主要内容：
1.简况：也被称作“凤凰城”，人口290万，面积9025平方公里；
2.有着2000多年的历史，是古丝绸之路的重要节点（node）；
3.其他特色。
参考词汇：古丝绸之路 the ancient Silk Road；凤凰城the Phoenix city；
西夏王陵Western Xia imperial tombs；岩画 rock paintings；
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Considered as “one of the best ever”, the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou has been
“Technically, we have had one of the best Asian Games ever,” said Vinod Kumar Tiwari, acting director general of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). “We have about 12,000 athletes participating in the Games. The number of officials and the technical officials
A total of 478 gold medals have been produced in various events,
“We
Wei Jizhong, honorary life vice-president of the OCA, said, “More than three million tickets had been sold as of Saturday,
A rural basketball league in China attracted well close to 100 million live views across the country in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
The Village Basketball Association,
The CunBA drums up a special kind of emotion and
According to Xinhua News Agency, the sport has a long history in the region
1、征文的内容和参赛要求；2、征文的截止日期和投稿邮箱；3、参加比赛的意义。
要求：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Notice
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5 . Teaching children in a way that encourages them to empathize (产生共鸣) with others is of great significance to children’s creativity, new research suggests.
Pupils at two inner London schools were involved in the study. Pupils at one school spent the year following curriculum-prescribed lessons, while the other group’s lessons used a set of engineering design thinking tools which aim to develop students’ ability to think creatively and to cause empathy, while solving real-world problems.
Pupils at the intervention school were asked to design an asthma-treatment “pack” for children aged six and under. Pupils were given various creative and empathetic “tools” in order to do so: for example, they were shown data about the number of childhood asthma deaths in the U.K., and a video which describes a young child having an attack. They also explored the problem and tested their design ideas by role-playing various stakeholder (参与方) — patients, family members and medical staff.
Both sets of pupils were assessed for creativity at both the start and end of the school year. The results showed a statistically significant increase in creativity among pupils at the intervention school, where the thinking tools were used. At the start of the year, the creativity scores of pupils in the control school, which followed the standard curriculum, were 11% higher than those at the intervention school. By the end, however, the situation had completely changed: creativity scores among the intervention group were 78% higher than the control group.
Nicholl, the leading researcher of the study, said, “Teaching for empathy has been problematic despite being part of the National Curriculum for over two decades. This evidence suggests that it is a missing link in the creative process, and vital if we want education to encourage the designers and engineers of tomorrow.”
1. What were pupils at the intervention school asked to do?| A．Watch the process of an asthma attack. |
| B．Gather data about asthma deaths in children. |
| C．Show sympathy for the young asthma sufferers. |
| D．Test their asthma-treatment “pack” on patients. |
| A．They preferred to study the standard curriculum. |
| B．They were smarter at the beginning of the school year. |
| C．They had little empathy for the young children with asthma. |
| D．There were less creative than those at the intervention school in the end. |
| A．Empathy education and creativity go hand in hand. |
| B．Empathy education was neglected in the creative process. |
| C．Empathy education is a must for future designers and engineers. |
| D．Empathy education hasn’t been included in the National Curriculum. |
| A．The standard curriculum limits pupils’ creativity. |
| B．Teaching pupils empathy improves their creative abilities. |
| C．Solving real-world problems promotes pupils’ all-round development. |
| D．An asthma-treatment “pack” was created by pupils at a London school. |
6 . Scientists at the University of Washington (UW) have come up with an unusual way to help farmers get information about the plants in their fields.
Farmers already use drones (无人机) to collect information about their crops. But they can only fly for 10 to 20 minutes, and can only travel for a few miles. Last year, the team at UW showed off “RoboFly”, a tiny robot that weighed as much as a toothpick and could fly. But it can’t fly far at all and it needs a laser (激光) for power. So the scientists began to think about things that already knew how to fly, which led them to the bumblebees (大黄蜂) that fly all day. Compared to many flying insects, bumblebees are so large and strong as to fly carrying almost as much as their own weight.
The UW scientists created a special device with sensors, a small battery, and a way of storing tiny amounts of information. This “backpack” weighs about as much as seven grains of dry rice.
To track the bee, the scientists send radio signals from several spots along the edges of the field where the bee is. The tiny computer on the bee’s back uses the strength of the signals to figure out where it is. The backpack records information about the temperature and light. When the bee return s home at the end of the day, a device can wirelessly download the information the bee has collected. Another device can wirelessly recharge the backpack’s battery.
In the UW experiment, the scientists cooled the bumblebees down so that they stopped moving, and then glued the backpacks onto the bees. But it would be difficult for farmers to do the same thing for hundreds of bumblebees. Besides, bumblebees don’t live long — about a month. Farmers would need to be careful as the bees got older, otherwise the trackers could die while they are out in the field, leaving the electronic litter behind.
1. What is the disadvantage of drones and RoboFly?| A．They cost much. | B．They need charging. | C．They can’t travel long. | D．They aren’t strong. |
| A．Send radio signals. | B．Guide the bee home. |
| C．Collect crops’ situations. | D．Exchange the battery. |
| A．Putting them on the bees more effectively. | B．Making sure the bees live much longer. |
| C．Recycling the electronic litter on time. | D．Making them cheaper and cheaper. |
| A．Bees Work Better Than Drones and RoboFly | B．Scientists Invent Bee Robots to Help Farmers |
| C．Bees Tell Farmers How Crops Get Along | D．Scientists Make Sensors Bees Can Wear |
7 . One of the reasons why so many people listen to music during exercise is that it has a number of benefits. The research around the positive influences of music during exercise was reviewed in a paper in the February 2020 issue of Psychological Bulletin.
Probably the biggest influence of music on exercise, based on these findings, is that listening to music during exercise can make you feel better about what you have done. Experiments find that people feel more positive about the exercise when they have listened to music than when they have not. The impact of music didn’t depend on the intensity of the exercise, and the effect appeared for both trained and untrained athletes.
Music also seems to reduce people’s feeling of how much they are exerting themselves. That is, at the same level of intensity of activity, listening to music can make you feel like you are exerting less effort than you would feel without music. Some studies have also shown that when athletes are free to set their own exertion level, they are willing to exercise more intensely with music than without. For some people (particularly when they are early in their training), music helps them focus on the music rather than on pain.
Music also appears to have a small effect on performance overall. Athletes perform better both during exercise and while engaging in their sport when there is music. In the studies analyzed, fast music, with a tempo greater than 120 beats-per-minute, was more effective than slow music. Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to matter whether the athlete chooses the music or whether it is chosen by someone else. So, the playlists selected by the teachers of an exercise class you’re taking may work even if you don’t love all of the songs.
The one place where music doesn’t seem to have much of an impact is on physiological functioning. The heart rate of an athlete is not consistently affected by music.
1. What is the main benefit of listening to music during exercise?| A．Improving performance. |
| B．Providing entertainment. |
| C．Reducing the effort of training. |
| D．Feeling better about the workout. |
| A．Try hard. | B．Break down. | C．Growing up. | D．Come back. |
| A．Soft music. | B．Calm music. | C．Gentle music. | D．Rapid-paced music. |
| A．It consistently increases their heart rate. |
| B．It consistently decreases their heart rate. |
| C．It depends on the intensity of the exercise. |
| D．It has no consistent influence on their heart rate. |
8 . Last month, a group of university student volunteers from Wuhan, Hubei province, arrived at the home of a couple who have been married for more than 60 years.
The group was taking part in a programme launched in 2015 aimed at helping elderly couples fulfill their dreams of having special wedding photos taken. Zhang, 20, a freshman at Wuhan University of Engineering Science, is among the students taking part in the institution’s volunteer project, Dream Fulfillment Plan.
The project’s founder, Yu Jinwen, 35, a teacher at Wuhan University of Engineering Science, said that as of last month, the volunteers had taken wedding photos for more than 1,000 couples. They also interviewed their subjects and recorded their love stories.
The project was inspired by Yu’s regret at not having a good photo of his grandfather, who died in 2010. The family searched hard but was unable to find a quality shot. In desperation, Yu had to use the photo on his grandfather’s ID card as a portrait. In 2014, Yu led students applying to launch a volunteer service project, and came up with the idea of taking good photographs for the elderly free of charge.
“When these couples were young, there was no opportunity to take wedding photos. We can help them by taking special shots to bring back good memories of their younger days,” Yu said. Initially, he found it difficult to acquire wedding dresses and photographic equipment. However, one of his former classmates, who owned a wedding photography company in Wuhan, donated more than 70 secondhand wedding dresses to the project. Yu formed the first team, which consisted of 15 volunteers.
The project, which has grown over the years, now comprises 13 groups with a total of 590 volunteers. They have worked in 356 communities and rural areas across 43 cities in 13 provinces nationwide, gaining recognition and appreciation for their work. In 2021, the project won the silver prize at the sixth Chinese Youth Volunteer Service Project Competition.
1. What is the purpose of Dream Fulfillment Plan?| A．To offer opportunities to students to find jobs. |
| B．To help elderly couples realize their wedding photo dream. |
| C．To make Wuhan University of Engineering Science known. |
| D．To encourage more university students to do voluntary work. |
| A．His wish in childhood. | B．His passion for photography. |
| C．Lack of good photos for his late grandfather. | D．The encouragement of his teachers. |
| A．The members of the project. | B．The achievements of the project. |
| C．The promising future of the project. | D．The support given by the public. |
| A．Student volunteers help elderly couples turn the clock back. |
| B．Wuhan University of Engineering Science launched a project. |
| C．Taking good wedding photos for elderly people is no easy task. |
| D．Wedding photos for elderly people become more and more popular. |
9 . Best Art Competitions in 2024
JACKSON’S PAINTING PRIZE
Prize: £ 2,000 first prize
Entry Fee: £ 5 per entry
Requirements: Open to international artists of all ages.
Closing Date: February 14,2024
Jackson’s Painting Prize was created to reward excellence in two-dimensional works of fine art. Winners will not only win a cash prize every year, but their works will also be granted more invaluable global exposure, such as a marketing package in the Directory of Painting, a feature in a major exhibition in central London, and an invitation to the Awards Evening in March.
ANIMAGO AWARD
Prize: €3,000 cash prize for Best Young Production
Entry Fee: Free
Requirements: Open to artists worldwide.
Closing Date: February 16,2024
For over 20 years the famous. Animago Award competition has spotlighted talent in the fields of 3D animation and stills, visualization, and design. Organized by the German magazine Digital Production, all winners are announced during a gala at the annual animago conference in Munich, Germany.
WATERMEDIA SHOWCASE
Prize: $2,500 first prize, $1,250 second prize
Entry Fee: $35 ($30 before February 6,2024)
Requirements: Open to international artists 18 years of age and older.
Closing Date: April 11,2024
The 12th annual Watermedia Showcase in the USA awards original art created primarily with water-based media. Judged by the editors of Watercolor Artist, all winners and honorable mentions will have their work featured in the magazine.
ARTISTS MAGAZINE ANNUAL ART COMPETITION
Prize: $29,000 in cash prizes
Entry Fee: $40 ($35 if submitted before April 3, 2024)
Requirements: Open to artists over 18 worldwide
Closing Date: May 30,2024
The 40th Artists Magaxine Annual Art Competition celebrates traditional 2D artistic mediums such as painting, drawing, digital art, and much more. Winners will be chosen annually from a variety of categories. All winners’ works will be featured in Artists Magaxine.
1. Which competition will have its winning entries exhibited in London?| A．ANIMAGO AWARD |
| B．WATERMEDIA SHOWCASE. |
| C．JACKSON’S PAINTING PRIZE. |
| D．ARTISTS MAGAZINE ANNUAL ART COMPETITION. |
| A．$30. | B．$35. | C．$40. | D．$45. |
| A．They are all hosted every year. |
| B．They are all free for young people. |
| C．They are all organized by magazines. |
| D．They are all open to artists of all ages. |
10 . The age of 18 is when a person legally reaches adulthood. But does this truly stand for our maturity? The very word “ADULT” can be broken into 5 parts containing qualities necessary for your personal development.
A-ACCOUNTABLE (负责任的)
D-DETACHMENT FROM EGO (脱离自我)
EGO — A small 3-letter word that has the power to damage a big 12-letter word — RELATIONSHIP. Getting attached to one’s ego has a harmful effect similar to holding a beautiful red rose firmly.
U-UNDERSTANDING
In a world population of about 8 billion, each of us is 100% unique. We communicate with different kinds of people on a daily basis. Collective decisions for various issues involve interacting with people to reach an agreement. It is necessary to understand and respect each other’s beliefs.
L-LISTEN
When we listen to others, thoughts and ideas from them are directly transmitted (传达) to us.
T-TAKE A STAND
We collect data in the form of parents’ suggestions on careers, friends’ advice on relationships or content that we read on social media. This data should be analyzed and questioned before reaching our own conclusions.
So you think you are an A-D-U-L-T?
| A．This will help us to broaden our minds. |
| B．Check and see how many of these we have! |
| C．The stronger a person’s hold, the deeper the wound. |
| D．Our minds should be trained to work in the same manner. |
| E．An information system performs the following functions. |
| F．As a baby, we would cry unnecessarily or even mess up the place. |
| G．It’s time we stop spoon feeding of opinions by others and learn to take our own stand on matters. |
