1 . 2025 Illustration Competition

Enter the competition most respected and admired in the industry for creativity in illustration, the Communication Arts Illustration Competition. 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 profession.

What To Enter With

Any illustration first published or produced from Jan. 2024 to Jan. 2025 is qualified. Entries may originate from any country. Description sin 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 maybe livelier but would be turned down, and so would the PNG ones.

Motion Entries: In MOV, MP4 or MPG format, with a maximum file size of 500 MB.

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, 2025. Entries registered after that date will be charged a fee of $10 each. No entries can be registered after Jan. 27, 2025.

1. What will the winner gain?

A．A personalized award certificate.	B．Wide recognition in the industry.
C．Several world-famous paintings.	D．A bonus from Communication Arts.

2. Which of the following is unfit for the competition?

A．A student work from Argentina.	B．An illustration made in May in 2024.
C．A series for covers of three illustrations.	D．A PNG image with a file size of 1 MB.

3. How much should be paid for three cover illustrations submitted on Jan.20, 2025?

A．$ 80.

B．$ 90.

C．$ 110.

D．$150.

2 . Social media allows teenagers to create online identities, communicate with others and build social networks. These networks can provide teenagers with valuable support. Teenagers also use social media for entertainment and self-expression. And the platforms can expose teenagers to current events, allow them to communicate across geographic barriers and touch them about different kinds of subjects. However, social media use can also, negatively affect teenagers, distracting them, influencing their sleep, and exposing them to bullying (恐吓), rumour (谣言) spreading, untrue views of other people’s lives and peer pressure.

There are steps you can take to encourage responsible use of social media and limit some of its negative effects.

Set reasonable limits. Talk to your teenager about how to avoid letting social media affect his or her activities, sleep, meals or homework. Encourage a bedtime routine that avoids electronic media use, and keep cellphones and iPads out of teenagers’ bedrooms. Set an example by following these rules yourself.

Monitor your teenager’s accounts. Let your teenager know that you’ll be regularly checking his or her social media accounts. You might aim to do so once a week or more. And make sure you follow through.

Explain what’s not OK. Discourage your teenager from gossiping, spreading rumour, bullying or damaging someone’s reputation — online or otherwise. Talk to your teenager about what is appropriate and safe to share on social media.

Encourage face-to-face contact with friends. This is particularly significant for teenagers who are easily hurt by social anxiety disorder.

Talk about social media. Talk about your own social media habits. Ask your teenager how he or she is using social media and how it makes him or her feel. Remind your teenager that social media is full of unrealistic images.

If you think your teenager is under the anxiety or depression related to social media use, talk to your child’s health care provider immediately.

1. How does the author mainly develop the first paragraph?

A．By providing reasons.	B．By making comparison.
C．By listing numbers.	D．By raising questions.

2. What’s a better way to avoid being affected by cellphones according to the passage?

A．Powering them off.	B．Putting them in the schoolbag.
C．Listening to them instead of watching.	D．Keeping them out of bedroom.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Teenagers’ social media accounts should never be checked by other people.

B．It is not necessary to explain what is not good in social media.

C．Face-to-face contact is no longer important for teenagers in the Internet era.

D．You should ask for help if your teenager is experiencing the negative effects of social media.

4. Who is the text written for?

A．Parents.

B．Teenagers.

C．Officials.

D．Doctors.

3 . No matter where you go around the globe, everybody loves to celebrate. And when it comes to celebration, festivals offer something for everyone.     1    

Burning Man

Burning Man started in 1986. When Larry Harvey made an 8-foot tall wooden figure and lit it on fire, one of the world’s craziest parties was born.     2     On this day, people build up a “city in the desert” and bum it up with nothing left.

Rio Carnival

    3     It is widely considered “the greatest show on Earth”. The event attracts nearly 5 million people each year, with a half-million foreign visitors. It’s also celebrated in many other Latin American nations, but none is like Rio.

Harbin International Ice & Snow Festival

Located in Northeast China, Harbin receives some seriously cold winter winds. This kind of weather makes it home to the largest ice statues in the world.     4     Ice and Snow World opens at night, with colorful lights show. Other activities include skiing and swimming in the river.

Dia de Los Muertos

Known in English as the Day of the Dead, the holiday begins on October 31.     5     In some cities, children will dress up in costume and go door-to-door asking sweets, much like trick-or-treat in the US.

A．In a word, this is an Asian celebration.

B．There are different themes for the celebration.

C．It takes place on the last Sunday in August.

D．Rio Carnival takes place in February or March.

E．It is all about getting together to remember friends and family who have died.

F．Many celebration activities take over the entire city.

G．Here’s a list for some amazing festivals in the world.

4 . Pu’er is the home of the world-known tea of the same name. Since other tea-growing centers in Pu’er may have a larger output, more famous brands and heritage surrounding the history of the Tea-horse Ancient Road, Jingmai, also in Pu’er, nay not be people’s first choice to look for the best Pu’er Tea.

However, being cut off from the outside by rivers, this mountainous area has become a perfect place for an ancient planting technique, growing too trees under forest, known as the “under-story” method, which filters (过滤) sunshine while ensuring water.

Nan Kang, former head of Mangjing village, said, “Compared to modern plantations, we’ll surely produce less tea in the ancient forest. But we have to respect our tradition and belief. Birds eat insects to protect the tea and the fallen leaves from trees provide fertilizer. Everything improves the other, but also limits each other. It is the way of nature.”

Nan is an old-time Blang leader’s grandson. Following an old leader named Pa Aileng, his ancestors came to settle near the Jingmai Mountain centuries ago. It is believed that Pa Aileng found that tea leaves made his people recover from diseases they suffered from during their moving to other places, so the hero is also considered as a “tea ancestor”. Blang people chose a mountain to remember him. They call it Peak Aileng.

“We Blang people believe tea has its own spirit,” Nan says, “The first planted tea tree in every field is called the Tea Spirit Tree. That means the field has an owner. And the symbol also makes everyone follow moral codes and protect the plants.”

Now, this mountain of tea, also a storehouse of the time-tested traditions of local ethnic groups, attracts global attention. The Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er was named as a World Heritage Site, becoming China’s 57th entry on the list.

1. What is Jingmai famous for in planting Pu’er Tea?

A．A larger production.	B．The advanced technology.
C．Its transport system.	D．Its unique planting method.

2. What can we learn about the “under-story” method from the text?

A．It is widely used in China.	B．It was invented by Nan Kang.
C．It follows the laws of nature.	D．It makes sure to produce more tea.

3. What was tea firstly used as by Nan Kang’s ancestors?

A．Medical treatment.	B．Gifts for friends.
C．Main food.	D．A kind of nice drink.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The Export of Pu’er Tea	B．A Tea Planting Tradition to Treasure
C．The Modern Plantations of Pu’er Tea	D．The Tea-drinking Habit of Blang People

5 . An important lesson in the moral education of children could be as close as the book in their hands. Among all kinds of books, stories matter. They can play a role in building moral values in young audiences, according to the results of a new study.

Lindsay Hahn is the first author of the new study, which mainly explores how media content influences children. Many studies done before have focused on broad conceptualizations (概念化), like positive or negative effects of specific content, but Hahn’s study looks at how reading of content featuring specific moral values might influence the kids’ values. Do children reading particular moral, characteristics take in those qualities and build their own morality? The findings suggest so.

“Parents, caregivers, and teachers are often wondering how media can be used for good,” says Hahn. “How can it be used for good things? How can it discourage bad habits? How can it educate?” Answering those questions begins with a better understanding of how to use media. “When parents are considering what media they might want to select for their children, they can further deliberate what particular moral value is being stressed by the main character, and how the main character is treated because of those actions,” she says.

For the study, Hahn and her workmates took the main character from a young adult novel. They wrote the content to reflect the study’s focus on moral values. Those stories were shared with about 200 participants between the ages of 10 and 14. This is a favorable range for media research because it’s more difficult to introduce the understanding of stories to younger kids, while challenging to hold the attention of older teenagers, who become bored with basic storylines, according to Hahn.

1. What kind of book helps children develop their own moral values according to the new study?

A．A poetry collection.	B．A travel guide.
C．A storybook.	D．A reference book.

2. What does the author try to tell us in Paragraph 2?

A．The response of the public to Hahn’s study.

B．The difference between Hahn’s study and previous studies.

C．The big contribution of Hahn’s study to children’s literature.

D．The negative effects of broad conceptualizations.

3. What does the underlined word “deliberate” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Describe.

B．Improve.

C．Title.

D．Consider.

4. Where does this passage probably come from?

A．A fashion magazine.	B．A sports report.
C．An education magazine.	D．A medical report.

6 . SUMMER CAMP 2024 REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

Welcome to the USF Youth Experiences summer camp, where music meets technology! In this camp, you will have the opportunity to explore your creativity by making music using computers, iPads, DJ decks, guitars, ukuleles, drums, keyboards, and vocals.

Led by Haley Garrett and Dr. David Williams from the School of Music at the University of South Florida, this camp is designed for those who have no related experience in music but want to learn skills. We will guide you through the process of songwriting.

Camp Details:

During the camp, you will work with a small group to create your own sound and perform as part of a team. All you need will be provided, so you only need to bring your creativity and passion.

Our experienced instructors will teach you how to use various tools and techniques to produce your music, from using software to playing instruments. You will learn about different genres of music and explore how to make them into your own music.

Above all, this camp is designed to be fun! You will have a great time making music with new friends and discovering your own musical talents. Join us for an unforgettable summer experience and let’s make some amazing music together!

Camp Directors: Dr. David Williams and Haley Garrett

Camp Dates: June 17th — June 21st

Location: USF Tampa Campus

Grade Levels: Grade 7 — Grade 12

Learning Time for Everyday: 9:00 a.m. — 3:00 p.m.

1. Who are most likely to join in the camp?

A．The creative music professors.	B．The skilled computer engineers.
C．The teachers in the School of Music.	D．The beginners with no experience in music.

2. What will the students do during the camp?

A．Make music by using tools and techniques.	B．Buy some instruments from the camp.
C．Appreciate and explore music alone.	D．Ask friends to discover their musical talents.

3. How long will this summer camp last?

A．For 3 days.

B．For 4 days.

C．For 5 days.

D．For 6 days.

7 . Just like our bodies, our minds also become weak over time. We lose the ability to process new information or to switch quickly between mental tasks.     1    

It improves cognitive (认知的) performance.

A study published in the journal Neurology Clinical Practice examined nearly 100 individual studies on exercise and brain function and discovered that exercising an average of 52 hours over six months is associated with improved cognitive performance in older adults.     2     And these exercises include strength-training and mind-body exercises.

    3    

The human body is meant to move. But listening to that urge to move has many benefits — including making you happier and even keep depression and other mental health issues at bay. A research has begun to expose long-overlooked links between physical activity and mental health. It suggested exercise can significantly improve mood over time.

It allows you to use less brain power for the same task.

    4     They found that the fitter a participant was, the less brain activity he used to complete the tasks when compared with his out-of-shape peers.

It can expand your capacity for joy.

Kelly McGonigal is a health expert who explains how exercise makes the brain more sensitive to joy.     5     After eight weeks of walking, jogging and strength training, these adults showed an increase of dopamine receptors.

A．It makes you feel the progress of your brain, power.

B．Researchers wanted to explore this idea by looking at the effect of exercise on the weakening of the brain.

C．But remember not to exercise alone:

D．She explains the importance of dopamine (多巴胺) receptors, which we lose as we age.

E．It can make you happier.

F．But thanks to some researchers, we are learning how exercise can push back against time and keep the brain young.

G．The type of exercises are beneficial.

8 . While teenagers who are at risk of depression with risky behaviors — drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and cutting classes often alert parents and teachers that serious problems are brewing, a new study finds that there’s another group of adolescents who are in nearly as much danger of experiencing the same mental symptoms.

These teens use tons of media, get insufficient sleep and have a sedentary (不爱活动的) lifestyle. Of course, that may sound like a description of every teenager on the planet. But the study warns that it is teenagers who engage in all three of these practices in the extreme that are truly in a dangerous position. Because their behaviors are not usually seen as a red flag, these young people have been called the “invisible risk” group by the study’s authors.

The study’s authors surveyed 15,395 students and analyzed nine risk behaviors, including excessive alcohol use, illegal drug use, heavy smoking and high media use. Their aim was to determine the relationship between these risk behaviors and mental health issues in teenagers. The group that scored high on all nine of the risk behaviors was most likely to show symptoms of depression; in all, nearly 15% of this group reported being depressed, compared with just 4% of the low-risk group. But the invisible group wasn’t far behind the high-risk set, with more than 13% of them exhibiting depression.

The findings caught Carli off guard. “We didn’t expect that,” he says. “The high-risk group and low-risk group are obvious, but this third group was not only unexpected. It was so distinct and so large—nearly one third of our sample—that it became a key finding of the study.”

Carli says that one of the most significant things about his study is that it provides new early warning signs for parents, teachers and mental health-care providers. And early identification, support and treatment for mental health issues, he says, are the best ways to keep them from turning into full-blown disorders.

1. What does the underlined word “adolescents” mean in Paragraph 1?

A．Authors.

B．Scientists.

C．Teenagers.

D．Babies.

2. Which teenager probably belongs to the “invisible risk” group?

A．A teenager who suffers from lack of sleep.	B．A teenager who skips school.
C．A teenager who drinks frequently.	D．A teenager who exercises regularly.

3. What can we know about the new study?

A．It was intended to dig into the reasons for depression.

B．Its findings were under expectation of the research team.

C．It revealed an alarming rate of the invisible group suffering depression.

D．It was conducted by analyzing and comparing the previous data.

4. In which part of the newspaper can you read this passage?

A．Literature.

B．Culture.

C．Geography.

D．Health.

9 . Saving the environment might seem like a tall order, but living an environmentally friendly life is actually quite easy. With just a few small lifestyle changes, you can make a difference.     1    

Recycle.

Recycling is a simplest lifestyle to lower the amount of environmental waste.     2     Check the regulations to ensure you use them properly. For instance, some places may no: accept glass, while others might require you to separate the different materials. If you dispose of something improperly, the whole load will likely be rejected and end up in a landfill.

Buy locally sourced foods.

    3     Shipping products by truck, rail, flight, or boat creates pollution and goes against an environmentally friendly lifestyle. Instead, shop at local farmers’ markets and grocery stores stocking locally - sourced products. Alternatively, use community - supported services to get fresh produce regularly.

Cut back on driving.

Applying alternate forms of transportation consumes less gasoline. Walk or ride a bike whenever possible. If that isn’t an option, consider organizing carpools or using public transportation.     4     Also, combine multiple trips into one to help minimize the distance traveled and fuel consumed.

    5    

Advocacy allows more people to create a positive impact. Spread the word about environmental conservation by sharing some of the lifestyle changes you’ve made on social media and in conversations with people around, calling on everybody to play a role.

A．Cut back your carbon footprint.

B．Encourage others to help save the environment.

C．By doing this, you help reduce traffic jams and the overall amount of gasoline consumption.

D．Every resident can get involved by taking advantage of nearby recycling services.

E．The topic of preserving natural resources entertains everyone.

F．Eating fresh, local food consumes less fuel and packaging materials.

G．Read on for some practical tips on how a single individual can help save the environment.

10 . In order to survive trips to Mars, humans need oxygen. Now, a team of scientists has designed a robot that could extract oxygen from water on the Red Planet.

The robot, which is called “AI chemist”, used a machine learning model to find a compound that could ignite an oxygen-producing chemical reaction on Mars. The compound, known as a catalyst (催化剂), is made entirely from elements found in Martian meteorites (陨石) — which means, if such a system could work reliably, space travelers would not need to bring oxygen or even the catalyst needed to produce it.

Mars’ atmosphere contains only trace amounts of oxygen. But scientists have detected evidence of liquid water beneath the planet’s southern ice cap. To create the breathable gas, researchers wanted to find a way to break down this water into its hydrogen and oxygen molecules using materials found on Mars.

Their robot analyzed five meteorites that either came from Mars or had a composition similar to that of the Martian surface. Using a laser, it identified significant amounts of iron, nickel, calcium, magnesium, aluminum and manganese in the samples. From these six elements, the robot’s algorithm (算法) deter-mined it could produce more than 3.7 million possible molecules to break down water and form oxygen on Mars. According to the researchers, finding the best one from this extensive list would take roughly 2,000 years of human labor, but for the AI chemist, it took only weeks.

“On the Earth, we don’t use these six elements,” Yi Luo, a co-author of the study says. “They are not the best choices for catalysts, but it’s only what you’ve got on Mars.”

With its chosen catalyst, the system could produce oxygen from the Martian materials at around - 37℃, demonstrating the chemical reaction could be possible on the cold Martian surface.

Notably, the robot was able to carry out the entire process — analyzing the rock samples, identifying the Jest possible catalyst and producing it without human intervention.

1. What inspired the scientists to design the robot that could extract oxygen?

A．Surviving on the Earth.	B．Trips to Mars.
C．Traveling on the Moon.	D．Water shortage.

2. What is the basis of extracting oxygen on Mars?

A．The existence of water and catalyst on Mars.	B．The oxygen that Mars’ atmosphere contains.
C．The scientists’ previous study on meteorites.	D．The low cost of “AI chemist”.

3. What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A．The finding of six elements.	B．The advantages of the robots.
C．The process of producing oxygen.	D．The formation of the meteorites.

4. What is the writer’s attitude towards “AI chemist”?

A．Doubtful.

B．Unclear.

C．Favorable.

D．Indifferent.