1 . The International Federation of Pickleball, with 60 member countries and counties, is working to make sure pickleball will be part of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“Pickleball comes from tennis, badminton and table tennis,” says Hope Tolley, managing director of USA Pickleball.
Unlike tennis, you can score only when it’s your turn to serve. What you should do is keep the ball in the air, and if your opponent(called the receiver)fails to return the ball over the net, you get the point.
People who are really into the sport can join tournaments at various levels. The first World Pickleball Games will be held next summer in Austin, Texas.
| A．Here’s how the game is played. |
| B．So be sure to hit with enough force. |
| C．Make sure you can’t stand in wrong position. |
| D．Playing pickleball can’t have any negative impact on players. |
| E．It’s played on a badminton-sized court with a slightly lowered tennis net. |
| F．If you haven’t played it yourself, you’ve probably at least heard of pickleball. |
| G．By 2030, pickleball is expected to have as many as 40 million players worldwide. |
2 . 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 |
3 . The 2024 Science Fiction Short Story Contest
The 2023 Science Fiction Short Story Contest just came to an end. Welcome to our 2024 Science Fiction Short Story Contest sponsored by Science Fiction Association in our city. The contest is to encourage amateur and semi-professional writers to reach the next level of proficiency. We will look for engaging openings, good character development, well-structured plotting, powerful imagery, humorous language, unique word or phrasing choices, and convincing endings. Come to show the world your fantasy imagination and storytelling talents!
Requirement
A qualifying story must have strong science fiction or fantasy elements and must be shorter than 7,500 words. Your entries must be original works of fiction. If you have received prizes for your fiction writing from any source or your story has been published in any paying publication, you are no longer qualified.
Past winners of our contest are no longer qualified.
No reprints, fan fiction or poetry, please.
Judge and Prize
Judges will provide feedbacks for all qualifying contest entries. First-round judges will consist of Science Fiction Association members and volunteers. The professional writers’ decision is final.
The champions, runners-up and honorable mentions will receive prizes including cash prize, a certificate of achievement, Science Fiction Association Press books, and a free membership to Science Fiction Association, All winners can select their books and either take them immediately or ask for them to be shipped later.
Deadline
The contest will be limited to the first 60 qualifying entries. While the submission deadline is September 30th, 2024, we may close off the entry for the year sooner if the response is larger than expected. The winners will be published on December 31th.
Notice
Please place your contact information for possible awards.
There is no entry fee. Please submit only one entry per author.
1. What is the activity about?| A．Story telling. | B．Story writing. |
| C．Writer training. | D．Writer recommending. |
| A．It can come as the form of a poem. | B．It should be over 7,500 words long. |
| C．It must be the author’s original one. | D．It is supposed to be published before. |
| A．Professional writers. | B．Amateur writers. |
| C．Science Fiction Association members. | D．Science Fiction Association volunteers. |
4 . Antoine Craig, a blind athlete, has been blind since 2010. He gradually lost his sight due to a genetic disease. Working through difficulties, Craig says, he has found his value. “Once I lost my eyesight, I began the process of rediscovering myself.” he says.
Craig, now 40, heard from a friend about people running at the school’s gym with their hands linked by shoestrings (鞋带). Craig decided to give it a try. “In the beginning, it was pure coping (应对).” he says. “It allowed me to do something I could be proud of. More importantly, here people became my friends, who were always ready to help me. These people became my family.”
In 2017, he won a silver medal in the 200-meter race at the 2017 US Paralympic Nationals. In 2019 he competed at the Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru. In 2021, running for a chance to compete in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo — delayed for a year, he finished second in the 100.
Learning a US national team was forming for blind soccer, he went for it. Last fall. Craig was named to the team, which will play in the Los Angeles Paralympics in 2028. On March 19 and 20, 2023, the team hosted its first two “international friendly” games against Canada in Chula Vista, California. Craig couldn’t play as planned due to a concussion (脑震荡) in practice before the games. He spoke with his teammates before both games and, on his Facebook page, asked friends and supporters to lend support. When asked how the team performed, Craig answered cheerfully, “You know, we won!”
Craig finished a psychology degree from VCU in 2016 and completed his master’s degree in mental health counseling (咨询) in December 2022. Now he has his own business, LegendaryU Counseling. focusing on athletes with disabilities. He also regularly posts videos to his Instagram, hoping to inspire others.
1. Why did Craig want to try running at first?| A．To meet friends. | B．To help others in need. |
| C．To find himself. | D．To escape from his family. |
| A．It is important to run. | B．Craig was running well. |
| C．Running is easy for Craig. | D．Craig succeeded in Tokyo. |
| A．He had a positive attitude. | B．He performed well in the game. |
| C．His team played in Canada. | D．His supporters were disappointed. |
| A．To make improvements to himself academically. |
| B．To help people see beyond their challenges. |
| C．To win more medals in the competitions. |
| D．To post videos to the disabled people. |
5 . As the 2022 FIFA World Cup approaches, it is interesting to look at stars who could make an influence. We have looked at the different teams and chosen four players to watch out for in Qatar.
Kylian Mbappé
Mbappé is currently the poster boy of professional football. Aside from incredible club performances, Mbappé has solidified himself as a World Cup performer due to the 2018 World Cup. Here, he was awarded the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award and scored an amazing 25-yard strike in the final against Croatia.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The list of awards and honors that Ronaldo has gained is legendary. Though he is 37 yet still considered one of the best players in the world. At this point in their career, most forwards are on the decline and have regressed physically – but not Ronaldo. Ronaldo is the all-time international leading goal scorer, and you can count on him in Qatar.
Lionel Messi
We could not list Cristiano Ronaldo without also including Lionel Messi. He remains a once-in-a-generation talent and has proved himself time and time again as the leading force behind Argentina’s international squad. He is also a major reason why football is the most popular sport in the world. After disappointment in the 2018 World Cup, we can count on Messi to up his game and lead his team in Group C.
Neymar
Neymar is one of the most exciting and legendary Brazilian footballers since Ronaldinho and Ronaldo. He has proved to be an incredible player at both club and international level and has scored 74 goals in 119 appearances for Brazil. On the international stage, Neymar has competed in many events, including the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, the 2015 Copa America and the Olympics.
Who do you think are the players to watch out for? These are only four picks, after all, and there are many more talented stars who will be looking to make their name in Qatar.
1. Who won the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award in 2018?| A．Kylian Mbappé. | B．Cristiano Ronaldo. |
| C．Lionel Messi. | D．Neymar. |
| A．Looked back. | B．Picked up. |
| C．Fell back. | D．Caught up. |
| A．A textbook. | B．A newsletter. |
| C．A diary. | D．A novel. |
6 . If you’ve ever wondered who decides what sports to be included or left out at the Olympic Games, you’re probably not the only one, because the processes are a little complex and confusing.
It falls to the Executive Board of International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) to suggest which sports will be included and the rest of the IOC then votes according to a long list of standards: How much value the sport would add to the Olympic legacy (遗产); How long the sport has existed; How popular the sport is in the host country; How much it would cost to broadcast the events, and many other things.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games saw the inclusion of skateboarding, surfboarding, sport climbing and karate, all of which were selected by the IOC for the first time ever.
So, what contributes to å sport being left out? Having to limit the Games to a certain number of athletes, as well as scheduling needs can lead to some sports being left off the program, especially if they fall short of the above standards.
There’s perhaps no better example of this than softball and baseball. While both are included at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, it’s the first time they were included at Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The IOC voted them out from London 2012 Olympic Games. Officials said that neither sport had global attraction.
But it’s not just the IOC that has the say. The host city can also play a role in the decision, and push for a particular sport for the year that it is hosting. For a real-world example, look no further than the 2024 Games to be held in Paris, which will see the inclusion of breakdancing as an Olympic sport for the first time.
1. What does the second paragraph focus on?| A．The voting process. | B．The advantages of IOC. |
| C．The costs of the Games. | D．The selecting standards. |
| A．Baseball. | B．Breakdancing. | C．Skateboarding. | D．Softball. |
| A．It had too many players. | B．It had a short history. |
| C．It was difficult to broadcast. | D．It was not popular enough. |
| A．The athletes. | B．The Executive Board of IOC. |
| C．The host cities. | D．International Olympic Committee. |
7 . Nowadays, in many places of the world, kids play soccer less than before.
Soccer is a team sport.
Teamwork is a life skill that kids need to learn. Being part of a team isn’t just about learning how to work together and share talents. It’s also about teaching kids how to face failure. It doesn’t end there, either. Being part of a team lets kids know how to take responsibility for their behavior.
Soccer shapes motor skills (运动技能).
Nowadays, many kids prefer to stay in their rooms to have fun through TV, video games and smartphones.
Soccer can improve students’ concentration (专注) in the classroom. Besides, soccer is a fast-paced game, so kids can learn how to solve problems quickly. Plus, soccer is a sport which involves getting the ball from point A to point B. So kids’ visual-spatial (视觉空间) ability can be improved when they play the game, which can help them learn subjects like Physics.
Soccer improves the personal character.
The World Health Organization recommends kid get at least 60 minutes of exercises daily. This isn’t only for the physical benefits but also for the benefits to the personal character.
| A．Youth soccer helps improve family relationships. |
| B．So they have less time outdoors for sports. |
| C．Soccer plays a part in school performance. |
| D．Being part of a team can help you make many friends. |
| E．One cause is that many kids are busy with their studies. |
| F．Usually kids who like sports such as soccer are more outgoing. |
| G．After all, if one player performs badly, the rest of the team will suffer for it. |
8 . An all-girl team of university students from the Philippines has won a hackathon marking UNESCO’s World Engineering for Sustainable Development Day on 4 March. Ghia Luwalhati, Nicole Elizabeth Tan and Reaner Jacqueline Bool from the WONDERPETS team from Batangas State University in the Philippines used Metal Organic Frameworks, which are novel adsorbents (新型吸附剂), to turn recycled plastic bottles into a type of sponge (海绵) that is extremely porous (透水的), making it an effective means of removing pollutants from water. Better still, the sponge can be used again and again.
Organized by the World Federation of Engineering Organizations with UNESCO support, the hackathon shows the inventiveness of young engineers when it comes to solving real-life problems. Some 125 teams from 23 countries around the world competed in the hackathon, with nine teams from six countries making it through to the finals. These countries are Australia, Canada, China, India, Kenya and the Philippines. Some 92% of participants were engineering students.
During the first round of the hackathon, the teams were given 13 days to come up with a sustainable engineering solution to one of three challenges. These solutions display the resourcefulness of future engineers.
All nine finalists have produced short videos to be shown during a 24-hour live streaming event on 4 March, World Engineering Day. The live streaming will begin in Sydney, Australia, at midday local time on 4 March and conclude 24 hours later at 7 pm local time on 4 March in San José, Costa Rica.
The competition was judged by 40 engineers from 16 countries in the preliminary round and, in the final round, by six judges from UNESCO, Engineers Without Borders, the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies, the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists, the Global Engineering Deans Council and the International Engineering Alliance.
World Engineering Day was first celebrated in 2020. This annual UNESCO celebration was established to raise awareness of the basic role that engineering plays in cutting down the impact of climate change and advancing sustainable development.
1. What has made a great contribution to the WONDERPETS team’s success?| A．They are of great creativity. | B．They are all women students. |
| C．They come from the same university. | D．They remove a type of used sponges. |
| A．They found many real-life problems. | B．Most of them entered the final round. |
| C．Most of them majored in engineering. | D．They were required to play short videos. |
| A．Following. | B．Opening. | C．Latest. | D．Present. |
| A．To call on girls to learn engineering. | B．To research global climate change. |
| C．To explore the value of resourcefulness. | D．To stress the importance of engineering. |
9 . Enter DSWF Global Canvas 2022
Global Canvas is an annual children’s art competition run by David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF). It’s a fantastic way to encourage creativity and display thought and concern for our planet’s environment and the incredible wildlife that inhabits it. We’re thrilled to announce entries are now open for the DSWF Global Canvas 2022 competition, for which the theme is “Forests of Land and Sea”.
DSWF Global Canvas 2022 is free to enter and open to children aged 16 and under — either as a group or an individual. Entries for group and individual categories will be judged separately and in the following age groups: age 4-7 years, age 8-11 years, and age 12-16 years. A group entry can be any size from 2 children up to an entire school!
Any art technique is welcome. Entrants can create an artwork of any size that they like, as long as their entry is based on the theme and the work is original. DSWF always likes to see recycled materials used wherever possible. Please note that you mustn’t send us your actual artwork, however. You need to send us a photograph and video of it in addition to completing the relevant group or individual entry form. All entries must be received digitally by 11 June 2022.
Entries will be judged on the quality of art, interpretation of the theme, creativity, and for group entries — level of joint work. The decision of the judges will be final. Competition winners will receive vouchers (代金券) for art supplies, digital animal adoptions and certificates.
1. How many age groups will the entries be classified into?| A．One. | B．Two. |
| C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Making an artwork using recycled materials. |
| B．Creating an artwork with an ancient art form. |
| C．Delivering an original physical artwork to DSWF. |
| D．Sending a digital photo of a completed work on May 1. |
| A．Content. | B．Cooperation. |
| C．Creativity. | D．Complexity. |
