What accounts for the great outburst of major inventions in early America－breakthroughs such as the telegraph, the steamboat and the weaving machine?

　　Among the many shaping factors, I would single out the country’s excellent elementary schools：a labor force that welcomed the new technology;the practice of giving premiums to inventors;and above all the American genius for nonverbal, “spatial” thinking about things technological．

　　Why mention the elementary schools?Because thanks to these schools our early mechanics, especially in the New England and Middle Atlantic states, were generally literate and at home in arithmetic and in some aspects of geometry and trigonometry．

　　Acute foreign observers related American adaptiveness and inventiveness to this educational-advantage．As a member of a British commission visiting here in 1853 reported, “With a mind prepared by thorough school discipline, the American boy develops rapidly into the skilled workman．”

　　A further stimulus to invention came from the “premium” system, which preceded our patent system and for years ran parallel with it．This approach, originated abroad, offered inventors medals, cash prizes and other incentives．

　　In the United States, multitudes of premiums for new devices were awarded at country fairs and at the industrial fairs in major cities．Americans flocked to these fairs to admire the new machines and thus to renew their faith in the beneficence of technological advance．

　　Given this optimistic approach to technological innovation, the American worker took readily to that special kind of nonverbal thinking required in mechanical technology．As Eugene Ferguson has pointed out, “A technologist thinks about objects that cannot be reduced to unambiguous verbal descriptions：they are dealt with in his mind by a visual, nonverbal process…The designer and the inventor…are able to assemble and manipulate in their minds devices that as yet do not exist．”

　　This nonverbal “spatial” thinking can be just as creative as painting and writing．Robert Fulton once wrote, “The mechanic should sit down among levers, screws, wedges, wheels, etc．, like a poet among the letters of the alphabet, considering them as an exhibition of his thoughts, in which a new arrangement transmits a new idea．”

　　When all these shaping forces－schools, open attitudes, the premium system, a genius for spatial thinking－interacted with one another on the rich U．S．mainland, they produced that American characteristic, emulation．Today that word implies mere imitation．But in earlier times it meant a friendly but competitive striving for fame and excellence．

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　　A nine year old schoolgirl single handedly cooks up a science fair experiment that ends up debunking(揭穿…的真相)a widely practiced medical treatment．Emily Rosa's target was a practice known as therapeutic(治疗的)touch(TT for short), whose advocates manipulate patients' "energy field"to make them feel better and even, say some, to cure them of various ills．Yet Emily's test shows that these energy fields can't be detected, even by trained TT practitioners(行医者)．Obviously mindful of the publicity value of the situation, Journal editor George Lundberg appeared on TV to declare, "Age doesn't matter．It's good science that matters, and this is good science．"

　　Emily's mother Linda Rosa, a registered nurse, has been campaigning against TT for nearly a decade．Linda first thought about TT in the late '80s, when she learned it was on the approved list for continuing nursing education in Colorado．Its 100,000 trained practitioners(48,000 in the U．S．)don't even touch their patients．Instead, they waved their hands a few inches from the patient's body, pushing energy fields around until they’re in "balance．" TT advocates say these manipulations can help heal wounds, relieve Pain and reduce fever．The claims are taken seriously enough that TT therapists are frequently hired by leading hospitals, at up to ＄ 70 an hour, to smooth patients' energy, sometimes during surgery．Yet Rosa could not find any evidence that it works．To provide such proof, TT therapists would have to sit down for independent testing－something they haven't been eager to do, even though James Randi has offered more than ＄1 million to anyone who can demonstrate the existence of a human energy field．(He's had one taker so far．She failed．)A skeptic might conclude that TT practitioners are afraid to lay their beliefs on the line．But who could turn down an innocent fourth grader?Says Emily：“I think they didn't take me very seriously because I'm a kid．"

　　The experiment was straight forward：21 TT therapists stuck their hands, palms up, through a screen．Emily held her own hand over one of theirs left or right and the practitioners had to say which hand it was．When the results were recorded, they'd done no better than they would have by simply guessing．If there was an energy field, they couldn't feel it．

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　　Birds that are literally half asleep－with one brain hemisphere alert and the other sleeping－control which side of the brain remains awake, according to a new study of sleeping ducks．Earlier studies have documented half brain sleep in a wide range of birds．The brain hemispheres take turns sinking into the sleep stage characterized by slow brain waves．The eye controlled by the sleeping hemisphere keeps shut, while the wakeful hemisphere's eye stays open and alert．Birds also can sleep with both hemispheres resting at once．

　　Decades of studies of bird flocks led researchers to predict extra alertness in the more vulnerable, end of the row sleepers．Sure enough, in the end birds tended to watch carefully on the side away from their companions．Ducks in the inner spots showed no preference for gaze direction．

　　Also, birds dozing(打盹)at the end of the line resorted to single hemisphere sleep, rather than total relaxation, more often than inner ducks did．Rotating 16 birds through the positions in a four duck row, the researchers found outer birds half asleep during some 32 percent of dozing time versus about 12 percent for birds in internal spots．

　　"We believe this is the first evidence for an animal behaviorally controlling sleep and wakefulness simultaneously in different regions of the brain，"the researchers say．

　　The results provide the best evidence for a long standing supposition that single hemisphere sleep evolved as creatures scanned for enemies．The preference for opening an eye on the lookout side could be widespread, he predicts．He's seen it in a pair of birds dozing side by side in the zoo and in a single pet bird sleeping by a mirror．The mirror side eye closed as if the reflection were companion and the other eye stayed open．

　　Useful as half sleeping might be, it's only been found in birds and such water mammals(哺乳动物)as dolphins, whales, and seals．Perhaps keeping one side of the brain awake allows a sleeping animal to surface occasionally to avoid drowning．

　　Studies of birds may offer unique insights into sleep．Jerome M．Siegel of the UCLA says he wonders if birds' half brain sleep "is just the tip of the iceberg(冰山)" He speculates that more examples may turn up when we take a closer look at other species．

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Directions：Read the following four passages．Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements．For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D．choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read．

　　Tight-lipped elders used to say, “It’s not what you want in this world, but what you get．”

　　Psychology teaches that you do get what you want if you know what you want and want the right things．

　　You can make a mental blueprint of a desire as you would make a blueprint of a house, and each of us is continually making these blueprints in the general routine of everyday living．If we intend to have friends to dinner, we plan the menu, make a shopping list, decide which food to cook first, and such planning is an essential for any type of meal to be served．

　　Likewise, if you want to find a job, take a sheet of paper, and write a brief account of yourself．In making a blueprint for a job, begin with yourself, for when you know exactly what you have to offer, you can intelligently plan where to sell your services．

　　This account of yourself is actually a sketch of your working life and should include education, experience and references．Such an account is valuable．It can be referred to in filling out standard application blanks and is extremely helpful in personal interviews．While talking to you, you could-be employer is deciding whether your education, your experience, and other qualifications, will pay him to employ you and your “wares” and abilities must be displayed in an orderly and reasonably connected manner．

　　When you have carefully prepared a blueprint of your abilities and desires, you have something tangible to sell．Then you are ready to hunt for a job．Get all the possible information about your could-be job．Make inquiries as to the details regarding the job and the firm．Keep your eyes and ears open, and use your own judgment．Spend a certain amount of time each day seeking the employment you wish for, and keep in mind：Securing a job is your job now．

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　　When should a child start learning to read and write?This is one of the questions I am most frequently asked．There is no hard and fast rule, for no two are alike, and it would be wrong to set a time when all should start being taught the intricacies of reading letters to form words．

　　If a three-year-old wants to read(or even a two-year-old for that matter), the child has the right to be given every encouragement．The fact that he or she might later be“bored”when joining a class of non-readers at child school is the teacher’s affair．It is up to the teacher to see that such a child is given more advanced reading material．

　　Similarly, the child who still cannot read by the time he goes to junior school at the age of seven should be given every help by teachers and parents alike．They should make certain that he is not dyslexic(having difficulty in reading)．

　　Although parents should be careful not to force youngsters aged two to five to learn to read(if badly done it could put them off reading for life), there is no harm in preparing them for simple recognition of letters by labeling various items in their rooms．For instance, tie a nice piece of cardboard to their bed with BED written in neat, big letters．

　　Should the young child ask his parents to teach him to read, and if the parents are capable of doing so, such an attraction should not be ignored．But the task should never be made to look like a hard job and the child should never be forced to continue, or his interest should start to flag．

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　　Beijing plans to build huge free or low-cost parking lots beyond the Fourth and Fifth Ring Roads to encourage more car owners to take buses or subways to the downtown area．

　　The plan is just one of the many measures the city plans to take to reduce its traffic congestion．Low or no parking fees would be used as economic leverage to reduce growing parking demands from urban areas．

　　Car owners living in the suburbs will be encouraged to park their cars beyond the Fourth and Fifth Ring Roads and take buses or subways to the downtown area．Statistics show that nearly one quarter of the city’s traffic flow is concentrated in the 62-square-kilometre downtown area within the Second Ring Road, which makes up only 12 percent of the city’s total area．

　　The Beijing Traffic Management Bureau receives between 400 and 500 calls reporting traffic jams every day and more than 90 percent of the roads are filled to capacity during rush hour every morning and evening．Part of the problem is the lack of easy links between bus routes, subways and cars．

　　According to the communication commission, half of the city’s investment in transportation will go towards public transit construction in the next few years, making a jump from the current only 20 percent．Moreover, Beijing plans to change its layout by building new city centers, such as at Yizhuang, Tongzhou, Shunyi and Changping, in a bid to reduce the traffic flow to the downtown．

　　The current layout of Beijing-expanded ring roads around the same center of the Forbidden City, is seen as the root cause of the endless traffic jams．The downtown area is crowded with three business centers and one financial centre, as well as nearly 400 government organs and institutions．

　　Traffic experts say building more urban centers around Beijing may reduce the number of residents living in the suburbs and traveling long distances to work downtown every day, thus reducing traffic flow．

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　　XI’AN－Seven people died in a fire early on Wednesday morning in Xi’an, capital of Shannxi Province．A restaurant with a karaoke hall in the southern suburbs caught fire around 2 a.m.and seven waitresses who were sleeping on the second floor of the restaurant were killed．The restaurant was completely destroyed and the waitresses, the local police said, were killed by toxic smoke from burning decorations．

　　MANILA－Four people were killed yesterday in the central Philippine island of Tacloban when a bomb they had dug up exploded, local police were quoted as saying．The four people were digging to set up a septic(poisonous)tank in their house when they dug up the bomb．It went off, killing all four people, local police were quoted by radio station DZBB as saying．The police did not say where the bomb came from．Unexploded bombs from World War Ⅱ are still discovered around the Philippines once in a while．

　　TEL AVIV－An Israeli couple kissed for 30 hours and 45 minutes which, a spokeswoman said yesterday, was a world record．The couple, both in their twenties, started kissing on Monday at 8∶30 p.m.along with 250 other couples in a contest．“For nearly 31 hours they didn’t eat, drink, talk or even go to the bathroom．And the whole time, they were standing up”, said Arielle Goldman, who handled public relations for the event．She said a representative of the Guinness Book of World Records was on hang to witness the event, recorded on video．The previous record was 29 hour and 37 minutes, Goldman said．The winning couple received two round-the-world plane tickets and ＄2,500．

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CAREER OPPORTUNITES

　　1．Full Time Secretary Position Available：Applicants should have at least 2 year’s experience and be able to type 60 words a minute．No computer skills required．Apply in person at United Business Ltd, 17 Browning Street, Leeds．

　　2．Part-time Job：We require three part-time shop assistants to work during the evening．No experience required, applicants should be between 18 and 26 years old．Call 0115-765643 for more information．

　　3．Computer Trained Secretaries：Do you have experience working with computers?If you want to know more about us, call 0457-896754．

　　4．Teaching Assistants Needed：Hania’s Playshool needs 2 young teaching assistants to help with classes from 9 to 3 pm．Applicants should have references．For more information please visit www．Haniaplayschool．co．uk．

　　5．Weekend Work Available：We are looking for retired adults who would like to work part time on weekends for Rubberlast Group Ltd．Duties include answering the telephone and giving customers’ information．For more information call us at 0113-6741326．

　　6．University Positions Open：The University of Bristol is looking for 4 teachinh assistants to help with homework correction．Applicants should have a degree in one of the following：Political Science, English, Economics or History．Please call the University of Bristol for more information．

　　7．Home Delivery Representative：We are looking for someone who has excellent customer care, communication skills, a sales background with at least one year’s experience and is a good team player with creative ideas．In return we offer a starting salary of ＄20,000and 25 days paid holiday per year．For more information please call Direct Delivery Team of Yorkshire Post on 0113-2388318．

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　　Raising pets is not a new thing in China, but recently it has taken on a new meaning．

　　As a famous Chinese saying goes, pursuit of petty pleasures weakens one’s will to make progress．The saying has been so popular that even today many people still consider raising pets as a hobby of the idle．

　　Things have changed much recently and now raising pets has become a popular pastime, resulting in a successful pet care industry．

　　Pet food is sold in almost all supermarkets and many special stores for pet needs have been set up．

　　Animal hospitals provide various medical services for sick dogs and cats, and pet exchange fairs are held regularly．

　　At the China International Pet Show which took place recently in Beijing, more than 100 factories from across the country exhibited their products．Thousands of dealers and pet owners went to the show．

　　“People’s swollen pockets make it possible for many to raise pets, a hobby that used to be enjoyed only by the wealthy,”said Wang Wei, who works with the National Kennel Association of China．

　　Wang Yuyan, vice president of the Small Animals Protection Association, agreed．“In many films and novels, having a pet is used as a symbol of wealth．That’s not a complete picture．”Wang added that pets are friends in a real sense of the world, not just playthings．“Anyone with a loving nature can raise pets．”

　　Still the high cost of keeping a pet is something many people have to think about．

　　“I like dogs and cats, but I have neither time nor money to raise them,”said Li Jun, in her 40’s, a civil servant from Beijing．

　　The cost of raising a dog is high in Beijing, where registration is a must for all dogs and costs 5,000 yuan for each animal．In addition, pet owners must pay for regular injection of vaccines(疫苗)．Most of all, dog food is quite expensive．

　　Unlike his mother, Li Jun’s 10-year-old son, Li Qiyu, dreams of the day he will have his own pet,“I hope I can have a dog in my house,”he said．

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　　How can you hear you friends’ voices when they are far away and you can’t make a longdistance call?Beside the web camera system with your computer, we have a new hige-tech way to solve the problem and ease your pain of missing them．

　　The Japanese company Combiwith created a system-“talking picture”．It makes people in pictures speak!

　　The“talking picture”has a special pen．It is actually a pen-shaped scanner．It can scan information yhin special-made pictures．A connected player will then play the information out loud．

　　First, you need to take a picture and record what you want to say with the company．The will then make special barcodes(条形码)onto your picture(you can’t see those codes)．Those codes are your voice and your words．When you hold up the pen to scna your piture with barcodes．a player connected to the pen will start to play．It plays things you’ve recorded．That way the invention makes the“you”in the picture speak!

　　Do you want your friends and families talking out of pictures?Have them make pictures like that, and yu can hear them whernever you want, only with the“talking picture”system．The systm can play messages fo rup to 12minutes．

　　“The pictures would be useful for those who hope to hear the voice of someone living far away,”said Mayumi Fuji, a spokeswoman for the company．“Grandparents, for example．longing to kow about their grandchildren would be happy to hear their voices when they see the picture．”Fuji said．

　　But it si troublesome to go to the company for taking a special pilcture first, And, it is much more expensive than using a telephone．The phote with barcodes costs between 17,040 and 17,990(日元)(160and 169dollars)．The larger picture you want, the more you pay．

　　Now．just raise a finger, lonely people can have their loved ones speak put of pictures, But, whether the“talking picture”is practical or not, let’s wait and see．

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