James Warren, a frequent public bus rider in Denver, noticed a significant problem: many bus stops lacked seating. Particularly on a cold morning in January, Warren observed a woman waiting for a bus, with no seating available at the stop and no sidewalk, forcing her to sit in the dirt. Motivated by this sight, Warren took scrap (废料；废品) wood from construction waste bins and set out to construct a bench.
This singular act of kindness evolved into a larger mission when he realized that one bench was far from enough. In the Denver metro area alone, there are more than 9, 000 bus stops, many of which lack seating or shelter. To add a personal touch and spread a message of compassion, he carved “Be kind” into each bench, symbolizing the spirit of the project.
Warren’s initiative resonated with the community, especially among those who benefited daily from the benches. “I met some ladies the other day who talked about how they used the benches every day. It fills me up. It’s air in my tires.” Warren recalled. His enthusiasm increased as more people joined his bench-making efforts. “I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me on Twitter,” he mentioned. “Some people have wanted to come and help me.” Inspired by Warren’s work, others in the local news audience decided to contribute as well, with many donating supplies. “That puts me over the moon,” Warren expressed.
Nica Cave, a 26-year-old mobility advocate (改善交通运输系统的倡导者) from Denver, emphasized the wider impact of the initiative. “The absence of proper infrastructure, shelter, and seating at transit stops, such as bus stops and train stations, disadvantages those who rely on public transportation. People like Warren are encouraging, showing how individuals are willing to use their own time and resources to provide these much-needed services.”
Warren envisions extending his project beyond simply providing benches. He plans to create a bench-building workshop to foster community engagement and support. His ultimate goal is to enhance the quality of life in his community and inspire similar actions elsewhere, emphasizing that small acts of kindness and effort can load to significant improvements in daily experiences.
1. What are Warren’s benches at the bus stops made from? (no more than 6 words)2. How do you understand the underlined part in Paragraph 3? (no more than 10 words)
3. Why did Warren feel happy? (no more than 15 words)
4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about? (no more than 10 words)
5. What can you learn from the story? Please explain in your own words. (no more than 20 words)
2 . Welcome to our annual Poetry Contest! We invite poets of all ages and experiences to show their creativity and compete for the chance to be published in our magazine. Follow these guidelines to ensure your submission meets all the necessary criteria for entry. Good luck to all participants!
Submission Dates: May 1st-July 1st, 2024.
Poem Pattern
Type your poem single-spaced in at 10-point font（字体）. Double-space between stanzas（节）. Creatively title your poem using whatever font and font size you like. Print two copies of your poem. If your poem takes two pages, please do not print double-sided and do not attach together. You may submit 3 different poems at most.
How to Enter
Entering is as easy as 1-2-3! Fill out the Entry Form online to be given an Entry ID number. Fill out an online Entry Form for each poem, which you do not need to print. You may also download and print an Entry Form to mail in with your poem instead of entering online. In this case, do not write any Entry ID number on your poem. On both copies of your poem, type or write your Entry ID number on the top right corner and your Age Group number on the top left corner.
Where the Contest Profits Go
All contest profits go to our charitable arm, the Home School Foundation, which uses them to provide low-income homeschooling families with access to educational and legal resources to help them pursue homeschooling.
Entry Fee
To participate in our Poetry Contest, each entry requires a fee of $15. This fee supports the administrative costs of the contest and contributes to our charitable efforts. Foreign checks are not accepted. Mail your poem and entry fee, payable to Poetry Foundation. Remember to include an entry fee for each poem—they may be combined onto one check.
Judging and Other Information
Poems will be judged by a group of judges chosen by Poetry Foundation. Poems will be judged on originality of thought, writing style, artistic use of poetic techniques, and the theme and form requirements. Poetry judging is relatively subjective, but it is our goal through a wide group of judges to select winning poems that show excellence in all these areas. The decision of the judges is final.
All contest participants will be told the results by email one month after the deadline for submissions before they are published on the website. The prize-winning poetry will be published in the magazine.
1. What must you do to participate in the annual Poetry Contest?| A．Keep your poems shorter than two pages. | B．Present your poems before May 1st 2024. |
| C．Use whatever font size to type your poems. | D．Submit no more than three different poems. |
| A．By submitting the Entry Form and poem online only. |
| B．By making a registration call to the contest organizers. |
| C．By mailing the poem via email without an Entry Form. |
| D．By entering online or mailing the Entry Form with the poem. |
| A．Combining onto one check and submitting online. | B．Paying in cash upon personal submission. |
| C．Sending the entry fee via foreign checks. | D．Mailing a check to Poetry Foundation. |
| A．Judges evaluate on multiple criteria. | B．Winning poems published online. |
| C．Participants also judge poems. | D．High rewards for winners. |
| A．In July 2024. | B．In August 2024. | C．In May 2024. | D．In June 2024. |
| A．hiding | B．to hide | C．hidden | D．being hidden |
| A．in response to | B．in memory of | C．in touch with | D．in possession of |
| A．won | B．has won | C．have won | D．would win |
| A．instantly | B．steadily | C．previously | D．formerly |
| A．what | B．where | C．which | D．how |
| A．explores | B．establishes | C．embraces | D．engages |
| A．That | B．What | C．Why | D．Whether |
| A．presentations | B．duties | C．strategies | D．responses |
