{#blank#}1{#/blank#} It has around 3 billion fans—nearly half the world's population! And about 300 million people play this game. That's 4 percent of the world's population!

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Many people in old days played the early form of this modern game. Cuju(蹴鞠), a ball-kicking game in China, was reported as early as 2, 500 B. C.  Around the same time in Greece, people were also playing a similar ball game without using their hands.

But modern soccer didn't become official(官方的)until 1863. An Englishman called Cobb Morley introduced the idea of a soccer association(联盟). {#blank#}3{#/blank#} From then on, other associations in the countries were set up. They came together—to make up the FIFA, which organizes the World Cup.

It's not easy to tell what makes soccer so popular. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Soccer needs only two feet and a ball. This makes it a sport that developing countries can play easily. Some of the sport's best players come from these poor nations. 

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The sport's no-hands rule makes beautiful dance—like movements on the field. What's more, this sport excites the heart. Teams might score only a few times each match, so matches can turn around suddenly.

     No one knows who will win at the next World Cup. But one thing is certain: The world will be watching.

    In early spring, the changing temperature usually makes a number of Chinese people uncomfortable. Cold air, bringing rain or even snow, easily tears up(破坏) the warmth of the spring within a night(一夜之间).

    However, with the coming of Guyu-the Grain(谷物) Rain, the blue sky and gentle winds would finally stay. Falling usually on or around April 20 every year, Guyu is the sixth of the 24 solar terms(节气). It means the beginning of a lively summer and people get busy from now on.

    Sow(播种) grains

    This is an important period of the growth of grains. The ancient Chinese already knew that as Guyu comes, the weather will become warm enough for sowing. The farmers usually catch the chance to plant rice, corn and beans.

    Hope for safety and harvest

    For those living near the sea, they will hold some ceremonies(仪式) on Guyu, hoping for safety as well as harvest during the coming fishing season.

    Watch the peony

    It's also a great time to see the peony(牡丹), which is known as “the Queen of All Flowers” in Chinese culture. As a result, watching peonies becomes one of the most enjoyable activities for many. The flower is said to be the favourite of Empress(女皇) Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty, who was the only woman ruler in Chinese history.

    Pick tea leaves

    Tea leaves picked before Guyu are among the best tea leaves. People believe that the tea leaves picked on the day of Guyu can make eyes clear and drive away bad luck. So the habit of drinking tea at this time of year has become a tradition in some places of China.

Information Card

    I-Shou Lin（林义守） is a very successful businessman. When he was a child, he had no opportunity to get a formal education, but didn't let that hold him back. By the age of ten, he had begun a few small businesses. In 1988, Lin started a steel factory in Taiwan where he was born, and then developed it well. 11 years later, the production doubled.

    During this time, his mom reminded him of the importance of education. Because he had made some money, she felt he had a social responsibility to help in this field. Then Lin realized that few students studied electrical machinery. So he started Kaohsiung Polytechnic Institute （KPI）, which was later upgraded to I-Shou University.

    When asked about education, Lin replied that the next generation needed to be educated from an international point of view. And in 2004, I-Shou International School was set up.

    After suffering a serious illness, Lin realized that life is priceless. He looked for more ways to improve people's lives. As a result, he established a world-class hospital with the latest equipment and best-trained staff. I-Shou university's medical school combines education and medicine to educate students to serve those in need.

    Life needs fun as well. Having travelled to many countries and regions, Lin thought Taiwan should be as desirable as Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau. Then he developed E-DA World. It includes one of Asia's best outlet malls as well as the region's largest amusement park and theater.

    What do steel production, ______, ______ and entertainment have in common? The answer is: I-Shou Lin!

    The summer holiday is coming. What a perfect chance to plan a trip! How about backpacking (背包旅行)? Maybe you're too young to do it. But it doesn't matter. Follow me and you'll learn about an interesting way to travel.

    Have you ever noticed foreigners with big bags on their backs? They wear jeans and T-shirts, and have guidebooks or maps in their hands. They look curious (好奇的) about everything they see. They enjoy themselves without a tour group. That's right! They are backpackers.

    Backpacking is a popular way for Westerners to travel outside of their country. It's cheap so that people can travel more and see more places. Most backpackers are young people because backpacking needs a strong body, courage and freedom.

    Backpackers usually do some homework before setting out. They search for information about their destination (目的地) country: food, fun places to visit, hostels (青年旅舍) and things to buy. They are sure they know how to change planes or where to get the train.

    Backpacking is a freer way to travel. You can change your destination whenever you want. It also allows travelers to explore and see more. And you can decide how long to stay there. If you go with a tour group, there may be a lot of rules and you may not be free to do things as you like.

    Many people believe that not only wetness, but also light and dirty things are the greatest enemies of stamps. People protect their stamps in several different ways.

    In fact, we should never touch the stamps with our hands. This avoids moving dirty things onto them. Stamp tweezers (镊子) should be used in all conditions.

    Stamps are printed things. The colour will slowly disappear if they are put in the light for a long time. So we should not put stamps in the light for long. Direct sunlight must be avoided as well.

    Wetness is an important problem for stamps. Some collectors will put stamps in separate plastic bags. However, it is possible that some stamps have taken in some water from the air before they are put into the plastic bags. Stamps become yellow easily and rapidly after they take in wet air. To protect the stamps, some people also put the stamps into a special room which has a machine to keep the air cool and dry. However, not many people can afford that.

    To keep stamps, stamp collectors usually put them under plastic covers. It is a common and simple way. This helps because the plastic cover keeps the stamps off the wet air. It also stops the fingers from touching the stamps.

    Some collectors prefer to store stamps inside a plastic box with desiccants (干燥剂). However, we should take care not to let the stamps touch the desiccants. On top of that, don't take your stamps out on a wet day.