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　　Early this year, Captain Startup was flying an aeroplane over New Zealand．There was a television camera crew on board．Suddenly, out in the night sky, a bright sphere came into view．Everyone on board saw it and everyone thought, “UFO”－Unidentified Flying Object．Many people believe that a UFO is a visiting craft from outer space．The camera crew went into action and started filming．That week people all over the world saw the film of this mysterious light on their television screens．Someone described the object as “a shining ping pong ball”．What was it? Was it a spaceship full of visitors from another planet? The Captain and the film crew believed it was．Other observers had many different explanations．Some say it was Venus．Some say it was just a trick of light．The people on the aeroplane were not the only ones who saw the “UFO”．

　　An air traffic controller also saw it on his radar screen．When a reporter asked him if he believed in UFOs, he said, “I don’t know what they are, but I’ve got an open mind on them．” Like many scientists, he thought that a flock of birds caused dots on his radar screen when the UFO appeared．Most astronomers now believe that what these people saw was almost certainly the planet Venus．At that time of year it is very bright and easy to see．And from a moving aeroplane it can appear to be moving fast．So far there is no proof that UFOs or spaceships from other planets do exist．

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　　Education is compulsory and free for every child in the United States．Most children start school by the age of six．They attend eight years of elementary school and four years of high school(or secondary school)．The money for free public school comes from taxes, and each state is responsible for its own education system．State legislatures set the educational requirements but leave the management of the school in the hands of the local communities．Most states require their children to go to school until a certain age．This age varies from 16 to 18 years according to the law of the individual states．The Federal government contributes funds to the states for additional schools and school services．?After graduation from high school, a student can start his higher education in a two－year college, a four－year college, a university, or a specialized professional school － either public or private．Most colleges admit students on the basis of their high school records．

　　The cost of a college is expensive in private universities, but it is much less in those supported by states and cities．Many students receive scholarships from the schools, the government, or private foundations and organizations．More than 50 percent of the college students work to help pay their college expenses．Only 2 percent of the population of the country cannot read and write．

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　　The United Nations published a report that was called “The State of World Population”．It shows that the growth rate of world population will actually go down in the next ten years．The growth rate will fall from the present 1.8％ to a rate of about 1.6％ by the end of this century．But the report also points out that problems of food, health care, housing, jobs and schools will get worse unless we do something about the situation．

　　Why is this? Although the total growth rate of the world population will decrease, in some countries there will still be a big rise in the population．More people will be born in the Third World countries than in the richer Northern countries．So the population will grow faster in poor countries; and the problems in these countries will be very serious．This is because the family is more likely to survive if there are a lot of children to work for the members who become old or who cannot find work．A survey of the UN also shows that the growth rate is low where there is a higher level of income, better education, more health care and better living conditions．In this aspect, government plays an important role．So, the conclusion of the UN report is：“Look after the people and the population will look after itself．”

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　　Karen Churches has been dreaming of becoming the first woman to walk the entire length of the Great Wall for six years．Her dream is about to become a reality．She stopped her job as a manager in London early this month to set out on her expedition：to follow the Great Wall from Yumenguan in the Gobi Desert to Shanhaiguan on the east coast where the Wall meets the Yellow Sea．

　　“It will truly be a life－changing adventure．To say that I am excited is an understatement(保守的说法), ” she said at Monday’s press conference in Beijing．She reckons the journey will take her seven months．That time will be divided up into 22 different 10 to 15 day sections on which she will be joined by women from around the world．“Up to now, 250 women from all over the world have enrolled(登记)to join me on different sections．

　　“The walk is largely in aid of charity, ” Churches said, “for the British charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer and two other Chinese based charities－Plan International(a charity to help women and children living in deprived(缺乏足够食品的)rural areas and Roots & Shoots which aims to raise awareness of environment and wildlife protection)．” Actress and comedienne(喜剧女演员)Josie Lawrence will join Churches for the first two and a half months and also will rejoin her at the end of the journey for two months．“I never feel I give myself a real challenge．When I am on stage or on TV, I do not feel afraid．But in my normal life, I often find myself afraid．Joining this walk is a way of facing my fears．”Also walking the first section, an 80 kilometer four－day trek(艰苦跋涉), will be three other British women．Erica Jackson, a part time doctor who has recently recovered from breast cancer, says she is taking part in the walk to show that women can completely overcome the disease．

　　“My daughters support me but my husband says I am crazy, ” says Fiona Leslie, a nurse who has also recently overcome breast cancer．“I think it will be great fun．”“I am not that strong,” says Samantha Pinder．“But I think if I can try this then other people might take on similar challenges．” She says she wants to lead by example．

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　　The man who brings my milk used to knock for his money for the week’s milk while I was eating breakfast on Saturday morning．Just lately he has been arriving before I get up．Staff shortages mean that four men are sharing five rounds(递送路线), so he has to start earlier．

　　Delivering milk to people homes is scarcely good business, especially when the customer may have a choice of two or three firms serving a single road．In spite of the local difficulties, however, labor troubles are not as severe as a few years ago．There are enough men prepared to get up early for the sake of an open air job with a fair measure of freedom．If they did stop calling, women would find it hard work to collect all the milk they need from self－service stores．Dairymen(乳品商)are aware that stopping deliveries in the United States resulted in falling sales．

　　Marketing ideas have included introducing extra lines, in addition to dairy products, which the milkmen can carry to increase sales．Already they have taken over many rounds given up by bakeries．One dairyman said：“It won’t be long before the milkman delivers more bread than milk．” Some milkmen deliver potatoes, and it seems as though variety will be limited only by the size of the vans．

　　So the milkman is likely to remain a familiar figure, and the dairy products he sells are unlikely to change very much in this decade．Flavored(调味)milk is popular on the Continent．In Britain those who like it buy plain milk and add their own flavoring．Even the returnable bottles continue to be used．As long as it had a reasonable life－30 to 40 trips are usual－the cost of collection and cleaning is worthwhile．

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　　Since I took office I’ve done everything in my power to protect our children from harm．We’ve worked to make their streets and their schools safer, to give them something positive to do after school and before their parents get home．We’ve worked to teach our children that drugs are dangerous, illegal and wrong．

　　Today, I want to talk to you about the historic opportunity we now have to protect our nation’s children from an even more deadly threat：smoking．Smoking kills more people every day than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides, drugs and fires combined．Nearly 90 percent of those smokers lit their first cigarette before they turned 18．Consider this：3, 000 children start to smoke every day illegally, and 1, 000 of them will die sooner because of it．

　　This is a national tragedy that every American should be honor－bound to help prevent．For more than five years we’ve worked to stop our children from smoking before they start, launching a nationwide campaign to educate them about the dangers of smoking, to reduce their access to tobacco products, and to severely restrict tobacco companies from advertising to young people．If we do these, we’ll cut teen smoking by almost half over the next five years．That means if we act now, we have it in our power to stop 3 million children from smoking and to save a million lives as a result．

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　　EDITOR’S note：The works of British essayist(散文家)Sir Francis Bacon(1561－1626)are well－known throughout Chinese high schools．

　　Nearly 400 years ago in April he breathed his last breath．Today, his essays on friendship, self－love and being young, for example, still remain relevant(相关的)to students throughout the world．

　　Here, the School Edition presents Sir Bacon’s essay on studying．Some of the words have been simplified．

　　Studies serve to delight, for ornament(装饰), and for ability．Their chief use for delight, is in private; for ornament, is in conversation; and for ability, is in the judgment of business．．．To spend too much time in studies is not healthy; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation(矫揉造作); to make judgment wholly by their rules, is the characteristic of a scholar(学究)．

　　Studies perfect nature, and are perfected by experience：for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning(修剪); and studies themselves, give too many general directions in life, they need to be bound(约束)by experiences．．．

　　Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention．．．

　　Reading makes a full man; discussion a ready man(明辨是非的人); and writing an exact man．

　　And therefore, if a man writes little, he has need for a great memory; if he discusses little, he has need for a ready wit(睿智); and if he reads little, he has need for much cunning(狡黠)to pretend he has more knowledge than he does．．．

　　Bowling(球类运动)is good for kidneys(肾); shooting for the lungs and breast; gentle walking for the stomach; riding for the head; and the like．

　　So if a man’s wit lacks focus, let him study mathematics．For if his mind starts wandering(走神), even a little, he must go back to the beginning of his problem again．If his wit is not able to find differences, let him study the philosophers; for they are cymini sectores(Latin for “hair－splitters”－ people who examine problems very closely)．If he is not able to use one thing to prove another, let him study the lawyers’ cases．

　　So every defect(缺陷)of the mind may have a special remedy(治疗法)．

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　　Tony Morrison has won this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature．Tony M orrison is sixty two years old．She was born in Lorain, Ohio．She is the daughter of farmers who moved to Ohio from the southern state of Alabama．She studied at Harvard University in Washington D．C．and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York．

　　Her first success came in 1970 with the book called The Bluest Eye．It tells the story of a young black girl in a society where golden hair and blue eyes are considered beautiful．Her next book was called Sulla．It tells the story of two black girls and pain in their lives as they grow up in a small town in Ohio．Her book The Song of Solomon is about a black man who tries to forget his past as a slave and begin a new life．And Tar Baby explores the relationship of a black man and a black woman．In the story the writer argues that black men and women can not get along with each other until they join together to fight racial hatred(种族仇视)．

　　Miss Morrison won America’s highest prize for literature, the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for her book Beloved．It is a powerful story of a slave woman who kills her baby daughter so she will not grow up to be a slave, too．Her latest book Jazz was published last year．It tells about the sad stories in the lives of a black man and woman who moved from a small town in the south to New York City．It took place in the 1920s, a time when Jazz music became popular in America．

　　Tony Morrison is a professor in literature at Princeton University in New Jersey．She says the most wonderful thing about winning the Nobel Prize is that it has finally been awarded to an African American writer．The prize is valued at more than 800 000 dollars．It will be awarded on Dec．10 in Stockholm in Sweden．