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　　American magician David Blaine left the glass box in which he had lived for 44 days without food on October 19, 2003．Hundreds of people came to watch the end of his starvation experiment, which has become one of London’s main tourist attractions．

　　Looking thinner and darker, 30 year-old Blaine was taken out of his box over the River Thames(泰晤士河)and immediately went to hospital．He was then slowly reintroduced to food, a process(过程)doctors say could be life threatening．He had been drinking only water since September 5．

　　A native of Brooklyn, New York, Blaine first became known as a street magician in the early 1990s．He soon found himself doing magic tricks in bars for the likes of American actor Leonardo DiCaprio and his super model friends．

　　Over the last decade Blaine has become famous with a combination of breathtaking magic and clever tricks aimed at getting a lot of attention．

　　In 1999, he was buried in a coffin(棺材)for one week and, in 2000, he spent 62 hours in a giant block of ice．Last year he stood on top of a 25-meter pillar(柱子)in the center of New York for 35 hours before jumping into a pile of boxes．

　　“I think a lot of people are unable to accept that they’re able to do what they can do,” he said．“They don’t realize we can survive．The human being is an amazing creation．”

　　But he seems to have suffered from spending so long in the glass box．He said that at times he was unable to see, had serious back pains and lost his sense of taste．

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　　A university graduate described as a “respectable and intelligent” woman is seeking professional help after being convicted of(证明有……罪)shoplifting for the second time in six months．

　　Aha Luz, recently studying for PhD has been told she could end up behind bars unless she can control the desire to steal from shops．

　　Luz, who lives with her partner in Fitzwilliam Road, Cambridge, admitted stealing clothes worth 9.95 pounds from John Lewis in Oxford Street, London, on March 9．

　　Phillip Lomoyne, prosecuting(起诉), said Luz selected some clothes from display and took them to the ladies’ toilet in the store, when she came out again she was wearing one of the skirts she had selected, having taken off the anti-theft security alarm．

　　She was stopped and caught after leaving the store without paying, Mr．Lomoyne said．He added that she was upset on her arrest and apologized for her actions．Luz, 28, was said to have been convicted of shoplifting by Cambridge judges last October, but Morag Duff, defending said she had never been in trouble with the police before this．

　　“She is ashamed and embarrassed but doesn’t really have any explanation why she did this,” Miss Duff said．“She didn’t intend to steal when she went into the store．She is at a loss to explain it．She is otherwise a very respectable and intelligent young lady．She went to her doctor and asked for advice because she wants to know if there is something in particular that caused her to do this．”

　　Judge David Azan fined Luz 50 pounds, and warned：“You have got a criminal record．If you carry on like this, you will end up in prison, which will ruin your bright future you may have．”

　　Luz achieved a degree in design at university in her native Spain, went on to a famous university in Berlin, Germany for her master’s degree and is now studying for a PhD at Cambridge University, UK．

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　　Newsmagazine of science devoted to the wonders and stories of modern science, written for the educated general reader．Published by Disney Magazine Publishing Co．Discover tells many of the same stories professionals read in Scientific American．A truly delightful family science magazine, each issue(每期)brings to light new and newsworthy topics to make dinnertime and water-cooler conversations interesting．

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　　Instyle is a guide to the lives and lifestyles of the world’s famous people．The magazine covers the choices people make about their homes, their clothes and their free time activities．With photos and articles, it opens the door to these people’s homes, families, parties and weddings, offering ideas about beauty, fitness and in general, lifestyles．

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　　This magazine is designed for leaders in the field of information engineering including top managers and professionals in the computer, business, design and education industries．Published by Conde Nast Publications Inc．, Wired often carries articles on how technology changes people’ s lives．

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　　Lipstick plays an important role in attraction and can even protect the lips from drying out in harsh weather．No wonder it’s the most important thing in a women’s cosmetics(化妆品)bag．

　　Colouring the lips is certainly not a new idea．It was practiced as early as 3500 BC．

　　In the past, a natural dye was used to paint lips．It was not until the 17th century that lipstick manufacturing really took off．The lipstick was made of mixtures that included pig fat and red sandalwood．It was kept in tiny pots and applied with a colouring stick．

　　Lipstick was invented and first presented by Parisian perfumeries(香料商)in Amsterdam．But these “little red sausages” were less than practical．They were wrapped in silk paper and the ends had to be broken off before each use．They also did not come cheap．

　　Over the years the sticks became less expensive and new colours were developed, But it was not until 1950 that lipstick accidentally was reinvented－this time by the Americans．

　　Today there are so many types of lipsticks and shades that it is hard to keep track of them．Faced with many choices in the cosmetic departments, it is easy to forget that there is a whole science to manufacturing them．

　　The basic materials are colours, oils and waxes．But they can contain up to 30 different materials．Lipstick manufactures have to achieve a careful balance．“You need a thicker oil to make the lipstick last longer, but a thinner one to make it easy to apply,” says Comelis Riedel, product developer at Nivea Beaute in Hamburg．

　　Different oils also provide protection for lips, preventing them from drying up．The waxes used in lipsticks must strike the right balance between strength and elasticity(弹性)．And up to nine different colouring matters could be needed to find the right shade．

　　No one today need fear dangerous materials in lipsticks．A study by a leading German consumer organization found dangerous materials such as lead or cadmium, are hardly a problem any more－even in the cheapest products．

　　Today, the question is whether to choose between a conventional lipstick or the newer, long-lasting variety．

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　　If it takes Kate twenty seconds to add 12 and 26, while Terry can do the sum in a quarter the time on his pocket calculator, how much better grades will Terry get than Kate in the math exam?

　　Pocket calculators are as cheap to buy as a pair of shoes, and as necessary to thousands of school children as a pencil and eraser．Schools have tried to limit their use by allowing them in science lessons to save time but by not allowing them to be used in math classes．When children do their homework, a pocket calculator is a must．Nowadays in Britain, calculators can be used freely in school examinations and already in many schools．The only sound to be heard during a mathematics examination is the sound of children tapping out their answers．

　　Many parents feel that their children are not being given a basic understanding of the facts of math．“The process of addition, division, subtraction and multiplication is part of training in logic which is important for every child．It teaches them to take series of steps necessary in coming to a conclusion”, says local math teacher．“With a calculator, the child can reach the right answer, but have no idea at all how he get there．”Another teacher in the same school disagreed．“Of course the children understand the principles behind what they do on the calculators．It makes no difference to the mental processes they go through, except to make them much faster and less boring．”“It’s far easier to teach them to grasp the idea of division and multiplication by making them understand which button then need to push than to talk about apples being cut in pieces,”said another teacher, who uses the calculators to keep the interest of his class．

　　In any case, the pocket calculator is here to stay；it’s taking the strain(过度疲劳)out of mental arithmetic in all sorts of ways…

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　　Things always seem different from its normal times to people when he or she is not feeling well．Perhaps, many of us know this rule, but we do not care about it．At such times, things make life hard for people in little ways．For example, when I am not in good condition, I can never find the things I need．To my surprise, it seems that the things I need have moved from all the places where I expect to find them．If I need something, I can never find it quickly．

　　Sometimes when we are not well, we will find that boxes become heavier when lifting them, that doors don’t want to open much more easily when trying opening them, that wind becomes even colder when facing it, that the sun becomes much hotter when under it, that cars don’t run better when driving it and the distances are longer than they were when we felt fine．

　　Why does it happen? The things around us usually do what they should do as long as we are well and strong．But when we aren’t in good condition, things often tell us that they are really not our friends but our enemies．It is wrong．In fact, everything keeps the same．Only because we are disturbed by the bad mood, we get the wrong feeling that everything is in the opposite direction against us．If we keep calm in the bad times, things will be the same as usual．

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　　The wheel was one of man’s first inventions and yet it has also proved one of the most useful．So wide and varied are the uses of wheels, in machines and vehicles of all kinds, that it is difficult to imagine what the world would be like without them．It is surprising to hear it said, therefore, that the wheel’s importance will perhaps be greatly reduced by the end of the century(the 20th century)by an invention so new as to be still unnamed．

　　The invention is a machine that floats above any surface on a cushion of air(气垫)．The cushion is formed when air is blown into the bottom of the machine．This part is shaped like a saucer(碟子)turned upside down．If air is blown into this saucer, the machine rises to a height that may vary from a few inches to a few feet．

Industry is already using one form of the invention to deal with heavy loads．It can lift them with ease and since there are no wheels, and therefore no friction(摩擦),they can be put into moving with the touch of a finger．

　　The new invention, however, is having a great effect on transport．Not only does it make expensive road systems unnecessary, but it enables vehicles to travel equally well over land or water．This unique(独一无二的)ability to reach most destinations has given rise to the prediction(预言)that wheeled vehicles may be as uncommon at the end of the century as aeroplanes were at the beginning．

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　　Man’s first real inventions, and one of the most important inventions in history, was the wheel．All transportation and machines in the world depend on it．

　　The wheel is the simplest yet but perhaps the most remarkable(值得注意的)of all inventions．Because there are no wheels in nature－no living thing was ever created with wheels．How, then, did man come to invent the wheel? Perhaps some early hunters found that they could roll the carcass(尸体)of a heavy animal through the forest on log more easily than they could carry it．However, the logs themselves weighed a lot．

　　It must have taken a great prehistoric(史前的)thinker to imagine two thin slices(薄片)of log connected at their centers by a strong stick, this would roll along just as the logs did and axle(轴)came into being, and with them the first carts．

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　　Here are two cars that may some day take the place of today’s big automobiles．If everyone drives such a car in the future, there will be less pollution in the air．There will be more parking space in cities, and the streets will be less crowded．Three such cars can fit in the space now needed for one car of the usual size．

　　The little cars will cost much less to own and to drive．Driving will be safer, too, as these little cars can go only 65 kilometres per hour．

　　The cars of the future will be fine for getting round a city, but they will not be useful for long trips．If the car is powered by electricity, it will have two batteries, one for the motor and one for the horn, signals, etc．Little cars which are powered by gasoline will go 450 kilometres before needing to stop for more gasoline．

　　If big cars are still used along with the small ones, two sets of roads will be needed in the future．Some roads will be used for the big, fast cars, and other roads will be needed for the small, slower ones．

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　　China’s newly-built railway to Tibet will be extended(延伸)to the border between China and Nepal, a local official said on Sunday．Meeting with visiting Nepali Deputy Prime Minister K．P．Sharma Oli, Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the government of the Tibet Autonomous Region, said Tibet is a remote place that is looking forward to being connected to south Asia．The railway extension will strengthen business exchanges, he said．Oli said Nepal hopes China can extend the railway to the border．

　　China and Nepal have more than 1400 km of border and five open border crossings．Nyalam, in Xigaze prefecture, is the only border crossing that has a highway．The Xigaze prefecture borders India, Nepal and Bhutan in the south．

　　According to current plans, a branch line will be built next year from Lhasa to Xigaze, the region’s second largest city located at an altitude of about 3800 meters and some 270 km from Lhasa．The project is expected to take three years．

　　The 1956-kilometer-long Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which starts from Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, was completed in July this year．

　　The city of Xigaze is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, and the prefecture is also an important production base for Tibetan agriculture and animal husbandry(畜牧业)．Oli, who is also minister of foreign affairs, arrived in Lhasa Saturday for a eight-day official visit to China．