Unit 2 Mixed Feelings?

The Free Hugs Campaign in its present form was started by an Australian man Juan Mann in June 2004, when he began giving out hugs in the Pitt Street Mall in central Sydney. Juan's mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives. Juan had been living in London when his world turned upside down and he'd had to come home. By the time his plane landed back in Sydney, all he had left was a carry-on bag full of clothes and a world of troubles. So he got some cardboard and a marker and made a sign, with the words "Free Hugs" on both sides. He had to wait 15 minutes before an elderly lady came up to him and gave him a hug. Thanks to his friend Shimon Moore, lead singer for Sick Puppies, who recorded video footage of Juan and his fellow huggers, this campaign became famous around the world. Today the "Free Hug" campaign is gaining in popularity and is making the world a warmer place to live in.?

目前這種形式的“抱抱團(tuán)”運(yùn)動(dòng)是澳大利亞人胡安?曼恩發(fā)起的。2004年6月，他開(kāi)始在悉尼市中心的皮特街購(gòu)物中心給人送去擁抱。胡安要做的是伸出胳膊擁抱陌生人，點(diǎn)亮他們的人生。胡安以前住在倫敦，后來(lái)他的生活變得一團(tuán)糟，不得不回家。等他乘飛機(jī)回到悉尼，他只剩下一個(gè)塞滿衣服的手提行李包和一大堆的麻煩。于是，他找到一塊硬紙板和一只馬克筆，做了一個(gè)指示牌，在牌子的兩面寫上“免費(fèi)擁抱”。他等了15分鐘才有一個(gè)老太太走上前來(lái)，給了他一個(gè)擁抱。他的朋友，“病小狗”樂(lè)隊(duì)的主唱希蒙?摩爾，給胡安和他的“抱抱團(tuán)”成員拍了一段錄像，使得“抱抱團(tuán)”運(yùn)動(dòng)在全世界有了更大的知名度。如今，“抱抱團(tuán)”運(yùn)動(dòng)日漸流行，它使我們生活的這個(gè)世界更加溫暖。乒乓球被稱為中國(guó)的國(guó)球有三個(gè)原因。首先，乒乓球?yàn)橹袊?guó)贏得了榮譽(yù)，到目前為止，中國(guó)已經(jīng)獲得了二百多個(gè)乒乓球世界冠軍。其次，乒乓球有著廣泛的群眾基礎(chǔ)，是中國(guó)最受歡迎的業(yè)余體育娛樂(lè)項(xiàng)目之一。最后，乒乓球運(yùn)動(dòng)促進(jìn)了中國(guó)的對(duì)外友好交往。1971 年中美兩國(guó)在北京的乒乓球友誼賽為恢復(fù)兩國(guó)外交關(guān)系敲開(kāi)了大門，史稱“乒乓外交”。如今，中國(guó)在發(fā)展自身乒乓球運(yùn)動(dòng)的同時(shí)，也為其他一些國(guó)家輸送了優(yōu)秀的運(yùn)動(dòng)員，對(duì)推動(dòng)全球乒乓球運(yùn)動(dòng)的發(fā)展起到了積極作用。

“不以物喜，不以己悲”出自北宋文學(xué)家范仲淹的名著《岳陽(yáng)樓記》，意思是凡事都要以一顆平常心看待，不因外部事物的好壞和自己的得失而或喜或悲。它是一種思想境界，體現(xiàn)了中國(guó)的傳統(tǒng)道家思想，教導(dǎo)人們追求一種淡然（detached）平靜的心態(tài)。在物質(zhì)文明高度發(fā)達(dá)的今天，保持這樣的心態(tài)仍顯得十分重要。當(dāng)你擁有了這種心境，生活就會(huì)多一些陽(yáng)光，多一些快樂(lè)。

Be not pleased by external gains, nor saddened by personal losses is a statement from the essay "Remarks of Yueyang Tower" by Fan Zhongyan, a writer of the Northern Song Dynasty. The statement means one should look at and accept things as they are, and remain unbothered by external matters or personal gains or losses. It is a mental outlook that reflects the traditional Taoist ideas of China, instructing people to become calm and detached. Even today, when we have a highly developed material civilization, keeping such a state of mind is still important. When you possess such a state of mind, you will be able to live a brighter and more joyous life.