For as long as her parents can remember, 11-year-old Breana Carsey has had this crazy dream. She has always wanted a mommy horse who would give birth to a baby horse, who would then grow up to become a racing champion.
“Absolutely, this was a fairy tale for her from day one. We put it off for five years because we don’t have a farm,” said her father, Brian Carsey, who explained that his daughter has “me wrapped around her finger”．
Her horse was born in the spring of 2013. Breana named it MJB Got Faith for the faith she instantly had in him.
“I really loved him. He’s super soft too,” she said.
But that quick bond posed a real problem for this Dad. See, for whatever reason, Brian thought once he explained to his daughter that her horse could never run in a race—that it was a runt from poor breeding stock—she would just agree to sell it.
“She thought her horse was priceless,” he said. “So I had a chat with my wife and we really got ourselves in a mess here. And I didn’t know how we were going to get out of this. So we took him to the races, the horse that I thought we should have got rid of already.”
Brian was stuck, committed to boarding and training this long shot to end all long shots. And this is not a wealthy family. Brian runs a small company. And Ohio racing, which is harness style racing, is a $900 millionayear industry.
MJB Got Faith was so slow that it was barely even qualified to compete but then somehow won his first race, then his second, third and fourth qualifying him for the state championship held in Columbus, Ohio.
“And I said to my daughter, ‘If you finish third, you should be so thankful,’” Brian remembered. “She said, ‘Daddy, if he finishes last, I’m going to be thankful. But he’s going to win.’”
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；2．请按如下格式作答。
This little horse won an important match.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Her dad now has a racehorse whose name is Steve Hartman.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Hello, hello!” called out a pleasant voice.
Andy Waters looked up and saw his new neighbor, Francis Frame.
“Hello, yourself,” he shouted cheerfully, as he fastened on his roller skates. “Want to go skating, Francis?”
“I can’t. I lost my roller skates last fall, and mother says she can’t afford to buy me another pair just now.”
Andy looked at his neighbor’s long legs. They were just the right kind, he thought, to make a fast skater.
“That’s hard luck, Francis, because if you had some roller-skates, maybe you could be in our skating relay race (接力赛) next Saturday.”
“Oh! Don’t I wish I had some skates!” cried Francis.
“I have to go for the training now but I can let you use my skates sometime when I am not using them.” Andy said bye to Francis.
When Andy skated slowly toward the end of the block, he thought about Francis Frame. Francis hadn’t lived in the block very long, and none of the other boys knew him. So the new boy was left to himself a great deal, and must often be very lonely.
“Yes,” said Andy to himself, “it certainly is a pity about Francis! I ought to do something about it.”
As he skated to the vacant lot where they usually trained and raced, he met the captain of his team, a large boy called Buddy Bowers. “I stopped for a few moments to talk to my new neighbor,” said Andy. “don’t you think we could use another boy on our team for the race? That new boy, Francis Frame, I mean?”
“We just can’t do it. The other team wouldn’t let us take on an extra boy.” Buddy refused.
Soon the training began and Andy practiced very hard, for his heart was set on having his team win the race. Still, he couldn’t help knowing that his short legs kept him from being a fast skater. On the way home, Andy thought of a way to help his team win as well as help Francis Frame — he could pretend to be sick on the racing day and have Francis take his place!
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Thinking of this, he raced to the home of his new neighbor.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Finally came the racing day, and Andy and Francis showed up together.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3 . Last month, on Oct.15, there was a marathon (马拉松赛) in the city of Luoyang, Henan Province. A lot of people in and around the city participated (参与) in it.
It was Sunday. There were some clouds in the sky in the early morning but the sun was shining when the race began. Eighteen boys and girls in my class, as well as four of my teachers, gathered on the south side of Luohe River to take part in the marathon. It was the first time that we had been in a marathon. We were excited and had fun running with people. We had to run 10 km. It was not a race, but an event to challenge ourselves. We helped each other during the run. When someone fell behind, others would go to encourage him or her not to give up. Tired but happy, all of us made it in about 90 minutes.
The marathon is like life, in which we can choose whether or not to keep going when we feel tired or meet difficulties. The biggest enemy is ourselves, whom we should fight with and defeat (打败). We never know what will happen in the future, but what we can do is try our best. If we can keep running, success will belong to us, because it’s impossible to defeat a person who never gives up.
Challenges make life interesting and meaningful. This very first marathon will always be remembered as an unforgettable event in my life.
1. The marathon was held __________ according to the passage.| A．on a very cold morning | B．on the playground of the writer’s school |
| C．on a Sunny day | D．on Saturday |
| A．Four. | B．Fourteen. | C．Eighteen. | D．Twenty-two. |
| A．encouraged each other | B．stopped to have a rest |
| C．never noticed each other | D．wanted to defeat others |
| A．should fight with and defeat the others during the race |
| B．must try our best to do everything |
| C．can defeat a person who never gives up |
| D．didn’t feel tired or meet difficulties in the marathon |
| A．We should face challenges bravely and defeat ourselves. |
| B．Life is meaningful and we should value it. |
| C．Smile to all the challenges in our lives. |
| D．Remember all the wonderful experience happening in our lives. |
4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What do you think Jim is?| A．A journalist. | B．A basketball player. | C．A coach. |
| A．Practise basketball. | B．Have some lessons. | C．Receive interview. |
| A．History. | B．English. | C．Geography. |
1. What does the speaker think of his first marathon?
| A．Boring. | B．Satisfying. | C．Difficult. |
| A．He was too nervous. |
| B．He lacked training beforehand. |
| C．He didn’t take his running shoes. |
| A．He got the third place. |
| B．He completed his challenge. |
| C．It took place in hot weather. |
6 . When handball was first introduced to Sri Lankan schools in 2010, I wanted to bring it to my school, St Anthony’s. I
Nevertheless, it was rather a
The boys were interested and immediately forty students
Although handball is an indoor game, we trained outdoors for
Their perseverance, passion and hard work at last
However, it was a supreme honor and rare
| A．resisted | B．viewed | C．guessed | D．rejected |
| A．secure | B．miss | C．switch | D．exchange |
| A．success | B．task | C．challenge | D．target |
| A．nothing | B．much | C．a lot | D．anything |
| A．inspired | B．surprised | C．encouraged | D．determined |
| A．checked out | B．signed up | C．moved around | D．set off |
| A．coach | B．track | C．press | D．follow |
| A．fear | B．rest | C．benefit | D．lack |
| A．if | B．unless | C．until | D．once |
| A．explained | B．complained | C．ordered | D．joked |
| A．sufferings | B．methods | C．arrangements | D．efforts |
| A．paid off | B．went up | C．ran out | D．faded away |
| A．occasionally | B．narrowly | C．fortunately | D．casually |
| A．chance | B．dream | C．failure | D．victory |
| A．willing | B．grateful | C．curious | D．disciplined |
The 19th Asian Games, held in Hangzhou, has highlighted not only the great celebration of sporting talent, but also the deep cultural
The cong,
The Liangzhu people, known for their mastery of planning, engineering, and agriculture, farmed rice fields, developed an advanced economy,
8 . Cyclocross is cross-country bicycle racing. Racers spend only part of a race on their bikes because only part of the two-mile race is smooth. Other parts of the race have the challenge of obstacles (障碍). When racers reach them, they can ride over them, or pick up their bikes and run.
To be a top racer, you must dismount without slowing down at all. To do this, swing your right leg over the bike seat. At the same time, move the bike away from your body. This makes room for your right foot to hit the ground next to your left foot. As your right foot nears the ground, take your left foot away from the bike. Put both feet on the ground and start running!
As soon as you are running, you have to decide what to do with your bike. You may shoulder it or lift it. It’s important to practice both skills. Sometimes you need to run fast and jump over some obstacles. As your feet hit the ground, you reach down and catch the bottom of your bike. Lift up carefully and keep the bike on your right shoulder while you run. Sometimes you may lift your bike. You catch the top of your bike. Then you lift the bike high enough to get over the obstacles and carefully put the bike on the ground.
After you have carried your bike across an obstacle, you will need to remount. As soon as your bike is on the ground, push off with your left leg, swing your right leg over the bike seat, and move into riding position. Remounting can be the hardest skill of cyclocross. You can learn by watching someone who remounts well.
Cyclocross is a great way to stay active and have fun. However, it can be dangerous. Make sure that you are well prepared. Then, you will just need to go!
1. What can we learn about cyclocross from the text?| A．It’s a cross-city bike race. | B．It’s a challenging bike race. |
| C．It’s a no-obstacle bike race. | D．It’s a dangerous running race. |
| A．Get off a bike. | B．Pick up a bike. | C．Get back on a bike. | D．Practice riding a bike. |
| A．To take care of the bike. | B．To jump over obstacles. |
| C．To make room for others. | D．To hit the ground harder. |
| A．The popularity of cyclocross racing. | B．The history of cyclocross racing. |
| C．The records of cyclocross racing. | D．The skills of cyclocross racing. |
9 . The Ultimate Guide to STEM Competitions & Events
STEM competitions allow individuals or student teams to solve a specific challenge or problem through science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. The followings are different events at this time.
Congressional App Challenge
What: Students must code and build an app by themselves. The apps are judged in district-wide competitions.
Who: High school students.
When: From June 15 to November 1, 2023.
Where: Online.
Prize: Winners receive a free trip to display their work in the Capitol Building.
Regeneron Science Talent Search
What: Entrants must conduct an original independent research project. Besides application letters, recommendation letters and transcripts(成绩单) are also needed.
Who: Any student in their senior year of high school.
When: From June 1 to November 8, 2023.
Where: Selected finalists will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D. C. for in-depth judging.
Prize: Over $2 million in awards are given; first-place prize is $ 250,000.
THINK Challenges
What: This competition is for high school students who are in the early stages of an original research project, rather than being fully completed.
Who: High school students.
When: 2023 registration is closed; 2024 details are to be decided and will likely open in November 2023.
Where: Online.
Prize: Selected finalists are invited to a 4-day all-expenses-paid trip to MIT’s campus to meet professors in their field of research! $1000 will be given.
Source America Design Challenge
What: Student teams are to use STEM concepts to create a totally new product that empowers people with disabilities.
Who: High school and collegiate-level students.
When: Registration for Design Challenge 2022 is still live!
Where: The finals take place in Washington D. C.
Prize: Grand prize is $ 8,000 per team and $ 6,000 to the affiliated school.
1. In the STEM competitions, participants can ________.
| A．design an app based on judges’ choices | B．create an invention to help the disabled |
| C．present a fully completed research project | D．get recommendation letters from professors |
| A．THINK Challenges | B．Congressional App Challenge |
| C．Regeneron Science Talent Search | D．Source America Design Challenge |
| A．They must be available for an outing trip. | B．They must register 2023 competitions. |
| C．They must be high school seniors. | D．They must submit original works. |
1. Why doesn’t the man like watching basketball games?
| A．There are few talented players. |
| B．There are lots of advertisements. |
| C．There are few basketball games in his city. |
| A．Hard-working. | B．Confident. | C．Anxious. |
