One morning a few years ago, Harvard President Neil Rudenstine overslept．For this busy man, it was a sort of alarm：after years of non-stop hard work, he might wear himself out and die an early death．

　　Only after a week’s leave——during which he read novels, listened to music and walked with his wife on a beach——was Rudenstine able to return to work．

　　In our modern life, we have lost the rhythm between action and rest．Amazingly, within this world there is a universal but silly saying：“I am so busy．”

　　We say this to one another as if our tireless efforts were a talent by nature and an ability to successfully deal with stress．The busier we are, the more important we seem to ourselves and, we imagine, to others．To be unavailable to our friends and family, and to be unable to find time to relax——this has become the model of a successful life．

　　Because we do not rest, we lose our way．We miss the guide telling us where to go, the food providing is with strength, the quiet giving us wisdom．

　　How have we allowed this to happen?I believe it is this：we have forgotten the Sabbath, the day of the week——for followers of some religions——for rest and praying．It is a day when we are not supposed to work, a time when we devote ourselves to enjoying and celebrating what is beautiful．It is a good time to bless our children and loved ones, give thanks, share meals, walk and sleep．It is a time for us to take a rest, to put our work aside, trusting that there are larger forces at work taking care of the world．

　　Rest is s spiritual and biological need; however, in our strong ambition to be successful and care for our many responsibilities, we may feel terribly guilty when we take time to rest．The Sabbath gives us permission to stop work．In fact, “Remember the Sabbath” is more than simply permission to rest; it is a rule to obey and a principle to follow．

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　　One August afternoon, Richard Allen dropped off his last passenger, Mrs．Carey．Lifting two grocery bags, he followed her across the yard and stood on the step of her house．Glancing up, he saw a large wasp(黄蜂)nest under the roof．Allen had heard that wasps can become more likely to sting(sting, sting, stung蜇)in summer．He mentioned this to Mrs．Carey, who had opened the door．

　　“Oh, they don’t bother me,” she said lightly．“I go in and out all the time．”

　　Anxiously, Allen looked at the nest again——to see the wasps flying straight at him．“Hurry!” he shouted to Mrs．Carey．“Get in!”

　　She stepped quickly inside．Allen ran for his mini-bus．Too late; they were upon him．Just as he jumped aboard, half a dozen red spots showed on his arm, and he felt more on his back and shoulders．

　　As he was driving down the road, Allen felt as if something was burning at the back of his neck, and the “fire” was spreading forward toward his face．And immediate anxiety took hold of him．Allen knew that stings could cause some persons to die．But he had been stung the previous summer and the after-effects soon passed．However, what he didn’t know what that the first sting had turned his body into a time bomb waiting for the next to set off an explosion．

　　Miles from the nearest medical assistance, Allen began to feel his tongue thick and heavy and his heartbeat louder．Most frightening, he felt his breathing more and more difficult．He reached for the radio mike(话筒)，trying to call the mini-bus center, but his words were hardly understandable．Signals were also poor that far out．He knew a rescue team was on 24-hour duty at the Amherst Fire Department’s north station．So his best chance was to make a run for it．

　　Rushing down the mountain, Allen tried not to panic, focusing his mind on each sharp turn．He was almost through the last of them when he felt sure he was going into shock(休克)．Just then he reached for the radio mike again．

　　“Call fire station,” he shouted, concentrating to form the words．“Emergency．Bee sting．Emergency．There in ten minutes．”

　　“Five-ten,” the center replied．

　　Hold on, Allen thought．Keep your eyes open．Breathe．Keep awake．

　　At last he reached the station．Two firemen ran out．Allen felt their hands grasp him before he hit the ground．You made it, he thought．

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　　Kathy started at my nursery school at the age of three．She settled into the group easily, and would be first on the slide and highest up the climbing frame．She could put on her coat without help and not only fasten her own buttons but other children’s too．

　　She was a lovely child but unfortunately a scratcher．If anyone upset her or stood in her way, her right hand would flash out fast and scratch down the face of her playmates．Children twice her age would fly in fear from her．

　　This must have been very rewarding for Kathy but obviously it had to be stopped．All the usual ways failed and then I remembered an account by G Atkinson Highfield School, of how fights in the playground had been stopped．No punishment had been given, but the attacker had been ignored and the victims rewarded．So I decided to try out on Kathy．

　　With a pocketful of Smarties I followed Kathy around．She was so quick that it was impossible to prevent her scratching, but I was dertermined to stay within arm’s length all afternoon．

　　All was peaceful but then I saw Kathy’s hand moved and heard the scream．Gently I gathered up the little hurt one in my arms and said “Nice, nice sweetie” and then looked puzzled when she got nothing．

　　Soon came another scream, this time from John．While holding him in my arms, I said, “Look, Kathy, a nice Smartie for John” and put it into John’s mouth．

　　A smile of understanding flashed across Kathy’s face．Minutes later, she came to me and said loudly, “Give me a Smartie!I have hurt my finger!”

　　“No,” I replied, “you’ll get it if someone hurts you．”

　　On purpose, she turned and scratched a nearby boy, Tom, and waited quietly while I mothered and rewarded him, then she walked away．

　　She has never scratched a child since．

　　Parents who find older children bullying younger brothers and sisters might do well to replace shouting and punishment by rewarding and giving more attention to the injured ones．It’s certainly much easier and more effective．

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阅读理解

　　Margaret, married with two small children, has been working for the last seven years as a night cleaner, cleaning offices in a big building．

　　She trained as a nurse, but had to give it up when her elder child became seriously ill．“I would have liked to go back to it, but the shifts(工作班次)are all wrong for me, as I have to be home to get the children up and off to school．”

　　So she works as a cleaner instead, from 9 a.m.till 6 a.m.five nights a week for just ￡90, before tax and insurance．“It’s better than it was last year, but I still think that people who work ‘unsocial hours’ should get a bit extra．”

　　The hours she’ s chosen to work meant that she sees plenty of the children, but very little of her husband．However, she doesn’t think that puts any pressure on their relationship．

　　Her work isn’t physically very hard, but it’s not exactly pleasant, either．“I do get angry with people who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs．If they realized people like me have to do it, perhaps they’d be a bit more careful．”

　　The fact that she’s working all night doesn’t worry Margaret at all．Unlike some dark buildings at night, the building where she works is fully lit, and the women work in groups of three．“Since I’ve got to be here, I try to enjoy myself——and I usually do, because of the other girls．We all have a good laugh, so the time never drags．”

　　Another challenge Margaret has to face is the reaction of other people when she tells them what she does for a living．“They think you’re a cleaner because you don’t know how to read and write,” said Margaret．“I used to think what my parents would say if they knew what I’d been doing, but I don’t think that way any more．I don’t dislike the work though I can’t say I’m mad about it．”

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　　Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another．Choice, we are given to believe, is a right．But for a good many people in the world．In rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right．And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertiser, hoping to sell their products．

　　The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people’s lives．Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple．Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item(商品)that is not really wanted．Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed．More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals, lifestyle instructors, or advisors．

　　It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market．Advances in design and production help quicken the process Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time．The typical example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought．This indeed makes selection a problem．Gone are the days when one could just walk with case into a shop and buy one thing; no choice, no anxiety．

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　　Seeing a volcano erupt(喷发)is a wonderful experience, and you can really feel the beat by climbing to the summit(山顶)of Pacaya for a close-up view．There are guided tours every day up this highly active volcano from Antigua．Giving travelers a chance to see Mother Nature at her most powerful．

　　Pacaya is an easy drive from Antigua, a beautiful city with many colorful houses along its old streets that are turned into art-works during its Holy Week festival．No matter when you come to Antigua, you won’t miss the Pacaya-tour companies．

　　But climbing Pacaya is no easy job：it is 2560 metres high, and reaching the summit takes two to three hours of seemingly one-step-forward and two-step-back movements．As you climb, you hear the dull sounds of eruptions high above．Steaming．Hot remains from recent eruptions begin to line the path as you near the active summit; the McKenney Cone(火山锥)．Just as though you were going to walk over to the edge of the cone, the road turns to the left and up to the relative safety of the old, inactive summit．

　　Many tours are timed so that you arrive at the cone of the volcano is plenty of time for sunset and the full contrast between the erupting red lava(熔岩)and the darkening sky．On a good day the view from the summit is extremely exciting．The active mouth boils, sending red lava over its sides, and once in a while shoots hot streams up to 100 metres into the air．There is a strong bad smell in the air even if you take care to be upwind of the cone．As evening turns deeper into the night．the burning lava quietly falls down tae side of the volcano．For you, too, it is time to get down．

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　　Being able to multitask－doing several things at the same time－is considered a welcome skill by most people．But if we consider the situation of the young people aged from eight to eighteen, we should think again．

　　What we often see nowadays is that young people juggle an ever larger number of electronic devices(电子产品)as they study．While working, they also surf on the Internet, send out emails, answer the telephone and listen to music on their iPods．In a sense, they are spending a significant amount of time in fruitless efforts as they multitask．

　　Multitasking is even changing the relationship between family members．As young people around them．They can no longer greet family members when they enter the house, nor can they cat at the family table．

　　Multitasking also affects young people’s performance at university and in the workplace．When asked about their opinion of the effect of modern gadgets(器具)on their performance of tasks, many young people gave a positive response(反应)．However, the response from the worlds of education and business was not quite as positive．Educators feel that multitasking by children has a serious effect on later development of study skills．They believe that many college students now need help to improve their study skills．Similarly, employers feel that young people entering the job market need to be taught all over again, as modern gadgets have made it unnecessary for them to learn special skills to do their work．

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　　While all my classmates seen to be crazy about a one-way ticket to Mars(火星)，I’d rather say Mars is totally unsuitable for human existence．People won’t have enough food supplies there, and the terrible environment would make it impossible for them to live a long life．Besides, the journey won’t be safe．Can anybody explain to me just why people would go to Mars, never to return?

　　Steve Minear, UK

　　Here are the things you can think of：the desire to explore a foreign and unique environment, the excitement of being the first humans to open up a new world, the expectation of fame and glory…For scientists there is another reason．Their observations and research will probably lead to great scientific achievements．

　　Donal Trollop, Canada

　　There are already too many people on the Earth．I think that sometime before the end of the century, there will be a human colony(殖民地)on Mars．It will happen when people finally realize that tow-way trips to the red planet Mars are unnecessary．Most of the danger of space Flight is in the launches(发射)and landings．Cutting the trip home would therefore reduce the danger of accidents, save a lot of money, and open the way to building an everlasting human settlement on another world．

　　Enough supplies can be sent on ahead．And every two years more supplies and more people will needs, and Mars is far more pleasant than the other planets in the outer space．

　　Paul Davies．USA

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阅读理解

　　I arrived at my mother’s home for our Monday family dinner．The smells of food flew over from the kitchen．Mother was pulling out quilt(被子)after quilt from the boxes, proudly showing me their beauties．She was preparing for a quilt show at the Elmhurst Church．When we began to fold and put them back into the boxes, I noticed something at the bottom of one box．I pulled it out．“What is this?” I asked．

　　“Oh?” Mom said, “That’s Mama’s quilt．”

　　I spread the quilt．It looked at if a group of school children had pieced it together; irregular designs, childish pictures, a crooked line on the right．

　　“Grandmother made this?” I said, surprised．My grandmother was a master at making quilts．This certainly didn’t look like any of the quilts she had made．

　　“Yes, right before she died．I brought it home with me last year and made some changes,” she said．“I’m still working on it．See, this is what I’ve done so far．”

　　I looked at it more closely．She had made straight a crooked line．At the center of the quilt, she had stitched(缝)a piece of cloth with these words：“My mother made many quilts．She didn’t get all lines straight．But I think this is beautiful．I want to see it finished．Her last quilt．”

　　“Ooh, this is so nice, Mom,” I said．It occurred to me that by completing my grandmother’s quilt, my mother was honoring her own mother．I realized, too, that I held in my hands a family treasure．It started with the loving hands of one woman, and continued with the loving hands of another．

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　　As kids, my friends and I spent a lot of time out in the woods．“The woods” was our part-time address, destination, purpose, and excuse．If I went to a friend’s house and found him not at home, his mother might say, “Oh, he’s out in the woods, ” with a tone(语气)of airy acceptance．It’s similar to the tone people sometimes use nowadays to tell me that someone I’m looking for is on the golf course or at the gym, or even “away from his desk．” For us ten-year-olds, “being out in the woods” was just an excuse to do whatever we feel like for a while．

　　We sometimes told ourselves that what we were doing in the woods was exploring(探索)．Exploring was a more popular idea back then than it is today．History seemed to be mostly about explorers．Our explorations, though, seemed to have less system than the historic kind：something usually came up along the way．Say we stayed in the woods, throwing rocks, shooting frogs, picking blackberries, digging in what we were briefly persuaded was an Italian burial mound．

　　Often we got “lost” and had to climb a tree to find out where we were．If you read a story in which someone does that successfully, be skeptical：the topmost branches are usually too skinny to hold weight, and we could never climb high enough to see anything except other trees．There were four or five trees that we visited regularly－tall beeches, easy to climb and comfortable to sit in．

　　It was in a tree, too, that our days of fooling around in the woods came to an end．By then some of us has reached seventh grade and had begun the rough ride of adolescence(青春期)．In March, the month when we usually took to the woods again after winter, two friends and I set out to go exploring．We climbed a tree, and all of a sudden it occurred to all three of us at the same time that were really were rather big to be up in a tree．Soon there would be the spring dances on Friday evenings in the high school cafeteria．

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