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Dear Sir or Madam,
     I would like to apply to enter the writing competition your newspaper is organizing.
     I am a final-year undergraduate majoring in sociology, and have conducted in-depth research on life in our town in the 18th century. I plan to continue my research after graduation and finally write a book about the town's history.
     However, I haven't published my work before and understand that I have much to learn before doing so. I therefore feel that by entering this competition I will be able to gain a valuable insight into how to write for publication. I sincerely hope that you will take my application seriously and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours sincerely,
Li Ming

尊敬的先生／女士：
     我想申请参加贵报正在组织的写作比赛。
     我是一名社会学专业的大四本科生，已经对18世纪本市的生活进行过深入研究。我打算毕业后继续研究，最后写一本关于本市历史的书。
     不过，我之前从未出版过任何作品，知道在出版作品之前要学习很多东西。因此我觉得通过报名参加这次比赛，我将深入了解如何创作出版。我真诚地希望您能认真考虑我的申请，期待尽快收到您的答复。
您真诚的，
李明
道长点评
　　书信的写作原则为"客气"，尽量做到"换位思考、合情合理"，避免语气生硬，要充分考虑收信人的身份和感受。

     enter 报名参加
     competition 比赛
     major in 专业是
     sociology 社会学
     conduct 进行
     in-depth 深入的
     research 研究
     continue 继续
     publish 出版
     valuable 有价值的
     insight 深刻的了解

1　Could you please send me an application form for the writing competition?
     能不能请您发给我一份参加写作比赛的申请表呢？
2　Could you please tell me the minimum and maximum word limits?
     能不能请您告诉我作品的字数限制呢？
3　What is the closing date for the writing competition?
     写作比赛的截止日期是什么时候？