What isthe hardest sport in the world? Some people say it's boxing (拳击), because boxing is dangerousand boxers have to be strong and fast. Other people say the hardest sport issoccer.

    However,most people say the hardest sport is the triathlon (三项全能运动). A triathlon is a race thatincludes three sports. First, racers swim. After that they ride bicycles andfinally they run. In the most common triathlon, racers swim 1.5kilometres, bike40 kilometres, and run 10 kilometres. The winner is the person who finishes therace first.

    There isanother kind of triathlon too. It is called the "Ironman Triathlon (铁人三项)". This triathlon is muchlonger. People who finish this triathlon are called "ironmen" or"ironwomen". This is because these people are so strong that theirbodies are just like iron (铁).

    In thepast, there were other races including three sports. However, they didn't usethe word "triathlon". That word was first used to describe a race inCalifornia in 1974.

    Triathlonracers have to train very hard for their races. Many of them swim and run. Alot of people also do things like yoga (瑜伽). They have many different ways to prepare, but they all have thesame goal. They want to be in perfect shape.

    To be anironman or an ironwoman, you have to be strong and smart. You should know howto save energy during the race.

What are the cultural differences between China and the West? You might be able to find the answer in Cao Siyu' s comics(连环漫画).

Cao, 36, was born in Beijing, but left home at 20 and has studied and lived in the US, the UK, and France for 12 years. Having seen so many cultures, Cao wanted to use her drawing skills to show the differences she has experienced. So she created the cartoon series Tiny Eyes Comics.

"My experience shows that although travel is much easier and faster today, the distance(距离)between cultures hasn't shortened,"Cao said. She hopes to build bridges and break down misunderstandings between different cultures. One of her cartoons shows water forms in different countries. Three glasses of water are shown. The glass of water from the US has ice; the one from France is full of sparkling water(苏打水); the one from China is steaming(冒热气的).

Cao also uses her cartoons to show different ways of thinking and social customs. She once used her comics to explain why Chinese people prefer to wear masks while western people don't. "Her simple pictures have played a big part in showing Chinese culture," Italian magazine Grazia reported.

Many foreign readers say that Cao's comics help them understand China, while Chinese living abroad have felt that they are seen and understood. She said that this voice has been the biggest motivation(动力) for her to keep creating.

Feng Boyao and MengShuqi found that their city library didn't have enough Braille books for blindpeople and many of the Braille books were out of date. 

So, they teamed up to help the blind by fixing the problem. Feng and Meng both studied at No.37 MiddleSchool in Taiyuan, Shanxi province. They invented a new kind of Braille reader. Their work won first prize ina national competition aiming to nurture creative thinking by encouraging youths to solve social problems. The invention was also granted（授予）a national patent（专利）. When connected to a computer, their Braillereader can turn words into raised dots（凸起的点）. Blind people can read by touching the dots, which aremagnets（磁铁）. This is the first Braille reader that uses magnets. 

"We found that today's Braille readers are very difficult and expensive," Feng said. "So, we decided todevelop a user-friendly product, especially for young blind children from grades1 to 3. Moreover, it only costsabout 2000 yuan."

After making their first device, Feng and Meng visited a school for the blind to get advice and improvedit based on the students' needs, like changing the size of the screen and the amount of space between the dots. "We hope the invention will be popularized（普及）in the future to help those blind people who can't affordthe Braille reader now," Meng told Taiyuan News. 

Do you know Kate Smith? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} She is English. Her family are in China now.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Her mother is an English teacher in that school, too. Her brother David is a student in our school. He is learning Chinese. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}They like China. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} In this photo, her parents are on the sofa. David is in his room.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} She is in her room.

Life Is Full of the Unexpected

In Ashburn, Virginia, Rivera, 27, was running on a road at about 6 p.m. on Thursday. A 71-year-old woman from South Riding, Virginia, was driving a Toyota SUV on the road. And a deer came from somewhere suddenly.

The SUV knocked into the deer, which sent the animal flying into Rivera. She only remembers running on the road and then coming into an ambulance (救护车). The doctor, Emily, told her she needed to cut away one of her favorite running shirts. She told Rivera the shirt had deer blood all over it. "That's when I knew a deer was part of this accident, and it's amazing! Goddess. I'm still alive and I am lucky." Rivera said.

The deer died at the scene (现场). The driver was treated at Inova Loudoun Hospital and recovered. Rivera, who was taken to the same hospital and also recovered on Friday evening.

Rivera had finished five miles on Thursday in her orange running shoes and she was nearly getting to her home when the accident happened.

A woman passerby called 911 and used Rivera's phone to call her family. "Many thanks for her help. It is a pity (遗憾) that the deer lost its life in the accident." Rivera continued, "How should I retell this tale? Maybe it's hard to know where to start. Thanks to god, we are all right."