1 . A photo of a Kentucky coal miner with his family at a college basketball game is going viral (疯狂传播). The photo shows Michael McGuire and his son sitting in the stands at the University of Kentucky Wildcats game on Saturday. McGuire is still wearing his work uniform and his face and arms are covered in black coal dust, which makes him different from others.

Kentucky’s head coach John Calipari put the picture online and expressed admiration for McGuire’s hard work and love for his son.

“My family’s American dream started in a Clarksburg, WV coal mine, so this picture hits home, ” Calipari wrote. “From what I’ve been told, after his shift, he raced to be with his son and watch our team. I don’t know who this is, but I have tickets for him and his family at Rupp to be treated as VIPs!”

McGuire had not yet been identified at that point, but Kentucky fans quickly found him and connected the coach with the family.

MeGuire’s wife, Mollie, replied on social media with a photo she had taken at the game. She wrote: “My amazing husband started his day at 4:45 am that morning and worked all day and then drove straight to the arena to meet us and enjoy the game with our son! We are truly blessed with such an amazing man! We love our coal miner. ”

McGuire told local station WKYT that he didn’t want to miss his son Easton’s first basketball experience. He said Easton had a good time.

Coach Calipari said he hopes McGuire will be a lesson for his players. “I talked to my guys about it. It’s just a great lesson, and I showed them the picture yesterday of Michael and his son. I talked about hard, tiring work that’s honorable work, adding that he made time for his son, even when he knew he couldn’t shower. It didn’t matter what he looked like. He just wanted to be with his son,” Calipari said.

1. What was special about McGuire while he was watching the basketball match?

A．His love for his son.	B．His dirty appearance.
C．His interest in basketball.	D．The expression on his face.

2. What was the probable reason for the coach’s posting the picture?

A．He wanted to attract more worker fans.

B．He was moved by McGuire’s happy family.

C．No one was so interested in his team as McGuire.

D．His family was connected with a coal mine.

3. What can we feel from Mollie’s statement about her husband?

A．Her pride.

B．Her regret.

C．Her expectation.

D．Her worry

4. What did Calipari prefer his players to do?

A．Offer help to the family.	B．Learn from the coal miner.
C．Try to be the best sportsmen	D．Never judge a person from his looks.

2 . Villains love a monologue

Every superhero needs a good (or should we say bad) supervillain(超级大反派). Invent a supervillain. In pictures and/ or words, describing their final punishment. Who are they? What’s their plan? Even if your character tends to be long-winded, keep your writing to 100 words or fewer.

Competition rules:

1. Your competition entry must be your very own original work; ideas and words should not be copied.

2.Be sure to include your name, age, and full address on your entry.

3.Only one entry per person, please.

4.If you want your work returned, enclose (随信附上） a self-addressed,stamped envelope.

5.All entries must be signed by a parent or legal guardian, saying that this is your own work and giving permission to publish. For more information about our compliance with(遵守). Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act,visit our page at cricketmedia.com/privacy.

6.Your entry must be received by July 31,2021. We will publish winning entries in the August 2021 issue of Muse.

7.Send entries to Muse Contest,70E.Lake St,Suite 800,Chicago,IL 60601 or by email to muse@cricketmedia.com. If entering a digital photo,please send it at 300dpi.

1. What is the competition about?

A．Inventing a stamp.

B．Writing a supervillain story.

C．Designing a superhero model.

D．Photographing a natural scene.

2. What should competitors do to have their works returned?

A．Sign their entries themselves.

B．Send digital photos bigger than 300dpi.

C．Send their works to cricketmedia.com/privacy.

D．Attach a self-addressed, stamped envelope to their works.

3. Which of the following should competitors’ works follow?

A．They should be sent to Muse in August 2021.

B．They should be allowed to be published.

C．They should be longer than 100 words.

D．They should be in a digital form.

3 . Standing at the finish line, 70-year-old Bob Long spent a while reflecting on the achievement he’d just made. Behind him was the wild, endless Mongolian grassland extending into the distance. This American had just become the oldest person ever to complete and win the Mongol Derby, the world’s longest horse race.

Long, a rider all his life, entered the race after being inspired by All the Wild Horses, a movie based on the grueling event.

Fearing that he wouldn’t be able to complete it, he set about preparing his mind and body for this “hardest, toughest, most demanding thing you can do on a horse”, an annual 1,000-kilometer race that was recognized as the world’s longest horse race by The Guinness Book of Records in 2011.

Although Long had been riding horses for many years, the hardship and uncertainty of the task pushed him to his limit and forced him to depend entirely on his own will. The race organizers had provided an extensive support network to keep an eye on the participants from afar. Despite that, the physical strain of riding such a long distance made simple things like squatting (蹲) down at the end of the day almost impossible.

Along the vast race course there were unpredictable circumstances beyond Long’s control, however well prepared he’d been. Weather was one of them, which could switch from heavy rain to burning sun unexpectedly.

Above all else, the biggest obstacle was the state of mind. Without a living soul in sight, Long was desperate for interaction, guidance, and comfort. This feeling of loneliness accounted for his hope that one of his fellow competitors would catch up.

Regardless of the hardship, Long felt a sort of spiritual adventure while traveling through the wilderness. He was provided with some memorable moments while connecting with nature. Still holding the passion for riding, Long never dismisses the idea of competing in another Mongol Derby.

1. What distinguished Bob Long from other competitors in the Mongol Derby?

A．He rode the whole race course alone.

B．He was the oldest participant of the horse race.

C．He was most likely to enter the competition again.

D．He was made into The Guinness Book of Records in 2011.

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

A．Pains-taking but senseless.	B．Comfortable and pleasant.
C．Difficult and exhausting.	D．Romantic but time-consuming.

3. What was the biggest challenge that Long faced during the race?

A．The changeable weather.

B．The mental state in the course.

C．The difficulty in finding the right route.

D．The physical strain of riding a long distance.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．An introduction to the Mongol Derby.

B．A review of a film based on the longest horse race.

C．The contributions Bob Long made to the horse race.

D．The experience of the Mongol Derby’s oldest winner.