1 . Young Writers Awards

About the Contest

Bennington College has a unique literary tradition. We’ve had twelve Pulitzer Prize winners, three US poet laureates, four MacArthur Geniuses, and two of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. In celebration of this, Bennington launched the Young Writers Awards to promote excellence in writing at the high school level. Students are invited to enter with the following work:

•Poetry: A group of three poems

•Fiction: A short story (1,500 words or fewer) or one-act play

•Nonfiction: A personal or academic essay (1,500 words or fewer)

A first-, second-, and third-place winner is selected in each category. We welcome participation of both US and international students.

Awards & Rules

First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $1,000; second-place winners receive $500; third-place winners receive $250.

•No charge for entrance. Fees for accidents caused by participants are required.

•All entries must be original work reviewed, approved and guided by a teacher. We will use your teacher as a contact for the competition should we have any questions. For homeschooled students, please contact one to assist in your writing even if you have experience in such competitions.

Young Writers Awards finalists and winners are also qualified for undergraduate scholarships at Bennington. Young Writers Awards finalists who apply and gain admission to Bennington will receive a $10,000 scholarship every year for four years, for a total of $40,000. Young Writers Awards winners reaching the standard will receive $15,000 every year, for a total of $60,000.

1. What can be learned about the Young Writers Awards?

A．It rewards three winners at last.

B．It’s a tradition of Bennington College.

C．It accepts participants worldwide.

D．It offers scholarships to undergraduates.

2. What are the participants asked to do?

A．Hand in a personal essay.	B．Have related writing experience.
C．Pay an entry fee on time.	D．Find a teacher to help with the entry.

3. How much will the second-place winner to be admitted into Bennington gain in total?

A．$10,500.	B．$15,500.
C．$40,500.	D．$60,500.

2 . Voices offer lots of information. It turns out that they can even help diagnose an illness. The National Institutes of Health is funding a massive research project to collect voice data and develop an AI that could diagnose people based on their speech.

Everything from your vocal cord vibrations(声带振动)to breathing patterns when you speak offers potential information about your health, says Dr. Yael Bensoussan, a leader on the study. “We asked experts: If you close your eyes when a patient comes in, just by listening to their voice, can you have an idea of the diagnosis they have?” Bensoussan says. “And that’s where we got all our information.” Someone who speaks low and slowly might have Parkinson’s disease. Speaking unclearly is a sign of a stroke. Scientists could even diagnose depression or cancer.

The team will start by collecting the voices of people. “We were really lacking large what we call open source databases,” Bensoussan says. “Every institution has their own database. But to create these networks was really important to then allow researchers from other generations to use this data.” The ultimate goal is an app that could help bridge access to rural or underserved communities, by helping general practitioners refer patients to specialists. To get there, researchers have to start by collecting data, since the AI can only get as good as the database it’s learning from. By the end of the four years, they hope to collect about 30,000 voices, with data on other biomarkers — like clinical data and genetic information — to match.

There are a few roadblocks. HIPAA — the law that regulates medical privacy — isn’t really clear on whether researchers can share voices. “Let’s say you donate your voice to our project,” says Yael Bensoussan. “Who does the voice belong to? What are we allowed to do with it? What are researchers allowed to do with it? Can it be commercialized?”

1. What does Yael Bensoussan mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Voices may help with illness diagnosis.

B．Scientists can rely on an AI to detect illness.

C．Disease symptoms can be noted by machines.

D．It’s necessary for doctors to listen to patients talking.

2. How will the research be carried out?

A．By building a base.

B．By collecting data.

C．By connecting communities.

D．By matching clinical information.

3. Why is HIPAA mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．To prove the researchers’ idea.

B．To explain the procedures of the study.

C．To imply the problems with the research.

D．To ensure the commercial value of the study.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．An Application for Voice Study

B．Data-collected Approach to Research

C．A Breakthrough in Medical Findings

D．Sound-aided AI Helps With Diagnosis

3 . The way you use your cellphones around your family can have an effect on your relationships. Cellphones can make you feel more connected, but they can also distract (使分心) you and your family from connecting with each other in person. While some people need to check their phones for work or emergency (紧急情况) purposes, it’s important to make meaningful connections through face to face communication.

Some people have trouble putting away their cellphones. They might feel they can’t control how often they pick up their phones or how long they use them. They might feel the need to often check phones without a real reason or feel upset if they don’t have an opportunity to use their phones. Using cellphones for work purposes during family time can increase worries and unhappiness among family members. While using their cellphones, parents talk to their kids less, reply more slowly, and overreact to being interrupted. And ignoring their partner while on the phone is linked to lower relationship satisfaction among couples.

Once you’ve given some thought to your own cellphone use, think about the rules you want your family to follow when you’re together. To get your family on the same page, call a family meeting. Review each person’s current cellphone use and areas where you think some changes might help. It’s not just about simply cutting cellphone use down. Instead, consider what you’re using your phone for and what activities you want to carry out.

For example, are you or your children using phones to stay connected, learn something new, do school work, or do something else? If you have kids, ask their opinions on your own phone use. You might be surprised by what they have to share. Use good communication skills by practicing active listening and showing curiosity about what each family member has to say.

Less phone use also usually means less screen time, which enables kids to spend more time outdoors and be more physically active. When teens spend more time actively with their parents, they tend to set higher educational goals.

1. What’s the first paragraph mainly about?

A．Family members’ connections.	B．Cellphones’ new challenges at home.
C．One disadvantage of the cellphones.	D．People’s staying away from cellphones.

2. How do some people feel when they have no phone at hand?

A．Uneasy.

B．Uncertain.

C．Curious.

D．Homesick.

3. Why should a family meeting be held?

A．To carry out activities.	B．To reach an agreement.
C．To share the latest news.	D．To set an example to others.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Are Cellphones Influencing Family Time?

B．Are Mobile Phones Changing People’s Life?

C．How Can People Get Along with Their Parents?

D．How Do Children Set Right Educational Goals?

4 . Communication Tips

Here are some suggestions about making your talk with your parents turn out for the best.

Be honest.

If you’re always honest, your parents will be likely to believe what you say. If you sometimes hide the truth, parents will have a harder time to believe what you tell them.    1    

Be brave and start talking.

It’s easy to say “Hi, Mum” or “Dad, can you pass the potatoes?”     2       Let’s face it. You will feel embarrassed (尴尬的)when talking about something personal, but your parents know you quite well. They were your age once, too! So don’t let a little embarrassment stop you. It’s OK to go ahead and share what’s on your mind.

    3    

If you have a disagreement, can you consider things from your parents’ points of view? If you can, telling your parents you understand their views and feelings helps them be willing to understand yours, too.

Try not to argue.

Using a friendly and respectful tone makes your parents more likely to listen to you and take what you say seriously.     4    

What if it doesn’t work? If you still can’t talk to your parents, seek other adults’ help.    5     Then follow all the tips above to make you communicate with that person well.

A．Explain your situation.

B．Try to understand them.

C．If you lie, they’ll find it hard to trust you.

D．Parents are the most important people in your life.

E．But it can be harder to start talking about personal topics.

F．It also makes it more likely that they’ll talk to you in the same way.

G．Find a relative or a teacher who will listen to, understand and care about you.

5 . Frederick Banting hated school. Having grown up on a farm near Alliston, Ontario, Fred was a good worker but felt uncomfortable and unaccepted in a town school. After graduation, he began studies to become a minister. When that did not go well, he changed his goal to medicine. World War I arrived, and the great need for field medics (救护人员) resulted in the early graduation of Fred. After the war, the young Canadian doctor returned home to set up his practice. Just then he began to focus on articles on diabetes (糖尿病), a disease that had claimed the life of a neighbour’s child.

To solve the problem of this disease, Fred approached Dr. J. J. R. Macleod at the University of Toronto and eventually convinced Dr. Macleod to support him. In 1920, Fred happily entered a poorly equipped laboratory and was given a young assistant named Charles Best. Fred and Charles worked day and night, but early results in producing the hormone (激素) preparation they called insulin (胰岛素) were discouraging. Many of the animals they treated died. Finally one animal survived for several weeks. The team appeared to be finally getting somewhere, and it was time to move on to human subjects. Before treating human patients, however, Fred and Charles tested the safety of their insulin each other. Their tests were a triumph.

The first patient to be treated was a fourteen-year-old boy named Leonard. The year was 1921. The poor boy weighed only seventy-five pounds, and he was barely alive. But the new insulin treatment administered by Fred and Charles was a great success. Leonard gained weight, and his health dramatically improved.

In 1923, the Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded jointly to Canadian doctors Frederick Banting and J. J. R. Macleod. Fred could have made himself a millionaire with his discovery. Instead, he sold his patent for the production of insulin to the University of Toronto-for one dollar-so that the drug could be marketed cheaply and thousands of lives could be saved and improved. Thanks to Fred, diabetics are able to live normal lives where before it was impossible.

1. What does paragraph I focus on?

A．Why Fred graduated early.

B．How Fred took up the research.

C．Why Fred changed his life goal.

D．What Fred experienced in the war.

2. What does the underlined word “triumph” mean in paragraph2?

A．Victory.

B．Reference.

C．Challenge.

D．Demonstration.

3. Why did Fred sell his patent?

A．To make money.

B．To earn reputation.

C．To benefit patients.

D．To promote insulin.

4. Which of the following is probably the best title for the text?

A．A Successful Test

B．A Famous Doctor

C．An Unlikely Hero

D．A Great Discovery

6 . Banff National Park is Canada’s firstborn national park and was recognized in 1885. Located in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Banff includes 6,641 square kilometers of glaciers and ice fields, thick coniferous forest, and alpine(高山的) scenery. The Icefields Park-way spreads from Lake Louise, connecting to Jasper National Park in the north. Provincial forests and Yoho National Park are neighbors to the west while Kootenay National Park is situated to the south. The main commercial center of the park is the town of Banff, in the Bow River valley.

The Canadian Pacific Railway was contributory in Banff’s early years, building the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise hotel in the park and attracting tourists through widespread advertising. In the early 20th century, roads were built in Banff, at times by prisoners of World War I, and through Great Depression-era public works projects, As Banff has over three million visitors annually, the health of its ecology has been endangered. In the mid-1990s, Parks Canada launched a two-year study to preserve ecological integrity.

Banff National Park has a subarctic climate(副极地气候) with three ecoregions. The forests feature lodgepole pine at lower heights and Engelmann spruce at higher ones below the tree line, above which are chiefly rocks and ice. Mammal(哺乳动物) species such as the grizzly bear, cougar, wolverine, moose and bighorn sheep are found along with hundreds of bird species. Reptiles(爬行动物) are also found but only a restricted number of species have been recorded.

The mountains were formed from sedimentary rocks(沉积岩) which were pushed east over newer rock formations, between 80 and 55 million years ago. Over the previous few million years, glaciers have at times covered most of the park, but today are found only on the mountainsides though they include the Columbia Icefield, the largest continuous glacial mass in the Rockies. Erosion(侵蚀) from water and ice has molded the mountains into their existing shapes.

1. What can we infer about Banff National Park?

A．It was built mainly by prisoners.

B．It is the oldest national park in Canada.

C．It is connected to three other provincial parks.

D．It failed to satisfy visitors’ demand for commercial activities.

2. What was a contribution of the Canadian Pacific Railway?

A．Building roads in Banff.

B．Constructing hotels in Banff.

C．Preserving the ecology of Banff.

D．Providing multiple railway lines to Banff.

3. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The biodiversity of Banff.

B．The limited knowledge of reptiles.

C．The complex climate system of Banff.

D．The mammals’ severe living conditions.

4. What does the underlined word “molded” most probably mean?

A．Stuck.

B．Broken.

C．Formed.

D．Followed.

7 . In movies and books, people often describe a decisive moment when they figure out who they are. However, I never thought it actually happened in real life. I never expected to have a “moment” of my own. When it arrived, mine was much more powerful than I could have ever imagined.

During the spring of my junior year, my class watched a documentary called “The Invisible Children.” It was about three college students who take a trip to Africa and document their experience. At first the film was slightly humorous. However, once the group arrived in northern Uganda, the mood changed. They learned what the consequences of a 23-year war had been for thousands of children. Some had lost family and friends, while others were caught by the opposing force and became child soldiers.

Before long, I was sobbing. I couldn’t believe these things were happening, yet at the same time I knew they were. I just hadn’t been paying attention, for in the past 17 years, I was blessedly protected. When the movie ended, I couldn’t get it out of my head. For the next week, I was not myself. Every bite of food I took I thought of Grace, the 15-year-old who had little to eat. When I went to bed, I pictured Sunday, the 14-year-old boy sleeping on a straw mat on the ground in a camp. My whole world shifted.

Since that day, I haven’t been able to picture my future in a way that doesn’t involve going to Africa and doing what I can to help. Ultimately, this is why I decided to major in engineering. With an engineering degree, my potential for change will be limitless. I will build wells and schools, and design irrigation systems. Engineering is tough, but I know—in what Yeats called “my deep heart’s call”—that this is what I’m supposed to do with my life.

1. How did the author think of a decisive moment at first?

A．It was impossible.	B．It was unforgettable.
C．It was common.	D．It was powerful.

2. How does the movie influence the author?

A．It amused him.	B．It changed his perspectives of life.
C．It made him unsure of himself.	D．It made him lose the desire to eat or sleep.

3. Why does the author choose to study engineering?

A．To achieve his goal.	B．To be well acknowledged.
C．To challenge himself.	D．To realize his childhood dream.

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Celebrity.

B．Health.

C．Education.

D．Science.