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You can make a difference

　　This summer, join the International Conservation Scouts on a fun-filled holiday with a difference．Year after year, young people from all around the world get together at one of our sixteen conservation(环境保护)camps．Their shared aim?To help protect the countryside and its wildlife．

　　Many animals and plants are in danger of disappearing forever．The dormouse, a kind of mouse, for example, needs woodland plants for food and trees to stay in．Its habitat(栖息地)is being destroyed by man and it needs our help to survive．

　　On a conservation camp holiday you will learn all about nature and how to protect it．Our trained leaders will accompany you and tell you everything you need to know．Because of this you don’t need any experience, just energy and enthusiasm．You will explore the countryside and work to ensure the survival of hundreds of animals and plants and still have plenty of time to enjoy the camp’s excellent sports facilities and organize nature paths through beautiful scenery．

　　The International Conservation Scouts is a worldwide organization, so there must be a camp near you．You can spend a splendid holiday at any of the camps for as little as ￡60 including accommodation and food．

　　For more information send for a free conservation camp handbook today．

　　International Conservation Scouts

　　Stanton St John

　　Oxford Shire OX7 1TL

　　THE KEY TO SAVING WILDLIFE IS TO

　　PROTECT NATURAL HABITATS：YOUR WORK

　　WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE

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　　As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs．These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on．Once this value system is set up, it’s not easy to change later in life．Financial experts say that every one also has their own belief of how to manage their money．According to our different values, experts put us in three categories．They are：the ant, the cricket and the snail．

　　◆The ant－works first

　　Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don’t care about enjoying the moment．They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire．The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks(股票)with low risk．

　　◆The cricket－fun first

　　The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn’t think too much about the future．They even borrow money when they really want something．Many young people now belong to this group．These people have little savings．When they get old, they might have problems．They should learn to save and buy insurance(保险)．

　　◆The snail－lives under pressure

　　The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves．They take big long-term loans(贷款)from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses．They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford it．This can cause problems in the future．They should plan more carefully．

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　　Lisa, a middle-aged woman, went to prepare lunch, leaving her 3-year-old son, Barney, playing by himself in the backyard．

　　All of a sudden, a sharp cry of Barney came into the mother’s ears, and Lisa rushed into the backyard and found a big snake entwining(纠缠)the little child with its body and trying to swallow the boy．Lisa was terrified and quite angry．She made up her mind to save her son from the snake’s mouth．

　　It was a fearless mother’s love that made Lisa forget what she faced．She took up an old hatchet(斧头)from the ground and struck the snake with all her strength．

　　With the hatchet, Lisa hit the snake again and again, but she felt as if she were striking a mass of solid rubber．The little boy’s voice and breath were getting weaker and weaker．Lisa’s heart was broken and she nearly went mad．

　　Suddenly Lisa put aside the hatchet and threw herself on to the snake, opened her mouth and bit into its back, as if tearing a tough steak(牛排)．Lisa was really mad．

　　A small piece of flesh was bitten off．Lisa picked up the hatchet again and hit at the wound in the snake’s back madly and savagely．

　　Stinking blood was spraying out of the snake’s body．The snake was so badly wounded that it let Barney go and moved back into the forest．It had never imagined that human beings had such terrible, sharp teeth．Halfway home, the snake died．

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　　Most of us lead unhealthy lives; we spend far too much sitting down．If in addition we are careless about our diets, our bodies soon become loose and fatty and our systems slow moving．There are some aspects(方面)of our unhealthy lives that we cannot avoid．I am thinking of such features of modern city life as pollution, noise, rushed meals and stress．But keeping fit is a way to reduce the effects of these evils．The usual suggestion to a person who is looking for a way to keep fit is to take up some sport or other．While it is true that every weekend you will find people playing football and hockey in the local park, they are outnumbered a hundred to one by the people who are simply watching them．

　　For those who do not particularly enjoy competitive sports－and it is especially difficult to do so if you are not good at them－there are such separate activities as cycling, walking, jogging and swimming．What often happens though is that you do them in such a leisurely way, so slowly, that it is doubtful if you are doing yourself much good, except for the fact that you have at least managed to get up out of your armchair．

　　Even after you have found a way for keeping in shape, through sport or gymnastics, you are still only half way to good health, because, according to the experts, you must also master the art of complete mental and physical relaxation(放松)．It has to do with deep breathing, emptying your mind of all thoughts, meditation, and so on．Yoga, as practiced in the West, is the most widely known and popular of the systems for achieving the necessary state of relaxation．It seems ironical(讽刺性的), though, that as our lives have improved in a material sense we have found it increasingly necessary to go back to forms of activity－physical effort on the one hand and relaxation on the other－which were the natural way of life of our forefathers．

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　　The repairman told me, “No charge, Professor Pan!” We’re friends．

　　“I’d rather pay,” I replied．“If it’s free, I can’t afford it!”

　　Chinese often refuse payment for professional services, insisting, “We’re friends now!” But then they show up later to ask me to tutor them in English, or get them into an American university, and I wish I’d have just paid the 30 yuan I owed them in the first place!

　　According to the Americans, “There is no free lunch．” means that there’s a price for everything．And I’m always looking around to figure out what this means．

　　Many of our neighbours have given us fruit or flowers or costly teas, never asking anything in return．For years, a bicycle repairman has repeatedly refused to let me pay him．“Wait until you have something major to fix!”he insists．

　　I mentioned to a peasant friend that I wished I had a stone mill to grind(磨)flour for bread．A month later he showed up with a beautiful mill that he’d had his uncle in the countryside carve from a solid block of granite(花岗石)．

　　Chinese generosity(慷慨)is a real education for Americans like me, who would rather avoid social entanglements(纠纷)and just hand over the money．But cash can’t compensate(补偿)for the greatest gift－friendship．

　　When an American saw some of my friends sitting on bamboo stools under the trees, sipping(呷)tea, he said, “They must have nothing better to do．” “Actually, ” I said, “they are professors, with plenty to do．But probably you are right in saying that, at this moment, they have nothing better to do．And neither do I!”

　　And I joined the group．When chatted about tea and Chinese cooking and how much my boys have grown since we arrived．One man said, “They were pocket-sized when you came here．Now they’re taller than you．How time flies!”

　　How life flies．And Chinese are smart enough to share what they know they cannot keep．They freely give off their time, never too busy to help a friend．And they are teaching me, slowly, to both give and receive．So the next time someone says, “No charge．We’re friends!” I will thank them heartily．But if they show up later asking me to tutor them in English, I’ll make sure they tutor my son in Chinese as well, because there’s still no free lunch．

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New band rocks

　　Imagine what you will be doing in seven years．Are you getting your first job or just studying in another country?

　　When the Taiwan band Relax One(轻松玩)was formed in 1998, they wanted to release their own albums．And now they have．

　　When the four group members came to the mainland to promote their first album “I Want Relax One”, they told Teens how they made their dream come true．

　　Guitarist Xiaomao set up his own music studio when he was only 17 after he graduated from Danjiang High School．This is the same high school from which other stars graduated, including Jay Chou and Monster from Mayday．

　　“It doesn’t mean you are a loser simply because you don’t like school,” Xiaomao believed．He had a good time hanging around with music lovers．Then he met drummer A-kui, who was rather rebellious at that time．

　　Both A-kui’s parents are high school teachers．Born in such a family meant few choices for him－going to a good university and finding a decent(体面的)job seemed to be his future．A-kui was already on that road, being a top student in one of the top high schools in Taiwan．

　　“But I didn’t want to be planned, ” said A-kui．He took up drumming．The reason that he didn’t choose guitar or bass was simply that they were too costly．

　　“To learn to play drums, all you need is a pair of drumsticks, ” A-kui said with a smile．“My family didn’t want me to do music so I didn’t have the money to buy a guitar．”

　　Xiaorenguo was A-kui’s fellow student in Alethia University, majoring in information management．Being infected by A-kui’s enthusiasm for music, he began playing bass(贝司)．

　　They formed a band．Parents’ objections, financial pressure and changing of band members－nothing stopped their dream．

　　And then lead vocalist(主唱)Summer, who now writes all the songs, joined in 1998．

　　Summer loved singing when she was a kid．After graduating from Fu Jen University, she began her exploration of music．

　　Her voice and talent for writing songs were acknowledged(得到承认)before she joined the band．She had written songs for other singers, such as China Dolls(中国娃娃)．Some producers even tried to persuade her to develop a career on her own．

　　But Summer insisted on staying with the band．“We are like a family, ” Summer explained．

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　　I have a rule for travel：Never carry a map．I prefer to ask for directions．

　　Foreign visitors are often puzzled in Japan because most streets there don’t have names．In Japan, people use landmarks in their directions instead of street names．For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner．Turn left at the big hotel and go pass a fruit market．The post office is across from the bus stop．”

　　In the countryside of the American Midwest, usually there are not many landmarks．There are no mountains, so the land is very flat(平坦的)．In many places there are no towns or buildings within miles．Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distance．In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles．Turn east, and then go another mile．”

　　People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map：They measure distance by means of time, not miles．“How far away is the post office?” you ask．“Oh, ” they answer, “It’s about five minutes from here．” you say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know．

　　People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because visitors seldom understand the Greek language．Instead of giving you the direction, a Greek will often say, “Follow me．” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office．

　　Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question．What happens in this situation?A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea．”But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers, “I don’t know．”People in Yucatan think that “I don’t know” is impolite．They usually give an answer, often a wrong one．A visitor can get very, very lost in Yucatan!

　　One thing will help you everywhere－in Japan, in the United States, in Greece, in Mexico, or in any other place．You might not understand a person’s words, but maybe you can understand his body language．He or she will usually turn and then point in the correct direction．Go in that direction, and you may find the post office!

阅读理解

　　There are no other five-year-old children like him．He has a potato-shaped head, thick eyebrows and a voice that is not easily forgotten．He is not evil, but trouble follows him wherever he goes．

　　Crayon Shinchan enjoys great popularity in China．He has many fans in Hong Kong, Taiwan and on the mainland．And he is one of the hottest cartoon characters in his home country, Japan．But, the trouble-maker’s show was ranked the No．1most unwanted cartoon program by Japan’s Parent’ Association on April 18．

　　More than half the parents who took part in the study thought Shinchan was a negative role model for children．They believed his actions and speech were adult in nature and not suitable for kids．

　　Many parents and education experts in China agree with them．Shinchan, they say, is really offensive．He looks out for pretty ladies on the street; at the bookstore he reads magazines full of sexy women; he pretends to be kindapped by his teacher when he sees a police car, and he raises his mum’s skirt and shouts out the color of her underpants if she doesn’t buy him what he wants．

　　“Crayon Shinchan is full of dirty humor．The boy shows some terrible adult mentality(心态), which doesn’t match his age, ”said Pang Lijuan, professor of the Education Department at Beijing Normal University．Pang further pointed out that Shinchan destroyed the traditional image of a polite, hard-working boy．She feared that some teens may copy his behavior and harm their psychological development．Pang and many others in China thought that Shinchan was a cartoon for adults－not for children．

　　But some kids disagree．Jiangxin, a senior 2 student in Luhe Middle School in Beijing, became a fan of Shinchan after he first saw the cartoon two years ago．He said it was Shinchan’s humor, courage, and cleverness that made him and his friends love the little cartoon character．Shinchan“ looks at the adults’ world with kid’s eyes．He uncovers the hypocrisy(虚伪)and selfishness in a childish way, ”explained Jiang．“We watch it just for fun．”But Jiang also admitted that Shinchan was not good for all ages．“It may not be suitable for primary school kids．They may try to blindly copy him．”

　　Shinchan’s “father”, Japan’s popular cartoonist, Yoshito Ushi, never thought Shinchan would cause such a heated discussion．He argued that Shinchan was a childish copy of Japan’s middle-aged men．The boy does everything adults would like, but don’t dare to do．“People can easily forgive him because he’s only five years old, ”said Yoshito．

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　　Safety on the highways is not totally out of our hands．Here are four ways we can protect ourselves when we travel．

　　1．When your parents said you were safer in a larger car, they were right．

　　People in small cars are injured more often and more severely than people traveling in large cars．Manufacturers of small cars are building in more safety, which helps．But the mix of large cars and small cars on the road is the crux of the problem．No matter how good the safety features on a small car, it’s at a serious disadvantage in a crash with a vehicle that is a lot bigger and heavier．

　　2．Being slammed in to shattering(突然破裂的)glass and metal car parts－or being thrown from the car－can really do damage to flesh and blood．

　　That’s why vehicle passengers and drivers should wear safety belts．The safety belts only purpose is to hold back you if your car has a sudden, violent hit with another vehicle or object－or if it rolls over．

　　How much do belts help? A lot．A lap-and-shoulder-belt combination can reduce the risk of fatal(致命的)injury by 45 percent and the chance of serious injury by 50 percent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA)．

　　3．Air bags are important．

　　More than half of all new cars sold have air bags, and for good reason．Air bags provide additional protection in frontal crashes－the type of crash that kills the most motorists－when passengers and drivers are also wearing lap and shoulder safety belts．Consumers are demanding air bags in the cars they buy．The protection provided by air bags is limited in side or back hits; effective as they are, they can’t take the place of properly fastened safety belts．

　　4．A vehicle’s head restraint(安全头枕)is not for relaxing your head while you wait at a traffic light．

　　The purpose of the head restraint is to protect your neck and head if a car pushes you violently from behind．Without protection, your head can be snapped back, breaking your neck．(This is often known as “whiplash．”)The head restraints of a vehicle may or may not be adjustable．There is a tendency with adjustable restraints to leave them in the lowest position, which protects only short people．If your head restraint is adjustable, it should be set so it can fully support your head and neck in a crash．

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　　The year 2005 has been a year of disasters, but the bad luck of the planet won’t end with the year．If scientists are right, planet earth is 31 years away from a major disaster．A small near-earth object with the potential to cause big damage has grabbed the attention of observers around the world．

　　Astronomers have been monitoring the progress of a 390-metre-wide asteroid(小行星)ever since it was discovered last June．They predict that it could hit the earth, causing huge damage, in 2036．They are asking governments to develop a strategy for deflecting(使偏离)the asteroid, which was named Apophis after an ancient Egyptian demon．

　　NASA estimates that an impact by Apophis would release more than 100 000 times the energy of the nuclear blast(爆炸)that destroyed Hiroshima．The whole planet would see the effects of the dust released into the atmosphere．

　　An Apophis hit is the worst possible near-earth scenario in recorded history．The asteroid has a 1 in 37 chance of hitting the earth．

　　More than 30 years’warning of potential impact might seem like plenty of time．But scientists insist that there is actually little time left to decide what to do．It could take decades to design, test and build the technology to deflect the asteroid, they say．