1 . There are festivals going on somewhere in the world every day of the year. These range from very large events to local celebrations in tiny villages. We have selected a few of the more unusual, colourful festivals from around the world.
Mighty Mud (泥; 泥浆) Mania: Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
Children’s dreams really do come true in the City of Scottsdale. Children aged 1 to 13, get to join in the mud race Mighty Mudway features water and mud games. There are also water slides, sandcastle buildings and fun for all ages. Moms and dads, remember to send your kids out with old clothes and shoes.
Songkran Festival, Thailand
What better way to celebrate the “start of the return of rains” than with a country-wide water fight? Thais celebrate their festival officially from April 13th until April 15th. These three days represent the last day of the old year, the day of transition, and the first day of the New Year. Water battles fought out for days in the streets of every town and city over the country.
The La Tomatina Festival, Spain
On the last Wednesday of every August thousands of Spaniards take part in the La Tomatina Festival in Bunol. Truckloads of tomatoes are pulled in each year and dumped in the city centre. The people throw tomatoes at each other for the whole day, but the only rule is that the tomato must be flattened in the hand first, before being thrown. Even elderly grandmothers have been known to take part.
Canberra Sled Dog Classic: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Dog sledding is one of the fastest growing sports on the east coast of Australia. As there’s no snow (the trail is earth and sand and is smooth and wide with a few hills and turns) , the sleds have wheels instead of runners, but the excitement is the same.
1. Which festival is most suitable for 10-year-old Jack and his younger brother?| A．Mighty Mud Mania | B．Songkran Festival |
| C．The La Tomatina Festival | D．Canberra Sled Dog Classic |
| A．With a dog sledding race. | B．Through a country-wide water fight. |
| C．By having a nationwide tomato fight. | D．By building sandcastles in a muddy environment. |
| A．They are all for adults. | B．They happen in the same season. |
| C．They all have joyful atmosphere. | D．They all happen in the same country. |
2 . In my childhood, my parents would take me to watch games. I loved the excitement I would feel when we went to watch these events, especially when the scores were close until the very end of the game. My meaningful attempt at sports began with T-ball at the age of three, progressed to the basketball court at six, and finally turned into a firm devotion to the game of baseball from the age of eight onward.
One of my most memorable moments was at the World Series when I was eleven and played on the Texas Rattlers. The July heat was unbearable. It was the semi-final game. Sweating like a pig, we ran into the dugout for our last at-bat (上场击球); we were down one run now. I was the second hitter and captain of the team, and I was ready for this moment. In the next few seconds, I had the chance to show my strength as a hitter and my ability to be a leader under pressure by hitting a home run! We carried the day!
As the team captain, I remember the time I had to give a speech to my team because we had lost an important game. I was nervous, but I knew it was my responsibility to cheer my team up when they were cast down. This experience has shaped my mind, making me become more independent, so I’m obtaining the ability to talk like a leader in front of my team and a group. Sports get it through my head that you can’t win at everything in life all the time.
On and of the field, I am more iron-willed, disciplined (遵守纪律的) and respectful, and a better leader. I have had so many awesome experiences through sports, which have taught me much and prepared me for the future. The memories of all the trips and diverse experiences I have had will be with me for a lifetime.
1. What can we learn about the author from the first paragraph?| A．He often switched sports. | B．He was a gifted child in sports. |
| C．He had a busy childhood. | D．He was fond of sports from childhood. |
| A．Stressed and tired. | B．Proud and confident. |
| C．Unbearable and down. | D．Surprised and energetic. |
| A．Leading his team to face failure. | B．Giving a speech before the team. |
| C．Improving his leadership qualities. | D．Overcoming his own nervousness. |
| A．Interesting Life of Sports | B．Life Lessons from Sports |
| C．Deep Affection for Sports | D．Special Moments in Sports |
3 . Thanks to artificial intelligence, education is more accessible and efficient than ever. To give you an overview of the industry, we round up some AI technology applied in education.
Duolingo
Duolingo provides listening, reading and speaking exercises in dozens of global languages, all the while providing aspects of gamification to keep users coming back. By applying AI, Duolingo’s lessons are paced and leveled specifically for each student according to their performance. It also uses data and machine learning to make course improvements, taking into consideration the differences of various languages.
Amira Learning
Amira Learning is a virtual learning application created to accelerate young students’ reading comprehension. Using AI technology, Amira has students read stories aloud and can assess oral reading fluency as well as identify areas for improvement. For teachers and parents, Amira also provides services such as student progress reports and dyslexia (阅读障碍) risk screening.
Blippar
Blippar’s products combine computer vision intelligence technology and augmented reality to enhance the way students learn in the classroom. The interactive materials bring subjects like geography, biology and physics to a visual space. For example, instead of reading about a volcanic eruption, the system shows students a virtual 3D model of the eruption process.
Nuance
Nuance makes speech-to-text software used by students and faculty to transcribe (转成) up to 160 words per minute. The technology is especially helpful for students who struggle with writing or have limited mobility. It also enhances spelling ability and word identification. Instructors use the software to dictate lectures for later use or quicken repetitive tasks like document and email creation.
1. Which platform uses gamification to engage users in language learning?| A．Amira Learning. | B．Blippar. |
| C．Nuance. | D．Duolingo. |
| A．Speech-to-text software. |
| B．Reading comprehension. |
| C．Computer vision intelligence technology. |
| D．Personalized language learning with gamification. |
| A．They focus on language learning. |
| B．They specialize in science subjects. |
| C．They use technology to aid learning. |
| D．They offer computer programming courses. |
| A．The evening tour. | B．The half-day tour. | C．The full-day tour. |
5 . Getting Around Montreal
Montreal is a city for fun and festivals as dozens of summer celebrations highlight everything. Your best bet for getting around Montreal can be on foot, but there are other options if this isn’t the best mode of transport for you.
The Montreal subway is the best way to get about town quickly. It’s easy to navigate because there are only four color-coded lines: green, blue, orange, and yellow. The subway does not operate around the clock. It stops running from about 1:00 am to 5:30 am.
The bus system is even more extensive and equally recommended. A one-way fare costs $2.50. A strip of six tickets costs $11.50. A one-day tourist card, good for unlimited use, costs $9; a three-day tourist card costs $17. If you’re staying longer, purchase a regular weekly pass for $18.50.
A number of taxis are lined up on the airport’s ground level. Payment must be made in Canadian funds, but some drivers will make exceptions and accept US currency. It costs a minimum of $3.15 for the taxi ride and an additional $1.45 per kilometer. There’s a wait time charge of 55 cents per minute as well before you are picked up.
Like any other major city, Montreal’s rush hour ranks with the best or worst of them. Driving through city traffic is an art because there are a maze of one-way streets and lots of pedestrians (行人). In addition, a summer festival means the closing of some of the busiest streets in the city. Your biggest driving challenge may be when it comes time to park the car, as there are daily parking restrictions for street cleaning, rush hour, and residential parking.
Other ways to travel in Montreal are on foot or by bike. Montreal boasts hundreds of miles of walk and bike paths throughout the region.
1. How many transportation means are mentioned in the text?| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．Increase your wait time for the taxi. |
| B．Avoid ordering the taxi much earlier. |
| C．Take US currency whenever possible. |
| D．Pay an extra tip of $1.45 to the driver. |
| A．A guide of ways of traveling. | B．A travel journal. |
| C．A survey on ways of traveling. | D．A travel schedule. |
1. What was Henry doing when the accident happened?
| A．Playing toys. | B．Calling his friend. | C．Playing the guitar. |
| A．When Mike was crying. |
| B．When Mike was turning purple. |
| C．When Mike was fighting for breath. |
| A．He performed first-aid skills. | B．He went to find his father. | C．He took him to hospital. |
| A．Classmates. | B．Doctor and patient. | C．Teacher and student. |
7 . In 2019, a white-haired senior was awarded the Friendship Medal, the highest order of honor of China for foreigners. It was Isabel Crook. In her more than a century of life, she spent more than 90 years in China and cultivated (培养) a large number of foreign language talents for China.
In 1915, Isabel was born in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1938, Isabel couldn’t wait to return to China. With hard work, she and her colleague completed the survey of over 1,500 families in some villages in Bishan County. She recorded the daily life of the villagers in Xinglongchang with detailed field notes, which give the young people today some idea of the state of affairs in villages at that time.
In 1947, Isabel and her husband David Crook came to China to observe and study the ongoing land reform. A year later, they completed the study and accepted the invitation to stay in China for language teaching.
One could hardly imagine the teaching conditions in the midst of a war. They asked their students to take small stools (凳子) with them so that they could give class everywhere. They tailored (定制) teaching approaches to suit students’ different language proficiency levels. Without handy teaching materials, they collected articles from English newspapers and magazines. In oral English teaching, Isabel asked students to watch their teachers in a given conversation first. Since there were no tape recorders at school, she had to perform the conversation again and again.
Isabel retired in 1981, but she returned to Southwest China many times to set up scholarship for children from poor families. She also went to Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and other places to help with foreign language teaching. Isabel died in 2023 in Beijing.
1. What do we know about Isabel according to the text?| A．She got China’s highest honor for foreigners. |
| B．She received her college education in China. |
| C．She returned to China as a teacher at age 23. |
| D．She helped children in need all over China. |
| A．In 1915. | B．In 1938. | C．In 1948. | D．In 1981. |
| A．Boring but helpful. | B．Simple and modern. |
| C．Traditional but attractive. | D．Flexible and personalized. |
| A．Her working experiences were rich. |
| B．Her life in China was quite colorful. |
| C．She devoted herself to teaching in China. |
| D．She showed great interest in Chinese history. |
9 . Driving the mountain roads can be both a delight and an adventure at times. In the summer the beauty of them is
I
The incident reminded me of an old story. “In a far-away land a king had
Now while there wasn’t any
| A．amazing | B．frightening | C．shocking | D．confusing |
| A．walked | B．floated | C．sunk | D．rolled |
| A．happened | B．decided | C．planned | D．pretended |
| A．balance | B．cure | C．danger | D．pressure |
| A．looked around | B．pulled over | C．set off | D．turned away |
| A．surf | B．loss | C．effort | D．faith |
| A．buried | B．measured | C．placed | D．removed |
| A．beside | B．off | C．over | D．under |
| A．cared | B．complained | C．quarreled | D．learned |
| A．Finally | B．Regularly | C．Frequently | D．Gradually |
| A．ability | B．might | C．courage | D．talent |
| A．Imagine | B．Design | C．Limit | D．Prove |
| A．clue | B．chain | C．target | D．path |
| A．evidence | B．saving | C．reaction | D．treasure |
| A．confident | B．nervous | C．amused | D．respected |
10 . Sarah Lawrence College Writers Week
Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) Writers Week is a week-long workshop for high school students to improve their skills in writing. The workshop offers online and in-person programs, so that they can be more inclusive to people who do not have access to travel. The workshop also offers a theater element, so if a student is interested in both writing and theater (or writing for theater), this would be a great opportunity.
In these programs, participants are guided by writers, poets, and performance artists to give a unique perspective (视角). Other instructors include the Sarah Lawrence staff, as well as some of their graduate students.
●Qualification: Students entering 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade (must be over the age of 14)
●Cost: On-campus session: $1, 550, includes lunch (limited scholarships are available to Yonkers Public School students)
●Virtual: $1, 025
●Application deadline: Applications will open in early June of 2024 for the July and August sessions.
●Camp dates:
July Session (Virtual): July 15-July 19, 2024
August Session (On Campus): August 5-August 9, 2024
Location: Bronxville, New York or virtual
1. What do we know about the workshop?| A．It provides flexible choices. | B．It makes travel more convenient. |
| C．It offers low-income students scholarships. | D．It focuses on improving teaching methods. |
| A．A writer. | B．A poet. |
| C．An SLC teacher. | D．An SLC undergraduate. |
| A．June 7. | B．June 25. | C．July 15. | D．August 9. |
