1 . VAX PLATNUM POWERMAX carpet washer

Deep clean and remove up to 93% of bacteria with ease.

Proven to clean better than the leading rental.

VAX Platinum Power Max cleans carpets with ease and leaves them dry in as little as 1 hour.

Deep cleaning

We’re obsessed with removing bacteria from our homes, but what about our carpets? Even if vacuuming makes them look spotless, potentially harmful stuff could still be living deep down -a layer of bacteria that can’t be removed by vacuuming alone. The Vax Platinum Power Max cleans carpets 5 times better than a high-performance vacuum cleaner and handles like one too-it’s simple to use, allowing you to get rid of up to 93% of bacteria easily.

VAX technology

It’s packed with technology, treating the carpet with a precise mix of water and Vax Platinum solution. Our SpinScrub Technology and powerful XL brush bar agitate（搅动） the carpet in two different directions, pushing the solution into the fibres before the bacteria and dirt are sucked away. In fact, the Vax Platinum Power Max cleans carpets better than the leading rental.

Simple to use

Fill one tank with water and the other with Vax Platinum Solution, then AutoMix does the rest. There’s no measuring, just pour it in and you’re ready to go. When you’re done just tip the dirty water away. Our Quick Clean function will have your carpet smelling fresh and dry again in as little as l hour.

Clean more than just your carpets

The Vax Platinum Power Max comes loaded with handy tools. The pre-treatment wand helps you get busy areas clean with ease. The SpinScrub tool and hose give your car interior, stairs and upholstery a deep-down clean; allowing you to remove the most stubborn of stains. Plus, when you buy direct from Vax, receive a free Steamer worth 49.99.

1. The passage is intended to ______.

A．merely compare the differences between the leading rental with a carpet washer

B．tell readers the potentially harmful stuff left in the carpet after using vacuuming

C．recommend potential customers to buy a carpet washer

D．teach people how to clean carpets quickly

2. Which of the statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．While filling the tank, you should pay attention to the amount of water needed.

B．The Vax Platinum Power Max cleans carpets much better than vacuum cleaner.

C．If the carpet washer is bought from Vax directly, a free Steamer will be included.

D．The Vax Platinum Power Max together with handy tools will be contained.

3. The Vax Platinum Power Max can’t be used to clean ______.

A．outside of a car	B．stairway
C．interior decoration	D．hard-to-clean stains

2 . A film, also called a movie, is a work used to communicate ideas, stories, feelings, beauty and much more through the use of moving images. This article therefore introduces some right movies or TV series which will benefit students in one way or the other.

Like Stars on Earth

This is a heart touching Indian movie that tells the story of a boy named Ishaan Awasthi. He is an 8-year-old boy with dyslexia (阅读障碍) and this greatly influences his performance in school. Ishaan has an amazing talent for art and painting, but no one would like to know him and be his friends until a new art teacher, Ram Nikumbh, arrives. He takes special interest in Ishaan and discovers Ishaan’s problem and his artistic talent.

The Social Network

It tells us the story of young Mark Zuckerberg who is an undergraduate at Harvard and also a computer genius (天才). He begins to work on an idea which grows into a globally recognized social network called Facebook. This makes Mark one of the youngest billionaires existing.

Grownish

Filled with real life situations and grown up people, this series takes us back to university-lifestyle. Grownish through four amazing seasons, teaches us how to navigate (驾驭) the university through the eyes of Zoey Johnson. Zoey is a talented fashion designer and stylist who seems to have the world all planned out for her.

King of Boys 2

If you haven’t already seen the first movie in this series, you should take two steps back so you don’t get lost in this political (政治的) forest. This movie is the type that has you sitting at the edge (边缘) of your seat from start to finish. King of Boys 2 takes us to the underworld of a truly dirty game called “politics”.

1. Why is the 8-year-old boy named Ishaan doing poorly in school?

A．He has difficulty reading.	B．His teachers dislike him.
C．He fails to make new friends.	D．He takes no interest in studies.

2. Who founded Facebook?

A．Ram Nikumbh.	B．Mark Zuckerberg.
C．Zoey Johnson.	D．Ishaan Awasthi.

3. What is King of Boys 2 about?

A．An art teacher’s story.	B．A computer genius.
C．A fashion designer’s growth.	D．A political game.

3 . Students to Compete in 34th National Science Bowl

Thousands of students from middle and high schools across the country have committed themselves to extra study hours as they prepare to compete in the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s)34th National Science Bowl(NSB). These students are hard at work now to win their regional competitions, hoping to advance to the final competition.

The first regional event will take place on January 13th with high schools from the D. C. /Maryland area. Teams will face off in a fast-paced, question-and-answer format, and their knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics will be tested. Regionals will continue weekly until mid-March.

The winning team from each qualifying regional competition will be qualified to compete in the National Finals to be held in Washington, D. C. , from April 25-29, 2024, with all expenses paid by DOE. The national event consists of several days of science activities and sightseeing, along with the competitions.

In the National Finals, the top two teams will earn $5, 000 for their schools’ math and science departments. Schools ranking in the top 16 will receive $1, 000 for their science departments. But to many, the ultimate prize is simply the honor of winning the National Championship.

Today, the NSB annually draws more than 10, 000 middle and high school competitors. Since the first competition in 1991, approximately 344, 000 students have faced off in the NSB Finals. The 2024 competitors will follow in the footsteps of previous NSB contestants and will blaze a trail for students in science, math, and engineering. For more information, please visit the Office of Science website.

1. Which word can best describe the regional competitions?

A．Fair.

B．Interesting.

C．Special.

D．Challenging

2. What can we learn about the National Finals?

A．The championship victory is highly valued.

B．The event only involves fierce competitions.

C．Most of the expenses will be covered by DOE.

D．The prize money will be awarded to individuals.

3. What is the text?

A．A news release.	B．A survey report.
C．A learning project.	D．A scientific review.

4 . The best online jigsaw puzzles (拼图游戏) you can play right now

Magic Jigsaw Puzzles by ZiMAD

Start as a beginner and become a master with this app, which offers 20,000 HD photos-turned-puzzles. If its broad range of difficulty levels isn’t enough, you can jump into rotation (旋转) mode to step up your game, moving pieces in groups, or participate in weekly tournaments to compete with friends. Puzzles come in a number of visual offerings like paintings and animals.

Rating: 4.7 out of 5
Jigsaw Puzzles from Rottz Games

With over 200 million puzzles played, this app is a gamer’s favorite. Rottz Games offers jigsaw puzzles based on 2,400 photos and 35 themes, with difficulty ranging from beginner (9 pieces) to expert (1,300 pieces). Select from their range of scenes including mountain and castle (城堡) landscapes. Or, if none fit your fancy, you can create custom puzzles by uploading images of your own.

Rating: 4.8 out of 5
Washington Post Online Jigsaw Puzzle

The Washington Post offers a new puzzle to play every day with three difficulty levels: easy, normal, and expert. Some of the latest puzzles include a sandy volleyball scene, a cat on a blanket, and landmark structures from around the world, including the Colosseum in Rome and the Sydney Opera House.

Rating: 4.6 out of 5
Jigsaw Puzzles from Easybrain

You’ll find more than 13,000 puzzles on this app, which uses HD quality photos with scores of themes and difficulty ranging from 9 to 400pieces. Select from plenty of categories including animals, art, and more, as well as different difficulty levels. With a daily updated gallery, there will always be a new puzzle at your fingertips.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
1. What is the rating of the app with 20,000 HD photos-turned-puzzles?

A．4.5 out of 5.	B．4.6 out of 5.
C．4.7 out of 5.	D．4.8 out of 5.

2. What do we know about Rottz Games?

A．It has more than 2,400 themes.

B．It updates its puzzles on a daily basis.

C．It offers three difficulty levels to games.

D．It allows gamers to create their own puzzles.

3. Which provides a puzzle featuring world landmarks?

A．Washington Post Online Jigsaw Puzzle.

B．Jigsaw Puzzles from Rottz Games.

C．Magic Jigsaw Puzzles by ZiMAD.

D．Jigsaw Puzzles from Easybrain.

5 .

YOUTH CLUB Free Membership for You It’s our tenth birthday this year. Now we are offering (提供) free membership (会员资格) to two lucky people. If you want to be one of those lucky people, you have to tell us your answers to these questions. ◆ Why do you want to keep healthy? ◆ How do you keep healthy? ◆ What’s your favourite sport? Swimming, tennis, basketball, table tennis or weight training? Fill in the form and send a photo of yourself to Peter Brown. His email address is youthclub@ 26.com.

1. When was Youth Club started?

A．Seven years ago.	B．Ten years ago.
C．Five years age.	D．Six years ago

2. How many kinds of sports are mentioned in the passage?

A．Three

B．Four

C．Five

D．Six

3. After reading the passage, we can know Peter Brown’s ________.

A．date of birth	B．telephone number
C．favorite sport	D．email address

6 . 语法填空

The long-awaited TV series Blossoms Shanghai has been released in two versions — Mandarin (普通话) and the Shanghai dialect — on Dec 27, quickly soaring as one of the     1     (popular) dramas during the New Year’s period.

    2     (adapt) from writer Jin Yucheng’s award-winning novel, Fan Hua, the series takes audience back to Shanghai in     3     early 1990s, following the rise of A Bao, an ambitious young man     4     seizes the opportunities of the early stock (股票) market and     5     (transform) into a self-made millionaire, expanding his business to foreign trade.

Amid his journey to success, the protagonist (主角) has received help from multiple     6     (friend), including a seasoned former businessman, a capable employee from a foreign trade company,     7     a restaurant operator. However, his relationship with them undergoes a really big test due to a mysterious woman, and his own business also faces a crisis due to a powerful opponent from Shenzhen.

    8     (current), this drama has sparked heated discussions online, with some netizens     9     (praise) it as the “most artistic TV show of the year”. However, it has also received negative reviews. Some viewers said the television version’s story is too fragmented (零散) and not as “down to earth” as the     10     (origin) novel.

7 . Welcome to Chelsea FC Foundation Soccer Schools. Our camp programs in these schools offer players aged 9-17 the experience of a living and training like soccer experts with world-class coaching. Players will learn what it takes to become a world-class footballer at Chelsea FC and learn about Chelsea’s unique coaching philosophies. Chelsea FC Foundation’s coaches are skilled in challenging players of every level and their specialist programs cover technical, physical, psychological and social aspects of the game. Players will be grouped by age and their ability on the first day of the camp, and then they will start their training at different places.

Groups:

	Boys	Girls
Senior players	13-17	12-17
Place	Charterhouse School	Seaford College
Junior players	9-15	10-14
Place	Lancing College	Ardingly College

We offer you Soccer Only Camp and Soccer and English Camp to choose from.

Soccer Only Camp (2 weeks):

•Up to 32 hours per week of soccer training.

•Campers need to be able to speak at least an intermediate level of English.

•Campers need to pay $2,295.

Soccer and English Camp (2 weeks):

•Up to 19 hours per week of soccer training, along with 14 hours per week of English language lessons.

•Campers need to be basic level English speakers at least.

•One-to-one instruction from Chelsea FC Foundation’s coaches.

•Campers need to pay $3.200.

1. What is an advantage of Chelsea FC Foundation’s coaches?

A．They come from different countries.

B．They have specialized programs in different fields.

C．They provide one-to-one instruction for Soccer Only campers.

D．They can help campers achieve an intermediate level in two weeks.

2. Where will a 9-year-old junior player be trained?

A．At Lancing College.	B．At Seaford College.
C．At Ardingly College.	D．At Charterhouse School.

3. How long will a Soccer and English camper spend on soccer and English training in a week?

A．14 hours.

B．19 hours.

C．32 hours.

D．33 hours.

8 . Benefits of Target com Membership

As a member, you can take advantage of program benefits that make shopping with us even more rewarding. Obtain points for every dollar you spend on purchases, receive discounts and exclusive member-only offers; get early access to our biggest sales and much more.

Get free shipping

Target+ members get free shipping, with no minimum purchase requirements.

Score points on Best Buy purchases

Target members get rewards points for every dollar spent on purchases.

Shop exclusive deals especially for you

Your Target account comes with special member-only deals.

Get early access to some of our biggest sales

Target members get to shop-select sale events with exclusive early access to great limited-quantity deals.

Target Benefits by Membership Level

	Target	Target+
How to Qualify	Free to join	$1,500 in purchases per year
Discounts	1% discount	2% discount
Points on Purchases	1 point per $1 spent	2 points per $l spent
Free Shipping	Accumulate 100 points to get $1 return
	Free shipping On purchases $35 and up	Free shipping No minimum purchase required
Access to Special Sales	Yes	Yes, Elite access
Returns & Exchanges	Standard 15 days	30 days
Birthday Gift	Yes	Yes

1. What website is Target. com?

A．A study website.	B．A shopping website.
C．A database website.	D．A dating website.

2. What do Target+ members enjoy while Target members don’t?

A．Birthday present.	B．Unconditional returns.
C．Access to special sales.	D．Unconditional free shipping

3. How much does a Target+ member save on a $150 purchase?

A．$1.5.

B．$2.5.

C．$3.

D．$6.

9 . The Self-Portrait Challenge

Have you ever done a self-portrait in an art lesson at school? Today, we’re challenging you to write self-portrait poems. It’s not uncommon to feel like the way people see you on the outside doesn’t quite match up with how you feel on the inside. So creating a self-portrait can be a good opportunity to address those differences and present the realest, truest version of yourself.

Your challenge is to create a self-portrait in lines, using words instead of paint. Read on for some more inspiration.

Writing Tips
● Have a go at writing a list of metaphors exploring your physical appearance, starting from your head and working your way down towards your feet.
● Instead of representing yourself directly, take on another character, such as a fictional character, a historical figure, or even a different version of yourself.
● Play around with personification, by taking on the voice of a physical object in your poem. Think about what a self-portrait from the point of view of a mirror, or a bowl of your favourite food would look like?
How to enter

This challenge is for writers aged up to 25 based anywhere in the world. The deadline is 23:59 GMT, 17 March 2024. You can send a poem, or poems, written down, or as video or audio files. We are using Submittable to accept submissions to this challenge. You will need to make a free Submittable account to submit in this way. Using Submittable helps our team to administrate and process entries more quickly. Selected poets will be published on Young Poets Network.

1. What does the Self-portrait Challenge encourage participants to do?

A．Explore true selves.	B．Convey positive emotions.
C．Illustrate personal profiles.	D．Compare different personalities.

2. What is suggested to better handle the challenge?

A．Using simple language.	B．Presenting yourself directly.
C．Taking a different point of view.	D．Focusing on physical appearance.

3. What is “Submittable” likely to be?

A．A writing tool.	B．A search engine.
C．An email account.	D．An online platform.

10 . It’s time to share the winners of this year’s Invent It Challenge! Here are our four winners of the first round!

Glo Zone (Ages 5-7 Individual Winner)

Kabir from California came up with this cool invention after a not-so-fun experience. He was hit by four adults on a ski trip! To make skiing and snowboarding safe for nighttime (especially for smaller kids)， he created Glo Zone，a fun glowing(发光的)rainbow umbrella that is attached to skiers’ helmets.

ProTech Helmet (Ages 11-13 Individual Winner)

Pooja from New Jersey has created a light, safe helmet designed for playing frisbee (飞盘)!She came up with the idea after getting hit right under the eye at a frisbee competition and realizing she could get blinded if it were any higher. The ProTech Helmet has a lining(衬里) made of a new technology called Spin.

Ace Attachment (Ages 8-10 Team Winner)

Levi and Albert from New York dealt with helping people with disabilities enjoy sports. The Ace Attachment makes it easier for wheelchair users to play golf. Unlike similar inventions, the Ace Attachment is easily adjustable.

Skate Shoes “DOOD” (Ages 14+ Individual Winner)

It’s the worst when you ruin your favorite pair of shoes! Fortunately, Rommel from Mexico has come up with new skate shoes. These shoes have exchangeable parts that allow pieces of the shoes to be replaced with new ones when broken instead of getting rid of the whole pair.

Cast your vote!

Which of these fantastic inventions will you choose to win the Cricket Choice Award? While they are all outstanding, only one can win the popular vote! Cast your vote here by May 16!

1. What do Kabir’s and Pooja’s inventions have in common?

A．They are new-type helmets.

B．They are targeted at the same sport.

C．They are designed for teenagers of the same age group.

D．They are inspired by the inventors’ experience of getting hit.

2. What is special about Rommel’s invention?

A．It is disability-friendly.

B．It features replaceable parts.

C．It involves a new technology called Spin.

D．It enables wheelchair users to enjoy sports.

3. What is this text?

A．A short story about young inventors.	B．An introduction to a competition.
C．An award voting invitation.	D．A winner announcement.