1 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

“Village Basketball Association” or “Village BA” is     1    grassroots basketball tournament in Taipan Village, Taijiang County, southwest China’s Guizhou Province. Organized by local residents, the sport     2     (gain) popularity over the years, so it draws a large crowd of spectators and participants alike.

    3     March 27, the team of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture won the title by     4     (beat) the team from Zunyi City 68-65. Some 20,000 spectators watched the game. The champion collected fragrant rice, a local specialty, and a Miao silver hat     5     (handmake) by an inheritor of intangible (非物质)cultural heritage skills as their award, besides the trophy and medals. A day ago, the team of Tongren City beat the team from Bijie City 57-50 in the bronze medal game. The game attracted more than 30,000 spectators, nearly double the average regular season attendance at an NBA game.

The village-level basketball     6     (compete) has been part of activities to celebrate the Chixin Festival,     7     falls on the sixth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar. Local authorities have upgraded the     8     (surround) facilities and added more than 20,000 seats     9     (improve) the spectator experience. According to statistics from the Guizhou Sports Bureau(体育局), the “Beautiful countryside” basketball league has held over 5,000 matches,     10     (effective) driving the development of local tourism, culture and economy.

2 . The Best Writing Contests of 2024

Kentucky Visions Short Story Contest

The Kentucky Visions Short Story Contest, an annual contest, is designed to highlight Kentucky’s rich literary talent and celebrate the best in short fiction written by Kentuckians or about our beloved Bluegrass State.

Top prize                         Best entry: $500
Entry requirements            Fee: FREE
Deadline                           March 31, 2024
Fiction Factory Flash Fiction

This is an international competition—we welcome entries from around the world. Maximum word count: 1,000, Stories may be on any theme. Entries must be previously unpublished. Results will be announced by April 2024. Minimum age: 16 years. Children’s compositions cannot be accepted sadly.

Top prize                       Best entry: £500
Entry requirements          Fee: FREE
Deadline                       March 31, 2024
Journalism Competition 2024

What are the most important issues taking place close to home? Perhaps a rare bird sighting near your town? Or a band of young people in your province fighting for access to higher education? This month, involve yourself in a newsworthy event inside the borders of your own country, and invite us there through your written reporting.

Top prize                       Best entry: $100
Entry requirements          Fee: FREE
Deadline                         July 22, 2024
Poetry & Spoken Word Competition 2024

“Poetry lays the foundations for a future of change,” wrote Audre Lorde. This month, sow your own seeds of change into poetry, or else write and perform an original piece of spoken word(poetry performed aloud). We’ll award two top prizes-one for a written poem, and one for a recorded performance.

Top prize                           Best entry: $100
Entry requirements             Fee: FREE
Deadline                            May 27, 2024
1. Which contest accepts entries both at home and abroad?

A．Kentucky Visions Short Story Contest.	B．Fiction Factory Flash Fiction.
C．Journalism Competition 2024.	D．Poetry&-Spoken Word Competition 2024.

2. What do we know about Poetry&-Spoken Word Competition 2024?

A．It offers two first prizes.	B．It only requests written compositions.
C．It provides the highest awards.	D．It inspires students to perform actively.

3. What is the author’s purpose of writing the text?

A．To compare some writing contests.	B．To recommend good writing contests.
C．To share tips on winning writing contests.	D．To remind students to enter writing contests.

3 . After winning the 100-meter dash at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in August, 26-year-old sprinter (短跑运动员) Noah Lyles was named “World’s Fastest Man”. Now he has his ____ set on winning more medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Lyles, the son of two former runners, grew up in Alexandria, Virginia. He began ______ as a sprinter when he was a teenager and dreamed of going to the Olympics. He ______ for a spot (排名位置) on the US Olympic team in 2016 but did not ______. Fortunately, in 2021, he ______ the US team for the Tokyo Games and won a bronze medal in the 200-meter race.

Lyles has been ______ with legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who has held the same ____   “World’s Fastest Man”. Bolt won the 100 meter and 200 meter races at the World Championships and still holds the ___in the 200 meter with a time of 19. 19 seconds, set in 2009. Lyles’ best time for that race is 19.31, and he said his _____ is to run it in 19.10 seconds, which would break Bolt’s record. Lyles said that he did not ______ top runners like Bolt as idols (偶像) while growing up. “I believed in myself and in learning something from _____people, because everyone has their own advantage,” he said.

After his win, Lyles said he felt that his years of training and patience have finally ______. In Paris next year, Lyles hopes to win more golds.   “If I got three gold medals at the World Championships, maybe I have the ______ to get three gold medals at the Olympics,” he said. His another expectation is to make track and field more _____ and accessible to a large number of people. “I’m trying to make sure that everybody comes and ______ the sport,” he said.

1.

A．sights

B．opinions

C．predictions

D．demands

2.

A．advertising

B．competing

C．defending

D．debating

3.

A．looked

B．answered

C．accounted

D．tried

4.

A．quit

B．respond

C．qualify

D．regret

5.

A．made

B．created

C．refused

D．recommended

6.

A．combined

B．replaced

C．blessed

D．compared

7.

A．dream

B．standard

C．title

D．talent

8.

A．passion

B．record

C．feature

D．belief

9.

A．responsibility

B．suggestion

C．solution

D．goal

10.

A．copy

B．view

C．recall

D．serve

11.

A．different

B．famous

C．gifted

D．determined.

12.

A．ran out

B．paid off

C．came back

D．sped up

13.

A．potential

B．honor

C．pressure

D．option

14.

A．flexible

B．stable

C．formal

D．popular

15.

A．reports

B．evaluates

C．enjoys

D．improves

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式，并将答案填写在答题卡上。

The Hangzhou Asian Games,     1     are the first carbon-neutral Asiad in history, are set to deliver a legacy (遗产) with long-term benefits for the host city and beyond, according to the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC).

Sustainability (持续性) has been     2     (large) integrated into all aspects of the planning and operations of the Games — from     3     (construct)to transportation and energy sources, right through to ensuring minimal waste. Green energy is used to power all venues (场地). Methanol fuels the main flame of the Games, electric     4     (vehicle) transport athletes and media between venues, a recyclable water cleaning system is put     5     use in the swimming pools,     6     a rain retention system (蓄雨系统) operates at all venues. From the beginning of the preparations, HAGOC learned about green efforts from all over the world, including some Chinese cities. They realized that a green Games should not only be     7     concept, but also a commitment and an action that is sustainable, and set a trend for     8     (lead) an environmentally friendly living.

    9     (achieve) these goals, HAGOC launched an extensive carbon-offset program that encourage the public to help the Games achieve a negative carbon footprint. Since the preparations for the Asiad began, more than 200 million people from all sectors of society     10     (respond) to the call for a “Green Asian Games” and participated in green initiatives for the event.

5 . As a captain, you should know exactly what to do when your team lose a game because how your team deals with defeat has an important impact on how they perform in the next match.     1    

Emotions are OK.

You shouldn’t deny your players the opportunity to show their emotions when they lose but make sure they know where the boundaries are.     2     For example, showing dissatisfaction towards a teammate or the referee means they start the next game on the bench. They will soon learn to control their emotions.

Have a post-match routine.

Introduce a post-match routine that players follow — win or lose. For instance, you could encourage them to shake hands with opponents, and the referee, as soon as the final whistle sounds.     3    

Encourage positivity.

Always acknowledge the disappointment of your players, but emphasize the positive   elements of the performance. It is important that players go home with a positive mindset after the game.     4     Make them understand although they cannot win the matches they have already lost, they can now focus on winning the next one.

    5    

If you are going through some bad results, one way of keeping players motivated is to de-emphasize winning and focus on improving skills. After a defeat, if you make your next match a must-win game, you are putting more pressure on your players than is needed. Instead, try setting the team realistic goals within the game.

A．Stay cool as a captain.

B．Take the focus off winning.

C．Such routine can help players deal with losing graciously.

D．No one individual is ever responsible for victory or defeat.

E．They should know they have achieved something despite the result.

F．You should help your team understand why losing can be a step forward.

G．Set standards of behaviour and give punishment if players don’t follow them.

6 . This is the dream of my running partner: Eduardo. He’s a marathon runner with an eye problem who needs ______ to train and to compete.

Eduardo has been running longer than me, and has more desire than any person I know. ______ , he didn’t like training for a marathon. He ran with ______ , without a clear goal, got bored with training and didn’t train with many people.

Now it has ______ — he has an 18-week training plan where he runs six days a week, and he has realized he ______ running more because he has a ______ — to make a little progress every day. He runs with me, one who loves running so much and with the training group at La Tapia de Madrid. The ______ we share for running is what ______ us.

Eduardo and I run together by a rope-I have to ______ turns, different terrain (地形) and barriers. It’s ______ , but I have never ______ this in the presence of others. The main thing we ______ is to run confidently and enjoy running as a whole.

Now, Eduardo goes running with different people, but with a fixed goal of rhythm (节奏) and ______ . He has taken five weeks of training, but he says he will keep on doing it, because he has understood ______ can be the way to improve his fitness.

Eduardo wants to run sub-3:30 in the Madrid Marathon, and he will do it. ______ , it’s not written in stone, but I’m confident that he’s going to succeed.

1.

A．communication

B．methods

C．operations

D．help

2.

A．Instead

B．However

C．Still

D．Moreover

3.

A．pride

B．challenges

C．excuses

D．anxiety

4.

A．changed

B．continued

C．returned

D．appeared

5.

A．misses

B．enjoys

C．avoids

D．regrets

6.

A．goal

B．fear

C．hobby

D．contest

7.

A．honor

B．experience

C．opportunity

D．passion

8.

A．links

B．represents

C．judges

D．reminds

9.

A．ignore

B．control

C．announce

D．set

10.

A．informal

B．exciting

C．stressful

D．unworthy

11.

A．doubted

B．repeated

C．admitted

D．believed

12.

A．turn down

B．focus on

C．show off

D．look into

13.

A．budget

B．consumption

C．injury

D．distance

14.

A．friendship

B．flexibility

C．consistency

D．honesty

15.

A．Generally

B．Obviously

C．Strangely

D．Fortunately

7 . The 2024 Science Fiction Short Story Contest

The 2023 Science Fiction Short Story Contest just came to an end. Welcome to our 2024 Science Fiction Short Story Contest sponsored by Science Fiction Association in our city. The contest is to encourage amateur and semi-professional writers to reach the next level of proficiency. We will look for engaging openings, good character development, well-structured plotting, powerful imagery, humorous language, unique word or phrasing choices, and convincing endings. Come to show the world your fantasy imagination and storytelling talents!

Requirement

A qualifying story must have strong science fiction or fantasy elements and must be shorter than 7,500 words. Your entries must be original works of fiction. If you have received prizes for your fiction writing from any source or your story has been published in any paying publication, you are no longer qualified.

Past winners of our contest are no longer qualified.

No reprints, fan fiction or poetry, please.

Judge and Prize

Judges will provide feedbacks for all qualifying contest entries. First-round judges will consist of Science Fiction Association members and volunteers. The professional writers’ decision is final.

The champions, runners-up and honorable mentions will receive prizes including cash prize, a certificate of achievement, Science Fiction Association Press books, and a free membership to Science Fiction Association, All winners can select their books and either take them immediately or ask for them to be shipped later.

Deadline

The contest will be limited to the first 60 qualifying entries. While the submission deadline is September 30th, 2024, we may close off the entry for the year sooner if the response is larger than expected. The winners will be published on December 31th.

Notice

Please place your contact information for possible awards.

There is no entry fee. Please submit only one entry per author.

1. What is the activity about?

A．Story telling.	B．Story writing.
C．Writer training.	D．Writer recommending.

2. What is a requirement for the science fiction of the contest?

A．It can come as the form of a poem.	B．It should be over 7,500 words long.
C．It must be the author’s original one.	D．It is supposed to be published before.

3. Who will finally determine the winners?

A．Professional writers.	B．Amateur writers.
C．Science Fiction Association members.	D．Science Fiction Association volunteers.

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。

Jasmine lived on a small farm with her parents and her sister Grace. They were poor and made a living selling animals, but they treated the creatures very kindly. Jasmine was quite a help to her parents. She loved riding horses and caring for them. Of all the horses, Madeline was her favorite. She was a white horse with beautiful locks of golden hair. She was the swiftest horse in the stable. Jasmine always dreamt of riding Madeline in a race and winning it.

       Life was harder for the poor family recently because losses had occurred in the business. All they could do to support their daily life was to sell a horse. Jasmine was not at all happy with this idea. She thought about what to do for a long time, to see if she could come up with an alternative solution.
       One day, she saw an advertisement in the local newspaper for a horse race. The winner of the race would get $1,000! She thought that she and Madeline could enter the race. She told Grace about her idea and Grace was also happy with it. They went to the race organizer and added Madeline’s name to the list of horses running in the race. He told them that the race was in eleven days’ time.
       The next day, during a routine check, the two girls found Madeline seemed to have lost the color from her face. “She looks pale and unwell,” Grace said, with a worried look. She began stroking her mane (鬃毛). “You’re right, Grace. Go and call mother while I get Madeline some water,” said Jasmine. Grace ran off to inform their mother. Meanwhile, Madeline was getting paler. Grace returned shortly with their mother, who phoned a vet immediately. The vet came quickly and after checking Madeline over, said that she was ill. The whole family was very worried as Madeline’s health continued to get worse. She would hardly eat anything. Madeline’s situation broke Jasmine’s heart. Her only wish was that Madeline would soon get better.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡上的相应位置作答。

Whenever Jasmine had time, she went to check on Madeline and take care of her.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the day of the race, Jasmine headed to the race course with Madeline.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . 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。

During my time in primary school, I was an active participant in sports and games. I was good at athletics and particularly excelled in long jump and sprinting (短跑). My abilities led me to win the B Division long jump competition, and I was chosen to represent my school in the District Sports Meet for both the long jump and relay events.

The Sports Meet spanned across two days. On the first day, I didn’t have any scheduled events, so I eagerly watched other athletes competing. Tents were set up for the participants. My school team was assigned the last tent, which happened to be the furthest one from the track. Despite the less than-ideal location, we made the most out of it.

The second day arrived, and it was finally time for my events. The long jump took place in the early afternoon, followed by the highly anticipated 8×50 m relay later in the day. As the long jump competition began, I realized the competition was fierce. Though I managed a respectable jump of 3. 65 meters, I was amazed by another participant, a ten-year-old, who effortlessly cleared over 4 meters. Adding to the challenge, this remarkable young athlete also wore spikes (钉子鞋), which gave him an advantage over the rest of us. Despite finishing in fourth place, narrowly missing out on a medal, I stayed positive.

However, I still had hope for the 8×50 m relay, where I was assigned to run the fifth leg and pass the baton (接力棒). Finally, the race day arrived. With anticipation building, we took our positions on the track. As the starter’s gun rang, a wave of excitement swept over me. I closely. followed the progress of my teammates in the earlier legs, and to my thrill, we were among the top competitors, firmly securing at least second place.

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。
As my turn arrived, I grasped the baton and began to run.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Although my accident had indeed cost us precious time, our team’s spirit remained unshaken.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

China’s men’s table tennis team beat the Republic of Korea, winning the men’s team title at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou. Table tennis legend Ma Long played     1     the third singles player to win the decisive victory for China. It     2     (be) 17 years since Ma Long first represented China in the Asian Games and won the gold medal in the men’s team.

He is now 35-year-old, but he shows no sign of age when     3     (compete) against other athletes. And his moves remain aggressive (侵略的). With great efforts, he finally managed     4     (achieve) the victory. It added a fifth Asian gold to Ma’s trophy cabinet (奖杯柜), which also     5     (include) an all-time record of five Olympic gold medals and 25 world championships titles dating back to 2006. He really set     6     example for athletes all over the world.

However,     7     is a pity that he had to bid farewell (告别) to the Asian Games at the post-match press conference (新闻发布会) because of his age. Ma wrote on his micro blog, “Love can last a long time. I’m     8     (extreme) grateful to my teammates and all the fans at the scene. It’s you     9     encourage me to go on. I’ll never forget all these good Asian Games     10     (memory). Keep going for the Chinese team!”