| A．put off | B．dropped off | C．turned off | D．shut off |
| A．left out | B．let out | C．gave out | D．put out |
| A．incredible | B．responsible | C．available | D．adjustable |
| A．to some extent | B．instead of | C．in a mess | D．regardless of |
| A．dramatically | B．potentially | C．slightly | D．steadily |
| A．interfere with | B．argue with | C．cooperate with | D．react with |
7 . Gifted students in the Wichita Falls Independent School District in Texas had the opportunity to travel to STEM facilities and learn coding and other technical skills, but the transportation is not convenient. “We just started talking about, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we were able to design a mobile STEM lab? ’ ”says Dr. Peter E. Griffiths, the district’s associate superintendent. Educators soon realized that they could retrofit an old bus into a mobile STEM lab, which would provide increased access to career and technical education (CTE) experiences for students.
Districts sold off buses when the vehicles became too old. Griffiths and his colleagues decided to retrofit one of those old vehicles. “Give me your ‘best worst’ bus,” Griffiths said to the transportation department. Soon the process of transforming began. Griffiths reached out to Reuben Rodriguez, the owner of a local car company, and explained what they wanted to do. Rodriguez agreed to work with the district on the price on condition that they could send CTE students to lend a hand with some of the building work. And bringing the bus from the dream stage to fruition has taken a lot of joint efforts of educators and the community.
Called STEAM Machine, the bus looks like a device from a video game or a real-life Lego truck, and rides as a mobile maker space. “It has two touch screen TVs outside. It comes complete with drones and drone obstacle courses that will help students learn about coding in an enjoyable way,” Griffiths says. “Those are things that a lot of these kids have never experienced before.”
To drive the bus, the district has hired a retiring teacher who will take the bus to various schools and engage in different lessons with students and educators. “We were so concerned about kids losing out on experiences before, and this is a solution. We aren’t going to let this go. The STEAM Machine will be equipped with all the necessary materials and resources, and it may change the way students learn and engage with their education,” Griffiths said.
1. What is the main purpose of the mobile STEM lab?| A．To develop students’ interest in STEM research. |
| B．To replace traditional school buses with electric ones. |
| C．To provide fun activities for students during long trips |
| D．To enable students to get more learning chances. |
| A．Educators needed to pay him in advance. |
| B．Some students could help with the building work. |
| C．The old bus should be equipped with high technology. |
| D．The district must provide him with necessary materials. |
| A．It brings students fun learning experiences. |
| B．It awakens students’ curiosity about bus driving. |
| C．It protects students’ health with its special design. |
| D．It saves students’ time by reducing traffic on the road. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Worried. | C．Hopeful. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Safe and long-lasting. | B．Fashionable and comfortable. |
| C．Creative and educational. | D．Cheap and eco-friendly. |
8 . Global Essay Competition
The John Locke Institute encourages young people to develop the characteristics that turn good students into great writers. Our Essay Competition invites students to explore a wide range of challenging and interesting questions beyond the limits of the school curriculum (课程).
All of our essay prizes are judged by senior academics from the University of Oxford. The judges will choose their favourite essay from each subject category and an overall “best essay” across six subjects: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology and Law.
Entry Requirements
Entry is open to students from any country. Candidates must be eighteen years old, or younger, on the date of the submission deadline, 30 June. Candidates for the Junior Prize must be fourteen years old, or younger, on the date of the submission deadline. Each essay should address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed (超过) 2, 000 words.
Key Dates
30 June: Submission deadline
14 July: Short-listed candidates informed
26 August: Awards Dinner for the Junior Prize
2. September: Awards Dinner for the Economics Prize and other prizes
Prizes
There is a prize for the best essay in each category. The prize for each winner of a subject category, and the winner of the Junior category, is a scholarship worth US $2,000 towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute programme, and the essays will be published on the Institute’s website. The prize-giving ceremony will take place in Oxford.
The candidate who submits the best essay overall will be awarded an honorary John Locke Institute Junior, Fellowship, which comes with a US $10, 000 scholarship to attend one or more of our summer schools.
1. What should the entry be about?| A．The limits of school courses. | B．The characteristics of great writers. |
| C．One of the given questions. | D．Anything in the chosen fields. |
| A．It sets a word limit on essays. |
| B．It has six subject categories. |
| C．Its prizes are judged by voting online. |
| D．It is open to any student regardless of his or her nationality. |
| A．10 | B．14 | C．18 | D．20 |
| A．On 30 June. | B．On 14 July. |
| C．On 26 August. | D．On 2 September. |
| A．A fellowship at Oxford University. | B．A summer school scholarship. |
| C．A chance to get published. | D．A US $1, 000 award. |
| A．did not have | B．would not have |
| C．had not had | D．have not had |
| A．in the face of | B．in the charge of | C．in possession of | D．in the possession of |
