1 . International Letter-Writing Competition for Young People 2024

Since 1971, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) has inspired young writers aged 9-15 to write letters on a given theme to win exciting prizes. The competition is an excellent way of making young people aware of the important role postal services play in our societies. It develops their skills in writing and their ability to express thoughts clearly. A group of international judges invited by the International Bureau judge the letters and select the winners.

The UPU has launched its 53rd International letter-writing Competition for Young People this year.

Competition theme

In 2024, participants will be encouraged to reflect on the future of the world under the theme: “At 150 years old, the UPU has served people around the world for more than eight generations. The world has changed enormously since then. Write a letter to future generations about the world you hope they inherit (继承).” The theme encourages young people to voice their thoughts on current global challenges and propose innovative solutions. It also allows youths to draw upon the principles of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, providing a framework for their visions of a better world.

Competition rules

• Entries must be in the form of a letter and contain the necessary parts of a letter (heading, greeting, body, complimentary close, signature line and postscript).   

• Letters must be strictly in agreement with the topic and contain no more than 800 words in the original language.

• At the national level, the competition is organized by UPU member countries. Entries must reach the UPU International Bureau no later than May 5th.

For more information, please contact us at communication@upu.int.

1. What can competitors learn from the competition?

A．The history of the UPU	B．The skills of communication.
C．The importance of postal services.	D．The meaning of expressing thoughts.

2. What is most likely to be the topic of this year’s competition?

A．The enormous change in the world.	B．The world for the future generations.
C．Global challenges and innovative solutions.	D．Sustainable development for a better world.

3. What should competitors do?

A．Write the letters in right format.	B．Hand in their entries on May 6th.
C．Write a letter of at least 800 words	D．Send their entries to the official email.

2 . Marathoning has come a long way since 1896. With no hopes of winning a gold medal or getting one's name carved in sport history books, some may wonder why people run marathons at all. After all, the training requires a major commitment of time energy and sweat, and the races can be extremely tiring. So, why are the races so popular?

The most obvious reasons are the positive health and mental happiness effects. On one hand, while the benefits for weight loss and cardiovascular（心血管的）health are well known, research is continually revealing new upsides, such as cutting years off your "artery（动脉）age". On the other hand, for the psychological motivations, each runner will give you different answers. Eller with communication barriers challenges her life by running marathons to show people that even disabled people can achieve great things. And Kailey Bennet runs with the belief that one of the best way to experience a new city culture is on their marathon day.

However, while every runner has different personal reasons, there are some general trends that attract people to race over long distances. Carys Egan-Wyger at Sweden's Lund University found that aspects of daily life are huge and measurably mirrored in marathon running, such as the tracking of progress, along with the necessity of productivity and efficiency. In her surveys, runners tended to mention three important motivators: freedom, achievement and competition. But less obviously. Egan-Wyger also suggests marathoning can also be a way of gaining social status. Showing you have the ability of a long-distance race means qualities of health, productivity and efficiency to others.

Although marathoning brings many benefits, few people are willing to repeat the challenge than 58-year-old runner Andy Glen who has completed 176 marathons in 42 different countries. "I am often asked whether running a marathon after all this time becomes easier," he says. "The simple answer is no. The last six miles are just as challenging as they were when I ran my first."

1. Why does the author mention "Eller" and "Kailey Bennet" in paragraph 2?

A．To explain a rule.	B．To present a fact.
C．To clarify an opinion.	D．To make a prediction.

2. Which of the following is Carys Egan-Wyger's idea according to paragraph 3?

A．Progress is less obvious in Marathoning.

B．Marathoning can be measured by a big mirror.

C．Marathoning is a reflection of many sides of life.

D．Qualities of health is not relevant to their social position.

3. What can we learn from Andy Glen's words?

A．Marathoning is always a tough sport.

B．Only the last six miles are hard for him.

C．It takes a lot of patience to run a marathon.

D．Marathoing requires great strength at the start.