Winning literary competitions doesn't always lead to fame. But having a few such wins to boast about does you no harm when approaching editors or agents, so if you have dreams of a writing career, these could be the place to begin. Below is a list of the most interesting competitions. Bear in mind that contests with smaller prizes attract fewer entries and are therefore easier to win.

    Wundor Editions Poetry Competition

    Wundor Editions are looking for creative writers to enter their latest poetry contest. If you happen to be 16 or over, send in a poem on any subject running to as many words as you think you can get away with before the judge's eyes glaze over (兴趣丧失).

    Closing: Nov.30. Prize: £ 500. Entry Fee: £ 10.

    Manning's Pit Poetry Competition

    It doesn't sound very attractive but it seems Manning's Pit is something of a beauty spot with more than its share of wildlife. But it's now under threat. This contest aims of raise funds to help save it. Your task is to write a poem of up to 40 lines about Manning's Pit or a similar treasured and threatened piece of countryside near a town or village.

    Closing: Nov.30. Prizes: £ 100, £ 30, £ 20. Entry Fe: £ 3.

    Commonwealth (英联邦) Short Story Competition

    This contest from Commonwealth Writers is for unpublished short fiction of between 2,000 and 5,000 words aimed at adults. But you have to be a citizen of a Commonwealth country. You can write your story in English, Bengali, Chinese, Portuguese, Samoan, Tamil, Kiswahili or Malay.

    Closing: No.1. Prize: £ 5,000. Entry Fee: £ 25.

    Southword Fiction Chapbook Competition

    To enter this international contest from the Munster Literature Centre in Cork, Ireland you should submit 10,000 to 15,000 words of fiction in the form of a collection of short stories. Stories can have been published previously in web or print journals, but not in a stand-alone publication by the author.

    Closing: Oct.31. Prizes: Best International Entry and Best Irish Entry. Entry Fee: £ 5 for one, £ 10 for six.

    For Kim Duffy, sending away her teenage daughter was the best hope for saving the girl's life.

    Corinne, then 17, had been struggling with bulimia (贪食症) and anorexia (厌食症) for more than five years. Duffy and her husband, Terry, found a residential facility in Virginia, and Corinne signed on for a two-month stay in the summer of 2009.

    Today, Corinne's healthy and pursuing a master's degree in Colorado. She and her parents believe the holistic (整体) approach and individualized focus were key to her recovery. And they know they had access to unique resources. "We were fortunate," says Duffy. "We could pay for everything."

    But many can't. According to a report released in November 2014 by the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, between 600, 000 and one million Canadians suffer from an eating disorder. Public in patient programs often won't admit patients until they're in life-threatening condition. Private clinics often have a long waitlists and high costs-at Homewood, in Guelph, Ont., a room is $ 305 to $360 per day.

    The Duffs' struggle led then to connect other families with the quality of care they received in the United Sates. In late 2013, hey founded the WaterStone Clinic, a private eating disorder center in Toronto.

    Since the facility opened, 170 clients have received treatment. They take yoga, do art therapy and participate in meal preparation, building real-life skills with a support team. Programs run weekdays from 8 a. m. to 2 p. m., and notably, so far WaterStone has no waiting list.

    But this approach is costly: approximately $650 per day. Realizing that the price tag puts WaterStone out of reach for many, the Duffys created the WaterStone Foundation-a charity that provides aid to patients who can't afford treatment the following year. Candidates are assessed by two committees that make a decision based on clinical and financial need. Since 2014, the foundation has helped 100 people.

    Duffy also wants to change the public system. In June of this year, the foundation awarded ＄170, 000 to four Ontario hopitals offering creative treatment to eating disorder patients. "Yes, people need private treatment," she says, "but it's important to help out on a broader scale, too."

    A shark moving around the coastline is normally a worrying sight，but this waterborne drone (无人机) threatens floating rubbish instead of people.

    Developed by Dutch company RanMarine, the WasteShark takes nature as its inspiration with its whale shark-like mouth. Responsible for collecting waste, the drone will begin operations in Dubai Marina in November after a year of trials with local partner Ecocoast.

    According to RanMarine, the WasteShark is available in both autonomous and remote-controlled models. Measuring just over five feet by three-and-a-half feet (1.5 meters by 1.1 meter), it can carry up to 352 pounds of rubbish (159.6 kg) and has an operational battery life of 16 hours.

    By 2016 there were approximately 150 million tons of plastic in the world's oceans. One paper from December 2014 estimated that over a quarter of a million tons of ocean plastic pollution was afloat.

    "WasteShark also has the abilities to gather air and water quality data, remove chemicals out of the water such as oil, and heavy metals, and scan the seabed to read its depth and outlines," said Oliver Cunningham, one of the co-founders of RanMarine. "Fitted with a collision-avoidance system, the drone uses laser imaging detection and ranging technology to detect an object in its path and stop or back up if the object approaches."

    "Our drones are designed to move through a water system, whether it's around the perimeter (周边) or through the city itself. The drones are that last line of defense between the city and the open ocean," added Cunningham. "WasteSharks are operating in Dubai, South Africa and the Netherlands and cost $ 17, 000 for the remote-controlled model and just under $ 23, 000 for the autonomous model."

    Dubai-based operator Ecocoast has two WasteShark drones. Co-founder Dana Liparts says they will clean waterfronts for clients including hotels and environmental authorities and that Ecocoast' intention is to have the collected rubbish recycled or upcycled. However, Liparts argues that cleaning waterways doesn't have a one-size-fits-all solution and requires a combination of new technology, preventative measures and changing people's attitudes towards littering.

    A new study from brain researchers helps explain how the human brain evolved or changed over time, to permit people to speak and write.

    Michael Ullman, the lead researcher, a professor at Georgetown University Medical School in Washington, D.C, has been studying language learning for more than 20 years.

    Ullman says his research shows that the human brain does not have a special area or system for making language. Over time we have simply reused or co-opted (指派) parts of our brain for language. And those parts, he says, are ancient-older even than humans themselves.

    "This study examines the theoretical framework (准则) that language is learned, stored and' processed in two ancient learning and memory systems in the brain."

    Ullman, Hamrick and the rest of the team looked at data from 16 other studies on language. They found that people learn language using two memory systems: declarative and procedural. Memorizing vocabulary, for example, is a declarative memory process. But learning grammar is, mostly, a procedural memory process.

    "Declarative memory, in humans at least, is what we think of as learning memory', such as, 'Oh, remember what you said last night' or things like that. And procedural motor memory is what we often call motor memory' such as how you learn to ride a bicycle." Or, Ullman adds, "These procedural memory skills become so deeply leaned that we are no longer aware that we are doing them."

    However, Ullman explains that the two long-term memory systems can share tasks. And, he adds, the adult brain uses the systems to learn language a bit differently than a child's brain.

    "Adult language learners of a second language may use their declarative memory for using grammar patterns. They think about it purposefully. For a child, the grammar may come more naturally. They don't have to think about the grammar rules before speaking."

    In addition to language learners, Ullman's study could help people who have a brain injury that affects speaking and writing. This knowledge can also help those who have learning disabilities such as dyslexia (阅读障碍). People with dyslexia have difficulty recognizing words and symbols accurately.

    The sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you have for getting rid of any source of stress in your life.        We can't over-estimate the importance of the sense of humor too much. In fact, making work fun helps employees perform best and provide quality work.

           Telling jokes and stories and using team-building games in companies make people have more fun at work. Some companies even have talent shows or hold dance or sports competitions. It just gives employees a break in the day and a chance to laugh at themselves.

           Humor should be about laughing with rather than laughing at others. We all have probably heard jokes that seemed to bother or hurt others. For example, jokes making fun of employees for their weight, race, religion, etc. are not only harmful to the person, but also can create an unfriendly working environment.

    Even if the jokes were intended to be humorous, they may not be received that way. I have even heard speakers make slight dirty jokes on the audience, thinking they would be seen as cool. In fact the audience thought the speakers had no taste.        In another case, I heard about a manager who was out partying with co-workers and kidding about how the boss liked certain people more than others. Such jokes actually had damaging effects on people in the company.

    Humor, if proper, can brighten up the workplace and reduce some of the stress we are all experiencing.       

    I had stopped to get gas at a place where I almost never go. I had 1 about cleaning my windshield (挡风玻璃). But then when the gas 2 was almost finished, I decided for some reason to 3 and clean it. That's what I was doing when a woman approached me and asked for 4.

    There were two women, one middle aged, the other twenty-something, 5 a young child in the back seat. On a day when the temperature was well past 100, they were 6 in an old car with no air conditioning, driving from a town about an hour away.

    "Can you tell us how to get to Mopac, sir?" She had a folded-up printout of directions from Google maps. "Sure. Where on Mopac are you 7?" I asked. She unfolded the printout and showed me the 8. I knew it well, and started to get the 9 that this moment was meant to happen. "I know 10 where that is." I told her. "I used to have a(n) 11 in that building to work in."

    I 12 giving directions to the older lady, and then again to her 13, who was the driver. It took a while, because I 14 each instruction to make sure they understood. In a sincere moment of 15, the older lady thanked me.

    The whole 16 helped me much more than it helped her. I had been having a very 17 day. In fact, the only reason I had gone to that particular gas station was that I wanted to take a little drive and 18 my head.

    As I replaced the gas cap, having sent them on their way, I suddenly 19 that I felt better. My head was clear. And I am 20 for the real goodness it brought into my life.

    Beijing Opera is a traditional culture of China. It        (call) Beijing Opera because it's formed in Beijing.

    Beijing Opera has a history of about 200 years,        origin can date back to old local operas, especially Anhui Opera. In 1790, the first Anhui Opera performance was held in Beijing        (celebrate) the Emperor's birthday. Later, some other Anhui Opera troupes (戏班) went on to perform in Beijing. Anhui Opera was easy to move        good at absorbing the acting styles of other types of operas.

    At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Beijing Opera finally formed, and became the        (big) of all operas in China. Beijing Opera has a rich list of plays, artists, troupes, audiences, and wide influences,        (make) it the leading opera in China.

    Beijing Opera is        all-round acting art. It mixes singing, reading, acting, fighting and dancing together by using acting        (method) to tell stories and describe characters. The roles in Beijing Opera include the male, female, painted-face, and comedic roles. Besides, there        (be) other supporting roles as well. In addition, the types of        (face) make-up, especially the color, are the most particular art in Beijing Opera.

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（^），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：①每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

②只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

    Two months ago my mother and I were walking home from shopping while we noticed a small dog lying sill on the middle of the road. How danger it was! We got closely to him and found that he was badly injured. Saw the poor dog, we decided to help him. Immediately we called a taxi and send him to an animal hospital, where he was examined and received treatment. After staying in hospital for few days, he became good enough to walk. Then we took him home and looked after him carefully until he was fully recovered. Now he is already an important member of our family and brings ourselves a lot of happiness.

①时间和地点：4月29日至10月7日，北京延庆区。

②主题：绿色生活，美丽家园。

③内容：来自110个国家的植物、文化和科技成果展示。

注意：①词数100左右；②开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数；③可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Dear Alice,

    I'm so glad to hear you are coming to visit the Beijing International Horticultural Exposition during the summer vacation.

Yours,

Li Hua