Computer programmer David Jones earns￡35,000 a year designing new computer games, yet he cannot find a bank ready to let him have a credit card．Instead, he has been told to wait another two years, until he is 18．The 16-year-old works for a small firm in Liverpool, where the problem of most young people of his age is finding a job．David's firm neleases(推出)two new games for the fast growing computer market each month．

　　But David's biggest headache is what to do with his money．Even though he earns a lot, he cannot drive a car, take out a mortgage(抵押贷款)，or get credit cards．David got his job with the Liverpool-based company four months ago, a year after leaving school with six O-levels and working for a time in a computer shop．“I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs,”he said．David spends some of his money on records and clothes, and gives his mother 50 pounds a week．But most of his spare time is spent working．

　　“Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school．”he said．“But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time．I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school．Most people in his business are fairly young．Anyway．”David added：“I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement is a possibility．You never know when the market might disappear．”

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　　I suddenly heard an elephant crying as though frightened．Looking down,I immediately recognized that something was wrong,and ran down to the edge of the near bank．There I saw Ma Shwe with her three-month-old calf struggling in the fast-rising water,and it was a life-and-death struggle．Her calf was floating and screaning with fear．Ma Shwe was as near to the far bank as the could get,holding her whole body against the rushing water,and keeping the calf pressed against her huge body．Every now and then the rushing water would sweep the calf awaw．

　　There was a sudden rise in the water and the calf was wased clean over the mother's body and was gone．Ma Shwe turned quickly to reach it and pressed the calf with her head and trunk against the rocky bank．Then with a huge effort,she picked it up in her trunk and tried until she was able to place it on a narrow shelf of rock．

　　Just at this moment,she fell back into the river．If she were carried down,it would be certain death．I knew,as well as she did,that there was one spot where she could get up the bank,but it was on the other side from where she had put her calf．

　　While I was wondering what I could do next,I heard the sound of a mother's love．Ma

A．alone

B．next door

C．at home

D．abroad

　　Shwe had crossed the river and got up the bank and was making her way back as she could, roaring(吼叫)all the time, but to her calf it was music．

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　　It is true that good writers rewrite and rewrite and then rewrite some more．But in order to work up the desire to rewrite ,it is important to learn to like what you write at the early stage．

　　I am surprised at the number of famouw writers I know who say that they so dislike reading their own writing later that they even hate to look over the publishers’ opinions．One reason we may dislike reading our own work is that we’re often disappointed that the rich ideas in our minds seem very thin and plain whern first written down．Jerry Fodor and Steven Pinker suggest that this fact may be a result of how our minds work．

　　Different from popular belief ,wen do not usually think in the works and sentences of ordinary language but in symbois for ideas(known as “mentalese”), and writing our ideas down is an act of transtation from that symbolic language．But while mentalese contains our thoughts in the form of a complex tapestry(织锦)，writing can only be composed one thread at a time．Therefone it should not be surprising that our first attempt at expressing ideas should look so simple．It si only by repeatedly rewrting that wen producs new threads and connect them to get closer to the ideas formed in our minds．

　　When people write as if some strict critics(批评家)are looking over their shoulder, they are so worried about what this critic might say that they get stuck before they even start．Peter Elbow makes an excellent suggestion to deal with this problem．When writing wen should have two different minds．At the first stage ,we should see every idea ,as well as the words we use to express it ,as wonderful and worth putting down．It is only during rewrites that we should examine what wen excitedly wrote in the first stage and check for weaknesses．

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　　A volcanlc ctuption in iceland has sent ash zcross northern Europe．Airlines have Stopped or changed the flights across the Allantic Ocean, leaving hundrede of passengets stuck in aipports．

　　Grimsvotn is one of the largest and most active volcadoes in Europe．What makes Grimsvom different is that it lies under a huge glacier(冰川)of ice up to 12 maters thick．The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer(层)of water between the glacier and the volcano This layer of water puts pressure on the volcano, keeping it stable, As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts．The lava(岩浆)from the volcam then comes up to the surface．This is exactly what happened today．

　　Now, airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash．According to KLM one of Europe’s biggest airlines,airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it．Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane’s engines,causing damage to the plane．

　　The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland．The voicane left ash and sharp．Glass-like rocks all over the countryside．Farmers are keeping their animnls inside to stop them from eating ash- covered grass to the sharp object．

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　　What is Bay?The simple answer is that it is a global trading platform where nearly anyone can trade practically anything．People can sell and buy all kinds of products and goods．Including cars, movies and DVDs, sporting goods, travel tickets, musical instruments, clothes and shoes- the list goes on and on

　　The idea came from Peter Omidyar, who was born in Paris and moved to Washington when he was still a child, At high school, be became very interested in computer programming and after graduating from Tuft University in 1988, He worked for the next few years as a computer cagineer．In his free time he started Bay as a kind of hobby, at first offering the service free by word of mouth．By 1996 there was so much traffic on the website that he had to upgrade(升级)and he began charging a fee to members．Joined by a friend, Peter Skill．and in 1998 by his capable CEO, Meg Whiman, he has never looked back．Even in the great com crashes of the late 1990s,abay has gone from strength to strength, It is now one of the ten most visited online shopping websites on the Internet

　　Ebay sells connections, not goods, putting buyer and seller into contact with each other．All you have to do is lake an e-photo, write a description, fill out a sales form and you are in businessl the world is your market place．Of course for each item(商品)sold ebay gets a percentage and that is great deal of money．Every day there are more than sixteen million items listed on ebay and eighty percent of the items are sold

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　　When I was going home to india last year, I called up my mother to ask if she wanted anything from china, When india had not opened up its markers to the world, I carried suitease loads of dark glasses and jeans, Thankfully, we can get all these anywhere in India now, Still ,her answer surprised me：”Green tea,”

　　As loog as I can remember she didn’t even drink indian tea．

　　I dutifully bought a big packct of longjing and headed home to hear the story, My mother and her brother ,both regular newspaper readets, believed that Chinese green tea was the wonder drug for all illnesses At the turn of the century,China was not really familiar tu the average Indian, It was a stronge country

　　How things changel And how soonl

　　Now every lown of any sizc seems to have a “China Market”,And everyone is talking about China

　　The govemment of indin has planned to send a team to China to see how things are done A minister once said that india must open the doors for more foreign investment(投资)and such a step would“work wonders as it did for China”．

　　But it’s a two-way streat ,I just heard about a thousand shenzhen office workers who have gone to rangalore to train in software．Mcanwhile, all the IT majors are setting up a strong ptesence in China

　　No wonder that trade, which was only in the millions just ten years ago ,is expected to his about us$15 billion for last year and us$20 billion by 2008, a goal set by both governments, No wonder, my colleague wrote some weeks ago about this being the Sino-indian(中印)century as the two countries started on January I the Sino-Indian Friendship Year

　　But what is still a wonder to me is my moother dringking Chinese tea．

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　　Have you ever noticed the colour of the water in a river or stream after a heavy rainfall?What do you think caused this change in colour?It is soil that has been washed into the river from the riverbank or from t}le nearby fields．

　　Components of Soft

　　Soil is made up of a number of layers(层), each having its own distinctive colour and texture．The upper layer is known as the litter．It acts like a blanket．limiting temperature changes and reducing water loss．The topsoil layer is made up of small particles of rock mixed with rotten plant and animal matter called humus(腐殖质), which is black and gives the topsoil its dark colour．This layer is usually rich in nutrients, oxygen, and water．Below the topsoil is the subsoil, a layer that contains more stones mixed with only small amounts of organic matter．This layer is lighter in colour because of the lack of humus．Beneath the soil lies a layer of bedrock．

　　Soil forms from the bottom up．Over time bedrock is attacked by rain, wind, frost, and snow．It is gradually broken down into smaller particles in a process called weathering．Plants begin to grow, and rotten materials enrich the topsoil．Most of the soil in Eastern Canada．for example．Was formed from weathered rock that was exposed when the ice disappeared 12.000 years ag0．

Water Beneath the Soil

　　Surface water collects and flows above the ground in lakes．ponds．and rivers．Once in the soil or rock, it is called groundwater．Gravity pulls groundwater through the soil in a process called percolation(渗透)．Eventually the water reaches a layer called the water table．Under this is bedrock through which water cannot percolate．

　　As water percolates downward, it dissolves organic matter and minerals from the soil and carries them to deeper layers．This causes a serious problem because plants require these nutrients for growth．

Soil pH

　　Soil can be acidic．neutral．or basic．The pH of the soil is determined by the nature of the rock from which it was formed．and by the nature of t}le plants that grow and rot in it．

　　The acidity of rain and snow can lower the pH of the groundwater that enters the soil．By burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gasoline, humans have been contributing to higher levels of acidity in many soils．When fossil fuels are burned．gases are released into the air and then fall back to earth as acid rain．Acid soil increases出e problem of carrying nutrients to lower soil levels．As nutrients are removed, soil is less fertile．Plants grow more slowly in acidic soil, and also become easily attacked by diseases．

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　　The Brisbane City Council(BCC)is responsible for bus and ferry services with in the city limits and suburbs．Most buses will either arrive at the city or an interchange where connecting buses can be caught．BCC buses operate from 5∶30 am to 11∶00 pm Monday to Thursday and 5∶30 am t0 12∶00 am on Fridays．On weekends and public holidays buses operate less frequently Pre－paid bus tickets can be purchased from the QUT(Queensland University of Technology)bookshop, the campus newsagency．most other newsagencies and general stores, and any BCC Customer Service Centre．Short-term students at QUT cannot use their ID cards to gain a discount fare on BCC public transport．You will need to buy an adult ticket to travel．Bus fares are dependent on the number of zones you have to travel．There are several types of tickets：

　　Single：one way ticket to reach your destination, including transfers within 2 hours．

　　Daily：unlimited travel within the zones．

　　Off-peak’ Daily：discounted unlimited travel between 9∶00 am and 3∶30 pm and after 7∶00 pm Monday to Friday, and all day on weekends and public holidays．

　　Weekly：unlimited travel within the zones for one week from the date of issue．

　　Monthly：unlimited travel within the zones for one calendar month from the date of issue．

　　Ten-trip Saver：10 trips at any time within the zones on buses and ferries only．

　　Transport routes．timetables and fare information are available from：

　　Public Transport Information Centre

　　69 Ann Street(corner of George St)

　　Brisbane City

　　Phone l3 12 30(Transport Information Service)

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　　It was the first mow of winter-an exciting day for every, child but not for most tether．Up until now, l had been able to dress myself for recess(课间休息), but today I would need some help．Miss Finlayson, my kindergarten teacher at Princess Elizabeth School near Hamilton, Ontario, had been through first snow days, tony times in her long career, but I think struggled still remember this one．

　　I managed to get into my wool snow pants．But I straggled with my jacket because it didn’t fit well．It was a hand-me-down from my brother, and it made me wonder why I had to wear his ugly clothes．At least my hat and matching scarf were mine, and they were quite pretty．Finally it was time to have Miss Finlayson help me with my boots．In her calm, motherly voice she said,“By the end of winter, you will be able to put on own boots．”I didn’t realize at the time that this was more a statement of hope than of confidence．

　　I handed her my boots and stuck out my foot．Like most children, I expected the adult to do an the work．After mush wiggling and pushing, she managed to get first one into place and then, with a sigh, worked the second one on too．

　　I announced, “They’re on the wrong feet．”With the grace that only experience can bring, she struggled to get the boots off and went through the joyless task of putting them on again．Then I said,“These aren’t my boots．you know．”As she pulled the offending boots from my feet, she still managed to look both helpful and interested．Once they were off．I said,“They are my brother’s boots．My mother makes me wear them, and I hate them!”Somehow, from long years of practice, she managed to act as though I wasn’t an annoying little girl．She pushed and shoved．less gently this time, and the boots were returned to their proper place on my feet．With a great sigh of relief, seeing the end of her struggle with me, she asked,“Now, where are your gloves?”

　　I looked into her eyes and said．“I didn’t want to lose them．so I put them into the toes of my boots．”

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　　When women sit together to watch a movie on TV, they usually talk simultaneously(同时的)about a variety of subjects, including children, men, careers and what's happening in their lives．When groups of men and women watch a movie together, the men usually end up telling the women to shut up．Men can either talk or watch the screen－they can't do both-and they don't understand that women can．Besides, women consider that the point of all getting together is to have a good time and develop relationships－not just to sit there like couch potatoes staring at the screen．

　　During the ad breaks, a man often asks a woman to explain the plot and tell him where the relationship between the characters is going．He is unable, unlike women, to read the subtle body language signals that reveal how the characters are feeling emotionally．Since women originally spent their days with the other women and children in the group, they developed the ability to communicate successfully in order to maintain relationships．For a woman, speech continues to have such a clear purpose：to build relationships and make friends．For men, to talk is to relate the facts．

　　Men see the telephone as a communication tool for sending facts and information to other people, but a woman sees it as a means of bonding．A woman can spend two weeks on vacation with her girlfriend and, when she returns home, telephone the same girlfriend and talk for another two hours．

　　There is no convincing evidence that social conditioning, the fact that girls'mothers talked them more, is the reason why girls talk more than boys．Psychiatrist Dr Michael Lewis, author Social Behaviour and Language Acquisition, conducted experiments that found mothers talked to and looked at, baby girls more often than baby boys．Scientific evidence shows parents res the brain bias of their children．Since a girl's brain is better organized to send and receive speech, we therefore talk to them more．Consequently, mothers who try to talk to their sons are usually pointed to receive only short grunts in reply．

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