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　　The Australian continent is a land like no other．Its animals, plants and landscapes have evolved(演化)over one thousand years, and there are about a million different natural species(物种)in Australia．More than 80 per cent of the country's plants and animals are unique to Australia, along with most of the fish and almost half the birds．

　　Australia has more than 140 species of marsupials(有袋动物)，including koalas, wombats and the Tasmanian devil, now found only in the Australian wilderness．More than 750 species of birds have been recorded in Australia, 350 of which are found nowhere else in the world．Among them are the kookaburra, the rainbow lorikeet and fairy penguins．There are also 55 differernt species of macropods－the kangaroo family－native to Australia．They vary greatly in size and weight, ranging from half a kilogram to 90 kilograms．

　　The country has been making every effort to protect its natural heritage．Despite the large size of the continent, the majority of Australians live on the coast and in major cities－around 75 per cent of Australia's population lives in city areas．

　　Australia is the driest continent on earth．Its center has one of the lowest rainfalls in the world and about three-quarters of the land is dry．These dry areas extend from the large central deserts to the western coast．Soils in these areas are very poor compared to other deserts．This has given Australians a great challenge．They have to make the best use of the variety of regions to meet the competing demands of agriculture, economy and conservation．

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　　Scientists have discovered 11 new species of plants and animals in Vietnam, including a snake, two butterflies and five orchid varieties, the World Wildife Fund said Wednesday．

　　The new species were found in a remote region known as the“Green Corridor”in Thua Thien Hue province in central Vietnam, the international conservation group said．“You can only discover so many new species in very special places, and the Green Corridor is one of them,”Chris Dickinson, the WWF's chief technical adviser in the region, said in a statement．

　　The new snake species, the white-lipped keel back, generally lives near streams and eats frogs and other small animals, the WWF said．It has a yellow-white stripe along its head, red dots on its body and can grow to more than 30 inches long．

　　The new butterfly species are among eight discovered in Thua Thien Hue since 1996．One is a“skipper”, a butterfly that flies in a quick, darting motion．

　　Three of the new orchid species are leafless, which is unusual for orchids, the WWF said．The other new plant species include one in the aspidistra family, which produces a black flower and can exist in low light, and arum(海芋属植物), which produces yellow flowers surrounded by funnelshaped leaves．

　　“It's great news for Vietnam,”said Bernard O'Callaghan, Vietnam program coordinator for the World Conservation Union．“The jungles and mountains of Vietnam are fascinating places and they continue to surprise scientists．”The WWF said all the new species are exclusive to tropical forests in Vietnam's Annamits mountain range．It said all the species in the area are under threat from illegal logging, hunting and development．

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　　For most of us, the purpose of the holidays is to bring peace, love, and goodwill towards all．Yet, for many, the holiday season often means stress, fatigue, pressure, disappointment and loneliness．

　　These feelings, often known as the“holiday blues”, may be even more prevalent, due to the emotional turmoil(波折)of the past few months, not to mention the unsteady economy．Experts say even the more ritual tasks of shopping, decorating, late-night parties, cooking, planning and family reunions can be holiday stressors．In addition, the psychological phenomenon known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, may bring a specific type of depression related to winter’s shorter days and longer nights．

　　“Certainly just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean people are going to be happy,”says Dr．Doug Jacobs of Harvard University．“And this will be a particularly hard holiday for some who are dealing with a lost job, debt, or even a lost loved one．”

　　And with family reunions becoming less frequent events over the years, there is now the added pressure of getting just one chance to get it all right．“Families are much more different now．The disappointment and sense of alienation that often results from family gatherings, is actually a realization that the fantasy is not met．”says John Stutesman, a clinical psychologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago．

　　Still, say experts, the blues should be addressed．The most essential step, says Stutesman, is for the individual to acknowledge their feelings and the reason for their withdrawal．“Denial will only compound the stress they’re feeling．”Stutesman recommends people do things that are normally comforting in order to get a handle on the holiday stress．“If they’re feeling a little blue, they should try to do things personally satisfying for them．Maybe this is exercise, cooking, reading a book, or massage．”Stutesman also advises that sometimes“avoidance is actually not such a bad idea．”In some situations, fulfilling social obligations may be self-destructive when the best thing may be to just stay home．The healthy choice has to do with taking care of oneself．”

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　　We’ve found the simplest, most powerful steps you can take－without adding more jobs to your to-do list or expenses to your monthly budget－to protect your heart the way nature intended．

　　It can be as simple as laughing at a bad situation rather than getting angry．It means going for walks after dinner, not watching game shows．It means giving an apple for dessert rather than apple pie, or spending 15 minutes sipping a cup of home-made cocoa curled up on the sofa with your family instead of watching the 11 o’clock news with a bag of chips．It’s doing a 5-minutes-a-day strength-training program while the coffee boils in the morning or taking a 3-second silent pause when the “you’ve got mail”alert sounds on your computer．

　　Here is the plan that lets you take them all on and win．

　　1．Focus on Small Changes for Big Results

　　Fast, simple diet can cut cholesterol(胆固醇)by 30 percent．A 5-minutes-a-day weight-training program can replace 10 years’ worth of lost muscle tissue．

　　2．Eat Fresh Foods

　　Fresh, whole foods don’t have to cost more or take more time to prepare than the packaged stuff．There wholesome, delicious foods－fresh fruits and veggies, grains, fish, meats, dairy products, and even soy－not only taste good, they also protect your heart by greatly reducing blood fats, driving down raised blood sugar, fighting destructive free radicals．

　　3．Find Joy

　　Accumulated researches link impatience and complaints with poor heart health; in contrast, forgiveness, friends, and optimism are linked with healthier hearts．Do you have a heart-threatening personality type? Find out and learn how to live a more joyful life．

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LIDAC MAYNARD

11 Windrift Circle

Methuen, MA

978－555－4539

JOB OBJECTIVE

Seek special education, primary school, or middle school math teaching position．

EDUCATION

Rivier College, Nashua, NH

Bachelor of Arts in Education－May, 2006

Major: Elementary Education

Have successfully completed PRAXIS I and PRAXIS II．Meet highly qualified testing requirements for Massachusetts and New Hampshire．

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

November, 2005－January, 2006

Wilkins Elementary School, Amherst, NH

Student Teacher

　　Developed and completed student－centered lessons in all subject areas for various groups of fifth grade special and regular education students．

　　Adapted lessons to meet student’s needs by reviewing their backgrounds and learning needs through IEPs．

　　Communicated with parents on a regular basis via newsletters, daily or weekly progress reports, phone calls, and email, resulting in increased parental participation at home．

August, 2005－November, 2005

Charlotte Avenue Elementary School, Nashua, NH

Student Teacher

　　Taught reading and writing through Language Experience Approach methods．

　　Introduced a Writer’s Workshop appropriate for first grade students to help them to develop their writing skills．

　　Developed learning stations in reading and science, enabling students to be more independent learners．

Spring, 2005

Wilkins Elementary School, Amherst, NH

Designed and taught a unit on Insects and Spiders, based on New Hampshire Standards to 23 self－contained, third and fourth grade students with disabilities．

Fall, 2004

Amherst Street Elementary School, Nashua, NH

Taught a class of 24 third grade students with a wide range of abilities．

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

　　After－School Aid, Amherst School District, Amherst, NH(2004－2005)

　　Summer Camp advisor, YMCA, Nashua, NH(Summers, 2002 and 2003)

　　Big Brother/Big Sister Volunteer, Nashua, NH(2002－2005)

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　　President Barack Obama has apologized for a gaffe(失言)in which he described his bowling skills as akin to participants in the Special Olympics, a sports program for people with intellectual disabilities．

　　Obama made the mistake during an interview on Thursday night on “The Tonight Show”with host Jay Leno, the first time a sitting U．S．president had been on the show．

　　Talking about living in the White House, Obama said he had been practicing his bowling in the home’s bowling alley and had scored a 129 out of a possible 300．

　　It was an improvement on the embarrassing 37 he had rolled during a stop on the presidential campaign trail a year ago．“It’s like－it was like Special Olympics or something,”Obama said．

　　The Special Olympics is a global nonprofit organization serving some 200 million people with intellectual disabilities, with a presence in nearly 200 countries worldwide．

　　Soon after the Jay Leno interview, Obama telephoned Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver to apologize．

　　Shriver told ABC’s“Good Morning America”television show that Obama had apologized“in a way that I think was very moving”and that he said “he did not intend to humiliate(羞辱)the population, didn’t want to embarrass or give anybody any more reason for pain or kind of suffering．”

　　Shriver said people should gain a lesson from the incident．

　　“I think it’s important to see that words hurt．Words do matter．And these words in some respect, can be seen as humiliating or a put-down to people with special needs, do cause pain．And they do result in stereotypes,”Shriver said．

　　White House spokesman Bill Burton said Obama“made an offhand remark making fun of his own bowling that was in no way intended to look down upon the Special Olympics．”

　　“He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world,”Burton said．

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Why I Don’t Spare“Spare Change”

　　“Poor but honest．”“The deserving(值得帮助的)poor．”These words always come to my mind when I think of“the poor．”But I also think of people who, perhaps through alcohol(酒)or drugs, have ruined not only their own lives but also the lives of others in order to give way to their own pleasure．Perhaps alcoholism(酗酒)and drug addiction(吸毒上瘾)really are“diseases, ” as many people say, but my own feeling－based, of course, not on any serious study－is that most alcoholics and drug addicts belong to the“undeserving poor．”And that is largely why I don’t give spare change to beggars．

　　But surely among the street people there are also some who can rightly be called“deserving．” Deserving what? My spare change? Or simply the government’s assistance? It happens that I have been brought up to believe that it is proper to make contributions to charity(慈善机构), but if I give some change to a beggar, am I making a contribution to charity and thereby helping someone, or, am I perhaps simply encouraging someone not to get help? Or, maybe even worse, am I supporting a cheat?

　　If one believes in the value of private charity, one can either give to needy people or to charitable organizations．In giving to a beggar one may indeed be helping a person who badly needs help, but one cannot be certain that one is giving to a needy person．In giving to an organization, on the other hand, one can feel that one’s money is likely to be used wisely．True, facing a beggar one may feel that this particular unfortunate person needs help at this moment－a cup of coffee or a sandwich－and the need will not be met unless I put my hand in my pocket right now．But I have come to think that the beggars whom I meet can get along without my spare change, and indeed perhaps they are actually better off for not having money to buy alcohol or drugs．

　　I know nothing about these beggars, but it’s my impression that they simply prefer begging to working．I am not generalizing about street people．I am talking about the people whom I actually meet．That’s why I do not give“spare change, ” and I don’t think I will in the future．

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　　Compassion is a desire within us to help others．With effort, we can translate compassion into action．An experience last weekend showed me this is true．I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly．These old people are our main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness．But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson．This untidy man walked up to my register(收款机)with a box of biscuits．He said he was out of cash(现金), had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards．He asked if we could let him have the food on trust．He promised to repay me the next day．

　　I couldn’t help staring at him．I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way．I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world．I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so．I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job．

　　Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up．If anything, he looked more pitiable．“Charge it to me, ” was all he said．

　　What I had been feeling was pity．Pity is soft and safe and easy．Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action．I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either．Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself．I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion．

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　　CBC is a famous air company which has over twenty planes carrying passengers and goods, flying along 12 fixed lines all over the world．Its service is very good but some passengers are still not satisfied with it and that is why in 2003 and 2004 the company received letters of complaints from consumers or passengers who pointed out over a dozen kinds of problems which are divided in groups in the following table．Those about passengers’ things carried by the plane are Baggage problems．Customer service refers to service work with passengers are not satisfied with．Oversales of seats are about the fact that more seats are sold and as a result the plane is too crowded to be safe．Refund problems appear when passengers fail to receive the money paid back to them because of what they have lost．Fares are problems about the price of tickets．

　　Consumer Complaints Received By the CBC

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　　What's your dream vacation? Watching wildlife in Kenya? Boating down the Amazon? Sunbathing in Malaysia? New chances are opening up all the time to explore the world．So we visit travel agents, compare packages and prices, and pay our money．

　　We know what our vacation costs us．But do we know what it might cost someone else? It's true that many poorer countries now depend on tourism for foreign income(收入)．Unfortunately, though, tourism often harms the local people more than it helps them．

　　It might cost their homes and lands．In Myanmar, 5, 200 people were forced to leave their homes among the pagodas(佛塔)in Bagan so that tourists could visit the pagodas．

　　Tourism might also cost the local people their livelihood and dignity．Local workers often find only menial(卑微的)jobs in the tourist industry．And most of the profits do not help the local economy．Instead, profits return to the tour operators in wealthier countries, When the Maasai people in Tanzania were driven from their lands, some moved to city slums(贫民窟)．Others now make a little money selling souvenirs or posing for photos．

　　Problems like these were observed more that 20 years ago．But now some non-government organizations, tour operators and local governments are working together to begin correcting them．Tourists, too, are putting on the pressure．

The result is responsible tourism, or“ethical tourism．” Ethical tourism has people at its heart．New international agreements and codes of conduct can help protect the people's lands, homes, economies and cultures．The beginnings are small, though, and the problems are complex．

　　But take heart．The good news is that everyone, including us, can play a part to help the local people in the places we visit．Tour operators and companies can help by making sure that local people work in good conditions and earn reasonable wages．

　　They can make it a point to use only locally owned hotel, restaurants and guide services．They can share profits fairly to help the local economy．And they can involve the local people in planning and managing tourism．

　　What can tourists do? First, we can ask tour companies to provide information about the conditions of local citizens．We can then make our choices and tell them why．And while we're abroad, we can：

　　Buy local foods and products, not imported ones．

　　Pay a fair price for goods and services and not bargain(讨价还价)for the cheapest price．

　　Avoid flaunting(炫耀)wealth．

　　Ask before taking photographs of people．

　　They are not just part of the landscape!

　　Let's enjoy our vacation and make sure others do, too．

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