1 . The London Marathon is an annual event and of the thousands of runners who take part, many of them have a story to tell as to why they are running the 26.2 mile (42.2 km) course around London.
The men’s race was won by Kenyan, Martin Lel, who finished the race in just two hours and five minutes, a personal best time for him. Irina Mikitenko was the winner of the women’s race and this was astonishingly only her second race at marathon distance!
There was also a group of 24 runners who have competed in every single one of the 28 London marathons. Jeff Aston is one of them and at 60 years old, he finished in just over three and a half hours.
A lot of the non-competitive runners take part in the marathon to raise money for charity. Jeff estimates he has raised about￡25,000 (350,000 RMB) over the 28 years he has been running.
Jane Tomlinson is a well-known name in the UK. She raised millions for charity doing long cycle rides, marathons and triathlons while struggling against terminal cancer, a battle she sadly lost last year. In honor of Jane, her husband and daughter took part in the marathon. They managed to raise ￡20,000 (280,000 RMB) for a charity set up in Jane’s name.
Another astonishing one was blind runner Dave Heeley completing the marathon. As if that wasn’t enough, this was his seventh marathon in seven days, as he took part in a special challenge which took him to seven countries.
1. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?| A．Variety of Athletic Runners | B．London Marathon |
| C．Inspirational Event | D．Astonishing Marathon Stories |
| A．The London Marathon is held every year to raise money for charity. |
| B．Jane Tomlinson together with her husband took part in the marathon. |
| C．Dave Heeley is an inspiring marathon runner. |
| D．Kenyan, Martin Lel won the men’s race just over three and a half hours. |
| A．a formal meeting | B．a special challenge |
| C．a kind of disease | D．an athletic competition |
2 . Each year, the women of Olney, England, and Liberal, Kansas, have an unusual “pancake racing”. This tradition is said to have started on Shrove Tuesday,1445, in Olney. Shrove Tuesday is the day before the Christian season of Lent begins.
It is said that in 1445, an Olney woman was making pancakes. She suddenly heard the church(教堂) bells ring, signaling the beginning of the Shrove Tuesday service. Realizing that she was going to be late for church, she raced out the door still wearing her apron(围裙) and headscarf and holding her frying pan(锅) with a pancake in it. Olney women continue this tradition more than 500 years later.
In 1950, a person of Liberal wanted his town to join in Olney Pancake Race. He made some phone calls to Olney to set up a friendly competition, and the people of Olney accepted the challenge.
The rules are simple. Racers must wear the traditional headscarf and apron. They have to flip(抛) the pancake in the air so that it flips and lands back in the pan on the other side. After the race, there are Shrove Tuesday church services. Then Liberal and Olney connect through a video call to compare race times and announce a winner.
In both towns, the races have grown into larger festivals. Olney’s festival is an allday event starting with a big pancake breakfast. Liberal’s festival lasts four days and includes a parade, a great show, and eating competitions.
Although the women’s race is still the main event, both towns now hold races for boys and girls of all ages. Emma Evans,14, was the winner of her age group’s race in Liberal last year. She wore an apron that her grandma made for her and used a pan passed down to her from her older brother. Her family cheered her on from the sidelines.
“It’s a family tradition, ”Emma says. “And there are only two places in the world that compete against each other in a race like this, so it feels special.”
1. What do we know about Olney Pancake Race?| A．It was founded by a cook. | B．It was started during Lent. |
| C．It is a centuriesold tradition. | D．It has been held every year since 1445. |
| A．Wear their formal clothes. | B．Throw and catch the pancake. |
| C．Hand the pancake to another. | D．Eat the pancake while running. |
| A．lasts only one day | B．has more varied activities |
| C．holds different races for boys | D．starts with a delicious breakfast |
| A．It is familyfriendly. | B．It is quite competitive. |
| C．It should be internationalized. | D．It should provide aprons for racers. |
3 . Global Essay Competition
The John Locke Institute encourages young people to develop the characteristics that turn good students into great writers. Our Essay Competition invites students to explore a wide range of challenging and interesting questions beyond the limits of the school curriculum (课程).
All of our essay prizes are judged by senior academics from the University of Oxford. The judges will choose their favourite essay from each subject category and an overall “best essay” across six subjects: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Psychology and Law.
Entry Requirements
Entry is open to students from any country. Candidates must be eighteen years old, or younger, on the date of the submission deadline, 30 June. Candidates for the Junior Prize must be fourteen years old, or younger, on the date of the submission deadline. Each essay should address only one of the questions in your chosen subject category, and must not exceed (超过) 2, 000 words.
Key Dates
30 June: Submission deadline
14 July: Short-listed candidates informed
26 August: Awards Dinner for the Junior Prize
2. September: Awards Dinner for the Economics Prize and other prizes
Prizes
There is a prize for the best essay in each category. The prize for each winner of a subject category, and the winner of the Junior category, is a scholarship worth US $2,000 towards the cost of attending any John Locke Institute programme, and the essays will be published on the Institute’s website. The prize-giving ceremony will take place in Oxford.
The candidate who submits the best essay overall will be awarded an honorary John Locke Institute Junior, Fellowship, which comes with a US $10, 000 scholarship to attend one or more of our summer schools.
1. What should the entry be about?| A．The limits of school courses. | B．The characteristics of great writers. |
| C．One of the given questions. | D．Anything in the chosen fields. |
| A．It sets a word limit on essays. |
| B．It has six subject categories. |
| C．Its prizes are judged by voting online. |
| D．It is open to any student regardless of his or her nationality. |
| A．10 | B．14 | C．18 | D．20 |
| A．On 30 June. | B．On 14 July. |
| C．On 26 August. | D．On 2 September. |
| A．A fellowship at Oxford University. | B．A summer school scholarship. |
| C．A chance to get published. | D．A US $1, 000 award. |
4 . Every year, runner all over the world challenge themselves in marathons(马 拉松)long running events that go on for tens of kilometers. On October 12, Eliud Kipchoge ran a record-breaking marathon. He finished a42. 2-kilometer-long marathon in just 1 hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds. The 34-year-old Olympic champion from Kenya became the first person to run a marathon of the full length in less than two hours.
I can tell people that no human is limited. I expect more people all over the world to run under two hours after today, “Kipchoge told Live Sports.
Besides Kipchoge’s hard work, a few science and technology tricks also helped him make history.
Hills and turns slow runners down. Kipchoge’s team picked a course in Vienna for its gentle curves(弯曲度). The city’s cool and dry weather also helped keep Kipchoge’s body running more efficiently. A special pair of shoes also played a big part. The shoes are made of a new material, which can take in a runner’s energy when his et meet the ground. Then it returns part of the energy to the runner, which helped Kipchoge run faster.
What’s more, Kipchoge had a dream team of 41 members. Five runners formed a V-shape ahead of Kipchoge, which reduced drag. Two runners followed directly behind to push him forward. The team took turns running every 5 kilometers. Kipchoge stayed under a two-hour pace for almost the whole race. A pace car drove in front of everyone and cast (投射) a laser beam(激光束)on the road, keeping the team at the right pace. ”Few world records today are technology-free, “ the Xinhua News Agency said.
1. According to the passage, Kipchoge was the first person to __________.| A．run a full-length marathon in Kenya |
| B．use technology in an Olympic marathon |
| C．finish a full-length marathon in two hours |
| D．win an Olympic marathon championship |
| A．His team chose a course in Kenya for his training. |
| B．Cool and dry weather kept him from running efficiently. |
| C．He trained to deal with sharp hills and turns in Vienna. |
| D．His record was partly because of the specially-designed shoes. |
| A．Kipchoge worked harder than other runners. |
| B．Kipchoge’s new record was a result of free technology. |
| C．Science and technology played a role in Kipchoge’s win. |
| D．Keeping the right pace was the key to Kipchoge’s success. |
| A．A diary. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A guidebook. | D．A novel. |
5 . THE EARTH DAY: Thursday April 22nd 2:30 to 5:30
1. What will the participants do?
| A．Compete in a quiz about plants. | B．Assist the gardeners to plant trees. |
| C．Hunt animals in the botanical garden. | D．Play a game with the help of some clues. |
| A．$15 | B．$20 | C．$40 | D．$60 |
| A．Vanilla Orchid and Angel’s Trumpet. | B．Angel’s Trumpet and Voodoo Lily. |
| C．Voodoo Lily and Lemon Grass. | D．Lemon Grass and Vanilla Orchid |
6 . National Music Theater Competition
The 2024 National Music Theater Competition (NMTC) will be held. It was launched in 2011 as the first national competition for the emerging professional music theater soloist (独唱者). NMTC has provided industry connections for past competitors and winners that have led to their success on Broadway and other venues.
Prizes (each prize only for a person)
The champion: $5,000 plus a concert at the next national conference of National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), a $1,000 Gift Certificate from Hal Leonard, a Career Management Services package from Stage Door Connections.
The runner-up: $2,500 plus a $500 Gift Certificate from Hal Leonard.
The third place: Louise Lerch Prize; $1,000 cash prize.
The fourth place: Bill Hayes Prize; $750 cash prize.
Qualification
Singers aged from 20 to 28 as of September 15, 2023.
Entrance Procedure
Application requires a fee of $900, but for these students of NATS members the fee is $75. Application fees due to cancellation by the applicant won’t be returned. All application materials must be submitted by September 15, 2023. If you are planning to submit your application for the online round, you must complete the submission by September 15, 2023, but you’ll have 30 days after the deadline to upload your audition (试唱) videos. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
Where to Audition
The preliminary (预选的) round
Live auditions: November 1 to 10, 2023 in New York City.
Online auditions: Video submission deadline is October 15, 2023.
Semifinal and final rounds
Live auditions: The semifinal round: January 3 to 9, 2024; the final round: January 15 to 20, 2024.
The semifinal and final rounds will be held in New York City as part of the 2024 NATS Winter Workshop.
1. Why was the National Music Theater Competition launched?| A．To make people like music. |
| B．To promote the leisure industry. |
| C．To popularize Broadway musicals. |
| D．To seek promising talents. |
| A．A $500 Gift Certificate and Louise Lerch Prize. |
| B．$2,500 in prize money and a Gift Certificate. |
| C．A Career Management Services package. |
| D．A chance to perform at a concert. |
| A．Being at least 28 years old. |
| B．Applying for membership of NATS. |
| C．Submitting application materials on time. |
| D．Uploading audition videos by September 15. |
| A．Competitors can enter the semifinal round on January 18, 2024. |
| B．Both online and live auditions are available in any round. |
| C．There are three rounds in the competition in total. |
| D．Application submission deadline is October 15, 2023. |
| A．To call on people to explore their potential in music. |
| B．To attract young singers to apply for the competition. |
| C．To appeal to young singers to become NATS members. |
| D．To encourage people to enter the musical industry. |
7 . The Underwater Photographer of the Year, which originated from 1965, is a yearly contest based in the United Kingdom. As you might expect, the focus is on photos taken underwater, whether in the ocean, in lakes or rivers, or even swimming pools.
The pictures are judged in several different categories. The contest in 2020 had over 5,500 entries from 70 different countries.
The grand prize winner was “Frozen Mobile Home” by French photographer Greg Lecoeur. The photo shows seals swimming around a small iceberg. To get the picture, Mr Lecoeur traveled to Antarctica in a small boat and spent time tracking the life around floating icebergs.
The photo “Last Dawn, Last Gasp” by Pasquale Vassallo of Italy won the award for Ocean Protection Photographer of the Year. Mr Vassallo said that he went diving early in the morning to take this picture of a tuna (金枪鱼) trapped as fishermen pulled their nets in.
Mr Vassallo also took “Octopus Training”, a picture that won in the category of “Behavior”. He says that when he came up after a dive, he noticed a soccer ball floating on the surface. When he went to check it out, he saw that there was an octopus hanging from the ball. Mr Vassallo says he doesn’t understand what the octopus was doing, but wonders if it was training for the World Cup.
Though Rooman Luc of Belgium didn’t win the “Portrait” category, his photo, titled “Angry Seahorse”, is quite striking. The closeup shot of a seahorse staring strictly into the camera was named runnerup (second place). He said he spent nearly an hour standing in kneehigh water being bitten by mosquitos in order to get the picture.
The contest has many more amazing photos that can be viewed on the site, along with the stories behind them. There is even a book with all of the contents that can be downloaded for free.
1. Which isn’t suitable to enter the Underwater Photographer of the Year contest?| A．The crying dolphin. |
| B．Saving the elephant. |
| C．The dancing lemon shark. |
| D．Kissing the whale. |
| A．A tuna is hard to shoot. |
| B．We should protect ocean animals. |
| C．Diving early in the morning is painful. |
| D．There are too many fishing nets in the sea. |
| A．The octopus is endangered. |
| B．Photography should be serious. |
| C．The photographer has a sense of humour. |
| D．The photographer concerns himself about the octopus. |
| A．Arts. | B．Literature. |
| C．Documentary. | D．Education. |
8 . Share Your Culture Emoji (表情符号) Designers and Win Prizes
Which symbol best represents Chinese culture in your eyes? Is it the panda, kung fu, or the Great Wall? Here’s your chance to decide what emojis best represent Chinese culture! The China Daily Design Contest of Chinese Cultural Symbols is calling for entries from all over the world! No matter the style, share your creative ideas with us! All winning designs will be shared and promoted on the China Daily app, and winning designers will receive prizes! So let your creative juices flow!
● Theme
The emojis should be centered around the subject of Chinese culture, presenting classic or popular cultural images in the form of emojis.
● Who can participate?
Professional designers
Design enthusiasts
Anybody who loves emojis
All nationalities are welcomed
● Awards
First prize: 6,000 yuan, with certificate of honor
Second prize: 3,000 yuan, with certificate of honor
Third prize: 1,000 yuan, with certificate of honor
Most popular award: prize-winner voted by online user
● When to submit?
From now till Nov. 25
Online voting: Nov. 26 to Dec. 7
● Result announcement
End of December
● Requirements
1. Work should be submitted online with required personal information. Maximum of three works can be submitted by each applicant. Only one prize will be awarded to participant even if more than one work by the same designer is selected.
2. Submitted works must be a group, with 8 to 16 emojis in each group. Formats: jpg/png/gif/jpge. Size: 240 x240px. Each picture should not exceed (超过) 100K, and the size of each group should not exceed 1.6M.
3. Work title, designing ideas and cultural meaning should be submitted as required.
● Organizer
China Daily Website
1. Which prize is decided by Internet voting?| A．First prize | B．Second prize |
| C．Third prize | D．Most popular award |
| A．On Nov. 25 | B．On Nov. 26 |
| C．On Dec. 7 | D．at the end of December |
| A．only one work | B．two works at least |
| C．three works at most | D．as many works as he or she likes |
9 . Heroes Stamp Design Competition
Welcome to the Heroes Stamp Design Competition! Children aged 4-14years are invited to design a stamp. Eight designs will be chosen for this stamp series from the Royal Mail. One of the designs could be yours. There are 120 great prizes on offer for area winners and runners-up. Plus, cash prizes for the winning schools too.
Stamp Designing
The stamp design will be based on your hero or heroes of the coronavirus pandemic. The past year has been very difficult for so many people. There are countless frontline workers and volunteers who have continued to work tirelessly to keep the country moving.
Being a stamp designer is a very skilled job. One of the jobs of a stamp designer is to reduce the size of a picture to fit the stamp. When designing your stamp, have a think about what kind of image of your hero or heroes would make a good miniature (微型的) design for a stamp. The final stamps produced will be about 3.7cm wide×3.5cm high.
Things to consider
Your stamp design must be drawn on the official competition entry form (报名表) which your teacher will give you.
Your design must be your own original work.
Drawings must be flat, so please don’t stick any materials or textures (纹理) to your design.
Please use lots of colour (no black and white images) in your design.
Please avoid using highlighter pens (荧光笔).
Good Luck
The closing date for the competition is 28th May. Please ask your teacher, or parent, for one of the official entry forms. You’re then ready to start designing! We can’t wait to see all of the amazing designs from gifted children across the country.
Good Luck!
1. Who would probably take part in the competition?| A．Students. | B．Doctors. |
| C．School teachers. | D．Professional designers. |
| A．It will begin on 28th May. |
| B．It is for a series of four stamps. |
| C．It asks competitors to honour heroes on their stamps. |
| D．It will provide each competing school with cash prizes. |
| A．About 3.5cm wide×3.5cm high. | B．About 3.7cm wide×3.7cm high. |
| C．About 3.5cm wide×3.7cm high. | D．About 3.7cm wide×3.5cm high. |
| A．It should be black and white. |
| B．It should be drawn with highlighter pens. |
| C．It should be flat with textures. |
| D．It should be drawn on a given form. |
| A．advertise for some newly issued stamps | B．send a notice about designing stamps |
| C．call on people to respect modern heroes | D．encourage people to be frontline workers |
10 . He Zhenliang, played a very important role in helping Beijing win the bid (投标) for the 2008 Summer Olympics in 2001 after the Chinese capital failed in its first attempt. The success of the 2008 Beijing Olympics marked China's rising to a major world sports power, which was witnessed and assisted by He.
He had devoted himself to introducing China’s sports progress to the world. He started his career in 1950s as an international communication official in the National Sports Commission, with impressive foreign language skills. He then began working as a senior official in the 1960s for organizations such as the Chinese Table Tennis Association, the All-China Sports Federation and the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC). After being chosen to the executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1985, He was eventually voted IOC vice-president in 1989. He promoted the Olympic Movement in China and removed misunderstandings about China's unique sports system.
Major sports figures in China expressed their respect after He’s passing. Wei Jizhong He’s longtime colleague, recalled that his most unforgettable moment about He was when He wept privately after Beijing failed in 1993 in its Olympic bid. “He said he felt he had let his country and people down, while in fact he’d done whatever he could, ” Wei said.
YangYang, the once short-track speed skater and now an IOC member, praised him as a guiding light for her change from an athlete to an international sports official. “His fruitful work in the IOC earned a positive impression from the world about Chinese sports, which inspired me and guided me to continue my career as a sports official, ” said Yang.
1. What can we learn about He from the first two paragraphs?| A．He helped bridge China and the world in sports. |
| B．He made China a competitive power in the world. |
| C．He taught language skills in some sports organizations. |
| D．He was vice president in the National Sports Commission. |
| A．explain He's failure in the Olympic bid |
| B．share some unforgettable moments of hers |
| C．stress He's contributions to China's sports |
| D．acknowledge her as an excellent speed skater |
| A．Politics. | B．Sports. | C．Health. | D．Business. |
