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　　A boat constructed from thousands of plastic bottles sailed into Sydney Harbor on Monday, completing a 4-month trans-Pacific voyage to show the benefits of recycling．

　　The 60-foot“Plastiki”, made from 12,500 bottles, was greeted by hundreds of supporters as it ended its 15,000-kilometer journey．

　　“It has been a great adventure,”said the leader of the journey David de Rothschild, who comes from a well-known British banking family．“We're so excited to be here．”

　　The“Plastiki”－named after the 1947 Kon-Tiki raft(筏)sailed across the Pacific by Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl－set off from San Francisco in March．

　　The boat, carrying six crew members(船员), travelled through the north Pacific and made stops in the Line Islands, Western Samoa and New Caledonia before leaving for Australia．

　　The“Plastiki”relied on renewable energy and got its power from sunlight and wind．They were able to keep in touch with supporters via satellite through a website, blogs, and use of social-networking-sites such as Twitter．

　　Captain Jo Royle said sailing the“Plastiki”was“completely different”to any other boat they had ever sailed, but“she's got here without ever a doubt in any of our minds”．

　　De Rothschild said the idea for the journey came to him after he read a United Nations report in 2006 that said pollution-and particularly plastic waste-was seriously threatening the world's oceans．

　　And while he said the influence of the voyage had gone beyond his expectations, they also faced serious problems during the voyage．

　　“Here you are in the middle of nowhere seeing these plastic items．They photo-degrade(光降解), get smaller and smaller, until they end up getting swallowed by fish which are then eaten by people,”he said．

　　The United Nations Environment Program says there is a large amount of trash in every square kilometer of the world's oceans, and another 6.4 million tons of plastic is thrown into seas each year．

　　The“Plastiki”will be on display at Sydney's Maritime Museum for the next month．

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　　Zoology(动物学)deals with the study of the animals' habitat and behavior．It has nothing to do with people, so many students are wondering why they have to learn it．

　　Our nature includes not just the humans but plants and animals as well．Everything in our environment is connected in a complex cycle．If you have a better understanding of how animals behave, then you would value nature better．

　　Some animals, like sharks and snakes, are often misunderstood by people．They are thought of as human killers, and this is mainly because we don't understand why they behave that way．Zoology would help you learn their natural behavior as well as their habitats, so you would understand why they behave in a defensive manner when they feel threatened．

　　Studying zoology would help people know the real facts about animals．One of the sad facts is the decreasing numbers of some species of animals．It makes people realize that there is a need for nature to be always balanced．We need animals to keep the balance in our environment and for humans to survive．Zoology helps us learn the needs that animals have and we can respond by thinking of solutions we can give to the endangered species of animals．

　　Technological progress is needed for a country to grow in terms of its economy; however, it should not force us to destroy our rainforests and oceans．People should realize that our modern lives should include the lives of the animals．Animals should not be contained in zoos but live in their natural habitats．We will learn that every living creature on the earth has the right to own a habitat and we need to fight for them to have permanent habitats．

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　　Spring is here and so is the cycling season．Here are some tips on how to do it safely and comfortably．

　　Watch your feet－Pushing with the wrong part of the foot can raise your risk of developing a painful injury of the heel and arch(脚心), says Rob Werstine, a sports physiotherapist(理疗师)and board member of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association．You should push with the ball of your foot, he says．

　　Layer up－While it's still cool, wear layers of clothing, with clothing close to the body that breathes and outer layers that do not absorb water．Go for bright colors that increase your visibility(可见度)．

　　Be reasonable－If you are just starting out and aren't in good shape, don't sign up for a 50-kilometre ride．And while cycling is great exercise for people who want to get into shape, if your doctor advises you not to do tiring exercise, cycling shouldn't be your starting position, Werstine says．Walk to begin getting into shape and then graduate to cycling．

　　Fix the fit－If you develop lower back pain or numbness in your hands and fingers from cycling, it could be your bike isn't adjusted properly for your height．A good cycle shop can help you find the right height for the seat and handlebars, but if you have continuing problems, consider consulting a bike fit physiotherapist, Werstine says．

　　Be mindful－You have to pay attention on the roads to vehicles, other cyclists and pedestrians(行人)．Consider taking a cycling safety course to practise your skills．Or do some reading about how to avoid dangerous cycling situations．bicyclesafe.com, for instance, lists 10 types of car-bike accidents and how to avoid them．

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　　Life isn't always easy at Michala R．'s house．Her little brother, Evan, has autism, a disorder that makes it difficult for him to communicate and control himself．In the past, Evan either wouldn't react when someone spoke his name, or he would get angry．

　　But things have changed since eight-year-old Evan started getting a new kind of medical treatment．“Evan doesn't behave unreasonably these days,”says Michala, age 12．“Now, if I call his name, he looks at me．He has learned to dress himself, and unlike before, he laughs and plays．”

　　Doctors wanted to find out whether the treatment that had worked so well for Evan could help other kids, too．When Michala heard her parents saying that the hospital needed ＄200,000 for autism research, she wanted to help．She started making bracelets(手镯)with colorful beads(珠子)．She sold them for ＄3 each．

　　Michala's relatives helped to sell her bracelets．But soon, word of the project spread, and suddenly it seemed as if everyone wanted to buy bracelets．So Michala started handing out sets of supplies so that others could help．Bracelet sales brought in lots of money, and Michala got some big cash donations, too．In just six months, she reached her goal of raising ＄200,000!The money made it possible for doctors to learn more about the treatment．

　　Michala appeared on national television to talk about her success, and the governor of Kentucky honored her with an award．Bracelet sales increased quickly．In addition to the first ＄200,000, Michala has raised ＄100,000 more．She's now working on a plan to support an autism center in her hometown．It's a big task, but Michala is confident．“If you know you can achieve your goal, then you will,”she says．

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　　Here is a poster on a middle school website．Read the website poster．

　　Going, Going, Gone!

　　The Haynes Middle School Parent-Teacher Organization invites you to attend our latest fund-raiser, The Fourth Annual Haynes School Auction(拍卖)!

　　Saturday, May 10

　　☆6∶00 p.m.～11∶00 p.m.

　　☆In the school hall

　　☆6∶00 p.m.～6∶30 p.m.：All items for auction are previewed．

　　☆6∶30 p.m.～7∶00 p.m.：Silent auction begins．

　　☆7∶00 p.m.～7∶30 p.m.：Highest bidders(出价人)from silent auction are determined．

　　☆7∶30 p.m.～11∶00 p.m.：Main auction begins．

　　Items(物品)up for bid in the silent auction vary in value from ＄5.00 to ＄30.00．

　　Items up for bid in the main auction include the following：

　　●Airline tickets to a place of your choice

　　●Weekend getaways at first-class hotels

　　●Season tickets to the Chicago Bears football game

　　●＄ 50 gift tickets to local gift shops, restaurants, and salons

　　Don't miss the boat!Book your tickets today．

　　Last year, tickets were sold out within four days!

　　Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis．

　　＄15.00 per person

　　All the money from the auction will be given to the Haynes School computer lab．

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　　About ten years ago when I was an undergraduate in college in New York, I was working as a practice student at my University's Museum of Natural History．One day while I was working at the cash register in the gift shop, I saw an elderly couple come in with a little girl in wheelchair．

　　As I looked closer at this girl, I saw that she was seated on her chair．I then realized she had no arms or legs, just a head, neck and the trunk of the human body．She was wearing a little white dress with the patterns of red roses and yellow dots．

　　As the couple wheeled her up to me I was looking down at the register．I turned my head toward the girl and gave her a wink(眨眼示意)．As I took the money from her grandparents, I looked back at the girl, who was giving me the most beautiful, largest smile I have ever seen．

　　All of a sudden her handicap was gone and all I saw was this beautiful girl, whose smile just melted me and almost instantly gave me a completely new sense of what life is all about．I immediately felt full of hope and confidence．She took me, a poor, unhappy college student, into her world, a world of smiles, love and warmth．

　　That was ten years ago, but I still remember it clearly as if it happened just yesterday．I'm a successful business person now and whenever I get down and think about the troubles of the world, I think about that little girl and the remarkable lesson about life that she taught me．

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　　When you cough or sneeze, you'd better turn your head away from others and cover your mouth with the full part of your hand．And then, you should say,“Excuse me．”

　　This seems so simple, but it is surprising how many kids have never been told to do this．Actually, I notice adults all the time who cough and sneeze in public without placing a hand over the mouth．One important thing I point out to the kids is that after they sneeze or cough on their hands, they should wash their hands as soon as possible．If not, they will be passing those germs(细菌)along to everything and everyone they touch．

　　If you come to a door and someone is following you, hold the door．If the door opens by pulling, pull it open, stand to the side, and allow the other person to pass through first, then you can walk through．If the door opens by pushing, hold the door after you pass through．

　　After a few weeks of seeing kids try to get through doors in the school and watching them enter restaurants as the door hit other people, I knew I had to discuss the problem with my students．Teaching them small acts of kindness, such as letting someone else go through a door first as they hold it open, may seem unimportant, but it can go a long way toward helping students realize how to be polite and thank others．Once they've been told, they're halfway there．

　　When we have to go up moving stairs, we will stand to the right．That will give others who are in a hurry a choice of walking up the left-hand side of the moving stairs．When we are going to enter a lift, the underground, or a doorway, we will wait for others to exit before we enter．

　　After college when I moved to London, I was surprised at how polite everyone was in the subways．I was even more touched when I traveled to Japan．In both places, people made efforts to make way for others．On moving stairs, everyone stood to the right and walked to the left．On lifts, everyone would stand over to the side and allow others to exit before they would begin to enter．

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　　The best Mother's gift I ever received was a magnolia(木兰)tree．At first, it was a little thing, but it was mine, and I knew I would treasure it．

　　Magnolia trees, you see, were my mother's favorite．We had one in the front yard of our house when I was growing up．I can still remember Mom's pleasure in seeing it．“Oh, look!”she'd shout every year．“The magnolia tree is going to bloom(开花)．”On April 6, her birthday, the pink-and-white flowers would be all over the branches, announcing the arrival of spring．

　　Back then, I didn't find the blooming of a tree to be an event worthy of celebration．But my mother had a way of appreciating the smallest things．A baby's smile, or a call from an old friend filled her with happiness．

　　On the first Mother's Day following her death six years ago, I wasn't sure how I'd live．I felt my mother was everywhere．

　　That Sunday morning I awoke, wondering where my husband David had gone with our two daughters, Kira, 4, and Sophine, 9 months．As I was lying in bed, enjoying the peace, Kira suddenly burst through the bedroom door．

　　“Look outside, Mommy!”she said．I raised the window．Next to David was a little tree．“It's a magnolia tree,”Kira said．“Happy Mother's Day,”David said．

　　Although I don't have my mother any longer, I have her tree．When the magnolia blooms, we admire its beauty and use it as a chance to talk about my mother and her love for flowers．These moments help keep her spirit very much alive．I'm always reminded to appreciate the small things that make life so beautiful!

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　　Every person has a different type of personality and talent．Thus every person is highly skilled in some or the other task．A particular post or a career is well suited for a person of a specific personality．The ancient Greeks classified the temperaments of the people into four principle categories which are Sanguine(多血质),Choleric(胆汁质), Melancholic(抑郁质),and Phlegmatic(粘液质)．These four personalities suit certain types of careers and jobs．Thus it is always advisable to have an ability test and personality test done at once．The personality test will give you a set of careers, which suit your personality．The ability test on the other hand will help you to short list of careers that match your skills．Let's have a closer look．

　　Sanguine：The people with Sanguine personality are very social, and tend to maintain good relations and friendships．This personality is such that the person likes to be with people．These people excel in communication and perform functions in a task oriented manner．Human resources, coaching, teaching, marketing and sales are some of the best careers where a person with Sanguine personality will do extremely well．

　　Choleric：People having a Choleric personality usually have a great capability to analyze．They are very fond of planning, acquiring knowledge, configuring and inventing．People with this kind of personality must consider career options such as architecture, managers and analysts．

　　Melancholic：The people with Melancholic type of personality are thoughtful, accurate, considerate and artistic．The Melancholic temperament is best suited for careers such as engineering, Mathematics and accounts．The strict discipline of these people and a capability to discipline others makes them really good at mathematical applications．

　　Phlegmatic：The personality Phlegmatic, makes people planned, quiet and task oriented．People with this personality should consider fields such as web designing, programmers, economists and for that matter any place where a person should have a capability to observe well．

　　These personalities are often considered by the people of the human resource department before appointing a person is to a particular post．

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　　While everyone knows that NBA center Yao Ming will become a father this summer, the big buzz(流言)in China is about whether the baby will be an American．

　　The Shanghai native's personal life is closely followed by his many fans at home, from his 2007 Shanghai wedding to fellow basketball player Ye Li to last month's reports the couple is expecting a baby girl in July．

　　The 2.25-meter star, sidelined this season with a broken left foot, recently returned to the USA with Ye, encouraging speculation that the baby will be born there．

　　Yao's baby would automatically be an American citizen if born in the US．

　　However, Chinese law does not recognize double citizenship．

　　A few say it would be a betrayal of China and that the Chinese team could be denied a future basketball star．

　　But most support Yao and don't care which country claims the baby．

　　“Yao Ming is individual, not a political tool,”said one comment on popular basketball Website Hoop China．

　　“He has the right to choose where his child is born and what kind of medical care and education will be available to her．His child's citizenship has nothing to do with loyalty．”

　　Yao and his camp have been tight-lipped on the pregnancy(怀孕)and have not issued any public statements on the matter．

　　It is not clear if Yao and his wife are indeed planning to have the baby in the US or how they will handle any citizenship issues．

　　Yao's spokesman Zhang Mingji refused to make notes on the baby, saying it was a private matter．

　　Many Chinese famous persons-including actress Gong Li and director Chen Kaige-have in recent years been criticized for becoming naturalized citizens of other countries．

　　Chinese are subject to strict visa requirements and some of the famous persons argued it was easier to travel internationally with passports from countries like Singapore or the US．