3 . Are you a big sports fan? If so, chances are that you’ve read articles by a sports reporter. The writer may have broken down a game or described one of your favorite athletes.

Sean Gregory is a senior sports reporter for TIME magazine. He thinks that a sports reporter not only goes to games but writes interesting articles. Like all good reporters, Gregory takes specific steps to write an attractive story.

First, he decides which people he wants to interview. Gregory says that getting various perspectives on a sport,   an event, or a player adds interesting layers (层面) to an article. That’s why he doesn’t talk to just athletes but also to coaches and the audience.

Next, Gregory puts together a list of questions. He says the questions are intended to “bring about exciting answers and a good conversation.”

Finally, sports reporters also need to understand data collected by sports analysts (分析家), who use the data to make a guess. Emily Kaplan, a sports reporter for ESPN, says that writing about sports includes analyzing which players are most effective and valuable. “The way that we quantify (量化) a lot of those things is through the data and math,” she says.

Many sports were canceled in the spring because of the pandemic (疫情). Some restarted over the summer and fall. As a safety measure, reporters are not permitted to go to games, nor are they allowed to go only in small numbers. Gregory hasn’t been to a game in months. He speaks to players online, but he misses being able to chat with fans at events. “Sometimes, they say funny things that make stories lively,” Gregory says.

For now, many sports reporters are busy writing articles that take place off the field, court, or skating area. For example, Kaplan wrote about how the pandemic affected the finances of the owners of sports clubs. Gregory reported on how pandemic shutdowns are affecting athletes’ mental health. “What this pandemic has taught all of us is that we just need to find ways to adapt,” Kaplan says. “And we’ll adapt again when things are normal.”

8 . An online interview is a job interview carried out over the internet.     1     Successful preparation for it requires testing the video to make sure the equipment is working properly. And interview success requires an attitude of professionalism（专业）.

An employer may choose to conduct an online interview in place of an in-person interview.     2     It is also more convenient for job applicants in some cases, because it gets rid of transportation time and costs. Online interviews are more convenient in situations where the employer and the applicant are located in different countries or time zones.

    3     If the employer is in a different time zone, the applicant must clearly understand the time of the interview. In addition, clarification is needed om whether the interview will be carried out via Web conferencing，an Internet phone or a live chat. Testing the computer equipment ahead of time is an important part of preparing for an online interview.

Apart from the way of communication, a remote interview is much like an in-person interview.     4     The interviewee must take great care to dress professionally and avoid any unnecessary noise from his location. Any items in the background that may give an unprofessional impression, such as food wrappers or a messy room, should be avoided.

The nature of an online interview is such that an interviewee might feel more relaxed because he is in the comfort of his own home or office.     5     The interviewee should take great care, however, to avoid being too casual in tome or conversation. An interviewer who is located in an official environment will probably expect a certain degree of formality.