2 . Young Writers Awards

About the Contest

Bennington College has a unique literary tradition. We’ve had twelve Pulitzer Prize winners, three US poet laureates, four MacArthur Geniuses, and two of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. In celebration of this, Bennington launched the Young Writers Awards to promote excellence in writing at the high school level. Students are invited to enter with the following work:

•Poetry: A group of three poems

•Fiction: A short story (1,500 words or fewer) or one-act play

•Nonfiction: A personal or academic essay (1,500 words or fewer)

A first-, second-, and third-place winner is selected in each category. We welcome participation of both US and international students.

Awards & Rules

First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $1,000; second-place winners receive $500; third-place winners receive $250.

•No charge for entrance. Fees for accidents caused by participants are required.

•All entries must be original work reviewed, approved and guided by a teacher. We will use your teacher as a contact for the competition should we have any questions. For homeschooled students, please contact one to assist in your writing even if you have experience in such competitions.

Young Writers Awards finalists and winners are also qualified for undergraduate scholarships at Bennington. Young Writers Awards finalists who apply and gain admission to Bennington will receive a $10,000 scholarship every year for four years, for a total of $40,000. Young Writers Awards winners reaching the standard will receive $15,000 every year, for a total of $60,000.

3 . Competitive video gaming, known as e-sports, should be included in the Olympic Games, the creator of World of Warcraft has told the BBC.

Rob Pardo, who until July, 2014 was chief creative officer at Blizzard Entertainment, a famous game company, said that “sport” now had a broad definition. “Video games are well positioned to be a spectator sport (观赏性体育运动).“ he told Afternoon Edition on BBC S Live.

Professional e-sports events currently attract audiences of millions. A recent major final held in Seoul, South Korea, filled a stadium of 40,000 people, with many more watching online around the world.

”There’s a very good argument for e-sports being in the Olympics,“ said Mr. Pardo, who was also lead designer on Starcraft: Brood War, a game often credited with promoting the e-sports phenomenon.

”I think the way that you look at e-sports is that it is a very competitive skill and you look at these professional gamers and the reflexes are lightning quick and they’re having to make very quick decisions on the fly.

“When you look at their ‘actions per minute’, they’re clearing over 300.”

However, he admitted that video gaming faced a cultural battle to win over those who followed more physical sports.

“That starts getting into how you define sport,” he said. “If you want to define sport as something that takes a lot of physical exertion (用力气), then it’s hard to argue that video games should be a sport, but at the same time, when I’m looking at things that are already in the Olympics, I start questioning the definition.”

Having new sports admitted into the Olympic is a long-winded process and, since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) limited the number of sports allowed in the Games, has become increasingly difficult.

Even if e-sports were to be recognized as an Olympic sport, that doesn’t mean they would be included in the Games — it merely means a case can be presented to the IOC.

5 . The Growing Popularity of Cycling

They say once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget. Most of us learnt when we were kids, and many still strap (系好) on our helmets, put our feet on the pedals , and shoot off for a ride around the streets. In recent times, cycling has seen a boost in popularity.     1    

First, let’s look at the health benefits. Cycling can improve your cardiovascular (心血管的) health and burm excess body fat. Strengthening your leg muscles in your calves (小腿肚) and thighs (大腿).     2     A long ride in the countryside could help you to clear your mind, or de-stress. But it’s not only about your body and mind— there are also some plus sides for your wallet’s health.

Cycling can be a great way to commute (通勤) or get about town.     3     If you do drive into work, sometimes finding somewhere to park can be a nightmare, whereas finding somewhere to chain your bike up can be much simpler. Then, on the train, there are changes at stations and other commuters speaking loudly on their phones to deal with. And if you’re worried about safety, there are designated cycle lanes in many major cities. Wearing high-visibility clothing is another way to improve your safety when cycling on the roads.

    4     It can help you to reduce your carbon footprint. Not pumping out fumes into the atmosphere is better for the planet and your own environment.

So, whether people want to cycle for their health, getting about town, their wallet, the environment, or a combination of all of them—    5    

6 . As we age, even if we’re healthy, the heart just isn’t as efficient in processing oxygen as it used to be. In most people the first signs show up in their 50s or early 60s. And among people who don’t exercise, the changes can start even sooner.

“Think of a rubber band. In the beginning, it is flexible, but put it in a drawer for 20 years and it will become dry and easily broken,” says Dr. Ben Levine, a heart specialist at the University of Texas. That’s what happens to the heart. Fortunately for those in midlife, Levine is finding that even if you haven’t been an enthusiastic exerciser, getting in shape now may help improve your aging heart.

Levine and his research team selected volunteers aged between 45 and 64 who did not exercise much but were otherwise healthy. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. The first group participated in a program of nonaerobic (无氧) exercise—balance training and weight training—three times a week. The second group did high-intensity aerobic exercise under the guidance of a trainer for four or more days a week. After two years, the second group saw remarkable improvements in heart health.

“We took these 50-year-old hearts and turned the clock back to 30-or 35-year-old hearts,” says Levine. “And the reason they got so much stronger and fitter was that their hearts could now fill a lot better and pump (泵送) a lot more blood during exercise.” But the hearts of those who participated in less intense exercise didn’t change, he says.

“The sweet spot in life to start exercising, if you haven’t already, is in late middle age when the heart still has flexibility,” Levine says. “We put healthy 70-year-olds through a yearlong exercise training program, and nothing happened to them at all.”

Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association, says Levine’s findings are a great start. But the study was small and needs to be repeated with far larger groups of people to determine exactly which aspects of an exercise routine make the biggest difference.

9 . The Importance of Getting Kids to Be Active

Everyone knows that kids should be physically active and need to exercise regularly to be physically fit.     1    , regular physical activity is considered by most experts to be an important part of a healthy lifestyle. However, that doesn’t mean every child needs to spend four or five hours a day exercising.

How Much Exercise Do Kids Need?

It is recommended that kids should be physically active for at least 60 minutes per day.     2    . For example, if your eight-year-old played soccer for 20 minutes during PE at school and then played basketball with his friends for 40 minutes after school, he would meet the recommendation of 60 minutes of physical activity for that day.

Exercise and Calories

    3    . It can help them build self-respect, sleep better, have more energy, and reduce depression. And as most people know, along with a healthy diet, regular exercise is the best way to lose weight and prevent childhood obesity (肥胖). Since your child is not likely to get his exercise using exercise equipment, it can be hard to always tell how many calories he is burning while exercising.     4    , as long as your child is getting his 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day and maintaining a healthy diet.

Youth Exercise and Fitness

Remember that kids, even teens, don’t usually stick with exercise programs.     5    . Instead, kids do better with lifestyle exercise programs, such as active free play and organized team sports.

10 . Nowadays, in many places of the world, kids play soccer less than before.     1     Besides, many parents don’t know soccer’s real help to kids. Here are some reasons why kids should play the beautiful game.

Soccer is a team sport.

Teamwork is a life skill that kids need to learn. Being part of a team isn’t just about learning how to work together and share talents. It’s also about teaching kids how to face failure. It doesn’t end there, either. Being part of a team lets kids know how to take responsibility for their behavior.    2    

Soccer shapes motor skills (运动技能).

Nowadays, many kids prefer to stay in their rooms to have fun through TV, video games and smartphones.    3    It can cause them to lose out on valuable motor skills. By playing youth soccer, kids get a chance to develop their physical strength and motor skills.

    4    

Soccer can improve students’ concentration (专注) in the classroom. Besides, soccer is a fast-paced game, so kids can learn how to solve problems quickly. Plus, soccer is a sport which involves getting the ball from point A to point B. So kids’ visual-spatial (视觉空间) ability can be improved when they play the game, which can help them learn subjects like Physics.

Soccer improves the personal character.

The World Health Organization recommends kid get at least 60 minutes of exercises daily. This isn’t only for the physical benefits but also for the benefits to the personal character.     5     And these kids often have more self-confidence.