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School Uniforms not Cool Enough?

　　Believe it or not, there are good reasons for wearing a school uniform．It makes you feel proud of your school．It builds a common spirit of unity among students and reminds them of the values and history of their school．But for most students, school uniforms are not something to be proud of at all．

　　The main student complaints about school uniforms are：simple colors, boring designs and bad quality．And Huang Xiuzhen, a teacher at Conghua Middle School in Guangzhou, said that as a teacher and a mother, she eagerly hopes the quality of school uniforms will be improved soon．

　　What has caused all these problems?Chen Hong, a uniform designer in Shenzhen, pointed out that problems arise because the whole society doesn't see the importance of the school uniform．

　　"Most designers are likely to stick to the same old fashion, because there are no professionals(专业人员)of that work for students," Chen said．

　　"Besides, high quality calls for a high price," said Chen, "But in some schools, the annual expense for each student's uniform is only 50 to 60 yuan．"

　　"How can we produce high quality clothes with so little money?"

　　Even with these problems, efforts have been made to change the situation．A school clothes competition was held in April in Beijing．Thirty-seven uniforms, to be seen in schools next spring, were selected from 570．"We will offer the samples(样品)for schools to choose．" Zhai said．

　　Yet the Spirit Clothes Co．Ltd thinks that the most important thing is that each school has a different uniform．This makes each school unique(独一无二)．

　　"The perfect uniform should remind the students of the school's honor and cause them to be proud of it whenever and wherever they are．" Chen said．

　　Zhai added, "During the 2008 Olympic Games, the whole world will see the new appearance of our 21st century's young generation with new school uniforms．"

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What Type Are You?

　　Is human blood all the same?"Yes, "you may say, "It's all red．"

　　Well, it's not as simple as you might think．

　　Blood is made up of different parts, such as red blood cells(细胞), white blood cells, and platelets(血小板)．

　　Two chemical molecules(分子)on the red blood cells make people's blood different．Scientists mark one molecule "A" and the other molecule "B"．

　　According to which and how many molecules are on the red cell, scientists divide blood into four types：A, B, AB and O．

　　Your blood type will stay the same through your whole life．

　　Scientists have been wondering if there are some links between people's blood type and their personalities, but they don't know for sure yet．

　　But some say that people with the same blood type may have things in common．

　　What's your blood type?Do you have family members or friends who are the same type as you?Read the following．Are you like this?

　　People with type A：They look peaceful from the outside．But they ask too much of themselves that they may be very nervous inside．They get happy or sad easily．Sometimes they are shy but always very careful．They can easily win people's trust．

　　People with type B：They have strong minds．Once they start a task, they don't give up easily．They'll try their best to finish it and do it well．Type B people always try to make themselves different from others．They want to do things in their own way．

People with type O：They're open and good at making friends．They always start tasks but don't always finish them．They have lots of new ideas and love to be the center of attention．They always strongly believe in themselves．

　　People with type AB：They are maybe the strangest among all blood types．They can be both open and shy, noisy and quiet at the same time!They are responsible(负责的)and always ready to help others．

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What's in that drink?

　　The weather is getting hotter and you'll be getting thirstier playing basketball or riding home from school．A cold drink may be just the thing．But be careful about what you pour down your throat．Something that looks cool may not be good for your health．

　　There are plenty of so-called energy drinks on the market．Most of them have an attractive color and cool name．Their nutrition lists also contain various things from vitamins to ginseng．Sounds great!

　　But after a careful check you may find that most energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine．These drinks are typically aimed at young people, students, busy people and sports players．

　　Makers sometimes say their drinks make you better at sports and can keep you awake．But be careful not to drink too much．

　　Caffeine raises your heartbeat．Because of this, the International Olympic Committee has limited their use．The amount of caffeine in most energy drinks is at least as high as in a strong cup of coffee or strong tea．

　　Research by Australian scientists has found that many teenagers are affected by caffeine．The results of their survey show that 27 percent of boys aged 8～12 take in more caffeine than their parents．

　　There are potential health risks linked to energy drinks．Just one can of energy drink can make you nervous, have difficulty sleeping and can even cause heart attacks．

　　Teenagers should be discouraged from consuming drinks with a lot of caffeine in them, an expert from the Australia Nutrition Foundation said．

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　　LEMOORE, Calif．(AP)－Fed up with students' racy moves, a principal at a California high school has taken the unusual step of cancelling the rest of this year's school dances．

　　Principal Jim Bennett of Lemoore Union High School said he warned students at a winter formal dance last month to either quit dirty dancing or face the possibility of not dancing at all．

　　But he said the students continued "freak(＝crazy)dancing", a form of sexually suggestive dancing．

　　The ban on dances includes the school's Sadie Hawkins dance in February and the junior and senior proms(舞会)in the spring, but Bennett said they could be rescheduled if students modify their behavior．

　　"It's really up to the kids at this point．They have to take some responsibility," Bennett said．Organizers of the Sadie Hawkins dance, a fund-raiser for the school's Future Farmers of America, are working with Bennett to come up with a series of regulations, which could allow that dance to go on．

　　One idea is to let students sign a form stating that raunchy(猥亵的)dancing will get them kicked out．Students hope similar regulations could lead to the reinstatement of other dances, particularly the prom．

　　"Some students save up all year to buy a dress or rent a tuxedo(晚礼服)and buy flowers for the prom,"said student body president Zohra Lakhani, a 17-year-old senior, "To crush everyone's dreams, it's not fair．"

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　　There are roughly three New Yorks．

　　There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulence as natural and inevitable．Second, there is the New York of the commuter-the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night．Third, there is the New York of the person who was horn somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something．

　　Of these three trembling cities the greatest is the last－the city of final destination, the city that is a goal．It is this third city that accounts for New York's high-strung disposition(部署), its poetical deportment(行为举止), its dedication to the arts, and its incomparable achievements．Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it solidity and continuity; but the settles give it passion．And whether it is a farmer arriving from Italy to set up a small grocery store in a slum, or a young girl arriving from a small town in Mississippi to escape the indignity of being observed by her neighbors, or a boy arriving from the Corn Belt with a manuscript in his suitcase and a pain in his heart, it makes no difference：each embraces New York with the Intense excitement of first love, each absorbs New York with the fresh eyes of an adventurer, each generates heat and light to dwarf the Consolidated Edison Company．

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　　How to Play Tennis?

　　1．Eyes shut．

　　Once you've developed a sound service motion, it's important that you toss the ball into the same spot each time．You should be able to serve with your eyes closed, because the ball should be in the same spot every time．

　　2．Knock and again．

　　The key to having a powerful serve is in creating a loop(环)in your back swing and letting your racquet(球拍)head drop behind you as you toss the ball．This lengthens the swing, and more length means increased power．Serving requires using the big muscles of the body．Ask Pete Samaras, Boris Becker, or Groans Ivanisevic where their power comes from and they'll say their legs, hips, and shoulders．

　　3．Same as it ever was．

　　When you're practicing your serve, go through the same preserve rituals you use during a match．Bounce the ball a few times; bring your hands together, and then come to the set position．It doesn't matter if you hold your hands high or low, or how many times you bounce the ball; just do it the same way you would in a match, every time．The idea behind practice is to create consistency through repetition．If you don't practice your rituals, they won't be worth employing during a match．

　　4．Power plays．

　　Looking to add more power to your serve?Here are two things you need to do：

　　(1)Stay relaxed．When trying to hit the hall hard, most players tend to tighten up．Try to keep both your arm and your hand loose．

　　(2)Don't be afraid to use your entire body．Turning your hips and shoulders and getting more leg drive into your motion will add power to your serve．The one thing you can't afford to do is only use your arm．The whole body needs to be part of the service chain．

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　　When it comes to hotel rooms, skip the middleman and book directly with the hotel．Consumer Reports found that three out of four times, booking with the hotel saved money over using a travel website．Booking the four-diamond Hotel Vintage Plaza in Portland, Oregon, through the hotel's website would have cost two people

＄139 per night, ＄10 less than if they booked through Hotels．com．Granted, that ＄10 savings amounts only to roughly 7％of the higher room rate, but why throw away that ten-spot?You stand to save even more at some chains．The Radisson, for instance, guarantees you'll find the best room rates at its site-or it will match the lower Internet price and knock off another 25％．

　　The best hotel deals for parents who value their privacy are those that offer a second room for the kids at a discounted rate．You'll find these at select Wyndham, Four Seasons and Hyatt hotels, among others．We're not talking pullout sofas here; Wyndham's family suites have bunk beds and art tables．What's more, Wyndham's weekend 50/50 program offers 50％off either the second room or a second night．

　　There is a policy-Home Away From Home．For nearly free lodging, forgo the hotel altogether and join a home exchange network．through organizations such as HomeLink(www.homelink.org), Intervac(intevac-online.com)and(HomeExchange.com), you can swap(交换)homes with other families around the world．Fees for joining and gaining access to their listings cost ＄30～＄120, depending on the level of membership．For that low annual fee, you'll have housing and often the use of a car．At HomeExchange．com, we spotted a four-story town house within walking distance of Boston's Copley Square and the spectacular shopping on Newbury Street．Compare that to spending ＄405 a night for a family double room at the Copley Square Hotel．Even before tax, one week's stay would cost more than ＄2,800．But if you're not keen on forking over your house keys to strangers, simply rent．HomeExchange also lists rentals, or try contacting a vacation rental agency local to your destination．This can still be cheaper than hotel accommodations, and an available kitchen means not every meal will come at restaurant prices．

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　　Greenland offers adventures of ice and snow like nowhere else on this planet．The ice cap up to three kilometers thick covers an area 14 times the size of England, and icebergs snap off(折断)the glaciers(冰川)at the edges of the ice cap．You'll experience icebergs almost everywhere in Greenland．In the Disko Bay, icebergs often rise up to 100 meters above the waterline－keep in mind that 90 percent of an iceberg is hidden below the surface of the sea．The world's most active glacier at Ilulissat moves 25－30 meters a day and calves(裂冰)across a front 10 kilometers in width．Visiting the ice cap is possible from most towns in Greenland, although it usually takes a helicopter flight or a boat trip to reach the edge of the inland ice．In Kangerlussuaq the ice cap is only 20 kilometers away and you can hike, drive, fly or mountain bike to there-and stay overnight if you bring a tent．Springtime is the best season for dog-sledge tours and skiing although Greenland also offers first class summer skiing, even heli-skiing, on glaciers, and dog-sledge tours in the summer．

　　Greenland hosts several international events related to ice ＆ snow, such as the Arctic Circle Race regarded as the toughest ski race in the world, the Ice Golf World Championships, and the Snow Sculpture Festival．

　　As a neighbor to the North Pole, Greenland has an Arctic climate, although there are great differences from north to south, and from coast to inland．Generally speaking, the climate is very dry, and as a result, temperatures feel quite different from most other places in the world．10～15 degrees Celsius, that is, 50～60 degrees Fahrenheit, feels very warm, while minus 10 degrees Celsius(14 degrees Fahrenheit)is equivalent to a comfortable temperature．

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　　The CIA can't find him, the FBI can't either, but for the second time in five months Qatar TV has found Osama Bin Laden, the world's most wanted man, and put him on international television．This time he was caught on tape smiling, shaking hands and playing the role of a proud father, at his son's wedding in Afghanistan．

　　According to Qatar television, which broadcast exclusive footage(电影胶片)of the ceremony, Bin Laden was celebrating the marriage of his son Mohammad to the daughter of one of his aides．The footage shows a beaming Bin Laden sitting on a carpeted floor in a tent with his son and other unidentified men．

　　Bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi dissident has been accused by the United States of masterminding(策划)1998 attacks on two U．S．Embassies in Africa．He is also a suspect in the bombing of the USS Cole at the port of Aden in Yemen, which killed 17 U．S．sailors．A senior Yemeni security official said on Tuesday that a suspect arrested recently had confessed that Bin Laden was linked to the apparent suicide bombing(自杀炸弹)last October．

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　　A fable of Aesop：Two men traveling through a forest together promised to help each other whatever danger threatened them．They had not gone far when a bear rushed at them from some bushes．One man was a good climber, and quickly climbed a nearby tree, but the other, seeing that he had no chance alone against the bear, fell flat on his back, and pretended to be dead．The Bear came up to him, sniffed at him, and thinking him dead went off into the wood again without hurting him．When it had gone, the other traveler came down from the tree, and smilingly asked his companion what the bear had said to him．

　　"For I could see," he said, "that he put his mouth close to your ear．"

　　"He told me to tell you," replied the other, "that you were a great coward, and that in future I should not trust those who make fine promises, but will not stand by their friends in danger．"