1 . Kenya’s EliudKipchoge made history by running the 26.2 miles in less than two hours, faster than any other person in history. His time of 1:59:40 required him to maintain an average pace of about 4:35 per mile!

Upon crossing the finish line, Kipchoge, who spent four months training, said, “That was the best moment of my life. The pressure was very big on my shoulders. I got a phone call from the President of Kenya.”

The Prater Park course in Vienna, Austria, was carefully selected, taking into account factors like temperature and wind speed to ensure the perfect racing. His speed was maintained by 41 medium and long-distance runners. An electric car projected a green laser ahead of the runners to guide them along the best route. To save time, Kipchoge was fed pre-prepared drinks and energy on the course at 3.1-mile intervals.

The historic run was Kipchoge’s second attempt at breaking the two-hour marathon barrier. The Kenyan runner first tried to accomplish the feat on May 6, 2017, at Nike’s Breaking2 event, which took place on a Formula One racetrack in Monza, Italy. However, while Kipchoge’s 2:00:25 time was the fastest ever attained by a human, it was not under the desired two hours. However, the lack of acknowledgement does not bother Kipchoge.

Kipchoge was not the only Kenyan runner to make headlines that weekend. On Sunday, October 13, 2019, Brigid Kosgei made history of her own at the Chicago Marathon. Her time of 2:14:04, outpaced British runner Paula Radcliffe ‘s 16-year-old record by an impressive 81 seconds, earning Kosgei the title of the world’s fastest female marathoner!

1. Why did Kipchoge have bigger pressure?

A．He intended to make history.

B．The president of Kenya rang him.

C．The coming marathon was fierce.

D．His training was harder than ever.

2. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 3?

A．Tell us Kipchoge’s determination.

B．Summarize Kipchoge’s contributions.

C．Praise Kipchoge for his thoughtfulness.

D．Show Kipchoge planned the marathon carefully.

3. How did Kipchoge feel when failing to achieve his aim in 2017?

A．Concerned.

B．Astonished.

C．Upset.

D．Calm.

4. What does the underlined word “outpaced” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Beat.

B．Equaled.

C．Stuck.

D．Set.

2 . For more than fifty years, athletes competing in the Olympic games have often been cheered on by either a furry or feathered friend. The Olympic mascot-a cartoonish representation of the host city’s culture and history-is so important, and designs are often selected and finalized years before the Games take place. According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the role of these things is to help spread a “festive atmosphere” and embody the spirit of the event.

Over the decades, the world has welcomed snowmen, sasquatches, cowboy-hat-wearing bears and aliens to the Olympic stage. The first mascot was created in 1968 by designer Aline Lafargue for the Grenoble Winter Games in France. Affectionately named “Shuss”, the character consists of a two-toned head and lightning-bolt shaped leg attached to skis. Despite holding the title of first ever mascot, Lafargue created and submitted her design for Shuss in just one night.

To find a worthy representative, each host country will typically organize a submission contest. In 2014, a competition held by Russia in anticipation for the Sochi Winter Games received more than 24, 000 drawings. The winners, a trio of arctic mammals, were selected by a public vote with the results broadcast on Russian TV. But this hasn’t always been the case: For the1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, one of the first Olympic events to be heavily influenced by corporate financing, Disney won the private bid for mascot design.

Since these creatures are also important to official merchandise (指定商品), cuteness and cuddliness have long been key standards for any mascot’s success. Merchandise of Beijing’s round panda mascot Bing Dwen Dwen for the 2022 Winter Games is already “selling like hotcakes”.

Character design becomes especially important when the Games coincide with a unique moment in history. For example Sydney, Australia, the host country of the first Olympics of the millennium (千禧年), adopted three mascots for the first time in the Games’ history. The three anime-style cartoons, Syd, Olly and Millie, were named in reference to Sydney, Olympics and Millennium-and T-shirts from this landmark Games are still circulating second-hand resale sites now.

1. Why does a host city attach so much importance to the Olympic mascot?

A．Because it reflects the city’s culture and history.	B．Because it can promote the city’s economic growth.
C．Because it reveals the spirit of the Olympic Games.	D．Because it takes a long time to design.

2. When was the first Olympic mascot created?

A．In 1980.

B．In 1984.

C．In 1964.

D．In 1968.

3. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 4?

A．Provide some information about the 2022 Winter Games.

B．Tell readers the features of a successful Olympic mascot.

C．Summarize the previous paragraphs.

D．Introduce the origin of the Olympic mascot.

4. How is the last paragraph developed?

A．By making a comparison.	B．By analyzing causes.
C．By giving an example.	D．By following the order of time.

3 . When I watched Chinese athletes at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics whom I once interviewed receive the highest honor from the central government at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday, the vivid memories of them putting forth their best efforts came rushing back.

But athletes aren’t the only ones that tried their best at the Games. All the organizers, volunteers and healthcare workers worked tirelessly during COVID-19-related challenges. Together they helped China to honor its promise to host streamlined, safe and splendid Games.

As athletes of the Chinese Winter Olympics and Paralympics delegations entered the hall on Friday for the gathering to honor those who made outstanding contributions to the Games, representatives of the organizers and volunteers applauded loudly. In fact, they themselves also deserve a round of applause because without their efforts and sacrifices, the smooth running of competitions under such difficult circumstances would have been a mission impossible.

China prepared for the Games for seven years. For China to have hosted the Winter Games on schedule was considered a huge success, but the fact that venue (场馆) conditions met such exacting standards greatly exceeded many people’s expectations.

Some athletes told me that they harbored some reservations about the Winter Games closed-loop management policy before arriving in China because they feared that it might affect their freedom of movement. They then soon found out that such concerns were unnecessary as they could travel anywhere and anytime they wished within the closed loop, which is only meant to keep them safe so they can fully concentrate on competitions. Then they became even more excited to compete after conducting training sessions at venues described as “the best that they have ever been”.

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics have left many memories. For many, the beautiful memories of peace, friendship and unity are surely among them, I think it’s the best reward for the organizers and volunteers.

1. What can we infer about the author from the text?

A．He is an athlete.

B．He is a journalist.

C．He is an official.

D．He is a volunteer.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．The admirable athletes.	B．The selfless volunteers.
C．Those hardworking organizers.	D．The joint effort of all involved in the Games.

3. What was beyond many people’s expectation?

A．Strictly standard playing fields.	B．Hosting the Game on schedule.
C．Athletes’ freedom of movement.	D．China winning so many medals.

4. The author’s mood in writing the text is ________.

A．indifferent

B．anxious

C．thrilled

D．calm

4 . Artificial intelligence(人工智能)is about to take on one of the most important jobs in all of sports: the baseball umpire(裁判员).

This summer, teams in the AAA league will use modern technology to call balls and strikes on batters. Human umpires will still stand behind the plate, but a voice in their earpieces will tell them to shout out “ball” or “strike”—as determined by a system known as Automated Ball-Strike (ABS).

ABS will even calculate different-sized strike zones for tall or short players, just as human umpires must do. Human umpires will be able to override(推翻)the ABS if they feel it made a mistake. And they will continue to do other things umps do, like call an out made on the base paths, separate angry opposing players to prevent fights, and of course dust off home plate.

For well over a century, umpires have stood as one of the most human elements of baseball. How they make calls can affect the outcome of a game. They unavoidably have human failings. But how they see things, whether right or wrong in the view of any individual fan, is how it will go down. They are the boss. In the end, it’s a human being who is running a game being played by other humans.

More and more, technology is invading(入侵)sports. Data is being used more thoroughly to assess the value of individual players. Statistics advise managers on what decisions to make, such as which players to use and when. Yet sometimes a special joy can well up in a fan when a player defies the odds and succeeds when the data says it shouldn’t happen.

In cases where the use of technology can make a sports competition fairer to teams, players, and their fans, by reducing the number of “bad calls”, it can be a benefit to sports. Robot referees(裁判)could also help solve shortages of volunteer referees at the amateur level, in sports such as soccer. A game might be run by a single official aided by technology that does parts of the job such as calling balls in or out of bounds.

1. When will human umpires use their right to refuse the ABS?

A．When they think the ABS makes a wrong decision.

B．When they separate angry opposing players.

C．When they call balls in or out of bounds.

D．When they dust off home plate.

2. What’s the author’s attitude to human umpires according to paragraph 4?

A．Agreeable.

B．Respectful.

C．Worried.

D．Dissatisfied.

3. What do the underlined words “defies the odds” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Breaks the law.	B．Gets over the difficulties.
C．Teams up with his players.	D．Gets injured.

4. What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．The importance of fair play.

B．The shortages of volunteer referees.

C．The advantages of using robots as referees.

D．The application of modern technology in sports.

5 . As part of global Happy Chinese New Year celebrations, photographers are encouraged to show how other countries mark the event in the Just Share It - Happy Chinese New Year Photo Contest 2022.

Awards and Prizes

●First prize: 10 photos (single or group), each 5,000 RMB

●Second prize: 30 photos (single or group), each 3,000 RMB

●Third prize: 60 photos (single or group), each 1,000 RMB

What

1. The images should show the programs and activities of Happy Chinese New Year (a worldwide celebration hosted by the Ministry of Culture of the PRC) all over the world or capture scenes of people enjoying the Spring Festival overseas.

2. Photographs must be of an event outside the Chinese mainland, and the photographer can be of any nationality.

3. All the images must be real, not doctored or photoshopped. The tone (色调) and color could be slightly adjusted, and the color can be changed into black and white.

4. Photographs must be in digital format. And resolution (分辨率) of the photo should be 300 dpi. TIF file should be no smaller than 50MB, the highest compressed format of JPG file no less than 7MB, and the maximum should be no less than 3,000 pixels (像素).

5. Entries can be single photos or a series — a group counts as a single photo. Each group should only have four to eight photos.

6. The headline and caption (in Chinese or English) must be complete and accurate. The authors should provide sufficient details, including the process and location of the shoot, and provide the photographer’s nationality, address and phone number.

Please fill in the blanks below and include the form with your entry via e-mail.

1. How much will all the prizes cost?

A．50, 000 RMB	B．90,000 RMB
C．60,000 RMB	D．200,000 RMB

2. Which picture can be admitted by the contest?

A．A small Chinese village is quiet in mountains.

B．Some boys are dancing at Spring Festival in New York.

C．Some adults are eating dumplings together.

D．Some people are going boating in Xihu Lake, Zhejiang Province.

3. Which requirement is NOT true?

A．The picture cannot be photoshopped.

B．The picture must be in digital format.

C．The photographers must be overseas Chinese.

D．Information of the photo must be complete and correct.

6 . China came in second place overall after losing to the USA 83 -61 in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup final on Saturday in Sydney, Australia. It was like history repeated itself because 28 years ago, in 1994, China finished the World Championship with silver medals in Australia as well. On the way to the top stage, they defeated traditional women’s basketball powerhouses including France and Australia.

Actually, the road to the success was quite tough. On the one hand, Chinese top scorer Li Meng, who suffered from a fever, was absent from the final. Earlier in the group stage, China lost to the United States 77 -63, when Li scored 21 points, more than anyone else on the court. On the other hand, the aggressiveness of competitors produced 13 steals for USA and forced 19 turnovers out of China. Moreover, there was always a defender following Han Xu closely to stand in the passing route between Han and her teammates. It was very difficult for the Chinese guard to pass the ball out against such defense, not to mention to feed Han for an open shot.

Faced with challenges, girls didn’t give up. They worked together to compete against the “powerhouse”. Li Yueru led China with 19 points and 12 rebounds, which made Li the first double-double in a World Cup final since 2013. Meanwhile, Chinese player Wu Tongtong scored 13 points before being helped off the court with a leg injury.

“We tried our best to win today. Though we didn’t make it, we feel that we showed our best and hope to get better results in the future, ”Li told Xinhua.

Saturday’s loss was not the best result for China, but it could be a good lesson for their players, head coach Zheng Wei and every other involved with Chinese basketball development to learn so they can do better in the future.

1. What is the main purpose of Paragraph 2?

A．To introduce the challenges they faced.

B．To introduce how to overcome difficulties.

C．To tell readers how to play basketball.

D．To state how to develop the strategy for the basketball competition.

2. What can we learn about Li Yueru?

A．She scored 21 points in the final.

B．She became the first double-double in1 a World Cup final since 2013.

C．She was absent from the final because of the fever.

D．She was the biggest fan of shooting 3-pointers.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Patience is the mother of good luck.

B．Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

C．Continuous efforts - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.

D．Success is not measured by the position you reach in life but the difficulties you overcome.

4. Where does this text probably come from?

A．An advertisement.	B．A news report.
C．A magazine.	D．A sports brochure.

7 . The most eye-catching performance from the final weekend of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials didn’t break a world record or send a teenager to Tokyo. But Lindsay Flach still became the shining star. Lindsay Flach competed in the heptathlon(七项全能) 18 weeks pregnant and showed off a growing belly. Though she finished a distant last among the 15 women who made it through all seven events of the heptathlon, her participation this past weekend was a victory in itself.

The 2020 season was supposed to be Flach’s last chance to compete in the heptathlon, the sport that developed into her enthusiasm over the past decade. She intended to grasp a chance on the U.S. Olympic team one final time before marrying her longtime boyfriend and starting a family together.

In early 2020, Flach quit her job, temporarily left her soon-to-be-husband behind and moved nearly 250 miles south to train with her new coach at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She intended to remain there through the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials. Then the pandemic(疫情) struck three months into her training.

When the spread of COVID-19 forced the postponement(延迟) of the Tokyo Games and cast doubt on whether they would ever happen, Flach, 31, decided she could no longer put her life on hold. In March, Flach began struggling to hit marks that had previously been routine to her. She took a pregnancy test that came back positive, a result that made her doubt whether her Olympic hopeful.

The pregnancy weakened Flach’s strength and energy but not her desire to say goodbye to track and field on her own terms. While Flach’s final score was less than half her personal best, she’s trying not to focus on that aspect, nor on the fact that she never qualified for an Olympics in her career. She’s excited for what’s to come in her life, excited she was able to participate in a third Olympic Trials and excited that she showed how strong would-be mothers can be.

1. When did Flach begin to love the heptatblon?

A．At the age of 18.	B．At the age of 21.
C．At the age of 30.	D．At the age of 31.

2. Which word can best describe Flach according to Paragraph 3?

A．Determined.	B．Ambitious.
C．Unfortunate.	D．Organized.

3. What made Flach excited?

A．She was expecting a new life.

B．She won the third Olympic Trials.

C．She could marry her loved boyfriend finally.

D．She was chosen to take part in the Olympic Games.

4. In which section of a magazine can this text be read?

A．Teens.	B．Sports.
C．Economy.	D．Advertisement.

8 . Adult Summer Reading

How to participate (参加):

Starting Saturday July1 sign at the Circulation Desk and receive a Summer Reading T-shirt! Enter a raffle ticket (彩票) for each book you read for a chance to win a weekly prize.

Read any book of your chance. The more you read, the greater your chance to win a prize! Entries must be received by Tuesday, August 22 at 9pm.

Notes: Send us a photo of yourself wearing your Summer Reading T-shit to framinghams ummerreading@ gmail. com for a chance to win a grand prize.

What you can win:

Weekly prizes will be drawn on the following days

July10- Gift card for a dozen donuts donated (捐赠) by Cael Bagel

July 17- $5 gift card donated by Mad Willes

July 24- $5 gift card donated by Mad Willes

July31- $10 gift card to Barnes and Noble donated by the Friends of the Framingham Library

August7 $10 gift card to Barnes and Noble donated by the Friends of the Framingham Library

August14- $25 gift card donated by Zaftig Delicatessen

Grand prize

880 gift card to Barnes&Noble or a Kindle Paper white donated by the Friends of the Framingham Library

The Finale Concert

Wednesday. August 23 at 7pm Costin Room, Main Library

The grand prize winners will be drawn, followed by a concert by The Love Dogs. Enjoy ice cream donated by Ben & Jerry’s Natick.

For more information: Call 508-532-5570 x4351 or visit www. framinghamlibrary.org

1. How can you get a chance to win a grand prize?

A．Register in advance.	B．Read a bonk every month.
C．Collect as many raffle tickets as possible.	D．Send a photo according to the rule.

2. What prize can you win for the third week?

A．$5 gift card.	B．$10 gift card.
C．$25 gift card.	D．$80 gift card.

3. What can we know about the finale concert?

A．Every participant can go to the concert

B．The participant should pay for the ice cream

C．Information about it can be got on the website

D．All the prizes will be announced during the event

9 . FREE Monthly 53-Word Story Competition

Open to all writers around the world who write in English . Be sure to subscribe (订阅) to our email updates for free. You’ll receive an email on the first day of each month with our winning story and the prompt (提示词) for our next competition .

Here’s how to enter;

One story per person.

·Email your story directly to 53wordstory@gmail. com by the 15th day of the month, midnight Eastern Time.

·Your story must be 53 words — no more, no less; titles are not included in the word count. If your story is not titled, we will create a title for publication.

· Send only stories. Poetry will not be considered.

· The entry must be original (原创的). Stories not meeting this rule will be turned down .

·No attachments (附件), please . Put your story into the body of your email . Stories sent as attachments or images in the email will not be considered.

Our judges for the 53-Word Story Competition are the editors of Press 53 and Prime Number Magazine. The winner gets published in Prime Number Magazine and receives a free book from Press 53. We will request your photo and 53-word self-introduction if your story is our winner, so be prepared!

Enter our next 53-Word Story Competition!

1. How often does the competition take place?

A．Once a week.	B．Once a month.
C．Every three months.	D．Once a year.

2. What is necessary for an entry of the competition?

A．It must have more than 53 words.	B．It must have a good title.
C．It must be from published articles.	D．It must be sent by email.

3. What can the winner of the competition get?

A．Some money.	B．A copy of Press 53.
C．A job offer.	D．A chance of being introduced.

10 . If a child is playing sport, they should have fun. However, I believe learning that sometimes you lose is just as important.

There is a school of thought that if children are playing for fun, they should not keep score, which seems a bit backwards to me. Participation is great, but let’s also give them a goal to reach.

Sport has winners and losers, which is an important part of its make-up. I believe the greatest joy you can get from sport is when you play hard and produce a win, when you and your teammates work together for your goal.

I am a competitive person, but I don’t think you’re ever too young to start learning that putting effort into something can result in reward. I’m not saying winning should be the be-all and end-all of the experience for children, but it should at least be a choice.

Michael Jordan once said. “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Without learning how it feels to win, and just as importantly how it feels to lose, we will bring up children who expect life to be easy. Life is not easy and I believe the sooner children learn that, the better off they are in the long run. But, there does need to be a balance. There are parents who always want to see their children win and will punish them when they make mistakes.

I believe the key is to teach children that they should give their all in an effort to be victorious. It does need to be fun or they won’t be interested, but they should be graceful (优雅的) in failure. Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios is an example of someone who appears to have gone too far the other way, always in the news for his terrible attitude on court.

1. Which of the following will the author agree with?

A．Fewer kids play sport nowadays.	B．It is participation that matters most.
C．Competitive sport is important for kids.	D．Kids often have unrealistic goals in sport.

2. What does the author want to show by using Jordan’s words?

A．Life lies in sport.	B．Nothing is impossible.
C．Great hopes make great men.	D．Failure is the mother of success.

3. What will winning and losing in sport teach children?

A．The difficulty of life.	B．The role of hard work.
C．The power of teamwork.	D．The need for dreaming big.

4. What does the author think of Nick Kyrgios?

A．He is not skilled.	B．He is not graceful.
C．He sets a good example for kids.	D．He pays little attention to success.