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    China's national anthem, March of the Volunteers, is a song that we learn at the beginning of primary school and sing at every flag-raising ceremony. And now, there's even a law to protect it.

    Last September, the government passed the National Anthem Law, which became effective(生效) from Oct.1, 2017. It states how we should sing or play the song, requiring all of us to behave towards it politely.

    Primary and middle schools must teach the anthem to their students and make them understand the song's spirit and history. Moreover, the law requires us to be serious when we are singing the song. We can't joke about it or change the song's words or music. If someone breaks the law, he or she can be detained for up to 15 days, or face further punishment in more serious situations. The national anthem is different from other songs – it is the symbol of our country.

    Many foreign countries also have laws for their national anthems. For example, American school children should put their right hand over their heart while singing their country's anthem at school. In Russia, the national anthem must be played on television and radio before the start and end of broadcasting. And in the Philippines, people are required to sing the national anthem with feelings when it's played in public.

    The Nobel Prize is named after Alfred Nobel (1833--1896), a Swedish inventor and businessman. During his lifetime, Alfred Nobel contributed to more than 350 inventions and set up 87 companies around the world. When he died, he left the largest part of this fortune, a total of 9 million, to be used to found the Nobel Prize. Now the prizes are given to the people in six areas: peace, literature(文学), physics, chemistry, medicine and economy.

    Winners can be individuals (个人) or organizations. The Red Cross, for example, has won three times. Prizes are sometimes shared between up to three people. Prize winners receive a medal, a certificate (证书) and 10 million Swedish crowns(克郎，货币单位). Generally those who win a Nobel Prize value the honor more than the money they receive.

    The youngest person ever to win a Nobel Prize was just 25 years old. He was Lawrence Bragg, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1915 together with his father. The oldest winner is Leonid. He won the Prize in Economic Sciences in 2007 when he was 90 years old.

    So far, more than ten Chinese people have won dais great prize. The most recent ones are Mo Yan and Tu Youyou.

    In 99% of human history, people took their food from the world around them. They ate all that they could find, and then moved on. Then about 10,000 years ago, or in 1% of human history, people learned to farm the land.

    The kind of food we eat depends on which part of the world we live in, or which part of our country we live in, For example, in the south of China they eat rice, but in the north they eat noodles. In European countries near the sea, people eat a lot of fish. In central Europe, away from the sea, people don't eat so much fish. They eat more meat. In Germany and Poland there are hundreds of different kinds of sausages.

    In North America, Australia, and Europe, people eat with knives and forks. In China, people eat with chopsticks. In parts of India and the Middle East people use their fingers to pick up food.

    Nowadays it is possible to transport(运 输) food easily from one part of the world to the other. We can eat what we like, when we like, at any time of the year. In Britain, bananas come from Africa; rice comes from India or the USA; strawberries come from Chile or Spain. Food is very big business. But people in poor countries are still hungry, and people in rich countries eat too much.