consists of five interlaced rings of equal dimensions, representing the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games. The Olympics truly took off as an international sporting event after 1924, when the 8th Olympic Games were held in Paris. Some 3,000 athletes from 44 nations competed that year, and for the first time the Games featured a closing ceremony. The Winter Olympics debuted (问世) that year, including such events as figure skating, ice hockey, bobsledding and the biathlon. Eighty years later, when the 2004 Summer Olympics returned to Athens for the first time in more than a century, nearly 11,000 athletes from 201 countries competed, breaking the then record of participating countries.
太极拳（Tai Chi）是一种武术（martial arts）项目，也是一种健身运动，在中国有着悠久的历史。太极拳动作缓慢而柔和，适合任何年龄、性别、体型的人练习。太极拳既可防身，又能强身健体，因而深受中国人的喜爱。太极拳在发展的过程中，借鉴并吸收了中国传统哲学、医术、武术的合理内容（element），成为特色鲜明的一项运动。作为中国特有的一种运动形式，太极拳也越来越受到众多外国朋友的喜爱。
Tai Chi is a kind of martial arts, and a fitness exercise as well. It has a long history in China. With slow and gentle movements, Tai Chi is suitable for people of any age, sex, or body type to practice. It can be used to provide self-defense as well as build the body. Therefore, it has become very popular among Chinese people. During its development, Tai Chi borrowed and
absorbed desirable elements from traditional Chinese philosophy, medicine, and martial arts, and it has developed into a sport with unique features. As a unique sport in China, Tai Chi is also gaining increasing popularity among many foreign friends. Unit 6
间隔年指的是学生休假不去上学而去旅游或工作等的一段时间，但不一定是一年。间隔年通常选在高中毕业和进入大学之前的一段时间。在这段时间里，学生可以旅游、参加志愿者工作或者在国外边打工边度假。一种新潮流是参加集语言学习、住家、文化交流、社区服务和自主学习于一体的国际教育活动。间隔年的做法于20世纪60年代兴起于英国。它在英国、澳大利亚、新西兰和加拿大已经变得非常流行。但是在美国，间隔年的做法仍然只是个别现象。不过近年来，间隔年对美国人来说变得稍微普遍起来。2013年有大约四万美国学生参加了间隔年活动，比2006年增加了近20%。普林斯顿大学、哈佛大学、麻省理工学院等大学都有明文规定允许学生延迟入学。
Gap year (间隔年) refers to a period of time —not necessarily a year — in which students take time off and do something other than schooling, such as travel or work. The year out is most commonly taken after high school and before going to university. During this time, a student might travel, engage in volunteer work or undertake (承担) a working holiday abroad. A new trend is to participate in international education programs that combine language study,
home stays, cultural exchange, community service, and independent study. The practice of taking a year out developed in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. It has grown very popular among students in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. In the United States, however, the practice of taking a year off remains the exception (例外). But in recent years, taking a year out has become slightly more common for Americans. Some 40,000 American students participated in 2013 in gap year programs, an increase of almost 20% since 2006. Universities such as Princeton University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology have formal policies allowing students to defer (延期) admission.
改革开放以来，中国的教育事业得到了快速发展，取得了引人瞩目的成就。中国政府把教育摆在优先发展的地位，坚持科教兴国（revitalize the country），全面提倡素质教育 (quality-oriented education)。同时，积极推进教育公平，保障人人有受教育的机会。中国的教育成就反映在两个不同的层面：一个是全面普及了九年义务教育（nine-year compulsory education），另一个是实现了高等教育大众化（mass higher education）。教育的发展为中国的经济发展和社会进步作出了重大贡献。近年来，为适应社会、经济发展的需要，中国政府不断加快培养各领域的急需人才。
Since its economic reform and opening-up to the world, China's education has gone through rapid development and made remarkable achievements. The
Chinese government gives top priority to the development of education, persists in revitalizing the country by science and education, and fully advocates quality-oriented education. Meanwhile, it actively promotes equality in education to guarantee everyone access to education. China's achievements in education can be reflected in two different layers: One is the popularization of the nine-year compulsory education; the other is the realization of mass higher education. The development of education has made significant contributions to China's economic development and social progress. In recent years, to satisfy the needs of social and economic development, the Chinese government has sped up the training of qualified personnel urgently needed in various fields. Unit 7
在所有美国人的信念中，最基本、最强烈的信念可能就是崇尚个人自由。要理解美国人，最重要的也许就是了解他们对\个人主义\的热爱。生活中他们很早就开始受到教育，把自己看成独立的个体，对人生中自己的处境以及自己的前途命运负责。美国人认为自己的思想和行为高度个性化。他们不愿被视为任何同质群体的代表。如果确实加入了群体，他们也认为自己有特别之处，与同一个群体中的其他成员有着些许的差别。与美国人对个人主义赋予的价值紧密相关的是他们对个人隐私的重视。美国人认为，人\需要有自己的时间\或者\有时间独处\，用来思考事情，或者恢复他们所消耗的心理能量。美国人很难理解那些总想与人结伴、