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　　Sydney－A shark savaged a schoolboy's leg while he was surfing with his father at a beach in Sydney on February 23．It was the third shark attack along the coast of Australia's largest city in a month．

　　The 15-year-old boy and his father were in the water off Avalon, on Sydney's northern beaches, around dawn when he was attacked．The city's beaches are packed with locals and tourists during the summer months．

　　“The father heard a scream and turned to see his son trashing(扭动)about in the water,”police said．“Fortunately, the shark swam away and the boy was helped to shore by his father．”

　　Lifesaving Club spokesman Nick Miller said,“It got him around the top of his left leg and the father came and dragged his out of water．”He said the boy was bleeding heavily when he was brought to the shore．“There was a lot of pain, as you can imagine．”The teenager was airlifted to hospital for treatment for leg injuries．

　　Police said the bites“cut through to the bone”, but the boy did not appear to have sustained any fractures(骨折)．He was in a stable condition now．

　　Several beaches were closed after the attack．Water police and lifeguards were searching for the shark, while police hoped to identify its species by the shape of the bite marks．But they said it was too early to say what type of shark attacked the boy．“I don't even know if he saw it,”Miller said．

　　Many shark species live in the waters off Sydney's beaches, but attacks on humans are still relatively rare．However, there were two attacks on successive days earlier this month, one on a navy diver in Sydney harbor, not far from the famous Opera House, and the other on a surfer at the city's world-famous Bondi beach．

　　Fishermen say shark numbers are on the rise．There is a ban on commercial fishing in the harbor, which has increased fish stocks．Marine experts also claim environmental protection has created a cleaner environment, attracting sharks closer to the shore as they chase fish．Many shark species, including the Great White－the man-eaters made famous in Steven Spielberg's Jaws－are protected in Australian waters．

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　　Ever felt like destroying the car in front of you when you're stuck in an endless traffic jam?

　　Well, the Spanish company StopStress is offering clients the possibility of doing just that－but in controlled, safe conditions．

　　Clients can also destroy computers, mobile phones and TV sets in what the company calls“destructotherapy”．

　　“We target the machines that cause the most stress in modern life,”company co-founder Jorge Arribas said in a telephone interview．“People get rid of stress by screaming and beating the machines until they are tired out,”he explained．

　　The company, based in the northern Spanish city of Sofia, uses deserted cars that still work．Heavy-metal music is used to excite the clients．They are given protective suits and glasses, helmets and huge hammers．

　　Most people's rage only lasts for 5 to 10 minutes．But some go on for hours：they beat cars on which they've put the names of people or ideas they would like to get rid of．

　　“Some even get together to turn the car over,”Arribas says．A session costs 60 euros(US＄80)per person．

　　Arribas says the idea came to him when he was having trouble parking his car．

　　Dozens of people have used the therapy, which helps people become aware of their stress level and helps them to slow down, Arribas explained．

　　“It's better to channel violence in a controlled way than to get it out on one's wife or in a traffic husband and jam,”he added．

　　StopStress already has branches in three Spanish cities, and is planning to extend its market beyond Spain's borders．

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　　The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children．On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special．

　　However, the idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington．A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909．Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her．It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices(牺牲)and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a selfless and loving man．Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spikane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910．

　　In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge declared the third Sunday in June as Father's Day．Roses are the Father's Day flowers：red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died．

　　When children can't visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card．Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental(伤感的)．Most greeting cards are too special so fathers laugh when they open them．Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child need Dad．

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　　Shopping is not as simple as you may think!There are all sorts of tricks each time we reach out for that particular brand(品牌)of product on the shelf．

　　Colouring, for example, varies according to what the producers are trying to sell．Health foods are packaged(包装)in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colours．Ice cream packets(包装)are often blue and expensive goods, like chocolates, are gold or silver．

　　When some kind of pain-killer(止痛药)was brought out recently, researchers found that the colours turned the customers off because they made the product look weak and ineffective．Eventually, it came on the market in a dark blue and white package－blue because we think of it as safe, and white as calm．

　　The size of a product can attract a shopper．But quite often a bottle doesn't contain as much as it appears to．

　　It is believed that the better-known companies spend, on average, 70 percent of the total cost of the product itself on packaging!

　　The most successful producers know that it's not enough to have a good product．The founder of Pears Soap, who for 25 year has used pretty little girls to promote(促销)their goods, came to the conclusion：“Any fool can make soap, but it takes a genius(天才)to sell it．”

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　　Feel tired lately?Has a doctor said he can't find anything wrong with you?Perhaps he has sent you to a hospital, but all the advanced equipment there shows that there is nothing wrong with you．

　　Then, consider this：you might be in a state of sub-health(亚健康)．Sub-health, also called the third state or gray state, is explained as a borderline(界限)state between health and disease．

　　According to the survey by the National Health Organization, over 45 percent of sub-healthy people are middle-aged or elderly．The percentage is even higher among people who work in management positions as well as students around exam-week．

　　Symptoms include a lack of energy, depression, slow reactions, insomnia, anger, and poor memory．Other symptoms include shortness of breath, sweating and aching in the waist and legs．

　　The key to preventing and recovering from sub-health, according to some medical experts, is to form good living habits, alternate work and rest, exercise regularly, and take part in open air activities．

　　As for meals, people are advised to eat less salt and sugar．They should also eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, fish because they are rich in nutritional elements－vitamins and other elements that are important to the body．

　　Nutrition experts point out that it is not good to eat too much at one meal because it may cause unhealthy changes in the digestive tract(消化道)．They also say that a balanced diet is very helpful in avoiding sub-health．

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　　Trees should only be pruned(修剪)when there is a good and clear reason for doing so and, the number of such reasons is small．Pruning involves the cutting away of overgrown and unwanted branches, and the inexperienced gardener can be encouraged by the thought that more damage results from doing it unnecessarily than from leaving the tree to grow in its own way．

　　First, pruning may be done to make sure that trees have desired shape or size．The object may be to get a tree of the right height, and at the same time to help the growth of small side branches, which will thicken its appearance or give it a special shape．Secondly, pruning may be done to make the tree healthier．You may cut out diseased or dead wood, or branches that are rubbing against each other and thus cause wounds．The health of a tree may be encouraged by removing branches that are blocking up the center and so preventing the free movement of air．

　　One result of pruning is that an open wound is left on the tree and this provides an easy entry for disease, but it is a wound that will heal(愈合)．Often there is a race between the healing and the disease as to whether the tree will live or die, so that there is a period when the tree is at risk．It should be the aim of every gardener to reduce that risk of death as far as possible．It is important to make the area, which has been pruned, smooth and clean, for healing will be slowed down by roughness．You should allow the cut surface to dry for a few hours and then paint it with one of the materials available from garden shops produced especially for this purpose．Pruning is usually done in winter, for then you can see the shape of the tree clearly without interference(妨碍)from the leaves and also it is very unlikely that the cuts you make will bleed．If this does happen, it is, of course, impossible to paint them properly．

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　　That“Monday morning feeling”could be a crushing pain in the chest which leaves you sweating and gasping for breath．Recent research from Germany and Italy shows that heart attacks are more common on Monday mornings and doctors blame the stress of returning to work after the weekend break．

　　The risk of having a heart attack on any given day should be one in seven, but a six-year study helped by researchers at the Free University of Berlin of more than 2,600 Germans showed that the average person had a 20 percent higher chance of having a heart attack on a Monday than on any other day．

　　Working Germans are particularly not protected against attack, with a 33 percent higher risk at the beginning of the working week．Non-workers, by comparison, appear to be no more at risk on a Monday than any other day．

　　A study of 11,000 Italians proved 8 am on a Monday morning as the most stressful time for the heart, and both studies showed that Sunday is the least stressful day, with fewer heart attacks in both countries．

　　The findings could lead to a better understanding of what is the immediate cause of heart attacks, according to Dr Stefan Willich of the Free University．“We know a lot about long-term risk factors such as smoking and cholesterol(胆固醇)but we don't know what actually causes heart attacks, so we can't give clear advice on how to prevent them,”he said．

　　Monday mornings have a double helping of stress for the working body as it makes a rapid change from sleep to activity, and from the relaxing weekend to the pressures of work．

　　“When people get up, their blood pressure and heart rate go up and there are hormonal(内分泌)changes in their bodies,”Willich explained．“All these things can have an unfavourable effect in the blood system and increase the risk of a clot(血凝块)in the arteries(动脉)which will cause a heart attack．”

　　“When people return to work after a weekend off, the pace of their life changes．They have a higher workload, more stress, more anger and more physical activity,”said Willich．

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　　Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5∶30 and at 6∶30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club．At last, the traffic was moving．She swung quickly racing to her house．As she opened the door, she nearly tripped over(被绊倒)Sheba．

　　“Hey, Sheba,”she said,“I've got no time for you now, but I'll take you out as soon as I get back from tennis club．”Then she noticed Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking．Obviously, she could hardly breathe．Immediately, Joanne realized she would have to take her to the vet(兽医)．

　　When she got there, the vet was just about to close for the day．Seeing the state of Sheba, Dr．Sterne brought her quickly into his office．

　　“Listen, doctor, I'm really in a rush to get to a meeting, can I leave her with you, and go and get changed?I'll be back in ten minutes to pick her up, and then I'll take her on to the meeting with me．Is that OK?”

　　“Sure．”said the doctor．

　　Joanne made the quick trip back to her house in a couple of minutes．As she was once more　entering the hallway, the phone by the door began to ring．

　　“This is Dr．Sterne,”said an anxious voice．“I want you to get out of that house immediately,”said the doctor's voice．“I'm coming round right away, and the police will be there any time now．Wait outside!”

　　At that moment, a police car screeched(发出尖锐的声音)to a stop outside the house．Two policemen got out and ran into the house．Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened．Then the doctor arrived．

　　“Where's Sheba?Is she OK?”shouted Joanne．

　　“She's fine, Joanne．I took out the thing which was choking her, and she's OK now．”

　　Just then, the two policemen reappeared from the house, half-carrying a white－faced man, who could hardly walk．There was blood all over him．

　　“My God,”said Joanne,“how did he get in there?And how did you know he was there?”

　　“I think he must be a burglar．”said the doctor．“I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba's throat：it turned out to be three human fingers．”

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There are two types of people in the world．Although they have equal degrees of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy, the other becomes miserable．This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, and events, and the resulting effects upon their minds．The people who are to be happy fix their attention on the conveniences of things, the pleasant conversation, the well-prepared dishes, the goodness of the wines, the fine weather．They enjoy all the cheerful things．Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the contrary things．Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied．By their remarks, they ruin the pleasures of society, offend many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere．If this turn of mind were founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied．The tendency to criticize and be disgusted is perhaps taken up originally by imitation．It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors．The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it are convinced of its bad effects on their interests and tastes．I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit．Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious consequences in life, since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck．Those people offend many others, nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect, and scarcely that．This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments．If they aim at obtaining some advantage in rank or fortune, nobody wishes them success．Nor will anyone stir a step or speak a word to favor their hopes．If they bring on themselves public disapproval, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their misconduct．These people should change this bad habit and condescend(俯就，屈尊)to be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others．If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them．Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrel．

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Robert Spring, a 19th century forger, was so good at his profession that he was able to make his living for 15 years by selling false signatures of famous Americans．Spring was born in England in 1813 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1858 to open a bookstore．At first he prospered by selling his small but genuine collection of early U．S．autographs．Discovering his ability at copying handwriting, he began imitating signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin and writing them on the title pages of old books．To lessen(减少)the chance of detection, he sent his forgeries to England and Canada for sale and circulation．Forgers have a hard time selling their products．A forger can't approach a respectable buyer but must deal with people who don't have much knowledge in the field．Forgers have many ways to make their work look real．For example, they buy old books to use the aged paper of the title page, and they can treat paper and ink with chemicals．In Spring's time, right after the Civil War, Britain was still fond of the Southern states, so Spring invented a respectable maiden lady known as Miss Fanny Jackson, the only daughter of General“Stonewall”Jackson．For several years Miss Fanny's financial problems forced her to sell a great number of letters and manuscripts belonging to her famous father．Spring had to work very hard to satisfy the demand．All this activity did not prevent Spring 126 from dying in poverty, leaving sharp-eyed experts the difficult task of separating his forgeries from the originals．

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