1 . Who is a genius? This question has greatly interested humankind for centuries.
Let’s state clearly: Einstein was a genius. His face is almost the international symbol for genius. But we want to go beyond one man and explore the nature of genius itself. Why is it that some people are so much more intelligent or creative than the rest of us? And who are they?
In the sciences and arts, those praised as geniuses were most often white men, of European origin. Perhaps this is not a surprise. It’s said that history is written by the victors, and those victors set the standards for admission to the genius club. When contributions were made by geniuses outside the club—women, or people of a different color or belief—they were unacknowledged and rejected by others.
A study recently published by Science found that as young as age six, girls are less likely than boys to say that members of their gender(性别)are “really, really smart.” Even worse, the study found that girls act on that belief: Around age six they start to avoid activities said to be for children who are “really, really smart.” Can our planet afford to have any great thinkers become discouraged and give up? It doesn’t take a genius to know the answer: absolutely not.
Here’s the good news. In a wired world with constant global communication, we’re all positioned to see flashes of genius wherever they appear. And the more we look, the more we will see that social factors(因素)like gender, race, and class do not determine the appearance of genius. As a writer says, future geniuses come from those with “intelligence, creativity, perseverance(毅力), and simple good fortune, who are able to change the world.”
1. What does the author think of victors’ standards for joining the genius club?| A．They’re unfair. | B．They’re conservative. |
| C．They’re objective. | D．They’re strict. |
| A．They think themselves smart. |
| B．They look up to great thinkers. |
| C．They see gender differences earlier than boys. |
| D．They are likely to be influenced by social beliefs |
| A．Improved global communication. |
| B．Less discrimination against women. |
| C．Acceptance of victors’ concepts. |
| D．Changes in people’s social positions. |
| A．Geniuses Think Alike | B．Genius Takes Many Forms |
| C．Genius and Intelligence | D．Genius and Luck |
2 . The International Olympic Committee(IOC)Young Leaders programme empowers talents to make a positive difference in their communities through sport. Twenty-five Young Leaders are being selected every two years for a four-year period. They promote the Olympic values, spreading the message of sport for good.
To be an IOC Young Leader, you need to first complete the 4-Week Learning Sprint (冲刺).
4-Week Learning Sprint
The 4-Week Learning Sprint, which will take place during November 2023, is a virtual learning programme. The sessions can be attended live or watched back after they are made available on the IOC channel. Each week, participants will be asked to complete a topic﹣specific reflection task.
The 4-Week Learning Sprint is open to anyone, with the target audience aged between 20 and 28.
After successfully completing the 4-Week Learning Sprint, you will need to submit a plan for a sport﹣based project, which you will work on if selected as an IOC Young Leader.
Requirements for the Applicants
•You have successfully completed the 4-Week Learning Sprint.
•You have completed your high school studies.
•You have at least one year of work experience.
•You have strong public speaking skills.
•You are self-motivated and committed.
•You are passionate about creating positive change in your community.
•You are open to being coached and advised by experts and peers (同伴).
•You are able to work with people from different backgrounds.
1. In the 4-Week Learning Sprint, participants will ________.| A．create change in their community | B．attend a virtual learning programme |
| C．meet people from different backgrounds | D．promote the IOC Young Leaders project |
| A．complete a reflection task each week | B．watch sports on the IOC channel |
| C．work on a sport-based project | D．coach and advise their peers |
| A．Spreading the message of sport for good. | B．Having at least one-year work experience. |
| C．Showing great passion for project planning. | D．Committing themselves to becoming an expert. |
3 . My name is Alice. Early last year, I was troubled by an anxiety that crippled ( 削弱 ) my ability to do anything. I felt like a storm cloud hung over me. For almost a year I struggled on, constantly staring at this wall that faced me. My perfectionist tendencies were the main root of this: I wanted to be perfect at whatever I did, which obviously in life is not possible, but it consumed me.
One day, I attended a presentation by wildlife conservationist Grant Brown at my high school. His presentation not only awed and inspired me, but also helped emerge an inner desire to make a difference in the world. I joined a pre-presentation dinner with him and that smaller setting allowed me to slowly build up my courage to speak one-on-one with him—an idea that had seemed completely impossible. This first contact was where my story began.
A month later, Brown invited me to attend the World Youth Wildlife Conference. Looking back, I now see that this would be the first in a series of timely opportunities that my old self would have let pass, but that this new and more confident Alice enthusiastically seized. Shortly after I received his invitation, applications to join the Youth for Nature and the Youth for Planet groups were sent around through my high school. I decided to commit to completing the applications, and soon I was a part of a growing global team of young people working to protect nature. Each of these new steps continued to grow my confidence.
I am writing this just six months since my journey began and I’ve realised that my biggest obstacle ( 障碍 ) this whole time was myself. It was that voice in the back of my head telling me that one phrase that has stopped so many people from reaching their potential: I can’t. They say good things come to those who wait; I say: grab every opportunity with everything you have and be impatient. After all, nature does not require our patience, but our action.
1. What was the main cause for Alice’s anxiety?| A．Her inability to act her age. | B．Her habit of consumption. |
| C．Her desire to be perfect. | D．Her lack of inspiration. |
| A．She decided to do something for nature. | B．She tasted the sweetness of friendship. |
| C．She learned about the harm of desire. | D．She built up her courage to speak up. |
| A．intelligent | B．confident | C．innovative | D．critical |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Patience is a cure of anxiety. |
| C．Action is worry’s worst enemy. | D．Everything comes to those who wait. |
There
5 . Get up at 6 am, arrive at the hospital one hour earlier to help patients check in, and accompany patients during consultations… In recent years, “patient escorts” has emerged as a new industry, and those who have taken on this career are known as “people who sell time”, 26-year-old Zhang Tian is one of them.
September 4 was a lucky day for Zhang Tian. On this day, Zhang Tian saw a video about patient escorts on a short video platform. The daily routine of patient escorts shown in the video fascinated her and gradually inspired her to take this on as a business. She browsed through many platforms and read multiple information and found there indeed exists a certain demand for patient escorts, especially for the elderly, children, and pregnant women. Since she had never engaged in this kind of work before, she spent two days in major hospitals in Wuhan, in order to familiarize herself with all the departments on different floors, as well as the processes of medical consultation and preparation for surgery.
After preliminary preparatory (预备的) work, Zhang Tian posted a video of myself-introduction on major social platforms, talking about the help and services a patient escort provides, as well as some tips for a quick and convenient medical consultation. At first, she was a little worried that her video would go unnoticed. However, after she uploaded the video, it got over 100 likes and she received her first ever offer as a patient escort.
The memory of her first task is still alive and fresh in her mind. She received a phone call on September 9 from a man whose father was seriously ill and might need surgery. He wanted Zhang Tian to accompany his father through his consultation and treatment.” Zhang Tian made full preparations before meeting her first client and did a very good job despite her nervousness.
“Later, the family expressed their gratitude to me over and over again, which warmed my heart and gave me a sense of achievement.” Zhang Tian said.
1. What do patient escorts do?| A．They assist doctors in hospitals. |
| B．They arrive at hospitals early to check in. |
| C．They take on this career to sell their time. |
| D．They help patients get treated in hospitals. |
| A．she enjoyed seeing an interesting video |
| B．she got inspiration for her own career |
| C．she found a demand for medical workers |
| D．she was well received on social platforms |
| A．She got familiar with the routine work in hospitals. |
| B．She spent two days in major hospitals to meet patients. |
| C．Her video on social platforms attracted her first client. |
| D．The man’s father was seriously ill and might need a surgery. |
| A．Hardworking and considerate. | B．Humorous and careful. |
| C．Ambitious and imaginative. | D．Talkative and positive. |
Why do we dream？Scientists aren't completely sure,and they have diverse
Sam is an in-real-life streamer（播主），and he live streams himself just going about his day．While riding his bike home
Tom, a 15-year-old inventor and entrepreneur (创业者), witnessed at his own school the widespread consumption of sugary drinks by kids. He knew there had to be a better portable drink solution and decided to innovate from something he saw in his own home: fruit infused (浸泡) water.
Tom watched his mum make healthy fruit infusions but then struggle for a take-along option. From observing his mum and from his desire to give kids better drink options, he came up with his original model for the Fun Bottle. “I wanted to come up with a healthy, natural way for people to drink when on the go. A big part of my mission is to get people of all ages off sugary drinks,” Tom explains.
The bottle is made with a strainer (滤网) that allows the great tastes and natural sugars of the various fruits and vegetables you choose to come through the water, without any of the seeds or skins flowing through.
Tom is proud of his design and excited to be selling the Fun Bottle on his website and in stores, but this 15-year-old is most proud of the opportunities that Fun Bottle presents to others. It helps to provide healthy alternatives to sugary drinks; and also Tom donates part of the profits to the Organisation for a Healthier Generation (OHG).
Tom has been awarded several prizes, but this teenage innovator remains humble. When asked what advice he’d give other entrepreneurial youth, he says, “Prepare and have your family’s support. It is important to know from the beginning that there are a lot of highs and lows, and there is no such thing as overnight success.”
1. What did Tom witness at his own school?2. Where did Tom get the idea for the original model for the Fun Bottle?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Tom is most proud of the opportunities that Fun Bottle presents to others because he not only provides healthy alternatives to sugary drinks but also donates all the profits to the OHG.
4. Among Tom’s qualities, which one(s) do you think will be important for us? Why?(In about 40 words)
9 . How does it feel when you solve your problem by yourself? Things may not always go as planned, but being resourceful can help you stay calm and work your way out of tricky situations.
Being resourceful means finding smart and creative ways to solve a problem, using whatever resources you have at the time.
When you’re facing a challenge, try to focus on the actual problem rather than how you feel about it. Think about where and when it happened and what the causes are. Next, think up as many solutions to the problem as you can.
And remember, if you have a tricky problem that you’re unable to solve, then ask a trusted adult for help.
| A．You also learn what you’re good at. |
| B．Here is how you can be more resourceful. |
| C．These may be practical things like pens and paper. |
| D．No one is expected to solve all problems by themselves. |
| E．Resourcefulness is a skill that’s good for you in lots of ways. |
| F．They can be famous mottos that always inspire us to move on. |
| G．Weigh up what’s good and bad about each one and choose the best. |
10 . The teenage years are probably the most unsettled and stressful years in a person’s life. Teens experience significant physical, emotional, social and cognitive changes. And teens of today face more challenges as they go through more uncertain times of the 21st century.
As teens experience massive physical, social and emotional changes, the challenges are managing social expectations of ideal body images, developing their identity and finding their place in the world. In the past, a teen who was criticized for his or her larger figure or pimpled (有粉刺的) face, might feel embarrassed and dejected in school.
There have been many discussions about new technologies and ways of working, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, which will impact future jobs.
| A．They can also be spread quickly by sharing with others. |
| B．Furthermore, social media has taken bullying to a new level. |
| C．The future has always been a dreamland for teens to anticipate. |
| D．Today, these same sufferings can be expanded by social media. |
| E．Social media, and technological advances are posing new challenges. |
| F．Additionally, social media is a strong tool for a teen to defend himself. |
| G．The challenge for a teen today is preparing for a largely unknown future. |
