1 . Los Angeles residents Joe Blackstone and Jamie Mohn have long recognized the lasting impact storytelling can have on a child’s life. Shortly after getting married, the couple began volunteering to read books to elementary school kids. Then, when they became parents themselves, they created the J3 Foundation to help organizations devoted to children’s growth. But after learning two-thirds of fourth graders who cannot read effectively end up on welfare, Blackstone and Mohn decided to take a more hands-on approach: in 2018, they launched J3’s Cozy Reading Club.
Each session of the two-hour, after-school program is free and includes outdoor activities and a healthy snack. Then, it’s time for some comfortable reading. After teachers read a book aloud and the group talks about the storyline freely, the kids find a spot to sit while grabbing a book of their choice to look through. In the end, they get to choose two books to borrow and take home.
In its first year, J3’s Cozy Reading Club served 15 students in one L. A.-area classroom. As of 2022, it had expanded to 17 schools across four different districts, impacting a total of at least 400 students, the vast majority of whom live in underserved communities. With impressive statistics backing it up 90% of the students have significantly improved their reading scores, and 95% say they’ve started reading for fun since taking part in the program——its founders have much to celebrate.
“Having more than 5,000 culturally relevant books available to them is so exciting. I love it when our students can see themselves and their classmates’ lives reflected in the books they are reading. The hope of changing one kid at a time makes all the work worthwhile,” Blackstone said.
Currently, J3 is in the process of raising $864,000, so the Cozy Reading Club can expand to an additional 24 Los Angeles schools and double its book collection to 10,000. This is worthwhile. The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) reported that 68% of U. S. fourth graders weren’t skilled at reading in 2022, up from 66% in 2019.
1. What can be inferred about Blackstone and Mohn?A.They are children’s writers. | B.They teach reading in a school. |
C.They value kids’ development. | D.They’ve donated much to charities. |
A.Learn the history of books. | B.Discuss a book’s plot. |
C.Cook and have snacks. | D.Buy interesting books. |
A.Its great achievements. | B.Its various services. |
C.Its long-term goals. | D.Its current programs. |
A.To state reading is significant. | B.To show J3 is a necessary cause. |
C.To assess J3’s potential abilities. | D.To criticize America’s education. |
2 . Andrew Powell was pulling envelopes from the large mailbox outside his contemporary house when he noticed something
“We’ve decided to live here,” the
Over the next few months, additional items mysteriously
More than a year later, Mary and Shelley are still living rent-free in the mailbox, to the delight of the neighbors who now
“It’s just somebody out there who is having some fun, giving us all a little community
Andrew says he now doesn’t want to know who is
A.alive | B.unusual | C.important | D.unique |
A.notice | B.board | C.mail | D.message |
A.by mistake | B.by chance | C.on purpose | D.on sale |
A.gifts | B.cards | C.dolls | D.posts |
A.displayed | B.acquired | C.designed | D.decorated |
A.came back | B.wandered off | C.showed up | D.broke in |
A.before | B.since | C.unless | D.when |
A.follow | B.comment | C.download | D.appreciate |
A.improvement | B.possibility | C.truth | D.progress |
A.difficulty | B.conflict | C.case | D.mystery |
A.care | B.humor | C.blessing | D.support |
A.artistic | B.academic | C.sympathetic | D.realistic |
A.suitable | B.eager | C.responsible | D.ambitious |
A.describing | B.imitating | C.celebrating | D.enjoying |
A.light | B.camera | C.tent | D.bench |
1)展览的时间、地点、主题等;
2)参赛作品要求;
3)报名注意事项。
注意:写作词数应不低于80词。
Notice
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Students’ Union
4 . Women’s Poetry Competition 2024
Welcome to Mslexia, the only magazine where every reader is a potential contributor too. Almost every part of the magazine is open to submission by any woman writer. Our competition is open to unpublished poems of any length. Your £10 entry fee allows you to submit up to three poems. The judge this year is the outstanding and award-winning writer Pascale Petit.
Prizes
1st: £2,000; 2nd: £500; 3rd: £250 (Each prize goes for one person.)
Unpublished Poetry Prize for the best poem by a previously unknown poet: £250.
The four winners, plus sixteen additional finalists will have their poems published in the May issue of Mslexia.
Results
The deadline for all entries is 23:59 GMT, 6 March, 2024
The winners and finalists will be announced on 1 April, 2024
How to enter
Add the entry fee to your basket and go to the checkout. Once the order is completed, you’ll be taken to a submit page where the entry form is located. Click the “Enter Now” button. You can submit at a later date by typing into your Mslexia online account and going to the “competitions” bill.
Visit our Entry Instructions for a more comprehensive guide on how to enter, and be sure to read our Rules before submitting your entries.
Frequently-asked questions
Have a question about formatting, eligibility(资格), or anything else?
Ready to enter? Please see our Entry Instructions. For any further information, call us at 0191 204 8860 or email competitions@mslexia.co.uk.
1. How many winners will get prize money?A.Three. | B.Four. | C.Sixteen. | D.Twenty. |
A.Submitting two poems. | B.Visiting Entry Instructions. |
C.Writing a poem of 120 words. | D.Mailing your entry on April 1. |
A.In a textbook. | B.In an art magazine. | C.On a website. | D.In a local newspaper. |
One afternoon after school, Mary and her brother, Keith, were eating at a cafe near their home. That afternoon, they had to share their table with another person. That person was a young lady in her twenties. After eating, she went to the restroom. Without realizing, she had left her cellphone on the table. Five minutes later, she came out and walked out of the cafe without looking back.
Mary saw the cellphone on the table. She quickly told Keith, “Keith, the girl left behind her cellphone.”Keith looked at the cellphone. It took his breath away. It was one of the latest models on the market. Keith had always wanted a cellphone. But his parents had told him, “You don’t need one. You can always use the house phone.” He stared at it for some minutes. Then, he said slowly, pausing on every word, “I want to take the cellphone.” Mary could not believe her ears. She only stared at her brother, “You can’t! What if the owner comes to look for it?”
After making the decision, Keith quickly got the cellphone and put it in his schoolbag. Then, he took Mary’s hand and led her out of the cafe quickly.
Once back home, Keith locked his room door with trembling (颤抖的) hands. Inside his room, he took out the piece of beauty. Oh, he liked it so much. He had his own cellphone. Soon, he was polishing it happily. But Mary told him, “Keith, you cannot keep the cellphone. What will you tell our father about this? He will ask you how you got the cellphone.” Keith said quickly, “I will say a friend lent it to me.” Mary said, “Now you are lying too. Oh dear! When had Keith turned so dishonest?”
Then, Mary saw a house phone number on the cover of the cellphone. “This is the girl’s phone number. Why don’t we just call this number? We will talk to her and ask her to come and take back her cellphone,” she was trying to talk some sense into him.
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。
That night, Keith turned over in bed from time to time.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mary was very happy to hear that.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________From fishing bats and golden monkeys
Watch as Tibetan foxes ward off (避开) danger, a snow leopard teaches
What makes the survival of these animals even more amazing
As of June, China had about 285 million Internet users living in rural areas,
The report said the Internet is playing a
Meanwhile, the report shows that e-commerce livestreaming (直播) grew
The report said the Internet can contribute significantly
8 . Cities are difficult to navigate (导航) at the best of times, but for people with disabilities they can be like courses with hurdles and bring inconvenience to disabled people.
A UK national travel survey found that adults with mobility difficulties took 39% fewer trips than those with no disability in 2017. Yet that could change as devices and cities grow smarter. Assistive tech is playing a big role in the transformation. The global value of the industry is expected to increase from $14 billion in 2015 to $30.8 billion in 2024, according to Zion Market Research.
One of the things that could transform lives is a smart walking stick designed by engineers from Young Guru Academy (YGA) in Turkey. The WeWalk stick has a sensor that detects hurdles above chest level and uses vibrations (振动) to warn the user. It can be paired with a smartphone to help navigation, and is connected with a voice assistant and Google Maps.
Ceylan, who has been blind since birth, says that connecting the stick to the Internet of Things and smart city solutions makes it user-friendly. “As a blind person, when I am at the Metro station I don’t know which is my exit ... I don’t know which bus is approaching ... which stores are around me. That kind of information can be provided with the WeWalk,” he says.
“The smart walking stick is really an exciting initiative that will make a huge difference to some people,” says Anna Lawson, the director of the Center for Disability Studies at Leeds University in the United Kingdom. “But they are very expensive ... they’re not going to be available to the vast majority of disabled people,” she added.
Bryan Matthews, a lecturer at the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds, shares the concerns about cost. He says there should also be a focus on inclusive design, and anything that helps people navigate their environment is positive.
1. What does “that” in the second paragraph refer to?A.The survey that compared adults’ mobility. |
B.The smart industry that is booming. |
C.The fact that the disabled traveled less. |
D.The role that the assistive tech plays. |
A.The working principles of the WeWalk stick. |
B.The introduction of the WeWalk stick inventors. |
C.The transformation caused by the WeWalk stick. |
D.The benefits brought about by the WeWalk stick. |
A.To show the value of smart tech. |
B.To urge more attention to the blind. |
C.To increase the potential market share. |
D.To encourage tech research and development. |
A.Confusing instructions. | B.Poor navigation. |
C.Inclusive designs. | D.High prices. |
9 . A few years ago, I realized that I had a fear of heights. Sometimes I would feel uncomfortable if I looked down from somewhere high and the higher I got, the worse I felt. However, there were some things that made me nervous when I looked up at them — such as drop towers (急速下降塔).
About a month ago, my family and I went on a trip to Marineland — an amusement park with a sea animal theme. One of Marineland’s attractions is a huge drop tower called the “Sky Screamer”. My dad wanted to ride it, and he wanted to take me with him. He kept encouraging me, and I finally gave in, because I was desired to face my fears.
Going up was terrible. I got stomachaches from just looking at the tower. When we reached the tower, we lined up and got seated on the ride. When it reached a few feet off the ground, it stopped for a moment, before sending us straight to the top at great speed. I squeezed my eyes shut and I held the handlebar (把手) as tightly as I could during the whole ride. A few seconds later my heart was in my mouth and I was screaming my lungs out. At the top, I opened my eyes and looked forward, not down.
I tried to prepare myself for the way down, but it didn’t really help. There I was, with my eyes squeezed (紧紧地) shut, holding the handlebar and again, screaming at the top of my voice. In fact, it was even worse than going up! But when I got to the bottom, I felt relieved. I thanked my dad for forcing me to go on the ride, and I was pleased I had overcome my fears.
So, was the “Sky Screamer” scary? Well, maybe just a little bit.
1. Which of the following wasn’t the writer afraid of?A.Riding a lift to a higher place. | B.Looking down from a height. |
C.Looking up at drop towers. | D.Going to a wonderful park. |
A.Her father’s encouraging words. | B.Her interest in the ride. |
C.Her desire to face her fears. | D.Her father’s nagging. |
A.She kept looking down. | B.She kept holding the handlebar. |
C.She was too frightened to scream. | D.She squeezed her father’s hand tightly. |
A.The writer volunteered to take the ride. |
B.The writer’s father forced her to ride with him. |
C.The ride was less scary on the way up. |
D.The ride offered the writer a chance to face and overcome her fears. |
A.A trip to Marineland. | B.Facing a fear. |
C.A ride to the top of the “Sky Screamer”. | D.A joyful ride on the “Sky Screamer”. |
10 . Camp Kinneret
Located in the rolling hills of Agoura, California, Camp Kinneret provides children aged 4-14 with a classic, outdoor day camp experience. Working at camp is an opportunity to be part of an intentional, growth-oriented community as a role model and leader of your campers. Most staff will ride the bus to camp each day with their campers from various Conejo and San Fernando Valley cities. Summer camp jobs include:
• Day Camp Staff assigned to a specific group for the duration of the summer participating in all activities throughout the day.
• Swim Instructors working in a team of 4-6 to ensure the safety of campers of all ages and abilities at the pool.
• Activity Instructors leading campers at activity areas that include horse riding, animal care, nature ecology, wilderness play, farming & gardening, performing arts and more!
• Resident Camp Staff spending each week guiding kids through a variety of on-site and off-site adventure-based activities including backpacking, mountain biking, climbing and more!
Camp Kinneret allows you to gain a summer’s worth of leadership development that you won’t find elsewhere! Salaries are based on position and previous experience. The range for a first-year staff member is $5, 100-$7, 000 for a 10-week summer. Applicants must be college-aged or older, have summer housing available in the Greater Los Angeles Area and be able to make a commitment from Jun. 6th to Aug. 6th, 2022 (Mon. -Fri. , 8:30 am-4:30 pm).
If you are passionate about personal growth and development (for yourself and for others), fill out the online application and select a group interview to attend virtually or in person.
1. Who will be responsible for weekly adventure-based activities?A.Day Camp Staff. | B.Swim Instructors. | C.Activity Instructors. | D.Resident Camp Staff. |
A.They must be college students. |
B.They must have enough camp experience. |
C.They must work for two months at camp. |
D.They must have jobs in the Los Angeles area. |
A.A tourist guide. |
B.A campaign poster. |
C.A notice of job openings. |
D.A survey on camp marketing. |