All over the world people are hooked on sports, which help them to strengthen their body and build their character.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} They improve the participants' physical skills, and provide entertainment for the audience as well.

    Many people like to watch others play games.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Often they get very excited when “their” player or team wins. If they are crazy about the game or the player, then they'll become their die-hard fans. Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in countries near the sea or in those with many rivers.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}And think of people in cold countries. Masses of people love to skate or ski in Japan, Norway or Canada.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Chinese boxing, also has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new, which started in the late of the nineteenth century. People are inventing new sports or games all the time. Water skiing, as a modern game, is one of the newest in the family of sports.

    People from different countries or races may not be able to understand each other, but after a game, they get to know each other better and they often become good friends.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}They learn to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace. They also learn to be competitive and optimistic, which will equip them for life challenges in the future.

A. They buy tickets or turn on the TV to watch the games.

B. What fun it is to jump into a pool or lake, whether in China, Egypt or Italy!

C. Some sports or games date back thousands of years, like running or jumping.

D. Sports help to train a person's character.

E. Chinese people liked doing sports even in ancient times.

F. Sports are competitive physical activities or games through casual or organized participation.

G. And the friendship may last for a life time.

    With self-service facilities – supermarkets, to name one – beginning to appear all the time, we're now relying on integrity more than ever.

    Integrity – the quality of doing the right thing no matter if anyone is watching or not – has been highly valued in China since ancient times. And the phrase“立木取信”probably best explains how integrity works in the relationship between people and the ruling of a nation.

    This phrase comes from the Warring States period (475-221 BC), during which China wasn't yet a unified country and was constantly at war. States carried out reforms to make themselves stronger, with the most thorough and influential one being the reform of the State of Qin, introduced by statesman Shang Yang (395-338 BC).

    Shang's reform focused on farming and giving rewards to soldiers who fought hard during wars. But at first, people had little trust and confidence in Shang.

    So he decided to prove himself by putting a wooden pole at the south gate of the capital of Qin, offering those who took the pole to the north gate a reward of 10 gold pieces, before long raising it to 50. When a man did as he said, Shang paid him 50 gold pieces as promised. Word soon spread, and people began to realize that Shang was a man of his word. The reforms were finally pushed forward.

    Today, integrity still plays an important role in Chinese society, which is why it's included as one of the 12 core socialist values in China.

    China is also planning to build a social credit system by the year 2020, which will keep citizens' misbehaviors –- even minor traffic violations – on record, so that trust can be established among people.

    “Without a system, a conman can commit a crime in one place and then do the same thing again in another place. But a credit system puts people's past history on the record. It'll build a better and fairer society,” explained Wen Quan, a blogger who writes about technology and finance, to BBC News.

    I feel happy when I come home at the end of the day and see those big, graphic prints on my wall. They make my tiny New York apartment feel more home and more purposeful; more like me. Why? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    You're probably not trying to spend crazy dollars on art for your home—who is? Maybe you just graduated and know you need to upgrade from that poster of Einstein with his tongue out taped to your dorm wall that was supposed to make you look "smart yet playful" Perhaps you just bought a home! That's expensive! {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Pieces that attract your personality, express your taste, or just make you laugh aren't restricted to gallery purchases.

    Don't panic if you don't know where to start

    Art. com

    When you want affordable but classy art prints, go to Art. com website. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Cast a glance their website and you'll be greeted with a window offering 50％off your first order if you fork over your email address. Do it. You could create art entire gallery wall of Chagall, Monet, Adams and Kahlo for under $30.

    Society6

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} It features art that touches all types. It sells prints in a variety of sizes so you can customize a whole gallery wall with picks from their artists. Currently, I become interested in Beth Hoeckel's collage art and the vintage-looking prints from aapshop.

    eBay

    Nothing angers me more than "stealing" a piece from one of my favorite shops, only to have it sell out before I can get my hands on it. eBay is my go-to next step. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} From wall hangings to tabletop sculptures eBay is a treasure of art finds.

    Rivers play an important role on the earth, and we can't imagine what the earth would be like without rivers. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    With a length of 6, 650 kilometers, the Nile is the longest river in the world. The Nile River has been the source of human civilization since ancient times. The Nile has two main branches—the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile starts from the Great Lakes region of East and Central Africa through Lake Victoria.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The Blue Nile carries with it a lot of fertile soil which turns out to be very important to farming in Egypt.

    The Amazon River is the world's largest river with a width of about 40 kilometers during the rainy seasons but about 10 kilometers wide when it is not flooded. The Amazon River has such a big water volume that it accounts for(占.....比例) more than 20% of all the world's fresh water—far more than any other river. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}The main Amazon River flows mostly through Brazil and Peru but its tributaries can also be found in many other countries.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}It has a depth of about 250 meters. Its length is 4, 700 kilometers. The sources of the Congo River are in the highlands and mountains in the Eastern Africa Rift Valley. It's the second largest river in terms of water volume. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The Congo River basin(盆地) is the catchments(流域，集水区) area of the Congo River. It lies in both north and south of the Equator, making its flow very stable as there are always some tributaries experiencing a rainy season at any time.

A. Some of them are worth mentioning.

B. The Congo River is the world's deepest river.

C. Do you know which is the deepest river in the world?

D. The Blue Nile originates from(发源于)Lake Tana in Ethiopia.

E. Without rivers, there would be no living life in and along them.

F. And it flows through the second largest rain-forests in the world.

G. Streams that begin in the Andes Mountains are its sources.

    Training for a marathon (马拉松) requires careful preparation and steady, gradual increases in the length of the runs. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, buy the best-fitting running shoes you can find. No one can say which brand will work best for you or feel best on your feet, so you have to rely on your experience and on the feel of each pair as you shop. When you have found shoes that seem right, walk in them for a few days to double-check the fit. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. As always, you should stretch (伸展) at least ten minutes before each run to prevent injuries.

    During the first week, do not think about distance, but run five minutes longer each day. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, it is wise to take a day off to rest. But during the next week, set a goal of at least a mile and a half per run. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. After two weeks, start timing yourself. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. Depending on the kind of race you plan to enter, you can set up a timetable for the remaining weeks before the race.

A. After six days

B. For a good marathon runner

C. Before you begin your training

D. With each day, increase the distance by a half mile

E. If they still feel good, you can begin running in them

F. Time spent for preparation raises the quality of training

G. Now you are ready to figure out a goal of improving distance and time

    College is a time to study hard and go to class. But a new survey finds that US students spend more time, working paid jobs than studying. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Many students finish school deep in debt.

    Work vs. School

    Researchers surveyed 1,507 students ages 18 to 34. All were presently admitted to college or graduate school. Results showed that 85 percent of students worked while in college. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} That was more than twice the time they spent in the library. It was almost two hours more than they spent in class. And it was 1.4 hours more than they spent studying at home.

    Deep in Debt

    People in the US spend more on college students than almost every other country in the world. The cost of college is at an all-time high. So is the level of student loan (贷款) debt. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It is even worse for younger adults with entry-level jobs. US students also build up personal debt while in school. They spend an average(平均)of $4,321 to pay back that debt.

    Students Bear the Burden(重担)

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} American parents pay for an average of $17,314 of college costs. Students spend almost $100,000. Almost 75 percent of US parents use their day-to-day earnings to help pay for their children's schooling.

    Very Worried

    Students reported feeling very worried about their finances. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Young ladies felt more stress(压力)than young men. They pay more for student loan debt.

A. US colleges cost a lot to attend.

B. US college students spend more time studying.

C. Researchers also surveyed almost 10,500 parents.

D. They spent about 4.2 hours a day working paid jobs.

E. Students are responsible for paying back more of their debt.

F. Student loans are the second-largest source of US family debt.

G. Six in ten students said they worried "frequently" or "all the time".