1 . Winners of the Broadcom MASTERS
Girls took the top prizes at the Broadcom MASTERS, a science competition for middle school students.
Alaina Gassler
Alaina won the $25,000 Samueli Foundation Prize for the project of reducing blind spots in cars. She was inspired to solve this issue by her mother who didn’t like driving her vehicle because its large A-pillar (A柱) design made her feel in danger. “I started to think about how blind spots were a huge problem in all cars,” said Alaina. So she worked on and solved it.
Sidor Clare
Sidor won the $10,000 Marconi/Samueli Award for Innovation, an honor made by Samueli’s generous donation of his 2012 Marconi Society Prize Award. She developed bricks that could one day be made on Mars, so that humans wouldn’t be required to carry building materials with them in order to build there.
Alexis MacAvoy
Alexis won the $10,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement, which recognized the student whose work and performance showed the most promise in health-related fields and demonstrated an understanding of the many social factors that affect health. She designed a water filter (过滤器) by using carbon to remove heavy metals from water.
Rachel Bergey
Rachel won the $10,000 Lemelson Award for Invention, awarded by The Lemelson Foundation to a young inventor creating promising solutions to real-world problems. She developed a trap made of tinfoil (锡纸) and netting for the spotted lanternfly, an invasive species causing damage to trees.
1. What is the purpose of Alaina Gassler’s invention?| A．To beautify vehicles. | B．To improve the safety of driving. |
| C．To decorate the sidewalk for the blind. | D．To reduce the carbon released from cars. |
| A．Alaina Gassler’s. | B．Sidor Clare’s. |
| C．Rachel Bergey’s. | D．Alexis MacAvoy’s. |
| A．Art. | B．Sport. | C．Technology. | D．Education. |
2 . How exercising changed their life
Name: Katelyn Block, 19 The problem: At the end of her junior year of high school, she fell into a serious eating disorder. The change: She was an athlete, but while she was sick, she stopped running. Later, she decided to get back into running. She made the decision to build her body back from the ground up. With a few months of hard work and determination, she graduated from high school with a healthy body. | Name: Amalia Biro, 24 The problem: Amalia was a horseback rider with her sight set on the Olympics, until one day she was thrown off a horse, leaving her left knee badly injured. The change: She ran a 5K at the request of her friend. Running lets her clear her head. She found herself starting to turn to running instead of breaking away from her social life. And she was in good shape and felt better than before. |
Name: Sarah Jane Parker, 28 The problem: She had a lot of fear and anxiety about different things. The fear was taking over her life. The change: She tried indoor rock climbing with her friend’s encouragement. When she finally managed to climb to the top, she fell in love with the sport. Eventually she used the courage she got from climbing to break away from her fear. | Name: Kimberly Whittaker, 25 The problem: Two car accidents in one month made Kimberly have joint problems in both knees and pain in her lower back. The change: She joined a gym and worked with a physical trainer three times a week to help her become healthy again. She took spin classes (动感单车) the most often because she felt like she was able to focus her energy just on riding. |
| A．She got a fever. | B．She was anxious. |
| C．She couldn’t eat normally. | D．She hurt her knees. |
| A．They had the same dream. | B．They attended the Olympics. |
| C．They didn’t trust themselves. | D．They should thank their friends. |
| A．By changing her diet. | B．By seeing a doctor. |
| C．By joining a gym. | D．By studying hard. |
3 . Volleyball games are a hit in school recently. Click the following websites to learn more about volleyball.
www. avp. com (Association of Volleyball Professionals/AVP)
It is an excellent spot to begin educating oneself on volleyball players around the world. It has drop-down menus(下拉式选单) of the top 50 male and female volleyball players in the world, such as Phil Dalhausser or Kerri Walsh Jennings. Additionally, there is a “ History of the AVP” section that goes back as far as 1895. On this website one could easily learn about the most famous volleyball players of all time.
www.fivb. com (Fédération Internationale de Volleyball/FIVB)
While the AVP focuses primarily on beach volleyball, the FIVB includes both beach and indoor volleyball. It also includes an excellent history section named the Story of the Game, which will teach you more about famous volleyball players throughout history.
www. volleychina. org (China Volleyball Association)
If you’re mostly interested in famous volleyball players who play for China, check out www. volleychina.org. This website is designed for those volleyball players famous and skilled enough to play for the Chinese national team. It also has information about the junior teams, so you can see who the up-and-coming volleyball players are. Besides, it has an excellent resource section that can teach you the rules and how to be a judge.
www. volleyhall. org(International Volleyball Hall of Fame)
The last place to go to learn all about famous volleyball players is www. volleyhall. org. By clicking it you can see everyone who has been admitted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
1. Which website allows you to admire the world’s top 50 volleyball players?| A．www. avp. com | B．www. fivb.com | C．www. volleychina. org | D．www. volleyhall. org |
| A．They focus on both beach and indoor volleyball. |
| B．They introduce famous volleyball players in history. |
| C．They both have much information about the junior teams. |
| D．They show the famous players in the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. |
| A．The promising volleyball players in China. |
| B．The story of world-famous volleyball players. |
| C．The rules of the game and courses for players. |
| D．The history of the Association of Volleyball Professionals. |
4 . The John Carew Swim School
Tel: (07) 3878 6388
E-mail: admin@carewswim.com.au
The John Carew Swim School has been a family-run business since the early 1960s. John Carew, who coached the Australian Swim Team at the Olympics on three separate occasions, founded his own swim school to pass on his knowledge. His wife and son now carry on his beliefs at the swim school.
We have two pools, which are heated to 31℃ all year round. Sufficient seating is provided around our swimming areas so you can watch your child in comfort.
Programs:
Babies and Toddlers
Classes are divided into three levels based on the child's ability and previous experiences. Your child will learn basic survival skills while improving their balance in the water.
Age: 6 months-3 years old
Duration (持续时间): 30 minutes
Class size: 8 pupils at most
Learn to Swim
After developing water safety skills, the journey of learning the four swimming strokes (游泳姿势) is started. We will take time to ensure the basic skills for each stroke are correct before progressing your child.
Age: 3 years +
Duration: 30 minutes
Class size: 4 pupils at most
Mini Squad (队)
Once your child is trained in all four strokes, they can become a part of our mini squad. We offer beginner and advanced levels in which your child will learn starts, turns and finishes along with basic training skills.
Age: Entry is based on the child's ability
Duration: 60 minutes
Club Night
We offer a family-friendly club night each term. The night is intended to provide feedback ( 反 馈 信 息 ) to parents and teachers in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.
Cost: FREE
Fees (费用):
| Babies and Toddlers | Learn to Swim | Mini Squad | |
| Monthly (4 classes) | $68 | $80 | $90 |
| Term (10 classes) | $155 | $180 | $200 |
| A．It has warm pool water. |
| B．It has three swimming pools. |
| C．It has classes by John Carew. |
| D．It has a history of about 40 years. |
| A．Club Night. |
| B．Mini Squad. |
| C．Learn to Swim. |
| D．Babies and Toddlers. |
| A．$68. |
| B．$90. |
| C．$155. |
| D．$180. |
5 . The computer is a useful machine. It is the most important invention in many years. The oldest kind of computer is the abacus, used in China centuries ago, but the first large, modern computer was built in 1946. A computer then could do maths problems quite fast.
Today computers are used in many ways and can do many kinds of work. In a few years the computer may touch the life of everyone, even people in faraway villages.
In the last few years, there have been great changes in computers. They are getting smaller and smaller, and computing faster and faster. Many scientists agree that computers can now do many things, but they cannot do everything. Who knows what the computers of tomorrow will be like? Will computers bring good things or bad things to people? The scientists of today will have to decide how to use the computers of tomorrow.
1. The computer is a ______ machine.| A．helpful | B．strange | C．large | D．dangerous |
| A．a few | B．forty | C．sixty | D．eighty |
| A．bigger | B．fewer | C．smaller | D．taller |
| A．everything | B．anything | C．nothing | D．lots of things |
| A．may decide | B．must decide | C．can make | D．needn’t make |
6 . Lying in the sun on a rock, the cougar(美洲豹) saw Jeb and his son, Tom, before they saw it. Jeb put his bag down quickly and pulled his jacket open with both hands, making himself look big to the cougar. It worked. This cougar hesitated, ready to attack Jeb, but ready to forget the whole thing, too.
Why did Jeb pull his jacket open when he saw the cougar?| A．To get ready to fight. |
| B．To frighten it away |
| C．To protect the boy |
| D．To cool down. |
7 . How to Organize a Music Festival
You love music and you always have. You want to carry out a music festival designed to attract music fans of all ages. Follow the steps and you’ll organize a successful one.
◆Start by making a list of the local bands and artists that you like. You’ve taken this job because you love music, so put your taste to work for you. If you like these musicians, many of the local people will also like them.
◆Find a great location that has much open space for outdoor festivals. You need to build a stage so the musicians can be seen from distances.
◆Hire sound engineers to give the musicians all the help they need.
◆
| A．You need to find security people. |
| B．We can find enough songs to get a lot of money. |
| C．Bigger sports stadiums will be perfect as well. |
| D．But remember, you are trying to attract fans of all ages. |
| E．People should have practiced many different songs. |
| F．You can find a location by going to the local government and asking for permission. |
| G．The last thing you want is that a group is on the stage but the speakers don’t work. |
8 . If you walk through the doors of one of the Smithsonian Institution’s museums in Washington, D.C., you may be greeted by an unusual guide. A Japanese tech company recently sent 25 humanoid robots to the Smithsonian. All of them are named Pepper.
Each Pepper stands 4 feet tall and has a computer screen attached to its body. Built by SoftBank Robotics, the robots are programmed to share information about the museum in which they are based.
“Pepper is basically an experiment,” Goslins, director of the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Museum, said. “The idea is to explore and see how a robot performs in this kind of environment.”
Museum visitors communicating with Pepper. The robot can tell stories and answer basic questions. People even take pictures and dance with it.
“The robot draws big crowds,” said Allison Peck, director of marketing at the Hirshhorn. “People just love Pepper.”
According to the Smithsonian Institution’s website: “Pepper gives our museum workers a new way to reach and serve visitors.” For example, Pepper teaches Swahili words to visitors of the “World on the Horizon” exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art.
Pepper also has the special ability to draw guests to less-visited areas of the Smithsonian’s museum. When Pepper is placed in a spot, crowds are attracted to that place.
When not educating museum visitors, Pepper stays in the Smithsonian offices, getting charged and programmed. After being charged, Pepper can run for about 8 hours at a time.
Pepper plays an important role, but the robot“ is not meant to take away human jobs at the museum, ” Goslins explained. “It is meant to give our visitors a more enjoyable experience while they are here with us.”
1. What do you know about Pepper?| A．It measures 4 feet in width. | B．It serves as a guide. |
| C．It is named after a robot. | D．It is made in the US. |
| A．Draw pictures. | B．Take pictures. |
| C．Ask questions. | D．Tell stories. |
| A．Reasonable cost. | B．Pepper’s appearance. |
| C．Workers’service. | D．Attractive scenery. |
| A．To please visitors. | B．To replace humans. |
| C．To perform programs. | D．To educate visitors |
Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It was built on small islands in saltwater lakes more than 1,500 years ago. It is a city with no cars and people travel by boat. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that can guide you to any place you want to go.
Los Angeles
It was founded in 1781. It is now the second largest city in the United States. It is famous for Hollywood, which is the oldest film industry of the world. It is also the home of Disneyland.
Budapest
The population of Budapest is about 1.7 million and the city is a very popular place for tourists. Visitors like to take boat rides along the Danube (多瑙河). Budapest is known for its exciting nightlife. The best time to visit Budapest is summer.
Singapore City
It is the capital of Singapore. For many tourists, the city is a wonderful place in Southeast Asia. It has a night zoo called “Night Safari”. People can watch lions, tigers and foxes there.
1. How do people travel around in Venice?| A．By boat. | B．By car. | C．By train. | D．By bus. |
| A．Spring. | B．Summer. | C．Autumn. | D．Winter. |
| A．A storybook. | B．A dictionary. |
| C．A travel guidebook. | D．A book review. |
10 . I’m Jason. Here’s what I did from June to August.
 | In June, I went to Grandia, a beach in Valencia. I met a girl called Lara there. She told funny stories to make me laugh (笑). We had a wonderful time. |
 | In July, I went to Villalonga with my sisters. We put up our tents next to the River Serpis in the middle of the mountains. The views(风景) were very beautiful. |
 | In August, my parents and I went to London. I went there to learn English before. But it was my parents’ first time in London. We visited many interesting places. We had afternoon tea. I also visited my teachers when I was there. |
| A．was great fun | B．met Jason in July | C．lived in Valencia |
| A．He went camping. | B．He went to Grandia | C．He visited his sisters. |
| A．To take a vacation. | B．To learn English. | C．To see his teachers. |
