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　　We've used the wind as an energy source for a long time．The Babylonians and Chinese were using wind power to pump water for irrigating crops 4, 000 years ago, and sailing boats were around long before that．Wind power was used in the Middle Ages, in Europe, to grind(磨碎)corn, which is where the term "windmill" comes from．

　　We can use the energy in the wind by building a tall tower, with a large propellor on the top．The wind blows the propellor round, which turns a generator to produce electricity．We tend to build many of these towers together, to make a "wind farm" and produce more electricity．The more towers, the more wind, and the larger the propellors, the more electricity we can make．It's only worth building wind farms in places that have strong, steady winds, although boats and caravans(大篷车)increasingly have small wind generators to help keep their batteries charged．

　　The best places for wind farms are in coastal areas, at the tops of rounded hills, open plains and gaps in mountains－places where the wind is strong and reliable．Some are offshore．To be worthwhile, you need an average wind speed of around 25 km/h．Most wind farms in the UK are in Cornwall or Wales．Isolated places such as farms may have their own wind generators．In California, several “wind farms” supply electricity to homes around Los Angeles．

　　The propellors are large, to obtain energy from the largest possible volume of air．The blades can be angled to cope with varying wind speeds．Some designs use vertical turbines(垂直涡轮机), which don't need to be turned to face the wind．The towers are tall, to get the propellors as high as possible, up to where the wind is stronger．This means that the land beneath can still be used for farming。

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　　If cars had wings，they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2011．The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its car-plane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2011．

　　“It’s the next‘wow’vehicle，”said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh．“Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don’t fly．”

　　The car plane has wings that unfold for flying－a process the company says takes one minute－and fold back up for driving．A runway is still required to take off and land．

　　The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both．The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations．

　　The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly．They say it saves you the trouble from trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports：You drive the car to the airport and then you’re good to go．When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road．There are no expensive parking fees because you don’t have to store it at an airport－you park it in the garage at home．

　　The car-plane is designed to fly primarily under 10, 000 feet．It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1, 430 pounds, including fuel and passengers．Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of flying into marginal(临界)conditions．

　　The Transition’s price tag：＄194, 000, But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, transponder or GPS．Another option is a full-plane parachute．

　　“If you get into a very awful situation, it is the necessary safety option, ” Gersh said．

　　So far, the company has more than 70 orders with deposits．“We’re working very closely with them, but there are still some remaining steps, ” Brown said．

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　　Can you believe your eyes? A recent experiment suggests that the answer to that question may depend on your age．

　　Martin Doherty, a psychologist at the University of Stirling in Scotland, led the team of scientists．In this experiment, Doherty and his team tested the perception(观察力)of some people, using pictures of some orange circles．The researchers showed the same pictures to two groups of people．The first group included 151 children aged 4 to 10, and the second group included 24 adults aged 18 to 25．

　　The first group of pictures showed two circles alone on a white background．One of the circles was larger than the other, and these people were asked to identify the larger one．Four-year-olds identified the correct circle 79 percent of the time．Adults identified the correct circle 95 percent of the time．

　　Next, both groups were shown a picture where the orange circles, again of different sizes, were surrounded by gray circles．Here’s where the trick lies in．In some of the pictures, the smaller orange circle was surrounded by even smaller gray circles－making the orange circle appear larger than the other orange circle, which was the real larger one．And the larger orange circle was surrounded by even bigger gray circles－so it appeared to be smaller than the real smaller orange circle．

　　When young children aged 4 to 6 looked at these tricky pictures, they weren’t fooled－they were still able to find the bigger circle with roughly the same accuracy as before．Older children and adults, on the other hand, did not do as well．Older children often identified the smaller circle as the larger one, and adults got it wrong most of the time．

　　As children get older, Doherty said, their brains may develop the ability to identify visual context．In other words, they will begin to process the whole picture at once：the tricky gray circles, as well as the orange circle in the middle．As a result, they’re more likely to fall for this kind of visual trick．

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　　Over the last 25 years, British society has changed a great deal．In some ways, however, very little has changed．Ideas about social class whether a person is “working-class” or “middle-class” are one area in which changes have been extremely slow．

　　In the past, the working-class tended to be paid less than middle-class people, such as teachers and doctors．As a result of this and also of the fact that workers’ jobs were generally much less secure, distinct differences in life-styles and attitudes came into existence．The typical working man would collect his wages on Friday evening and then give them to his wife, leaving a little for drinking or betting．

　　The type of what a middle-class man did with his money was perhaps nearer the truth．He was and still is likely to take a longer-term view．Not only did he regard buying a house to provide him and his family with security．Only in very few cases did workers have the opportunity(or the education and training)to make such long-term plans．

　　Nowadays, much has changed．In a large number of cases factory workers earn as much．Social security and laws have made it less necessary than before to worry about “tomorrow”．Working-class people seem slowly to be losing the feeling of inferiority(自卑感)they had in the past．In fact there has been a growing tendency in the past few years for the middle-classes to feel slightly ashamed of their position．

　　The changes in both life-styles and attitudes are probably most easily seen among younger people．They generally tend to share very similar tastes in music and clothes．They spend their money enjoying themselves, and save for holidays or longer-term plans when necessary．There seems to be much less difference than in precious generations．Nevertheless, we still have a wide gap between the well-paid and the low-paid．As long as this gap exists, there will always be a possibility that new problems will appear between different groups．

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　　The major obstacle to any success is procrastination(拖延), which makes us say, “Not now．Wait for the right time．” What we never understand is that the only right time is now．Start this moment, and you’ll succeed．If you wait for the right moment in the foggy future, you may be left to wait for that further and this wait goes on．

　　Once you know what your enemy is, you should keep yourself ready to face it．Now let me discuss how to deal with it．

　　If you’re doing an important task, you just feel that this is not the right moment．Sometimes you feel there are some prerequisites(先决条件)undone．Or sometimes you think someone else would stand behind to support you．

　　What to do：learn there is no time better than now．If you want to start a new project, just begin---call your team, draft the process and work．If you want to start a new hobby, buy the tools required, get a teacher or a good book and start off．Don’t wait till the next weekend．

　　When you’re ready and excited about doing something, you sit at the table, but suddenly you’re stuck and don’t know how to proceed．Worries suffer from writers’ block．Computer programmers get stuck when collecting ideas．This is natural and happens even to experts．Professionals get some solutions, but most people feel discouraged and start losing interest in the target．

　　What to do：First, you must have a mentor or a friend in the same field that can help you find an inspiration．Try to prepare a track for your course with a deadline．Plan well．If you are writing a novel, write in your planner that you’ll finish the character sketch for the hero on Saturday．On Sunday, you’ll write about how the hero meets the girl．In the same way, prepare tasks for everyday．

　　These are the two causes of procrastination．Learn to fight these and keep such situations from happening．Try not to sit idly or do worthless chores．Keep some time separate for each kind of work you have to do every day and stick to it．

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　　It was the summer of 1965, DeLuca, then 17,visited Peter Buck, a family friend．Buck asked DeLuca about his plans for the future．“I’m going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” DeLuca recalls saying．“Buck said, ‘You should open a sandwich shop．’”

　　That afternoon, they agreed to be partners．And they set a goal：to open 32 stores in ten years．After doing some research, Buck wrote a check for ＄1,000．DeLuca rented a storefront(店面)in Connecticut, and when they couldn’t cover their start-up costs, Buck kicked in another ＄1,000．

　　But business didn’t go smoothly as they expected．DeLuca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn’t know how badly, because we didn’t have any financial controls．” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs．

　　DeLuca was managing the store and going to the University of Bridgeport at the same time．Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York．They’d meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running．“We convinced ourselves to open a second store．We figured we could tell the public, ‘We are so successful, we are opening a second store．’” And they did－in the spring of 1966．Still,it was a lot of learning by trial and error．

　　But the partners’ learn-as-you go approach turned out to be their greatest strength．Every Friday, DeLuca would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their suppliers．“It probably took me two and a half hours and it wasn’t necessary, but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out,” DeLuca says．

　　And having a goal was also important．“There are so many problems that can get you down．You just have to keep working toward your goal,” DeLuca adds．

　　DeLuca ended up founding Subway Sandwich, the multimillion-dollar restaurant chain．

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　　The early 1900s were very different from today．Toys, though they have evolved in many ways, were still the delight of children everywhere．

　　Theodore Roosevelt’s Presidency marks the beginning of the “Teddy Bear．” In the year 1902,toy bears were named “Teddy” after the president’s nickname．The Teddy Bear became known worldwide, and is still known and loved today．It was only a few years later that the Teddy Bears were mass produced．

　　In 1913,an item called the Erector Set was invented．It was a steel, motorized toy that children could use to build models of anything．Its creator was A．C．Gilbert, a medical doctor．

　　Charles Pajeau created a similar wooden set called Tinker Toys in the year 1914．Tinker Toys were made for younger children．

　　Raggedy Ann dolls first came on the scene after newspaper cartonist Johnny Gruelle reproduced the doll he made for his daughter．That was in 1915．

　　The following year, an architect’s son named John Lloyd Wright, invented Lincoln Logs, which were interlocked to make structures．

　　Two years after Mickey Mouse was created, stuffed(填塞)Mickey Mouse dolls were made by Charlotte Clark．This was the start of Disney merchandise．

　　The yo-yo became popular in the United States after Donald Duncan bought a yo-yo company in 1929．

　　The View-Master, a three dimensional viewer, was developed by a camera enthusiast named William Gruber．The toy became popular when Gruber licensed Disney characters to make still,3-D images from Disney movies and television programs．

　　Finally, in 1940,model airplanes were mass produced．They started out as a way for manufacturers to sell planes to the military, but later caught on as a toy．

　　The toys that we know and love today have had their roots from these ancient times．Isn’t it interesting to know that if it hadn’t been for all these creative people, most of the games you know today would never have been?

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　　The world is not coming to an end on December 21, 2012, the US space agency insisted Monday in a rare campaign to dispel widespread rumors fueled by the Internet and a new Hollywood movie．

　　The latest big screen offering from Sony Picture, 2012, arrives in theaters on Friday, with a 200?million?dollar production about the end of the world supposedly based on myths(虚构的故事)backed by the Mayan calendar．It is claimed that the end of time will come as a Planet X－or Nibiru－heads toward or collides with the Earth．

　　Some websites accuse NASA of hiding the truth on the planet’ s existence, but the US space agency denounced such stories as an “Internet hoax(恶作剧)”．“There is no factual basis for these claims，” NASA said in a question and answer posting on its website．“If such a collision were real, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye．Obviously, it does not exist．Credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012, ” it insisted．“After all, our planet has been getting along just well for more than four billion years，” added NASA．

　　There is another planet, Eris, floating in space．But the small planet similar to Pluto will remain safely fixed in the outer solar system and it can come no closer than four billion miles to the Earth, according to NASA．

　　Initial theories set the disaster for May 2003, but when nothing happened the date was moved forward to the winter in 2012 to coincide with the end of a cycle of the ancient Mayan calendar．

　　NASA insisted the Mayan calendar in fact does not end on December 21, 2012, as another period begins immediately afterward．

　　And even if the planets were to line up as some have forecast, the effect on our planet would be “negligible”， NASA said．

　　“And while comets and asteroids(小行星)have always hit the Earth, big hits are very rare，” NASA noted．The last major impact was believed to be 65 million years ago，resulting in the end of dinosaurs．

　　“We have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs，” the space agency said．

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　　Pop stars today enjoy what once only belonged to the royalty(皇室)．Wherever they go, people turn out in their thousands to greet them．The crowds go wild trying to catch a brief glimpse of their smiling, colorfully dressed idols．The stars are transported in their chauffeur driven Rolls Royces, private helicopters or executive aeroplanes．They are surrounded by a permanent entourage(随从)of managers, press agents and bodyguards．Photographs of them appear regularly in the press and all their comings and goings are reported，for, like royalty, pop stars are news．If they enjoy many of the privileges of royalty, they certainly share many of the inconveniences as well．It is dangerous for them to make unscheduled appearances in public．They must be constantly shielded from the adoring crowds who idolize them．They are no longer private individuals, but public property．The financial rewards they receive for this sacrifice cannot be calculated, for their rates of pay are great．

　　And why not? Society has always rewarded its top entertainers lavishly．The great days of Hollywood have become legendary：famous stars enjoyed fame, wealth and adulation(奉承)on an all time scale．By today’ s standards, the excesses of Hollywood do not seem quite so spectacular．A single gramophone record nowadays may earn much more in royalties than the films of the past ever did．The competition for the title “Top of the Pops” is fierce, but the rewards are truly huge．

　　It is only right that the stars should be paid in this way．Don’t the top men in industry earn enormous salaries for the service they perform to their companies and their countries? Pop stars earn vast sums in foreign currency－often more than large industrial companies－and the taxman can only be grateful for their massive annual contributions to the exchequer(国库)．So who would begrudge them their rewards?

　　It’s all very well for people in boring jobs to complain about the successes and rewards of others．People who make envious remarks should remember that the most famous stars represent only the tip of the iceberg．For every famous star, there are hundreds of others struggling to earn a living．A man working in a steady job and looking forward to a pension at the end of it has no right to expect very high rewards．He has chosen security and peace of mind, so there will always be a limit to what he can earn．But a man who attempts to become a star is taking enormous risks．He knows at the outset that only a handful of competitors ever get to the very top．He knows that years of concentrated effort may be rewarded with complete failure．But he knows, too, that the rewards for success are very high indeed：they are the payback for the huge risks involved and once he makes it, he will certainly earn them．That’ s the essence of private enterprise．

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　　There are many colors in nature．But do you know if a color has weight? I think you’ll say “no”．But I am afraid you are wrong．If you don’t believe, you may do a small experiment．

　　First, put two objects with the same weight into two boxes．Then cover the box．Third, wrap one box with a red piece of paper, the other with a white piece of paper．OK．Now hold the boxes with your hand one by one．It is certain that you will think the red one is a little heavier．

　　Why do you think so? A scientist found that different colors have different weight in a man’s mind．So he did many tests and at last he got the result．That is to say, every color has its own weight in our mind and their order is the same．The heaviest color is red, then blue, green, orange, yellow and white．

　　The scientist told us that colors also have smell．Can you smell the color? Of course not．Then why did the scientist say so? That is because every color stands for a kind of light with a certain wavelength．It reaches our brain through sense organs．

　　According to this discovery, scientists say that people accept the colors they like, and refuse the colors they hate．So your body and mind will be healthy by using the colors you like．Or you’ll be nervous or even get ill．For example, if you stay in a room with red windows, wallpapers and furniture for two hours, you’ll feel you have been there for four hours．But if the room is blue, you’ll feel you have been there for only an hour．Another example, if a person walks out of a red room and into a blue room, his temperature will fall．That means our body temperature will change with different colors．