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。

On February 10, 2024 ambitious young scientists flooded Brown University’s classrooms and laboratories, ready to put their knowledge to the test at the 7th Annual Brown Science Olympiad tournament, which provided a     1     (true) enriching and enjoyable experience for all involved.

The STEM competition welcomes nearly 1, 000 high schoolers from across New England.     2     (feature) a lineup of 23 diverse challenges, the single-day academic tournament integrates written assessments with hands-on design and build tasks. Each challenge     3     (score) individually, with points awarded based on performance, accuracy and completion of tasks. Teams win by accumulating (累积) the highest total score across all 23 challenges in the tournament.

Contestants get     4     (them) involved in various scientific disciplines, from fundamental subjects like biology, chemistry and physics to     5     (specialize) areas such as astronomy and robotics. Throughout the event, students engage     6     a series of activities in a day filed with curiosity, creativity, exploring the     7     (wonder) of science and pushing the boundaries of their intellectual capabilities.

But the Brown tournament isn’t just about becoming a strong competitor. It also offers a platform for young scientists     8     (wander) Brown’s campus. “With the tournament, you can get an insight into college life and     9     great understanding of the whole college experience,” Golditch a contestant, said. “Participating in the Science Olympiad has been the most valuable experience     10     allows us to explore fun science concepts,” added Golditch.

2 . A team of three students won $700,000 this week for using artificial intelligence (AI) to read passages from an ancient papyrus scroll (纸草卷轴). The document is one of the more than 800 scrolls known as the Herculaneum papyri that were carbonized by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Researchers discovered the passages in the 18th century, but attempts to read them proved in vain: Unfolding them by hand only caused them to fall apart.

That’s where the Vesuvius Challenge comes in. Brent Seales, a computer scientist, and two businessmen, Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross, launched the Vesuvius Challenge in March 2023, offering more than $1 million in prize money for reaching a series of milestones using “computer vision, machine learning and hard work”. For the biggest prize, the organizers released high-resolution CT scans of the scrolls and explained the contest’s rules: Participants would need to decipher (破译) at least 85 percent of four passages. A series of smaller prizes were also awarded throughout the year.

The winning team consists of Nader (an Egyptian PhD student in Germany), Julian Schilliger (a robotics student in Switzerland) and Luke Farritor (a computer science student in Nebraska). Their submission was “met with widespread amazement” by the review team of papyrologists. Farritor also won the challenge’s $40,000 “First Letters” prize in October, when he deciphered the scroll’s first word “porphyras”, which means “purple” in ancient Greek. Nader and Farritor began working together the following month and were joined by Schilliger shortly before the December 31 deadline.

The team ultimately trained machine-learning algorithms (算法) to decipher more than 2,000 characters—more than what was needed to win the Grand Prize. These passages appear to be a philosophical discussion of life’s pleasures, including music and food, though the papyrology team is still studying the results. “It seems familiar to us, and we can’t escape the feeling that the first text we’ve uncovered is a 2,000-year-old blog post about how to enjoy life,” write the organizers.

1. Which statement fits the papyrus scroll in paragraph 1?

A．Its 800-word texts were well-known.	B．It was successfully unfolded.
C．It was discovered in 79 AD.	D．Its text contents were unavailable.

2. What should participants do to win the biggest prize?

A．Explain language rules.

B．Decipher four passages word by word.

C．Develop a type of CT scanner of the scrolls.

D．Translate most characters of the given passages.

3. What is the author’s main purpose in writing paragraph 3?

A．To introduce some background information.

B．To summarize the above paragraphs.

C．To lead to a philosophical conclusion.

D．To put forward a scientific theory.

4. What do we know about the winning team’s achievement?

A．It is under discussion.	B．It is beyond expectation.
C．It is familiar to philosophers.	D．It is uncovered by the organizers.

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why does John come to Professor Smith?

A．To ask for her help.

B．To hand in his design

C．To apply for a competition.

2. What is the focus of this year’s competition?

A．Energy conservation.

B．Conventional wisdom.

C．Innovative thinking

3. What made John choose the dishwasher?

A．Its unique look.

B．Its market value.

C．Its convenience.

4. What inspired John’s design?

A．Beaches.

B．Rock pools.

C．Glass.

4 . How was the final match?

A．Boring.

B．Tense.

C．One-sided.

5 . Here are some activities you might be interested in.

Watermedia Showcase

Prize: $2,500 first prize, $1,250 second prize

Entry Fee: $35 per entry

Requirements: Open to international artists 18 years of age and older

The Watermedia Showcase awards original art created primarily with water-based media on a surface created for water media. Judged by the editors of Watercolor Artist, all winners and honorable mentions will have their works featured in the magazine.

Jackson’s Painting Prize

Prize: £6,000 first prize

Entry Fee: £5 per entry

Requirements: Open to international artists of all ages

Jackson’s Painting Prize was created to reward excellence in two-dimensional (维度的) works of fine art. Both painting and drawing media are accepted and in addition to the main prize, there are also awards for best watercolor, and people’s choice.

The Lumen Prize for Digital Art

Prize: $4,000 first prize, with a $13,500 total prize fund

Entry Fee: $40 for two works ($ 32 for two works if submitted prior to March 24)

Requirements: Open to artists worldwide

This digital art competition is organized by Lumen Art Projects Ltd, a non-profit organization that’s dedicated to providing new opportunities for digital artists around the world. The contest guidelines are relatively loose — the only requirement is that the submitted artworks must somehow engage with technology.

Animago Award

Prize: £3,000 cash prize for Best Young Production

Entry Fee: Free

Requirements: Open to artists worldwide

For over 20 years the Animago Award competition has spotlighted talent in the fields of 3D animation (动画) and stills, visual effects, visualization, and design. Organized by the German magazine Digital Production, all winners are announced at the annual Animago conference in Munich, Germany.

1. What is special about Watermedia Showcase?

A．Artists needn’t pay any to enter it.	B．Artists of first prize will win £6,000.
C．No artist younger than 18 is allowed.	D．It’s organized by a non-profit organization.

2. Which of the following is held by a magazine in Germany?

A．Watermedia Showcase.	B．Jackson’s Painting Prize.
C．The Lumen Prize for Digital Art.	D．Animago Award.

3. Where is this text probably taken from?

A．A travel brochure.

B．A contest guide.

C．A course plan.

D．An academic article.

6 . A pacer is someone who runs in races or marathons to help set the pace for runners. There are different types of pacers. A race pacer usually carries a sign highlighting a specific competition time for a race. He helps runners reach their goals without relying on technology, such as a smart watch or GPS. Professional pacers are used in long-distance races. They run at different sections of the race to inspire runners. A record pacer helps a professional runner set a new record, who often leads the race for a predetermined distance at a predetermined pace.

A runner being paced runs directly following a pacer. Having a pacer can be helpful for a long-distance runner because researches show that it takes more energy to lead in a race all through the race than to follow another runner. The pacer takes on the responsibility of timing and establishing the pace so the runner only has to focus on his own running. Having a pacer as a guide in a long race can take some of the stress and pressure off by keeping an even pace. The pacer may also provide encouragement along the way to work towards the goal.

There are times, though, when running with a pacer can be more stressful than beneficial for a runner — especially for amateur runners. Not having taken professional training, you set a goal to run a particular pace, but then you realize this may not be the best speed for you. In some cases, the pacer is running too quickly for what you can stand. Other times, you could misjudge your abilities and run a slower pace than what your body can bear.

It is important to note that you don’t have to stay with a pacer just because you started with him. If you feel strong at the end and want to finish faster, you can run ahead. Or if he is too fast, you could slow down and maybe even join the slower pace group behind you.

1. What does a record pacer do?

A．He provides technical support.

B．He helps a runner keep the record.

C．He offers medical help to a runner.

D．He leads a professional runner at a speed set beforehand.

2. What does the underlined word “amateur” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Injured.

B．Legendary.

C．Unprofessional.

D．Graceful.

3. What advice does the author give us in the last paragraph?

A．Changing pacers from time to time.

B．Following the pacer strictly all through the race.

C．Giving up something and preparing for a breakthrough.

D．Listening to your body and doing what feels right for you.

4. In which section of a website can the text be found?

A．Sport and fitness.	B．Science and technology.
C．History and culture.	D．Health and lifestyle.

7 . 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。

The International Public Speaking Competition, the largest of its kind in the world, takes place in London in May each year. This year, two Chinese students took part in the competition and     1     (impress) the judges and audience with their English-language ability. “We were all     2     (amaze) at their ability to express     3     (they). It’s excellent English,” said Lucia Dumont Renard, one of the judges.

When     4     (ask) about their feelings, the two Chinese students said that they were very excited and proud. “I think I generally did a great job. I expressed all of the thoughts that I meant     5     (express), and I’m very proud to stand among all the international     6     (competitor),” said Liu Bowen from Peking University. Wu Dongxu comes from Hangzhou and he talked about his hometown during one speech in the competition. He said, “I think this is     7     valuable opportunity for me to come here, to say something about China, and to introduce China to the outside world.”

More     8     (important), the two Chinese students believed that the competition was much more     9     simply presenting speeches. For them, the competition was a very memorable journey of cultural communication. And it enabled them to meet young people from other parts of the world to make friendships     10     will last a lifetime.

8 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What did the woman’s father think of her plan?

A．It was a fantastic idea.

B．It wasn’t suitable for her.

C．It wasn’t an interesting sport.

2. How did the woman feel before the marathon started?

A．Confident.

B．Nervous.

C．Painful.

3. What do we know about the woman’s father?

A．He offended her daughter a little.

B．He knew his daughter very much.

C．He promised to help his daughter train.

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。

When I was six, I played my first soccer game. It was a real game, complete with coaches, uniforms, and parents cheering from the sidelines.

Our two teams, Team One and Team Two, seemed pretty evenly matched, at least in the beginning. The first period ended without a single goal scored by either side. We were all still learning how to play the game properly, and our inexperience ran through this part. We stumbled over the ball, tripped over our own feet, and often completely missed our kicks. But what mattered most was that we were having fun, pure and simple.

The second quarter brought a significant change in the game. Our coach decided to pull out most of our starting players and put in the substitutes (替补), except for me—I was left guarding the goal. On the other side, Team Two’s coach decided to keep their best players on the field, which made things even more challenging for us. It seemed that winning suddenly become essential, even for us six-year-olds.

Team Two started to rule the game, and I found myself surrounded by their players whenever they came near our goal. I was determined to do my best, but it was tough. I couldn’t match the skills of three or four other really good players. Team Two began to score, one goal after another. I threw myself in front of the ball with all the energy I could gather, trying desperately to stop them but in vain.

The pressure was mounting, and I could feel my frustration building with every goal that slipped past me. I shouted, I ran, and I dove, but they kept scoring. I gave it everything I had, but it seemed useless.

My parents were there on the sidelines, and I could see them in the crowd. As the game progressed, I could see the change in my father’s expression. He had been urging me to try harder, yelling advice and encouragement from the sidelines, but now he seemed different. I could see the pain in his eyes, the pain he felt seeing me struggle. It made me want to cry.

注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Team Two scored their fourth goal, and it was half-time break.

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In that moment, what my father said meant the world to me.

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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!”