I was never a fast runner and thus I always didn’t like running. Throughout my childhood, whenever we competed in the 50-meter run, the 400-meter, or any other type of race, I would finish in the bottom half. In my late teens, as a member of a baseball team, I was the slowest runner on the team. In the preseason training, I was always the one running by myself at the end.
Therefore, twenty years later, when I entered my first official running race — a 3,000-meter challenge in my city — at age 38, I certainly didn’t expect to win or come close to winning.
I was there because my college friend Jim Hosek was the director of the race, and he asked me to run. The race was aimed at raising money for the unfortunate patients in a hospital and encouraging the patients and their fanilies to be brave, determined, and confident with sportsmanship.
It was a heartwarming program.I wanted to support it, so I showed up, paid the entrance fee, had a number pinned (把……别住) on my back, and moved over to the starting line. There, I waited with about 300 other runners for the race to begin. I was nervous. Would I be the last one to finish a race again? Could I even finish the race? I wondered.
Before long, someone spoke into a microphole, “Anyone weighing over 200 pounds comes down to the scale (秤), please.” Knowing I was over 200 pounds, I walked down to the scale. A man told me to stand on it. “Two hundred and three pounds,” he said. Then he wrote down the race number that was on my back. Out of curiosity, I asked him why he did so,and then I was told there would be an award ceremony (仪式) after the race. One award was for the first finisher in the over 200-pound group, and this special award would be announced at the end of the ceremony.
Not expecting the award, I ran towards the starting line, never realizing there were only two runners weighing over 200 pounds.
Paragraph 1:Soon after, the race started.
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Paragraph 2:
Then came the last award, and to my surprise, my name was announced.
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2 . Winter 2024 Story Contest
OUR WINTER CONTEST is open to all fiction and nonfiction writers. Entries must be previously unpublished, no longer than 15,000 words, and must not have been previously chosen as a winner, finalist, or honorable mention in another contest.
Narrative winners and finalists have gone on to win Whiting Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Atlantic prize, and have appeared in collections such as Best American Short Stories, Best American Non-required Reading and many others.
As always, we are looking for works with a strong narrative drive, characters we can respond to, and language, situation, and insight that are intense and total.
We welcome and look forward to reading your pages.
Awards: First Prize is $2,500, Second Prize is $1,000, Third Prize is $500, and up to ten finalists will receive $100 each. All entries will be considered for publication.
Submission Fee: There is a $27 fee for each entry. With your entry, you’ll receive three months of access to Narrative Backstage at no cost.
Timing: The contest closes on March 31,2024, at midnight, Pacific Standard Time.
Judging: The contest will be judged by the editors of the magazine. Winners and finalists will be announced to the public by April 30,2024. All writers who enter will be informed by email of the judges’ decisions, which will be final. Please make sure info@narrativemagazine.com is in your address book and your email settings permit messages from www.narrativemagazine.com.
Submission Guidelines: Please read our Submission Guidelines for contributions formatting and other information.
1. What is required of the entries?| A．They should be related to winter 2024. |
| B．They should be based on real-life events. |
| C．They should be submitted before April 30. |
| D．They should be limited to 15,000 words. |
| A．A copy of excellent narrative works. | B．Access to the Pulitzer Prize. |
| C．Free visits to Narrative Backstage. | D．A collection of winners’ works. |
| A．By entering the official website. | B．By checking an email. |
| C．By attending the awards ceremony. | D．By making a phone call. |
1. When does Gomez watch a football game on TV?
| A．When he fails to get a ticket. |
| B．When the stadium is crowded. |
| C．When his friends are too busy. |
| A．$20. | B．$25. | C．$50. |
4 . 2024 Seattle Marathon’s Summer Events
The Seattle Marathon Association (SMA) is a non-profit organization proud of providing a quality running event in the Pacific Northwest. Join us for our annual family-friendly run at Seward Park with views of Lake Washington and Mount Rainier. Dogs welcome! Choose your distance: 5k, 10k or Half Marathon! Kids are welcome to participate in the Kids Fun Run, a quick 1k run with specially provided snacks waiting at the end.
Event scheduleAt 3:00 PM, June 21 — Early Packet Pickup
At 7:00 AM, June 22 — Event Day Registration & Packet Pickup
Registration feesEvents | Early Bird Pricing (Now-Feb. 29) | Regular Pricing (Mar. 1-Jun, 20) | Race Day Pricing (Jun. 21-22) |
Half Marathon | $62.00 | $82.00 | $122.00 |
10K Run/Walk | $35.00 | $52.00 | $72.00 |
5K Run/Walk | $31.00 | $42.00 | $62.00 |
Kids Fun Run | $20.00 | $25.00 | $25.00 |
All finishers will receive an event me dal and a technical fabric shirt.
●Top 3 overall men & women participants in the 5k (must come in under 25min), 10k (must come in under 45min) and Half Marathon (must come in under 1hr 30min) races will receive cash prizes at the finish line.
●In addition, in the week following the race, non-cash awards will be emailed to the top three runners in each age division. Age divisions are as follows: 14 and under,15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80-89 and 90+.
Free entries for the best athletesWe offer free entries for athletes who can prove qualifying time(s) within the last 2 years. Please note that we only offer free registration and do not cover any transportation, accommodation, food or visa fees. Please contact us with proof of your qualifying time(s) within the last 2 years for a free entry to the race.
1. What will a child receive after finishing the kids Fun Run?| A．Cash prizes. | B．Special snacks. |
| C．Track shoes. | D．Free accommodation. |
| A．$70.00. | B．$84.00. | C．$104.00. | D．$144.00. |
| A．Having received event medals twice. |
| B．Offering evidence of their qualifying times. |
| C．Completing the Half Marathon in 90 minutes. |
| D．Ranking among top three in their age divisions. |
5 . I was first going into this final day, the Junior Sled Dog Championship. We’d trained two years and wanted to beat Blake. I knelt down to pat Kenai and my hands
Just before the count down started, Blake shot me a
“Kenai! No!” My voice came out a howl. Kenai
The race vet examining Kenai, I watched Blake accept the trophy. Kenai squirming in my lap, I leaned over upon him. Just at that moment, I felt a warm tongue on my wet cheek. I smiled and realized that I had the
| A．softened | B．shook | C．withdrew | D．extended |
| A．clever | B．thirsty | C．helpful | D．ready |
| A．broad | B．satisfied | C．tight | D．slight |
| A．As | B．Beyond | C．Before | D．After |
| A．pulled | B．charged | C．jumped | D．barked |
| A．cut | B．missed | C．kept | D．rounded |
| A．took off | B．flew away | C．turned around | D．bent forward |
| A．race | B．difference | C．gap | D．goal |
| A．Suddenly | B．Finally | C．Gradually | D．Occasionally |
| A．way | B．hold | C．temper | D．sight |
| A．quitted | B．insisted | C．sighed | D．froze |
| A．struggled | B．decided | C．refused | D．pretended |
| A．forcing | B．begging | C．ordering | D．persuading |
| A．took up | B．put up | C．brought up | D．wrapped up |
| A．achievement | B．companion | C．prize | D．friendship |
1. When will the race be held this year?
| A．On May 11th. | B．On May 23rd. | C．On May 24th. |
| A．At the football ground. | B．On the north side of the park. | C．At the main entrance of the park. |
| A．A water bottle. | B．A T-shirt. | C．A pair of running shoes. |
| A．Children under the age of 8. |
| B．Children between 8 and 15. |
| C．Adults who have registered in advance. |
1. 活动目的；
2. 介绍你参赛的生活技能（烹饪或手工等）；
3. 个人感受。
注意：1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Life Skills Show
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8 . The Best Writing Contests of 2024
Kentucky Visions Short Story Contest
The Kentucky Visions Short Story Contest, an annual contest, is designed to highlight Kentucky’s rich literary talent and celebrate the best in short fiction written by Kentuckians or about our beloved Bluegrass State.
Top prize Best entry: $500
Entry requirements
Fee: FREEDeadline March 31, 2024
Fiction Factory Flash Fiction
This is an international competition—we welcome entries from around the world. Maximum word count: 1,000, Stories may be on any theme. Entries must be previously unpublished. Results will be announced by April 2024. Minimum age: 16 years. Children’s compositions cannot be accepted sadly.
Top prize Best entry: £500
Entry requirements
Fee: FREEDeadline March 31, 2024
Journalism Competition 2024
What are the most important issues taking place close to home? Perhaps a rare bird sighting near your town? Or a band of young people in your province fighting for access to higher education? This month, involve yourself in a newsworthy event inside the borders of your own country, and invite us there through your written reporting.
Top prize Best entry: $100
Entry requirements
Fee: FREEDeadline July 22, 2024
Poetry & Spoken Word Competition 2024
“Poetry lays the foundations for a future of change,” wrote Audre Lorde. This month, sow your own seeds of change into poetry, or else write and perform an original piece of spoken word(poetry performed aloud). We’ll award two top prizes-one for a written poem, and one for a recorded performance.
Top prize Best entry: $100
Entry requirements
Fee: FREEDeadline May 27, 2024
1. Which contest accepts entries both at home and abroad?
| A．Kentucky Visions Short Story Contest. | B．Fiction Factory Flash Fiction. |
| C．Journalism Competition 2024. | D．Poetry&-Spoken Word Competition 2024. |
| A．It offers two first prizes. | B．It only requests written compositions. |
| C．It provides the highest awards. | D．It inspires students to perform actively. |
| A．To compare some writing contests. | B．To recommend good writing contests. |
| C．To share tips on winning writing contests. | D．To remind students to enter writing contests. |
9 . Around 60 young students from colleges in Britain participated in the Wokstar 2022 contest, with the final six battling for the top prize in Liverpool’s Lu Ban restaurant. Jean Claudine Villaneuva, a 29-year-old student at Middlesbrough College in northeastern England, became the first Wokstar winner.
For over 20 years, Villaneuva had specialized in British and French cuisine (烹饪) before his love turned to Chinese cooking.
“Wokstar is a fantastic new competition aimed at students across the UK. Our role here at Lu Ban is to talk about Chinese cuisine, Chinese culture, and introduce it to the rest of the UK. We thought, what better way to do that is to run a specifically Chinese cooking competition,” said Lu Ban’s head chef Dave Critchley. “We have had colleges from all over the country competing, and really, it’s about showcasing how fantastic Chinese cuisine is.”
Critchley said that in its founding year, the competition involved over 60 students. “I must say that the quality we’ve seen so far has been pleasantly surprising. I think it’s the enthusiasm and the love for Chinese food that is really inspiring. It’s great to see people getting really involved in this and really celebrating not just the food of China, but also the culture around it. And what we looked for in our finalists and our winner was actually someone who does understand the importance of Chinese cuisine.”
Critchley’s interest in Chinese cuisine started when he worked in Asian restaurants in Manchester before becoming head chef at Lu Ban.
“I was flown over to Tianjin in northern China, where I worked with some amazing chefs. It really opened my eyes. It was a life-changing experience and I have not looked back since,” he said.
1. Who took part in the Wokstar 2022 contest?| A．Exchange students in China. | B．Cooks in the Lu Ban restaurant. |
| C．Young students in the world. | D．College students in the UK. |
| A．To discover more talented cooks. |
| B．To understand Chinese cuisine and culture. |
| C．To attract more customers to Lu Ban restaurant. |
| D．To allow chefs to exchange their amazing cooking skills. |
| A．The great success of the contest. |
| B．The real importance of Chinese cuisine. |
| C．The richness of traditional Chinese culture. |
| D．The growing popularity of Chinese history in Britain. |
| A．To share a pleasant experience. |
| B．To recommend a healthy lifestyle. |
| C．To report a Chinese cooking competition. |
| D．To persuade readers to come to love Chinese food. |
10 . Kangaroo Kids
Fall Jump Rope Workshop
Invited: All skill levels, kids ages 6 and up
Skills Taught: Single / Long Rope, Speed, and Double Dutch (交互花式跳绳)
Learn new skills with nationally recognized jumpers!
Jumpers must be willing to learn and have fun!
Saturday, November 9, 9:00-16:00
North Laurel Community Center
9411 Whiskey Bottom Rd • Laurel, MD 20723
Participant Fee: $55 by 10/21 ($65 after 10/21)Judge’s Clinic Fee: $25 by 10/21 ($35 after 10/21)
How to Register (register by 10/30)
Use our online registration system for all event registrations, T-shirt orders; and lunch orders. Please register and pay at http://registration. kanagrookids.org/FallWorkshop. First-time users will create a user account to register for the Fall Workshop as a participant. Please create only one user account per household. All members of a family will be part of one account.
NOTE: PLEASE REGISTER AS EARLYAS POSSILE, ASPACE IS LIMITED.
T-shirt OrderWorkshop T-shirts: $18, order by 10/18. Shirt Size (please circle during order): YS/ YM /YL/AS/ AM /AL
Jump ropes, T-shirts, shorts, tennis shoes, and water bottles will be available for sale at the event on November 9. There will be instructors helping adjust the length of your jump ropes.
Lunch OrderSubway lunch (sandwich or salad, fruit drinks and cookies): $8, order by 10/30.
Workshop Hours: 9:00-12:00 and 1:30-4:00
Lunch: 12:00-1:30
1. What is the early bird participant fee?| A．$25. | B．$35. | C．$55. | D．$65. |
| A．Bring their own lunch. | B．Create one registration account. |
| C．Register for the same instructor. | D．Adjust the length of their jump ropes in advance. |
| A．10/18. | B．10/21. | C．10/30. | D．11/9. |
