Experience fine art at these famous museums and galleries around the world.

About 900,000 objects fill the Rijksmuseum, the largest collection of art and history in the Netherlands. It is most famous for its paintings by 17th-century Dutch masters, including Ruysdael, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer and Rembrandt van Rijn. Established in 1800 to exhibit the collections of the Dutch stadholders (总督), the Rijksmuseum also displays art from the Middle Ages. The main building is closed for repair now; collection highlights are displayed in the Philips Wing and at Rijksmuseum Schiphol.

The Spanish royal family is responsible for the Prado’s classical masterpieces. Over centuries, kings and queens collected art with passion and good taste. In addition to stars of Spanish painting such as Velazquez, Goya and Ribera, the Prado has big collections of Italian artists such as Raphael. Fernando VII opened the collection to the public in 1819, in the same building it’s housed in today, designed by Juan de Villanueva.

In Italy, there are many monuments and works of art that get the highest praise. In the case of the Uffizi Gallery, it holds the world’s finest collection of Renaissance paintings. All the famous names of Italian art are here — not only the Renaissance masters, but also painters from the early periods.

Britain’s largest museum looks after the national collection of archaeology (考古学). It houses more than eight million objects from different historical periods. The Egyptian gallery contains the world’s second finest collection of Egyptian antiquities (古物) outside Egypt.

In 1928, James Braddock was a successful boxer who broke his hand in several places during a championship fight. He lost the fight but continued to box with an injured hand because he needed the money. As a result, his career floundered and he eventually lost his boxing license (执照) when he was considered as a shame to the sport.

Out of work, Braddock found himself in a difficult situation as the Great Depression swept the country of its wealth. Along with millions of other Americans, Braddock went under, with no money or career to put food on the table of his young family. During this difficult time, the family struggled with little food and even had their electricity cut during the winter.

In 1934, with government assistance, Braddock was asked to fill a spot as a temporary boxer. Out of shape, Braddock was seen as an easy opponent (对手). In what was considered a big upset (爆冷门), Braddock beat his higher ranked (排位较高的) opponent much to the amazement of boxing fans. With the help of his ex-manager, his license was eventually restored (恢复).

Braddock won fight after fight and managed to eventually come back from a dead career. He finally went on to fight the World Heavyweight Champion of the time — Max Baer. A tall, powerful boxer, Baer had actually killed a few of his opponents in the ring. As he was a small boxer, fans hoped Braddock wouldn't be killed during the fight. Most believed that his fairy-tale revival would end on the night he fought Baer. It was a difficult fight for Braddock. He took heavy beatings and even suffered broken ribs during the match. However, he fought until the end of the fight and eventually won the World Boxing Heavyweight Championship, much to the amazement of the whole country.

For many years, scientists and animal lovers have worked to make the world safer for endangered species. Now, there is something that needs protection from these protected animals — a famous French cheese called Roquefort, known as the “King of Cheeses”.

Roquefort is made from sheep's milk in the southern part of the French mountains. Farmers have been making Roquefort for thousands of years, and they follow many rules when making it, to be sure that it is done in the traditional way. One of the rules is that they must let their sheep live freely in the mountains.

However, following these rules has become very dangerous. Wolves have moved into the area, and they have killed 62 sheep. The wolves are an endangered species, and have not been seen in the French mountains since the 1920s. No one is allowed to kill the wolves, but the farmers are now saying it is impossible for their sheep to live in the same mountains as the wolves. Farmers have dogs to protect the sheep and have also built electric fences, but they say they will not have enough money to continue making Roquefort once they have spent it all on keeping their sheep safe. Many people have said that wolves that attack sheep should be killed, since they have become a threat to the farmers' jobs. Others think that anyone who wants the wolves killed is trying to make them become extinct.

Maybe it would not be a problem if Roquefort became extinct instead, and the wolves were able to live in the mountains. But then the farmers would not have jobs. Will the people of Southern France be able to find a way that protects both the wolves and the King of Cheeses? Let's wait and see.

Technology is preparing students for jobs, but is it preparing them for life?

Several years ago, both USA Today and The New York Times started delivering free papers to college students, hoping to attract their readership. Students rarely picked them up. They were a chore (琐事). It didn’t get any better when stories went online. Students were much more taken with texting than reading current events.

Today, many are aware of news headlines, but their knowledge is shallow. Reading just a headline and the first sentences of a story provides little chance for understanding the news and its significance. Academically, students no longer feel the need to read materials before coming to class. They think they can search the Internet for anything.

Students aren’t the only ones reading less. We all are. Try reading a full-size article on a cellphone, and you’ll likely end up with a headache. Texts are short and to the point. So are tweets. Few of us have the patience to read full articles.

Technology has made getting bits of information so easy that the big picture is lost. A case in point: Most of us now rely on GPS in our phones for simple navigation (导航). We fail to learn even the most basic knowledge of neighborhoods, much less understand where main roads are in relation to a street two blocks away. We count on our phones to navigate passageways on the road and in our lives.

We need to separate a bit from the false promises of the technological world. Try going a couple of hours without your phone. Read a novel. Walk in the woods. Turn off your technology and talk to your friends. We must have the strength to take charge of our lives. The future lies in our hands, not in cellphones.