1 . For the first time in the competition’s history, two athletes are sharing a gold medal at the World Athletics Championships.
The USA’s Katie Moon and Australia’s Nina Kennedy found themselves in a difficult situation during the women’s pole vault (撑竿跳) final. They both cleared 4.90 meters, but neither managed to clear 4. 95 meters on any of their three attempts.
Kennedy says she looked at Moon and said, “Hey, girl, maybe you want to share this?”
“And the relief on her face — and you could see it on my face — and it was mutual (相互的). And yeah, absolutely incredible to share a medal with Katie Moon. You know, we’ve been friends for so long, so it’s super special,” Kennedy told reporters after the final.
Thousands of fans were on their feet at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary, for Date 5of the competition, which hosts almost 2,000 athletes from 192 countries. The dramatic event lasted two hours and ten minutes. Katie Moon told FloTrack that as the final progressed, it became clear that very little separated the two athletes.
As the competition was going. I kept thinking. “I don’t want this to go to a jump-off (加赛),” Moon told sports journalist Anderson Emerole. “This competition was the toughest battle I’d say that I’ve had. It was very emotionally draining (消耗), and I think that’s why both of us were feeling like. ‘We’re not really feeling the jump- off right now.’”
It was Moon’s second consecutive gold medal at the World Championships. She also w on an Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021. With a personal record of 4. 95meters. Moon appeared to be the favorite.
Kennedy, however, did not back down. Not only did she set a new personal record, but she also broke the Australian record by eight centimeters when she sailed over the 4.90-meter high bar. She held back tears after the career-defining leap.
“It was a miracle to get the gold. I think a miracle happened tonight.” Kennedy told reporters.
1. What did Nina Kennedy suggest Katie Moon do?| A．Continue the competition. | B．Take a break first. |
| C．Share the gold medal. | D．Let go of the fear. |
| A．Joyful. | B．Confused. | C．Mixed. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．They felt tired physically and mentally when competing. |
| B．They didn’t take the competition seriously. |
| C．They were looking forward to a jump-off. |
| D．They hadn’t won a gold medal before. |
| A．4.80 meters. | B．4.82 meters. | C．4.95meters. | D．4.98 meters. |
2 . “The Worthington Christian defeated the Westerville North by 2—1 in an Ohio boys’ soccer game on Saturday.” That’s according to a story that appeared last month in The Columbus Dispatch. That lead was written not by a sportswriter, but by an artificial intelligence (AI) tool.
Many news organizations are now examining how AI might be used in their work. But if they begin their “experimenting” with high school sports because they are less momentous than war, peace, climate change and politics, they may miss something crucial. Nothing may be more important to the students who play high school sports, and to their families, neighborhoods, and sometimes, the whole town. That next game is what the students train for, work toward, and dream about. Someday, almost all student athletes will go on to have jobs in front of screens, in office parks, at schools, in hospitals or on construction sites. They may suffer blows and setbacks. But the high school games they played and watched, as well as their hopes and cheers, will stay vivid in their memories.
I have a small idea. If newspapers will no longer send staff reporters to cover high school games, why not hire high school student journalists? News organizations can pay students an hourly wage to cover high school games. The young reporters might learn how to be fair to all sides, write vividly, and attract readers. That’s what some celebrities in sports did, and do.
And think of the great writers who were inspired by sports: Hemingway on fishing, Bernard Malamud and Marianne Moore on baseball, Chen Zhongshi on football, and CLR James on cricket, who said, “There can be raw pain and bleeding where so many thousands see the inevitable (不可避免的) ups and downs of only a game.” A good high school writer, unlike a robot, could tell readers not just the score, but the stories of the game.
1. Why is the lead mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To introduce an original idea. | B．To show AI’s wide application. |
| C．To bring in the opinion about AI. | D．To stress AI’s importance to news. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Eye-catching. | C．Competitive. | D．Far-reaching. |
| A．Rich in contents. | B．Fair in comments. |
| C．Centered on results. | D．Targeted on readers. |
| A．News Organizations Are Abusing AI | B．High Schoolers Can Do What AI Can’t |
| C．Great Writers Are Crazy About Sports | D．AI Ruins High School Students’ Memory |
3 . Entering competitions can be fun, and it’s a good way to hone（磨炼）your skills. While you can’t expect to win every time, you can increase your chances of winning with the right strategy and preparation. These are general tips that can be applied to your competition of choice.
Research and choose the right competition.
Don’t psych yourself out. Plenty of people get scared off by a competition’s requirements and don’t enter in the first place.
Learn your competition. Remember that you’re not competing with everyone in the competition. There may be many applicants and candidates, but there will only be a few contenders（竞争者）and finalists.
Make a checklist. Everyone has different productivity styles. If it helps, consider making a training checklist.
| A．Stick to your training. |
| B．Others drop out along the way. |
| C．Give yourself encouraging reminders. |
| D．Focus on understanding and beating them. |
| E．This is the time to set reasonable and achievable goals. |
| F．It provides you a sense of accomplishment along the way. |
| G．It might be important if you don’t have a coach to guide you. |
4 . Kenya’s EliudKipchoge made history by running the 26.2 miles in less than two hours, faster than any other person in history. His time of 1:59:40 required him to maintain an average pace of about 4:35 per mile!
Upon crossing the finish line, Kipchoge, who spent four months training, said, “That was the best moment of my life. The pressure was very big on my shoulders. I got a phone call from the President of Kenya.”
The Prater Park course in Vienna, Austria, was carefully selected, taking into account factors like temperature and wind speed to ensure the perfect racing. His speed was maintained by 41 medium and long-distance runners. An electric car projected a green laser ahead of the runners to guide them along the best route. To save time, Kipchoge was fed pre-prepared drinks and energy on the course at 3.1-mile intervals.
The historic run was Kipchoge’s second attempt at breaking the two-hour marathon barrier. The Kenyan runner first tried to accomplish the feat on May 6, 2017, at Nike’s Breaking2 event, which took place on a Formula One racetrack in Monza, Italy. However, while Kipchoge’s 2:00:25 time was the fastest ever attained by a human, it was not under the desired two hours. However, the lack of acknowledgement does not bother Kipchoge.
Kipchoge was not the only Kenyan runner to make headlines that weekend. On Sunday, October 13, 2019, Brigid Kosgei made history of her own at the Chicago Marathon. Her time of 2:14:04, outpaced British runner Paula Radcliffe ‘s 16-year-old record by an impressive 81 seconds, earning Kosgei the title of the world’s fastest female marathoner!
1. Why did Kipchoge have bigger pressure?| A．He intended to make history. |
| B．The president of Kenya rang him. |
| C．The coming marathon was fierce. |
| D．His training was harder than ever. |
| A．Tell us Kipchoge’s determination. |
| B．Summarize Kipchoge’s contributions. |
| C．Praise Kipchoge for his thoughtfulness. |
| D．Show Kipchoge planned the marathon carefully. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Astonished. | C．Upset. | D．Calm. |
| A．Beat. | B．Equaled. | C．Stuck. | D．Set. |
5 . 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: FREEDeadline 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: FREEDeadline 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: FREEDeadline 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: FREEDeadline 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
6 . Courtney Rich of Utah, was running in the Salt Lake City marathon. But as she headed into Mile 24, she began to feel the one thing that she didn’t want to do: collapse. It began creeping up on her and then suddenly overtook her.
“I wanted them to see Mom finish strongly. Those are things I tell my kids as often as I can when things are hard or they’re playing in their own sports. ‘Just do your best and that best is going to be a little different every day,’” she said. But at that moment, she knew she wasn’t going to be able to finish the race. “When I can feel my legs slowing down and I know I’m going to disappoint my kids,” Rich said. “By Mile 24… I looked at my watch and that’s when I called my husband and was in tears,” she said. “I was just having a little pity party for myself for a minute.”
“Next thing I knew, my daughter ran out,” Rich recounted. “I kind of saw her out of the corner of my left eye and I realized it was Avery. I just put a huge smile on my face. I stuck out my hand, she grabbed it and all of a sudden, my legs that were hurting and the heaviness of my body just felt lighter and we just ran to the finish line hand in hand.”
The proud mom said Avery told her that she did what she knew her mom needed at that moment. “That is absolutely Avery’s character. She sees people. She has sympathy. She notices people and is aware of just feelings and needs,” Rich said.
“Don’t ever brush aside the inspiration to do a small act of kindness for someone because you just never know what impact that will have on people,” Rich added.
1. What happened to Rich on Mile 24?| A．She was disturbed by a party. | B．She was overcome by tiredness. |
| C．She was struggling to cross the finish line. | D．She received an unexpected call from her husband. |
| A．Confused. | B．Refreshed. | C．Astonished. | D．Worried. |
| A．She is reliable and creative. | B．She is energetic and friendly. |
| C．She is sympathetic and considerate. | D．She is ambitious and intelligent. |
| A．Failure is often the case in our life. |
| B．Inspiration is more important to a successful mother. |
| C．We should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. |
| D．The smallest moment of kindness can have a huge impact. |
7 . The 2022 Federation International Football Association ( FIFA ) World Cup kicks off this month, with more than 30 teams participating. Here is some information about it.
In the tournament’s 92- year history, only eight countries have won this year, Brazil goes in as the big favorite, the host nation automatically earns an invite, though Qatar will need a miracle to win the champion.
This is the first time the Cup is being held in the Middle East — and during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter. Summer temps in Qatar regularly top 100 degrees , so for the safety of both athletes and spectators, organizers pushed the contest out to late November when the weather is more mild .
Russia basically disqualified itself from this year’s Cup. In a preliminary qualification round, the Russians had to beat at least two of the three other teams in their pool . But all three — Poland, Sweden and the Czech Republic refused to play against Russia in protest of its invasion of Ukraine, FIFA then disqualified the Russian team .
While the U.S. men have never won a World Cup title, the U.S. women’s team has won four , including the previous two tournaments. The women play every four years, just like the men , but not on the same schedule. The next women’ s World Cup will be held in 2023 in Australia and New Zealand .
Budweiser(百威) is a major sponsor of this year’ s Cup. what’s the problem? Public drinking is outlawed in Qatar. In an attempt at compromise, drinks will be sold before and after the matches but not during, and they won’ t be allowed in stadium seating areas .
1. Where will the 2022 World Cup be held?| A．Qatar | B．Brazil | C．America | D．Russia |
| A．Russia is qualified for the match. |
| B．FIFA takes climate into consideration. |
| C．Football fans can drink beer when watching the match. |
| D．The men’s and the women’s World Cup starts at the same time. |
| A．Culture | B．Travel | C．Sports | D．Ads |
8 . The concept of “Smart Asian Games” is deeply rooted in all aspects of preparations for Hangzhou Asian Games. Zhejiang promotes the intelligent level of Hangzhou Asian Cames with advanced technologies, and strives to present a spectacular event.
The intelligent operation & maintenance platform makes venue(场馆)management more elaborate. In Asian Games Intelligent Management Centre, various data of Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium and Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Tennis Centre such as venue energy consumption, visitor flow and traffic flow are recorded in the intelligent management platform, which is convenient for working personnel to conduct management. In addition, the smart venue management system of Tonglu Equestrian(马术)Centre also integrates meteorological(气象学的)monitoring data, to carry out real-time monitoring for weather conditions around venues, and provides guarantee for event operation.
Smart robots offer more efficient services. At Gongshu Canal Sports Park Gymnasium, smart robots can provide venue guides, event explanation, question answering and other services for audiences, and can also start the automatic patrol(巡逻)function. Moreover, the intelligent monitoring system of each venue can detect faults and inform relevant personnel on time for handling.
Advanced technology achieves a better watching experience. On the external road of Shaoxing Baseball & Softball Sports Centre, the self-driving bus decorated with Hangzhou Asian Games element patterns shuttles among Asian Games venues to facilitate the travel of audiences. Passengers can also enhance the watching experience by adjusting the interior lighting and temperature on the intelligent screen of the vehicle. Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee launches Smart Hangzhou 2022 as the first one-stop digital watching service platform in the history of the international large-scale comprehensive sports events. It provides the one-stop service from ticket purchase, travel and watching to accommodation, catering and tourism.
1. What does the underlined word “elaborate” mean?| A．Carefully organized. | B．Quickly designed. |
| C．Slowly fixed. | D．Easily built. |
| A．Inform questions. | B．Guide audiences. |
| C．Collect data. | D．Handle errors. |
| A．Smart Hangzhou 2023. | B．Smart lighting system in accommodation. |
| C．Adjustable temperature among venues. | D．The self-driving buses on the street. |
| A．Hangzhou Asian Games: the best ever Asian Games. |
| B．Hangzhou Asian Games: a spectacular visual feast. |
| C．Advanced technology: high intelligent Asian Games. |
| D．Advanced technology: a better watching experience. |
9 . As a chess coach, David Bishop is often asked the same question by his students: “Mr. Bishop, what’s your favorite chess piece?” “I get that a lot,” said Bishop, who answers that — yes— the bishop (象) is a favorite piece, after the Queen.
Bishop began playing chess at age 10 and has been addicted ever since. In 2013, Bishop retired. Then he worked as a custodian (监护人) with his friends at a local high school. A few weeks later, Bishop discovered that the school had a chess club. He asked the teacher in charge if he could help out. When that teacher retired in 2015, Bishop took over the club, and in an effort to “make it more fun”, he started a competitive team so that students interested in taking the sport more seriously could play other schools.
“It’s such a powerful game that really promotes strategy and great administration functioning,” Bishop said. “This is beyond a game; it’s critical thinking skills, which is what we want students to do out in the world. I think this is the best sport that kids can play.”
The 2019-2022 season was a particularly big one, and his students won the state finals. Jennifer Cyr, the president of the school, said Bishop has unwavering commitment to the game and to the students. “I’m so grateful for his work,” she noted. “He really inspires students to be their best.”
However, for Bishop, what is far more rewarding than the recognition, he said, is watching his students blossom into excellent players. “I love our teams, and I love seeing the progress in kids as they get older,” he said. “They also progress in their confidence and self-esteem (自尊).” Some students have gotten so good at the game, he said, that they’re “at the point where I can’t keep catching up with them. They beat me.”
1. What caused Bishop to take over the school chess club?| A．The high school’s repeated invitations. |
| B．His decades of crazy enthusiasm for chess. |
| C．The desire to solve the students’ problems. |
| D．His decades of dream of becoming a coach. |
| A．By winning series of chess competitions. |
| B．By performing administration functioning. |
| C．By shaping the students through competitions. |
| D．By accessing the students’ critical thinking skills. |
| A．It was a form of social practice. | B．It could make him more confident. |
| C．It earned more respect for the students. | D．It was far beyond workout for the brain. |
| A．Convincing. | B．Responsive. | C．Creative. | D．Praiseworthy. |
10 . 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 |
