1 . Here is a list of writing competitions.

Wild Nature Poetry Award

Here we have a new contest from Indigo Dreams Publishing. It is for poems of up to 48 lines on the subject of cruel sports, or wildlife in general, or the natural world, or the environment.

Closing: 30th Sept. , 2022

Prizes: £200, £100, £75

Entry Fee: £5. 50% of entry fees will be donated to the League Against Cruel Sports.

W&A Yearbook Short Story Competition

This annual contest from the writers’ handbook Writers’ &Artists’ Yearbook is for stories of up to 2, 000 words aimed at young adults. There is no theme. Take notice that before emailing your entry, you have to register with the website. Your entry will not be valid otherwise.

Closing: 11th Feb. , 2022

Prizes: A place on one of Arvon’s residential writing courses, plus your story published on the website.

Entry Fee: None. Free to enter.

Green Stories Novel Prize

The competition organized by the University of Southampton is held annually. It is about the idea of a more sustainable society. Submit three chapters of your finished novel or work in progress. One of the chapters must be the first. The three together should run to between 4, 000 and 10, 000 words.

Closing: 30th Dec. , 2022

Prizes: £1, 000, £500

Entry Fee:£2

Melita Hume Poetry Prize

This year’s Melita Hume Poetry Prize from Eyewear Publishing is, as usual, for first full-length collections by poets aged 35 or under, residents in the UK or Ireland. To enter, you should submit between 48 and 100 pages.

Closing:3rd Jan. , 2022

Prizes:Publication with a £1, 200 advance.

Entry Fee:£15.

1. What is required to enter for W&A Yearbook Short Story Competition?

A．Registration in advance

B．Previous experience

C．A fixed theme

D．Entry fee

2. What is special about Green Stories Novel Prize?

A．It is a yearly activity.

B．It is about sustainability.

C．It has a word limit.

D．It has a closing date.

3. Which contest offers the highest prize money?

A．Wild Nature Poetry Award

B．W&A Yearbook Short Story Competition

C．Green Stories Novel Prize

D．Melita Hume Poetry Prize

2 . Once Popular Sports in Ancient Capital Xi'an

The ancient capital Xi'an in Northwest China's Shaanxi province is holding the National Games. As the capital of 13 dynasties throughout Chinese history, the ancient city has never been far from sports. Starting from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, the city has held many sports events.

Cuju: Origin of modern soccer

Cuju was an ancient Chinese competitive game involving kicking a ball through an opening into a net. As the ancestor of soccer, it first appeared in the renowned ancient Chinese historical work Zhan Guo Ce（“Strategies of the Warring States”）, which describedCuju as a form of entertainment among the general public. Later, cuju was commonly played in the army for military training purposes, during the Han Dynasty.

Jiaodi: Chinese-style wrestling

Sumo, known as Japan's “national sport”, actually started in ancient China. Sumo was called jiaodi or jiaoli in ancient times. Ancient jiaodi,a Chinese-style wrestling, was performed by athletes wearing ox horns and wrestling with each other imitating wild oxen. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, jiaodi was highly favored by emperors. In the Tang Dynasty, jiaodi was part of military training and a kind of entrainment and athletic sports.

Jiju: Ancient polo

Jiju is a sport which uses a stick to hit balls while riding on a horse, pretty similar to modern polo. It was popular in the royal court and among common people in the Tang Dynasty. There were many fields for playing polo in the court and it was also a major military training program in the army. In the Tang Dynasty capital, there were formal polo courts, such as the stadium pavilion in Chang' an palace.

Archery

During ancient times, the origin of archery was closely related with hunting and defense. Ancient archery was not only an athletic event,a military training program, and an entertainment activity, but also part of education. As early as in Zhou Dynasty, the archery was listed as one of the six practical disciplines, also called the Six Arts, becoming an important and competitive form.

1. Which was popular in the army during the Han Dynasty?

A．Cuju.	B．Jiaodi.
C．Jiju.	D．Archery.

2. How did people play Jiju in Tang Dynasty?

A．Only by riding a horse.

B．By hitting balls wearing ox horns.

C．By kicking a ball through an opening into a net.

D．By hitting balls while riding on a horse with a stick.

3. What did the four games have in common?

A．They were only for entertainment.

B．They all disappeared late gradually.

C．They were military training programs.

D．They all originated from Han Dynasty.