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　　Americans often try to say things as quickly as possible, so for some expressions we use the first letters of the words instead of saying each word．Many common expressions or long names are shortened this way．

　　BYOB is a short way of saying “bring your own bottle”．The letters BYOB are often found at the bottom of a written invitation to a simple social event or gathering friends．For example, I decide to have a party on a Sunday afternoon．I might write a note saying, “Please come to the party, and BYOB．” The bottle each person brings is what that person wants to drink at the party．

　　An invitation to a special event, such as a wedding, would never say BYOB．However, an invitation to an official or very special event often has other letters at the bottom of it．The letters are RSVP．The letters represent the French expression “repondez sil vous plait”．In English, the words mean “Respond if it pleases you”．Americans use the letters as a short way to say please answer this invitation．

　　Another expression ASAP is often heard in business offices．My boss might say she wants something done ASAP．It means as soon as possible．She also might tell me she wants something done by COB．That means she wants it finished by close of business, or the end of the workday．

　　Beginning letters often are used to represent the name of a university．A famous one is MIT．It is short for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology．Another major university is UCLA, almost no one ever says its real name, the University of California at Los Angeles．That takes too long．

　　Some American businesses are better known for the beginning letters of their name than for their complete names．For example, you may not have heard of the company called International Business Machines, but you probably have heard of the company by its short name IBM．And the American Telephone and Telegraph Company is much better known as AT & T．Many American government agencies are known by the beginning letters of their name, too．For example, the FBI is the Federal Bureau of Investigation．The FBI investigates criminal activity in the United States．Then there is the IRS, the Internal Revenue Service．It is not a very popular agency．It collects Federal taxes．Here is an example you already know－VOA．Yes, it is the short name of the “Voice of America”．

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　　The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card fraud(欺骗)．Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal web site．

　　Web sites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care．

　　On-line shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they thought they bought．The thieves then go shopping with your card number－or sell the information over the Internet．Computers hackers have broken down security systems, raising questions about the safety of cardholder information．Several months ago, 25 000 customers of CD Universe, an on-line music retailer(零售商), were not lucky．Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Web site after the retailer refused to pay US ＄ 157 828 to get back the information．

　　Credit-card firms are now fighting against on-line fraud．Mastercard is working on plans for Web－only credit card, with a lower credit limit．The card could be used only for shopping online．However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated．

　　Ask about your credit-card firm's on-line rules：Under British law, cardholders have to pay the first US ＄ 78 of any fraudulent(欺骗性的)spending．

　　And shop only at secure sites：Send your credit-card information only if the Web site offers advanced secure system．

　　If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen．The Website address may also start https：//－the extra “s” stands for secure．If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone．

　　Keep your password safe：Most on-line sites require a user name and password before placing an order．Treat your password with care．

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　　In spite of the instructions he had been given, Tommy did not hurry straight round to Mrs．Blakey’s house with the note．Reading the-toy shop window with its decorated Christmas tree, he could not tear himself away from it until he had spent ten minutes staring at the gift he most wanted：a gun that fired corks．Where the road began to run downhill to Mrs．Blakey’s house he met some of his friends who were throwing snowballs．He joined in the fight, and by the time it finished, another twenty minutes had gone by．Ten more minutes were lost looking for the note for Mrs．Blakey, which had somehow dropped from his pocket during the fight．When, with the help of his friends, he finally found it, it was not only very wet, but, to his horror, he found that part of it was torn away and missing．That meant a further search, but in vain．So it happened that, now looking very untidy, Tommy reached Mrs．Blakey’s house nearly an hour late, carrying a dirty piece of paper that contained only the words．(See the words of the torn note on the right．)

　　Mrs．Blakey was puzzled over the note for a while, then, imagining she knew what the missing words were, told Tommy to tell his mother it would be all right．

　　Tommy returning home in much the same way as he had made the outward journey to Mrs．Blakey's, arrived not long before four o’clock to find his mother very angry and already putting her hat on．

　　“You naughty boy, where have you been?” she cried, and without waiting for an answer, “What did Mrs．Blakey say?”

　　Tommy told her．

　　“All right, you'd better come with me,” Mrs．Hendry said．And so once again Tommy found himself on the downhill road to Mrs．Blakey's．

　　At about the same moment that Mrs．Hendry and her son Tommy reached Mrs．Blakey's door, Mrs．Blakey herself, having taken a different road, was waiting outside the Hendry's home, wondering why there was no answer to her knock．Who could blame her for thinking that the torn note was an invitation to tea at the Hendry's, instead of which Mrs．Hendry had in fact been asking herself out to tea with Mrs．Blakey?

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　　Air & Space

　　Published Bimonthly

　　6 Issues(期，刊)

　　Price：＄ 24.00

　　For readers who are curious about flight in all its forms, Air & Space covers past and present achievements in flight and explains how to use technology to improve the quality of life in the future．

　　Astronomy

　　Published Monthly

　　12 Issues

　　Price：＄ 39.95

　　Invites readers to explore the universe from their own backyards．Every issue includes a monthly star and planet chart, tips on telescope observing, and techniques for taking beautiful astro-photographs．Explore the universe with the world’s most beautiful and popular astronomy magazine．

　　National Parks

　　Published Quarterly

　　4 Issues

　　Price：＄ 19.97

　　The only national publication focusing solely on national parks．The most important communication vehicle with our readers, this magazine creates an awareness of the need to protect and properly manage the resources found within and near the national parks．

　　The Environmental Magazine

　　Published Bimonthly

　　6 Issues

　　Price：＄ 20.00

　　The Environmental Magazine covers everything environmental “from recycling to rainforests”, including climate change, the state of oceans and rivers, and wildlife issues－all with contact information so you can research subjects further．Plus, “Green Living” section covers a variety of lifestyle topics．

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　　BBC News：Manchester Take the Top Spot

　　Manchester United's 2－0 victory over Blackburn at Old Trafford on Sunday took them to the top of the Premier League．Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to see Manchester move three points clear of Arsenal, who still have two games in hand．Manchester United started without their in-form striker(表现平平的前锋), Wayne Rooney, who has been out for up to four weeks after injuring his ankle in training last month．

　　It is a sign of the strength of Sir Alex Ferguson's young side that the absence of Rooney made little difference to the team's performance．The attacking force of Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Ryan Giggs is such that Blackburn were simply defeated．Sir Alex praised his side, describing them as “the strongest squad(阵容)I've ever had”．

　　Although it was Ronaldo who scored the winning goals, Sir Alex selected out his experienced mid-fielder Ryan Giggs for particular praise．“He(Giggs)has been a wonderful servant for this club and he was our best player,” said Ferguson．

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　　It was once thought that air pollution affected only the area immediately around large cities with factories or heavy automobile traffic．Today, we know that although these are the areas with the worst air pollution, the problem is literally worldwide．On several occasions over the past decade, a heavy cloud of air pollution has covered the entire eastern half of the United States and led to health warning even in rural areas away from any major concentration of manufacturing and automobile traffic．In fact, the very climate of the entire earth may be affected by air pollution．Some scientists feel that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the air resulting from the burning of fossil fuels(coal and oil)is creating a “greenhouse effect” holding in heat reflected from the earth and raising the world's average temperature．If this view is correct and the world's temperature is raised only a few degrees, much of the polar ice cap will melt and cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, and New Orleans will be under water．

　　Another view, less widely held, is that increasing particulate matter in the atmosphere is blocking sunlight and lowering the earth's temperature－a result that would be equally disastrous．A drop of just a few degrees could create something close to new ice age and would make agriculture difficult or impossible in many of our top farming areas．At present we do not know for sure that either of these conditions will happen(though one recent government report prepared by experts in the field concluded that the greenhouse effect is very likely)．Perhaps, if we are very lucky, the two tendencies will offset each other and the world's temperature will stay about the same as it is now．

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　　I am terrible oh TV．I don't sit straight and I don't talk clearly．It bothers, because I know inside I am smart, sensitive and sincere．Television can make any fool look like an intellectual, but I come over as dishonest．After a disastrous TV show last year, when I called the interviewer by the wrong name, I was reluctant to do broadcasting again．

　　Now, I will have my first novel out next month, which is called Do It Again, and the advertising people tell me I must go on TV to promote it．That is why I find myself practising my television interviewing technique with two consultants from Public Image Ltd．

　　“He blinks(眨眼)a lot, doesn't he?” says Diana, the speech specialist, studying my image on a video monitor．“And his crossed legs look defensive．But the voice isn't bad．” Jeannie, who is introduced to me as Public Image's image consultant, takes a step backwards to study the general posture．“Needs to get his bottom back in the sofa．And the jacket makes him look a bit deformed．Where does he get his clothes from?”

　　“Honesty is the most important thing,” Says Diana．“We don't want to turn people into actors．We want to bring out their personality．Then most importantly, there are the three E's：Energy, Enthusiasm and Enjoyment．And do try to stop blinking．”

　　And so our practice interview begins．“So, what can you tell us about your book, Martyn?” “Umm…” A long pause．“Errr…” A longer pause．“Tee hee, hargh…” A foolish giggle．“All right,” says Diana patiently, “We'll try that again．” We try it again, many, many times, each time trying to solve a different problem that I have．On the second run-through, my crossed legs keep moving up and down, which makes me look as if I want to run away(I do, I do)．On the third run they are uncrossed, but my hands are clenched on my lap．On the fourth my hands are fiddling with my ears．

　　But Diana is patient and gives me a lot of advice．She is very good at her job because on the final run-through, after three hours or so, I really don't look too bad．Steady gaze, breathing clear and no blinking．Not perfect but not bad．

　　I'm bursting with energy, enthusiasm and enjoyment and I'm talking a lot of nonsense, but you'd hardly notice．When you watch people on TV, you'll see a lot more just like me．

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　　Wendy McGahey and her 5-year-old daughter sat patiently under a shade tree on the quiet Tarrant County College campus in Hurst．

　　Suddenly, students burst from buildings, flooding the courtyard while carrying backpacks．

　　Mrs．Mcgahey greeted her two sons with typical mom questions：“Did you find your classes OK? What did you learn today?” Her boys, aged 9 and 10, aren't college students yet．But for three weeks in the summer, they invade the classrooms in the popular College for Kids program．They spend mornings marching around the campus to maths, paleontology and stock market classes．

　　“It's definitely not the summer that we grew up with．” said Mrs, McGahey, a North Richland Hills resident．“There wasn't a lot of computer learning when we were kids．”

　　Welcome to the new summer vacation．

　　It's a time in some communities that has become a mixed extension of the school year．

　　With more camps, programs and activities than ever, many children are spending the summer in structured or academic programs and less time riding bikes or running in the sprinkler．

　　As more moms and dads both work full time, city and school district programs keep kids entertained in a safe environment in the summer．Some parents, like those in Southlake Carroll, requested additional academic programs in the summer．

　　But with some schools starting in early August, the too many summer opportunities can overpower families and leave little time for sleeping late and playing with friends．

　　Kelsey Crawford, 9, of Southlake spends her summer in a school district camp and other camps and classes for basketball, golf and cooking．She also takes some time to do lessons．

　　She says she enjoys summer but sometimes wishes she had more time to take it all in．

　　“I'd like to practice my basketball or my diving．” she says．“I don't always have the time to practice what I've learned in the camps．”

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　　Are you short? Tall? Do you like pumpkins but hate manonaise? Whatever your interests, there's a club, society, or group for you．

　　America is home to about 25 000 clubs, associations, federations, societies, fraternal organizations, and other groups that all sorts of people join．If you are very short, there are the “Short Stature Foundation” and the “Little People of America”．If you're tall, there are dozens of clubs for tall people．

　　If you can't stand mayo, there's the “I hate Mayonnaise” club; members get the No Mayo newsletter, and a list of mayo-free restaurants．

　　Many people claim to have seen the rock star Elvis Presley, even after his death in 1977．Maybe that's because so many people dress up and act like Elvis．Some of them formed the “Elvis Presley Impersonators Association International”．

　　If you like to sing along through a microphone as you listen to music, you might consider the “Karaoke international Sing-Along Association”．

　　The “International Organization of Nerds” has more than 10 000 members．It is led by a man in Cincinnati, Ohio, who calls himself the Supreme Archnerd．He says membership may be for you if your eyeglasses are held together with tape, you keep at least 37 ball-point pens in a plastic pocket protector, and you wear slacks and shirts of clashing plaids．

　　Many clubs are devoted to food．The “International Banana Club” wants people everywhere to smile more in a world that is “going bananas”．The club has a library and museum of about 12 000 important banana artifacts．The “International Pumpkin Association” is devoted to growing giant pumpkins．“Slow Food Foundation” is a club that objects to fast-food places and promotes the joy of leisurely dining．

　　Because so many people love animals, there are many clubs to protect favored creatures．For instance．“Bat Conservation International” wants people to know about the many good points of bats．One example：Bats eat tons of insects, which would otherwise bug people．

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　　In today's Internet age, online games can be a change from the pressure of school or work．However, they can also cause problems and unhealthy addictions．This is most clearly seen in the example of South Korea．This country has the world's highest percentage of high-speed Internet services．It also has a high number of game players who are addicted to online games．

　　In 2004, a young man died after playing online games almost nonstop for 86 hours．A 12-year-old boy stole ＄16 000 from his father to continue online games which he could not get away from．Such problems are spreading to other pans of Asia as well．in 2005, it was reported that about 80 percent of China's 13.8 million online game players were under 25．And many of these were said to be addicted．Such numbers point toward a growing problem among Chinese youth．

　　Dr．Sue-huei Chen, a psychologist, discovered some signs of at-risk people．Such people often go online to escape from their problems．And they usually have no friendship or good social skills．They feel they need to spend more and more time online, so they may be absent from the school or family．And they become upset if anyone tries to limit their online game playing．

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