Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus (马戏团) . Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter (柜台).
This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of twelve. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money.
Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly talking about the clowns. elephants, and other acts they would see that night with their brothers or sisters in a low voice.
One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be highlight of their young lives. The father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You are my knight (骑士) in shining armor (盔甲).”
He was smiling and responding in pride, looking back at her as if to say, “You got that right” . The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, “Please let me buy eight child tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”
The ticket lady gave the price. The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, and his lips began to shake. The father leaned (倾斜) a little closer and asked. “How much do you say?”
The ticket lady again quoted (报价) the price. The man didn’t have enough money.
How was he supposed to turn around and tell his eight children that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?
Actually we were not wealthy in any sense. So I understand how the kids would feel. I felt sorry for them.
注意：续写词数应为80左右。Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That day my father and I went back to our car and drove home without any tickets.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention (《世界遗产公约》), Beijing held
Since joining the World Heritage Convention in 1985, the number of world heritage sites in China
Chinese experts said that the 56 listed world heritage sites reflect the country’s abundant heritage and
For example, in 2013, the Tianshan Mountains
Experts said that the world heritage application is just a means to perform better protection. We should behave more
3 . JESSICA WELLS had always wanted to be a nurse. In 2006, she
Eventually, Wells, who is deaf, blossomed,
After college administrators asked an employee whether Wells, a
On January 22, however, just before the spring 2008 semester began, Wells received a letter from the school,
“She’d done just fine in her training,” says Wells’s lawyer, Rita Sanders. "The school’s decision had no
However, the college replied, arguing that the loss of hearing will
| A．turned | B．admitted | C．ceased | D．applied |
| A．Unfortunately | B．Surprisingly | C．Finally | D．Unbelievably |
| A．extracted | B．rejected | C．enrolled | D．inquired |
| A．tendency | B．belief | C．performance | D．assessment |
| A．but for | B．thanks to | C．apart from | D．up to |
| A．interpreters | B．editors | C．professors | D．advisers |
| A．hearing-disabled | B．strong-willed | C．kind-hearted | D．short-sighted |
| A．ambitious | B．successful | C．tough | D．reasonable |
| A．skipping | B．employing | C．escaping | D．dismissing |
| A．seldom | B．slightly | C．totally | D．greatly |
| A．social | B．academic | C．clinical | D．athletic |
| A．goes against | B．turns down | C．calls for | D．gets through |
| A．consequences | B．grounds | C．faiths | D．theories |
| A．yield | B．mark | C．switch | D．pose |
| A．recognition | B．dilemma | C．prejudice | D．preference |
4 . 2023 Illustration Competition
Welcome to enter for the Communication Arts Illustration Competition, most respected and admired in the industry for creativity in illustration. Selected by distinguished professionals, the winning entries will be distributed worldwide in the Communication Arts Illustration Annual and on commarts. com, ensuring important exposure of the creations. Each winner will receive a professionalized Award of Excellence, made from solid aluminum, and an award certificate. Communication Art’s Award of Excellence is one of the most desired awards. If chosen, winning places you in the highest ranks of your industry.
What To Enter With
Any illustration first published or produced from Jan. 2023 to Jan. 2024 is qualified. Entries may originate from any country. Descriptions in English are necessary for the judges to read.
Entries Can Be Submitted In The Following Formats
Digital Images: RGB images in JPG format with a maximum file size of 2 MB. GIF images may be livelier, but would be turned down, and so would the PNG ones.
Illustration Competition Categories & Entry Fees
| Category | Single illustration | Series of illustrations |
| Books (covers, jackets, etc.) | $ 40 | $ 80 (limit of 5) |
| Motion (media for films, videos, etc.) | $ 90 | $ 180 (limit of 3) |
| Student Work | $ 20 (Image) $ 45 (Video) | $ 40(Images, limit of 5) $ 90 (Video, limit of 3) |
For more categories, please download the category PDF.
Late Fees
Entries must be registered no later than Jan. 13, 2024. Entries registered after that date will be charged a fee of $ 10 each. No entries can be registered after Jan. 27, 2024.
1. What will the winner attain?| A．A tailor-made award certificate. | B．Exposure to distinguished works. |
| C．A bonus from Communication Arts. | D．Wide recognition in the profession. |
| A．A student work from Uganda with English depictions. |
| B．A newly produced motion entry. |
| C．A PNG image with a file size of 1 MB. |
| D．A series for covers of three illustrations. |
| A．$ 80. | B．$ 120. | C．$ 110. | D．$ 90. |
5 . Animal appear to predict earthquakes by sensing electricity in the air — the first study to find reliable evidence of the phenomenon has shown.
Cameras revealed an “amazing” drop in the number of animals up to 23 days before a major quake hit their rainforest home at Yanachaga National Park in Peru. Lead scientist Dr Rachel Grant, from Anglia Ruskin University, said, “The results showed that just before the earthquake, animals’ activity dropped right down.”
On a normal day the cameras placed around Yanachaga National Park record between 5 and 15 animals. But in the 23 days before the earthquake, the number of animals dropped to five or fewer per day. No animals were photographed at all on five of the seven days immediately before the quake.
Another study showed that animal activity remained normal in the park over a different period when seismic (地震的) activity was low. Co-author, professor Friedemann Freund, said, “The cameras were located at an altitude of 900 meters. If air ionization occurred, the animals would escape to the valley below, where there were fewer positive ions ( 离子). With their ability to sense their environment, animals can help us understand small changes that occur before major earthquakes.”
Other evidence suggested that before the earthquake, the air around the high mountain sites filled with positive ions that can be produced when rocks are placed under stress. Positive ions have been known to cause ill effects in humans as well as animals. Scientists believe the animals were made to feel uncomfortable by the positive ions, leading them to avoid the area. They are thought to have escaped to lower ground, where the air was less ionized. The findings may help experts develop better short-term seismic forecasts.
1. How did scientists conduct the study?| A．By comparing different animals’ habits. |
| B．By observing animals in high mountains. |
| C．By explaining the positive ion phenomenon. |
| D．By analyzing images of animals they obtained. |
| A．The ground at a lower altitude is less ionized. |
| B．Cameras normally record more animals per day. |
| C．Earthquake warnings can be detected in lower places. |
| D．The activity of animals and earthquakes is consistent. |
| A．The findings make for accurate seismic forecast. |
| B．Animals tend to be uneasy with more positive ions. |
| C．Positive ions make humans and animals depressed. |
| D．All the animals remain abnormal before the earthquake. |
| A．Negative Influence of Positive Ions. |
| B．Ions’ Destruction to the Environment. |
| C．Animals’ Behavior Before Earthquakes. |
| D．Creatures’ Ability to Predict Earthquakes. |
6 . A Danish company named Too Good To Go has been working to combat food waste in the United States and around the world. In the U. S., more than a third of food produced goes uneaten, contributing to environmental issues. Too Good To Go addresses this problem by partnering with restaurants to sell their end-of-day leftovers at discounts, typically ranging from 60% to 80% off.
The app of the same name, which started in Denmark in 2015, has expanded to 17 countries and multiple U. S. cities, including New York, Phoenix, and Seattle, with Los Angeles proving to be one of its most successful markets. The company is now looking to expand its footprint in the southeast.
While the cost savings for customers and businesses are significant, the primary focus of Too Good To Go is reducing food waste, which is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The app allows users to track their environmental impact by displaying the electricity and carbon emissions prevented through their purchases. To date, the app claims to have saved over 250 million meals, making a substantial impact.
Food waste contributes to climate change in several ways, including the emission of methane gas from rotting food in landfills, the resources used to grow the food, and the energy expended in food transportation and preparation. Too Good To Go estimates that its efforts are equal to taking about 135, 000 cars off the road for a year, and it plays a crucial role in addressing the approximately 6% of total greenhouse gas emissions caused by food loss and waste in the U. S.
Alexandria Coari, the vice president of food waste nonprofit ReFED, recognizes the potential of apps like Too Good To Go. She believes that they have the capacity to reduce the carbon emissions equal to 870, 000 cars in a year, positioning them as one of the top 10 solutions to combating food waste and climate change.
While the app has been successful in the restaurant industry, its expansion into grocery stores and manufacturing is still a work in progress.
1. What do we know about the app Too Good To Go?| A．It primarily operates in Los Angeles. |
| B．It has saved over 250 million dollars so far. |
| C．It focuses on fighting against food waste. |
| D．It helps sell fresh groceries at full price. |
| A．To show the environmental impact of the app. |
| B．To highlight the cost savings for customers. |
| C．To emphasize the company’s expansion plans. |
| D．To illustrate the app’s success in reducing resources. |
| A．Skeptical | B．Negative. | C．Neutral. | D．Supportive. |
| A．The history of food waste reduction efforts. |
| B．Challenges Too Good To Go’s expansion faces. |
| C．The impact of climate change on the food industry. |
| D．Strategies for reducing food waste in grocery stores. |
7 . While rap(说唱音乐)songs are made up of many parts, the verse(主歌部分)is by far the most important.
Begin by free-writing lines about your topic. Using your topic as a starting point, start writing outlines of your thoughts, trying to rhyme(使押韵)the last word in each line. Once you’ve exhausted a set of rhymes, start another one and write lines until you run out of ideas. Explore ideas around your topic until you find the ones you enjoy or know best.
Build a rhyme scheme(格式)around your favorite lines. A rhyme scheme is a pattern that gives your verse structure
Start with a powerful line. The first lines of your verse should introduce the verse and capture the listener’s attention. Ask a question, make an interesting metaphor, or blow the listener away with skillful wordplay.
Develop a flow, or rhythm, in your rap. Once you’ve got your words on the page, you need to figure out how to say them. Flow is how a rapper delivers his/ her lyrics in along with the beat. Listen again to the beat you are rapping and practice fitting your lyrics to it.
| A．Get to know your beat well |
| B．Rewrite your verse to fit the beat |
| C．Most rappers have mixed rhyme schemes |
| D．You can think of it as a blueprint of which lines need to rhyme |
| E．Don’t be worried just yet about making your lines ideally perfect |
| F．That’s because it’s where a rapper develops the ideas or the song in depth |
| G．Anything that introduces the verse and make yourself stand out will be OK |
1．活动的主要目的；
2．活动的相关内容(时间、地点、注意事项等)；
3．期待大家的参与。
注意：1．写作词数应为80左右；
2．称谓、落款已经给出，不计入总词数；
3．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
NOTICE
Dear students,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Students’ Union
September, 11th
9 . It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80s came to the hospital. I heard him saying to the nurse that he was in a hurry for all appointment(约会)at 9:30. The nurse had him take a
Now I
| A．breath | B．test | C．seat | D．break |
| A．persuading | B．promising | C．understanding | D．telling |
| A．if | B．before | C．since | D．after |
| A．taking off | B．fixing | C．looking at | D．winding |
| A．very | B．also | C．seldom | D．not |
| A．turn up | B．show off | C．come on | D．go away |
| A．needed | B．forgot | C．agreed | D．happened |
| A．daughter | B．wife | C．mother | D．sister |
| A．late | B．well | C．around | D．there |
| A．lonely | B．worried | C．doubtful | D．hungry |
| A．so far | B．neither | C．no longer | D．already |
| A．recognize | B．answer | C．believe | D．expect |
| A．moved | B．disappointed | C．surprised | D．satisfied |
| A．only | B．then | C．thus | D．still |
| A．curiosity | B．tears | C．words | D．judgment |
| A．realize | B．suggest | C．hope | D．prove |
| A．agreement | B．expression | C．acceptance | D．exhibition |
| A．necessarily | B．completely | C．naturally | D．frequently |
| A．learn | B．make | C．favor | D．try |
| A．Adventure | B．Beauty | C．Trust | D．Life |
10 . What do you do with a withered orchid (兰花)?
Everything has a life cycle and orchids don’t
Some of the plants were moved to a table in the living room, and others were
Actually, everything has its own life cycle. Sure, you can
My wife kept moving the plants around the house looking for the right light.
Yes, you can
| A．Because | B．Although | C．Unless | D．If |
| A．bloom | B．struggle | C．live | D．care |
| A．continue | B．last | C．manage | D．go |
| A．help | B．stop | C．keep | D．stand |
| A．ruins | B．vain | C．need | D．trouble |
| A．effort | B．attempt | C．research | D．trial |
| A．reminded | B．informed | C．convinced | D．warned |
| A．However | B．Therefore | C．Also | D．Otherwise |
| A．removed | B．ignored | C．placed | D．sold |
| A．stick to | B．believe in | C．build up | D．give up |
| A．rescue | B．mind | C．notice | D．way |
| A．Generally | B．Normally | C．Surprisingly | D．Sadly |
| A．lose | B．miss | C．gain | D．keep |
| A．trust | B．confidence | C．hope | D．dream |
| A．great | B．big | C．hard | D．slim |
