The popularity of niche (小众的) sports has increased, thanks in large part to pop culture interest. From the traditional Japanese martial arts to ancient Greek combat sports. Here are some trendy options you won't want to miss.

Kendo

This Japanese martial art is gaining popularity in China, partly because of Japanese sports manga (日本漫画) series such as One Piece (海贼王) . In many major cities, it's not uncommon to see young athletes carrying the bamboo swords used for Kendo.

Kendo is a form of swordsmanship (剑术) that requires concentration, discipline and constant repetition, but the benefit goes beyond physical fitness. According to the South China Morning Post, practicing kendo can effectively relieve stress and relax one's mind.

Boxing

Some of the greatest English-language writers, like Ernest Hemingway, Jack London and TS Eliot, were hardcore boxers. After reading their portrayals of tough boxers, some readers have been inspired to pick up their own pair of boxing gloves and enter the ring.

Boxing is more than just a workout. Sure, it can give you a lean and strong body. But according to boxing expert Hollywood Hino, it's a kind of addiction as well. Boxing gives you "the challenge of learning technique, as well as the general empowering feeling of hitting something", he told Yahoo Sports.

Parkour

The James Bond blockbuster Casino Royale (2006) introduced parkour to the mainstream, with an intense action scene that shows Bond using skills to go through an urban landscape. That's parkour in a nutshell: the art of moving quickly and creatively through unconventional obstacle courses. Parkour gives young people a way to improve themselves, both physically and psychologically.

After about two weeks of intense negotiations in Paris, delegates from around the world reached an international agreement on Dec. 12 to address climate change. For the first time in history, 195 countries have promised to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to increase these reductions over time.

The agreement goes beyond requiring developed countries like the US to take actions to cut down emissions. It's a universal agreement requiring some form of action from every country, rich or poor.

The agreement sets the date for an emissions peak "as soon as possible". It would also limit warming worldwide to less than 2℃ above the levels in the 1800s. According to scientific studies 2℃ is the point at which climate change will bring destructive consequences to the planet, including rising sea levels, severe droughts, increased flooding, destructive storms, and widespread food and water shortages.

The deal also urges wealthy countries to set a non- binding goal of providing more than $100 billion (650 billion yuan) per year in public and private financing by 2020 for poorer countries to help them invest in clean energy and combat the impact of climate change.

The Paris deal asks countries to make voluntary promises based on an analysis of each country's economy, politics and technology. However, the deal also includes a series of legally binding (有约束力的) requirements. It requires countries to reconvene every five years, starting in 2020, with updated plans that would cut their further emissions. Countries will also be legally required to reconvene every five years starting in 2023 to publicly report on their progress.

The Paris deal alone won't solve global warming. Its effectiveness will depend on whether each country enacts (立法) their promise. But the deal "could be viewed as a signal to global financial and energy markets, triggering a fundamental shift away from investment in coal, oil and gas as primary energy sources like wind, solar and nuclear power", according to The New York Times.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Dec 29 that Guinea was Ebola—free, which means the Ebola outbreak has officially ended in West Africa.

"The fatal disease broke out in Guinea in December 2013, and then spread to neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia," salon. com writer Ben Norton wrote. "A handful of Ebola cases were subsequently reported in Nigeria, Mali, the US and some European countries, yet were all contained.

The WHO declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone in November, just after Liberia was declared Ebola - free in September. However, Liberia has had new cases since the declaration, reported the BBC.

The disease killed more than 2,500 people in Guinea, and a further 9,000 in Liberia and Sierra Leone. It is the largest Ebola epidemic (流行病) in history, according to the WHO.

Children were especially vulnerable (脆弱的) to the disease. During the outbreak, more than 22,000 kids lost one or both parents in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to UNICEF. In Guinea alone, 6,220 children lost a parent or both, and 519 more were killed.

A salon. com article says when a few cases of Ebola were found in the US, the media went hysterical (歇斯底里的) , But since the disease was contained in the West Africa in 2014, Western governments and media outlets have devoted little attention to it.

"This reaction", says the article, has "led critics and activists to accuse the Western media of prejudice and racism. When white people were threatened by the disease, there was more concern and interest. When they were no longer threatened, there was silence."

When Du Yongbo, 23, entered Beijing Jiaotong University graduate school, he could see a difference between himself and his local peers in terms of their consumption capacities and life attitudes. However, he was lucky compared to other newcomers from small towns. The difference could have been more obvious if he had not spent his undergraduate years doing extra learning.

Growing up in Baoding, Hebei. Du was enrolled in a little-known institution in Hebei after high school.

"Knowing that I would be stuck in this place for the next four years, I felt like I was chained down," he said.

Determined to change his situation, Du made use of everything he could find on campus, starting with the technology lab. Here he got to know talented members of the senior class and joined them in their innovative experiments and technology competitions. Du learned a lot more than he could ever have by sitting in class.

But Du didn't just hide away in the lab all day long. He kept himself busy by working with all kinds of student societies, such as the Speech and Eloquence(雄辩)Association and the Drama Club.

"I used to be a little self-isolating, but student club experiences gave me new hobbies and the ability to manage tough people and issues," he said.

Internet was a great helper too. Du once planned to study user interface design at a training center. But he was taken aback upon hearing the training fee—70,000 yuan. Fortunately, a friend instructed him to buy a similar course on Taobao for a much lower price. That was when Du learned about the abundance of resources online. He was eager to know more, studying online educational resources and listening to podcasts(播客).

Now that he has made his way to Beijing, Du says that all his efforts have paid off and that he has gotten the chance to stretch his legs on a bigger platform.

Some people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you have known them half your life. These people have something in commonIf you follow them, they will help you put people at their ease, and make friends with them quickly.

Ask questions. Good talkers always ask questions.One famous businesswoman says, "At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. It's a common question, but it will get things going." From there you can move on to other matters — sometimes to real persona questions. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.

Once good talkers have asked questions, they listen to the answer. Your question should have a point and can help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you should have to listen carefully.

Real listening at least means some things. If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he is really interested in it.If the voice sounds dull, then it's time for you to change the subject.

Finally, good talkers know well how to deal with the occasion of parting. If you're saying goodbye, you may give him a firm handshake and say, "I've really enjoyed meeting you."Let them know how you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they've known you half their life.

A. Listen attentively.

B. Listen with a smile.

C. It's polite to say something nice when parting

D. Here are several skills that good talkers have.

E. Real listening involves words as well as tones of voice.

F. If you want to see that person again, don't keep it a secret

G. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question.

Face Adversity (逆境) with a Smile

I often cycle from my house to the town centre. And I used to1about a big hill on the route. When my friend Steven heard, he replied, "You are2. You should be glad of the3exercise that the hill provides.

My 4 to the hill now has changed. When I5it, I will tell myself: This hill will exercise my heart and lung. It will help me to lose weight and get6. It will mean that I can live7. This hill is my friend. Finally, I have a smile of8as I reach the top of the hill.

Problems are there to be9and overcome. We can't achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to10a university degree. She wrote, "Character can't be11in ease and quiet. Only through 12of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision13, ambition inspired and success achieved.

One of the main14of success in life is our attitude towards adversity. At times we all face hardships, problems, accidents and difficulties. Though we can't choose the15, we can choose our attitude towards it.

16, don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can't do this or that. That's nonsense.17your mind and have a18at everything. Go to school, and join in all the games you can. Go19you want to. But never, never let them20you that things are too difficult or impossible.

On the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island, there is a long bar of sand(call) Farewell Spit. The area is famous, but for a(desire) reason. It's a hotspot of whale stranding(搁浅).Whales strand(they) on beaches. Are these coastlines the whales' graveyards?

In February, 2015, 200 pilot whales became stuck on the shore. It was the biggest stranding in the area in over a decade, according to local conversation team.(rescue) spent hours trying to refloat them, but 100 died. Without the support of water, the weight of their bodies(break) their muscles.

The(remain) whales were watered and kept as comfortable as possible by volunteers equipped with buckets and spades. Sixty were eventually refloated, but soon stranded again. Members of the Public helped to refloat themsecond time and now the whales(believe) to be back at sea.

Beaches like Farewell Spit are perhaps the most placeswhales can die. To all purposes, it seems as if the whales have killed themselves by swimming too closethe shore. So are beaches places in which whales go to die—or are there other graveyards that we don't know about? It's a mystery that has been around since ancient times.

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）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

A foreign student graduated with honor from a fine university in Germany. He expected to find the good job and have a bright future. But in his disappointment, he wasn't even giving the chance for an interview! The third time he was refused, he phoned the company to ask how. "We don't employ dishonest people in Germany." is the answer. What was wrong? Shortly before he arrived in Germany, he found easy to steal ride. So he often rode without a ticket and was caught up three times. Now he had to pay a highly price for his own behavior. We should all keep in minds: Honesty is the best policy.

1）学习情况； 2）班级氛围； 3）课外活动。

注意：1）字数100左右。

2）开头已给出，不计入总字数。

I often imagine what my life will be like in my dream high school.