Phil White has just returned from an 18,000-mile, around-the-world bicycle trip. White had two reasons for making thisepic journey. First of all, he wanted to use the trip to raise money for charity, which he did. He raised £70,000 for the British charity, Oxfam. White's second reason for making the trip was to break the world record and become the fastest person to cycle around the world. He is still waiting to find out whether he has broken the record or not.

   White set off from Trafalgar Square, in London, on 19th June, 2004 and was back 299 days later. He spent more than 1,300 hours in the saddle (车座) and destroyed four sets of tyres and three bike chains. He had the adventure of his life crossing Europe first, and then the Middle East, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and finally the Americas. Amazingly, he did all of this with absolutely no support team. No jeep carrying food, water and medicine. No doctor. Nothing! Just a bike and a very, very long road.

   The journey was lonely and desperate at times. He also had to fight his way across deserts, through jungles and over mountains. He cycled through heavy rains and temperatures of up to 45 degrees, all to help people in need. There were other dangers along the road. In Iran, he was chased by armed robbers and was lucky to get away with the little money he had. The worst thing that had happened to him was having to cycle into a headwind on a road that crosses the south of Australia. For 1,000 kilometers he battled against the wind that was constantly pushing him. This part of the trip was slow, hard and depressing, but he made it in the end. Now Mr. White is back and wants to write a book about his adventures.

On Oct. 23 Chinese swimmer Qin Haiyang got the title of Best Male Swimmer of the Year 2023. Qin won 23 gold medals in the breaststroke （蛙泳）in the big {#blank#}1{#/blank#}（竞赛；竞争）he took part in in 2023. At the world Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka in Japan，he broke five {#blank#}2{#/blank#}（亚洲的）records and became the first swimmer in history to win all three breaststroke golds at a single edition of the event. 

Breaststroke is not easy, it's harder to swim fast because all the strokes {#blank#}3{#/blank#}（发生）under the water. This makes the water push back on the swimmer more and it takes a lot of {#blank#}4{#/blank#}（技能）to swim well. Qin said to Jimu News. "Some people say I'm fast because I save {#blank#}5{#/blank#}（力量，精力）by using fewer strokes. While others might take one and a half strokes, I only need one to swim as far as they do. "

Since last year, short videos have become popular online. Many people make and share short videos on popular video apps like Tik Tok and Kuaishou . On these popular apps, you can even add music and special effects to your videos. A video usually lasts 15 seconds to a few minutes. It shows people's daily activities like cooking, exercising and singing. So it can attract many people.

Teenagers enjoy these videos very much. More than 50 percent of junior high school students enjoy watching these short videos. About 47 percent of them have shared their own videos on Tik Tok, according to a recent report by the China National Youth Palace Association.

The videos let teenagers see a lot of funny and exciting things. Many teenagers like to share the fun things they do with others as well. For example, a student named Xiaogianyu has shared videos about her dancing. They make her win many fans.

However, the videos can also cause trouble. Some students watch short videos for too long and do not have enough time to study. Besides, there are some videos that are not appropriate for teenagers. They may learn bad things from them.

To solve these problems, Tik Tok added a new function in April. The app won't work if someone uses it for over two hours a day. In the same month, the government asked companies to control these apps and take out harmful videos. The apps have been checked and controlled more strictly since then, the Beijing News reported.

For many tests and exams， you are tested on your abilities to communicate successfully. In order to speak English fluently， you need to think in English. If you don't， your speech will be slow and it won't sound natural. Here are three pieces of advice for you to practice thinking in English. 

★Look at objects around your home and school， and think of what they are called 
in English. Try to make a direct connection between the object and the English word. 

★When you are out in a public place， practice describing the things and people you see in your mind. For example， think "There is a man walking down the street. He's wearing a suit. I think he is going to work. " Try to think in English first， not in your first language. 

★When you have to say something in English， think first and ask yourself， 
"What words and phrases do I know in English that I can use in this situation? " Try not to think in your first language and translate your ideas into English. If you do， you will get frustrated very quickly. 

Try these tips and you'll soon find that you are thinking in English.