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　　I first visited hutong as part of a tourist group several years ago．We rode on a trishaw(脚踏三轮车)with a guide explaining the history, architecture and lifestyle of the local inhabitants．

　　Having visited the“must-sees”of Beijing, like the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Drum Tower and the Summer Palace, going into the hutong home of some famous ancient families gave the“Beijing experience”a human element．

　　My curiosity has sharpened over the years from reading about them at every opportunity．During the preparation for the Olympics I was eager to learn that some siheyuan courtyards in hutong were turned into accommodations(食宿)for visitors．I wished to stay in one someday．

　　Preparing for a recent trip to the capital, I eagerly sought one out．On my limited teacher's salary, I settled on an affordable option, though I looked longingly at the more upscale courtyard accommodations．

　　As usual, I ended up having something closer to a true experience．A real family still lives in the courtyard, which is closer to the original．The rooms all opened into the central courtyard．Flowers were blooming, beans and peas were climbing up the bamboo fence, and the cat was napping in the sun．Every day after exploring the city, I'd hurry back to the hutong, take a quick shower and join the cat-snoozing(小睡)in a bamboo-made chair with a book ready nearby．

　　As the other guests came back we'd greet one another．There was a mother and young daughter from France, a guy from Canada, a mother and teenage daughter from the Netherlands, a teacher from England and several guests from various parts of China．

　　Coming and going through the narrow alleys(小巷)of the hutong, the residents would smile and give cheery“ni hao”(hello)．Laughing children were playing under the watchful eyes of the neighbors．I felt right at home in this friendly neighborhood．

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A Full-Time School Called Life

　　You are enrolled in a full-time school called“life”．Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons．You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum．

　　Why are you here?What is your purpose?Humans have sought to discover the meaning of life for a very long time．What we and our ancestors overlooked, however, is there is no one answer．The meaning of life is different for every individual．

　　Each person has his or her own purpose and distinct path, unique and separate from anyone else's．As you travel your life path, you will be presented with numerous lessons that you will need to learn in order to fulfill that purpose．The lessons you are presented with are specific to you; learning these lessons is a key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and connection of your own life．

　　As you travel through your lifetime, you may encounter challenging lessons that others don't have to face, while others spend years struggling with challenges that you don't need to deal with．You may never know why you are blessed with a wonderful marriage, while your friends suffer through bitter arguments and painful divorces, just as you cannot be sure why you struggle financially while your peers enjoy abundance．The only thing you can count on for certain is that you specifically need to learn; whether we choose to learn them or not is entirely up to you．

　　The challenge here, therefore, is to align(与…保持一致)yourself with your own unique path by learning individual lessons．This is one of the most difficult challenges you will be faced with in your lifetime, as sometimes your path will be completely different from others．But, remember, don't compare your path to the people around you and focus on the difference between their lessons and yours．You need to remember that you will only be faced with lessons that you are capable of learning and are specific to your own growth．

　　Our sense of fairness is the expectation of equity－the assumption that all things are equal and that justice will always prevail．Life is not, in fact, fair, and you may indeed have a more difficult lift path than others around you, deserved or not．Everyone's circumstances are unique, and everyone needs to handle his or her own circumstances differently．If you want to move toward calm, you will be required to move out the comparing phrase of“it's not fair”．Focusing on the unfairness of circumstances keeps you comparing yourself with others rather than appreciating your own special uniqueness．You miss out on learning your individual lessons by distracting yourself with feeling of bitterness and anger．

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　　Researchers in Britain are driving the environmental movement to a new level．A team from the University of Warwick has built what it calls the world's first completely environmentally friendly Formula Three racing car．

　　The car is made mainly of renewable materials, like plants and vegetables．The structure around the car is made from natural plant fibers and potatoes．The steering wheel(方向盘)is made from root vegetables like carrots．The engine uses bio-fuel made from vegetable oil and waste chocolate．

　　The new racing car is extremely fast．The car has a top speed of two hundred fifteen kilometers an hour．And it can go from zero to ninety-five kilometers an hour in just two and a half seconds．The racing car meets all of the Formula Three racing requirements except for its biodiesel(生物柴油)engine．

　　Automobile racing is one of the most widely watched sports in the world．But it is also consideredone of the least friendly sports to the environment．Racing cars burn a lot of fuel, and create a lot of air pollution．In recent years, the racing industry has taken steps to protect the environment．More racing companies are now producing cars that use less energy．These cars produce less pollution than cars that depend on traditional fuel, like gasoline．

　　Last month, the new racing car was set to run in its first competitive race at the Formula Three Championship Final at Brands Hatch．It would have been the first biodiesel-powered car to race at Formula Three．Current Formula Three rules let only gasoline-powered car to compete．Officials needed permission from all of the Formula Three racers for the biodiesel-powered car to compete．They were unable to contact one of the drivers, so the new racing car didn't appear in the event．In test runs, the new racing car was the fifth fastest among the Formula Three race cars．Supporters are hoping to have the fuel problem solved in time to compete in the next season．

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　　In a moment of personal crisis, how much help can you expect from a New York taxi driver?I began studying this question and found the answers interesting．

　　One morning I got into three different taxis and announced,“Well, it's my first day back in New York in seven years．I've been in prison．”Not a single driver replied, so I tried again．“Yeah, I shot a man in Reno．”I explained, hoping the driver would ask me why, but nobody asked．The only response came from a Ghanaian driver,“Reno?That is in Nevada?”

　　Taxi drivers were uniformly sympathetic when I said I'd just been fired．“This is America,”a Haitian driver said．“One door is closed．Another is open．”He argued against my plan to burn down my boss's house．A Pakistani driver even turned down a chance to profit from my loss of hope; he refused to take me to the middle of George Washington Bridge－a ＄20 trip．“Why you want to go there?Go home and relax．Don't worry．Take a new job．”

　　One very hot weekday in July, while wearing a red ski mask and holding a stuffed pillowcase with the word“BANK”on it, I tried calling a taxi five times outside different banks．The driver picked me up every time．My ride with a Haitian driver was typical of the superb assistance I received．

　　“Let's go across the park．”I said．“I just robbed the bank there．I got ＄25,000．”

　　“＄25,000?”He asked．

　　“Yeah, you think it was wrong to take it?”

　　“No, man．I work 8 hours and I don't make almost ＄70．If I can do that, I do it too．”

　　As we approached 86^th and Lexington, I pointed to the Chemical Bank．

　　“Hey, there's another bank,”I said,“Could you wait here a minute while I go inside?”

　　“No, I can't wait．Pay me now．”His reluctance may have something to do with money－taxi drivers think the rate for waiting time is too low－but I think he wanted me to learn that even a bank robber can't expect unconditional support．

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　　How do you know if your home is an easy aim for thefts(偷窃)?Around the holidays, many families don't consider taking proper measures to prevent their homes from suffering holiday thefts．With just a few simple steps, you can better make sure of the safety of your home during all of the holiday celebrations．Here are a few tips for making it difficult to tell you are away from home．

　　●Either have a trusted neighbor pick up your mail and newspapers, or tell your mailperson to hold your mail until you return．Nothing says“Hey, we are not home!”like when your postbox is filled with all kinds of mails and you have many different newspapers in your driveway．

　　●Set several different lights in your house on random timers(随机定时器)。Don't leave your outdoor lights on all the time．Instead, put your outside lights on timers to be on during the nights．If an outdoor light remains on for days at a time, it means that nobody is home to turn it off．

　　●If you have pets that you are not taking with you on vacation, leave them with a friend, rather than having someone come into your house every day to take care of them．When thefts see a neighbor or friend entering your house every day, they will know you are not home．

　　●Close all your curtains when you leave town．This is effective to deter possible thefts, as no one can see what is in your house．If they don't know what there is to take, then the risk is even greater for them to break in．

　　●This article just has suggested a few tips to help you keep your house safe while you are on holiday．Nothing can truly protect your home unless you have it monitored by a professional home security system．

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　　Doctors tell us not to smoke, but a lot of people smoke tobacco every day．Long ago, no one in Europe smoked; the tobacco plant was unknown there．It grew in America, and Christopher Columbus found it there．Later, he returned to Europe and told everyone about tobacco．He said that the American Indians often smoked it．Sir Walter Raleigh was a famous man in the days of Queen Elizabeth I．He traveled widely and learnt to smoke．Then he returned to England, but he did not stop smoking．He used to smoke two pieces every day secretly in his room．When someone came in, he quickly hid his pipe; but one day, he was not quick enough．A man came in and found clouds of smoke in the room．More smoke was coming from Raleigh's mouth, so the man got some water and threw it over Raleigh．He believed that Raleigh was burning．He ran out of the house and told everybody about it．After this, smoking was not a secret．Raleigh told Queen Elizabeth I about it．He added that he could weigh his smoke．She did not believe this, and she asked him to explain．．

　　“First,”he said,“I shall weigh the tobacco．Then I shall put it in my pipe and smoke it, then I shall weigh the ashes which remain．I can take them out of the pipe and weigh them on a balance．There will be a great difference between the two weights．The tobacco must be heavier than the ashes．The difference between them must be the weight of the smoke．

　　It was a good explanation：but Raleigh was wrong．When his tobacco burned, it did this, but the oxygen was not in the tobacco at the beginning．It was added when Raleigh smoked his pipe．So the smoke was heavier than the difference between the two weights．The weight of the oxygen was added．

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　　Years ago while lying in my hammock(吊床)and drinking JD from the bottle, I noticed my dog dragging something under the fence．Upon looking at it carefully, to my disappointment, I realized it was the next door neighbor's 10-year-old daughter's rabbit．For years I had watched her come home from school and head straight out to its cage, free it and play with it in the yard．I know today would be no different and fearing for our dog, I had to think fast．

　　The rabbit was quite dirty, as if it had put up quite a struggle, so I washed it off with the plastic pipe, combed it with the dog brush and blew it dry with the leaf blower．Upon finishing its grooming(修饰，打扮), I jumped the fence and replaced it back in its cage hoping its death would be written off as“natural causes”．

　　Back to the hammock and JD．Within the hour the neighbor's Benz pulled in as usual and out pepped the little girl, and as usual she headed straight for the cage．Only this time did she stop about six feet away and screamed：“D…A…D…D…Y…!!!”

　　Her father, panic stricken, stood looking at the cage．Being the good neighbor that I rushed to the fence and asked if there was anything I could do．

　　Her father less than calmly shouted,“What kind of sick person would dig up a little girl's dead rabbit and put it back in its cage?”

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　　Welcome to the Pacific Beach Hotel!The Pacific Beach Hotel overlooks Waikiki beach and is a five-minute walk from the Honolulu Zoo．Ala Moana Shopping Center are one-mile away．Reach downtown Honolulu in four miles and Pearl Harbor in 14 miles．

　　The 837-room Pacific Beach Hotel also has a three-story, 280,000-gallon indoor oceanarium(水族馆), which is now the home of over 70 different species of Hawaiian marine life．The hotel also houses Hawaiian Rainforest Salon and Spa, a fourth floor pool with a sundeck and whirpool spa, and a tennis court located on the eighth floor．

　　Each standard guest room is supplied with air-conditioning, coffeemaker, digital telephone, hairdryer, iron and ironing board on request, one king-size or two double beds, mini-refrigerator, personal safe, private balcony, private bathroom with shower and bathtub, and TV with movies-on-demand and video games．And non-smoking rooms are available．

　　Here is the room type and rate for February：(book now and get another 20％ off)

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　　No matter who you are or where you come from, one thing is certain：you are familiar to the mosquito, although you probably wish you weren't．Mosquitoes are everywhere．They can be found all over the world, and they come in more than 2,500 species(种)．Somewhere, at some time, you have surely met at least one．

　　No one loves the mosquito．But unfortunately, the mosquito may decide who she loves．She?Yes, she．Do you know that only the female mosquito bites?Well, it's true．And it's not because she is unfriendly; she needs blood to reproduce．Do you know how the female mosquito decides whom to bite?She is quite selective, and she chooses her victims(猎物)carefully．First, she uses sensors to find her victim．These sensors are located on her two antennae(触角)and her three pairs of legs．With these sensors, she tests your body moisture, body warmth, and chemical substances in your sweat．If she likes what she finds, she bites．But if you are not attractive, she'll reject you for another one．The next time a mosquito bites you, just remember that you are chosen．You are special．

　　If the mosquito likes you, she settles onto your flesh very gently, and she breaks your skin with her long nose tip．Long nose tip?What's that?It's a kind of mouth and it sticks out just below the mosquito's eyes．It contains six sharp instruments called stylets．She thrusts all six stylets into your skin at once, and if she hits a blood pipe, she'll get a full dinner in about a minute．All this usually takes place so quickly and quietly that you may not have doubted anything is happening．

　　Why does a mosquito bite itch(痒)?The itch is not really from the bite．It's from the saliva(口水)the mosquito mixes with your blood to keep it from being blocked as she sucks up her long nose tip．By the time the itch begins, she has gone．

　　And then what happens?Well after her delicious dinner, the mosquito is tired．She just wants to find a place to rest．Heavy with your blood, she picks a spot on a leaf, a wall or a stone to quietly lay her eggs．Just one drop of blood will produce hundreds of eggs．

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　　My students often tell me that they don't have“enough time”to do all their schoolwork．

　　My reply is often a brief“You have as much time as the president．”I usually carry on a bit about there being twenty-four hours in the day for everyone, and suggest that“not enough time”is not an acceptable explanation of not getting something done．

　　Once in graduate school, I tried to prove to one of my professors by saying that I was working hard．His answer to me was,“That's irrelevant(无关的)．What's important is the quality of your work．”Since then I have had time to think carefully about the“hard worker”dodge(诀窍), and I have come to some conclusions－all relevant to the problem of how much time we have．

　　If you analyze the matter, you can identify two parts of the problem：There is, of course, the matter of“time”, which we can think of as fixed．Then there is the problem of“work”during that time．But, as my professor suggested, it's not how hard one works but the quality of the product that's important．

　　That led me to a new idea：the quality of the work．That concept is perhaps best explained by a sign I once saw on the wall in someone's office：“Don't work harder．Work smarter．”There is a lot of sense in that idea．

　　If you can't get more time, and few of us can, the only solution is to improve the quality of the work．That means thinking of ways to get more out of the same time than we might otherwise get．That should lead us to an analysis of our work habits．Since“work”for students usually means“homework”, the expression“work habits”should be read as“study habits”．

　　Then, as a smart student, you will seek to improve those skills that you use in study, chiefly reading and writing．If you learn to read better and write better, there are big benefits that pay off in all your studies．