1 . In a small wooden sauna (蒸汽浴), a team of 14 people in costumes squeezed in, including one in a Spider-Man suit. Steam hovered overhead. Three minutes were on the clock. At exactly three minutes, everyone rushed out, found their robes and set out in the snow searching for the next stop in the winter race.

At the 13th European Sauna Marathon, teams dragged through ice and snow to clock three minutes in 18 different saunas over one afternoon. Each team is given a map and an electronic tracker to keep everyone honest on their three minutes. Some locations are nearly 30 miles away. At this year’s competition, in early February, I joined a team to complete the circuit, sweating through the steam and jumping into ice holes at top speed.

One of the competition categories is to vote on the best sauna experience. Participants vote by heat, music, snacks and novelty. This year’s winner was a sauna in the sky, equipped with a wood-burning stove lifted 50 feet in the air by an industrial crane while each team sweated inside. When the sauna hit the ground, a charming cowboy handed out ice-cold sweet drinks as a goodbye.

Most of the saunas are run by local enthusiasts, friendly families and businesses giving out pre-sauna beers and grilled meats. One was a hobbit house with a snowy roof slide that ended in an ice hole. Another served as part of the relief effort after this sauna competition.

This year registration sold out within two hours. The entries are capped at 200 teams. But organizers say they hold 40 places for teams from abroad to experience Estonian sauna culture. I made it to all the saunas, and my preference was beekeeper’s sauna with an ice hole. For my part, the whole journey is less marathon and more festival — celebrating all things sauna. It’s definitely worth a try after a whole day’s tiring work.

1. What can we know about the 13th European Sauna Marathon?

A．Participants are supposed to compete at will.

B．Participants are not permitted to team up with others.

C．Participants experience different saunas within one afternoon.

D．Participants wear identical clothes throughout the competition.

2. What is mainly talked about in paragraph 2 and 3?

A．The content of the sauna competition.

B．Guidance on how to assess the sauna competition.

C．The author’s skills in excelling at the competition.

D．The author’s efforts to finish the sauna competition.

3. How did the author feel after the competition?

A．Panicked and frightened.	B．Satisfied and refreshed.
C．Astonished and embarrassed.	D．Fearful and sorrowful.

4. In which column of a magazine can we probably read the text?

A．Life Style

B．Cultural Thinking

C．Sports Club

D．Fashion Costume

2 . Australian tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis has celebrated one of his toughest victories, channelling (贯注) all his fighting spirit to claim a second round French Open win over a former champion.

Kokkinakis beat 2015 Roland Garros champion, Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka, in a five-set marathon to win 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3. Kokkinakis, 27, was left to regret a slow start to the fourth set tie-break (决胜局) as Wawrinka raced to a 5-0 lead to force a deciding set. But Kokkinakis opened the fifth set with a 4-0 run. Wawrinka then saved four match points, but couldn’t stop Aussie, who won in four hours and 38 minutes. It was a huge relief for Kokkinakis to win, having lost previous five sets, second round epic to British champion Andy Murray at the Australian Open in January.

“I think the first set and a half he was playing was the best tennis he can play,” said Kokkinakis. “I was just trying to hang in there. I lost a match in a Grand Slam (大赛) earlier this year against Murray; I didn’t want to do it against another legend. He never went away. It seemed like when he was down, he was playing better tennis, but I just trusted myself and I’m so happy.”

“Back in the third round on clay, who would have thought it for an Australian, but my game suits it here, I love it.2015 was the last time I won a match at Roland Garros and I made the third round...”

Kokkinakis will now face Karen Khachanov, the big hitting Russian who ended Kokkinakis’ childhood friend and doubles partner (双打搭档) Nick Kyrgios’ golden run at the US Open last year.

1. How did Kokkinakis feel after becoming champion?

A．Worried.

B．Relieved.

C．Shocked.

D．Worn.

2. What can be inferred from Kokkinakis’ words in Paragraph 3?

A．He placed a trust in his power.	B．He was content with the first set.
C．He was inspired by opponent’s spirits.	D．He resolved to be a legend in his field.

3. Who was once Kokkinakis’ partner?

A．Stan Wawrinka.	B．Andy Murray.
C．Karen Khachanov.	D．Nick Kyrgios.

4. What is the text?

A．A news report.	B．A short story.
C．A diary,	D．A research article.

3 . ONE CEREMONY, SEVERAL FIRSTS

The Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games will be bold, original and unique. On 26 July 2024, Paris 2024 will offer an Opening Ceremony that is certain to join the most memorable moments in Olympic history.

A ceremony outside a stadium

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Summer Games, the Opening Ceremony will not take place in a stadium. Paris 2024 is breaking new ground by bringing sports and the Opening Ceremony into the city, set to be held in the heart of the city along its main river: the Seine (塞纳河).

A ceremony on the river

Taking on a new look, the parade of athletes will be held on the Seine with boats for each national delegation (代表团). These boats will be equipped with cameras to allow television and online viewers to see the athletes up close. Winding their way from east to west, the 10,500 athletes will cross through the centre of Paris.

A ceremony with free admission for many spectators

Holding a ceremony open to a large audience, with no admission fee for most of its spectators, is a major first. Fans won’t need tickets to access the upper quays (码头), but those wishing to access the lower quays will need to buy tickets. Eighty giant screens and strategically placed speakers will allow everyone to enjoy the magical atmosphere of this show throughout Paris.

A ceremony designed for and by athletes

By opening with the parade of athletes, Paris 2024 is breaking with tradition. Athletes will be featured on stage during the introduction to and throughout the ceremony as part of Paris 2024’s constant aim to hold Games created for and by athletes.

1. Where will the Opening Ceremony of Paris 2024 be held?

A．On the quays beside the Seine.

B．In the city center along the Seine.

C．In a stadium near the heart of Paris.

D．On the eastern and western ends of Paris.

2. What do we know about the admission fee?

A．No admission fee is required.

B．Access to the lower quays is free.

C．Tickets should be bought for the upper quays.

D．Some viewers pay for watching the ceremony.

3. What is the main idea of this text?

A．The history of the Olympics.	B．The procedure of Paris 2024.
C．The novel points of a ceremony.	D．The charging rules of a ceremony.

4 . The showers couldn’t cloud high spirits at the Washington State School for the Blind’s annual track meet on Thursday in Vancouver, where more than a hundred students with visual impairments (损伤) competed in the running, jumping, throwing and more.

“This event allows students to participate with their equals,” said Jennifer Butcher, who’s worked as a fitness instructor at the school for 23 years. “A lot of times they can only compete against sighted students, so this gives them the opportunity to have a level playing field.”

On a typical track, lanes are divided by white lines painted onto the ground: a design that doesn’t account for those who are blind or visually impaired. The track at the Washington State School for the Blind features a built-in metal guide rail along the inside lane, as well as thin guide wires to separate lanes. As competitors launch from their starting spots, they’re able to alongside the guide wires, holding out their hands to help guide themselves along.

“I thought I did really well; the wires gave me confidence,” said Ryker Register, who had dominated his 50-meter heat just moments ago. Since he began to go blind at age 6, he’s been participating in similar running events on smaller scales. “It’s really cool seeing so many other blind people. This is more like a real track meet. It was cool hearing them announce my name,” he said, pointing to the nearby stand where announcers were stationed, playing music and providing live commentary on the various competition taking place throughout day.

“It’s a day of getting together and smiling too much,” said McCormick, the school’s headmaster. “We have high standards for accessibility,” he said, “Modeling that for parents is great; it’s a day without barriers. This really gives people an idea of what accessibility looks like if it’s thoughtfully planned.”

1. In what way was Thursday’s track meet special?

A．It allowed the blind to compete with the sighted.

B．It was targeted at students with impaired vision.

C．It was held on a high-level playing field.

D．It involved many fitness instructors.

2. What did competitors rely on to find their direction?

A．White lines along the lane.	B．Guide rails on the ground.
C．Thin guide wires.	D．Separated lanes.

3. What excited Register concerning the track meet?

A．the large scale.	B．The intense competition.
C．The perfect sporting venues.	D．The professional commentary.

4. What can be inferred from McCormick’s words?

A．Parents should be models for their kids.

B．Accessibility is quite difficult to achieve.

C．The track meet leaves much to be desired.

D．His school offers students access-friendly facilities.

5 . Officials have unveiled the gold, silver and bronze medals that will be awarded at this summer’s Olympic games in Paris, and each one contains a unique souvenir: a fragment (碎片) of waste iron from the Eiffel Tower.

“It’s the opportunity for the athletes to bring back a piece of Paris with them,” Thierry Reboul, creative director of Paris 2024, told reporters last week. “The absolute symbol of Paris and France is the Eiffel Tower.”

The Eiffel Tower opened in 1889 and during the later repair work, some of the original iron was cut off and preserved over time. Now, some of those preserved metal fragments have found new homes.

Each new Olympic me dal features a piece of Eiffel Tower iron — though the signature “Eiffel Tower brown” paint has been removed. These pieces have been shaped into hexagons (六边形), which is the “shape of France”. Besides, there are words “Paris 2024”, the Olympic rings and the Games logo, which looks like a flame or the face of a woman with a bob haircut.

How did they think of such an idea? Joachim Roncin, head of design at the Paris Games organizing committee told the press, “We talked about the design many times and realized that there’s one symbol known across the world, which is the Eiffel Tower. We said to ourselves, ‘Hey, what if we approached the Eiffel Tower Operating Company to see if it’s possible to get a bit of the Eiffel Tower to integrate into the medal?’”

When the Eiffel Tower Operating Company agreed to volunteer pieces of original iron, “the dream became reality,” adds Roncin.

The medals, designed by the luxury Paris jewelry house Chaumet, make people think of the Eiffel Tower in several other ways. The pieces of iron are secured by what looks like special nails that hold the structure together, and the medals’ ribbons are decorated with patterns of the tower’s latticework structure.

The iron fragments are set in recycled silver, gold and bronze disks. Over 5,000 medals are being made.

1. What does Thierry mean by saying “bring back a piece of Paris”?

A．The athletes will buy souvenirs about Paris.

B．The athletes will take many photos of Paris.

C．Part of the athletes’ medal is from the symbol of Paris.

D．The Eiffel Tower will be left in the athletes’ memory.

2. What is mainly talked about in paragraph 4?

A．The symbolic meaning of the hexagons.

B．The shape and material of the Olympic medal.

C．The processing technique of the Eiffel Tower iron pieces.

D．The design of the Eiffel Tower iron fragment on the medal.

3. How did the designers get the idea of adding the waste iron?

A．From a strange dream.	B．By asking for the public.
C．Through their discussion.	D．By studying the Eiffel Tower.

4. What can we infer about the new Olympic medals?

A．They are innovative.	B．They are light.
C．They have six sides.	D．They are golden-colored.

6 . Ready for a creative journey like never before? Welcome back to Axis Bank Splash! We are excited to invite you to dive into a world of imagination, where colors, words, and creativity come to life. But this year promises to be more exciting as entries showing your talents in drawing, craft, and literature are highly anticipated.

Themes

Choose the themes suiting yourself.

Group	Theme
Kids 7—10	Helping One Another
Kids 11—14	Making The World A Kinder Place

Prizes

The excitement doesn’t end with just showing your creativity. Winners in each age group have the chance to win fantastic prizes.

Cash Rewards: A generous reward awaits those whose creativity stands out.

Customized Campus Tours: Absorb yourself in the creative environment with a customized tour of noted art and design campuses.

Virtual Workshops from NID: Learn from the best! Winners will have the opportunity to attend virtual workshops conducted by the National Institute of Design (NID), a celebrated institution in design education.

Registration

Click on “Register”, add your phone number, and fill in the OTP (One-time Password). Fill in the “Submission Category” and attach your creative file. Need guidance? If yes, check out the sample submission here.

Don’t miss the chance to make a hit with your creativity. We are waiting for your masterpieces!

1. What is Axis Bank Splash?

A．An organization.

B．An art museum.

C．A tour.

D．A contest.

2. What will the winners get?

A．A check reward.	B．Admission to NID.
C．A visit to art colleges.	D．Access to design studios.

3. What is required for submission?

A．Completing the submission category.	B．Changing the password first.
C．Submitting the work by email.	D．Referring to the given sample.

7 . My 10-year-old son and two friends attended a 2-hour fantastic basketball camp on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A few minutes before the session ended, there was a shooting contest. Only a few kids were chosen to compete, and my son was not one of them. The contest winners received prizes and recognition, as did a few kids chosen as “all-stars” for effort, skill and participation. Again, my son was not selected.

My son was struggling to deal with his disappointment.

At the camp, he played a basketball game with kids he had never met, guarded them fiercely and took shots easily against them. As his mom, I was thrilled that he spent the day without his iPad. All in all, the day felt wonderful. The last thing I wanted was for these awards to ruin the experience.

I decided to simplify it for him. I did the math and figured out the shooting contest and awards were about 6% of the total camp. The rest of the camp, the parts that he enjoyed, were 94% of the day. Even though the kid loves math, it was hard for him to see the contests and awards as a small part of his day.

My son once told me about a negative situation that played out at recess（课间休息）. The way he explained it felt like the disagreement lasted hours, but it turns out it was only the last few minutes of recess.

Now is the time for me as the parent to help my kids think more positively. If my son leaves a half-day camp and most of the day was great —that’s a win. If our family is able to go to Florida over winter break and enjoy time together, away from the everyday headaches, that’s also a win. We can acknowledge the aspects that disappoint us, as long as we are willing to then focus on the bigger picture.

It starts with me and my husband. Our kids will model the behavior we show. They need to see us thinking positively and not hyper-focusing on the negative 6%.

1. Why did the author’s son become so disappointed?

A．He spent the day without his iPad.	B．He missed out on a basketball contest.
C．His mother didn’t turn up in a contest.	D．He didn’t gain awards in a shooting contest.

2. What is the author’s purpose in citing those figures in Paragraph 4?

A．To help her son to think positively.	B．To arouse her son’s interest in math.
C．To emphasize the disappointing aspects.	D．To simplify the process of the shooting contest.

3. What will the author do next probably?

A．Do the math.	B．Set an example.
C．Start a project.	D．Learn from other parents.

4. What can be concluded from the text according to the author?

A．Practice makes perfect.	B．Every coin has two sides.
C．The bigger picture matters.	D．Adversity makes a wise man.

8 . Skeet shooting is a type of target sport in which the shooter uses a special gun to hit moving clay target, which are sometimes referred to as “clay pigeons (陶土飞靶)”. This target sport is an important, competitive sport in the Olympic games.     1    

Skeet shooting was invented by the bird hunter in the early nineteenth century under the original name of “clock shooting”. The game was changed slightly and reached a wider audience over the coming years. Once, a competition was held to determine a new name for this shooting game.     2     The term “skeet” is a Scandinavian word meaning “to shoot”.

Today, skeet shooting is as American as apple pie and McDonald’s. At first, fans of the sport were male, but now, a fair number of women also love skeet shooting.     3     For friends or families, skeet shooting at a sporting club can be a fun activity.

    4     Generally, people will need to purchase related equipment, including something guaranteeing personal safety such as safety glasses. And they’d better have a large, private yard. If the players have never done shooting of any kind before, they should also take a safety course, which will teach them about the proper use and storage of the equipment.

Like most skills, skeet shooting takes a lot of patience and practice.     5     But those folks are few and far between, especially if they’ve never picked up a shotgun before. If you aren’t a patient person, that’s okay because skeet shooting can help you develop patience.

A．Why do people love skeet shooting?

B．At last, the game was called skeet shooting.

C．How can one participate in the sport at home?

D．Unfortunately, no recommended name was chosen.

E．Sure, some people might have a natural talent for it.

F．There are many clubs offering skeet shooting in America.

G．Therefore, many countries attach much importance to it.

9 . Plumbers (管子工) are usually thought of as the go-to persons when you have a leaky sink, but as a matter of fact, plumbing is much more than just a blue -collar job. The Elite Trades Championship Series(ETCS)seeks to change the way people think about plumbing.

Ideal Industries, a company that runs the championship, added plumbing as a category in 2023 to show the exceptional skills of plumbers across the US.

“We are incredibly excited to introduce the Plumbing National Championship(PNC)to the 8th annual Elite Trades Championship Series,” Scott Mendel, SVP of the ETCS said. “With successful championship events in electricity, automobile, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning, this new event will display the remarkable talents of plumbing professionals and push the plumbing trade to new heights.”

The ETCS is organized to show the knowledge and expertise among America’s professionals in various trades who are competing for a prize from a variety of sponsors, while presenting the level of knowledge and skills that the trade industries require.

The Plumbing National Championship kicked off on July 10, 2023 as a way for plumbers to compete against one another in a series of digital and live hands-on challenges. The participants had to prove their expert knowledge in a variety of skills related to plumbing in real-world challenges.

The competition lasted for about four months and the finalists competed against each other in Tampa, Florida on October 27, 2023.

Craig Childress, a skilled tradesman from Boston University won the plumbing championship. With a big share of the prize money, he was delighted. “Professionally, this is the most wonderful thing that’s ever happened to me,” he said. “It’s been an unbelievable journey. I’m incredibly grateful.”

1. What can we learn about plumbers from paragraph 1?

A．They are rarely thought of.	B．They seek to change people’s opinions.
C．They receive little recognition.	D．They are considered as competitors.

2. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The mission of the ETCS.	B．The achievements of the ETCS.
C．The process of the ETCS.	D．The requirements of the ETCS.

3. What can be inferred from Craig Childress’ words?

A．He has learned many skills from professionals.	B．The plumbing contest means a lot to him.
C．The competition result is within his expectation.	D．He is optimistic about his plumbing career.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Introducing a Skilled Plumber to the Public	B．Craig Childress’ Dream Finally Coming True
C．Plumbers Looking for a New Future	D．Turning Plumbing into a Competition

10 . 41-year-old Tracey Matayian is one of those Maasai women who fought hard to become the first-ever Maasai female referee. In an interview, Matayian said during her formative years, she couldn’t hide her passion for football and would join local boys every time she saw them play, which resulted in her being called names by other girls and occasionally getting scolded by her parents for keeping too much male company.

Matayian later joined a teachers’ training college. After graduating from college, she worked with Compassion International and would often encourage children of both genders to play football.

“It was then that I got an opportunity to referee a game between Rongai Football Club and Compassion International. There was no other referee at the time and since I was readily available, I went ahead to referee the match,” she recalled. Matayian added that after the game, she was eager to do more than just play and train the young children as she was also cultivating a lively interest in refereeing.

She would later help form football teams for both boys and girls from the local clubs. “The game occupies them as they get to spend time in the field, especially during the period they were home due to COVID-19. Football is a game of rules, and thus it ends up drilling discipline and character into young boys and girls,” said Matayian. She added that many of the youths were previously living an aimless life on account of laziness, but through football she has managed to occupy them.

Nevertheless, her efforts to follow her passion have not gone without challenges. Her dress code was criticized all the time. “This became a big issue for some people. They always complained that I was not respecting our culture by wearing shorts. But I have no option, since that’s the official dress code for the game. I often explained this to my beloved people, but it took a long time for it to be accepted by my community,” notes Matayian.

1. How did things go when Matayian first played football?

A．She was popular with local boys.	B．She was abused by other girls.
C．She was turned down by the referee.	D．She was driven out of her college.

2. How did Matayian feel after refereeing her first game?

A．Motivated.

B．Tense.

C．Exhausted.

D．Relieved.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．How football is transforming the local children.

B．How COVID-19 is impacting the community.

C．How children overcome their laziness naturally.

D．How crucial discipline and character are.

4. What situation might Matayian have been in?

A．She was trying to change some football rules.	B．She was getting soft with local people.
C．She was working hard to gain acceptance.	D．She was promoting local culture.