1 . Reader’s Digest has launched its 2024 Beautiful Britain competition to celebrate the nature, landscapes and urban sides of Britain. The competition is running until the 12th of May and anyone can send in an original photo for consideration.

The aim of the competition is to view Britain from interesting, unique and unusual viewpoints and to focus on its diversity (多样性). Entrants (参赛者) are required to send in a high resolution photo via an entry form or directly by email to photocomps@readersdigest.co.uk for consideration.

Entrants for the competition will also need to include a full name, their location and a contact number, sending in a previously unpublished photo to be considered. Photos sent in will be judged by award winning photographer James Eckersley, who specializes in portraiture.

The winning entry will be featured on the back cover of Reader’s Digest’s July 2024 issue, with the winner also receiving a £400 Amazon voucher and a Royal photographic society membership for a year. The second-place entrant will win a £250 camera world voucher and the third-place will receive either an experience or a workshop course voucher from Jessops. For full details and ways to enter, click here.

About Reader’s Digest:

Launched in 1922, Reader’s Digest has built 100 years of trust with a loyal audience and has become one of the largest circulating magazines in the world. The first UK edition of Reader’s Digest hit the shelves in March 1938 and Reader’s Digest has produced an edition for eager readers every month since then.

1. What is the competition intended to do?

A．Promote British tourism.	B．Attract top photographers.
C．Celebrate British diversity.	D．Encourage photo creativity.

2. How many awards will the first-place entrant get besides one honor?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

3. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A news report.

B．An art book.

C．A magazine.

D．A website.

2 . Our much-loved 100-Word-Story Competition is back! Enter for the chance to win prizes of up to £1,000. It is a chance to show the world your storytelling talents! Entries (参赛作品) are now open.

Rules and conditions

Please ensure that entries are created by yourself, not previously published and exactly 100 words long (not including title)—not a single word shorter or longer! Don’t forget to include your full name, address, email and phone number. We may use entries in all print and electronic media. Multiple entries are allowed per person. We are unfortunately only able to consider UK-based entries. Please submit your stories by 5pm on January 5, 2024 either online or by post.

Terms and prizes

There are three categories—one for adults and two categories for schools: one for children aged 12-18 and one for children under 12. The editorial team will pick a shortlist of entries, and the three best stories in each category will be posted online at our website on February 1,2024. You can vote for your favourite and the one with the most votes will win the top prize. Voting will close on February 29, 2024 and the winning entries will be published in our May 2024 issue, and posted online on April 16, 2024.

★In the adults category, the winner will receive £1,000 and one runner-up will receive £300.

★In the 12-18s category, the winner will receive£200 or a Kind le Paperwhite, and the runner-up will receive a £100 books voucher.

★In the under-12 category, the winner will receive £100 or a Kindle Paperwhite and £100 of book vouchers for their school, and the runner- up will receive a £50 books voucher.

1. To meet the competition rules, the entry must be ______.

A．created originally	B．published openly
C．less than 100 words	D．based on the US

2. When can you see the winning entries earliest?

A．In January.

B．In February.

C．In April.

D．In May.

3. What prize may a winner aged 16 receive?

A．£100.

B．£200.

C．£300.

D．£1,000.

3 . 假定你是校英语报的记者李华，3 月 24 日一年一度的武汉马拉松比赛圆满结束。请你写一篇新闻报道，发布在校英语报上。
内容包括：
1、比赛的目的 2、精彩瞬间 3、感受
参考词汇：武汉马拉松Wuhan Marathon, 观众spectator
注意：
1、词数 80 左右
2、可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯

Successful Conclusion of Wuhan Marathon

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . Donna Urquhart is an experienced runner. She ran 1,402 kilometers over the course of 28 days in Antarctica (南极洲), _______ the record for the longest-ever run in a polar region.

Urquhart spent 10 months training for the _______, turning to some unusual training methods. A company allowed her to run in a _______ storage unit where she ran in temperatures below zero. Besides, she ran along the beaches with uneven (凹凸不平的) surfaces that are like the _______ grounds in Antarctica. All those proved useful _______.

The difficulties that Urquhart faced in Antarctica were _______: taking in about 5,000 calories each day, _______ in a tent. Combined with the sound of _______ winds and the continent’s 24 hours of sunlight in the summer months, these were _______ favorable to a good night’s sleep. Urquhart would usually wear four layers of coats and keep ________ her own body temperature while running.

Urquhart launched the Run Antarctica aiming to encourage more women to ________ sport. Though still unsure about what her next running challenge will have, she has set a ________ of raising $1.5 million for charity.

“Confidence is a real issue for females,” says Urquhart. “And a sporting environment provides them with a great opportunity to ________ themselves.” This served as a huge ________ for her to take on a challenge that no other woman had attempted before. “It was actually showing that we can push our ________, and explore what seems impossible,” says Urquhart.

1.

A．closing

B．keeping

C．missing

D．setting

2.

A．puzzle

B．outcome

C．challenge

D．examination

3.

A．painted

B．refrigerated

C．heated

D．crowded

4.

A．varied

B．soft

C．smooth

D．high

5.

A．purposes

B．messages

C．preparations

D．suggestions

6.

A．new

B．tough

C．interesting

D．exciting

7.

A．accommodating

B．recovering

C．harvesting

D．complaining

8.

A．gentle

B．slight

C．warm

D．wild

9.

A．likely

B．significantly

C．hardly

D．really

10.

A．noticing

B．taking

C．decreasing

D．forgetting

11.

A．refer to

B．apply for

C．carry on

D．take up

12.

A．price

B．record

C．target

D．rule

13.

A．support

B．trust

C．prevent

D．wait

14.

A．inspiration

B．impression

C．symbol

D．adventure

15.

A．processes

B．positions

C．schedules

D．limits

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下两个小题。
1. How does the art competition make the woman feel?

A．Angry.

B．Surprised.

C．Excited.

2. What does the woman probably do?

A．She’s a painter.

B．She’s a digital artist.

C．She’s a short story writer.

3. What does the man think should happen now?

A．The judges should apologize.

B．The prize should be taken back.

C．A competition for AI art should be held.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. When did the man get the tickets?

A．On Monday.

B．On Friday.

C．On Sunday.

2. How does the woman feel when the games are close?

A．Excited.

B．Sad.

C．Pressured.

3. Which team are the speakers cheering for?

A．Spain.

B．Russia.

C．Switzerland.

7 . 请在方框中选择合适的词汇，将对应选项填入短文的空格中，使短文完整连贯。
注意：(1)每个选项至多只能使用一次；
(2)方框中有一个多余词汇。

A. worthy of          B. did their best        C. competed in        D. listening to       E. with certainty F. more than G. dreaming of       H. questioned about     I. would rather        J. was provided for       K. adapted to

In the ever-changing world of women’s artistic gymnastics, there has been a gymnast for     1     three decades: Oksana Chusovitina.

The 48-year-old had said     2     that her final competition would be the Tokyo 2020 Games. With no fans in the stands to honor her legendary career, judges, coaches and other athletes     3     to give her a party     4     all she’d given the sport. After she thanked them through tears in her eyes, she told media that was her swansong (告别比赛).

However, just a few months after the Tokyo Olympics, Chusovitina said that she would return to training,     5     one final medal at a major competition—the Asian Games—for Uzbekistan. When     6     her return to gymnastics following a due retirement at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she emphasized the importance of     7     one’s inner calling, “I like the excitement of pushing yourself to prove that you can do it despite your age,” Chusovitina said in an interview. And she mentioned on her Instagram story, “I just can’t finish my career without a medal for my motherland.”

Chusovitina first     8     the 1992 Olympics as part of the Unified Team and won a team gold medal there. Though she represented (代表) Uzbekistan in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics, her second Olympic me dal came some 16 years later in the 2008 Olympics. Chusovitina, then representing her third nation, Germany, where better medical treatment     9     her sick son, got the silver medal.

And now, her story continues. The historic eight-time Olympian, whose motto is “I     10     try today than regret tomorrow”, has started her ninth trip to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How did the man probably injure himself?

A．Skateboarding.

B．Playing football.

C．Involving in a car accident.

2. What part of the body has the man injured probably?

A．His head.

B．His leg.

C．His stomach.

3. What day is it today probably?

A．Sunday.

B．Tuesday.

C．Wednesday.

4. How many painkillers can the man take daily at most?

A．6．

B．5．

C．4．

9 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the talk mainly about?

A．The skills of playing basketball.

B．Congratulations to a sports team.

C．Game plans for a basketball match.

2. What month is it probably?

A．October.

B．November.

C．December.

3. What was the key to the team’s success according to the speaker?

A．Working together as a team.

B．Following his game plans.

C．Training every day.

4. What does the speaker think the game is really about?

A．Increasing school pride.

B．Winning the competition.

C．Learning important life skills.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does the woman think about Sports Day?

A．She dislikes it.

B．She is curious about it.

C．She doesn’t care about it.

2. What does the woman usually do at the time of Sports Day?

A．She says she is sick.

B．She joins in with everything.

C．She chooses her favorite sport.

3. Which sport does the woman do best in?

A．Running.

B．Badminton.

C．Gymnastics.

4. What does the man suggest the woman do at the end?

A．Find an excuse.

B．Talk with her mom.

C．Practice together with him.