1 . 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. |
| A．A check reward. | B．Admission to NID. |
| C．A visit to art colleges. | D．Access to design studios. |
| A．Completing the submission category. | B．Changing the password first. |
| C．Submitting the work by email. | D．Referring to the given sample. |
2 . Defeating Daniil Medvedev in New York on Sunday, Djokovic, one of the greatest tennis player, bagging 24 Grand Slam (大满贯) singles titles, equalized the record held by Australian Margaret Court, the same number of singles titles in the all-time count.
With the victory, Djokovic became the oldest US Open men’s singles champion in the Open Era. In total, he has 10 Australian Opens, seven Wimbledons, four US Opens and three Roland Garros titles, making him the only man to win all four majors at least three times. “When I realized that, I started to dream new dreams and set new goals. I never imagined that I would be here talking about 24 Slams,” he said afterwards.
Djokovic reached all finals in the Grand Slams in 2023, and the only loss was at Wimbledon, when Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, 20, brought home the champion after an intense battle lasting four hours and 43 minutes.
Djokovic, at 36, shows few signs of losing physical edge. He stays healthy, keeps exceptional skills and always desires to win more. Capturing his first Grand Slam in 2008, Djokovic bagged half of his 24 major titles after he turned 30.“One of the biggest lessons I have learned probably mentally throughout my career is that even if you find a formula (方案) that works, it’s not a guarantee, and actually most likely it’s not going to work the next year, so I keep reinventing myself and always trying to find better ways to win,” said Djokovic.
For Djokovic, who always gets tough when the going gets tough, 24 is just a number that he can go beyond. “I’ll continue to prioritize Grand Slams as my most important tournaments and where I want to play the best tennis. That will stay the same in the next season, or I don’t know how many more seasons I have in my legs,” he added, “So, let’s see.”
1. What does the underlined word “equalized” in the first paragraph probably mean?| A．Set. | B．Broke. | C．Levelled. | D．Approached. |
| A．He won 12 Grand Slams in his thirties. |
| B．He won all the finals in the Grand Slams in 2023. |
| C．He attached the same importance to all the matches. |
| D．He is the oldest men’s singles champion in the open era. |
| A．Losing physical edge. | B．Attending more Grand Slams. |
| C．Following a good formula. | D．Finding flexible and proper strategies. |
| A．Confident and emotional. | B．Ambitious and devoted. |
| C．Aggressive and stubborn. | D．Enthusiastic and generous. |
3 . Thrown from his horse three times and repeatedly got wet to the skin while camping in a heavy rain, Chris Walker, the farmer from Gloucestershire was, at 55, the oldest of the competitors in this year’s 1,000 km race across the steppe (大草原). Despite the hardships of his eight-day journey, Walker was delighted to finish third in the annual contest.
The Mongol Derby, described as the world’s toughest horse-riding endurance race, began in 2009 as an annual event. Competitors race between checkpoints 35 km (22 miles) apart, where they change horses to ensure the animals are healthy. They spend nights at one of 28 stations, set up their own camp or enjoy the warm welcome of friendly Mongolian families.
Walker, was an hour ahead of his competitors as the race entered its eighth day but unfortunately he faced an hour and a half penalty because during one of the regular checks his horse had a high heart rate, which is forbidden during the contest.
Walker said he had gone to Mongolia to “give it a go” but realised that he stood a chance of winning after teaming up with Patrick Heffron, a competitor from Ireland, who finished third equal alongside his companion.
“The horses are quite wild. I got thrown off three times. I fell off in a marmot (土拨鼠) hole,” he said. “You’re going along and you suddenly disappear. You have to hang on to your horse for dear life or it goes off.”
Walker said it was important to form a team, mainly because falling off alone means that there was no one to help you with your horse. “Neither of us had prior desires to win this race but we realised: ‘We’re in front.’ So we pushed,” he said.
Asked whether he was attracted to return to see if he could win, Walker replied: “Probably, though I’m getting a bit old.”
1. What do we know about Mongol Derby according to the passage?| A．It is a very challenging and boring race. |
| B．It has an strict limit on age for competitors. |
| C．It requires changing horses at certain places. |
| D．It is a worldwide race held every two years. |
| A．Punishment. | B．Advance. | C．Warning. | D．Schedule. |
| A．He had a very good control of his horse. | B．He saved his horse from accidental death. |
| C．He valued the teamwork with a partner. | D．He was motivated by great desires to win. |
| A．Walker questioned the race result. | B．Walker wished that he were younger. |
| C．Walker regretted taking part in the race. | D．Walker may compete in the race next year. |
4 . Wang Zhipu, 16, a high school student begins his voyage into space after class. Positioning a telescope on the balcony at home, he observes the skies, taking photos. Recently, his efforts were rewarded when he won the title of “Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year” in the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s annual astrophotography contest.
The event, jointly organized by the Royal Observatory Greenwich in London and the BBC’s Sky at Night magazine, is the world’s biggest astrophotography competition. His winning entry, entitled Family Photo of the Solar System, shows seven of the eight planets lined up, with the sun on the left and moon on the right, both pictured larger in size than normal.
This year the competition attracted over 4,500 entries from 75 countries. Wang’s photo took first prize in the Young Competition category, an award for photographers aged 15 and under. He entered the competition in February. At the time, he was not yet 16. “I saw photos taken by other photographers in the Young Competition category, and some looked similar to mine, so I thought, why not try?” he said.
Wang developed an interest in astronomy after reading about the subject as a child. He taught himself astrophotography by reading books and by searching online. He used a second-hand telescope that his parents had given him. “The first time I used it, I saw the moon. It was splendid. I was thrilled!” he said. Sometimes, he would be so immersed in his observations that he wouldn’t go downstairs to fetch a coat. Other times, he stood for hours under the burning sun to get the perfect shot.
In addition to the fame, Wang’s biggest bonus is the 1,500 pound ($2,023) prize money, which will allow him to buy a new camera. “I will keep on. Astronomy will be a lifelong hobby. It would be great if I could help popularize science in the future, or become an astronomy teacher,” he said.
His passion touched the judges. Sheila Kanani said, “As a planetary scientist, I applaud the work that has gone into creating this photo.”
1. What is Wang Zhipu’s winning photo like, according to the passage?| A．Seven planets, the sun and the moon are in a straight line. |
| B．Seven planets line up with the sun and the moon on each side. |
| C．Seven planets, the sun and the moon are larger than normal. |
| D．Seven planets are much larger than the sun and the moon. |
| A．Popularity of the competition. |
| B．His desire to win the prize. |
| C．Other competitors’ photographs. |
| D．His parents’ encouragement. |
| A．Trapped in. | B．Absorbed in. | C．Connected with. | D．Exposed to. |
| A．A short biography. | B．An online post. |
| C．A diary entry. | D．A news report. |
5 . After figure skaters finish their programs, adoring fans often throw gifts onto the ice. There have definitely been some strange ones over the years. Sasha Cohen was once given sweaters and Debi Thomas even got a box of pizza after her performance at the 1987 world championships.
Apart from cards and clothing, the gifts are mostly stuffed animals（毛绒玩具）. Though it’s not clear exactly how or when this custom began, there are a couple of factors that help explain why they’re so popular rather than flowers. One factor is that flowers, once the go-to item to throw at skaters, are messy. The “sweepers” — the kids who skate around collecting all the gifts between each program — have a much easier time picking up stuffed animals than clear up every petal（花瓣）and leaf falling off its flower.
There’s no global ban on throwing bunches of flowers, but organizations made attempts to discourage the practice in the past. In 1989, US Figure Skating banned arenas(竞技场) hosting national championships from selling flowers. And at the 2002 national championships, the association publicly prevented fans from bringing flowers to the arena at all.
“Flowers have always been a problem. Even when they’re wrapped, some parts stick out and become a headache.” Larry Kriwanek, chairman of the event’s organizing committee, told us. “Flowers were going to be eliminated. It was just a question of when.” Instead, fans could buy stuffed animals inside the arena and shower their favorite skaters with those.
Stuffed animals also give supporters an opportunity to choose presents that seem more personal. “We sometimes will get stuffed animals in custom-made costumes to match what we’re wearing.” American ice dancer Meryl Davis, who won gold with partner Charlie White in 2014, told us. It turns out that skaters often do take especially meaningful gifts home with them.
1. Why does the writer mention Sasha Cohen and Debi Thomas in Paragraph 1?| A．To indicate they are top figure skaters in the world. |
| B．To show figure skaters may get unusual gifts. |
| C．To tell readers how much their fans like them. |
| D．To explain what gifts are suitable for figure skaters. |
| A．Punishing fans bringing flowers into arenas. |
| B．Issuing a global ban on throwing flowers. |
| C．Canceling a national game for selling flowers. |
| D．Keeping flowers out of a certain arena. |
| A．forbidden. | B．grown. | C．allowed. | D．ordered. |
| A．Tips for fans to choose suitable gifts. |
| B．Meryl Davis’s advice on stuffed animals. |
| C．Advantages of stuffed animals as gifts. |
| D．Gifts that figure skaters are fond of. |
