Write a winning story!
You could win ￡1,000 in this year’s Fiction Prize and have your story printed in Keep Writing magazine. Ten other lucky people will win a cheque for ￡100.
Once again, we need people who can write good stories. The judges, who include Mary Littlejohn, the novelist, Michael Brown, the television reporter, and Susan Hitchins, the editor of Keep Writing, are looking for interesting and original stories. Detective fiction was extremely popular last year, although the competition winner produced a love story. You can write down about whatever you want but here’s some advice to start your thinking:
Write about what you know
This is the advice which every writer should pay attention to and, last year, nearly everyone who wrote for us did exactly that. Love, family, problems with friends ---- these were the main subjects of the stories. However, you need to turn ordinary situations into something interesting that people will want to read about. Make the reader want to continue reading by writing about ordinary things in a new and surprising way.
Get your facts right
It’s no good giving a description of a town or explaining how a jet engine works if you get it wrong. So avoid writing anything unless you’re certain about it.
Hold the reader’s attention
Make the beginning interesting and the ending a surprise. There is nothing worse than a poor ending. Develop the story carefully and try to think of something unusual happening at the end.
Think about the characters
Try to bring the people in your story alive for the reader by using well-chosen words to make them seem real.
Your story must be your own work, between 2,000 and 2,5000 words and typed, double-spaced, on one side only of each sheet of paper.
Even if you’re in danger of missing the closing date, we are unable to accept stories by fax or email. You must include the application form with your story. Unfortunately your story cannot be returned, nor can we discuss our decisions.
You should not have had any fiction printed in any magazine or book in this country ---- a change in the rules by popular request ---- and the story must not have happened in print or in recorded form, for example on radio or TV, anywhere in the world.
Your fee of ￡5 will go to the Writers’ Association. Make your cheque payable to Keep Writing and send it with the application form and your story to:
Keep Writing
75 Broad Street Birmingham
B12 4TG
The closing date is 30 July and we will inform the winner within one month of this date. Please note that if you win, you must agree to have your story printed in our magazine.
1.How should writers deal with ordinary situations while writing?
A. They should make them appealing to readers.
B. They should copy others’ ideas.
C. They should change some facts to make them interesting.
D. They should describe them as they are.
2.What shouldn’t a writer do?
A. Making the contents interesting. B. Getting the facts right.
C. Meeting the deadline. D. Making the end ordinary.
3.Writers should present their works in the following ways except that ____________.
A. they should write originally
B. they can type their stories as they like
C. they should follow some rules
D. they should hand in their stories in time
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Late stories can be faxed if necessary.
B. Entry needs no fee.
C. Winners can have their stories printed in other magazines.
D. All stories should be presented by mail.
When you meet someone for the first time, you will form an impression in your mind of that person in the first moment. Your reactions to other people, however, are really just barometers (晴雨表) for how you perceive(理解) yourself. Your reactions to others say more about you than they do about others. You cannot really love or hate something about another unless it reflects something you love or hate yourself. We are usually drawn to those who are most like us and tend to dislike those who display those aspects of ourselves that we dislike.
Therefore, you can allow others to be the mirror to illuminate (阐明;照亮) more clearly your own feelings of self-worth. Conversely（相反地）, you can view the people you judge negatively as mirrors to show you what you are not accepting about yourself.
To survive together peacefully with others, you will need to learn tolerance. A big challenge is to shift your perspective from judgment of others to a lifelong exploration of yourself. Your task is to assess all the decisions, judgments you make onto others and to begin to view them as clues to how you can heal yourself and become whole.
Several days ago I had a business lunch with a man who displayed objectionable table manners. My first reaction was to judge him as rude and his table manners as annoying. When I noticed that I was judging him, I stopped and asked myself what I was feeling. I discovered that I was embarrassed to be seen with someone who was chewing with his mouth open and loudly blowing his nose. I was astonished to find how much I cared about how the other people in the restaurant perceived me.
Remember that your judgment of someone will not serve as a protective shield against you becoming like him. My judging my lunch partner as rude does not prevent me from ever looking or acting like him. In the same way, extending tolerance to him would not cause me to suddenly begin chewing my food with my mouth open.
When you approach life in this manner, those with whom you have the greatest dissatisfactions as well as those you admire and love can be seen as mirrors, guiding you to discover parts of yourself that you reject and to embrace your greatest quality.
1.We can know from the passage that the author advises people to _____________.
A. avoid inappropriate manners.
B. learn tolerance towards others.
C. pay attention to others’ needs and feelings.
D. judge others favorably in any case.
2.The underlined word “objectionable” in Paragraph 4 has the closest meaning to ____________.
A. discouraging B. satisfying C. unpleasant D. acceptable
3.According to the passage, the following statements are all true except _____________.
A. You can’t really love or hate others if they are similar to you.
B. We are easily attracted by someone who is similar to us.
C. Our first judgment of a person mostly comes from our personal opinion.
D. The moment we see a stranger, our mind forms an impression of that person.
4.Throughout the entire story, the last paragraph serves as a(n) ______________.
A. explanation B. example C. background D. conclusion
5.It can be implied from the text that ___________.
A. the writer’s first reaction to the man was to judge him as offensive
B. we will need to learn tolerance to coexist with others
C. we shouldn’t focus on judging others but should constantly reflect on our own
D. the writer didn’t care about other people’s view of him
Half a year before graduation from college, my son began to seek a job. the financial crisis, fewer companies would like to new staff. My son targeted a company that was to hire only one person there were more than twenty people filling their resumes.
After the interview, there would only be 3 who could enter the final round, which would later one person to be employed. Everything seemed to go quite and my son passed the first round and entered the final round in a week.
On the day of the final interview, my son and other two arrived at the interview place on time, the test. Unexpectedly, the interview was unbelievably . The interviewer only said to them,
“All of you are very super. Please go home and wait for our . We will tell you the in 3 days. Good luck to all of you!” On the morning of the third day, my son received a text from the company shortly after breakfast that he was not employed. We all felt very .
In nightfall that day, my son suddenly told me on the phone, “Dad, I have been employed!” Greatly surprised, I could not wait to ask him, “What’s the whole ?” My son told me that he received another text saying that he was employed. Actually the first text sent to my son was also of the test in the interview. Three men received the same text this morning and only my son’s was “Thank you” while the others said “Goodbye”.
Only then did I know that my son’s “hope” in that way. That is, when you feel disappointed, do not to say “thank you” to the one who disappoints you. Saying “thank you” shows respect for others’ work and shows your grand . Therefore, while under the same condition, you will get the upper hand in terms of compared with others!
1.A.As to B. Due to C. Instead of D. Contrary to
2.A.promote B. train C. employ D. discover
3.A.encouraged B. allowed C. supposed D. intended
4.A.while B. since C. though D. if
5.A.meet B. attract C. decide D. represent
6.A.slowly B. smoothly C. secretly D. silently
7.A.members B. students C. friends D. candidates
8.A.waiting for B. watching over C. thinking about D. looking into
9.A.formal B. simple C. funny D. strange
10.A.information B. notice C. order D. return
11.A.result B. choice C. mark D. idea
12.A.annoyed B. puzzled C. disappointed D. shocked
13.A.doubtfully B. excitedly C. calmly D. worriedly
14.A.matter B. cause C. conclusion D. interview
15.A.middle B. ending C. part D. course
16.A.way B. reply C. problem D. question
17.A.changed B. grew C. came D. developed
18.A.expect B. forget C. dislike D. regret
19.A.generosity B. curiosity C. dignity D. personality
20.A.abilities B. strengths C. challenges D. opportunities
– I’m sorry I can’t go to your party tonight.
-- ____________? Haven’t we agreed on it?
A. What is it B. Why don’t you C. What do you think D. How is it
-- What’s wrong with your pen?
-- The ink ___________ come out.
A. can’t B. won’t C. hasn’t D. doesn’t
The population of Africa is __________ so rapidly as to cause great concern of the whole world.
A. expanding B. stretching C. extending D. spreading
