Passage G2c

 **The Man Who Had Many Questions**

Albert Einstein always liked to ask questions when he was a student. When his teacher wasn't asking Albert a question, he would think of a question to ask her. And often when he did, she would get red in the face and be angry at him for asking questions she couldn't answer. The more Albert learned, the more he found to think about. The more he thought about, the more questions he thought of to ask. 

He knew that the earth, the other planets, the moon, and the sun are just a part of what we call the universe. He knew also that the universe is made of all the stars we can see with our eyes, but still there are more that are so far away that they can't be seen at all. And he also knew that all these stars and our own bodies and everything else are made up of the atoms so tiny that they can't be seen even with the best microscope. 

He thought there must be some rules to explain why everything in the universe, big and small, acts as it does. Why don't the stars moving around in the sky bump into each other? What makes the tiny atoms stick together to form different things? Albert Einstein thought and thought until he believed he had some of the answers. And then people started asking him the questions because he could answer many problems that the scientists had been trying to work out for many, many years.

**Going Grocery Shopping**

Jenny White: Mom, I'm going down to the corner to buy some film for my camera. Can I get anything for you?

Mrs. White: Yes. I need some groceries. Help me make out a list.

Jenny White: I've got a piece of paper here. What do you need?

Mrs. White: First, we need some fruit. Go to Brown's Market. He has the nicest fruits and vegetables in this part of the town. Buy some oranges.

Jenny White: How about some pears? We haven't had any for a long time.

Mrs. White: All right. Also, get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad. And we'll need some meat.

Jenny White: Where should I buy that?

Mrs. White: Buy the meat and the other things at the supermarket.

Jenny White: How about buying some hamburger? I like hamburger.

Mrs. White: All right. Get a pound of hamburger. Have you got all that on the list? Just a minute. I'll go with you. I like shopping in the supermarket. I'm sure I'll find lots of other things I want to buy.

Jenny White: And I suppose I'll have to carry them all home for you.

Mrs. White: That's right. But you'll be glad to eat what I cook, won't you?

9

**Sports**

All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy and happy, and to live longer.

Many people like to watch others play games. They buy tickets or turn on their TVs to watch the games. Often they get very excited when "their" player or team wins.

Sports change with the seasons. People play different games in winter and summer. Swimming is fun in warm weather, but skating is good in winter.

Games and sports often grow out of people's work and everyday activities. The Arabs use horses or camels in much of their everyday life; they use them in their sports, too. It is the same with people in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. Millions of people hunt and fish for a living, but hunting and fishing are very good sports too.

Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers. What fun it is to jump into a pool or lake, whether in China, Egypt or Italy! And think of people in cold countries. Think how many love to skate or ski in Japan, Norway or Canada.

Some sports or games go back thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese wushu, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time. Water-skiing is one of the newest in the family of sports.

People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game together they often become good friends. Sports help to train a person's character. One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace.（胜不骄，败不馁）