1 . Want to see your work published and win some cash along the way? Then read on. The national Spark a Story writing contest is calling in all young storytellers!
●Who can participate?
The contest is open to students in grades 9, 10, 11 or 12, or those who are being home-schooled in the United States.
●Deadline and requirements.
You’re able to send your short story up to October 7th. It will be judged on creativity, originality and overall quality of writing. Your story must be original works and shouldn’t be longer than 5000 words. There is no minimum length requirements.
●How can I send my short story?
*Online at http://learn.hmhco.com/hmhsparkamind
*Send your short story as a PDF or Microsoft word document to Sparka@hmhco.com
*Send your short story via U.S. Mail to:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
222 Berkeley Street
Boston, MA 02116
●What will I win?
The best stories will be published next year. Winners will receive a free copy of the book and $100 cash.
1. Who is this passage intended for?A.Students. | B.Teachers. | C.Parents. | D.Editors. |
A.Two. | B.Three. | C.Four. | D.Five. |
A.Sports. | B.Science. | C.Education. | D.Fashion. |
2 . 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. |
1. 城市漫步的好处;
2. 你的看法。
参考词汇:城市漫步 city walk
注意:
1. 词数100 左右;
2. 可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
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I wonder if you like long-distance running. Long-distance running is becoming one of the most popular
Doctors believe that many of the health problems come
If you are new to running, here is a piece of
5 . The sun is shinning. I get on No. 151 bus. I’m heading for my office. The sight on the bus is striking: People sit so close together, using those thin sheets of newspapers to keep their distance.
As the bus approaches the National Park, a voice suddenly rings out, “Attention! Attention! This is your driver speaking.”
No one speaks. We look at the back of the driver’s head. His voice carries authority. “Put your papers down. All of you.” The newspapers come down and they are placed on our laps.
“Now, turn and face the person next to you. Go ahead.” Amazingly, we all do it. Still, no one smiles. Just follow the order.
I face an old woman, her head wrapped tightly in a red scarf. I see her nearly everyday. Our eyes meet. We wait for the next order from the driver. We smile to each other. There is a feeling of relief. The barrier (隔阂) has been broken. We cannot help saying, “Good morning, neighbor.”
It is not so hard after all. Some of us repeat it. Others shake hands. Many laugh. The bus driver says nothing more. Slowly, I hear laughter, a warm sound I have never heard before on the bus.
When we reach my stop, I say good-bye to my seatmate, and then jump from the doorstep. As No. 151 bus drives away, I smile as I watch the happy faces of the passengers. This day is starting off better than most.
1. Where does the story take place according to the passage?A.On a street. | B.On a bus. | C.In a park. | D.In an office. |
A.Supportive. | B.Negative. | C.Unclear. | D.Doubtful. |
A.To stress the effect of reading on people. | B.To introduce the ways of communicating. |
C.To ask people to use more public transport. | D.To encourage people to break the barriers. |
6 . Stephen Lee is one of the many people in Hong Kong who enjoy mountain-bike riding. He has always
One Sunday afternoon, Stephen came to Silvermine Bay. A
Stephen rode up the hill behind Silvermine Bay until he
Stephen found Lilian, a young woman, sitting at the side of the road. Lilian had fallen and
The next day, the newspapers got the
A.minded | B.doubted | C.loved |
A.bike | B.house | C.map |
A.wind | B.storm | C.fire |
A.gathering | B.shining | C.falling |
A.dried | B.missed | C.reached |
A.unless | B.when | C.where |
A.waiting for | B.concentrating on | C.dreaming of |
A.help | B.food | C.rest |
A.lost | B.hurt | C.burnt |
A.rolled | B.jumped | C.walked |
A.sport | B.voice | C.rain |
A.exciting | B.familiar | C.ordinary |
A.hospital | B.school | C.hill |
A.joke | B.rain | C.story |
A.shyly | B.sadly | C.angrily |
1. 中国茶文化简介;
2. 喝茶的好处;
3. 邀请他来中国体验茶文化。
Dear Jack,
I’m glad to hear that you are interested in Chinese tea culture.
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Ms. Guli is from Australia. In 2012, she decided to focus on
She started a group called “Thirst” that had taught over 500,000 people in China different ways
In November, Ms. Guli ran the New York Marathon, the first of the 100 marathons planned for
But after 62 marathons, doctors told her that she would damage her leg
One thing is certain. Even if she
9 . People often feel upset because airline companies always lose their suitcases when they fly. It has never happened to me. But something even worse happened to my family recently.
About ten years ago my mum got a job
We flew back to the UK and
A.swimming | B.fishing | C.shopping | D.teaching |
A.longer | B.higher | C.older | D.younger |
A.teachers | B.parents | C.friends | D.classmates |
A.taking | B.taken | C.to take | D.took |
A.factory | B.school | C.company | D.hospital |
A.give | B.allowed | C.got | D.waited |
A.breakfast | B.lunch | C.dinner | D.homework |
A.sad | B.excited | C.surprised | D.worried |
A.broke | B.moved | C.closed | D.opened |
A.beautiful | B.broken | C.wrong | D.right |
10 . For many kids in Africa, the colorful PlayPump (踏水车) is the first playground thing they have ever seen. When the children give it a push and jump in for their first ride, smiles of wonder appears on their faces.
The fun of going round and round in a circle is just part of the wonder. The wonderful invention doesn’t only change the kids’ play time, but also makes a big difference to the people’s lives.
As the merry-go-round starts, it pumps (用泵输送) clean water up from deep underground and keeps it in a huge tank (桶). People are welcomed to come and help themselves to get the water for free. They are very happy these days.
In the countryside of Africa, very few people could drink clean water. They don’t have machines that can get water in their homes. Instead, they often walk a long way to carry water back.
Patricia Molope, a fifteen-year-old girl, explains that before her village in South Africa got a PlayPump, people would pay a taxi driver to take them to a well far from their homes. “Sometimes the taxi drivers were so busy that we would have to stop taking showers in order to save water. It was so far to walk there, but at present we have our own clean water in the village, and the life is better, too.”
The hard job of carrying water usually is done by women and girls. Carrying water for miles and hours each day is such a heavy job that it sometimes prevents girls from being able to go to school.
Thanks to the PlayPump, getting water is quicker and easier-and even boys join in. The pumps have become a new activity. Kids and adults seem to love playing with them while collecting water.
A boy named Khumalo, twelve years old, says, ”I have seen many kinds of water pumps, but have never seen one that can keep water. When I grow up, I want to be an inventor so I can also invent clever things like the PlayPump that will help my country.“
So far, more than 800 PlayPumps are being operated in schools and neighborhoods in four African countries, providing water for almost two million people.
1. What do people need to do to get water from a PlayPump?A.Walk for a long way. | B.Give it a push. | C.Make it in a circle. | D.Use a big tank. |
A.Pump | B.Merry-go-round | C.PlayPump | D.Underground |
A.Because she didn’t know how to use a PlayPump. |
B.Because she had no money to pay a taxi driver. |
C.Because the only place to get water was far away from home. |
D.Because there was not enough water in the well. |
A.The PlayPump can bring people together. |
B.The PlayPump helps turn work into play. |
C.Every country in the world is thirsty. |
D.The PlayPump is a great invention in the world. |