Baseball Fans around the World
Baseball is a very popular sport in Asia, North America, South America, and even Europe.While the rules of baseball are similar from country to country, the behavior of baseball fans is very different. Here’s a look at some of the differences in fan behavior around the world.
In Japan
Baseball fans in Japan are loud – really loud. The sound of chants, cheering, drums, and trumpets continues nonstop throughout a baseball game in Japan. When a team goes to bat, their fans sing a different song for each batter at the plate. And even when their team is losing badly, Japanese fans continue to yell and scream. Foreign baseball players in Japan are often surprised that the fans never boo a player, according to the American pitcher Brian Warren, baseball is more fun in Japan. “When I used to play in Venezuela,”Warren said, “fans threw things at me when I didn’t pitch well.”This never happens in Japan.
When a Japanese player hits a home run, the fans give the biggest cheer of all – a banzai cheer. That’s when the fans yell with both of their arms above their heads.
In Taiwan
Baseball fans in Taiwan are just as loud as the fans in Japan! In Taiwan, many fans use air horns to cheer their team on. These horns are so loud they can really hurt your ears. Taiwanese fans often yell “Charge!” to excite the baseball players. And when a player hits a home run, there is a special tradition. After the player runs around the bases, a young girl presents him with a stuffed animal that looks like his teams’ mascot.
Huckleberry Finn
I was pretty hungry, but it wasn’t going to do for me to start a fire, because they might see the smoke. So I set there and watched the cannon smoke and listened to the boom. The river was a mile wide, there, and it always looks pretty on a summer morning－so I was having a good enough time seeing them hunt for my remainders, if I only had a bite to eat.Well, then I happened to think how they always put a quicksilver in loaves of bread and float them off because they always go right to the drowned carcass and stop there. So says I, I’ll keep a look-out, and if any of them is floating around after me, I’ll give them a show. I changed to the Illinois edge of the island to see what luck I could have, and I wasn’t disappointed. A big double loaf came along, and I almost got it, with a long stick, but my foot slipped and she floated out further. Of course I was where thecurrent set in the closest to the shore－I knew enough for that. But by-and-by along came another one, and this time I won. I took out the plug and shook out the little dab of quicksilver, and set my teeth in. It was”baker’s bread”－what the quality eat－none of your low-down cornpone. I got a good place amongst the leaves, and set there on a log, munching the bread and watching the ferry-boat, and very well satisfied. And then something struck me….
By Mark Twain
Street Markets around the World
Do you want to buy a new pair of sunglasses? The latest CD? OR something for your dinner this evening? Nowadays, you can shop by telephone, by post, or through your home computer; but for many people, the most exciting way to shop is also the most traditional- at a street market. You can find markets anywhere in the world- here are five of them:
Every weekend, thousands of young people from all over London travel to Camden Market in an attractive area in the north of the city- it’s the place to go for street fashion, jewelry, CDs, and tapes. But many people just go for the lively atmosphere!
There are many “floating markets” in Asia; perhaps the most Famous is in Thailand, at a place called “Damneon Sadual”, 100 km from the capital city, Bangkok. From six in the morning to midday, every day, people sell fresh tropical fruit and vegetables from their boats.
The grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey, is more than 500 years old and it has more than four thousand shops under one roof! You can buy almost anything, but the most popular items for tourists are the beautiful rugs and carpets. It’s open all day every day.
Many Belgians say that La Grande Place- in the center of the capital city, Brussels- is the most beautiful square in the world. It is the home of a colorful flower market- open every day except Monday. On Monday, instead of flowers, there’s a wonderful bird market!
One of the world’s most unusual markets is in Mexico City: at the Sonora Market. As well as toys and birds, you can buy herbs and natural medicines which (they say) can help with anything- from problems at work to problems with you marriage! It’s open every day from early in the morning till late at night.
My First Day in the United States
I arrived in the United States on February 6,1988, but I remember my first day here very clearly. My friend was waiting for me when my plane landed at KennedyAirport at three o’clock in the afternoon. The weather was very cold and it was snowing, but I was too excited to mind. From the airport, my friend and I took a taxi to my hotel. On the way, I saw the skyline of Manhattan for the first time, and I stared in astonishment at the famous skyscrapers and their manmade beauty. My friend helped me unpack at the hotel and then left me because he had to go back to work. He promised to return the next day.
Shortly after my friend had left, I went to the restaurant near the hotel to get something to eat. Because I couldn’t speak a word of English, I couldn’t tell the waiter what I wanted. I was very upset and started to make some gestures, but the waiter didn’t understand me. Finally, I ordered the same thing the man at the next table was eating.
After dinner, I started to walk along Broadway until I came to Times Square, with its movie theaters, neon lights, and huge crowds of people. I didn’t feel tired, so I continued to walk around the city. I wanted to see everything on my first day. I knew it was impossible, but I wanted to try.
When I returned to the hotel, I was exhausted, but I couldn’t sleep because I kept hearing the fire and police sirens during the night. I lay awake and thought about New York. It was a very big and interesting city with many tall buildings and big cars, and full of noise and busy people. I also decided right then that I had to learn to speak English.
Studying Aboard
There is no doubt that going to study in a foreign country with its language and culture, can be a frustrating and sometimes painful experience. But while overseas study has its drawbacks, the difficulties are far outweighed by the advantages. Indeed, people who go abroad for study open themselves up to experiences that those who stay at home will never have.
The most obvious advantage to overseas university study is real-life use of a different language. While a person can study a foreign language in his or her own country, it cannot compare with constant use of the language in academic and everyday life. There is no better opportunity to improve second-language skills than living in the country in which it is spoken. Moreover, having used the language during one’s studies offers a distinct advantage when one is applying for jobs back home that require the language.
On a university campus, the foreign student is not alone in having come from far away. He or she will likely encounter many others from overseas and it is possible to make friends from all around the world. This is not only exciting on a social level, but could lead to important overseas contacts in later professional life.
Finally, living and studying abroad offers one a new and different perspective of the world and, perhaps most important, of one’s own country. Once beyond the initial shock of being in a new culture, the student slowly begins to get a meaningful understanding of the host society. On returning home, one inevitably sees one’s own country in a new, often more appreciative, light.
In conclusion, while any anxiety about going overseas for university study is certainly understandable, it is important to remember that the benefits offered by the experience make it well worthwhile.
The Weather and You
Do you become unhappy when clouds appear? Are you more cheerful on a sunny day than on a rainy day? Does the weather really affect your moods?
Most of us feel that stormy weather makes us sad, and many psychologists would agree: rain or snow can bring on sadness and depression in some people. This feeling may be caused by having to stay indoors for too long during bad weather. But there are some people who are unusually sensitive to weather. Rather than just feeling blue on a cold, dreary day, for example, they actually find it difficult to carry out their daily routine. Even going to work or to school becomes a big job for these people. Some people also become very depressed during the dark days of winter. They suffer from a sickness called “seasonal affective disorder,” or SAD. Doctors think this condition is due to lack of sunlight.
In contrast, a sunny day, particularly during the winter in colder northern regions, can make people feel happy and optimistic. When the weather is pleasant, people are friendlier and more willing to help each other. For example, it has been found that customers give waitresses bigger tips on sunny days. But when the weather is too hot and humid, people tend to become more aggressive.
It shouldn’t surprise you to learn that most people prefer moderate temperatures somewhere in the seventies, perhaps with a slight breeze. People generally don’t like too much wind, nor do they like it when the temperature changes more than fifteen degrees in a short period of time.
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