1 . It was summer, and my dad wanted to treat me to a vacation like never before. He decided to take me on a trip to the Wild West.
We took a plane to Albuquerque, a big city in the state of New Mexico. We reached Albuquerque in the late afternoon. Uncle Paul, my dad’s friend, picked us up from the airport and drove us up to his farm in Pecos.
His wife Tina cooked us a delicious dinner and we got to know his sons Ryan and Kyle. My dad and I spent the night in the guestroom of the farm house listening to the frogs and water rolling down the river nearby. Very early in the morning, Uncle Paul woke us up to have breakfast. "The day starts at dawn on my farm," he said. After breakfast, I went to help Aunt Tina feed the chickens, while my dad went with Uncle Paul to take the sheep out to graze(吃草). I was impressed to see my dad and Uncle Paul riding horses. They looked really cool.
In the afternoon, I asked Uncle Paul if I could take a horse ride, and he said yes, as long as my dad went with me. I wasn’t going to take a horse ride by myself anyway. So, my dad and I put on our new cowboy hats, got on our horses, and headed slowly towards the mountains. "Don’t be late for supper," Uncle Paul cried, "and keep to the track so that you don’t get lost!" "OK! " my dad cried back. After a while Uncle Paul and his farm house were out of sight. It was so peaceful and quiet and the colors of the brown rocks, the deep green pine trees, and the late afternoon sun mixed to create a magic scene. It looked like a beautiful woven(编织的) blanket spread out upon the ground just for us.
Suddenly a little rabbit jumped out in front of my horse.
注意：
（1）所续写短文的词数应为l50左右；
（2）至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语：
（3）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
（4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1: Suddenly a little rabbit jumped out in front of my horse. ____________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: We had no idea where we were and it was getting dark. _____________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2 . Why play sports? You might say “to get exercise” and you would be right. To have fun? That's true, too. But there's more.
Girls who play sports do better in school. You might think that athletics will take up all your study time.
Girls who play sports learn teamwork and goal-setting skills.
Sports are good for a girl's health. In addition to being fit and keeping a healthy weight, girls who play sports are also less likely to smoke. And later in life, girls who exercise are less likely to get breast cancer or osteoporosis(骨质疏松症).
Playing sports improves self-confidence.
| A．Exercise cuts the pressure. |
| B．Sports teach valuable life skills. |
| C．Regular exercise increases quality of life. |
| D．In fact, there are at least five more reasons. |
| E．Girls who play sports feel better about themselves. |
| F．Playing sports offers children more than just physical benefits. |
| G．But research shows that girls who play sports do better in school than those who don't. |
3 . At the beginning of Grade Two, I joined the cross-country running team in our school.
When I came to the first practice, I was filled with optimism. But as the distance we ran in each practice gradually increased from three to four, to six miles, I realized with surprise that no matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t able to run as fast as others. In fact, I was one of the slowest on the team.
What was the point of putting myself through so much pain? After the first few weeks, I wanted to quit.
Then we had our first cross-country meet.
When we started the race, I felt the great pressure of expectations sink onto my shoulders. And after a while I stopped running and struggled to walk up the hill. But then I heard my coaches shouting my name from the top of the hill. I felt confused and embarrassed; why were they cheering for me? I was running terribly! As I tried my best to finish the race, I realized that my coaches didn’t care how fast I ran. Neither did my teammates. During the rest of the season, they were always on the sidelines of every race, cheering for me just as loudly as they’d cheered for the front runner.
From then on, I began to put my effort into supporting my teammates instead of focusing on my own performance. In that way, I celebrated my teammates’ victories as if they were my own; I felt their pain and exhaustion as if they were my own.
Cross-country running made me realize I don’t need to be the best to be successful in life. It taught me to value my relationships with people more than my relationship with my ego. It taught me to cheer for others even if I don’t know their names.
1. Why did the author want to give up after the first few weeks?| A．He had much pain in his knees. |
| B．He didn’t perform well in long-distance running. |
| C．He couldn’t get along well with others |
| D．He showed no interest in running. |
| A．Strict and hard-hearted. | B．Brave and adventurous. |
| C．Considerate and supportive. | D．Optimistic and humorous. |
| A．He lost himself in victories |
| B．He put more effort into his study |
| C．He received more support from his coaches |
| D．He started caring about his teammates |
| A．The importance of team spirit | B．The value of competition |
| C．The secret of winning a race | D．The benefits of doing sports |
4 . Burlington School, London
Burlington School is located in Parsons Green, 15 minutes by underground from the centre of London. Our standard of teaching is high, with courses in General and Specialist English. The coffee bar is open all day serving freshly-cooked meals, and the school organizes a range of social activities to complement(补充) the classes. Students live either in homestays or in one of our hotels.
See Burlington School courses and save 10%.
University of Liverpool, English Language Centre
You can have confidence in the University of Liverpool. While studying here, you will benefit from modern English teaching methods in small classes of fewer than 16 students.
See University of Liverpool courses and save 12%.
Interactive English School, Brighton
We are a small friendly school. Being a small school means we can cater for your individual needs more easily than larger schools can. All of our teachers are native speakers, qualified and experienced. Our prices are very affordable and start from 60 per week for full-time courses of 12 lessons.
See Interactive English School courses and save 5%.
New School of English, Cambridge
The New School of English is located in the beautiful city of Cambridge. The school is open all year and provides a range of English language courses for adults aged at least 16 from all over the world. These courses cover General English as well as courses for professionals looking to focus on specific topic areas. They have a range of accommodation choices for students.
See New School of English courses and save 5%.
1. What can we know about Burlington School?| A．It is open all year. |
| B．It is located in Parsons Green, London. |
| C．It provides no accommodation. |
| D．It offers no social practice classes. |
| A．Burlington School. | B．New School of English. |
| C．University of Liverpool. | D．Interactive English School. |
| A．English professors. | B．French speakers. |
| C．Foreign English learners. | D．Foreign travel agents. |
5 . Are you a music lover? If your answer is yes, you might be interested in the following music services.
Apple Music
Apple Music has more than 30 million songs and is available in over 100 countries.
Search for “Holiday Music” to find playlists. Then tell voice assistant Siri to “play holiday music” to open the music program on your iPhone, iPod or Apple TV. The app will provide holiday playlists and stations.
You can also listen to Apple Music on your computer through the iTunes store or on Apple TV.
Apple Music is free for the first three months. After that, users must pay a subscription (订阅) fee.
Google Play Music
Google Play Music is also in the holiday spirit. Go to the Google Play Music Holiday page or app and search for “Holiday Music”.
Google Play Music is available for free if you don’t mind the advertisements. If you do, buy a paid subscription to avoid them. Google Play Music offers more than 30 million songs in 58 countries.
The service is available on your computer, and through apps on your Android phone and iPhone.
Live365
Live365 is an internet radio service available on your computer or mobile device. The service has 158 Christmas music stations, such as Contemporary Christmas, Christmas Breezes and Classical Christmas.
Live365 is free and available around the world. Searching for “Holiday Music” lets you listen to more stations without advertisements.
Spotify
Spotify, another online service, is filled with holiday music. Listen to playlists on Spotify by searching for “Holiday Music”. The playlists include Merry Christmas. The Best Holiday Music, Pure Christmas Music and Pure Holiday Music.
1. What do the music services have in common?| A．They are free of charge . | B．They have endless songs. |
| C．“Holiday Music” can be searched for. | D．They have music stations. |
| A．Google Play Music. | B．Live365. |
| C．Spotify. | D．Apple Music. |
| A．Merry Christmas. | B．The Best Holiday Music. |
| C．Classical Christmas. | D．Pure Christmas Music. |
6 . National Poetry Competition
Still looking for inspiration to create competition winning poems? Our 2020 Writing Guides are here to help!
Programme Details
Running alongside the 2020 National Poetry Competition, the Poetry Society has presented a series of writing guides by previous winners. You can select from a guide by Ella Frears on poems that explore the unknown, a guide by Pascale Petit, focusing on nature writing, a guide by Eric Berlin looking at poems where the speakers' viewpoints take sudden turns, and a guide by Matthew Caley on poems that use lightness to great effect.
2019 Winners
First prize: Susannah Hart for "Reading the Child Protection Policy". Second prize: Ann Pelletier-Topping for "Granddaughter Moves In". Third prize: Natalie Linh Bolderston for "Middle Name with Diacritics".
Poetry Themes
| YEAR | THEME | YEAR | THEME |
2009 | Heroes and Heroines | 2015 | Light |
2010 | Home | 2016 | Messages |
2011 | Games | 2017 | Freedom |
2012 | Stars | 2018 | Change |
| 2013 | Water, Water, Everywhere | 2019 | Truth |
2014 | Remember | 2020 | Vision |
Thanks for entering. If you have any questions, please email supDort@poetrysociety.org.uk.
1. Who aims at writing about nature?| A．Ella Frears. | B．Pascale Petit. | C．Eric Berlin. | D．Matthew Caley. |
| A．Water, Water, Everywhere. | B．Middle Name with Diacritics. |
| C．Granddaughter Moves In. | D．Reading the Child Protection Policy, |
| A．In 2020. | B．In 2016. | C．In 2012. | D．In 2010. |
7 . The name England comes from the words “Angle land”. The Angles were people who came from northern Germany in the 5th and 6th centuries, after the Romans had left. The French name for England is Angleterre, which also means “Angle land”. There were also invasions (侵略) of southern England by Saxons and Jutes (people from another part of northern Germany). English people are sometimes called Anglo－Saxons. The Celts who used to live in this area were forced to move back into Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall and into Western France (the area known as Brittany).
England at first became a series of kingdoms, the strongest of which was Wessex (the name comes from West－Saxon). The names of many of the areas in England come from this period—for example, the name Sussex comes from South－Saxon, Essex from East－Saxon, and East Anglia from East－Angle. The Vikings then came from Denmark, and later the Normans invaded from France. Eventually England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were united, forming the United Kingdom.
The English language is the main language spoken throughout England, although there are many different accents. It can be difficult to know how to spell or to pronounce some English words, because the language has been influenced by Latin and Greek (languages used at the time of the Romans, and used in religion and education until recent times), German (the language of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes), French(the language of the Normans), Gaelic/Scots (Celtic languages) and Danish (the language of the Vikings).
There are now many people throughout the United Kingdom who speak a foreign language either as their first or second language, mainly due to immigration (移民) from Europe or the Commonwealth (countries which used to be part of the British Empire).
1. What's the first paragraph mainly about?| A．The origin of the name England. |
| B．The Celts used to live in England but left for some reason. |
| C．Southern England once was attacked by Saxons and Jutes. |
| D．Angles and Saxons came from different parts of northern Germany. |
| A．Sussex | B．Wessex |
| C．Essex | D．East Anglia |
| A．English words are hard to spell and to pronounce. |
| B．England had been invaded by most of the countries of Europe. |
| C．The English language was influenced by several foreign languages. |
| D．It's hard for people who have different English accents to communicate. |
| A．Because they are required to learn a foreign language at school. |
| B．Because they plan to live outside the UK in the future. |
| C．Because they have moved from other countries. |
| D．Because they have worked in other countries. |
8 . As digital devices （设备）have taken over society, “keyboard activity is now often recommended as a substitute for early handwriting," a new study notes. The idea is that typing may be easier for young children.
“Some schools in Norway have become completely digital," notes Audrey Vander Meer, the new study's leader, who measures brain activity to better understand learning and behaviors. She works at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. The human brain has developed to interact with the world in as many ways as possible, she notes. She believes that young children should learn to write by hand successfully, and, at the same time learn to manage a keyboard.
Using a pen involves more of the brain than using a keyboard, her new findings show. This is because writing and printing involve complex movements that activate more areas of the brain. The increased brain activity, "gives the brain more 'hooks' to hang your memories on," she explains.
Think about it. The same movement is required to type each letter on a keyboard. By comparison, when we write, our brain needs to think about and recover memories of the shape of each letter. We also need to use our eyes to watch what shapes we're writing. And we need to control our hands to press a pen or pencil to shape the different letters. All of this uses and connects more areas of the brain.
Along the way, these processes appear to “open the brain up for learning", says Vander Meer. So learning through only one format — digital — could be harmful, she worries.
Vander Meer also points out that taking notes by hand stimulates （激发）"visual notetaking". Rather than typing blindly, the visual note-taker has to think about what is important to write down. Then, key words can be "interlinked by boxes, and arrows, and supplemented by small drawings".
1. What is the main idea of the text?| A．Digital devices are popular with students. |
| B．Handwriting beats typing in taking notes. |
| C．The process of taking notes changes thinking. |
| D．The new study makes contributions to science. |
| A．Communicate with the world. | B．Rely on keyboard activity. |
| C．Learn to write by hand. | D．Master basic drawing skills. |
| A．By studying how the brain develops. | B．By observing social phenomena. |
| C．By assessing functions of senses. | D．By comparing ways of taking notes. |
| A．Relationship. | B．Fashion. |
| C．Culture. | D．Science. |
9 . Through an agreement signed today, the much-loved animals will continue to delight visitors for another three years, through December 7, 2023. “We’re all very excited,” says Steve Monfort, the director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. “It’s very good that we can continue our cooperation with our Chinese colleagues.”
The female giant panda Mei Xiang and male Tian Tian, will return to China at the end of 2023 at the relatively elder panda ages of 25 and 26 respectively （分别地). The probable lifetime for giant pandas is about 15 to 20 years in the wild, and about 30 years in captivity (圈养). Likely to travel with the two is Xiao Qi Ji （Little Miracle）, who was born on August 21, 2020. The 15-week-old male cub is the fourth of Mei Xiang’s four surviving cubs.
By long-standing agreement, cubs born in captivity at the zoo are sent to China before four. When Xiao Qi Ji was born, his mother Mei Xiang became the oldest giant panda to give birth in North America.
The public has yet to see Xiao Qi Ji in person. Normally, it would be at about this time, a little over 100 days, that a cub would be able to be shared with the public. Over 1.6 million people have watched the Zoo's Panda Cam since the August birth, with a total of 8.8 million page views. Just this week, his parents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian marked 20 years in Washington, D.C..
The extension agreement means that the National Zoo and China will reach a half century of conservation and cooperation between the U.S. and China. “It shouldn't be surprising to people that cooperation is the foundation of the way that one does the work.” Monfort says, “In protecting species, no one organization and often not even one government can theoretically save a species without partnership.”
1. What is the agreement about?| A．Two pandas' three more years in the USA. |
| B．Cooperation between the Zoo and China. |
| C．The first public appearance of Xiao Qi Ji. |
| D．The way to return home for three pandas. |
| A．She has been abroad for 20 years. | B．She has been sent back to China. |
| C．She was born in the National Zoo. | D．She's the oldest panda to give birth. |
| A．Uncaring. | B．Enthusiastic. |
| C．Cautious. | D．Sympathetic |
| A．Mei Xiang Has Given Birth to Xiao Qi Ji |
| B．Cooperation Is Key to Animal Protection |
| C．Extension Agreement on Pandas Is Reached |
| D．Lifetime for Giant Pandas Is Figured Out |
When it was warm, our PE teacher took us to do outdoor sports. There were a football field together with a basketball court or running tracks, etc. in our school. I was good at running and loving to feel the air in my hair as I was approaching the finish line. It was also nice to have rest under the large trees and watch my classmate competing with each other. But not all memories of sports made me joyfully. One annoying memory was related to football. Once, someone hit the ball on his head heavily in a football game for two times. Besides, I had to sit on the bench for the rest of the game to stopping dizziness.
