s finest cultural treasures.
Other cultural TV programs such as The Chinese Idiom Competition and The Chinese Poetry Competition have also made more people fall in love with traditional Chinese literature.
Throughout China’s history, scholars and authors have written many classics worth studying. Those classic writings also interest people.
Here are some of the country’s most well-known works:
● Three Character Classic ● Tao Te Ching
● The Book of Poetry ● The Great Learning
● The Four Books ● Mencius
1. Which of the following is TRUE about the new curriculum standards?
| A．They came out last year. |
| B．There will be no change for students. |
| C．They focus more on culture worldwide. |
| D．They will help students develop cultural confidence. |
| A．be able to recite 72 ancient poems or articles |
| B．introduce classic works to their classmates |
| C．spend two hours a day learning about traditional Chinese culture |
| D．take extra classes on Chinese calligraphy and painting |
| A．learning the Chinese language is a good thing |
| B．students are too young to learn about classics |
| C．students need to develop their own thoughts |
| D．the classics could help students with their personal growth |
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
| A．High school students like learning about traditional Chinese culture. |
| B．The new curriculum standards focus more on traditional Chinese culture. |
| C．China is making efforts to become an educational power. |
| D．People’s interest in traditional Chinese culture is growing. |
10 . A long time ago I lived in a small town in the South. In the morning I was often woken up by the
| A．noise | B．explosion | C．attack | D．quarrel |
| A．patient | B．excited | C．angry | D．disappointed |
| A．stared | B．knocked | C．shouted | D．waited |
| A．as soon as | B．as long as | C．only if | D．even if |
| A．helplessly | B．quickly | C．unwillingly | D．finally |
| A．window | B．dog | C．worker | D．boy |
| A．normally | B．carefully | C．early | D．slowly |
| A．cleverest | B．tallest | C．thinnest | D．worst |
| A．boring | B．special | C．same | D．simple |
| A．skillfully | B．strongly | C．willingly | D．cautiously |
| A．got together | B．ran away | C．turned up | D．stood up |
| A．satified | B．tired | C．brave | D．frightened |
| A．surprise | B．sadness | C．pleasure | D．regret |
| A．even | B．almost | C．still | D．just |
| A．secret | B．fact | C．story | D．result |
| A．running | B．eating | C．playing | D．shaking |
| A．long | B．dry | C．thick | D．rough |
| A．poor | B．lucky | C．ugly | D．mad |
| A．catch | B．do ` | C．carry | D．blame |
| A．heard | B．made | C．expected | D．caused |
