The history of Australian Rules Football
Australian Rules Football is called by many nicknames. Lovers of the game just call it "football" or "footy." When contrasted with other forms of football, it is called "Aussie Rules" or "AFL". AFL stands for Australian Football League, which is the most prestigious league in Australia.
Australia Rules Football was created by Tom Wills in 1858. He wanted to create a sport that would keep cricket players fit through the winter. He began by writing a letter that explained his purpose to a sports magazine. It also called for the creation of a football club. In 1858, Wills and others played an experimental match that was the first game of Australian football. But few details about this match have survived.
On August 7, 1858, two important events for the game occurred. The Melbourne Football Club was founded. It was one of the world's first football clubs in any code. Also, a famous match between Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College was played. It was umpired(仲裁)by Tom Wills. A second day of play took place on August 21, and then there was a third and final day on September4. The two schools have competed every year since.
The game is played between two teams of 18 players on an oval that can also be used for cricket. These playing fields can be up to 185m long. This is almost four times the size of fields used in other forms of football.
A point called "a behind" is scored when the ball goes across the line and between a goal post and a behind post. A behind point is also scored if the ball is touched by any body part of either team's member as it passes between the goal posts. A goal is worth six points, and a behind is worth one point.
Last month, voters in the second Congressional District in New Orleans, Louisiana, made a historic choice. They elected Anh "Joseph" Cao a Vietnamese-American Republican party member, as their representative. It is the first time in over one hundred years that voters in this area of New Orleans elected a non-democratic Party lawmaker. And, Anh Cao is the first Vietnamese-American to be elected to the United States Congress(议会).
Anh Cao went through difficult times to get to where he is now. He was born in Saigon in nineteen sixty-seven during the war in Vietnam. In nineteen seventy-five, North Vietnamese troops took control of Saigon. He was separated from his family for many years. Anh Cao lived with his uncle in Indian, then later moved to Houston, Texas.
He decided to work for social justice in a non-religious way. So, he worked as a lawyer in New Orleans.
He joined the Republican Party and became active on local and state political committees. He decided to compete against his local representative in Congress, William Jefferson, who had been in office since nineteen ninety-one. Minister Jefferson's reelection campaign was not helped by federal corruption charges against him.
Mister Cao won the election. That night he said that never in his life did he think he could be a congressman. He said the American dream is alive and well.
The first organized system for sending messages began in Egypt around 1500 B.C. This system developed because the pharaohs frequently needed to send messages up and down the Nile River in order to keep their empire running smoothly. Later, the Persians developed a more efficient system for sending messages using men and horses. Messages carriers rode along the road system stretching from one end of the Persian Empire to the other. Along these roads, fresh men and horses waited at special stations to take and pass along any messages that needed to be sent. The stations where riders passed messages back and forth were built 23 kilometers apart, so the men and horses were able to travel quickly between them. The Romans later took up his idea and improved it by using a more advanced and extensive road system.
In China, however, Kublai Khan had built up his own system for delivering messages. This system worked in the same basic way as the Roman system. The difference was that Kublai Khan kept 300,000 horses along the roads of this delivery lines. There were over 10,000 stations where a message would be passed from one rider to another with a fresh horse. In this way, Kublai Khan could receive messages from anywhere in the country in only a few days.
It was not until the 1500s that a well-organized postal system appeared again in Europe. One family, the von Taxis family, gained the right to deliver mail for the Holy Roman Empire and parts of Spain. This family continued to carry mail, both government and private, throughout Europe for almost 300 years.
In 1653, a Frenchman, Renouard de Velayer, established a system for delivering post in Paris. Postal charges at that time were paid by the recipient, but de Velayer's system was unique by allowing the sender to pre-pay the charges, in a similar way to the modern stamp. Unfortunately, de Velayer's system came to an end when jealous competitors put live mice in his letter boxes, ruining his business. Eventually, government-controlled postal systems took over from private postal businesses, and by the 1700s government ownership of most postal systems in Europe was an accepted fact of life.
The thing that all these early systems had in common was that they were quite expensive for public use, and were intended for use by the government and the wealthy. However, in 1840, a British schoolteacher named Roland Hill suggested introducing postage stamps, and a postal rate based on weight. This resulted in lowering postal rates, encouraging more people to use the system to stay in touch with each other, His idea helped the British postal system begin to earn profits as early as 1850. Soon after that many other countries took up Mr. Hill's idea. And letter writing became accessible to anyone who could write. Today, the Roland Hill awards are given each year to "encourage and reward fresh ideas which help promote philately"(stamp collecting).
How to Plan a Holiday Trip
Whether it's to grandma's house, a family reunion or simply a holiday getaway, these yearly road trips can often be the source of dread and stress. The thought of being trapped in the car with restless children or the possibility of car trouble along the way is enough to make anyone consider staying home.
Plan out the route for your car trip. If you're planning on driving to your holiday destination, a little planning can help make your trip easy and uneventful. Remember, it's likely that you won't be the only person on the road during the holidays, and traffic is always a factor. Alternate routes or shortcuts can help reduce time spent in traffic jams and get you to your destination sooner. This information can also come in handy in case of road construction or other situations that might block your primary route.
Although traveling by air can be quick and convenient, it can also be much more expensive. Start planning your trip early to take advantage of advance purchase discounts and avoid sold out flights. Many airlines become extremely busy during the holidays so booking in advance can also help ensure that you get the flights that you want. High traffic destinations such as New York, Los Angeles or Atlanta can be extremely crowded during the holidays. If you have the option, consider booking your flight to a nearby airport and renting a car for the short drive to your destination.
Consider your luggage needs. If you're traveling by car, the issue of luggage is only important with regards to the amount of room needed. Before you begin packing, think about how many people will be in your vehicle and how much room they will need to travel comfortably. This could affect the number of bags that you can take along. Not only is the possibility of lost luggage an issue, but most airlines now charge extra for checked baggage.
For a family of four, carrying a few bags each could result in several hundred dollars worth of baggage fees during your trip. Try to pack as lightly as possible.
A. As an alternative to driving or flying, check into the possibility of traveling by train.
B. Plan your trip to avoid peak travel times.
C. Luckily, with a little planning, these situations can be avoided.
D. Book airline tickets.
E. Each year, millions of people load up the family car and set out on a holiday trip,
F. For traveling by air, the number of bags that you take is a much bigger concern.
G. Consider your starting point and desired destination, and investigate several possible routes.
My father was a highly educated, intelligent gentleman. He could debate or discuss for 1on almost any topic and hold your attention in the process. I thought there was 2 he wasn't able to do.
A few days 3 my younger brother's 7th birthday, Dad planned to put together a shiny new 4 as a special birthday surprise. After nearly an hour of 5 the instructions, Dad was still unable to put the new bike together. Later he folded up the paper of instructions, 6 his tool box, and decided to take the bike back to the local toy store and pay extra money to have it 7 assembled(组装) there. Then, a(n) 8 came to him, as he called out to Lovett, the quiet little man who mowed our grassland.
"Lovett, have you ever assembled a boy's bicycle?" As Lovett walked towards the bike, Dad handed him the paper of instructions. Lovett handed it 9 to him, saying," No, thanks. I can't read. When you can't read, you have to 10." Less than 15 minutes later, the new bicycle was fully assembled, with no spare parts 11. Dad shook Lovett's hand, patted him on the back, thanked him and hid the bike.
On the night after my brother 12 his simply new gift. Dad announced at the family dinner table 13 had happened several days earlier. He took great delight in telling it 14 —he used it as an example of thinking.
He did not 15 illiteracy (文盲) , but strongly taught us to use our 16. The joke was on my father, 17 he was able to turn it into a learning tool, and I liked him even 18 after the incident. I also gained a respect for Lovett. To me he had always been the old yard man who didn't say much, but after that day, he seemed to smile 19 , even walk taller. It's amazing what a real nod of 20 can do to lift people up.
Miners have dangerous jobs because occasionally the earth sinks or falls apart. When this happens, miners are (trap) underground. They are buried they don't have air to breathe, food to eat, and water to drink, they will die. They not go without any of these things for long, but the first is the most important. is difficult to figure out where miners are and reach them in time. Trapped miners dream of (be) free and don't give up.
In August 2010, 33 miners (go) to work in a mine in Chile, All of a sudden, a wall broke apart and rocks and dirt filled mine's exit. At first, people thought all the miners died. , after working for 17 days, people at the surface learned the miners were still alive. , people on the surface figured out where the miners were and dug a to send them food and water.
1）电视机的问题所在；
2）你希望的解决方法及联系方式。
注意：
1）词数：80词左右；
2）可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3）信件开头和结束已经给出，不计入总字数。
Dear Sir or Madam:
I bought a 37-inch TV set for $ 400 in your store on 15th of this month. A sales girl named Mary served me and recommended this brand.
Yours Sincerely,
Wang Ping
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
When a rather dirty, poorly-dressed person kneels at your feet and puts out his hands to beg for a few coins, do you hurry on, not knowing what to do, or do you feel sad and hurriedly hand over some money? What should our attitude to beggars be? There can't be no question that the world is full of terrible sad stories. It must be terrible to have no idea where our next meal is coming from. It seems cruel not to give some money to beggars.
Certainly, most of the world's great religions order us to be open-hearted and share what we have with those less fortunate than ourselves. But has the world changed? Maybe what was morally right in the old days, when one knew exactly who in the village had suffered misfortune and needed help, is no longer the best idea. Quite a few people will not give to beggars. Let us look at their arguments.
First, some believe that many city beggars dress up on purpose to look pitiable and actually make a good living from begging. Giving to beggars only encourages this sort of evils. Secondly, there is the worry that the money you give will be spent on beer, wine or drugs. Thirdly, there is the opinion that there is no real excuse for begging. One might be poor, but that is no reason for losing one's sense of pride and self-dependence.
Related to this is the opinion that the problem should be dealt with by the government rather than ordinary people. Some people think beggars should go to the local government department and receive help.
It is hard to come to a conclusion; there are various cases and we must deal with them differently. A few coins can save a life in some situations, and even if the money is wasted, that does not take away the moral goodness of the giver.
