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　　Advice to “sleep on it” could be well founded, scientists say．After a good night's sleep a problem that seemed impossible to solve the night before can often appear more manageable, although no evidence has proved this by now．But researchers at the University of Luebek in Germany have designed an experiment that shows a good night's sleep can improve insight(洞察力)and problem-solving．

　　“If you have some newly acquired memories in your brain, sleep acts on these memories and restructures(重构)them, so that after sleep the insight into a problem which you could not solve before increases,” said Dr．Jan Born, a neuroscientist(神经科学家), at the university．To test the theory, they taught volunteers two simple rules to help them put a string of numbers into a new order．There was also a third, hidden rule, which could help them increase their speed in solving the problem．The researchers divided the volunteers into two groups：half were allowed to sleep after the training while the rest were forced to stay awake．Born and his team noticed that the group that had slept after the training were twice as likely to figure out the third rule as the other group．“Sleep helped．”Born said in a telephone interview．“The important thing is that you have to have a memory representation in your brain of the problem you want to solve and then you sleep, so it can act on the problem．” But Born admitted that he and his team don't know how restructuring of memories occurs or what governs it．Pierre Marquette and Pierre Ruby of the University of Liege in Belgium said the experimental evidence supports the suggestion that sleep can help develop creative thinking．Although the role of sleep in human creativity will still be a mystery, the research gives people good reason to fully respect their periods of sleep, they added．

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　　AMERICANA HOTEL CRYSTAL CITY

　　Convenient location 5 minutes from Washington D．C．and one block to Crystal City METRO(地铁),Crystal City Underground, Alexandria．Free Parking, free Deluxe Continental Breakfast and complimentary(收费的)Hotel Shuttle Service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport．

　　14000 Jefferson Davis Hwy(endurance on S．Eads St．)

Phone(703)979-3722

　　DAYS INN ARLINGTON

　　Days Inn Arlington is located two miles from the Pentagon, Lincoln Memorial．There is a restaurant which serves American style food, plus two meeting rooms and an outdoor pool．Complimentary shuttle service runs to the Rosslyn Metro Station．Complimentary parking is available on the property．An experienced staff welcomes guests．

Phone(703)525-0300

　　THE HIGHLANDER MOTORINN

　　Comfortable rooms at moderate rates．Convenient location only minutes away from Washington area attraction．Near VA Square METRO Station and Ballston Commons Shopping Mall．Free continental breakfast, free parking．

Phone(703)524-4300

　　HYATT REGENCY CRYSTAL CITY

　　Conveniently located next to Washington National Airport and two miles from Washington D．C．Complimentary Shuttle to and from National Airport, metro, local restaurants and shopping．Experience a view to remember at out rooftop restaurants “Chesapeake Grill．”Call for Reservations．

　　Phone(073)418-12341(800)233-1234

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　　Every family with kids has seen its share of arguments, shouting and complaining．It turns out that all those conflicts serve an important purpose in the development of children．Saying “no” followed by a bad temper, just may be an unavoidable part of growing up．And that's a good thing．These are the first steps toward independence．Even young children have to challenge their parents sometimes．Studies have shown the following：

　　·Although stressful, conflicts are beneficial for children．

　　·Learning to manage conflicts is necessary for a child's development．

　　·Conflicts during the preschool years occur because children desire even more attention than parents can or should give．

　　If you understand why conflicts occur, it can minimize the conflicts between you and your children．Conflict is a child's attempt to develop a sense of self and how he or she learns to express his or her needs and ideas．Parents develop and drive this independence by putting children to the outside world both formally and informally．

　　Conflicts can grow out of a difference of opinion or might just be a way to blow off steam(发脾气)．In rare situations, constant conflicts between parents and children can indicate a deeper emotional problem．Consult your doctor if this seems to be your situation．

　　It's important to offer your child choices, which should be determined by age and developmental level．The more responsible a child is, the more choices he or she gets in reward．You can threaten your child with punishment, but often offering a choice will better improve angry situations．Consequences and rewards should have some meaning to your child．

　　Often a child's adverse(敌对的)reaction when he or she hears the word “no” can be avoided by giving the child an explanation as to why you have refused his or her request．

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　　Watson entered Mr Smith's office．The Boss was a hard man．He fired people who didn't do well without giving them a second chance．

　　“Watson,” said Mr Smith, “this past year your department hasn't earned money．We're going to drop that department．It's finished．I' m sorry,－but you'll have to go．”“But, sir－if I just had a little more time．For the moment I need the job to keep my son at Riverside School．”

　　“What's that!” said the Boss．“Riverside!I didn't know you had a boy there．That's an expensive school for a man with your salary．”

　　“1 know, sir．But he likes it there so much!He's a star trackman(田径运动员)and the best boxer in the school．The boys call him Champ(冠军)there．”

　　The Boss sat perfectly still for a long time－a faraway(恍惚的)look in his eyes．Then, suddenly, he said, “We've got to close your department, Watson．But you'll take over a new job in another department．It means longer hours－maybe more pay．Now get out．You're here for life．”

　　Watson got out, with surprise in his face．Then the Boss took a letter from the top drawer of his desk．It was Herbie's last letter from Riverside School－written a few days before he died．He had read it over and over again with sick pain．The letter read：

　　I can't say the boys here are any nicer to me than the others were．I guess it's the same everywhere when you're a cripple(跛脚的人)．But don't worry about me, Dad．They've got a good chemistry department here．And there's one boy here who is really great．He's a track star and boxing champ and just tops in chemistry．The boys call him Champ．He made them stop throwing my books around．And he knocked a boy down who hit me．He is the best friend I ever had．Dad, when I grow up, I want to do something for Champ．Something big－that he won't even know about．

Your son,

Herbie

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　　In the past, young people in Japan were expected to take on responsibilities to support their parents and grandparents．Now they expect to be supported well into young adulthood．The “new breed”, born since the 1960 s, have never known anything but richness．Youth are seen as resistant to entering society as mature adults, to becoming social citizens．Once the great objective of reconstruction after the Second World War was accomplished, a new generation lost the motivating power that had united the nation together．

　　Japan's birth rate has been falling rapidly, partly because of economic decline, and the job and financial insecurity that it has caused．In 1999, the figure was 1.38 children per woman, the lowest ever recorded．At the same time, youth crime, although still especially low by western standards, rose to its highest level since record–keeping began 32 years ago．Likewise, the proportion of students dropping out before graduating, at 2.5％also very low by western standards, has nevertheless been rising．

　　Entrepreneurial(企业家的)role models are few and far between．Bill Gates is often mentioned, but a foreign model can only have so much influence．The problem is that Japanese culture discourages people from revealing details of personal life, including such difficult or painful experience as starting a company．In the past, successful companies such as Honda or Hitachi provided role models of a sort．But today they have been faded by the downturn, and few others have risen to take their place．

　　By the same reason, young people often feel isolated from their fathers, who worked too hard at their jobs to establish much of a relationship with their children．“The one thing they're sure of is that they don't want to be like their fathers．And the girls don't want to be with boys who are like their fathers, so the boys are sure not to be,” says Professor Morishima．

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　　Having visited museums and churches, visitors will be delighted to try these things which can be done and seen in London．They are well worth visiting．

　　London Eye

　　Make a reservation(预订)for London Eye before you leave the United States．The Eye is a huge wheel that takes you up into the sky．It was built to celebrate the millennium(千禧年), and has drawn millions of tourists ever since．Fun for the entire family, the Eye is a great way to see all the spectacular sites, including the Thames River, Parliament, Leicester Square, and Big Ben．

　　Speaker's Corner

　　Speaker's Corner never fails to draw a crowd．Near Marble Arch in Hyde Park, a group gather every Sunday to speak their mind．You'll hear everything from political activities to religious zealots(狂热者), and all who live between these extremes．Go shopping on Oxford Street afterward, and walk over to Trafalgar Square to see where people have toured for ages．

　　Kew Gardens

　　If you garden, or appreciate beautiful surroundings, then you will be in heaven wandering the paths of the Royal Botanic Kew Gardens, simply known as Kew Gardens．Featuring the world's largest collection of living plants, the collections in the greenhouses and beautiful displays of foliage throughout the garden will take your breath away．Walk around on your own, or take a guide and learn about the garden's secrets．

　　Camden Town

　　Camden Town is well known for its pop culture ways and extensive street markets．Home to many punk(朋克摇滚乐)performances and artists, Camden Town also hosts amazing markets on the weekends, selling goods of all types including fashion, food, books and even some rather bizarre(极其怪诞的)items．

　　Portobello Market

　　Nestled in the middle of Notting Hill, Portobello Market is one of London's most popular spots．The market actually has several distinct sections and they are dedicated to antiques, fruits and vegetables, fashion, and secondhand “finds”, Top off a visit to Portobello with a pub lunch, a couple of pints and some lively conversation with the locals．

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　　In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin．Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success．These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial or ethnic group, if some members are darker skinned than others．

　　The result is that skin lightening has become a common activity across Africa, Asia and other areas of the world．More and more people with dark skin are using skin-lightening products, even if they may face health risks．

　　They believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives．Many people think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family．Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful．

　　Some beauty care products and soaps contain chemicals that make skin lighter．This process is also called bleaching．But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous．One of the most dangerous is hydroquinone．

　　Hydroquinone has been banned in several countries．This chemical has been linked to kidney damage and some kinds of cancer．It also causes low birth weight in babies when mothers use it during pregnancy．

　　At first, bleaching products make the skin color lighter．But after long-term use they can cause problems．They can even make some skin darker．The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color to skin．The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight．Then the skin can become thick and discolored．Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse．

　　Fatimata Ly treats skin conditions in the Senegalese capital , Dakar．Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal．She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger．Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage．

　　And these are not the only risks．Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional damage．They feel regret and sadness．They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color as it was．

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　　One in four Chinese Internet users has a blog, which is the activity especially popular among students and young office staff．Usually common people write their blogs to share their thoughts or experience with friends or even more blog-visitors．Some have become famous overnight．

　　Some people find blogs the best channel to air their thoughts and opinions on social issues．For instance, those who are keen to protect Beijing's historical heritage have started personal blogs, online photo galleries, forums and even websites, to discuss Beijing's “hutong culture”．Zhang Wei, 30, who began earning his living in Beijing as a newspaper seller at 17, started his non-profit oldbeijing．org-in 2000, to collect information on Beijing's traditional culture and lifestyles．

　　Well-known people get more recognition on their weblogs．Never before has the public gotten so close to the private lives of these famous people．Xu Jinglei, a gifted actress and director, is one of the most popular bloggers on sina.com, with her honesty about the entertainment circles．

　　Those who find it difficult to air their complaints in the traditional news media began to post their thoughts and opinions in blogs and receive immediate comments from readers．It is unsurprising that many blog postings have grown into national media events overnight．A famous example is Ai Dongmei, a former Marathon champion who has just reached an out-of-court settlement with her coach, who she accused of withholding her salary and winnings．In April 2007, with no money and no job, Ai announced on her blog that she would be selling her medals to make a living．This caused a national discussion after the traditional media reported her online offer．

　　As numbers of the bloggers increased quickly in China and some blogs were accused of spreading unhealthy and offensive information, blog service providers are required to ensure security of information that bloggers prefer to keep secret．Yet, the real-name registration requirement is not essential, for conditions are not yet fully developed for carrying out real-name registration as we lack reliable technology for private information protection．

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　　In order to host the Olympics, a city must submit a proposal to the IOC．After all proposals have been submitted, the IOC votes．If no city with the fewest votes is eliminated(淘汰), the voting continues, until a majority winner is determined．Typically the Games are awarded several years in advance, allowing the winning city time to prepare for the Games．

　　In selecting the site of the Olympic Games, the IOC considers a number of factors, and chiefly among them is which organizing committee seems most likely to stage the Games effectively．The IOC also considers which parts of the world have not yet hosted the Games．For instance, Tokyo, the host of the 1964 Summer Games, and Beijing, that of the 2008 Games, were chosen in part to popularize the Olympic movement in Asia．Because of television's growing importance worldwide, the IOC in recent years has also taken into account the host city's time zone．Whenever the Games take place in the USA or Canada, for example, American television networks are willing to pay specially higher amounts for television rights because they can broadcast popular events live in the best viewing hours．

　　Once the Games have been awarded, it is the duty of the local organizing committee－not the IOC or the NOC of the host city's country－to provide them with money．This is often done with a part of the Olympic television revenues(收入), and corporate sponsorships(社团赞助), tickets sales, and other smaller revenue sources．In many cases there is also direct government support．Although many cities have achieved amounts of money by hosting the Games, the Olympics can be financially risky．When the financial gains from the Games were less than expected, the city was left with large debts．