1 . The Great Wall Marathon is designed to be more than just a race. We want you to be able to run in amazing places, surrounded by friendly people, and exposed to new cultural experiences. It’s not just about the race — it’s about enjoying time together with family, friends, and other running minded spirits.

Itinerary

17 May 2023   Welcome to Jizhou, Tianjin 18 May 2023   Route Inspection Day 19 May 2023   Relaxation in Jizhou with tour option 20 May 2023   Race Day 21 May 2023   Explore Beijing & Evening Celebration Party 22 May 2023   Farewell China

※On Route Inspection Day, the Race Officials will provide you with a Race Briefing, which will cover everything from a weather forecast to a brief presentation of the start/finish procedures. All runners are expected to walk the 3.5 km section of the wall that is part of the marathon, half-marathon and 8.5 km Fun Run course. Race Officials and Medical Staff will be present to answer any questions you may have.

Rules & Regulations

Full marathon runners must be at least 18 years old on Race Day. Half-marathon runners must be at least 16 years old. Fun Run participants must be at least 12 years old. Fun Run participants under the age of 12 are also welcome, so long as they are accompanied by a runner aged 16 or above.

The cut-off time for all distance events is 8 hours. All runners with a net finishing time slower than 8 hours will receive a FNT (Finished No Time) on the result list.

If you decide to change distances during the race, i.e. if a half-marathon runner decides to follow the marathon route, he or she will receive a certificate but not an official time. The race result will read FNT. The same applies to a marathon runner who changes distances during the race. All runners who change distances before Race Day will be registered accordingly and receive an official time.

Visa Information

6 — 8 weeks prior to the race you will receive the service voucher which you can use for acquiring a visa.

For more details, please visit us online at www.greatwallmarathon.com.

1. What will participants do on Route Inspection Day?

A．Enjoy the Fun Run.	B．Join in a 3.5 km walk.
C．Get medical insurance.	D．Attend a training course.

2. According to the rules, full marathon participants ______.

A．will receive a FNT on the result list	B．can change distances on Race Day.
C．should be at least 12 years old	D．will be awarded medals

3. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To advertise a sport event.	B．To promote a cultural tour.
C．To introduce a marathon camp.	D．To publicize a place of interest.

3 . Art and magic often go hand in hand. These four new releases explore the magic of the arts and art of magic.

Wolfwood by Marianna Baer

Indigo’s mom used to be a celebrated artist. Finishing the painting series — Wolfwood, which shows four teenagers in a terrifying jungle, can make her famous and wealthy again, but she is unwilling to. Desperate, Indigo begins working on the paintings herself, but soon she realizes there’s a horrifying reason why her mother stopped painting Wolfwood.

Blood Debts by Terry Benton-Walker

Twins Chris and Clem’s family once ruled over the magic world in New Orleans until a horrible incident ended that forever, and since then the family has suffered and Chris has sworn off magic. Then they discover their mother is being slowly killed by a curse (诅咒). The twins begin to pick apart the secrets and lies, and realize the only way to make things right is to fight for justice.

That Self-Same Metal by Brittany Williams

Joan Sands has a special bond with metal. She uses her powers to help her goldsmith father in his workshop and to tend the stage weapons used by William Shakespeare’s acting company. When some evil powers flood London, Joan discovers she may be the only one to stop them and that she must decide how to protect the people she loves.

Unraveller by Frances Hardinge

In a world where anger can grow into curses, you might end up turned into a frog. A boy named Kellen can unravel (解除) your curse, setting you free. With the mysterious power, he tries to right the wrongs with his companion Nettle, which in turn made himself cursed. So they must go into the unpredictable wilds to seek out the truth behind curses once and for all.

1. What discourages Indigo’s mother from finishing Wolfwood?

A．Surprising difficulty.	B．Horrifying secrets.
C．Declining interest.	D．Serious diseases.

2. What does That Self-Same Metal mainly talk about?

A．Dealing with metal.	B．Designing stage weapons.
C．Fighting against evil powers.	D．Introducing an acting company.

3. What do the four books have in common?

A．They solve real-life problems.	B．They show the power of friendship.
C．They contain supernatural elements.	D．They transform art works into magic.

5 . Let’s face it: Life is hard. But it doesn’t have to be, especially if you have the following products. From a workout mirror to a water purifier, your day today routine is about to get a lot easier.

Tempo Move

$495 SHOP. TEMPO. FIT

Tempo makes exercise truly convenient from your own home. You may recognize it as one of the many workout mirrors on the market, but the new tempo move system allows you to easily connect your phone and their apps to a TV, and follow along with all their wonderful classes.

VIVE Flow

$499 AT VIVE. COM

Vive goggles will bring an extremely accessible and refreshing approach to the VR world. The Vive goggles are, well, a pair of goggles not unlike something you’d wear to snowboard. They’re extremely lightweight with a lightning fast set-up that’s suitable for things like watching Netflix, or meditation (冥想). It’s the calmest headset I’ve ever worn and uses cameras to let you control everything with just your hands.

Hisense 75”U 80X0GR 8K ULED Roku TV

$1, 800 AT BEST BUY

8K sounded like a luxury, but now that brands like Hisense, which focus on a more affordable version, have got some time with the tech. You can finally bring the deep color output and astonishing detail into your living room. Calling it “afordable“ may be a little overstate, but compared to most 8K TVs which all run over $5, 000, it’s the most cost-efficient version of the tech we’ve got.

LARQ Water Purifier

$139 AT LIVELARQ. COM

Larq just made your water cleaner with light technology. The best part is that it somehow manages to taste clean and fresh too. And while I thought it may be a trick, I’ve forced friends, family, and strangers to compare, and they all agree. Even if you don’t care about clean water, you’ll care about that, right?

1. What can be inferred about Vive Goggles?

A．They are user-friendly.	B．They help keep track of weight.
C．They are intended for snowboarders.	D．They can control everything.

2. What is special about Hisense 8K TV?

A．Its look is luxurious.

B．Its tech is advanced.

C．It is economical.

D．It features deep color.

3. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A consumer review.	B．A science report.
C．An online advertisement.	D．A product introduction.

6 . River Beach Community now offers various programs free of charge. Please call (608) 7898640 for details.

Coping Skills

Tuesdays; December 8, December 22 1 p. m. -2 p.m. on www.Zoom.com

Do you need a little help coping with life? Don’t we all? Come and join us for casual conversation and helpful information.We will discuss a variety of topics, including healthy ways to cope with change and life transitions as we age.

Fill Your Cup

Fill Your Cup is a personalized one-hour session held on Mondays or Thursdays. Looking for a way to be social while still being safe? This program is designed to help you recharge your batteries in a way suitable for you. Bring your coffee and we’ll chat! Bring your exercise shoes and we can stretch together! Whatever helps you “fill your cup”, we can figure out a plan together.

Connect 2 Nature

Fridays; December 4, December 18 11 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.on www.Lifesize. com

Join us as we explore a range of topics related to nature and discover how the environment impacts our health and well-being. We will learn from local experts and share in casual conversation about all things environmental.

New Device Tech Help

Thursdays; December 3, December 17 11 a.m.- 12 p.m.

New Site at St. Andrews Street (if open, please call before attending!)

Do you have questions about a new device or just need some help with your device? Bring in your cell phone, tablet, iPad, or any other technology item that you may have and La Crosse Library staff will be ready to help with your questions.

1. How can participants benefit from Fill Your Cup?

A．By taking stretching exercises alone.

B．By designing team plans to improve skills.

C．By enjoying friendly talks with free drinks.

D．By enlarging social circle in a relaxing way.

2. Which program is suitable if you are available only on Fridays?

A．Coping Skills	B．Fill Your Cup
C．Connect 2 Nature	D．New Device Tech Help

3. What do the programs have in common?

A．They feature online activities.

B．They promote social interaction.

C．They provide professional instructions.

D．They advocate environmental protection.

7 . There are around 400,000 students in London. As university can be a costly time, many of these students will want to look for part-time work. Here are 4 relatively easy jobs to bag yourself in London and ensure a bit of pocket money through your university experience.

Waitressing

It is not hard to find waitressing jobs since London has an abundance of pubs and eateries. Gumtree and Indeed are good places for such opportunities. Hospitality UK and Next door are other great websites. However, as many of these positions are advertised on the windows of restaurants and pubs, going inside and asking the staff there about the positions is a much better idea. This will also demonstrate you as active and confident. Rates are around £12--15 an hour.

Mystery (神秘)shopping

It may not have you laughing to the bank but it's extra pocket money. You go at any time as a regular customer and check out the services that the business provides. You report back to the client and they will pay for your purchases alongside £5 —10.

Care Assistant

For those who have a heart of gold and want to help, caring is the way. There's a huge demand for people to spend your free time with elderly people or help people with disabilities. It can be cooking meals or making sure they're taking their medicine on time.

Receptionist

If you're a good communicator and can act professionally, a receptionist might be a great opportunity for you, which will help you build administrative skills and experience. Receptionist jobs are available at doctors surgeries, dentists, gyms, large offices and more.

1. Which is the preferable way to land a waitressing job?

A．Referring to Gumtree.	B．Surfing Next door.
C．Inquiring about positions in person,	D．Contacting advertisement company.

2. What does a mystery shopper need to do?

A．Amusing bank staff.	B．Working at fixed times.
C．Making purchases for clients,	D．Feeding back service quality.

3. Which job helps develop your administrative skills?

A．Waitressing.	B．Mystery shopping.
C．Care Assistant.	D．Receptionist.

8 . People have been predicting (预测) the death of cable TV (有线电视) for a long time, but this really might be it. Just a decade (十年) ago, nearly all Americans — more than 85 percent of U.S. households — paid for packages of TV channels from cable or satellite ( 卫 星) companies. That started to drop slowly at first and then far more quickly in the past few years. Now, the share of American homes that pay for traditional TV service is approaching 50 percent, according to expert Craig Moffett and S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Kagan research group.

For comparison, cellphones were around for decades before the percentage of Americans who didn’t have a landline ( 座 机) at home reached 50 percent, around 2017. Maybe it seems predictable that cable TV would go the way of the landline. I promise you that it was not necessarily obvious, even once Netflix started to take off. Old habits die hard. Old industries that make a lot of people rich die even harder. And don’t forget that some new technology habits catch on fast but don’t stick.

What may be a final drop in America’s cable TV industry is a big deal. It shows that technology can change deep-rooted ways of doing things slowly, and then suddenly.

Ian Olgeirson, a research director at Kagan who has been following America’s TV market for about 20 years, told me that he was surprised by how quickly the monthly cable bill went from being standard to outdated for many Americans. Olgeirson and other TV experts I’ve been speaking to didn’t single out a turning point in cable TV’s big drop. They said the downward trend ( 趋 势) was more like a series of progressive changes building up.

It’s clear that the cable TV system that for decades brought joy and headaches to tens of millions of Americans is wearing thin. The wild card is whether Americans keep turning away from cable and satellite TV relatively slowly, or whether it will fail suddenly.

I have always loved TV. I felt like a real grown-up when I first started to pay a huge bill for television, partly to watch my favorite football team. I had reduced my cable TV package, but then a few months ago I was told that my bill was going to increase by about $10 a month. That was it. I’m a no-cable household now, too.

1. What does paragraph 1 mainly tell us about cable TV?

A．Its falling popularity.	B．Its increasing payments.
C．Its various TV channels.	D．Its high service standard.

2. Why does the author mention cellphones and landlines in paragraph 2?

A．To prove technology can change the world.	B．To show it is not easy for cable TV to go away.
C．To illustrate there is no market left for cable TV.	D．To explain technology can bring fortune to people.

3. Which of the following is beyond Olgeirson’s expectations?

A．America’s TV market was down suddenly.

B．The death of cable TV will come in about 20 years.

C．Americans turned away from cable TV so quickly.

D．There are still many Americans showing interest in cable TV.

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

A．Cable TV won’t be replaced by satellite TV	B．Cable TV brought joy to Americans
C．Cable TV has existed for decades	D．Cable TV is the new landline

9 .

Letter 1 Your article (November) mentioned a doctor's visit for “heat and compression” treatment. I bought an inexpensive microwavable moist-heat eye compress online and use it for several minutes at bedtime to help open the oil glands. Plus, the warmth and ritual help me relax and fall asleep. No more messy washcloth compresses for me! —Julie Evans Minneapolis, Minnesota

Letter 2 The Quality Inn in Kodak, Tennessee, turning into a shelter during a historic winter storm showed so much kindness that I read the story twice (November). For Sean Patel to open his hotel to locals in need during the storm and power outage, at Christmastime and for just $25 (the lowest price the corporate regulations would allow), was priceless. The town is a better place because of Patel and his staff. —Annette Wolfe Shelton, Connecticut

Letter 3 You suggested using toothpicks to raise a pot lid and prevent the pot from boiling over (October). I prevent boilovers by just laying a wooden spoon over the open pot. The spoon will pop most of the bubbles on contact — hasn't failed me yet! —Pam Snellgrove LaGrange, Georgia

Letter 4 The story about a snorkeler, Carter Viss, who lost his arm after getting hit by a speedboat (October) — and then forgiving the driver — was among the most compelling I've ever read. Here was a story of health and loss, sea and shore, healing and the hope to endure out of the darkness into the light. Simply marvelous! —Leander Jones Northport, Alabama

1. Which of the following highlights Letter 1?

A．We Found a Fix.	B．Dealing with Dry Eye.
C．Run Over by a Speedboat.	D．So Nice You Have to Read It Twice.

2. Who forgave the driver after an accident?

A．Annette Wolfe.	B．Pam Snellgrove.
C．Carter Viss.	D．Leander Jones.

3. What do these four letters have in common?

A．They are notes on past issues.	B．They give advice on how to read.
C．They are remarks on human virtues.	D．They offer information about health.