1 . You throw a flying disc (飞盘). Your friend catches it. Well done!

Flying discs are fun toys. They are becoming popular in China. On the Internet, there are more than thousands of posts about disc games, talking about things like rules and dress codes.

Flying discs are very beginner-friendly. It is easy for anyone to throw a disc almost anywhere they want to, from a field to a beach. No special skills are needed. Boys and girls can also play together, making it a good activity to socialize.     1    

For those who want to compete, there are many choices. They can try the team disc sport called “ultimate”.     2     There are no judges. You must overcome your desire to cheat. Put simply, it makes us better people. In another game called “disc golf”, players try to hit faraway targets with a disc. Like in golf, the lowest number of throws wins.

    3     They started with pie tins (烤盘), which inspired the birth of the toy. After enjoying the pies, some university students soon found that the empty pie tins could be tossed (扔)around. They had great fun with them in the 1930s. In 1948, a man named Walter made a plastic disc with his partner Warren.     4     The discs quickly became popular.

A．It could fly farther and higher than a pie tin.

B．Flying discs have a history of nearly 100 years.

C．Unlike other games, it encourages honesty and fair play.

D．All these make the flying discs popular with young people today.

E．In fact, young people enjoyed this fun activity almost a century ago.

F．Social activities like attending parties will improve your communicative skills.

2 . Imagine the perfect baguette — a kind of French bread, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Sri Lankan-origin baker Tharshan Selvarajah made one just like that. He was given the title of “king” of the baguette in Paris, winning the city’s oldest baguette competition in France in May, reported CNN.

At this year’s 30th edition of the contest, 176 bakers came from across the city to enter their tasty baguettes. They faced an 18-person group of judges, which consists of former winners, baking industry officials, food bloggers, and six local citizens.

The loaves must be “traditionally made”, not industrially made. They are judged on their appearance, smell, baking technique and flavor. However, 40 of them were eliminated early. Their baguettes were either too long, short, heavy, light or used the wrong flour, said CNN.

For Tharshan Selvarajah, winning the top prize was extra special. “I cried because we are foreigners and we came here to learn how to make traditional French bread,” Selvarajah told AFP. “I didn’t have the slightest idea that I could win the prize.”

That was not all that contributed to Selvarajah’s emotions. As the winner, he got 4,000 Euros (about 30,380 yuan) in prize money and the right to make baguette for the official home of the Frenchpresident for one year.

Selvarajah who owns a simple bakery in eastern Paris said his bakery’s secret is baking a certain amount every 20 minutes so it’s always hot and fresh, reported CNN.

The baguette is a cultural symbol in France. In November 2022, UNESCO recognized baguette as world heritage, reported AP. French bread can be found in every neighborhood in Paris. Oliver Polski, the mayoral deputy for commerce and artisanship, told CNN. “Industrial baking has pretty much disappeared in Paris.”

1. What does the underlined word “eliminated”in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Chosen as final competitors.	B．Commented carefully.
C．Refused to enter the competition.	D．Given special recognition.

2. How did Selvarajah feel after winning the baguette contest?

A．Shocked.

B．Confused.

C．Overjoyed.

D．Anxious.

3. What does Selvarajah think contributes to the success of his bakery?

A．The use of traditional French flour.	B．The freshness of bread.
C．The support of the local community.	D．The unique taste of fresh bread.

4. What does Olivia Polski think of industrial baking in Paris?

A．It is no longer popular in the city.

B．It has become more common recently.

C．It is being revived due to increased demand.

D．It will continue to exist with traditional bakeries.

4 . 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.

5 . 根据汉语提示完成短文。

Gordon had a remarkable talent for basketball but he wasn't good at     1     (与队友合作).     2     (正如所料), his team was defeated in the intense semi­final. Instead of losing his self­belief, Gordon     3     (继续练习，抓住一切机会加强与队友的合作).Their efforts finally paid off. Their team     4     (在篮球比赛中一举成名), which was     5     (超出了大家的预料).

6 . 语法填空

For many students，it is a great honour     1     (participate) in all kinds of     2     (compete). Some regard competitions     3    a good chance to improve themselves while others complain that on such     4     (occasion), they have no freedom and there     5     (exist) stress. In my opinion, when an opportunity comes, you should embrace it and make every effort     6     (make) it. If you fail, it is all right, because you lose nothing. Instead, during the process, you harvest experience and courage.

7 . 语法填空

Last Sunday witnessed a 5 km cross­country running race organized by our school, which both students and teachers of our school were persuaded     1     (get) actively     2     (involve) in it.

Even if all athletes     3     (sweat) a lot and their legs     4     (ache), no athlete gave up halfway.     5     (ultimate), with great determination, all the athletes did everything in their power     6     (reach) the finish line.     7     (compare) with other events, the event was highly thought of. Not only did it provide a chance for us to keep fit, but it also kept all the competitors     8     (inspire).

8 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Before seven o’clock one Saturday morning, a large crowd had already gathered at the stadium. David sat at the starting line, his gloved hands holding his wheelchair. With his heart beating, the boy wondered if he would be able to complete the race. His classmates were all there to support him. From a distance, he could see them holding up big banners (横幅) which screamed: WE ARE WITH YOU! ALL THE WAY, DAVID! Heartened, he smiled and waved back. He was not going to let them down.

Born with a severe condition that left him paralysed (瘫痪) from the waist down. At six, he underwent several surgeries to improve his condition. As a result, he was able to attend school and even took up sports to help strengthen his bones and muscles. Then, he fell in love with wheelchair racing. Unfortunately, he did not have a lot of coordination (协调) or strength but he had a will to keep going. Once, without warning, his condition took a turn for the worse and it almost destroyed his pursuit of his passion.

One day, David’s teachers encouraged him to compete alongside his non-wheelchair schoolmates. Unsure and yet grateful for the opportunity, he thought he should give it a shot. By the time the race was about to begin, the sun had risen. David was glad that he was well prepared. Adjusting the cap on his head and his gloves, David was all ready to protect himself from the heat and the strong strokes to his wheelchair. David’s eyes followed the starter who was waving a red flag. As soon as the gun was fired, David was off. The entire stadium erupted into thunderous cheers.

David pushed forward with all his strength, his hands holding the wheels the whole time for the long-distance race. His wheelchair rolled steadily out of the stadium, passing the shop houses. Despite doing everything he could to keep up with the other competitors, David fell behind.

注意:
1.续写词数应为150个左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Overhead, the sun continued to burn in the cloudless sky.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

He was determined to overcome every single challenge.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . Scientists from Georgia Tech have developed a new robot named ESTHER (Experimental Sport Tennis Wheelchair Robot), which can move around the court and even return human serves.

The team believes the robot could serve as a training partner (搭档) for professional players in the future, lowering the pressure of training with another human.

The robot is the brainchild of Georgia Tech’s Matthew Gombolay, professor of robotics in the School of Interactive Computing. He wanted to develop a better training challenge than a ball feeder that stays in one place, one that would act like an always on-call partner or even team up with someone in doubles matches. The result is ESTHER, an adapted wheelchair tennis chair that can race to balls at ten metres per second and probably outplay a human.

Mr Gombolay explains: “The wheelchair has the ability to rapidly move around the court and get into position (恰当位置) to hit a ground stroke (击落地球). ESTHER can move up to two metres after a ball is struck to hit a successful return, which is comparable to the longest distance moved by human players for 80 per cent of shots (击球).”

The robot was named in homage to well-known wheelchair tennis player Esther Vergeer, who held the world No. 1 position in women’s wheelchair tennis for almost 13 years straight.

The team placed a network of cameras around a tennis court and used computer vision algorithms (视觉算法) to help ESTHER recognise an incoming tennis ball. Using cameras from different positions, they could know where the ball is in the air and feed this information to ESTHER. The team reached a breakthrough when they successfully and continually programmed ESTHER to track the tennis ball coming toward it and to hit a return.

ESTHER will now be developed to act as a highly-skilled tennis player.

1. What is ESTHER able to do?

A．Return a shot.

B．Clean up a court.

C．Push a wheelchair.

D．Control a ball feeder.

2. What does the underlined part “in homage to” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．In search of.

B．In honour of.

C．As a result of.

D．With the help of.

3. In what way are cameras helpful to ESTHER?

A．They improve its vision.	B．They direct it to the ball.
C．They help it stay in position.	D．They picture unexpected things in the air.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Athletes in wheelchairs	B．An all-purpose robot at home
C．Rules are changing for tennis courts	D．A robot moves around the tennis court

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What was the writing subject about last year?

A．A bedroom.

B．A place.

C．Food.

2. Who can take part in the writing competition?

A．Teenagers.

B．Middle-aged people.

C．Old people.

3. What will the winners get?

A．500 dollars.

B．Free tickets to a zoo.

C．The club’s magazines.

4. What is the deadline for the entry?

A．The 4th next month.

B．The 14th next month.

C．The 25th next month.