As the world famous Long March, the Red Army have laid the solid foundation for the founding of new China．It is the wishes of the Red Army Veterans(老兵)to build a theme park that can express our national pride and improve the environmental conditions of Beijing．

　　The Red Army Theme Park will help unite the Chinese people under the CPC leade　　rship for the 21st century．We intend to build the park into a first-class multi-purpose complex(综合体)with an outstanding theme and famous features that combine education, tourism, recreation and leisure．

　　The selected site(地址)of the Red Army Theme Park is in Shuangqiao Farm and the Forest Park of Heizhuanghu Township, Chaoyang District of Beijing City．The site is close to Beijing-Shenyang Expressway and only a ten-minute drive away from Beijing-Tongzhou Expressway and Shuangjing Overpass of the Third Eastern Ring Road of Beijing．

　　The idea behind of the whole designing of the park is to carry out the education of patriotism(爱国主义)and revolutionary tradition and to satisfy the public needs for sightseeing, leisure and recreation．For the former purpose there are four sets of statues of great revolutionary leaders, stone inscriptions(题名)of the CPC and national leaders as well as some Red Army veterans, some sculptures(雕刻)of the well-known Red Army soldiers, the miniatures(缩影)of the famous historic events taking place along the Long March．For the second purpose there are tours along the route of the Long March．The six theme sceneries in the park are dependent on and linked to each other, showing to the visitors the hardships suffered by the Red Army soldiers during the Long March．Sound, lighting and other high-techs are used in some recreational programs to produce an artistic effect of novelty(新颖), illusion, miracles(奇迹)and adventure．The visitors may experience the Long March through their own participation(参与)and better understand life, which is just the purpose of education through entertainment．

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　　There are over one million superstitions(迷信), and most people believe at least one or two of them．Many people are superstitious about numbers．They think that there are lucky numbers and unlucky numbers．The number 13 is often considered unlucky．In some parts of the world, buildings have no 13th floor and streets have no houses with the number 13．In Japan, “4” is considered unlucky because in Japanese the word “four” is pronounced the same as the word “death”．The Japanese never give gifts of four knives, four napkins, or four of anything．

　　What are the lucky numbers?Seven is a lucky number in many places, and “8” is considered a lucky number in Japan and China．In China, businesses often open on August 8, and many couples register to get married at eight past eight on August 8．Superstitions about numbers are so widespread that some people－called numerologists－make a living by giving advice about numbers．In 1937, when the Toyoda family of Japan wanted to form a car company, they asked a numerologist if “Toyoda” would be a good name for the company．The numerologist said it would not be．He explained that “Toyota” would be a better name for the company．The family took his advice．As a result, millions of people drive “Toyotas” and not “Toyodas”．

　　There are many other kinds of superstitions．There are superstitions about eating, sleeping, sneezing and itching．There are superstitions about animals and holidays and horseshoes．There are even superstitions about superstitions．Those superstitions tell people how to reverse bad luck．When the Japanese bump heads, they immediately bump heads again．According to a Japanese superstition, the first bump means their parents will die, but the second bump “erases” the first bump．To reverse bad luck in general, people turn around three times, turn their pockets inside out, or put their hats on backwards．

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　　Ron Barrister awoke once again with a slight ringing in his ears．After he showered and dressed, the condition got worse．He was also short of breath．

　　When he looked in the mirror to see if his tongue were coated or if there were some other signs of a cold coming on, he noticed that his eyes looked peculiar．He turned sideways and looked again．Sure enough, his eyes seemed to be bulging out．

　　He decided to explain his symptoms to Dr．Klien, the eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist．

　　Dr．Klien examined Ron very carefully．He took X-rays to see if he could find any reason for the bulging eyes, ringing ears, and shortness of breath．

　　After a complete examination he was stumped．Everything appeared normal and tests showed no signs of disorder．“Ron, ” he said, “I really can’t find anything wrong, and I’m at a loss to explain your strange symptoms．However if you’d like another consultation, Dr．Brown is next door．She might be able to discover something I missed．”

　　After another full examination, even Dr．Brown was stumped．“I can think of nothing to tell you except that you should be admitted to the hospital for a closer examination．”

　　When Ron was being admitted to the hospital, the nurse asked him, “What size pajamas(睡衣)do you wear, Mr．Barrister?”

　　“I really don’t know, ”he replied．

　　“Well, do you know your shirt size?” She asked as she reached for a measuring tape．

　　“Yes,” answered Ron, “I wear 15.5 collar with a…”

　　The nurse measured his neck and said, “You mean a 16.5, don’t you?”

　　“No,” answered Ron, “I’ve always worn a 15.5 collar on all my shirts．”

　　“OK, but if you wear a 15.5 collar with your neck size, sooner or later you’re surely going to have a ringing in your ears, bulging eyes, and you’ll be short of breath．”

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　　A year ago I began training to swim the English Channel．I will be 58 years old．My friends thought I had lost my mind, and my wife was somewhat worried．The question I was asked over and over was this, “Why?”

　　When a student reporter at Indiana recently asked me this question, I said, “First, let me ask you a question．What are your plans for this summer?”

　　He replied that he was going to work in a supermarket．I didn’t have to say more．He understood my point．

　　A challenge and something of an adventure are welcome whether you are 20 or 58, and preparing to swim the Channel is far better than working in a supermarket, especially when you have a choice．

　　But why did I decide to swim the Channel at 58?Perhaps I myself can hardly give a satisfactory answer．

　　The Channel has always been the greatest challenge to swimmers, a test of ability, luck, and even bravery．It is this challenge that attracts about 100 swimmers a year, who are willing to spend time, effort, and money trying it．

　　One fact that adds to my interest is that, if I succeed, I will be the oldest person ever to swim the Channel．

　　I don’t think I am a superman．I do think I have at least two things in favor：

　　First, I am training hard－now swimming 7 and a half miles a day．Second, I am a resolute(有决心的)man．Once I set up a goal, I won’t give it up easily．And this swim has long been a goal．I have a feeling－I will be mentally ready．

　　On the other hand there was a young girl who was attempting(试图)to finish her swim when the ocean got rough．She was having a hard time with the rough and cold water, when her trainer shouted to her from the boat that he thought she should give up and get out of the water．She shouted back, “I’m doing the swimming, and I’ll decide when to get out．” She made it．

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　　In 1995, I return to Miami Beach High School to speak to the drama(戏剧)class．Afterward I ask the drama teacher if any of my English teachers is still there．“Irene Roberts, ”he tells me, “is in class just down the hall．”

　　I was no one special in Miss Roberts’ class．I don’t remember any one special bit of wisdom she passed on．Yet I cannot forget her respect for language, for ideas and for her students．I realize now, many years later, that she is a selfless teacher．I’d like to say something to her, but I don’t want to pull her from a class．

　　The drama teacher brings Miss Roberts into the hallway where stands this 32-year-old man she last saw at 18．“I’m Mark Medoff, ”I tell her．“You were my 12th grade English teacher in 1981．”She raises her head, as if this angle(角度)might bring back her memory．And then, though armed with a message I want to deliver in some perfect words, I can’t think up anything more memorable than this, “I want you to know, ”I say, “you were important to me．”

　　And there in the hallway, this slight and lovely woman, now nearing a retirement age, this teacher who doesn’t remember me, begins to weep; she holds me in her arms．

　　Remembering this moment, I began to sense that everything I will ever know, everything I will ever pass on to my students, to my children, is an inseparable part of a treasure of our shared wonder and hope that we can, must, make ourselves better．

　　Irene Roberts holds me in her arms and through her tears whispers against my cheek, “Thank you．”And then, with a quick look into my forgotten face, she disappears back into her classroom, returns to what she has done thousands of days through all the years of my absence．

　　On reflection, maybe those were, after all, just the right words to say to Irene Roberts．Maybe they are the very words I would like to speak to all those teachers I carry through my life as part of me, the very words I would like spoken to me one day by some returning student：“I want you to know you were important to me．”

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　　In the late 1500s, a large powerful gun was placed on top of the Signal Hill, in Newfoundland, to prevent attacks from the outside．Flags were also flown there to warn sailors of bad weather．It’s fitting, then, the Italian Gulielmo Marconi should have chosen this site to receive the world’s first radio signal in Morse code from England on December 12, 1901．

　　Marconi, combining earlier ideas with his own, led us to a new communications age．For the next 50 years, until the appearance of television, radio ruled the air waves．

　　Today, it’s the TV that rules．No single person can say to have invented the television．

　　In 1884, the German Paul Nipkow invented a device that sent pictures mechanically, and in 1906, Boris Rosing, a Russian, used a ray and a disc to create the world’s first TV system．Then in the early 1920s, another Russian, Vladimir Zworykin, invented a picture display tube．He took out a patent for color TV, even though it wouldn’t be developed for another 25 years．

　　In 1924, a Scot entered the scene－John Logie Baird．He first succeeded in sending a moving picture and a year later got the first actual TV picture．In 1926, Baird showed TV in a London laboratory．Two years later in New York, Felix the Cat became the first TV star．

　　TV excited everyone’s imagination, but hardly anyone had a set, with just two thousand in use worldwide in the mid-1930s．

　　Since the late 1940s, TV technology has developed very quickly．Computers may finally be combined with all televisions to give people a total all-in-one communications network．

　　Today, it’s possible to sit and watch TV in the middle of a forest or in the Arctic．It’s surprising when one considers that Marconi was on the Signal Hill in the same century．

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　　On the west side of the island of Manhattan in New York City, tree by tree, leaf by leaf, a 2500 square feet sector of Central African Republic’s Dzanga Ndoki Rainforest has been transported to or recreated at, the American Museum of Natural History’s new hall of biodiversity．When the hall opens, the visitors will visit one of the world’s biggest and most accurate reproductions of one nature’s most threatened creations．

　　To bring the rainforest to New York, a team of nearly two dozen scientists－the largest collecting expedition the museum has ever organized for an exhibit－spend five weeks in the African rainforest collecting soil, plants, and leaves; recording and documenting species; studying trees; shooting videotape and stills; and interviewing local people．“This area has been explored very little, ” says Hoel Cracraft who estimates that the museum will eventually collect 150 to 180 mammals, more than 300 species of birds, hundreds of butterflies, and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of organisms．The exhibition may even have produced a special prize－scientists suspect they have uncovered several new species．

　　To give the forest a sense of realness, the back wall of the exhibit is an enormous video screen, sounds will come out from hidden speakers, and plans even call for forest smells．Computer controls will vary the effects so that no two walkthroughs(预排)will ever be exactly the same．

　　After the team returned to New York, the forest was reproduced with the help of the computer．Computer modelling programs plotted distances and special relationships．Artists studied photos and brought what they saw to life．Plaster trees were made．Recreated animals began to stand in the rainforest of the hall．Flying creatures will hang from the ceiling．The light in the forest－one of the exhibit’s cleverest recreations－will seem real．Long tube lights will have the correct color temperature to produce a natural effect．The plants and animals exhibited throughout the hall exist naturally in a perfect balance－remove one, and the whole is imperfect if not endangered．The exhibit is proof to the hope that the world’s rainforests will never exist solely as a carefully preserved artifact(人造物品)．

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　　While we have complained about budgets in accounting or fallen asleep in a carpool line, our children have been listening and watching．The stresses of our jobs are spilling over into our home lives, and our kids are worried about us．A new survey, “Ask the Children”, conducted by the Family and Work Institute of New York City, asked more than 1000 kids between the ages of 8 and 18 about their parents’ work lives．“If you were granted one wish to change the way your parents’ work affected your life, ” the survey asked kids, “what would that wish be?” Most parents assumed that children would want more time with them, but only 10％ did．Instead, the most common wish(among 34％)was that parents would be less stressed and tired by work．

　　Alison Levin is the mother of three young children and a professional in the accounting firm Pricewater-house Coopers．Levin counsels employees who are overwhelmed(压倒)by their work and family obligations to carefully review their commitments．“It’s not about getting up earlier in the morning so you can get more done, ” she says．“It’s about saying no and making choices．” Working parents, she adds, should be fully home when they are home．

　　We can start by leaving work, and thoughts of work, behind as soon as we start the trip home．Think about how to make the most of the upcoming time with your family．And do something to get yourself in a good mood, whether it’s listening to music in the car or reading a novel on the train, rather than returning calls on the cell phone, and stay away from e-mail．

　　Remember too that your kids are learning about the world of work from you, so when they ask about your day, be sure to tell them about something good that happened．(In the survey, 69％ of moms said they liked their work, but only 42％ of kids thought they did．)

　　Parents can also distress by cutting back on their children’s activities．If keeping up with your kid’s schedule is killing you, you might insist that he choose between karate(空手道)lessons and the theatre troupe．Parents should also sneak away from work and family occasionally to feed their own interests and have fun．

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　　Do you find getting up in the morning so difficult that it’s painful? This might be called laziness, but Dr Kleitman has a new explanation．He has proved that everyone has a daily energy circle．

　　During the hours when you labor through your work you may say that you’re “hot”．That’s true．The time of day when you feel most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak．For some people the peak comes during the a forenoon．For others it comes in the afternoon or evening．No one has discovered why this is so, but it leads to such words as：“Get up, John! You’ll be late for work again! The possible explanation to the trouble is that John is at his temperature-and-energy peak in the evening．Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what these energy cycles mean, and which cycle each member of the family has．

　　You can’t change your energy cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it better．Habits can help, Dr Kleitman believes．Maybe you’re sleepy in the evening but feel you must stay up late anyway．Act against your cycle to some extent by habitually staying up later than you want to．If your energy is low in the morning but you have an important job to do early in the day, rise before your usual hour．This won’t change your cycle, but you’ll work better at your low point．

　　Get off to a slow start which saves your energy．Get up with a leisurely yawn(打呵欠)and stretch．Sit on the edge of the bed a minute before putting your feet on the floor．Avoid the troublesome search for clean clothes by laying them out the night before．Whenever possible, do routine work(日常工作)in the afternoon and save tasks requiring more energy or concentration for your shapen hours．