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　　Arabic is the official language of Kuwait, but English is widely spoken．It is used in business and is a compulsory second language in schools．Among the non-Kuwaiti population, many people speak Farsi(波斯语), the official language of Iran, or Urdu(乌尔都语), the official language of Pakistan．

　　Arabic is spoken by almost 200 million people in more than 22 countries．It is the language of the Qur'an, the Holy Book of Islam, and of Arab poetry and literature．While spoken Arabic varies from country to country, classical Arabic has remained unchanged for centuries．In Kuwait, there are differences between the dialects spoken in urban areas and those spoken in rural areas．Islam is practiced by the majority of Kuwaitis and governs their personal, political, economic and legal lives．Muslims pray five times a day－at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening．The exact time is listed in the local newspaper each day．Friday is the Muslim holy day．Everything is closed．Many companies also close on Thursday, making Thursday and Friday the weekend．

　　The extended family is the basis of the social structure and individual identity．The family is private．Female relatives are protected from outside influences．It is considered inappropriate to ask questions about a Kuwaiti's wife or other female relatives．

　　Kuwaitis are hospitable．However, it is important to behave according to their cultural customs．Although women play a greater role in Kuwaiti society than women do in many other Gulf countries, they seldom socialize(交往)together in public．Greetings are therefore between members of the same sex．In all cases they are given with a sense of enthusiasm and general pleasure at meeting or seeing the person again．Kuwaitis take time during the greeting process to talk about their health, family, friends and other general matters of interest．

　　The first name is the personal name．The second name is the father's personal name．The third and fourth names are the grandfather's personal name and a name that shows the family lineage(血统)．Women do not take the husband's name upon marriage．

　　In Kuwait, extended family or very close friends may exchange gifts for birthdays and other celebratory occasions．If you are invited to a Kuwaiti home, it is necessary to bring a houseplant, box of imported chocolates, or a small gift from your home country．If a man must give a gift to a woman, he should say that it is from his wife, mother, sister, or some other female relative．

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　　·Basic Study Manual　Hardcover：＄37

　　Future success depends on the ability to learn．Here are the answers to the questions most often asked by parents, teachers, business trainers and by students themselves．Read this book and learn：

　　▲What the three barriers to study are－and what to do about them．

　　▲What to do if you get tired of a subject you are studying．

　　▲Twenty-six simple drills to help you to learn how to study easily, rapidly and with full understanding．

　　▲Buy and read the Basic Study Manual and use it to dramatically improve your ability to study．

　　·Study Skills for Life　Hardcover：＄32

　　L．Ron Hubbard's study technology for teenagers opens the door to their future success by giving them the ability to study and learn．Fully illustrated(插图)for easy comprehension．

　　·Learning how to learn　Hardcover：＄25

　　The basics of effective study for 8 to 12-year-olds, fully illustrated．Children who read and apply the materials in this book regain their liking for study and their ability to apply this knowledge in life．Get this book for a child you want to see win at his studies!

　　·How to Use a Dictionary Picture Book for Children　Hardcover：＄36

　　In spite of billions of dollars spent on“educational research”, children are not taught the most basic skills of learning, even the most basic of these：how to use a dictionary．In fact, a search of educational books for children found not one that told them how to use a dictionary－or that one should．Written for children 8 to 12-year-olds, this fully illustrated book will teach your child：

　　▲How to find words in a dictionary．

　　▲The different ways that words are used．

　　▲What the different marks and symbols that are used in a dictionary mean．

　　▲How to use a dictionary to correctly pronounce words．

　　It includes a section for parents and teachers showing you how to use this book with children．Buy this book and give it to your children to unlock their education．What's more, you'll just pay 50％ for it before May 1, 2011．

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　　Industrial pollution is not only a problem for the countries of Europe and North America but also an extremely serious problem in some developing countries．For these countries, economic growth is a very important aim．They want to introduce industries, and so they put few controls on the industries which cause pollution．

　　Cubatao, an industrial town of 85,000 people in Brazil, is an example of the connection between industrial development and pollution．In 1954, Cubatao had no industry．Today it has more than twenty large factories, which produce many pollutants．The people of the town are suffering from the poisonous matter in their environment and the bad effects can be clearly seen．Birth shortcomings are extremely common．Among children and adults, lung problems are sometimes twelve times more common in Cubatao than in other places．

　　It is true that Brazil, like many other countries, has laws against pollution, but these laws are not carried out strictly enough．It is cheaper for companies to take no notice of the laws and pay the fines than to buy the expensive equipment that will reduce the pollution．It is clear, therefore, that economic growth is more important to the government than to the health of the workers．However, the responsibility does not completely lie with the Brazilian government．The example of Cubatao shows that international companies are not acting in a responsible way either．A number of the factories in the town are owned by large companies from France, Italy, and the U．S．They are doing things in Brazil that they would not be able to do at home．If they caused the same amount of pollution at home, they would be severely punished or even put out of business．

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　　When asked to point out one or two things that are most important to themselves, many put friends ahead of homes, jobs, clothes and cars．

　　A true friendship carries a long history of experience that determines who we are and keeps us connected．It is a treasure we should prove it．Unfortunately, the better friends you are, the more probably you'll have disagreements．And the result can be what you don't want an end to the relationship．

　　The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended．First, don't let your pride get in your way．Most of us can forgive each other when differences are brought out in the open．Second, apologize when you're wrong－even if you've been wronged．Over the course of friendship, even the best people make mistakes．Sometimes, it may be best if the wronged person　takes wrong．Third, see things from your friend's point of view．And finally, accept that friendships changes as our needs and lifestyles change．Making friends can sometimes seem easy．The hard part is keeping the connections strong during the nature ups and downs that have an effect on all relationships．My suggestion：Consider friendship an honor and a gift, and worth the effort to treasure and nurture(培养)．

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　　A single letter written by Albert Einstein was sold for more than ＄400,000．But could an e-mail printout or an electronic file reach similar heights?That's the question facing those who deal in the literary artifacts(人工制品)of public figures, as they struggle to work out how to do business in the electronic world where information can be copied and spread out more easily than ever before．

　　“Booksellers, collectors and libraries are already trading in digital objects,”Joan Winterkorn, a researcher told people．When Emory University Library bought author Salman Rushdie's archives(档案)in 2006, it received a desktop computer, three laptops, a hard drive and a smart phone along with his paper files．And the writer John Updike, who died last month, started using computers in the 1980s, Winterkorn pointed out, so his“papers”will include a big store of electronic documents．

　　So far, however, digital archives have been traded as just a small part of a larger, mainly paper-based archive．Indeed, no one is quite sure how much the digital documents of a historical figure are worth．

　　“I don't feel the same way about the printout of an e-mail as I do a letter,”said Gabriel Heaton, a literary manuscript specialist, adding that more tangible(有形的)digital objects were easier for auctioneers(拍卖商)to price and sell．“What about a laptop?For example, the one used by J．K．Rowling to write Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in an Edinburgh café has real value,”he said．“Because she used it．”Even if the hard drive had been cloned by a library, the artifact would still be valuable．

　　Gordon Bell, from Microsoft Research, suggested that prices will actually fall to almost nothing．“Once it's been copied and spread out, the value is gone．It's just a piece of memory．”

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　　A long-term American study shows the effect of early education on future learning abilities．The study followed more than 1,300 children from birth through the ages of ten or eleven years．The study is known as the Human Development Study of Early Child Care．It is said to be the largest, longest lasting and most complete study of child care in the United States．The children included in the study were born around 1991 in ten areas of the country．Researchers examined the quality and amount of child care the children received until they were 54 months old．Child care included any care provided by people other than the child's mother that lasted at least ten hours a week．This included any care given by fathers or other family members．The researchers then examined each child's performance in school and social development．They also measured other influences, such as the quality of classroom education and parenting(教养)．

　　Recently, the researchers examined whether the developmental qualities that had been observed in young children were still present a few years later．They found that the older children who had received higher quality child care continued to show better ability in measures of language skills．The children's understanding was observed using a method which shows their ability to name objects shown in some pictures．The study confirmed a link between high quality child care and better test results continued as the children grew older．It also found that the children's ability was not dependent on the amount of time they had spent in child care．

　　Interestingly, children who had been in child care before entering school were also more likely to have shown aggression(攻击性)or refusal to obey in their early school years．However, the researchers said the children's behavior was considered normal．

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　　Up until now, Disney's attempt into China has been anything but magical．Its Hong Kong theme park, opened in 2005, has had a difficult time due to early mistakes and competition．But Disney doesn't throw in the towel in a market with 1.3 billion potential customers．After more than a decade of negotiations, Disney can build its second Disneyland in Shanghai．

　　Disney officials wouldn't say when the park will open or how much it will cost．But the company stated in press release that the Shanghai park will include“characteristics adapted to the Shanghai region”．

　　The approval for park construction comes among China's ongoing efforts to develop its tourism sector, which is expected to increase by 3％ this year．

　　Since the mainland Chinese make up a third of visitors to Hong Kong Disneyland, some fear that the Shanghai park will take tourists away from the former park．Since opening four years ago, Hong Kong Disneyland has underperformed due to its small size－300 acres, the smallest of any Disney parks－as well as high ticket prices and competition from Ocean Park．

　　Disney has also made several market miscalculations．Analysts say the company, in trying not to make the same mistakes it did in Paris by failing to be adapted to local tastes, may have done too much in its efforts to adapt the Hong Kong park to Chinese customers．For example, the park's restaurants originally planned to serve the shark's fin soup, until environmentalists protested(抗议)．

　　Disney officials dismissed concerns that a new park in Shanghai will steal Hong Kong customers．“We see Hong Kong Disneyland and the Shanghai park as complementary(互补的),”said an official．“We believe the Chinese market is large enough to support more than one park．”

　　Further expansion in Asia may be a good bet．Last year, roughly a quarter of Disney's profit came from overseas operations．Asia contributed just 5％, but leisure-industry experts are confident about the region's potential．

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　　While looking through the various job sites on the Internet, I found the following list of the highest paying jobs in the US．It's interesting to see how the different types of jobs in the tech industry compare to other industries．

　　Top paying jobs overall

　　·Physicians and surgeons－＄147,000

　　·Aircraft pilots－＄133,500

　　·Chief executives－＄116,000

　　·Electrical and electronic engineers－＄112,000

　　·Lawyers and judges－＄99,800

　　·Dentists－＄90,000

　　·Pharmacists－＄85,500

　　·Management analysts(分析家)－＄84,700

　　·Financial analysts, managers and advisors－＄84,000

　　·Computer and information system managers－＄83,000

　　·Marketing and sales managers－＄80,000

　　·Education administrators(管理员)－＄80,000

　　Top paying jobs that do not require a high school degree

　　These jobs tend to require on-the-job training and work experience rather than formal education and schooling：

　　·Industrial production managers－＄36,000

　　·Construction manager－＄33,600

　　·Electricians－＄31,900

　　Top paying jobs for high school graduates

　　These jobs emphasize(强调)work experience and on-the-job training rather than formal education：

　　·Computer software engineers－＄58,900

　　·Computer/information systems managers－＄56,400

　　·Computer programmers－＄55,000

　　·Network systems and data communications analysts－＄49,000

　　·General and operations managers－＄48,000

　　·Database(数据库), network and computer systems administrators－＄48,000

　　Top paying jobs for a two-year college degree

　　The following jobs tend to be technical in nature, emphasizing skills developed on the job as well as job-specific training and certifications(证书)：

　　·Healthcare practitioners(从业人员)－＄66,000

　　·Business analysts－＄58,000

　　·Electrical and electronic engineers－＄57,000

　　·Mechanical engineers－＄56,800

　　·General and operations managers－＄54,000

　　·Computer and information systems managers－＄50,400

阅读理解

　　When I asked my daughter which item she would keep; the phone, the car, the cooker, the computer, the TV, or her boyfriend, she said“the phone”．Personally, I could do without the phone entirely, which makes me unusual．Because the telephone is changing our lives more than any other piece of technology．

　　Point 1－The telephone creates the need to communicate, in the same way that more roads create more traffic．My daughter comes home from school at 4∶00 pm and then spends an hour on the phone talking to the very people she has been at school with all day．If the phone did not exist, would she have anything to talk about?

　　Point 2－The mobile phone means that we are never alone．“The mobile saved my life,”says Crystal Johnstone．She had an accident in her Volvo on the A45 between Otley and Skipton．Trapped inside, she managed to make the call that brought the ambulance(救护车)to her rescue．

　　Point 3－The mobile removes our secret．It allows marketing manager of Haba Deutsch, Carl Nicolaisen, to ring his sales staff all round the world at and time of day to ask where they are , where they are going, and how their last meeting went．

　　Point 4－The telephone separates us．Antonella Bramante in Rome says,“We worked in separate offices but I could see him through the window．It was easy to get his number．We were so near——but we didn't meet for the first two weeks!”

　　Point－5 The telephone allows us to reach out beyond our own lives．Today we can talk to several complete strangers simultaneously(同时地)on chat lines(at least my daughter does．I wouldn't know what to talk about)．We can talk across the world．We can even talk to astronauts(if you know any)while they're space-walking．And, with the phone line hooked up to the computer, we can access(存取)the Internet, the biggest library on Earth．

阅读理解

　　In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child's acquisition(学会)of each new skill－the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing．It is common that parents hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child．This might happen at any stage．A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, and a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads．On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm(热情)for life and his desire to find out new things for himself．

　　Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children．Some may be especially strict in money matters; others are severe over time of coming home at night or punctuality(准时)for meals．In general, the controls imposed(强加的)represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community(社区)as much as the child's own happiness．

　　As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parental teaching．To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality．Also, parents should realize that“example is better than precept”．If they are not sincere and do not practise what they preach(说教), their children may grow confused, and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled．

　　A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents' principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment．