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　　Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team“Football, tennis Cricket－anything with a round ball, I was useless,”he says now with a laugh．But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England's rural Devonshire．

　　It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him．At first he went biking alone in a nearby forest．Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend．Gradually, Saunders set his mind building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance．At age 18, he ran his first marathon．

　　The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean．Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway's school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man's cold-water exploits(成就)．Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future．

　　Journeys to the Pole aren't the usual holidays for British country boys, and many dismissed his dream as fantasy．“John Ridgway was one of the few who didn't say,‘You are completely crazy,’”Saunders says．

　　In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole．He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter(遭遇)with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit．

　　Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he's skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton．His old playmates would not believe the transformation．

　　This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis．

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Dear Sir,

　　I've read your advertisement in the“Arkadia Morning Mail”for hostesses to be in charge of the welfare(福利),entertainment and guiding of British guests in your holiday centre in Ruusulinna．

　　I am now a third-year student of English and History in the University of Gardenia but I am free from early June till late September．I have spent one year in London working in an English family and attending courses in English so I can speak this language fluently(流利地)．

　　My father has been a guide and I have often followed him and also myself acted as a guide to English-speaking groups．My studies and experience have made me familiar with many interesting places in my country．I am sociable, really interested in people and, at the same time, I am the one with common sense on whom people can depend．

　　I put the address of the Manager of the local Tourist Information Office with the letter inside, who is ready to supply further information about me．

　　If you are interested in my application(申请),I should be pleased with further information about these jobs, including the salary and general condition of employment．

Yours faithfully,

Polly Cosmos

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　　All across the country, kids are heading back to school．Despite advice from the nation's secretary of health and human services, recess(课间休息)and physical education have in many schools been cut back or canceled．While most of kids are eager to catch up with friends, the general feeling is that“playtime is over．”

　　Summer vacation does offer most children a bit of free playtime-the sort that leads to physical activity and self-organized play, often in short supply during the school year．Still, it's not enough．Playtime shouldn't be limited to summer vacation：it's important all year．

　　For most American children in the past,“going out to play”was the norm(基准)．Today, according to a University of Michigan study, children spend 50 percent less time outside than they did just 20 years ago．There is a direct line between lack of play and some frightening public health and social trends(倾向)：tragic statistics for obesity(肥胖), 4.5 million children diagnosed(诊断)with attention deficit disorder(ADD)(儿童多动症), an increase in childhood depression and classroom behavioral problems, and an inability to interact well with peers(好友)．

　　Just an hour a day of active play－running, chasing, games like dodge ball－can provide intense skill learning．Physical activity is known to lessen the symptoms of mild attention deficit disorder, and reduces the risk of childhood obesity．Active kids can perform better academically(学业上)in the long term．

　　We should be aware of how important play is to one's development．Even a play-deprived(剥夺)social mammal(哺乳动物)like a rat or monkey will become unable to tell friend from enemy, and poor at handling stress when it enters adulthood．My studies of young murderers indicates that most had lacked normal, developmentally appropriate play as children and pre-adolescents．

　　Play is fun, but finally it is also useful．The cleverer the animal, the more they play．For humans, play refreshes us because it gets us in touch with our core selves and the joy of life．

　　I feel sad about the kids who have given up on play for another nine months．Their devaluation of play is a tragic(悲剧性的)loss for them and for our society．

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　　People often say,“The hand that rocks the cradle(摇篮)rules the world．”and“Behind every successful man there is a woman．”Both these sayings mean the same thing．Men rule the world, but their wives rule them．

　　Most American women like making their husbands and sons successful, but some of them want more for themselves．They want good jobs, and when they work they want to be paid．They also want to be as successful as men．

　　The American women's liberation movement was started by women who didn't want to stand behind successful men．They wanted to stand beside men and have the same chances for success．They didn't want to be told that certain jobs or offices were closed to them．They refused to work side by side with men who did the same work for a higher pay．

　　A liberated woman must be proud of being a woman and have confidence in herself．If somebody says to her,“You have come a long way, baby．”She will smile and answer,“Not nearly as far as I'm going to go, baby．”This movement is quite new, and many American women don't agree with it．But it has already made some important changes in women's lives and in men's lives, too．

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　　When we're little, our mother is the center of our attention, and we are the center of hers．So our mother's characteristics leave an indelible(持久的)impression, and we are forever attracted to people with her facial features, body type, personality, even sense of humor．If our mother is warm and giving, as adults we tend to be attracted to people who are warm and giving．If our mother is strong and even-tempered, we are going to be attracted to a fair-minded strength in our mates．

　　The mother has an additional influence on her sons：she not only gives them clues to what they will find attractive in a mate, but also affects how they feel about women in general．So if she is warm and nice, her sons are going to think that's the way women are．They will probably grow up to be warm and responsive lovers and also be cooperative around the house．

　　Conversely(相反), a mother who has a depressive personality, and is sometimes friendly but then suddenly turns cold and rejecting, may raise a man who becomes a“dance-away lover”．Because he's been so scared(害怕)about love from his mother, he's afraid of commitment(责任、义务)and may pull away from a girlfriend for this reason．

　　While the mother determines in large part what qualities attract us in a mate, it's the father－the first male in our lives－who influences how we relate to the opposite sex．Fathers have an enormous effect on their children's personalities and chances of marital(婚姻的)happiness．

　　Just as mothers influence their son's general feelings toward women, fathers influence their daughter's general feelings about men．If a father lavishes praise on his daughter and shows that she is a worthwhile person, she'll feel very good about herself in relation to men．But if the father is cold, critical(批评的)or absent, the daughter will tend to feel she's not very lovable or attractive．

　　In addition, most of us grow up with people of similar social circumstances．We hang around with people in the same town; our friends have about the same educational backgrounds and career goals．We tend to be most comfortable with these people, and therefore we tend to link up with others whose families are often much like our own．

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　　I stood outside New York's Madison Square Garden and just stared, almost speechless．I was a farm boy from County Kilkenny, a child who some thought would never walk, let alone go as far as I had in the world．

　　From the day I was born, there was a problem．The doctors at the Dublin hospital told my parents I had phocomelia, a deformity that affected both legs below the knees, which were outward and shorter than normal and each foot had just three toes．

　　Life was tough．I couldn't stand, much less walk．I rarely left the farmhouse－and then only in someone's arms．Mom bundled me up whenever she took me to town, no matter the season．

　　“The world will see him when he can walk,”she told Dad．“And he will walk．”

　　Mom devoted herself to helping me．She tried everything to get me on my feet．When I was three, she and Dad took me to a clinic in Dublin．

　　A few weeks later we returned to Dublin with my artificial limbs(人工肢)．Back home I practiced walking with my new limbs．

　　“There's nothing anyone can do but you can't,”Mom said．“You and I are going to walk through town．”

　　The next day Mom dressed me in my finest clothes．She wore a summer dress and fixed her hair and makeup．Dad drove us to the church．We stepped out of the car．Mom took my hand．“Hold your head up high, now, Ronan,”she said．

　　We walked 300 meters to the post office．It was the farthest I'd walked, and I was sweating from the effort．Then we left the post office and continued down the street, Mom's eyes shining with a mother's pride．

　　That night, back on our farm, I lay exhausted on my bed．It meant nothing, though, compared to what I'd done on my walk．

　　Then I began to pursue my dream of singing．And at every step Mom's words came back to me－Ronan, you can do anything anyone else can do－and the faith she had in God, who would help me do it．

　　I've sung from the grandest stages in Europe, to music played by the world's finest musicians．That night, I stood at the Madison Square Garden, with Mom's words chiming in my ears, the same place where Mom's promise lived．Then I began singing．I couldn't feel the pulse of the music in my feet, but I felt it deep in my ear

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　　Laptop computers are popular all over the world．People use them on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels．These laptops connect people to their workplace．In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms．

　　Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer program that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want．Within five years, each of the 1500 students at the college will receive a laptop．The laptops are part of a ＄10 million computer program at Westlake, a 110-year-old college．The students with laptops will also have access to the Internet．In addition, they will be able to use e-mail to“speak”with their teachers, their classmates, and their families．However, the most important part of the laptop program is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs．They can work with it at home, in a fast-food restaurant or under the trees, anywhere at all!

　　Because of the many changes in computer technology, laptop use in higher education, such as colleges and universities, is workable．As laptops become more powerful, they become more similar to desktop computers．In addition, the portable computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources．State higher-education officials are studying? how laptops can help students．State officials are also testing laptop programs at other universities, too．

　　At Westlake College, more than 60 percent of the staff use computers．The laptops will allow all teachers to use computers in their lessons．As one Westlake teacher said,“Here we are in the middle of Virginia and we're giving students a window on the world．They can see everything and do everything．”

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　　At the beginning of my 8∶00 a.m.class one Monday at UNLV(拉斯维加斯内华达大学), I cheerfully asked my students how their weekend had been．One young man said that his weekend had not been very good．The young man then proceeded to ask me why I always seemed to be so cheerful．

　　His question reminded me of something I'd read somewhere before：“Every morning when you get up, you have a choice about how you want to approach life that day,”I said to the young man．“I choose to be cheerful．”

　　“Let me give you an example,”I continued．“In addition to teaching here at UNLV, I also teach out at the community college in Henderson．One day a few weeks ago I drove to Henderson．I exited the freeway and turned onto College Drive．But just then my car died．I tried to start it again, but the engine wouldn't turn over．So I put my flashers on, grabbed my books, and marched down the road to the college．”

　　“As soon as I got there, the secretary in the Provost's office asked me what had happened．‘This is my lucky day’, I replied, smiling．”

　　“Your car breaks down and today is your lucky day?”She was puzzled,“What do you mean?”

　　“I live seventeen miles from here．I replied．My car could have broken down anywhere along the freeway．It didn't．Instead, it broke down in the perfect place：off the freeway, within walking distance of here．I'm still able to teach my class, and I've been able to arrange for the tow truck(拖车)to meet me after class．If my car was meant to break down today, it couldn't have been arranged in a more convenient fashion．”

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　　How can a creature weighing over 5 tons and normally taking 150 kilograms of food and 120 litres of water per day survive in a desert environment?

　　In the southwest African country of Namibia, and the Sahara lands Mali further north, the desert elephant does just that．

　　Although not regarded as separate species from the African elephant, the desert cousin differs in many ways．Their bodies are smaller, to absorb less heat, and their feet are larger for easier walking across sandy surfaces．They are taller, to reach higher branches．They have shorter tusks, and most importantly, longer trunks to dig for water in riverbeds．

　　Desert elephants can travel over 70 kilometers in search for feeding grounds and waterholes, and have a larger group of families．They drink only every 3-4 days, and can store water in a“bag”at the back of their throat, which is only used when badly needed．Desert elephants are careful feeders－they seldom root up trees and break fewer branches, and thus maintain what little food sources are available．Young elephants may even eat the dung(粪便)of the female leader of a group when facing food shortage．

　　During drought they are unlikely to give birth to their young but with good rains the birthrate will increase greatly．Desert elephants have sand baths, sometimes adding their own urine(尿液)to make them muddy!

　　As we continue to overheat our weak planet, it can only be hoped that other animal species will adapt(适应)as extraordinarily well to change as the desert elephant．

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　　Tony Bennett, the American singer recently touring Britain, can't remember how many times he has sung his standard hit“I left My Heart in San Fransisco”．He sang it again to his audience at the London Palladium last night．

　　“I never get tired of singing it．”He said．“I like it too much．It's a great city and it's a good song．”

　　Bennett is to record a TV programme with American singer Lens Home while he is here．And a new LP recorded by him in London for Philips titled“Listen Easy”will be published in June．“I like it here．”He added quietly over whiskey．“I would like to live here so many months of the year．”

　　He already keeps a large flat in Grosenor Square, where he is staying with his actress wife Sandie Grant and their three-year-old daughter Joanna．It has a studio where he likes to paint．Tony plans to have his first exhibition later in the year and he has already sold one picture for ＄4000．At the end of the year Tony is to star in a musical film, which has been specially written for him called“Two Bits”, an informal expression for 50 cents．It's about an Italian immigrant who goes to America, but he becomes a failure．

　　“In many ways it's very close to my life the way the story has been written,”said Bennett．“My father, an Italian, was ill and died when I was nine．He always wanted me to sing, but he never lived long enough to be a part of my success．”