The Origin of Sports When did sport begin? If sport is, in essence, play, the claim might be made that sport is much older than humankind, for , as we all have observed, the beasts play. Dogs and cats wrestle and play ball games. Fishes and birds dance. The apes have simple, pleasurable games. Frolicking infants, school children playing tag, and adult arm wrestlers are demonstrating strong, transgenerational and transspecies bonds with the universe of animals past, present, and future. Young animals, particularly, tumble, chase, run wrestle, mock, imitate, and laugh to the point of delighted exhaustion. Their play, and ours, appears to serve no other purpose than to give pleasure to the players, and apparently, to remove us temporarily from the anguish of life in earnest. Some philosophers have claimed that our playfulness is the most noble part of our basic nature. In their generous conceptions, play harmlessly and experimentally permits us to put our creative forces, fantasy, and imagination into action. Play is release from the tedious battles against scarcity and decline which are the incessant, and inevitable, tragedies of life. This is a grand conception that excites and provokes. The holders of this view claim that the origins of our highest accomplishments ---- liturgy, literature, and law ---- can be traced to a play impulse which, paradoxically, we see most purely enjoyed by young beasts and children. Our sports, in this rather happy, nonfatalistic view of human nature, are more splendid creations of the nondatable, transspecies play impulse. Collectibles have been a part of almost every culture since ancient times. Whereas some objects have been collected for their usefulness, others have been selected for their aesthetic beauty alone. In the United States, the kinds of collectibles currently popular range from traditional objects such as stamps, coins, rare books, and art to more recent items of interest like dolls, bottles, baseball cards, and comic books. Interest in collectibles has increased enormously during the past decade, in part because some collectibles have demonstrated their value as investments. Especially during cycles of high inflation, investors try to purchase tangibles that will at least retain their current market values. In general, the most traditional collectibles will be sought because they have preserved their value over the years, there is an organized auction market for them, and they are most easily sold in the event that cash is needed. Some examples of the most stable collectibles are old masters, Chinese ceramics, stamps, coins, rare books, antique jewelry, silver, porcelain, art by well-known artists, autographs, and period furniture. Other items of more recent interest include old photograph records, old magazines, post cards, baseball cards, art glass, dolls, classic cars, old bottles, and comic books. These relatively new kinds of collectibles may actually appreciate faster as short-term investments, but may not hold their value as long-term investments. Once a collectible has had its initial play, it appreciates at a fairly steady rate, supported by an increasing number of enthusiastic collectors competing for the limited supply of collectibles that become increasingly more difficult to locate.
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业26:Unit 1《Art》(新人教版选修6)
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业42:语法专练二之冠词
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业5:Unit5 《Nelson Mandela—a modern hero》(新人教版必修1)
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业18:Unit 3《A taste of English humour》(新人教版必修4)
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业50:语法专练十之定语从句
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业21:Unit 1《Great scientists》(新人教版必修5)
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业47:语法专练七之动词的时态和语态
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业7:Unit 2《The Olympic Games》(新人教版必修2)
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业44:语法专练四之形容词与副词
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业12:Unit 2《Healthy eating》(新人教版必修3)
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业30:Unit5 《The power of nature》(新人教版选修6)
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业1:Unit 1《Friendship》(新人教版必修1)
2017届高三英语人教版综合能力测试八
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业46:语法专练六之动词及动词短语
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业27:Unit 2《Poems》(人教版选修6湖北专用)
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业41:语法专练一之名词
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业48:语法专练八之非谓语动词
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业10:Unit 4《Wildlife protection》(新人教版必修2)
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业55:语法专练十五之交际用语
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业43:语法专练三之代词
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业24:Unit 4《Making the news》(新人教版必修5)
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业51:语法专练十一之名词性从句
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业45:语法专练五之介词及介词短语
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业3:Unit 3《Travel journa》(新人教版必修1)
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业29:Unit 4《Global warming》(新人教版选修6)
2017届高考英语一轮复习课时作业26:Unit 1《Art》(人教版选修6湖北专用)
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业19:Unit 4《Body language》(新人教版必修4)
2017届高三英语人教版综合能力测试三
2017届高三英语人教版综合能力测试四
2017届高三英语一轮复习课时作业2:Unit2《English around the world》(新人教版必修1)