1 . The Young ICCA (国际大会与会议协会) Essay Competition is a competition organized by Young ICCA, with the support of ICCA. It is open to all students below the age of 40. The Competition furthers the mission of Young ICCA to open the doors of international arbitration (仲裁) to talented young students. It will give them a platform to show their writing skills. You must be a member of Young ICCA to participate, and you can apply for membership and become part of the world’s leading arbitration knowledge and skills network for young students.

The person who wins the Competition will get to speak at the ICCA Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland. The winning essay will be included in a book that will be printed and sold. The winner will also be provided with travel and hotel expenses, which will be covered by the organizers.

Key submission requirements:

·Deadline: 30 April 2024.

·Word count: no more than 3, 000 words (not including footnotes) .

·Participants may only submit one entry, which must be an original work. Co-authored works will be declined.

·Submissions are to be written in the English language only.

·Participants can invite instructors to polish their essays.

If you have any questions about the Young ICCA Essay Competition, you can email organizers at essaycomp@youngicca.org.

1. Who is eligible to participate in the Young ICCA Essay Competition?

A．Those who have authored books.

B．Those who are above 40 years old.

C．Those who support international arbitration.

D．Those who are members of Young ICCA.

2. What will the winner of the Competition receive?

A．The winner will be employed by the ICCA Congress.

B．The winner will have his or her winning essay published.

C．The winner will attend a speech given by the organizers.

D．The winner will cover his or her own expense to travel to the Congress.

3. What are participants allowed to do?

A．They can write their essays in Chinese.

B．They can contact the organizers by phone.

C．They can seek guidance from teachers to improve their essays.

D．They can collaborate with friends to write the essays together.

2 . People in Shenyang have met a lot of difficulty in fighting against the COVID-19 (新冠病毒), but they’ve never ________.

A．given up

B．waited for

C．looked for

D．picked up

3 . —Are you ________ your dog?   —Yes, but I can’t ________ it.

A．look for, find

B．find, look for

C．looking for, find

D．finding, look for

4 . Bats are the only flying mammal (哺乳动物) in the world. They can’t see very well. It is in many places that all bats are blind. “Blind as a bat” is often heard. Yet they have no trouble flying in the darkest nights and finding their way around very well. How can bats fly and see at night? They fly by radar.

The bat’s radar (雷达) system works the same way as the one that ships and planes use. As a bat flies through the air, he makes a sound that is too high for our ears to hear. If the sounds hit things, they come back. The bat’s ears receive the messages. In this way they are able to tell the bat where the things are.

Bats go out to look for food at night. In the daytime they hang in some dark places. Some people look the bats as bad animals. In fact, they are useful animals.

1. This story mainly tells us something about ________.

A．the radar system	B．the bats
C．a blind man	D．the bat used for playing games

2. “Blind as a bat” in Paragraph 1 means a person who is ________.

A．blind in both eyes	B．blind in neither of the eyes
C．not able to see well	D．able to see anything well

3. Bats go out to look for food ________.

A．at noon	B．in the afternoon
C．during the daytime	D．after the sun sets and before the sun rises

4. Bats are ________.

A．useful for people	B．bad animals
C．friends of beasts	D．friends of birds

5 . —What’s thirty and ten?
—It’s ________.

A．forty

B．fifty

C．seventy

D．eighty

6 . —How long have you been away from Xinghua? —________.

A．Since 2 years

B．In 1999

C．Since 2007

D．For half a year ago

7 . With the ________ of the Law on Family Education Promotion, people realize that family education is no longer just a family matter but a state affair (事务).

A．collection

B．introduction

C．invention

D．invitation

8 . It was so cold that Dad preferred ________ rather than spend hours outdoors getting the car ________.

A．to stay at home; started	B．staying at home; starting
C．staying at home; starting	D．stayed at home; started

9 . After practicing for several months, I can swim much________ now.

A．slower

B．slowest

C．faster

D．fastest

10 . Four Top Audiobook (有声读物) Apps

Scribd

If you’re looking to combine your audiobook listening with e-books and news publications, Scribd might be the app for you. Its massive library includes a healthy balance of traditionally published books, bestsellers, and Scribd originals. Scribd also runs an associated program, which gives you one free month for every friend you invite, and gives your friend a two-month trial. If you're a writer, Scribd also has an open publishing platform to help you self-publish your audiobooks in minutes.

Kobo Books

Best known as an e-book retailer, Kobo Books also offers audiobooks on its platform. You get unlimited access to over 100,000 audiobooks in its library for only a few dollars. The app also does a good job organizing your purchased books, and its in-app statistics are brilliant for readers, knowing your reading habits in detail, while suggesting new recommended titles based on your history.

eStories

With over 120,000 different types of audiobooks to choose from, eStories starts off with a half-price offer for your first 3 months, and then switches to a higher-priced subscription. Members get discounted prices on additional audiobooks as well as other benefits such as extra credits and extended periods of use. As a member, you also get 30 days to return a book if you don’t like it. Additionally, the app provides unlimited storage for your own audio that you can upload.

Libby

Libby lets you borrow e-books and audiobooks from your local library. A library membership lets you access several thousand audiobooks on its app entirely free of cost. While the availability of titles depends on the library you're a member of, you’d still be getting free access to a lot of books that you’d otherwise have to pay for. The catch is that since you're technically borrowing the books, you only have two weeks to get through them before they're returned. Plus, it must be noted that this app is only operational in North America.

1. What is an advantage of Kobo Books?

A．It helps sell the books you have already read.	B．It advertises your books on its platform regularly.
C．It recommends books based on your reading habits.	D．It allows you to read books in its library for free.

2. What privilege do members of eStories have?

A．Extending the use time.	B．Exchanging extra credits.
C．Getting audiobooks for free.	D．Returning books at any time.

3. Which of the following has geographical restrictions?

A．Scribd.

B．Kobo Books.

C．eStories.

D．Libby.