Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist who lived from 1833 to 1896. Alfred and his brother made explosives (炸药), but in 1864 there was an accident in the laboratory and Alfred’s brother was killed. Alfred then decided to spend his life trying to make explosives safer to use.

One of the strongest explosives at that time was nitroglycerin (硝化甘油). This explosive, which looks like oily water, is very dangerous to use or even to carry. Nobel wanted to study nitroglycerin so he could find a way to make it safer, but the Swedish government would not let him make any more explosives in his laboratory. It was too dangerous. Nobel had the idea of taking nitroglycerin out on a boat in the middle of a lake and working with it there.

When Nobel wanted to take the nitroglycerin he was working with from one place to another, he put it into small boxes. Then he put the small boxes into a larger box made of clay. One day, when he opened the large clay box, he found that nitroglycerin was coming out of one of the small boxes. To his surprise, the large clay box was still dry. This gave him the idea of mixing clay with nitroglycerin. The clay would take the oil out of nitroglycerin and make it safer. He called this new explosive “dynamite”.

Dynamite was very useful. Alfred Nobel made and sold so much of it that he became a very rich man. In his will he gave a lot of money to the Swedish Academy of Arts and Science (瑞典艺术和科学学院). He wanted the money to be used to give prizes to people who did excellent work. The Academy called them “Nobel Prizes”. The winners get a lot of money.

Nobel wanted one of the prizes to be given to people who work for peace because he hated war and he did not want people to remember him as “the dynamite man”. Some very famous people have won the Nobel Peace Prize, including Nelson Mandela of South Africa. The United Nations Peacekeeping Forces won the prize in 1988. Nobel Prizes are given out on 10th December—the date that Nobel died.

The idea of “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, was first written about in 390 AD. It means you should abide by (遵守) the customs of a country when you are there. You should not offend (冒犯) people when you visit their country. You should follow some of their practices and ways.

This has become very wise advice for any traveler. It is a good idea to respect the different cultures around the world. If one understands the customs of a country, it is ________ to get around without upsetting people.

Greeting people can be very different. In African countries usually no eye contact is made. This is a sign of ________. However in America, this could be understood as being dishonest!

When greeting someone in Germany, it needs to be formal and respectful. In Australia, however, a casual (非正式的) “G’ day mate” is common.

Visiting a Russian family you may need to ________ your shoes. They would not like a gift of yellow flowers. In Germany, yellow flowers are appreciated (感谢).

In some European countries, people behave in a formal and quiet way. In some African countries, people can be loud. They may ________ use jokes and laughter in serious meetings. This is normal in their customs.

Be aware that people also use hand gestures (手势) and body language to communicate. People dance, sing, and celebrate (庆祝) differently. ________ you are in a country that laughs and dances at a funeral, it may feel strange to you.

If you do not understand the local customs, you may not enjoy your time in different countries. To avoid (避免) being ________ or making people angry, it is a good idea to learn the different customs of countries before you visit. Then, when in Rome, you can do as the Romans do.

All around the globe, on any given day, you will find some sort of sports event on your local television station. With networks dedicated(专注于) only to sports, you can find things like boxing, bowling, basketball, football, baseball and soccer on 24 hours a day!

In the United State, there are several sports that seem to be much more popular than others. The most popular sports in the United States today, being watched live and on screens, are:

(1) Baseball is one of the top sports being played in the United States. Having been played in the United States the longest, baseball attracts millions of fans to ball fields every year. Proud parents everywhere enjoy watching their children learn and play the game. When it comes to sports, professional and amateur (业余爱好者) baseball is ranked (分等级) right up there at the top.

(2) Football began as a college sport in the United States in the mid-1800s. Football is truly the “American Sport”, since the modern football originated(起源于) in the United States. It has grown from being played only in college to having professional teams and being played by students in both elementary and high schools.

(3) Basketball is a popular sport worldwide. The number of people around the world playing basketball can reach 300 million! Basketball is one of some professional sports in the United States to welcome foreign players onto teams, with many players of professional basketball being recruited(招募) from other countries and brought to the United States to play.

(4) Hockey is one of the newer sports gaining popularity in America. It did not originated in the United States, but it has found its way into their sporting life and become one of the fastest growing sports. Ice hockey is the most popular form of this sport, with street hockey being popular with older kids everywhere.