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Across Asia, the increase in sales of high-priced goods and services has been partly fueled by the life of China's middle class. Among the activities enjoyed by some 1． (wealth) Chinese is the ownership of horses. The quality of life 2． (tie) to horses and horse ownership has become a new sign of success among a small but 3． (grow) group of people in China.

Sports about horses have not always permitted in China.Now, race tracks, polo fields and jockey clubs(赛马俱乐部) are opening 4． business inChinese cities.And there are 5． rising number of horses imported from overseas.

Maiken Jaeschke is with Equestrian Globe, a German company 6． imports horses into China. It also builds facilities(设施) 7． sells riding equipment.

Shen Ge lives in Beijing. He buys horses. So far he 8． (build) his career in business marketing and passed his love of horses to his daughter, Shen Qing, one of the 9． (young) competitive riders in China. She competes 10． (international) in show jumping and this month she will travel to Italy for a horse jumping competition.

Various sports attract fans for different reasons: Spectator sports draw even more fans who just love to watch. Here are some of the most beloved sports worldwide.

Hockey-2 billion fans

Hockey, both on ice and on a field, wins a following of two billion enthusiastic fans worldwide. Field hockey is mainly played in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, while ice hockey is particularly popular in Canada and the US, where kids grow up playing pond hockey. Unlike ice hockey, field hockey usually does not involve body contact in the form of checking and hitting.

Football-4 billion fans

Football, better known as soccer in the US, is by far the most popular sport in the world. Experts estimate that the origin (起源) of football may go as far back as two thousand years, beginning in ancient China during the Han Dynasty. One major reason for football’s global popularity is that unlike other sports that require expensive equipment, all you need to play football is a ball and your feet.

Volleyball-900 million fans

Volleyball pits two teams across a high net, each attempting to smash the ball onto the opponent’s floor. A popular variant, beach volleyball, is competed on sand by pairs rather than the regular six players per team. The crowd appeal of beach volleyball has grown greatly in recent years.

Tennis-1 billion fans

An estimated one billion people worldwide follow professional tennis tournaments and matches. In tennis, players on both sides of a net try to hit a ball with a racket so that it either goes past their opponent (对手) or bounces twice on their opponent’s side of the court to score points. Tennis superstars like Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams are now household names around the world, with huge international fan bases.