1 . NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon

Join us on Sunday, April 28, 2024, for the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon! Starting in North Brooklyn, the route offers stunning waterfront views and passes under the historic Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridges. Experience the vibrant streets of Brooklyn, from Fulton Street & Flatbush Avenue to the grandeur of Grand Army Plaza, and finish in Prospect Park.

Registration:

Fees for NYCRUNS members are $135 if registered by December 13th. Non-members pay $150. Register early to secure your spot in this unforgettable race! NYCRUNS members can enjoy a $10 discount on the registration fee. Additionally, up to 50% of the race fee can be covered using Race Credit.

Amenities:

NYCRUNS is known for putting on running events of the highest quality. After the race, celebrate your achievement with the official race shirt and an incredible medal with pride! When you finish, enjoy fresh Brooklyn bagels, NYS apples and more!

Awards:

Top finishers in various age groups will be recognized. Prize money will only be awarded to athletes who complete the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon in a gun time faster than the qualifying time. Athletes may be subject to drug testing to ensure a fair and equal field.

Volunteer Opportunities:

Non-profits interested in group volunteering, please contact us.

Transportation:

Public transportation recommended.

Closest stations: L train to Bedford Avenue, G train to Metropolitan Avenue.

Register today and be a part of this unforgettable Brooklyn experience!

1. What is the starting point of the NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon?

A．Prospect Park.	B．North Brooklyn.
C．Williamsburg Bridge.	D．Manhattan Bridge.

2. How much is the early bird registration fee for non-members?

A．$75.

B．$135.

C．$150.

D．$200.

3. What can participants expect to receive after completing the race?

A．A shirt and a finisher’s medal.	B．Prize money based on the age.
C．Free transportation services.	D．A gift from NYS Apple Stores.

2 . Robotics/Artificial Intelligence (AI) Competitions for High School Students

Robotics and AI competitions are a great way for high schoolers to dive into modern technologies. Here are four of them.

MATE ROV Competition

Location: Houston, Texas

Awards: VR headsets

Competition Date: March to June

MATE ROV Competition challenges students to design and build remotely operated vehicles, and its purpose is to see who can design a vehicle that will help monitor ocean health, provide clean energy, or just help keep our oceans healthy for the future.

RoboRave

Location: Lorrach, Germany

Awards: Small cash prizes

Competition Date: November

RoboRave is a robotics competition that welcomes participants to compete in various challenges like firefighting. The competition’s unique aspect lies in its international reach, bringing together enthusiasts from around the world to celebrate robotics education and hands-on learning.

Agorize AI Challenge

Location: Virtual for initial phases, then in Paris, France for the final award ceremony

Awards: A trip to the destination of your choice, iPad, Apple TV

Competition Date: September

In this project, you can work in teams of 2-5 people to present an idea for how we can use AI-technologies to impact a specific field, like marketing, healthcare, etc. You’ll send in your initial application in a 3-5 slides presentation, and if your team makes it pass this phase, you’ll have the opportunity to include more information about your product features.

OpenCV AI Competition

Location: Online

Awards: Certificates, cash, free courses

Competition Date: December

In your project, you can either work individually or in teams of three using computer vision technologies. OpenCV AI Competition suggests project ideas related to robotics, agriculture or education, but you’re not limited to these areas.

1. Which of the following mainly welcomes the entries for oceanic conditions?

A．RoboRave.	B．MATE ROV Competition.
C．Agorize AI Challenge.	D．OpenCV AI Competition.

2. What is the unique feature of RoboRave?

A．It is held every month.	B．It offers online training.
C．It is a global competition.	D．It promises a national tour.

3. What do Agorize AI Challenge and OpenCV AI Competition have in common?

A．They allow teamwork.	B．They provide free courses.
C．They fund their winners.	D．They need presentations at first.

3 . When it comes to travel, sometimes wandering is one of the most exciting things you can do. In a time when travellers are both more adventurous and eco-conscious than ever, it’s no surprise that there’s a wealth of new vocabulary to describe how we travel, when we travel and how the experience makes us feel. Here are eight of our favourite travel words that you may not have heard before.

We’ve kicked off a blog with the staycation, “a holiday in one’s own country”. The term first became popular in the mid-2000s, when the global financial crisis meant people had less income to spend on flash holidays and instead searched for cheaper local choices. Since 2020, the staycation is experiencing a revival (复兴). Benefits of staycations include cheaper travel costs, no spending hours in the airport and, of course, no need to worry about whether your passport expired (过期) last year.

Once upon a time, if you wanted to meet new people on your travels, you could stay at a hostel or with a host on Airbnb. Now, you can couch surf. And not just in “the staying at various friends’ houses until you find a new place to rent” sense: couch surfing is quickly becoming a hot new travel trend. Travellers can now choose to couch surf all across the world via a website which treats travel as a cultural exchange, allowing people to connect with willing hosts and crash on their sofas.

Given that single-use and climate strike were selected as the Collins 2018 and 2019 Words of the Year respectively, it’s clear that the climate crisis is very much on everybody’s mind. This desire to make more sustainable choices is also affecting the way we spend our vacation days. Ecotourism is another popular travel trend, defined as tourism that is designed to contribute to the protection of the environment. Examples of ecotourism include ditching short-haul flights, staying at eco-friendly resorts, or booking a staycation.

1. When did the staycation become popular firstly?

A．About in 2018.

B．About in 2019.

C．About in 2005.

D．About in 2010.

2. How many new travel words are mentioned in the text?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Six.

3. What does the text mainly focus on?

A．The eco-friendly travel ways.	B．The cheap ways to get around.
C．The changing words of travel.	D．The spread of history and culture.

4. What is probably continued with the text?

A．The other new travel words.	B．Ways to protect environment.
C．Other examples of ecotourism.	D．Experiences of reaching culture.

4 . In a small, rough shipyard on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, a small team is building what they say will be the world’s largest ocean-going clean cargo ship.

Ceiba is the first ship built by Sailcargo, a company trying to prove that zero-carbon shipping is possible, and commercially available. Made largely of wood, Ceiba combines both very old and very new technology: sailing masts stand alongside solar panels, a uniquely designed electric engine and batteries. Once on the water, she will be capable of crossing oceans entirely without the use of fossil fuels, which sets her apart.

“The thing that is striking is the fact that she’ll have one of the largest marine electric engines of her kind in the world,” Danielle Doggett said. The system also has the means to capture energy from underwater propellers (螺旋桨) as well as solar power, so electricity will be available for the engine when needed. “Really, the only limit on how long she can stay at sea is water and food on board for the crew.”

Despite some hold-ups due to the global disaster, the team hopes to get her on the water by the end of 2024 and operating by 2025, when she will begin transporting cargo between Costa Rica and Canada.

“There are actually loads of innovations happening that could transform shipping emissions, but few companies are willing to apply them to building ships like Ceiba.” says Lucy Gilliam. “So it’s not that we don’t have great ideas. The problem that we have is that fossil fuels are still too cheap. And we don’t have the rules to force people to take up the new technology.”

When it comes to promoting this kind of boat, it has to be said that Ceiba is small for a cargo ship — tiny in fact. She will carry around nine standard shipping containers. She is also relatively slow. Being a world-first, there are some aspects of Ceiba’s design that have yet to be proven at sea.

1. What is unique about Ceiba as a cargo ship?

A．It is the world’s largest.	B．It is environment-friendly.
C．It is wooden with old technology.	D．It is modern with unique equipment.

2. What determines Ceiba’s length of staying at sea according to Danielle Doggett?

A．The size of the sail.	B．The weather of the ocean.
C．The power of the electric engine.	D．The quantity of the living supplies.

3. Why are companies unwilling to build ships like Ceiba?

A．The rules are disobeyed.	B．The fuels are affordable.
C．The bigger ships are preferable.	D．The innovations are distrusted.

4. What is the author’s attitude to the innovation of Ceiba?

A．Objective.

B．Doubtful.

C．Critical.

D．Favorable.

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Which does the woman think suit her best?

A．Dancing.

B．The guitar.

C．The piano.

2. When did the woman realize she had gained a lot from piano lessons?

A．When she entered secondary school.

B．When she started primary school.

C．When she went to college.

6 . About 400 years ago, Chinese explorer Xu Xiake travelled for 30 years across the country and wrote Xu Xiake’s Travel Notes based on lots of his strange ________________ (冒险). (根据汉语提示单词拼写)

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。

1. Which generation is Liu Wenwen for performing suona in her family?

A．The seventh generation.

B．The eighth generation.

C．The third generation.

2. Why did Liu practice in a park?

A．Because the voice of the instrument annoyed her neighbors.

B．Because the park is beautiful.

C．Because she didn’t like practicing at home.

3. What happened in 2017?

A．Liu had a personal concert in Sydney.

B．Liu performed with award-winning composer.

C．Liu was followed by Chinese.

4. How long did Liu learn suona?

A．About 20 years.

B．Less than 20 years.

C．More than 20 years.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What can we know about the girl?

A．She got a bad mark in the exam.

B．She got some advice in the exam.

C．She got a good mark in the exam.

2. What does the man suggest the girl do?

A．Do lots of reading comprehension exercises.

B．Try to speak English more.

C．Read some English books.

3. What will the girl do after finishing homework?

A．Read a book.

B．Watch a film.

C．Learn twenty new words.

9 . How to Plan a Panda Tour

There are many places to see lovely giant pandas in China. But the four panda bases around Chengdu are the best places to see giant pandas. Which one is best for you depends on how much time you have and what kind of experience you want to have.

If you just want to see giant pandas, we recommend you go to Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Base. You can see pandas at all different ages from the oldest to the newborns. This base is huge but usually crowded. You can finish your trip in one day.

If you want a deeper panda experience, there are three recommended activities.

Join in a Panda Volunteer Program

Giant panda volunteer programs are available in three panda bases. Dujiangyan is the best place for a one-day program. If you want a less crowded environment, consider Wolong and Bifengxia, though they require 2 and 3 days respectively. Your work would include weighing and cleaning bamboo, making cakes for pandas, watching pandas being fed, and cleaning pandas’ enclosures (围栏).

Join in a Red Panda Volunteer Program

Unlike with giant pandas, you can have a zero-distance encounter with red pandas—you can feed a group of them without a fence in between. If you are interested in red pandas, you can join in our red panda volunteer program.

Hike Into the Habitat of Wild Pandas

If you are a lover of pandas and outdoor activity as well, consider having a hike in wild panda habitat in Wolong. Go panda tracking, and see if you will be lucky enough to see a wild panda.

1. What is recommended for just a look at pandas?

A．Getting involved in a panda volunteer program.

B．Visiting Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Base.

C．Hiking into the habitat of wild pandas.

D．Joining in a red panda volunteer program.

2. What can people do in the Panda Volunteer Program?

A．Help prepare food for pandas.	B．Feed pandas personally.
C．Give pandas a bath.	D．Enjoy delicious cakes.

3. What special experience might you get on a 2-day panda trip in Wolong?

A．Seeing the beauty of Dujiangyan.	B．Learning to set up pandas’ enclosures.
C．Encountering a wild panda.	D．Playing with red pandas.

10 . 阅读下面短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Pandas     1     (live) in China for over three million years. A giant panda has a typical bear’s body but is a distinctive black and white color, with black fur around the eyes and on the cars, legs, chest and shoulders, while the rest of the body is white. Giant pandas are the     2     (nation) treasure of China. A panda’s daily diet consists almost     3     (entire) of bamboo. Sometimes, however, they do not just eat bamboo. Only about 1% of their diet consists of other plants and even meat such as small rodents (啮齿动物).