1 . The design of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic torch (火炬) was shown on July 25, marking almost a year until the opening ceremony (典礼) of the Paris Olympic Games.
The torch, measuring 70 centimeters and weighing 3.3 pounds, is made with lightweight radiant steel and is known for its champagne color, a color of French white wine.
Mathieu Lehanneur, the designer of the torch said that he drew inspiration from three Paris 2024 symbols-equality, water and peacefulness. Equality is shown by perfect balance. Peacefulness is shown by the gentleness of the curves. The lower half features a relief pattern that copies the movement of the River Seine, along which the opening ceremony will be held.
It will be the first torch in the history of the Games to be used for both the Olympics and Paralympics. Past designs have shared similarities but are different in shape and color. This is part of the organizing committee’s plan to “build bridges between the Olympic and Paralympic Games”, Paris 2024’s president Tony Estanguet said in a statement.
Equality means putting the same ambition into organising the Paralympic Games as the Olympic Games. Following on from the medals to the mascots, the Olympic and Paralympic Games will share the same torch design.
Equality in the Paris 2024 project is also reflected in the strong promise to equality in the Olympic Games: For the first time in the history of the Games, as many women as men will take part in the competitions. Reflecting this desire for peace, the torch, with its curves and rounded lines, is filled with gentleness. The design of the torch delivers generosity and unity.
“Such a project is a dream for a designer, because it’s a project that connects something symbolic and technical in one, for a big moment,” Lehanneur said.
1. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?| A．The shape of the torch. |
| B．The inspiration of the torch. |
| C．The ceremony of the Games. |
| D．The location of the opening ceremony. |
| A．It is very heavy. |
| B．It is perfect in shape. |
| C．It copies the movement of the River Seine |
| D．It will be used in the Olympics and Paralympics |
| A．He had a passion for sports. |
| B．He wanted to be a well-known designer. |
| C．He felt a sense of achievement and pride. |
| D．He wished to connect everything together. |
| A．A designer realized his dream | B．Inspiration of the 2024 Games |
| C．Paris 2024 showed torch design | D．Equality, water and peacefulness |
An impossible peace
Once upon a time, on a piece of land there lived giants and dragons, who had been enemies for years on end. However, after years of bloody fights, they had learned a lot. They were no longer so foolish as to wage wars with terrible battles in which thousands died. Now, every year they held bowling matches instead. A giant competed against a dragon. Whoever lost would become the winner’s slave. If a dragon won, he could use the giant’s muscles for all that heavy lifting. If a giant won, he would have free flights and fire for the whole year.
That was how they prevented their deaths and yet with the match going round and round, they hated each other more and more. Every year the winners were so cruel to the losers, in revenge (报复) for the time they had lost. The losers would be at the mercy of the winners, giants tired from lifting loads while dragons worn out from constant flying and breathing fire. There came a time when what mattered most was not winning the bowling match, but not losing.
Yonk the Giant was the best bowler, and the most afraid. He had never lost. Many dragons had been his slaves and they were dying to see him lose so they could get their revenge. This was why Yonk was terrified of losing. Especially since last year’s match, when he missed his first ever strike, he had decided that something had to change.
The following year he won again. When he arrived home, his slave dragon feared the worst but Yonk did nothing bad to him, for he had a different idea in mind.
“This year you will not be my slave. We will go bowling and I will teach you all of my techniques and secrets. But you must promise me one thing: when you win your match next year, you will not be cruel to your giant. Do the same as I am doing with you.”
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。
The dragon gladly accepted.
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Much later Yonk lost his first bowling match but he was no longer afraid of losing.
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3 . FIFA World Cup 2022 is under way in Qatar and it again sets off a football wave in the whole world. Recently, CNN has released a new documentary, Super Eagles 96 to help us recall a glorious football team story. When Nigeria’s national football team competed at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, few thought it could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with countries like Argentina and Brazil. But the team, lovingly nicknamed the Super Eagles, stunned the footballing world by winning the gold medal.
The documentary by filmmaker Yemi Bamiro, shows a brief but important moment in Nigerian history. The Super Eagles team was coached by Dutchman Jo Bonfrere, but it’s another Dutch coach Clemens Westerhof who is widely credited for much of the team’s success. Before Westherhof, Nigeria had never qualified for a World Cup before. Under Westerhof, the team worked hard to overcome its mixed fortunes and finally won the World Cup. “The Super Eagles are superheroes, ”Bamiro told CNN. “Their winning makes the whole country proud especially in those hard times. ”
Though their training and living conditions were terrible, their Olympic journey fancinated audiences. Nigeria first made it to the quarterfinals, beating Mexico 2-0. Though losing to Brazil earlier in the tournament, Nigeria beat the four-time World Cup-winning nation 4-3 in the semi-final, before pulling off a historic 3-2 win in the final over an Argentina team that featured international stars including Hernan Crespo and Claudio Lopez.
For Bamiro, the story of the team was impossible to tell without explaining the country’s turbulent politics at that time, leaving the whole nation at a mess. “It’s a big country but only football unites Nigerians together, “recalled Bamiro. He believed the victory was not just a win for the team, but a win for the country. For a brief moment, Nigerians were able to forget their troubles and celebrate in unity. “It’s a story about overcoming challenges, achieving something that no one expected them to achieve, ”he said.
1. Which word can replace the underlined word “stunned” in Paragraph 1?| A．Puzzled. | B．Shocked. | C．Amused. | D．Moved. |
| A．The country Nigeria features many international football stars. |
| B．The country Argentina has never qualified for a World Cup before. |
| C．The coach Bonfrere was credited for the team to win the World Cup. |
| D．The filmmaker Bamiro shows great respect to the Super Eagles team. |
| A．Nigeria team’s journey of winning the gold medal. |
| B．Nigeria’s terrible political situation at Olympics. |
| C．Nigeria team’s poor living conditions while training. |
| D．Nigeria’s crazy football fans for great achievements. |
| A．The victory wins a good chance to develop only for the team. |
| B．The documentary leaves Nigeria at a mess with mixed politics. |
| C．The victory gives Nigerians an inspiration to unite against challenges. |
| D．The documentary shows no one expected the team to win the champion. |
4 . China Daily and its Study China platform ( studychina.chinaservicesinfo.com ) are holding a story-telling contest from April to May 31, 2022.
International students who study or used to study in China are welcome to share their campus life.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
■Works in three categories: Articles; Photos; Videos
■Languages in either English or Chinese are preferred.
WHAT YOU CAN GET
We offer a prize worth up to 10,000 yuan ( approximately $1,563 ). Some of the best works get a chance to be featured on China Daily app ( with 36 million users ) and studychina.chinaservicesinfo.com.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Articles & Photos
Article: 300-1,000 English or Chinese words
Photo: 10 photos maximum, 5MB for each; each with a caption up to 200 English words; format in JPG or PNG
Videos
Format: MP4 or MOV
Size: 1GB maximum, up to 4 minutes.
Caption: 200-500 English words to give a brief introduction.
SUBMIT HERE
*Click the button to see the full text of the statement
Contact us: shenyjia@chinadaily.om.cn
gaowenjun@chinadaily.com.cn
1. What is the theme of the story-telling contest?| A．Campus life in China. | B．Foreign cultures and customs. |
| C．Personal experiences of reading China Daily. | D．Videos and photos introducing China. |
| A．By posting a video format in JPG. | B．By uploading a five minutes’ video. |
| C．By sending 12 photos, each with a caption. | D．By submitting an article of 500 English words. |
| A．A magazine. | B．A website. | C．A newspaper. | D．A textbook. |
