1 . I had always been warmly praised for my basketball shooting ability when I was in high school. But when I went to Ohio State, I discovered that everyone on the team was
To win a starting job on the team, I had figured I would have to
One day, when we were
Then, near the end of the game, in a(an)
Standing there in that circle of cheering audience, I came to
| A．ordinary | B．anxious | C．excellent | D．inexperienced |
| A．help | B．equip | C．bless | D．impress |
| A．lately | B．already | C．generally | D．eventually |
| A．wait | B．call | C．focus | D．rely |
| A．decision | B．approach | C．comment | D．problem |
| A．looking for | B．calling for | C．applying for | D．preparing for |
| A．turn | B．responsibility | C．comfort | D．potential |
| A．cheerful | B．satisfied | C．frightened | D．disappointed |
| A．mood | B．rush | C．attempt | D．position |
| A．lesson | B．method | C．opportunity | D．suggestion |
| A．kicked | B．held | C．caught | D．shot |
| A．key | B．rare | C．typical | D．possible |
| A．wish | B．realize | C．advise | D．achieve |
| A．Poor | B．Professional | C．Native | D．Capable |
| A．prize | B．honor | C．support | D．income |
2 . It’s a late night in the Metro area of Phoenix, Arizona. Under the streetlights, a car can be seen slowly approaching and parking. A green and blue ‘W’ glows (发光) from the windscreen, giving off just enough light to see inside—showing a completely empty driver seat. When the person waiting for it opens the door to climb inside, a voice greets him. “Good evening, this car is yours,” it says. This is a Waymo One robotaxi, ordered just 10 minutes ago using an app.
The promise of driverless technology has long been inviting. It has the potential to improve our experience of commuting (通勤) and long journeys and take people out of high-risk working environments. It’s key to helping us build the cities of the future, lowering carbon emissions. And it could make traveling safer. “We want safer roads and less accidents. Automation (自动化) could provide that, ” says Camilla Fowler, head of automated transport for the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL).
But in order for driverless technology to become mainstream, much still needs to change.
“Driverless vehicles should be a very calm way of getting from A to B. But not every human driver around it will be driving in that way,” says David Hynd, from TRL. “It’s got to be able to deal with human drivers speeding, for instance, or breaking the rules of the road.”
And that’s not the only challenge. There’s regulation, rethinking the highway code, public perception, improving the infrastructure (基础设施) of our streets, towns, cities, and the big question of ultimate responsibility for road accidents. “The whole insurance industry is looking into how they’re going to deal with that change from a person being responsible and in charge to the vehicle doing that,” says Richard Jinks, vice president of commercial at Oxfordshire-based driverless vehicle software company Oxbotica, which has been testing its technology in cars and delivery vehicles at several locations across the UK and Europe.
The ultimate vision (终极愿景) experts are working towards is of completely driverless vehicles, not only for personal use but also for industry and wider transport networks, that can be used anywhere and everywhere around the world.
But with all these challenges in place, what exactly does the next 10 years have in store for autonomous vehicles?
1. What is special about the car mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．It drives very slowly. |
| B．It is automatic and drives itself. |
| C．It can sense its driver’s feelings. |
| D．There is enough light to see inside. |
| A．Their main dangers. | B．Their special design. |
| C．Their wide popularity. | D．Their potential advantages. |
| A．It isn’t ready for wide application. |
| B．It will make driving a safe experience. |
| C．It isn’t developing as smoothly as planned. |
| D．It will increase profits in the insurance industry. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Surprised. | C．Uncertain. | D．Disappointed. |
3 . Kurth Reis of San Francisco, California, has been through many hard times in his life. In 2018, Reis had a serious motorcycle accident and spent time in a hospital. The accident affected him deeply, body and spirit. He had several medical operations. Reis said he felt like he was “reborn” each time he woke after an operation. Following 88 days in the hospital, Reis was released and felt ready to change his ways.
Lately, he says he just wants to cheer people up by making bubbles. You can watch him perform his bubble art for hours at a time around the city’s streets and in its parks. Sometimes he puts out a glass container called a tip jar. People who watch his show can drop money into it if they want to.
If the weather is good for bubbles, Reis makes a special mixture that can make bubbles the size of a small car. Humidity, or the amount of water in the air, is good for bubbles. So, he does not perform on very dry days. To make his large bubble, he puts a small rope hanging from two long sticks into the bubble mixture. As he removes it, he opens his arms wide and the bubbles begin to form. Once enough air is inside the bubble, he moves his arms back together to set the bubble free. Some people feel it looks like a bubble “ballet”.
While Reis may seem like a bubble-making expert, he only got started in April 2020. Reis can support himself with donations from the audiences. But money is not what stirs him to make bubbles. He feels his art is useful in more important ways. Not long ago, a woman told Reis after a performance that his bubbles had lifted her spirit when her dad died.
Reis can see smiles rise from under the face covers worn by those watching him perform. Children cheer and clap their hands. Reis said such reactions make him feel like an essential worker whose job is to spread joy.
“I’m just trying to put a smile on somebody’s face by doing some bubbles,” said Reis.
1. What can we know about Kurth Reis from Paragraph 1?| A．He had to repay his operation fees. |
| B．He intended to do something different. |
| C．He suffered a minor motorcycle accident. |
| D．He gave up his career as a motorcyclist. |
| A．Put some money into a tip jar near him. |
| B．Give him applause when he sets a bubble free. |
| C．Grasp a small rope hanging from two long sticks. |
| D．Add a special mixture to help him make large bubbles. |
| A．Enables. | B．Determines. | C．Requires. | D．Encourages. |
| A．Believe you can and you are halfway there. |
| B．What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. |
| C．Everything comes to him who waits. |
| D．Small actions can have a big impact. |
4 . Aesha Ash is a ballet dancer who began The Swan Dreams Project in 2011. It is a program designed to bring ballet to girls of color in her community. Aesha Ash is one of the few women of color to ever grace the stages of the School of American Ballet in New York City. She wants to expose her community to more positive images of women of color through the use of ballet. She wants to show the world that beauty and grace are not defined by status or race.
Aesha grew up in the inner city of Rochester, New York, where crime, gun violence and poverty were among the biggest threats to the community. For her, that’s normal. That’s just life in the neighborhood, but what she remembers most is the dance studio. She started dancing at the age of five. A teacher mentioned to her mother that she had some promise in ballet, and that it would be difficult for her, as a woman of color, to enter the ballet world. But the hardship she faced was the very thing that pushed her to pursue a career in ballet.
And there’s so much negative stereotypes (刻板印象) and misunderstanding of who they are in the media. Through the use of imagery and her career as a ballet dancer, she challenges stereotypes that exist for women of color, particularly those from inner-city communities.
“It’s important that our girls see that side of themselves because for many kids it’s hard to be what you can’t see. I hadn’t seen a black ballet dancer before I decided that was what I wanted to be. It was really important for me to be in my environment displaying that because this is where I’m from. It was always beyond ballet,” Aesha Ash stated.
1. Why did Aesha start The Swan Dreams Project?| A．To promote the images of females of color by ballet. |
| B．To expose her community to a world of women of color. |
| C．To grace the stages of the School of American Ballet. |
| D．To show the world that beauty and grace are defined by status. |
| A．Comfortable. | B．Ancient. | C．Peaceful. | D．Unsafe. |
| A．Aesha had a gift for ballet according to her teacher. |
| B．The hardship Aesha faced was the color of her skin. |
| C．Acsha wanted to be a ballet dancer because of a woman dancer of color. |
| D．It is not easy to change the stereotypes that exist for women of color. |
| A．A teacher provides chances for girls of color. | B．A woman brings ballet to the girls of color. |
| C．Ballet changes the life of a woman of color. | D．A woman has changed the negative stereotypes. |
5 . When preparing fruit and vegetables, many people will peel (削皮) them. But often, it’s not necessary.
Fruit and vegetables are rich sources of nutrition like vitamins. Not consuming enough of these nutrient-rich foods is linked to an increased risk of diseases. Eating 400g of fruit and vegetables a day, as the WHO recommends, is difficult to achieve for many people. So could consuming fruit and vegetable peels help with this issue by adding important nutrients to people’s diets?
They can certainly contribute. For example, nutritionally important amounts of vitamins and minerals are found in the peels of seven root vegetables: beetroot, field mustard, wild carrot, sweet potato, radish, ginger and white potato. And the US Department of Agriculture shows that unpeeled apples contain 15% more vitamin C, 267% more vitamin K, 20% more calcium and 85% more fibre than peeled apples.
Another reason is the effect on the environment. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, uneaten food, including peels, generates 8%-10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. New Zealand alone reports an annual wastage of 13,658 tonnes of vegetable peels and 986 tonnes of fruit peels.
Given the nutrient content of peels and its contribution to food waste, why do people peel fruit and vegetables at all? Some must be peeled as the outer parts don’t taste nice, are hard to clean or cause harm. Also, peeling may be a necessary part of the recipe, for example, when making mashed potato. But many peels, such as carrot and kiwifruit, are suitable to be eaten, yet people habitually peel them anyway. Some people peel fruit and veg because they are concerned about pesticides (杀虫剂) on the surface.
If you want to find out more about fruit and vegetable peels and what to do with it, there is lots of advice online including help on how to deal with peels. With a little investigation and creativity, you can help to reduce waste and increase you fruit and vegetables intake.
1. Where is the text most probably taken from?| A．A cooking guidebook. | B．A life magazine. |
| C．A poster about environment. | D．An ad about a health website. |
| A．Not eating the peels will lead to higher risks of some diseases. |
| B．Some significant vitamins and minerals are only found in peels. |
| C．Eating peels can increase people’s intake of important nutrients. |
| D．Peels have more nutrients than fruit and vegetables’ inner parts. |
| A．To highlight the serious food problem in the country. |
| B．To draw our attention to greenhouse gas emissions. |
| C．To call on New Zealanders not to throw away peels. |
| D．To show peels’ negative impact on the environment. |
| A．Because some recipes tell them to do so. |
| B．Because the outer parts are hard to clean. |
| C．Because there exists too much pesticides. |
| D．Because they’re used to peeling vegetables. |
Polly Goodman, 82-year-old, was a rich old woman. Her husband was a businessman and left her a large fortune after his death, so she had no problems supporting herself. The only problem was that her son who was a doctor busy with his work seldom had time to visit her, leaving her living lonely.
One day, Polly was walking along the beach, like she did every evening near her seaside house, when she noticed a young boy and his little sister playing there. As she was passing by them, she heard their mother calling out to them. “Corey! Daisy! Be careful! Stay away from the water!”
Polly noticed their mother resting on a bench, appearing sick and tired. The dark circles under her eyes were quite obvious, and she coughed frequently. Polly always had a desire to have a chat with someone. So she walked carefully towards the mother with a kind smile on her face.
“Hi, I’m Polly. I live by the beach.” Polly said.
The mother looked up at Polly, feeling a little surprised. The mother told Polly she was Lydia and had worked as a waitress. Lydia further said that she and her children had only recently moved to that location because her children had always wanted to see the ocean. Then Lydia stopped to cough heavily. After she calmed down, it seemed she wanted to say something, but stopped as if there was something difficult to tell. Polly did not follow up, saying goodbye and left.
When Polly went to the beach the next day, she saw the kids again, but this time their mother wasn’t with them. She observed them playing by themselves until late in the evening before heading home. The third day came and again the two kids played at the seaside until late in the evening, still without their mother s company. Then the elder brother was about to lead the sister back home. Out of curiosity and care Polly decided to follow them to their house.
注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Upon arrival, the kids invited Polly inside.
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Polly took the mother to the hospital her son worked in.
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In her Nobel Lecture, Tu Youyou
8 . Brent Ferguson owns Guitar Riot, a custom guitar store in Cleveland, Ohio. “I remember having music records when I was four or five years old,” says Brent Ferguson. “I was addicted to sitting in front of the music equipment and listening to music.”
Ferguson started Guitar Riot 12 years ago, after noting a lack of custom guitar stores in the area. A custom guitar is made carefully by a luthier, a person who makes guitars, violins and other stringed instruments according to a player’s exact requirements.
Ferguson has spent his life on music. He has played in bands and worked at other local guitar stores. He also was operations manager for Dr. Z Amplification, a store in nearby Maple Heights that sells musical instruments. He eventually decided to pursue (追求) is own business focusing on custom guitar sales.
Although Guitar Riot now sells mostly high-end custom guitars, that was not always the case. They had to achieve certain standards to become a high-end quality retailer (零售商).
“The guitar companies have requirements,” Ferguson said. “One is that we bring in a certain dollar amount. Another is the number of years a retailer has been in business.” Guitar Riot is now a retailer for respected guitar makers such as Gibson, Fender, Nash and Martin. The majority of the store’s business comes from online orders.
Over the years, many well-known musicians have bought their instruments from Guitar Riot. Jack White of the White Stripes, jazz musician Julian Lage, Tommy Henriksen of Alice Cooper, and Noel Gallagher of Oasis have all purchased custom guitars from the store.
Guitar Riot started out serving well-known guitarists, but Ferguson would like to reach new musicians, too. “When kids come in here who are interested in playing guitars,” Ferguson said, “we try to make it a positive experience for them. There definitely needs to be a younger generation interested in rock music.”
Guitar Riot is currently moving. Ferguson hopes that the new location will bring even more foot traffic to the store.
1. Why did Brent Ferguson start his guitar store?| A．To realize his childhood dream. | B．To learn to make guitars of high quality |
| C．To make music popular. | D．To meet the needs of people around. |
| A．He loves all his jobs. | B．He is a man of strong will. |
| C．He has gone through various hardships. | D．He has developed a close relationship with music. |
| A．It sells guitars mainly online. | B．It is targeted at young customers. |
| C．It sells other instruments besides guitars. | D．It provides creative ideas for respected makers. |
| A．Guitar teachers. | B．Kids. |
| C．Well-known guitarists. | D．Former musicians. |
9 . About Scholastic Kids Press
Scholastic Kids Press is a group of talented kid reporters, ages 10-14, from across the country and around the world. Since 2000, our award-winning young journalists have reported “news for kids, by kids”, covering politics, entertainment the environment, sports and more in their hometowns and on the national stage. Their stories appear online and in Scholastic magazines, which reach more than 25 million students in classrooms nationwide.
Scholastic Kid Reporters have made headlines（头条）by interviewing Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, environmentalist Jane Goodall, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, Dog Man author Dav Pilkey, actress Misty Copeland and more.
Contact Info
Email us at kidspress@scholastic.com.
How to apply?
We are now accepting Kid Reporter applications for the 2023-2024 program year. Learn more and download the application here.
The application to join Scholastic Kids Press includes writing a news story, story ideas and a personal article. Editors select Kid Reporters every year based on writing ability, interviewing skills and attention to detail.
To be considered, applicants must be between 10-14. Students in any part of the world are welcome to apply.
What do Scholastic Kid Reporters write about?
Throughout the year, Scholastic Kid Reporters cover issues and topics that matter most to them and their peers(同龄人). This includes current events, breaking news, entertainment, sports and more from their communities.
The Kid Reporter application is now open! Click here to learn more.
1. Why does the author mention some people in the second paragraph?| A．To show Scholastic Kid Reporters’ success. |
| B．To introduce Scholastic Kid Reporters’ various readers. |
| C．To prove Scholastic Kid Reporters’ effects on famous people. |
| D．To tell us the topics Scholastic Kid Reporters value. |
| A．The place they come from. | B．Their age. |
| C．Their personal experience. | D．The language they speak. |
| A．Skills in making delicious food. | B．Stories of their parents. |
| C．The most important things for kids. | D．Housework suitable for children. |
10 . Music is present in any part of the world, and it is appreciated and felt everywhere. Without its presence, life could be boring. Studies show that music is good for your body and mind.
Music can increase pain management. Listening to music can help increase your pain tolerance (耐痛性).
●
●Music can reduce anxiety and depression
●Music can improve self-expression and communication. Self-expression and communication are an important part of the human experience, especially when it comes to basic emotional and mental health needs.
| A．Music can improve heart health. |
| B．Music can increase your heartbeat rate. |
| C．Here are some benefits of music treatment. |
| D．They are two common pains in your daily life. |
| E．It has been proved to be helpful for anxious and depressed people. |
| F．Listening to music can also help decrease the strength of your pains. |
| G．For kids weak in both areas, music treatment can help develop their relative skills. |
