In many western schools, sports day is a big event. Children take part in competitive (竞争性的)sports and try to break school records and take the first place.

    Sports days, or sports meetings, are usually held in the warmer seasons, either at the beginning or the end of the school year. They are also called field days. Primary school sports days are fun. They usually have activities such as the egg and the spoon race and the sack race. Other events include the skipping race (跳绳) and the three-legged race. In middle and high schools, sports days include many of the common track and field events (田径项目).  They are more serious and competitive than primary school ones.

    Students' parents and other relatives also come to the  school on sports days. They watch children play. Many schools in the West have "mothers and fathers" races for parents to take part in!

    Although sports days are exciting, they also have some problems. According to some reports in the USA, sports days have become too competitive to be good for students. Some parents put too much pressure on the children. Some schools don't have "mothers and fathers" races any more as there is much fighting and cheating.

    Members of an international organization are called the Global Greeters. They offer travelers the chance to get to know a city as well as local people do.

    Unlike the professional guides(专业导游), the volunteer greeters act more like neighbours. They take visitors to visit the city–either on foot or public traffic—to discover favourite neighbourhoods, cafes and parks.

    All the programs work a little differently, but the basics(基本项目) are the same. The tours are free and last anywhere for two or four hours. Volunteers can be all ages, and their ages and interests try to match the travelers.

    New York City(USA)

    Big Apple Greeter is the pioneer “welcome visitor” program founded in 1992 by New Yorker Lynn Brooks. More than 300 volunteers now can welcome guests from all over the world in 22 languages. Greeters explain the New York City subway and bus systems and show guests around one or more of their favourite neighbourhoods. Like many greeter organizations, Big Apple accepts online donations to help with its daily costs.

    Houston(USA)

    Houston Greeters will organize activities such as golf, biking or an outing to an Astros game(太空人队的比赛). Another activity is to arrange a tour in need of a particular interest.

    Chicago(USA)

    Chicago Greeters help visitors visit one of the city's many famous neighbourhoods. The group organizes walks through Ukrainian Village on the Near North Side and Andersonville, home to Scandinavian restaurants and shops and Middle Eastern bakeries. Guides will also organize tours around themes such as fashion, film or public art.

    France

    In France, English speaking volunteers for Parisien d'un Jour lead visitors through hidden corners of Paris, often ending with a lively discussion on a café balcony. Guides in Lyon organize walks around themes such as shopping, markets and sports.

    Everyone strongly wants to be a success. What is important for success? Most people think that confidence, hard work and enemies are main factors(因素) leading to success. Ronaldo said he believed he was a better player than Messi in an interview published in Spanish sports paper on Sunday.

    Talking about his achievements of his career, Ronaldo showed pride. Ronaldo was also asked about Messi, who was seen as his biggest enemy to be considered the best player in the world. “Whether you are No. 1 or not is not so important. Although some people may think Messi to be the best,I think that I am.” Ronaldo said that boos(喝倒彩的嘘声) didn't make him sad, but encouraged him to practice harder.

    Ronaldo insisted that hard work was important to be a top player, though at times he felt a great pain for his training, saying a body “was not used” to training hard and playing twice a week. But no pain, no gain. He said he had changed his life to make sure he was in top condition, saying that when in the past he usually went out to relax, but now he “goes home to rest for tomorrow.”

    “Football is my life. It's what I love most.” he explained.

    Read the passage carefully and answer the questions according what you've read.

    The Book Thief was written by the Australian author Markus Zusak and it has been his most popular work. Published (出版) in 2005, it has become an international bestseller and been translated into several languages. In 2013, it was adapted into a film of the same name.

    Are you wondering who the“book thief”is? It was Liesel Meminger, a 12-year-old girl living in Germany during World War II. While the Nazis were creating horrors (恐怖) all around, Liesel came across something that she couldn't give up: books. She stole books that belonged to the mayor's (市长的) wife, as well as books that the Nazis wanted to destroy.

    A Jewish man named Max inspired Liesel's love for books. Liesel's family hides Max in their house. He developed a close relationship with Liesel and taught her to read in secret. Soon, Liesel realized the power of words. She not only stole books, but also wrote her own stories.

    “It is not the kind of story that has you crying one moment and laughing the next,” as The Guardian reported. Instead, the sadness of Liesel's story interests you. It makes you realize that such kinds of things have happened to many other people. And it makes you think a lot.

    On March 14, one of science's brightest stars went dark. Stephen Hawking, the world-famous British scientist, died at 76 in Cambridge, UK. 霍金是历史上最伟大的科学家之一。 He came up with the theory that the universe (宇宙) began with the Big Bang (大爆炸) and will end in black holes. His theories became the base for a lot of later research. 他还写书帮助人们了解宇宙。 His most famous book is A Brief History of Time (《时间简史》), which has sold more than 10 million copies around the world. Hawking has great scientific achievements. He is also a man with strong will.

    When Hawking was 21, a serious illness stopped him from walking and talking. Later in life, he had to sit in a wheelchair and "speak" using a computerized voice. But this didn't stop him from living a meaningful and colorful life. "If one is physically disabled (身体残疾), one cannot afford to be psychologically (心理上) disabled as well," he once said.