Short Story Competition

    The competition begins at June 30 and ends at December 15.

    It is open to all local citizens of Ontario who are at 16 or over, except the employees and judges and anyone living with any employee of the sponsors or judges.

    The author's name address phone number and a 25-50-word self-introduction must be included with each entry on a separate sheet of paper. The name of the author should not appear in the story itself.

    Stories must be original and unpublished up to the time the winners are declared on December 25.

    Stories must be written on a computer, be double-spaced and no more than 2,500 words. Total word count should be printed on the front page of the story.

    No changes to a story are allowed once the Star receives your entry. Typescripts (文稿)will not be returned.

    A $ 5 entry fee must accompany each entry. Cheques or money orders should be made out to the Star Short Story Competition. Please do not send coins.

    Winners will be informed by telephone between 9 am and 5 pm on December 25.

    Professors from the Writing Centre at Ryerson University will complete the first round of judging. Another group of professional writers will select the final three.

    More Information：

    Send your story to: the Star Short Story Competition, the Star Street, Ontario M5E1E6. Full contest rules are available at www. the star. com/contests

    Tel: 416-367-2000

    Since the very year I was born, South Jersey has been a part of me. Since both of my grandparents have lived in the area for many decades, my family has visited South Jersey yearly since 2014. It's warm and lively feel is very appealing to many families that are looking for an easy and fun getaway.

    Every summer we pile into the car and drive four hours away to the Seaview Hotel and Club, a wonderful place which is located in Galloway. 20 minutes from the beach and board- walk (木板人行道).The Seaview is enticing and quite inexpensive as well, which is perfect for any family. The rooms are neat, and the breakfasts are a real attraction, even to adults. I have always loved going down to their lovely outdoor swimming pool in the mornings and then ordering a lunch from The Coastal Grille, the hotel's main restaurant. The Seaview is really great, and somewhere else is even more exciting.

    At the end of every day in South Jersey, my family always makes it an important goal to drive to the local beach and boardwalk. Ocean City is wonderful with great swimming, lots of pizza places, ice cream stands, and excellent rides and games.

    After dinner, we always check out "Gillian's Pier," the impressive and exciting, yet small amusement area located on the boardwalk. It is lots of fun to ride on bumper car (碰碰车)and rollercoaster and to taste soft-serve ice creams and cotton candy. Next door, there is even a video arcade (游戏厅), so overall South Jersey is your classic family summer vacation. I would definitely recommend visiting, even just for a weekend, someday.

    Smart thermostats (温控器)have become the face of smart home technology for most, but depending on what your home is like, it's possible to say the Ecobee3 is superior.

    Most of the smart thermostats carry the same benefits, including the Ecobee3. They can learn your preferences and schedules, and then adjust the temperature accordingly. They're better-looking and more enjoyable to use than the basic pieces of plastic that occupy most households. And once you're able to heat up or cool down your house from your phone, without having to get out of bed, you won't want to go back to the past.

    If you live in a larger house, the Ecobee3 can be much more convenient—offering you a couple of more remote sensors (传感器). Yes it gets pretty expensive at that point. But having those gives you effective control over the temperature in different rooms around your house. In comparison, other thermostats' measurements are largely limited to the area in which they're installed (安装).

    If you live in a smaller place, that's no big deal; the Ecobee3 still has distinct advantages. It is touch-enabled, making it less annoying when you want to enter a Wi-Fi passwords see weather information, and so on.

    Still, all the smart thermostats are pretty great. Which one is best just depends on whether you need a whole-home solution or a simpler one. For now, if it's the former, go with the Ecobee3. Their presence will probably make you more conscious about saving energy. Ecobee3 Smarter Wi-Fi Thermostat with Remote Sensor is available at all shopping websites.

    The world is full of great books, just waiting to be read. How can you pick one you'll really like? Here are some tips：

    Depend on your hobby. If you have a favorite hobby, look for books about that activity.        You're more likely to enjoy reading a book if you're already interested in its subject.

    Choose fiction or nonfiction.        Those are called fiction books. These books can transport you to another world or help you imagine something beyond your own experience. Nonfiction books tell stories using facts, but that doesn't mean they're boring. Nonfiction books can bring to life everything from the first trip to the moon to what it's like to explore the deepest oceans.

           Your local library is a great place to find books that you love. Tell a librarian about your interests, and the librarian can help you find other books that you're sure to love. Your teacher is another good person to ask.

    Find a family favorite. What was your mother's favorite book when she was your age? What's about your father's? Ask them and give it a read. Then you can talk about what they like about it and share your thoughts.       

    Launch a book exchange.        It's always fun to see what your friends arc reading. Even if they're not exactly bookworms, you can all encourage each other to read and share books and authors you like. You also can look for book exchanges in your area. It's a great way to build your personal library for free!

A. Ask someone for help.

B. Learn to be a professional.

C. You should read as many books as possible.

D. Some books are entirely made up and imagined.

E. You can find books about almost anything you like.

F. It's a fun way to get to know your family a little better.

G. Why not get some friends together and exchange favorite books?

    Five years ago, a fire burned Vivienne Palmer's house to the ground and turned all her things to ash. She was depressed, but later, a surprising state of1set in.

    "After2the shock. I would think that since it's3, let go of it. It felt amazingly free of mind." Palmer says. Now, she looks around her destroyed4and wants to get that5again. Her plan is to let go of at least ten things every day for a year. That means she must make a total of 3.650 donated or sold6a year.

    A friend7her not to set herself up for failure because that was too much for her.

    But Palmer is struggling against the8. Everything is a game from the practical thing, such as a large number of  plastic forks and knives she has9from all her take-out (外卖) orders, to the10things, such as the rabbit costumes she made for her young sons for Halloween one year. "You just have to be very11 she says.

    Now, some plastic bags, six tablecloths, four toy monkeys and a toy dog have been12. Her husband wants to13the toy dog because he thinks it's cool.

    To keep herself14, Palmer posts images of her goods on her blog, where she15away many things free. And it feels16

    Beyond keeping peace of mind, there's another17: By selling some items online. Palmer hopes to18enough money to arranged family vacation to Southeast Asia.

    "Everything is19in my mind：There's the writing, the trip, my wanting to make, money and create a new good habit," Palmer say. It's a hug20, but its inspiring. And I can't think of anything I'd rather do more.

    Are you interested in the popular shopping culture- Singles Day? I'd like to inform you        some information about it.

    There are       (vary) theories about the origin of Singles Day in China. One of the popular theories is        Singles Day originated from campus culture. In 1993 four senior students at Nanjing University came up with the idea of organizing activities on Nov 11 as a day for single people. Gradually        (accept) by society, this festival attracts more and more people. With the spread of media and online culture. Singles Day 5s now hugely popular.

    At present. Nov 11 is a shopping carnival. "Double 11" with the purpose of the online promotion        (hold) by Taobao (Tmall) on Nov 11. 2009. Willi the popularity of online shopping, the turnover (营业额)of "Double 11" Shopping Festival reached 213. 5 billion in 2018,        (rise) steadily (稳定地), which is a delight to sellers.

    When shopping day meets Singles Day, what will people do? Perhaps, this special day makes less        (different) to those who are in their        (forty) or older ages, but young people are loyal consumers who will take risks of       (run) out of their money to purchase. It is the young consumers       have strong desire to buy that day. They like the discounts of the goods.

1）介绍讲座的内容；

2）发出邀请；

3）约好见面的时间和地点。

注意：1）词数80左右；

2）开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数.

Dear Tom,

    I am looking forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

    A cactus (仙人掌)stood all alone in the desert, wondering why it was stuck in the middle of the desert. "I do nothing but stand here all day," it sighed, "What use do I have? I am the ugliest plant in the desert. My spines (刺)are thick, my leaves arc tough, and my skin is uneven . I can't offer shade or juice to the passing travelers. I don't see that I am of any use at all. " All it did was stand in the sun day after day, growing taller and fatter. Its spines grew longer and its leaves grew tougher. It truly was strange-looking.

    "I wish I could do something useful." it signed. By day, hawks (鹰)circled high over- head, and the cactus called, "What can I do with my life?" Whether they heard or not, the hawks flew away. At night the moon floated into the sky and cast its pale light on the desert floor. "How can I do with my life?" the cactus called. The moon only stared coldly as it continued its course.

    A lizard (蜥蜴)passed by, leaving a little trail in the sand with its tail. "What worthy deed can I do?" The cactus called. "You?" the lizard smiled, pausing a moment. "You can do something. Just wait for the right moment. The hawks circle way overhead, making beautiful patterns for us all to admire. The moon hangs high like a lantern at night, so we can see our ways home to our loved ones. Even I, the lowly lizard, have something to do. I decorate the sands with these beautiful trails as I pull my tail along. And you, you will show us your beauty some day."

注意：1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2）应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；

3）续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好；

4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

Paragraph 1:

    It went on year after year, and the Cactus grew old.

Paragraph 2：

    The desert hadn't known such flower of it.