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　　Six months’ preparation in Denmark：Africa studies, team work combined with social work with risk group teenagers．

　　Six months’ community work in Malawi in People to People Projects：Child Aid, HIV/AIDS．Fights and Teacher Training．

　　Qualifications：18 years, hard working and social engagement．

　　Please contact us by e-mail：takeaction@ betterworld．com．

　　YOUTH International is a non-profit high school foreign exchange students organization．We welcome teenagers from over 80 countries worldwide and provide host families．The community Representative is a part-time position designed for people with a strong desire to do something rewarding in the community and earn some extra money．

　　Applicants best suited for this work should enjoy teenagers, have a strong interest in cross-cultural communication and feel comfortable networking．Full training and support will be provided through branch offices throughout the US．Positions available in most states．

　　If interested, please email staff@ youth．org or call 888-123-9872．

　　Hi, I’m an ESL student in China．I’m 20, quiet and polite, and I speak reasonable English．I’m looking for a summer job in an English-speaking country．I can teach Chinese or do house and garden work and cook Chinese dishes．Can anybody offer me a job?I don’t need to earn much, just enough in two months(July－August)to pay for my return ticket to China．My goal is to improve my English and see a bit more of the world．

　　My email is：ram3462@ hotmail．com．

　　I am looking for native speakers of English to join in an experiment．This experiment is carried out over the Internet．You don’t need nay specific knowledge other than understanding and speaking English at a native level．The first task will take you around 15 minutes．After this task, you can decide whether you want to continue the experiment．The tasks involve reading texts and designing questions and answers．

　　If you are willing to help me, then please email us：club3864@ hotmail．com

阅读理解

　　Early people had very little effect on the environment．They lived in caves in very small groups．They collected or killed only enough for the clan’s survival．Early clans were nomadic, which means that they did not stay in one place．Instead, they moved around, following the animals that were their main food source and seeking areas where seasonal plants grew wild．Moving around seasonally helped to protect the environment．The land had time to recover and animals had time to breed(繁殖)before the clan returned for the next season．

　　As time went by, these small family clans joined with others to form larger groups for protection．Joining with other clans gave them more hunters and more women to help cut up the meat and share it between families．Eventually, people tamed(驯养)wild animals such as dogs and horses．People settled around rivers and fertile plains to share responsibilities and duties．Then, people began to plant crops instead of moving to areas where the plants grew．This development changed the environment．

　　Traditional forms of work also changed．Some people were hatter at performing a particular task than other clan members, so they began to specialize in things they were good at doing．This also meant that they began to exchange their goods for things that others produced．

　　People began to communicate with distant tribes．Land was cleared for roads．Foreign plants and animals were transported to places where they had not existed before．Specialization also gave people more free time．So art, dance and music became important ways of expressing feelings and thoughts．This was how many great civilizations started．

　　Compared to the past, modern civilization has experienced many changes to become the highly developed society that exists today．Populations have increased rapidly．Forests have been cleared for farms．Inventions and technology have made work easier．

　　However, pollution and other serious problems have also resulted from human progress．As concerned citizens, it is up to us to learn from past mistakes and to help maintain and improve our environment．

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　　The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches(串)of bananas and bags of peanuts．Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life．“Banana 300 naira．Peanuts 200 naira”．

　　He said in a low voice．I bargained him down to 200 total for the fruit and nuts．When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill He didn’t have change, so I told him not to worry．

　　He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth．

　　When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the comer selling fruit in the burning sun．My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us．

　　I pulled over and rolled down my window．He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready．I waved them away．“What’s up”．I asked him．“I．．．I don’t have money to buy books for school．” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills．

　　“Will this help?” I asked．He looked around nervously before taking the money．One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5000 naira or less each year．“Thank you, sir, ” he said．“Thank you very much．”

　　When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for school-books．What if he’s a cheat?And then I wondered why I did it．Did I do it to make myself feel better?Was I using him?Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask．

　　Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria．Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face．

　　“Oh, gosh!Long time．”

　　“Are you in school now?”I asked．

　　He nodded．

　　“That’s good, ” I said．A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted．“Here, ” I held out a 500 naira bill．“Take this．” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt．“What’s wrong?” I asked．“It’s a gift．”

　　He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back．His face shone with sweat．He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, “I’ve been waiting to give these to you．”

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　　The Marches were a happy family．Poverty, hard work, and even the fact that Father March was away with the Union armies could not down the spirits of Meg, Jo, Amy, and Marmee, as the March girls called their mother．

　　The March sisters tried to be good but had their share of faults．Pretty Meg was often displeased with the schoolchildren she taught; boyish Jo was easy to become angry; golden-haired schoolgirl Amy liked to show up; but Beth, who kept the house, was loving and gentle always．

　　The happy days passed and darkness came when a telegram arrived for Mrs．March．“Your husband is very ill, ” it said, “come at once．” The girl tried to be brave when their mother left for the front．They waited and prayed．Little Beth got scarlet fever(猩红热)when she was taking care of the sick neighbor．She became very ill but began to recover by the time Marmee was back．When Father came home from the front and at that joyful Christmas dinner they were once more all together．

　　Three years later the March girls had grown into young womanhood．Meg became Mrs．Brooke, and after a few family troubles got used to her new state happily．Jo had found pleasure in her literary efforts．Amy had grown into a young lady with a talent for design and an even greater one for society．But Beth had never fully regained her health, and her family watched her with love and anxiety．

　　Amy was asked to go and stay in Europe with a relative of the Marches．Jo went to New York and became successful in her writing and had the satisfaction of seeing her work published there．But at home the bitterest blow was yet to fall．Beth had known for some time that she couldn’t live much longer to be with the family and in the spring time she died．

　　News came from Europe that Amy and Laurie, the grandson of a wealthy neighbor, had planned to be married soon．Now Jo became ever more successful in her writing and got married to Professor Bhaer and soon afterwards founded a school for boys．

　　And so the little women had grown up and lived happily with their children, enjoying the harvest of love and goodness that they had devoted all their lives to．

阅读理解

　　PITTSBURGH－For most people, snakes seem unpleasant or even threatening．But Howie Choset sees in their delicate movements a way to save lives．

　　The 37-year-old Carnegie Mellon University professor has spent years developing snake-like robots he hopes will eventually slide through fallen buildings in search of victims trapped after natural disasters or other emergencies．

　　Dan Kara is president of Robotics Trends, a Northboro, Mass．-based company that publishes an online industry magazine and runs robotics trade shows．He said there are other snake-like robots being developed, mainly at universities, but didn’t know of one that could climb pipes．

　　The Carnegie Mellon machines are designed to carry cameras and electronic sensors and can be controlled with a joystick(操纵杆)．They move smoothly with the help of small electric motors, or servos, commonly used by hobbyists in model airplanes．

　　Built from lightweight materials, the robots are about the size of a human arm or smaller．They can sense which way is up, but are only as good as their human operators, Choset added．

　　Sam Stover, a search term manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Indiana, said snake-type robots would offer greater mobility than equipment currently available, such as cameras attached to extendable roles．

　　“It just allows us to do something we’ve ot been able to do before, ” Stover said, “We needed them yesterday．”

　　He said sniffer dogs are still the best search tool for rescue workers, but that they can only be used effectively when workers have access to damaged building．

　　Stover, among the rescue workers who handled the aftermath(后果)of Hurricane Katrina, said snake robots would have helped rescuers search flooded houses in that disaster．

　　Choset said the robots may not be ready for use for another five to ten years, depending on funding．

阅读理解

　　How many people have I met who have told me about the book they have been planning to write but have never yet found the time?Far too many．

　　This is Life, all right, but we do treat it like a rehearsal(排演)and, unhappily, we do miss so many of its best moments．

　　We take jobs to stay alive and provide homes for our families always making ourselves believe that this style of life is merely a temporary state of affairs along the road to what we really want to do．Then, at 60 or 65, we are suddenly presented with a clock and several grandchildren and we look back and realize that all those years waiting for Real Life to come along were in fact real life．

　　In America they have a saying much laughed at by the English：“Have a nice day” they speak slowly and seriously in their shops, hotels and sandwich bars．I think it is a wonderful phrase, reminding us, in effect, to enjoy the moment：to value this very day．

　　How often do we say to ourselves, “I’ll take up horse-riding(or golf, or sailing)as soon as I get a higher position, ” only to do none of those things when I do get the higher position．

　　When I first became a reporter I knew a man who gave up a very well paid respectable job at the Daily Telegraph to go and edit a small weekly newspaper．At the time I was astonished by what appeared to me to be his completely abnormal(反常的)mental state．How could anyone turn his back on Fleet Street in central London for a small local area？I wanted to know．

　　Now I am a little older and possibly wiser, I see the sense in it．In Fleet Street the man was under continual pressure．He lived in an unattractive London suburb and he spent much of his life sitting on Southern Region trains．

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　　My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico．My first job was to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields．I would walk behind an ox, guiding him with a broomstick．For ＄ 1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks．

　　It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons．Because the plantation owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could．I’ve never been late for any job since．I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for．More important, I earned my pay; it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn’t want to work．

　　I was only six years old, but I was doing a man’s job．Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than ＄ 18 a week．Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet．Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters．This gave me self-esteem(自尊心), one of the most important things a person can have．

　　When I was seven, I got work at a golf course near our house．My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find them．Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one．Some nights I would lie in bed and dreamt of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle．

　　The more I dreamed, the more I thought．Why not?I made my first golf club out of guava limb(番石榴树枝)and a piece of pipe．Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball．And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth．I practiced with the same devotion and intensity．I learned working in the field－except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick．

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　　Sixteen-year-old Michael Viscardi of San Diego won first prize in the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Science and Technology(西门子西屋数学和科技竞赛)．He showed solutions to a nineteenth century math problem．

　　Michael has been schooled by his mother, who has a doctor’s degree in neuroscience(神经科学)．He also worked on his professor at a university．

　　Home-scholars have won other honors including national competitions in geography and spelling．

　　The National Center for Education Statistics did its latest research on home-schooling in 2003．Researchers found that more than one million American students learned at home．That was more than two percent of the school-age population．

　　The report said the number of home-schooled students had increased．In 1999, about 850 000 students were considered home-schooled．This meant they were taught at home instead of at school for at least part of their education．The students’ time spent in public or private schools could not be more than 25 hours a week．Michael Vicardi, for example, has been taught mostly at home, but with advanced math classes at a local university．

　　The researchers asked parents why they home-schooled their children．31 percent said the most important reason was concerned about the environment of the local schools．30 percent said it was to provide religious instruction．16 percent said they were not satisfied with the quality of the instruction in the local schools．

　　The Associated Press(美联社)recently reported about an increase in the number of black Americans home-schooling their children．An education expert said much of this increase was in cities with histories of racial problems．Also, some families were concerned that local schools were not teaching about African-American history and culture．

　　Critics of home-schooling say children need to attend school to help them learn social skills．They also say that some home-schooled children do not get a very good education．Still, all fifty states and the District of Columbia permit home-schooling．But some require more parent preparation or student testing than other state do．

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　　Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team．“Football, tennis Cricket－anything with a round ball, I was useless”, he says now with a laugh．But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England’s rural Devonshire．

　　It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him．At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest．Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend．Gradually, Saunders set his mind building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance．At age 18, he ran his first marathon．

　　The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean．Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man’s cold-water exploits(成就)．Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future．

　　Journeys to the Pole aren’t the usual holidays for British country boys, and many people dismissed his dream as fantasy．“John Ridgway was one of the few who didn’t say, ‘You are completely crazy’, ” Saunders says．

　　In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole．He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter(遭遇)with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit．

　　Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton．His old playmates would not believe the transformation．

　　This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis．

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　　In October, 1961, at Crowley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio, an old, deaf gentleman named William E．Hoy stood up to throw out the first ball of the World Series．Most people at Crowley Field on that day probably did not remember Hoy because he had retired(退休)from professional baseball 58 years earlier．However, he had been an outstanding player and the deaf community still talks about him and his years in baseball．William E．Hoy was born in Houckstown, Ohio, on May 23, 1862．He became deaf when he was two years old．He attended the Columbus Ohio School for the Deaf．After graduation, he started playing semi-pro baseball while working as a shoemaker．

　　Hoy began playing professional baseball in 1886 for Oshkosh(Wisconsin)of the Northwestern League．In 1888, he started as an outfielder with the old Washington Senators．His small stature and speed made him an outstanding base runner．He was very good at stealing bases during his career．In the 1888 major league season, he stole 82 bases．He was also the Senators’ leading hitter in 1888．Hoy threw right-handed and tatted left-handed．On June 19, 1889, he threw out three batters at the plate from his outfield position．

　　The arm signals used by umpires(裁判)today to show balls and strikes, and his left arm to signal that it was a ball．

　　For many years, people talked about Hoy’s last ball game．He was playing for Los Angeles of the Pacific Coast Winter League．It was a memorable game because Hoy made an unusual play which won the game．It was a very foggy night and, therefore, very hard to see the ball．In the ninth inning, with two men out, Hoy managed to catch a fly ball to make the third out．Los Angeles defeated their opposition and won the pennant(锦旗)for the year．

　　Hoy married Anna Marie Lowery．The Hoys had many fiends．Since they could not hear a doorbell or a knock on the door, Hoy put a baseball in a groove(槽)by the door bell．The pulling of the bell knocked the ball onto the floor．The vibrations announced the visitor．

　　After he retired, Hoy stayed busy．He ran a dairy farm near Cincinnati for 20 years．He also became a public speaker and traveled giving speeches．Until a few years before his death, he took 4 and 10 mile walks several mornings a week．On December 15, 1961, William Hoy died at the age of 99．