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　　If there is no difference in general intelligence between boys and girls, what can explain girls’ poor performance in science and mathematics?

　　It seems to be that their treatment at school is a direct cause．Mathematics and science are seen as subjects mainly for boys, and therefore, as girls become teenagers, they are less likely to take them．Interestingly, both boys and girls often regard the subjects for boys as more difficult．Yet it has been suggested that girls do not take mathematics courses, not because they are difficult, but for social reasons．Girls do not want to be in open competition with boys because they are afraid to appear less feminine(女性的)and attractive．

　　However, if we examine the performance of boys and girls who have taken mathematics courses, there are still more high-achieving boys than there are girls．This difference appears to be world-wide．Biological explanations have been offered for this, but there are other explanations too．

　　Perhaps the difference which comes out during the teenage years has its roots in much earlier experiences．From their first days in kindergarten, boys are encouraged to work on their own and to complete tasks．Facts show that outstanding(杰出的)mathematicians and scientists have not had teachers who supplied answers．

　　Besides, there can be little doubt that teachers of mathematics and science expect their boy students to do better at these subjects than their girl students．They even appear to encourage the difference between boys and girls．They spend more time with the boy students, giving them more time to answer questions and working harder to get correct answers from them．They are more likely to call on boys for answers and to allow them to take the lead in classroom discussion．They also praise boys more frequently．All of this seems to encourage boys to work harder in science and mathematics and to give them confidence(信心)that they are able to succeed．

　　Such a way of teaching is not likely to encourage girls to take many mathematics and science courses, nor is it likely to support girls who do so．When it comes to these subjects it seems certain that school widens the difference between boys and girls．

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The uses of computers

　　Not very long ago, the computer was a strange machine．Not many people understood it．Not many people said yes to it．Today much of that is changing．The first computer system(系统)was introduced for use in business in the mid-1950s．Since then, the number of computer systems used in business, government offices, and institutions has grown rapidly．In 1975, about 250 000 systems were in use in the United States．This is growing by tens of thousands every year．

　　The electric computer is an important factor(因素)in our lives．Each year we use computer more and more to help us to collect data(数据)and to provide us with information．At one time people thought computers were only useful to banks, department stores, and governments．But today the rapidly increasing number of computers are used for many other purposes．Have you ever stopped to think how you are affected(影响)by a computer? The clothes you wear were probably made with the help of a computer．The newspaper you read could have been edited(编辑)and typed by a computer．Even radio programmes are often prepared by computers．

　　Computers today are playing important roles(作用)in education, transportation(交通)and medicine．They are used to predict(预报)the weather, to examine the ocean, and to develop defense systems．They are being used by businesses, governments, and institutions．There is no reason to think that their uses will become a greater part of our lives．

　　The influence(影响)of the computer is great．The list of its uses could go on and on．Computers now affect millions of people in countless(无数的)ways every day．

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　　Listen carefully, working people, we would like to tell you something that could save your precious time and money! Best of all, it is free!

　　It’s “no”．

　　What do you ask? We’ll say it again：“No”．

　　Sweet and simple “no”．

　　Say “no” at your office and see how quickly that pile of work on your desk disappears．

　　“Saying ‘no’ to others means you are saying ‘yes’ to yourself, ” said Leslie Charles, a professional speaker from East Lansing, Michigan．

　　“Time is precious．People are spending money buying time．And yet we are willing to give up our time because we can’t say ‘no’．”

　　Susie Watson, a famous writer, said people who always say “yes” need to say “no” without guilt(内疚)or fear of punishment．“I would rather have someone give me a loving ‘no’ than an obligated(强制的)‘yes’．”, she said．

　　Susie Watson says she feels “no” obligation to give an explanation when she says “no” either socially or professionally．Does she feel guilty about it? “Not at all, ” said Watson, who is director of advertising and public relations at Timex Corp in Middlebury, Conneticut．“Most people are afraid of saying ‘no’…My advice is to say ‘yes’ only if you don’t mean ‘no’．”

　　Watson said “no” is the most effective weapon against wasting time．“Every year there are more demands on your time…Other people are happy to use up your time,” Watson said．Time saving appears to be “no’s” greatest friend．

　　“No” can be your new friend, a powerful tool to take back your life．“No” may even take you further in the business world than “yes”．

　　“No” is power and strength．“No” now seems completely correct．“Saying ‘no’ isn’t easy．But finally it’s greatly liberating,” Charles said．But, he added, a “no” project needs to be worked on every day because it is hard to change long-term habit．

　　But, he also warns：“Don’t go to extremes．Don’t find yourself saying ‘no’ to everything．In return you should learn to hear ‘no’．”

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To face the music

　　Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life of the people and develop in their own way．Our expression today is “to face the music”．

　　When someone says, “well, I guess I’ll have to face the music．”It does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert．It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you didn’t do this or that．Sour music indeed, but it has to be faced．At sometime or another, every one of us has had to face the music, especially as children．We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you．” and only because we did not obey him．What an unpleasant business it was!

　　The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old．It is at least 100 years old．And where did this expression come from?The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Looper．He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on the stage．When they got their cue to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music．” And that was exactly what they did－facing the orchestra which was just below them．And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of an audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines．But he had to go out．If he did not, there would be no play．So the expression “to face the music” come to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice．”

　　Other explanations about the expression go back to the army．When the men faced an inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked．Was their equipment clean, shinny enough to pass the inspection?Still the men had to go out and face the music of the band as well as the inspection．What else could they do?

　　Another army explanation is more closely related to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done．As, for example when a man is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored．The band does not play．Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat．The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse．

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　　Informal conversation is an important part of any business relationship．Before you start a discussion, however, make sure you understand which topics are suitable and which are considered taboos(禁忌)in a particular culture．Latin Americans enjoy sharing information about their local history, art, and customs．They expect questions about their family and are sure to show pictures of their children．Yon may feel free to ask similar questions of your Latin American friends．The French think of conversation as an art form, and they enjoy the value of lively discussions as well as disagreements．For them, arguments can be interesting－and they can cover pretty much or any topic－as long as they occur in a respectful and intelligent(智慧的)manner．

　　In the United States, business people like to discuss a wide range of topics, including opinions about work, family, hobbies, and politics．In Japan, China, and Korea, however, people are much more private．They do not share much about their thoughts, feelings, or emotions because they feel that doing so might take away from the harmonious(和谐的)business relationship they’re trying to build．Middle Easterners are also private about their personal lives and family matters．It is considered rude, for example, to ask a businessman from Saudi Arabia about his wife or children．

　　As general rule, it’s best not to talk about politics or religion(宗教)with your business friends．This can get you into trouble, even in the United States, where people hold different views．In addition, discussing one’s salary is usually considered unsuitable．Sports is typically a friendly subject in most parts of the world, although be careful not to criticize a national sport．Instead, be friendly and praise your host’s team．

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　　Basketball was his path out of poverty(贫穷)．Had he not played the game, he would be Allen Iverson the car repairer, dustman or even drug dealer(毒贩), copying his father’s lifestyle and those of most of his childhood friends．

　　But he saw fame and success in a basketball and the 28-year-old has built his kingdom on the courts of NBA．Though he was suffering flu, he scored a season-high 50 points as Philadelphia 76ers beat Atlanta Hawks 98-86 on November 30．He is now the league’s leading scorer with an average of 28.4 points per game．

　　Unlike other NBA stars, his success is not due to his size．At 1.83 metres, Iverson is no giant but he isn’t afraid to challenge bigger guys．“I just hit shots, ” he said．“The basket sometimes looks like an ocean．”

　　He is known as “the answer” and 76ers’ fans hope he can be the answer to their prayers for an NBA championship．They might be in luck as Iverson has had to find solutions to tough problems ever since he was a child．

　　“I used to come home and there would be no lights, no food, only unpaid bills, ” he remembers of his childhood．Never having met his real father, Iverson became man of the house at the age of 12 when his stepfather was arrested．

　　But his mother, despite being poor, never gave up hope for her son．“I have never looked up to anyone apart from(除……之外)my mum．She means everything to me, ”he said．“She inspired me and she made me believe I could be somebody and I could do something with my life．”

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　　Today, roller skating is easy and fun．But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all．Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist．That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin．Merlin’s work was making musical instruments．In his spare time he liked to play the violin．Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams．People called him a dreamer．

　　One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy ball(化装舞会)．He was very pleased and a little excited．As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party．He had an idea．He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room．

　　Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll．Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe．These were the first roller skates．Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin．

　　On the night of the party, Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin．Everyone was astonished to see him．There was just one problem．Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates．He rolled on and on．Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall．Down fell the mirror, breaking into pieces．Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!

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　　Paris is the capital of the European nation of France．It is also one of the most beautiful and most famous cities in the world．

　　Paris is called the City of Light．It is also an international dressing center．What the women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world．Paris is also a famous world center of education．For example, it is the headquarters of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization．

　　The Seine River divides the city into two parts．Thirty-two bridges cross this beautiful river．The oldest and perhaps most well known is the Pont Neuf, which was built in the sixteenth century．The Sorbonne, a famous university, is located on the Left Bank of the river．There are many other famous places in Paris, such as the famous museum the Louyre as well as Notre Dame．However, the most famous building in this city must be Eiffel Tower．

　　Paris is named after a group of people called the Parisil．They built a small village on an island in the middle of the Seine River about two thousand years ago．This island, called the lle de la Cite, is where Notre Dame is located．Today around eight million people live in the Paris area．

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　　The most famous statue－the Sphinx in Egypt has been damaged．The experts are trying to find out the cause to protect it．As we all know, the Sphinx has the body of a lion and the face of a man．It was out from limestone(石灰石)near Egypt’s pyramids about 4500 years ago．Not long ago a large piece of stone fell from the Sphinx’s right shoulder．

　　In order to protect the statue from more harms, a computer was placed on it to measure rainfall, wind speed and air temperature．The computer also measured the amount of water and air pollution, the direction of wind and the temperature of the statue itself．The effects of age, wind, water and pollution have greatly weakened the Sphinx．Sunlight, wind, water and pollution have been eroding the outside of the statue for centuries．The experts hope that the information from the computer will help protect it from more damage．They say the more they know about what is destroying the Sphinx, the more they can do to protect it．

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　　Scientists used to explore(探测)on the surface of the ocean．Now they are exploring below the surface, too．They want to know about ocean water and the plant and animal life deep in the ocean．

　　In 1934 the scientist William Beebe dived 3000 feet below the surface in a hollow steel ball．In 1935 August Piccard dived 10 330 feet．In 1960 his son Jean dived to a depth of 35 800 feet．

　　All these early dives were deep．But the divers could not stay down for very long．They had to come back up to the surface after a few seconds．Scientists needed to stay down longer to study life below surface．Gradually they succeeded．Cousteau, a Frenchman, was able to keep men down to a depth of 36 feet for one month and to a depth of 90 feet for a week．

　　Now scientists are developing even better equipment．With this new equipment, men can stay below the surface for days or even weeks．In 1962 Cousteau set up a research station 35 feet below the surface．Then, in 1964,he set up another station on the ocean floor of the Red Sea．This was the first undersea station to operate without help from the surface．

　　Many countries are now studying undersea living．The former Soviet Union has an undersea laboratory in the Crimean Sea．The United States has a laboratory 50 feet down on the ocean floor off the Virgin Islands．In 1970 five men lived there for two weeks．Then a team of five women scientists stayed in the laboratory．Next came other teams of men．All were there to explore the ocean depths and to make plans for the use of its resources．Scientists hope to find enough mineral, vegetable, and animal wealth there to provide food for the entire world．