1 . Move over soccer, basketball and football, there’s a new competition sweeping Australia. It’s competitive bird calling. Yes, bird calling!

Scores of kids in New South Wales are spending their spare time practicing for the Bournda Bird Olympics, an event that aims at young bird-callers against each other to see who can deliver the clearest, most enthusiastic and most accurate bird call. The principal of the Bournda Environmental Education Centre, Doug Reckord, encourages the kids to listen to bird calls on YouTube to prepare for the event. The children also work on identifying birds by their beaks, claws and calls.

Surprisingly, the Bournda Bird Olympics isn’t Australia’s first competition with competitive bird calling. The first competition took place in Sydney in 1912. It was supported by the Gould League of Bird Lovers, a foundation that encouraged children to bird watch and learn about birds.

Even back then, New South Wales was the country’s bird calling leader. Students from the New South Wales region had access to much more bird sounds than city kids. They won the Dawson Memorial Shield for best bird calling six times between 1953 and 1962. Today, New South Wales is bringing back the bird calls. Led by the Bournda Environmental Education Centre, the Bournda Bird Olympics renewed in 2018. The event now features former bird calling champion, Bruce Chapman, as the “celebrity” judge.

When showtime finally arrives, three judges at the Bournda Bird Olympics rate people taking part on their enthusiasm, accuracy and clearness. The players can earn a maximum of three points in each type. Some 45 children took part in the 2022 event. The most popular bird call to imitate (模仿) was the kookaburra’s unique laugh. But the winner that year came from a girl copying a king parrot. Her call sounded so accurate that a king parrot in the trees actually called back to her.

1. What’s Doug Reckord’s attitude to bird calling?

A．Curious.

B．Positive.

C．Uncaring.

D．Objective.

2. What is Gould League of Bird Lovers?

A．A project.

B．A school club.

C．A game.

D．An organization.

3. What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?

A．The basic rules of bird calling.	B．The bright future of bird calling.
C．New South Wales’ participation.	D．New South Wales’ training.

4. Why did a girl’s imitation win the 2022 event?

A．It was true to life.	B．It was the sweetest.
C．It was the most popular.	D．It was full of enthusiasm.

2 . On Oct. 11, hundreds of runners competed in a cross-country race in Minnesota. Melanie Bailey should have _________ the course earlier than she did. Her _________ came because she was carrying a _________ across the finish line.

As reported by a local newspaper, Bailey was more than two-thirds of the way through her _________ when a runner in front of her began crying in pain. She _________ to help her fellow runner, Danielle Lenoue. Bailey took her arm to see if she could walk forward with _________. She couldn’t. Bailey then _________ to let Lenoue climb onto her back and carried her all the way to the finish line, then another 300 feet to where Lenoue could get _________ attention.

Once there, Lenoue was _________ and later taken to a hospital, where she learned that she had serious injuries in one of her knees. She would have struggled with extreme __________ to make it to that aid checkpoint without Bailey’s help.

As for Bailey, she is more __________ about why her act is considered a big __________. “She was just crying. I couldn’t __________ her,” Bailey told the reporter. “I feel like I was just doing the right thing.”

Although the two young women were strangers before the __________, they’ve since become friends. Neither won the race, but the __________ of human kindness won the day.

1.

A．designed

B．followed

C．changed

D．finished

2.

A．delay

B．chance

C．trouble

D．excuse

3.

A．judge

B．volunteer

C．classmate

D．competitor

4.

A．race

B．school

C．town

D．training

5.

A．agreed

B．returned

C．stopped

D．promised

6.

A．courage

B．aid

C．patience

D．advice

7.

A．went away

B．stood up

C．stepped aside

D．bent down

8.

A．medical

B．public

C．constant

D．equal

9.

A．interrupted

B．assessed

C．identified

D．appreciated

10.

A．hunger

B．pain

C．cold

D．tiredness

11.

A．worried

B．ashamed

C．confused

D．discouraged

12.

A．game

B．problem

C．lesson

D．deal

13.

A．leave

B．cure

C．bother

D．understand

14.

A．ride

B．test

C．meet

D．show

15.

A．secret

B．display

C．benefit

D．exchange

3 . Marcus is a handsome and athletic kid. He plays tennis and _________ the state tournament every year. Marcus’s neighbor, Conrad, is also _________ to compete, but he has rheumatoid arthritis (类风湿性关节炎). Although it pains him just to walk, he _________ painful days at school walking to the sports field. He loves watching his school compete so he doesn’t _________ a game.

Marcus has known Conrad since primary school. They’ve always been _________. He sees Conrad in pain and his _________ at not being able to play sports. So, every day alter school, Marcus _________ his classmates to go to Conrad’s for a moment of discussion about the game competition. The discussion is as _________ as a real high school game, which makes Conrad forget the hurt.

Finally, the doctors found a new _________ to reduce the pain. Conrad walks without much pain, and then begins running, but he still has to learn the __________ of running. After a childhood of walking carefully and taking __________ steps, Conrad has to train his walking like a kid again and stay in shape. He pushes himself every day，building his lungs and doing leg lifts repeatedly for his leg __________. He knows what pain feels like, but running for Conrad is no longer __________.

To Conrad’s delight, he gets a chance to join the cross country team. Conrad doesn’t win, not once, but Marcus is there, __________ for him who always finishes in the middle of the competitors, breathing in wind and waving his hands __________.

1.

A．gives up

B．competes in

C．hears of

D．breaks through

2.

A．able

B．lucky

C．eager

D．calm

3.

A．bears

B．counts

C．forgets

D．escapes

4.

A．accept

B．enjoy

C．lose

D．miss

5.

A．strangers

B．enemies

C．friends

D．teachers

6.

A．surprise

B．sadness

C．impatience

D．tiredness

7.

A．promises

B．asks

C．drives

D．forces

8.

A．long

B．noisy

C．boring

D．interesting

9.

A．treatment

B．excuse

C．period

D．topic

10.

A．goal

B．style

C．speed

D．skill

11.

A．suitable

B．serious

C．small

D．comfortable

12.

A．strength

B．show

C．shape

D．advantage

13.

A．relaxing

B．beneficial

C．painful

D．meaningful

14.

A．queuing

B．arguing

C．running

D．cheering

15.

A．excitedly

B．curiously

C．anxiously

D．actively

4 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写词数应为150左右。

Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses! Turning our weaknesses into strengths makes us unbeatable. This is an inspiring story of a 12-year-old boy Kim who defeated his weakness, by unknowingly making it his strength.

Poor Kim lost his left hand in a terrible accident. His parents could not comfort him. To cheer him up, his father made him join a Judo(柔道) school. As the boy always wanted to learn Judo, his father thought that this would make him happy.

Everyone wondered how a single armed boy could learn Judo. However, the master happily accepted him. He trained in Judo for about 8 months. He practiced nothing but a single stroke(击) . He trained for all 8 months in mastering a single stroke. The boy was surprised and sometimes annoyed as his master taught him only one stroke.

Yet, he said nothing. The boy mastered the stroke and grew as nobody could excel(胜过) in doing that particular stroke. The boy was picked by the master to compete in the national level Judo championship tournament(比赛).

Everyone made fun of Kim and the master. How a one-handed boy could win a national championship? Even the boy was not sure about why his master chose him.

Surprisingly, Kim easily defeated his six contenders(竞争者) with his single stroke. He gradually moved to semi-finals. He struggled a bit in the semi-finals and won again.

Needless to say, it surprised everyone and the final match began.

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Kim asked his master how he won the championship with just a single stroke.

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