1 . National Poetry Competition
Still looking for inspiration to create competition winning poems? Our 2020 Writing Guides are here to help!
Programme Details
Running alongside the 2020 National Poetry Competition, the Poetry Society has presented a series of writing guides by previous winners. You can select from a guide by Ella Frears on poems that explore the unknown, a guide by Pascale Petit, focusing on nature writing, a guide by Eric Berlin looking at poems where the speakers' viewpoints take sudden turns, and a guide by Matthew Caley on poems that use lightness to great effect.
2019 Winners
First prize: Susannah Hart for "Reading the Child Protection Policy". Second prize: Ann Pelletier-Topping for "Granddaughter Moves In". Third prize: Natalie Linh Bolderston for "Middle Name with Diacritics".
Poetry Themes
| YEAR | THEME | YEAR | THEME |
2009 | Heroes and Heroines | 2015 | Light |
2010 | Home | 2016 | Messages |
2011 | Games | 2017 | Freedom |
2012 | Stars | 2018 | Change |
| 2013 | Water, Water, Everywhere | 2019 | Truth |
2014 | Remember | 2020 | Vision |
Thanks for entering. If you have any questions, please email supDort@poetrysociety.org.uk.
1. Who aims at writing about nature?| A．Ella Frears. | B．Pascale Petit. | C．Eric Berlin. | D．Matthew Caley. |
| A．Water, Water, Everywhere. | B．Middle Name with Diacritics. |
| C．Granddaughter Moves In. | D．Reading the Child Protection Policy, |
| A．In 2020. | B．In 2016. | C．In 2012. | D．In 2010. |
2 . As digital devices （设备）have taken over society, “keyboard activity is now often recommended as a substitute for early handwriting," a new study notes. The idea is that typing may be easier for young children.
“Some schools in Norway have become completely digital," notes Audrey Vander Meer, the new study's leader, who measures brain activity to better understand learning and behaviors. She works at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. The human brain has developed to interact with the world in as many ways as possible, she notes. She believes that young children should learn to write by hand successfully, and, at the same time learn to manage a keyboard.
Using a pen involves more of the brain than using a keyboard, her new findings show. This is because writing and printing involve complex movements that activate more areas of the brain. The increased brain activity, "gives the brain more 'hooks' to hang your memories on," she explains.
Think about it. The same movement is required to type each letter on a keyboard. By comparison, when we write, our brain needs to think about and recover memories of the shape of each letter. We also need to use our eyes to watch what shapes we're writing. And we need to control our hands to press a pen or pencil to shape the different letters. All of this uses and connects more areas of the brain.
Along the way, these processes appear to “open the brain up for learning", says Vander Meer. So learning through only one format — digital — could be harmful, she worries.
Vander Meer also points out that taking notes by hand stimulates （激发）"visual notetaking". Rather than typing blindly, the visual note-taker has to think about what is important to write down. Then, key words can be "interlinked by boxes, and arrows, and supplemented by small drawings".
1. What is the main idea of the text?| A．Digital devices are popular with students. |
| B．Handwriting beats typing in taking notes. |
| C．The process of taking notes changes thinking. |
| D．The new study makes contributions to science. |
| A．Communicate with the world. | B．Rely on keyboard activity. |
| C．Learn to write by hand. | D．Master basic drawing skills. |
| A．By studying how the brain develops. | B．By observing social phenomena. |
| C．By assessing functions of senses. | D．By comparing ways of taking notes. |
| A．Relationship. | B．Fashion. |
| C．Culture. | D．Science. |
3 . Through an agreement signed today, the much-loved animals will continue to delight visitors for another three years, through December 7, 2023. “We’re all very excited,” says Steve Monfort, the director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. “It’s very good that we can continue our cooperation with our Chinese colleagues.”
The female giant panda Mei Xiang and male Tian Tian, will return to China at the end of 2023 at the relatively elder panda ages of 25 and 26 respectively （分别地). The probable lifetime for giant pandas is about 15 to 20 years in the wild, and about 30 years in captivity (圈养). Likely to travel with the two is Xiao Qi Ji （Little Miracle）, who was born on August 21, 2020. The 15-week-old male cub is the fourth of Mei Xiang’s four surviving cubs.
By long-standing agreement, cubs born in captivity at the zoo are sent to China before four. When Xiao Qi Ji was born, his mother Mei Xiang became the oldest giant panda to give birth in North America.
The public has yet to see Xiao Qi Ji in person. Normally, it would be at about this time, a little over 100 days, that a cub would be able to be shared with the public. Over 1.6 million people have watched the Zoo's Panda Cam since the August birth, with a total of 8.8 million page views. Just this week, his parents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian marked 20 years in Washington, D.C..
The extension agreement means that the National Zoo and China will reach a half century of conservation and cooperation between the U.S. and China. “It shouldn't be surprising to people that cooperation is the foundation of the way that one does the work.” Monfort says, “In protecting species, no one organization and often not even one government can theoretically save a species without partnership.”
1. What is the agreement about?| A．Two pandas' three more years in the USA. |
| B．Cooperation between the Zoo and China. |
| C．The first public appearance of Xiao Qi Ji. |
| D．The way to return home for three pandas. |
| A．She has been abroad for 20 years. | B．She has been sent back to China. |
| C．She was born in the National Zoo. | D．She's the oldest panda to give birth. |
| A．Uncaring. | B．Enthusiastic. |
| C．Cautious. | D．Sympathetic |
| A．Mei Xiang Has Given Birth to Xiao Qi Ji |
| B．Cooperation Is Key to Animal Protection |
| C．Extension Agreement on Pandas Is Reached |
| D．Lifetime for Giant Pandas Is Figured Out |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Sometimes our classmates talk about that we can do for our school before graduation. We have different kinds of advices. Some think it is a good idea donate some reference books but notebooks to the school library. By doing so, the fellow students will be able to read it if necessary. Others thought it good to plant trees next to teaching buildings to make the school more beautiful.
On my opinion, we can do something meaningfully in honor of our school life. For the example, we can do some voluntary work or send the school some pictures drawing by ourselves, which can remind us of the golden memories.
When it was warm, our PE teacher took us to do outdoor sports. There were a football field together with a basketball court or running tracks, etc. in our school. I was good at running and loving to feel the air in my hair as I was approaching the finish line. It was also nice to have rest under the large trees and watch my classmate competing with each other. But not all memories of sports made me joyfully. One annoying memory was related to football. Once, someone hit the ball on his head heavily in a football game for two times. Besides, I had to sit on the bench for the rest of the game to stopping dizziness.
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The construction of complete BDS is a huge technical achievement for China and can
8 . Time flies. Youth fades. Treasure each moment of your accompanied by guitar and drums, the Band for One, made up of five people, sang the lyrics soulfully during a performance in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on November 7, 2020.
Behind the band, there was a picture of a young man named Philip Hancock shown on the screen. And he is the reason why they were all there. Hancock was a 27-year-old Australian who taught English in Chongqing. When he died in 2018 due to a disease, his parents followed his wishes and donated his organs.
The five people introduced themselves onstage. They are the ones who received Philip's organs. "Last November, the Red Cross officials told me Philip's parents mentioned during an earlier memorial service that he loved music and dreamed of having his own band one day," said Chen Xianjun, a recipient. Chen was instantly on board to form a band in memory of Philip, and so were the other four recipients.
Since they had no music experience, they had to start from scratch. From learning the guitar, to mastering the maracas and taking on the drums, they took time out of their busy lives to practice over the past year. Peter Hancock, Philip's father, said after watching the band's performance, his biggest wish is for the five to enjoy their lives more.
Organ donation is not only the best way to honor a loved one, but also a remarkable way to save the lives of others. China faces a serious shortage of organs, with about 300,000 people waiting for organ transplant surgeries each year. But the good news is, more and more people have been signing up to be organ donors, showing the spirit of selflessness that Philip and so many others have shown.
1. Why did the five people form the band?| A．To compete in a singing performance. | B．To show their respect for Peter Hancock. |
| C．To raise money for the local Red Cross. | D．To express their appreciation to Philip. |
| A．One year. | B．Two years. | C．Three years. | D．Five years. |
| A．lose interest in music. | B．practice from the very beginning. |
| C．take part in training courses. | D．turn to some musicians for help. |
| A．Citizens are encouraged to donate organs. | B．Organ donation is the best way to save lives. |
| C．The author thinks highly of organ donations. | D．Few people are willing to donate their organs. |
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号（ˆ）,并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意: 1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Thank you so much for your kind invite to the exhibition，“Ancient India’’，what is now on at the local museum. I’d love join you.
I’d be particular happy to watch this exhibition because the brilliant Indian culture have always been mysterious and attractive to me. India is an old civilization just like China. It would be excited to see all the exhibits that have traveled such that a long way to China! With you as a companion, there is a good chance to have a best understanding of Indian people’s life. Let’s meet at the entrance to the museum at 9：30 am in Thursday, July 23.
Best wishes!
10 . Fourteen-year-old Thuch Salik became an overnight star last year, after a video of him selling souvenirs at Angkor Archaeological Park in multiple languages and dialects went popular online.
At the time of the video being filmed, Thuch lived with his parents and two brothers close to the park. His parents had relocated the family from the city of Battambang to Siem Reap to work in the tourist trade, but got into great debts during the move.
Thuch was always a bright boy and often begged his mother to allow him to study foreign languages, but she had no money to provide lessons for him. Yet this didn’t fail the determined teenager.
“I learned from tourists. When they say something, I listen. One day, two days, three days, I listened,” said Thuch. “I remember, and I say like the tourists.”
Since the video was posted, Thuch and his family have received donations and offers of help from around the world.
Initially, Thuch went with his mother and younger brother to Phnom Penh and was sent to BELTEI International School by a Cambodian businessman. This month, however, Thuch Salik flew to China to begin his study at Hailiang Foreign Language School in Zhejiang Province, China.
Zhejiang Hailiang Charity Foundation will fully cover Thuch’s expenses until he finishes university, or even doctoral study, according to a statement from the Hailaing Education Group.
The group revealed that a major factor in giving Thuch this chance to realize his dreams is due to their newly-launched “One Belt One Road” International Talent Study-in-China Philanthropic Program. As a part of this program, Hailiang will offer scholarships to talented youths in BRI countries from poor backgrounds.
1. What might be the best way to learn foreign languages according to Thuch?| A．Communicating with local tourists day after day. |
| B．Receiving education at foreign language schools. |
| C．Moving to the country speaking target languages. |
| D．Learning from actions, and acting from learning. |
| A．He passed serious tests. |
| B．His parents relocated the family. |
| C．He benefited from “One Belt One Road”. |
| D．He got help from a Cambodian businessman. |
| A．He is natural for languages. |
| B．He moves to China from Battambang. |
| C．He becomes rich from the tourist trade. |
| D．He is determined to get formal schooling. |
| A．A little Cambodian businessman becomes popular. |
| B．A little trader gets rid of poverty by learning languages. |
| C．A little Cambodian language genius moves to China. |
| D．A little boy becomes a video star by selling souvenirs. |
