A good way to practice your writing and be recognized by professionals and scholars is to enter writing contests. There are a variety of different writing contests open to teens who enjoy writing essays, fictional stories, poems and other written pieces.
Creative communication Essay Contest
The Creative Communication Essay Contest is sponsored by Creative Communication, an organization which promotes and encourages creative writing in students. The contest is open to students in grades four to 12. To enter, submit an original , non-fiction essay of 100 to 300 words on a topic of your choice. The contest is held three times a year with a fall deadline in October, a spring deadline in February and a summer deadline in July. Winners are chosen each time, one in each of the three divisions—grades 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12.
American Library of Student Poetry Contest
The American Library of Student Poetry Contest is open to students in grades three to 12. To enter, submit an original poem of 20 lines or less. Poems are judged on originality, creativity and artistic quality, and submissions are accepted throughout the year, with the winners being announced in September. First-,second- and third-place winners are chosen within each of the four grade categories, grades 3-5,6-7, 8-9, 10-12.
YCteen Essay Contest
The YCteen Essay Contest is hosted by YCteen, a life style magazine for teens. The contest is open to American teens , ages 14to19, and is held twice a year with the first deadline being in October and the second in December. To enter, submit an original, non-fiction essay of about 800 words answering a given essay question. Past questions have focused on issues such as climate change and activism. All winning entries will be published on the YCteen website and in the print version of the magazine.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is an art and creative writing contest hosted and sponsored by a group of more than 100 literary art organizations across the United States. The contest is open to teens in grades seven to 12 going to school in the United States and American schools abroad . Pieces can be submitted to any of 28 available categories, including humor, poetry, critical essays, journalism and more. Submissions are accepted starting in September, and the deadline ranges from December to January depending on your region.(地区)In what way is the American Library of Student Poetry Contest different from the other writing contests?
| A．Poems must be submitted in September. |
| B．It is for students from different grades. |
| C．There is no deadline for submissions. |
| D．Winners are chosen within each grade category. |
The YCteen Essay Contest accepts essay______.
| A．on a specific topic |
| B．with past questions |
| C．from a lifestyle magazine |
| D．on a topic of your choice |
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is open to ______.
| A．American students in all grades |
| B．foreign students in the United States |
| C．American schools at home and abroad |
| D．students in the literary art organizations |
The main purpose of the passage is to ______.
| A．tell teens how to enter writing contests |
| B．show the benefits of writing contests |
| C．offer tips on how to win writing contests |
| D．introduce writing contests for teens |
A good heart
Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa among great poverty and disease. He came to Georgetown University on a scholarship(奖学金) to study medicine — but Coach(教练) John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea. Dikembe became a star in the NBA, and a citizen of the United States. But he never forgot the land of his birth, or the duty to share his fortune with others. He built a new hospital in his old hometown in the Congo. A friend has said of this good-hearted man: “Mutombo believes that God has given him this chance to do great things.”
Success and kindness
After her daughter was born, Julie Aigner-Clark searched for ways to share her love of music and art with her child. So she borrowed some equipment, and began filming children’s videos(录像) in her own house. The Baby Einstein Company was born, and in just five years her business grew to more than $20 million in sales. And she is using her success to help others — producing child safety videos with John Walsh of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Julie says of her new program: “I believe it’s the most important thing that I have ever done. I believe that children have the right to live in a world that is safe.”
Bravery and courage
A few weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls when he saw a man fall into the path of a train. With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks, pulled the man into the space between the rails(铁轨), and held him as the train passed right above their heads. He insists he’s not a hero. He says: “We have got to show each other some love.” Mutombo believes that building the new hospital is ______.
| A．helpful to his personal development | B．something he should do for his homeland |
| C．a chance for his friends to share his money | D．a way of showing his respect to the NBA |
What did the Baby Einstein Company do at its beginning?
| A．Produce safety equipment for children. | B．Make videos to help protect children. |
| C．Sell children’s music and artwork. | D．Look for missing and exploited children. |
Why was Wesley Autrey praised as a hero?
| A．He helped a man get across the rails. | B．He stopped a man from destroying the rails. |
| C．He protected two little girls from getting hurt. | D．He saved a person without considering his own safety. |
The title of the passage is most like
ly to be_______________.
| A．Three Stories | B．Heroes of Our Time |
| C．Be Ready to Help Others | D．To Be a Kind Person |
At one time, people used to travel to foreign countries because they thought they would be different from home—the building, the food, the national dress. Nowadays, however, one large city is very like another. They all have their Hilton or Sheraton Hotels which look Hilton or Sheraton Hotels everywhere. They all have their McDonald’s, their KFCs, their Pizza Huts. Office buildings look the same everywhere, and most city centers are full of office buildings. And, of course, people are driving the same brands of Japanese or European cars, usually wearing the same kinds of clothing and the world’s airlines are all flying the same aircraft, Boeings or Airbuses.
What, therefore, is the purpose of foreign travel for people who are not on business? What do tourists hope to experience in a foreign country that they cannot experience at home? Why travel to foreign countries at all? The answer could be that people are very interested in the past. It is a nation’s history that is its main attraction. Most of today’s tourists travel overseas to find out what foreign countries and cultures used to be like, not what they are like today. The words “cultural tourism” are now part of the language of tourism, and it is the museums and works of art in many countries that are their main attractions.
If they are lucky—and have had sensible, strong governments—many countries also usually have at least a few beautiful places for tourists to visit.
Finally there is perhaps a nation’s greatest attraction: its people. A nation is not just its historical buildings, its works of art or beautiful places, it is also the people who live in it. This is why a country such as Thailand attracts millions of people every year. They come mainly because of the friendliness of the Thai people. It is why the Pacific Islands are also so popular. There may not be much to see or do in Fiji, but there are lots of friendly, smiling people to make visitors feel welcome.The passage is mainly about .
| A．the importance of tourism | B．different foreign cultures |
| C．how to plan an overseas trip | D．why people travel to foreign countries |
The writer thinks that large cities in foreign countries .
| A．are similar to one another | B．share the same aircraft |
| C．do not have good hotels | D．do not offer a warm service to foreigners |
The writer believes that many tourists are interested in foreign.
| A．hotels | B．history | C．cars | D．programs |
The underlined phrase “cultural tourism” means .
| A．visiting lots of museums | B．traveling overseas |
| C．studying the history of a foreign country | D．tourists being interested in a nation’s past and ideas |
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
A group of happy, high-performing individuals is not a team. Even if each of the people is highly motivated and wants to do great work, you will still need to spend time actively developing a sense of unity and cooperation to create a truly team-oriented(团队精神的)environment.
Building a team takes time. We will review the building blocks of a team environment, so you can work on this aspect of your role over time.
Successful teams have some common attributes（品质） you can encourage and develop as you work with the members of your group.Making them clear to every member of your group is a great first step toward developing a team-oriented culture.
All effective teams operate on the basis of trust. Each member on your team needs to see consistent(一致的)behavior patterns from you and their colleagues over time to be able to believe a certain person will act in a certain way.
While having these discussions can be great for your team’s creativity, you want to ensure they remain within respectful communication. Challenging another team member’s view can help refine an idea and make it more perfect. You should encourage everyone to contribute to the discussion.
| A．Building a great team needs a lot of skills. |
| B．A healthy team will have debates, and sometimes even heated discussions. |
| C．Your aim is to encourage your team members to work together. |
| D．You can’t expect to achieve success quickly. |
E. You will need to show these values through your actions as well as your words.
F. Therefore, working with others is not the same as being mutually（相互地） supportive and dependent on one another.
G. Trust is based on pattern recognition.
In November, 2010, the CPI ( consumer price index) went up by 5.1 percent year-on-year(同比). The price grew by 4.9 percent in cities and 5.6 percent in rural areas. The food price went up by 11.7 percent while the non-food price increased by 1.9 percent.
Grouped by commodity(商品) categories, in November, of the eight categories of commodities, six of them experienced prices rise and two witnessed prices decline. Of which, prices for food went up by 11.7 percent; prices for tobacco, liquor and articles rose by 1.6 percent; price for clothing went down by 0.7 percent; prices for household facilities, articles and maintenance services went up by 0.7 percent; health care and personal articles rose by 4.0 percent; transportation and communication went down by 0.7 percent; recreation, education, culture articles and services grew by 0.6 percent, and housing went up by 5.8 percent.
In November this year, the month-on-month(环比)change of consumer price was up by 1.1 percent. Of which, price in cities went up by 1.0 percent and that in rural areas went up by 1.3 percent.
The food price rose by 2.0 percent and the non-food price increased by 0.6 percent. The price of consumer goods grew by 1.5 percent, and the price of services went down by 0.2 percent.
Grouped by commodity categories, in November, prices for food rose by 2.0 percent month-on-month, of which the price for fresh vegetables decreased by 1.9 percent; prices for tobacco, liquor and articles increased by 0.2 percent, price for clothing went up by 1.6 percent, prices for household facilities, articles and maintenance services increased by 0.4 percent, health care and personal articles grew by 0.7 percent; transportation and communication maintained the same level, recreation, education, culture articles and services dropped by 1.0 percent, and housing went up by 1.8 percent. We can infer from the text that the price of _______ has been rising faster than the other three.
| A．eggs | B．KTV’s | C．houses | D．cigarettes |
According to the pas
sage, a coat worth ￥500 in October may cost you ______ in November.
| A．505 | B．580 | C．503.5 | D．451.5 |
What’s the best title for this passage ?
| A．The Food Price Went Up by 11.7 Percent in November |
| B．The Reasons for the Price Increase of Various Commodities in November |
| C．The Price Grew by 4.9 Percent in Cities and 5.6 Percent in Rurall Areas in November |
D．China Inflation(通货膨胀)We nt Up by 5.1 Percent in November |
Chinese tennis player Li Na didn’t win the Australian Open Championship on Saturday, but she still made the history books.
Li, who lost to Kim Clijsters of Belgium in three sets (3-6, 6-3, 6-3), is the first player from China to make it to a Grand Slam final.
The boss defeated a bit of the feel-good story for China and for Li, who on Thursday defeated No. 1 player Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals in Melbourne. Li is ranked fifth.
In an interview Li said she was proud of her effort. “I think I play great tennis,” she said. “ I mean, she plays better than me. After the match, I make a joke: tennis should only play one set.”
Bai Yan, a member of China’s men’s national team member and Li Na’s friend, said the loss was disappointing, but still a bright starting point.
“To tell you the truth I feel a little bit down, all of us. But you know she is still the best, and she’s still our hero in everybody’s eyes,” said Bai. “This is just the start.”.
Win or lose, Li’s appearance in the Australian Open finals was seen as a major victory for tennis in China, where badminton and table tennis rules.
Fans across China gathered to watch the match. Li’s mother joined fans at a restaurant in her hometown of Wuhan. In Bejing, fans crowded together to watch China’s national tennis match.
“ Tennis is still relatively a new sport in China,” said Michael Chang, the Chinese-American who was the first Asian grand slam champion, in an interview with CNN. “ To be able to see Li Na have as much success as she has… this could be the start of something very special for tennis in China.”
“Li will definitely change the sport of tennis in China and that is a great thing,” Chang said. What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Chinese tennis star Li Na’s tennis career. |
| B．A fierce tennis match at Australian Open. |
| C．Chinese tennis star made history at Australian Open. |
D．Chinese tennis r emained to be tested and challenged. |
Which is true according to the passage?
| A．Li Na’s failure let the Chinese down. |
| B．Li Na ranked fifth at Australian Open. |
C．LI Na’s mother attended the mat ch with her. |
| D．Li Na made a new starting point of China |
What’s the meaning of the u
nderlined words “tennis should only play one set” (Para 4)?
| A．Li Na was not satisfied with the rule of tennis match. |
| B．Li Na was not satisfied with her own performance. |
| C．Li Na had a bad opinion of Clijsters. |
| D．Li Na took pride in her effort. |
According to what Chang said in the last two paragraphs, we can imply that ________.
| A．it’s normal that Li Na failed because tennis is a new sport in China |
| B．Li Na has the advantage to change tennis sport in China |
| C．China still falls behind other countries in tennis sport |
| D．Li Na has great difficulty in defeating others because of weak ability |