1 . Dave Williamson Short Story Competition
By Manitoba Writers’ Guild
The Manitoba Writers’ Guild was started in August 1981 at Aubigny, Manitoba, as a grassroots organization for and of Manitoba writers. Our annual Dave Williamson Short Story Competitions open to writers across Manitoba. We actively encourage submissions from those who are 18+ years of age.
Prizes
Top prize: $ 1, 000 CAD
9 runners-up: $ 500 CAD
9 honorable mentions: Publication
All works from 10 prize winners and 9 honorable mention winners will be published in an e-book collection by the Manitoba Writers’ Guild. Proceeds from the sale of the e-book will be used to support future Manitoba Writers’ Guild writing competitions. Winners will be announced via e-mail a few weeks after the contest deadline.
Entry
Entry is free of charge to all writers. However, writers looking to improve their writing may choose to purchase an assessed entry ($ 10 CAD). With this option, you will receive a Google document with comments and suggestions on how to improve your writing on a sentence level, as well as a personal e-mail guiding you in growing as a writer.
Rules
Follow all the rules carefully to avoid being disqualified.
◆Write between 2, 500 and 5, 000 words and submit only your original, unpublished work.
◆Your submission will include a covering letter that contains your name, address, telephone number, and birth date.
◆We are accepting only e-mail submissions for this contest. Please make sure the file is sent as a. pdf,. doc/. docx or. txt document.
◆The deadline to submit your writing is December 19, 2023.
1. Who is the competition organized for?| A．University students. | B．Local writers in Manitoba. |
| C．Middle school students. | D．Writing enthusiasts in Canada. |
| A．They can receive a cash prize. | B．They are given guidance on writing. |
| C．They can have their entries published. | D．They are free to download e-books. |
| A．Posting your writing by express delivery. | B．Sending your entry on December 18, 2023. |
| C．Typing out a story of 4, 500 words. | D．E-mailing your entry as a. pdf document. |
2 . TEC Community Event Series
Date and time
Thursday, July 13, 11 a.m.—11:45 a.m.
Location: Online
Duration: 45 minutes
Join our monthly community event! At TEC we have found that community increases success and consistency.
Have you ever wondered why the needle does not move, even when you get your 10.000 steps in? Do you still feel overly sore after a weekend full of activities? Or you can’t seem to break the pattern with ongoing injuries?
If this sounds like you, then TEC has you covered! From movement to mindset, we will help you engage your body and give you easy-to-follow movements that you can do from anywhere. This will help you accomplish your fitness goals, feel great in all your summer activities and avoid the roller coaster of injuries!
TEC monthly community event!
Stay active beyond your training for performance, and prioritize your overall health.
Each movement will help you maximize your recovery and avoid any of the bad effects of your workouts, for example, overuse injuries, tightness, range of motion issues, etc.
Have a body and mind ready to interact in all the activities the healthy way!
Connect with other athletes and individuals.
Ask TEC coaches and other athletes questions and collaborate (合作) on best practices to optimize (优化) your mindset!
This event is for you if：
★You desire a community to grow with.
★You have strong feelings of enthusiasm for workouts.
★You enjoy achieving at a high level.
★You are looking for support for your mindset, sport or fitness.
This event is not for you if：
★You are close-minded and are not looking to be challenged or encouraged.
★You don’t value learning from others.
★You are looking for a place to sell your products or services.
1. What can we learn about this event?| A．It takes place every month. |
| B．It offers 45-minute offline training. |
| C．It shows people the secret to success. |
| D．It aims to help measure people’s weight. |
| A．They will recover immediately when injured. |
| B．They will gain permanent free workouts. |
| C．They will get one-to-one guidance from a coach. |
| D．They will learn how to avoid some injuries when exercising. |
| A．Those who hope to enjoy a quiet weekend. |
| B．Those who want to attract potential customers. |
| C．Those who attach importance to an active lifestyle. |
| D．Those who desire good academic performance. |
3 . The beach may seem like an inviting place to run on a cool summer morning, but is running on the sand good for your body? It can be, but it’s important to be aware of the challenges that some beach runners experience before you get ready.
Running on the beach can be a good thing. It’s certainly different from running on a track or a pavement. For starters, sand can be a challenge because it has an uneven(不平坦的) surface. As you push off, you’re going to lose some of your push as the sand moves. So, you’re not going to be able to push yourself forward as you would on a track or a pavement. But this unevenness has an upside: It gives your body an extra workout, forcing you to exercise muscles that don’t get as much use during runs on firm surfaces. For example, your feet, ankles and lower back might feel sorer and more tired than usual after a beach run just because the surface is constantly moving and changing step to step.
You also might feel sore afterward because beaches tend to slope (倾斜) down to the water. If you’re going for a long run on the beach, you might notice that one side of your body might feel sorer because you’re putting more pressure on it due to the slope.
Some beach runners prefer to run barefoot-- not wearing anything on feet. However, if you’re not used to barefoot running, start slowly and don’t run long distances at first. That’s because running barefoot uses more different muscles than running with shoes does, and it’s important to strengthen these muscles and adapt your feet. If you want to run barefoot and as long as you run carefully enough into it, go for it!
Running on the sand can be a smart choice for you, because running on softer ground surfaces can reduce muscle damage.
1. Why is it difficult to run on the beach for starters? ________| A．The soft surface makes people fall over easily. |
| B．It’s hard to keep one’s balance on its hard surface. |
| C．People need to run carefully on its smooth surface. |
| D．Running on its uneven surface takes much effort. |
| A．Challenge. | B．Advantage. | C．Reason. | D．Character. |
| A．Positive. | B．Critical. | C．Doubtful. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．a primary school textbook | B．a tourist guide |
| C．a sports magazine | D．a scientific report |
4 . Fitness Magazine recently ran an article titled “Five Reasons to Thank Your Workout Partner.” One reason was: “You’ll actually show up if you know someone is waiting for you at the gym, ” while another read: “
So, how do you find a workout partner?
First of all, decide what you want from that person.
You might think about posting what you are looking for on social media, but it probably won’t result in a useful response.
My partner posted her request on the notice board of a local park. Her notice included what kind of training she wanted to do, how many days a week and how many hours she wanted to spend on each session, and her age. It also listed her favorite sports and activities, and provided her phone number.
You and your partner will probably have different skills.
| A．Your first meeting may be a little awkward. |
| B．A workout partner usually needs to live close by. |
| C．You’ll work harder if you train with someone else. |
| D．Do you want to be a better athlete in your favorite sport? |
| E．How can you write a good “seeking training partner” notice? |
| F．Just accept your differences and learn to work with each other. |
| G．Any notice for a training partner should include such information. |
5 . All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy and happy, and to live longer.
Some sports or games go back thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese wushu, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet.
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game together they often become good friends.
| A．And think of people in cold countries. |
| B．Sports help to train a person’s character. |
| C．Not a few people like sports in the world. |
| D．Many people like to watch others play games. |
| E．People aren’t inventing new sports or games. |
| F．Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere take part in them. |
| G．People are inventing new sports or games all the time. |
6 . Race walking shares many fitness benefits with running, research shows, while most likely contributing to fewer injuries. It does, however, have its own problem.
Race walkers are conditioned athletes. The longest track and field event at the Summer Olympics is the 50-kilometer race walk, which is about five miles longer than the marathon. But the sport’s rules require that a race walker’s knees stay straight through most of the leg swing and one foot remain in contact (接触) with the ground at all times. It’s this strange form that makes race walking such an attractive activity, however, says Jaclyn Norberg, an assistant professor of exercise science at Salem State University in Salem, Mass.
Like running, race walking is physically demanding, she says, According to most calculations, race walkers moving at a pace of six miles per hour would burn about 800 calories(卡路里) per hour, which is approximately twice as many as they would burn walking, although fewer than running, which would probably burn about 1,000 or more calories per hour.
However, race walking does not pound the body as much as running does, Dr. Norberg says. According to her research, runners hit the ground with as much as four times their body weight per step, while race walkers, who do not leave the ground, create only about 1.4 times their body weight with each step.
As a result, she says, some of the injuries associated with running, such as runner’s knee, are uncommon among race walkers. But the sport’s strange form does place considerable stress on the ankles and hips, so people with a history of such injuries might want to be cautious in adopting the sport. In fact, anyone wishing to try race walking should probably first consult a coach or experienced racer to learn proper technique, she says. It takes some practice.
1. Why are race walkers conditioned athletes?| A．They must run long distances. |
| B．They are qualified for the marathon. |
| C．They have to follow special rules. |
| D．They are good at swinging their legs. |
| A．It’s more popular at the Olympics. |
| B．It’s less challenging physically. |
| C．It’s more effective in body building. |
| D．It’s less likely to cause knee injuries. |
| A．Getting experts’ opinions. |
| B．Having a medical checkup. |
| C．Hiring an experienced coach. |
| D．Doing regular exercises. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Objective. |
| C．Tolerant. | D．Conservative. |
7 . The beginning of baseball in China traces back further than most would think, in 1863. From that time, Chinese universities soon began to stage baseball activities. The first game, as documents recorded, was held in Shanghai in 1905. National interest in this traditionally American sport picked up quickly, and in 1915, China placed second in the Greater Asia baseball tournament held in Shanghai. Several decades later, baseball was as popular as it would ever be. In 1959,teams from 30 regions came together in a national competition.
Founded in 2002, the China Baseball League (CBL) is China’s professional league for the sport, with seven teams around the country. The opportunity to capture a huge new market with China’s growing interest saw the US Major League Baseball (MLB) open its first China office in Beijing in 2007, which has since then developed the Chinese market and educated young athletes.An example is the youth baseball program Play Ball in major Chinese cities. In the same year, the CBL partnered with Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), agreeing to allow Japanese clubs to send coaches and players to China and Chinese players to train at Japanese facilities. This program helps Chinese schools integrate baseball into their physical education curriculum, build professional development centers. More and more Chinese youths are getting involved with the sport, taking baseball class on the weekends or after school. Many programs for children have been established and often hold classes at many baseball fields.
Through these different partnerships and co-operations, China has created opportunities for the citizens to experience another culture. China might just be the future of baseball. Through heavy investments since 2017, the CBL hopes to one day cultivate a Yao Ming of baseball, which would bring huge exposure to the sport.
1. What’s the main idea of paragraph 1?| A．The beginning of baseball in China. |
| B．The development of baseball in China. |
| C．The national competition of baseball in China. |
| D．The interest in this traditionally American sport. |
| A．By the time order. |
| B．By the cities adding. |
| C．By China’s interest growing. |
| D．By partner countries increasing. |
| A．lose. | B．found. |
| C．seize. | D．control. |
| A．Baseball remains a mystery to most of Chinese people. |
| B．The interest in developing baseball is limited in China. |
| C．Chinese schools will have baseball education curriculum. |
| D．More baseball talents and fans will spring up in China. |
