Make the right choices

    What is life's greatest gift?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Choice is the ability to select one course of action from a set of alternatives to achieve a goal. What is so great about choice? It transforms us from dumb animals into artists. Each of us becomes another Michelangelo. Choice becomes nothing other than the tool we use to sculpt (雕刻)our life. The tool doesn't come free, however, for the price of choice is responsibility.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}The reward is happiness.

    Life is not still. It is a flow.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}We constantly need to monitor where we are on our journey. We need to ask questions: Am I moving closer to my goals? If not, what corrective measures can I take? What action will I take now to readjust myself to my goals? Choice is power. Choice is at the heart of life. It is the creative power of life.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}And your life becomes more convenient or comfortable because of them. For example, you decide which stores to shop at and which gas station to go to. But the decisions that we make to sculpt our lives are far more important than deciding where to shop. The more we appreciate the difference between minor and major decisions, the greater the probability that we will experience happiness and fulfillment.

    All chess lovers realize that it isn't necessary to win to enjoy the game. The pleasure is in the playing. Life is like a chess game.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It is free will or choice

B. You have to make choices every day

C. Make the best moves you can under the circumstances

D. But when we accept and carry it out, we get a great return

E. Every choice we make leads us closer to or farther from our goals

F. Life is full of hard choices, and the bigger they are, the harder they get

G. Choose to carry out responsibilities not because you have to, but because you want to

    Lindsay Renwick, the mayor of Deniliquin, a country town in New South Wales, misses the constant whir（嗡嗡声）of the rice mill whose giant fans dried the rice. The Deniliquin mill, the largest rice mill in the Southern Hemisphere (南半球), once processed enough grain to meet the needs of 20 million people globally. But six years of drought have had a destructive effect, reducing Australia's rice crop by 98 percent and leading to the mothballing of the mill last December.

    Drought affects every agriculture industry based in Australia, not just rice – from sheep farming, the country's other backbone, to the cultivation of grapes for wine, the fastest-growing crop there, with that expansion often coming at the expense of rice. The drought's effect on rice has produced the greatest impact on the rest of the world, so far. It is one factor contributing to skyrocketing prices, and many scientists believe it is among the earliest signs that a warming planet is starting to affect food production.

    Researchers are looking for solutions to global rice shortages – for example, rice that blooms earlier in the day, when it is cooler, to fight against global warming. Rice plants that happen to bloom on hot days are less likely to produce grains of rice, a difficulty that is already starting to emerge in inland areas of China and other Asian countries as temperatures begin to climb. 'there will be problems very soon unless we have new varieties of rice in place,” said Reiner Wassmann, climate change director at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The recent reports on climate change carried a warning that could make the news even worse: that existing models for the effects of climate change on agriculture did not yet include newer findings that global warming could reduce rainfall and make it more variable.

    Yet the effects of climate change are not uniformly bad for rice. Rising concentrations (浓度) of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, can actually help rice – although the effect reduces or disappears if the plants face unnecessary heat, inadequate water, severe pollution or other stresses. Still, the flexibility of farmers here has persuaded some climate experts that, particularly in developed countries, the effects of climate change may be relieved, if not completely avoided. “I'm not as negative as most people,” said Will Steffen, director of the Fenner School of Environment and Society at Australian National University. “Farmers are learning how to do things differently.”

    Meanwhile, changes like the use of water to grow wine grapes instead of rice carry their own costs, as the developing world is discovering. “Rice is an essential food,” said Graeme Haley, the general manager of the town of Deniliquin. “Wine is not.”

    Reasons Why Physical Education is Important in School

    Are you looking for information about the importance of physical education in schools and why it should be emphasized? Do you want a healthy active lifestyle for your kids? Then this article can help you convince your kids that exercising and participation especially in school PE classes are important.

    It's a link to good health.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} It's only in physical education classrooms that students learn the value of taking care of themselves through proper healthy eating and regular exercise.

    It's preventive measure against diseases.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Without any forms of diet management and control with the numerous processed foods students intake every day, a student's health can easily be at risk of many diseases. Physical education in schools is a preventive measure to teach students the value of regular exercise.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Physical health allows students to function even better in classrooms. A good cardiovascular(心血管的) system developing from regular exercise promotes excellent blood and oxygen circulation. This means more nutrients circulate throughout the body which includes the brain. This circulation produces longer attention time during classes allowing longer concentration and better absorption.

    It builds self-esteem

    Students who are active in physical activities like basketball, volleyball and running are more confident with themselves according to most social school studies. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}In school, the physical education program introduces these sport activities to students allowing them to make choices of which sport areas they want to get involved in.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Most physical education programs are holistic. The program allows students to interact together to a common goal, that is, to win and excel physically. It not only brings out the competitive sides of students working with both body and mind but also promotes sportsmanship.

    It promotes a physically active lifestyle.

    The purpose of physical education is to instill（逐渐灌输） in students, at an early age, the value of self-preservation and choosing a lifestyle that is good for both the mind and body.

A. Physical education plays a vital role in students' development and growth.

B. It's a program for muscle strength and fitness.

C. It's probably because of the dedication made to a sport that brings out the best in          students.

D. It develops cooperation, teamwork and sportsmanship.

E. The value of physical fitness cannot be overstated too much.

F. It promotes academic learning.

G. Many doctors today agree that obesity is a serious health risk.

    A white elephant gift exchange is a popular holiday party game in, the United States. Generally, the party needs at least six participants, and' the larger the group: is, the more entertaining the game will be{#blank#}1{#/blank#}But it can result in heated competitions between players trying to get the gifts.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Sometimes, the rule is that the item must be previously owned, which means that you can exchange an unwanted item or trinket(小装饰品) with your friends. But sometimes you can buy a new but inexpensive item just for the party.

    Every participant is expected to bring one wrapped(包装好的) gift. A white elephant gift is usually something useless or inconvenient{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Guests are asked to wrap them nicely and leave no identifying markings on the presents.

    To start the game, a participant must act as the first player to choose a gift; this can be decided randomly or by picking numbers out of a hat{#blank#}4{#/blank#}As for the next player? This person can either “steal” the first person's gift or choose an unwrapped item from the pile. Each gift can be stolen only three times before it is considered "dead".

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}Any person that has to give up a gift can also pick a new gift or steal one from another person. Each turn is only allowed three swaps between the current player and the previous players. The game won't finish until all the presents are opened.

A. It all depends on how the game is organized.

B. This process is repeated until the game is over.

C. Don't forget that the game's purpose is to have fun.

D. The first player then opens the gift in front of everyone.

E. White elephant gift exchange can be run in different ways.

F. The goal of the party is usually entertainment rather than gain.

G. Trinkets, unidentifiable kitchen items and toys are typical “white elephants” .

    World records can be set even if you are over 100 years old. Robert Marchand was born in 1911 in northern France. He enjoys riding a bicycle, and started cycling seriously when he was in his 60s. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    On Wednesday, a crowd gathered at the Velodrome National, about 30 kilometers outside of Paris. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The record for one hour is held by Britain's Bradley Wiggins, a former Tour de France winner. Wiggins covered 54.5 kilometers in 2015.Evelyn Stevens of the United States holds the women's record. She went almost 48 kilometers in an hour last year. In 2012, Marchand set a record for riders over 100 years old when he traveled almost 27 kilometers in an hour. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Marchand set off on his record attempt as sports lovers cheered and photographers watched. He moved slowly, but steadily, around the cycling track.

    Marchand is relatively small.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} When the hour ended, he completed 92 times around the track. That is just over 22.5 kilometers. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} He did not see his trainers telling him he only had 10 minutes remaining.“ I would have gone faster. I would have posted a better time,” he said. But the news was still good, as he did set a new record for riders 105-years-old or older.

“I'm now waiting for a rival,” he said.

A. Marchand is now 105 years old.

B. Marchand does well in riding a bicycle.

C. They were there to see how far he could travel in one hour.

D. They knew Marchand could travel over 22.5 kilometers.

E. He is only 1.52 meters tall and weighs 52 kilograms.

F. After the event, Marchand said he could have done better.

G.So the question many people asked this week was: “Could he break his own record?”

Discovering the Lost City

Sixty miles south, in Cusco, Hiram Bingham gazed thoughtfully at the old Incan stone wall. He had come to this place in search of Vilcapampa, the lost city of the Inca. But right here was the most beautiful stonework he had ever seen-huge stones cut so perfectly that not even a razor blade could be slipped between them.

The Inca had no iron tools to carve them, no wheel or animals to move them. The wall had endured time and earthquakes.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

It was a mystery.

He walked through the cobbled streets of the old capital, Cusco. The Spanish had come to this city, conquered the Inca, taken their gold, and built churches over their temples. Suddenly, he stopped. Before him was the famous Temple of the Sun. He placed his hands on the sun-warmed stones so beautifully carved, as if they had grown together.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Would it hold gold and riches like the Spanish had found in Cusco? More than ever he was determined to find that city.

The next day Bingham began his search. He would look for ruins-that might be the key. He and his party, accompanied by the military man Sergeant Carrasco, left for the holy valley of the Urubamba River. They came to the sleepy old village in the valley, long ago an important city.

"Are there any ruins nearby?" Bingham asked. "Do you know of the lost city of Vilcapampa?" No one knew of it. Traveling north, the adventurers came upon a remote and wild canyon. In the distance were snowcapped mountains over three miles high.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Bingham's determination to find the lost city grew with each turn of the increasingly wild path.

Far below in the valley, Bingham's party camped on a sandy beach alongside the thundering rapids of the Urubamba River. Days had gone by. No one knew of any ruins.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

This time, through the interpreter, the farmer said, "Yes. There are very good ruins on top of the mountain called Machu Picchu." The farmer pointed straight up.

"Can you take us there?" Bingham asked.

...

A. Hidden in the mountains, the lost city would be built of stones like these.

B. What could he be thinking!

C. But now the adventurers aroused the curiosity of a local farmer named Arteaga.

D. How had they built them!

E. Cliffs rose thousands of feet above the roaring rapids of the Urubamba River.

F. Suddenly, the clouds drifted away and there it was.