1 . When Kelvin Kiptum lined up for his first competition in 2018, the new marathon star of Kenya did it in borrowed running shoes, because he could not afford a pair of his own.
At the Chicago marathon of October,2023, as Kiptum set an amazing world record of two hours and 35 seconds, the story of his rise in marathon running is just as unbelievable as the long steps he takes. “It has been a long journey for me,” the Men’s World Athlete of the Year told the Sports Channel.“It has come true, and I am really happy.”
The father-of-two is among a new group of Kenyan athletes who began their careers on the road, different from the past tradition of athletes starting on the track before shifting to longer distances. Kiptum says his unusual choice was simply decided by a lack of resources (资源).“I had no money for track trainings,” he explained. “So I started training with road-running guys, and that’s how I got into marathon.”
Kiptum’s love for running arose from watching his cousin running as a top marathon athlete, but he had to make his family believe that he could make it in athletics. “My father wanted me to be an electrician but I was saying that I needed to be an athlete-I had that eagerness,” Kiptum recalled. “That period was very hard for me because I trained for four years, yet there were no successes and they were disappointed in me. But I kept on pushing.”
Kenya is home to some of the world’s greatest marathon runners, but Kiptum has qualities that make him special, says reporter Martin Franklin. “The level of fearlessness that Kiptum shows in his race is what is needed to rise to the top,” Martin adds. “Although his lightning-fast speed will lead to injuries in the future, Kiptum has made up his mind to become the first man to break the two-hour limit in marathon.”
1. What was Kiptum’s unusual choice?| A．Starting with road training. | B．Seeking training resources. |
| C．Mixing road and track training. | D．Running with others on the track. |
| A．He runs at a great speed. | B．He holds more world records. |
| C．He has greater courage to face challenges. | D．He has a good plan to avoid possible injuries. |
| A．From Electrician to Top Marathoner |
| B．From Borrowed Shoes to World Records |
| C．Kelvin Kiptum: A Tough Fighter for National Honor |
| D．Marathon: Life- changing Career for African Athletes |
For Chinese swimmer Qian Hongyan, competing at the 4th Asian Para Games (亚残运会) is more about testing her limits. More
In 2007, she began training in swimming. It
Coach Zhang Honghu has seen Qian’s growth from a shy girl into an excellent athlete. “I hope she will keep pushing her limits and have a great life in the years
3 . Graham Dugoni was sick of seeing smartphones everywhere when he lived in San Francisco in 2014, so he decided to create device-free spaces for people who wanted a digital break.
The result is YONDR, a physical way to disconnect at concerts, schools, and private events. If a touring musician decides to use it, for instance, the audience are told ahead of time that when they arrive, they’ll drop their phones into a small case that locks when it’s closed. The audience keep that case with them but can only access their phones when they go to a particular area away from the crowd. When they leave, the cases are unlocked.
“A lot of what we hear is that the show is just better,” Dugoni says. Some people report that, except being anxious for a while, the experience proved rewarding. “People walk out saying it’s unbelievable not to see a single smartphone out. There’s more energy, and it makes everything more noticeable.”
YONDR’s presence suggests that many people have become overly attached to their phones and shows the importance of finding solutions.
Research links smartphone overuse to a wide range of physical and mental (心理的) health problems, including tiredness, depression and anxiety. It is also connected with shorter sleep time, as well as reduced quality of sleep. Plus, smartphone addiction can occupy too much of your time and attention, leaving less to spend on healthier activities.
One of the best ways to disconnect from your phone is to get some physical distance from it. “Let’s say you have a little workstation at home - try to keep your phone behind you on the shelf,” advises Olson, a researcher at McGill University. Much of our phone use is mindless, so “putting up some ltte barriers (障碍), like keeping it behind you and face down, can be effective.” Keeping your phone in another room while you sleep is another particularly helpful way, he adds.
1. What do we know about YONDR?| A．It made people feel disconnected. |
| B．It was created to stop phone using. |
| C．It was helpful for taking a break from phone use. |
| D．It led to inconvenience for concert ticket holders. |
| A．The effects of overusing smartphones. |
| B．The solution to mental health problems. |
| C．The reasons for phone-related problems. |
| D．The commonness of people using phones. |
| A．Put the phone on the worktable. |
| B．Turn off the phone while sleeping. |
| C．Make it hard to reach for the phone. |
| D．Surround the phone with small barriers. |
4 . Gently holding a baby hummingbird, Catia Lattou f says, “Hello, cute little guy. Are you hungry?” It’s the newest patient at her apartment in Mexico City, where she has nursed hundreds of the tiny birds back to health over the past ten years. Under Catia’s gentle touch, the bird relaxes little by little, allowing her to examine it. This is often how Catia’s days have gone since she turned her apartment into a home for sick, injured or baby hummingbirds.
Catia began caring for hummingbirds a year after surviving colon cancer in 2011. It started with one hummingbird that had an eye injured by another bird. A friend encouraged her to try to help it. She named it Warrior after the brand (品牌) of the glasses case she kept it in. The bird became her inseparable companion, resting on her computer screen while she worked. “It wrote me a new life,” she said of the nine months the bird stayed with her. It helped pull Catia out of the sadness and loneliness she had experienced after her husband’s death followed by her cancer.
Later, friends began bringing her more hummingbirds, and the need for her services has jumped since last year. She began studying how to better care for the tiny birds that are native to the Americans. Someone put a video about her work on the social platform TikTok, which has been viewed more than 1.5 million times.
Catia says she never turns away a bird. She cares for the birds from 5 a. m. into the night. Most of the hummingbirds stay in Catia’s bedroom until they are strong enough to fly and feed themselves before they are finally freed.
The city is filled with menace to hummingbirds. There are other birds that attack them and destroy (毁掉) their home as well as modern building projects that replace flower gardens. But Catia remains positive and is certain that other bird lovers will plant more flowers to feed the birds. “Nothing is ensured,” she said. “But we do everything possible.”
1. What can be learned about Warrior?| A．It survived for only nine months. |
| B．It made Catia’s cancer disappear. |
| C．It became well-known for its name. |
| D．It helped Catia through tough times. |
| A．Warning. | B．Noise. | C．Pollution. | D．Danger. |
| A．By growing more flowers. | B．By introducing more birds. |
| C．By freeing the injured ones. | D．By putting up more buildings. |
| A．Selfless and honest. |
| B．Kind and hard-working. |
| C．Sociable and humorous. |
| D．Knowledgeable and frank. |
A. It is called rucking, a term from ruck marching, which is a skill that militaries around the world have long used for training.
B. Rucking involves walking with a weighted backpack. It’s an easy way to strengthen your heart and muscles without hurting the joints (关节).
C. Anyone who walked to school with a backpack full of books has already tried an exercise routine that is getting popular in the fitness world.
D. Even people eager for more exercise should progress slowly. Shoes that fit well can help you avoid additional foot pressure and safely walk on an uneven land.
E. As with any new physical activity, newcomers should start rucking with slow and stable steps. If you don’t have basic conditioning, try walking the expected distance with a very light pack first. Then slowly add more weight.
6 . With growing awareness of the gender gap in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields, where women hold only 27% of jobs, Chinese researchers have explored a cause influencing women’s participation in STEM careers. They studied how teen girls can be influenced by their own peers who believe the inaccurate stereotype (刻板印象) that boys are better at math.
The study found that when surrounded by peers holding this stereotype, middle-school girls scored lower on math tests. This influence even persisted into college, impacting women’s math performance and self-confidence. The researchers suggest dealing with this issue during the middle school period to reduce the negative impact on women’s long-term STEM engagement.
Middle school is considered a critical developmental stage where teens are forming a stronger sense of self separate from their parents. This change often makes teens more likely to be influenced by the opinions of their peers. It’s also a period when, objectively measured by standardized tests, girls on average have better math skills than boys. However, teens may not realize it.
In some middle schools in China, the researchers studied the potential role of peer-pressure beliefs of the gendered math stereotype. In classrooms where the belief that “boys” natural ability in studying math is greater than that of girls” was significantly higher than the standard, girls’ later performance on math tests was lower than the results for boys. Moreover, girls in these classrooms were less likely to participate in math-related out-of-class activities. They were also less likely to feel that their teachers paid attention to them and offered praise, leading to lower math-related self-confidence.
The researchers conclude that preventing the harm from gender math stereotyping requires a change of the social environment for children and young adults, in addition to focusing on changing girls’ attitudes and choices.
1. What is the focus of the study?| A．Inaccurate stereotype of STEM. |
| B．Women’s participation in STEM. |
| C．Teen girls’ academic performance. |
| D．Gender stereotype’s influence on girls. |
| A．Girls do better in math than boys. |
| B．Teens have strong self-confidence. |
| C．Teens are experiencing a key stage. |
| D．Girls are easily affected by their peers. |
| A．score high in standardized tests |
| B．be often praised by math teachers |
| C．show low confidence in math tests |
| D．take an active part in school’s math club |
7 . When Laura Smith was 14 years old, she volunteered at a nonprofit food community organization. As she was filling bags with donated (捐赠) food, she noticed something that didn’t seem right: Canned and packaged goods were plentiful, but she saw nothing fresh or green to give to families in need. She thought it would be great to change that. She wanted to start a garden on part of her parents’ farmland to provide families with home-grown produce.
While being proud of her, Laura’s father expressed worry about the workload involved. Laura had raised rabbits and lambs before, but she had never tried growing vegetables on such an extensive level. However, he soon realized that his daughter was ready. Laura did a lot of research online to find out what worked and what didn’t, which plants needed shade, which needed more water, and when was the best time to harvest each crop.
In spring 2021 Laura planted 15 types of vegetables on a land of 5,000 square meters. When the first green shoots appeared, it was an exciting feeling. Yet, that’s where the real work began. “Our summers are very hot and dry, so I had to water every day,” said Laura. Throughout the summer, she checked her plants daily for weeds and watered them by hand, using two water tanks attached to a farm vehicle to continually refill her watering can.
Laura was soon ready to harvest and weigh her first crops-the first batch weighed 40 pounds. She then packaged them and donated the products to eight local groups. “It felt really good to know that anyone who wanted fresh vegetables could get them,” Laura said.
Over the past two years, Laura has donated more than 8,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables. “Laura’s confidence and generous hand in helping those in need have made a greater impact than she could have imagined,” said Remi Freeman, an official from one of the charity groups. “It helps our mission to end hunger, and also demonstrates the selflessness and kindness that is so wonderful to see in younger people.”
1. What inspired Laura to start a garden?| A．Her interest in gardening. |
| B．Her parents’ expectations. |
| C．Lack of fresh produce in the donated food. |
| D．Poor quality of canned and packaged food. |
| A．The money needed. | B．The amount of work. |
| C．Her farming knowledge. | D．Her working experience. |
| A．Laura’s hard work. | B．Laura’s ambitious plan. |
| C．The poor weather condition. | D．The skills needed for farming. |
| A．A Great Gardening Dream |
| B．A Journey to Green Living |
| C．A Close Study on Organic Food |
| D．A Harvest of Growing Kindness |
8 . 10-year-old Jack created a plastic minifigure (人偶) that looks much like him. Fondly named “Mini Jack,” the toy was carried with him wherever he went.
One day, after arriving at school, Jack
In order to
After learning about the
Once reunited with the minifigure, Jack was filled with joy and placed him in a
| A．eagerly | B．unwillingly | C．unhappily | D．respectfully |
| A．gratitude | B．sadness | C．inspiration | D．loneliness |
| A．pass on | B．pay for | C．pick up | D．get back |
| A．detailed | B．abstract | C．imaginative | D．mysterious |
| A．message | B．poster | C．word | D．logo |
| A．Damaged | B．Lost | C．Sold | D．Injured |
| A．toy | B．money | C．news | D．picture |
| A．story | B．backpack | C．poster | D．letter |
| A．nervous | B．doubtful | C．ashamed | D．annoyed |
| A．Unusually | B．Besides | C．Undoubtedly | D．However |
| A．curious | B．supportive | C．moved | D．excited |
| A．secretly | B．shyly | C．immediately | D．patiently |
| A．trust | B．wisdom | C．sharing | D．response |
| A．in place of | B．in spite of | C．at the cost of | D．for the purpose of |
| A．convenient | B．public | C．distant | D．safe |
9 . How would you feel if moving to a new town meant losing track of your friends? What if the only way of getting news from far away friends was writing letters that took ages to be delivered?
Nowadays, we can move around the world and still stay in touch with the people that we want to remain friends with.
This doesn’t mean that we should throw the baby out with the bath water, though. Technology has changed the way we make friends, but the meaning of friendship and our longing for friends remain the same.
| A．The Internet helps us make more friends. |
| B．But smiling photos can hide real problems. |
| C．This was how things worked not very long ago. |
| D．However, does the Internet really bring people closer? |
| E．However, are the “friends” you make online really your friends? |
| F．No one would choose to live without friends, even if he had all other good things. |
| G．Social media lets us see what our friends are busy with and maintains our friendships. |
10 . It’s most people’s terrible dream: surviving (幸存) a plane crash only to be left in a rainforest with no way of contacting the outside world. But this was
The children, aged 13, nine and four, as well as an 11-month-old baby, were
How did these children survive conditions that would be
While the
Many around the world have taken this survival story to be a
Indigenous groups have a deep respect for the forest and,
| A．hope | B．responsibility | C．punishment | D．reality |
| A．story | B．report | C．place | D．celebration |
| A．playing | B．flying | C．exploring | D．resting |
| A．disappeared | B．speed up | C．took off | D．circled |
| A．recording | B．choosing | C．finding | D．rebuilding |
| A．dead | B．late | C．tired | D．asleep |
| A．normal | B．favorable | C．unreasonable | D．unimaginable |
| A．raised | B．caught | C．protected | D．lost |
| A．control | B．map | C．knowledge | D．view |
| A．studied | B．avoided | C．planted | D．sold |
| A．villagers | B．media | C．government | D．children |
| A．waiting | B．searching | C．recovery | D．practice |
| A．joke | B．secret | C．wonder | D．challenge |
| A．world | B．forest | C．village | D．tradition |
| A．surprisingly | B．possibly | C．undoubtedly | D．unavoidably |
