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　　To what degree can a computer achieve intelligence?The answer to this question may lie in a newly-developed US computer program called Smarter Child and the Internet．

　　If you ran into Smarter Child online, you would be surprised at this kid's huge memory．It can recite many facts．For example, Smarter Child knows every baseball player in every team this season．

　　He knows every word in the dictionary and the weather in every major city areas across the US．However, if you ask Smarter Child other questions, you get strange answers．A question about Smarter Child's age returns．“One year, 11 days, 16 hours, 7 minutes, and 47 seconds!”Asking where he lives gets,“In a clean room in a high-tech building in California．”

　　Smarter Child uses the vast information on the World Wide Web as his memory bank．To answer questions about spelling, for instance, Smarter Child goes to American Heritage Dictionary online．For the weather, he visits www.intellicast.com．

　　Some scientists believe that by joining the many systems of the Internet, an artificial being with the combined knowledge of, say, Albert Einstein, Richard Nixon and Britney Spears could be born．However, if Smarter Child wants to think and learn on his own like the boy-computer David in the movie A．I．Artificial Intelligence, he must overcome two problems．

　　The first is that computers find it difficult to read web pages because the files are labeled in different ways．That's why programmers need to tell Smarter Child where to look for the weather．It would be a much more difficult task to let him find it himself．

　　Another problem is that while Smarter Child can process information more exactly and faster than any human, he lacks common sense－a basic grounding of knowledge that is obvious to any young child．

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　　When you are curious about something, and want to know more about it, you can use the way of asking questions．Asking questions is the first step to make discoveries and find interesting answers．The steps below can guide you during the research．

　　Step 1 On a note card or piece of paper, write down the subject that you are interested in．Just get the main idea down．For example, you might write：

　　Discover more about dinosaurs．

　　Step 2 Next, stop and think for a moment about what you already know about your subject．List what you already know like the sentences below：

　　1．Dinosaurs lived long before human beings appeared．

　　2．Dinosaurs lived on the earth for more than 150 million years．

　　3．Some dinosaurs fed on plants, some on meat．

　　Step 3 What can you do with what you want to learn?By asking questions．On your paper, start writing down questions about the dinosaurs as you think of them：

　　1．What's the best weather for dinosaurs to live in?

　　2．How many kinds of dinosaurs are there?

　　3．Have dinosaurs really disappeared?

　　Step 4 Armed with your list of questions, you can now go to the nearest library or computer to begin your research．As you learn more about your subject, you'll probably discover some new questions．

　　For example, you might discover that dinosaurs disappeared about 65 million years ago．Why?What happened?Asking new questions can help you research your subject more widely．

　　The next time you find something interesting to research, take time to organize your thinking by asking good questions．And remember－learning more always bring more questions．

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　　Buster Brown was a thief-and a good one, too, he thought．He'd never been caught by the police because he never took chances．He was always prepared for any unforeseen event or emergency．

　　Confidently, he stood outside the house of his intended victim(受害者)and read the sign on the front gate of the house．“Don't worry about the dog－be aware of the owner!”it said．Buster smiled and found his way in．

　　The house looked quite normal outside, but inside it was very exotic with fascinating objects on display．As he began putting them into his bag, a dog came into the room．It stopped when it saw Buster, then wagged its tail madly and went over to him, licking his outstretched hand．

　　“Good boy,”Buster whispered．“What a great guard dog you are－trying to lick me to death．”

　　Satisfied he'd made friends with the dog, Bluster began to wander round the house, choosing items to put in his bag．His skilled eye picked out only the best antiques(古董)：a pair of silver candleholders, a silver tea-and-coffee service, etc．．His new friend, the dog, sat and watched, as if wondering what was happening．

　　“Well, boy,”Buster whispered, finally．“That might do．Any more and I won't be able to carry it!”He swung the heavy bag onto his shoulders, just as the lights came on, nearly blinding him．He shielded his eyes with his hand．

　　“You're a very silly person,”the figure(身影)in the doorway said．As the man came closer, Buster could see he was well dressed．His face seemed familiar, but Buster couldn't quite be sure of the place where he had seen him before．

　　“You should have taken more notice of the sign outside,”the man rasped．“I knew about this attempted robbery last week and I also know you will end up behind bars for 20 years．Fancy trying to rob the house of the world's greatest fortune-teller(算命先生)!”

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　　Far from the land of Antarctica, a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean．At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod．

　　For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish．How does it live where most fish would freeze to death?There must be some secrets．The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow．Now it seems we have an answer．

　　Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish．Scientists studied the fish's blood and measured its freezing point．

　　The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of－1.88℃ and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it．The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to－2.05℃．That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture．

　　The scientists' next research job was clear：find out what in the fish's blood kept it from freezing．Their search led to some really strange things made up of a protein(蛋白质)never seen in the blood of a fish before．When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature．When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point．

　　Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein．It has many small sugar molecules(分子)held in special positions within each big protein molecule．Because of its sugar content, it is called a glycoprotein．So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein, or AFGP．

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　　American cities are similar to other cities around the world．In every country cities reflect the values of the culture．Cities contain the very best aspects of a society：opportunities for education employment and entertainment．They also contain the very worst parts of a society：violent crime, racial(种族)conflict and poverty．American cities are changing just as American society is changing．

　　After World WarⅡ city residents became wealthier．They had more children．They needed more space．They move out of their apartments in the city to buy their own homes．They bought houses in the suburbs areas near a city where people live．These are areas without many offices or factories．During the 1950s the American“dream”was to have a house in the suburbs．

　　Now things are changing．The children of the people who left the cities in 1950s are now adults．They unlike their parents want to live in the cities．Many young professionals, doctors, lawyers and executives(主管人员)are moving back into the city．Many are single; others are married but often without children．They prefer the city to the suburbs because their jobs are there; they are afraid of the fuel shortage; or they just enjoy the excitement and opportunities which the city offers．

　　This population shift(转变)is bringing problems as well as benefits．Countless poor people must leave their apartments in the city because the owners want to sell the buildings or make apartments for sale instead of for rent．In the 1950s, many poor people did not have enough money to move to the suburbs; now many of these people do not have enough money to stay in the cities．

　　Only a few years ago, people thought that the older American cities were dying．Some city residents now see a bright, new future．Others see only problems and conflicts．One thing is for sure：many dying cities are alive again．

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　　Topping the class academically was certainly an advantage．For Nigel, studying was a piece of cake．The reward was certainly much bigger compared to the little effort Nigel had made．It all began when he was selected to help the teachers in the computer laboratories．And the peak of his school career came not when he topped the class but when he was selected for the nationwide competition．

　　Unlike everyone else, Nigel wanted to join in the contest because he liked playing with the Lego sets(乐高积木)and making something out of them．Nigel spent two months building his robot．It was during the time that Nigel found out about the big prize for the competition as well as a competitive rival(对手), Alicia, from a neighboring school．His early intentions were forgotten．Getting the thousand-dollar prize was more important than anything else．Nigel decided to make friends with Alicia．Unaware of his intentions, she told him all about the robot that she had been building for the competition．He even helped her to put the finishing touches(收尾工作)to her robot．He was glad with the way things had progressed．His robot looked even better than Alicia's and it was able to play a ball with its arm, something Alicia had failed to do．

　　On the day of the competition, he saw Alicia．Everything became clear the minute she saw him among the competitors．She stared at him, puzzled at first, then angry and finally a look of helplessness came over her．

　　The flashbulbs(闪光灯)of the camera exploded in Nigel's face．The robot had performed actions so unique and different that the specialists' judgments were the same．Nigel was so pleased with himself that he did not even notice the girl standing a few feet away from him．Without her, he would never have won the competition．

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Hey there,

　　So you're about to spend four years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars of your parents' money, and all you really know about college is that all of your friends are going．Do you ever consider why you're going?

　　Relax．You're making the right decision．First of all, you'll discover what interests you by taking courses in many subjects．It's hard to decide whether you want to be a painter if you've never painted any pictures, until you're in a drawing-room on campus．College is also a lot of fun－after you graduate, you'll be working every weekday for 50 or so years．And remember that college graduate earn about twice the income of those who never attended college．

　　Finding the right college can be difficult．Fortunately, Johnson Review is here to help you every step of the way．

　　*Researching Schools．The most important decision you'll make is to choose the school that really suits your best－not the one that is the most competitive or has the best-equipped rooms．

　　*Applying to School．On JohnsonReview.com, you'll find hundreds of actual college applications and links to many more．

　　*Raising Your Scores．American College Test is one of the most difficult parts of the admission(录取)course．It's not the most important, though, and not everyone needs to prepare for the test．But, if you can do better, find the right course for better scores．

　　*Paying for School．Most families need financial aid for the high cost of college．The problem is that financial aid seems difficult to get and many families get caught up in the price of college instead of learning the ways to get financial aid．If you really do your research, you'll learn that you can afford to attend any college, no matter the cost．

　　For more information, call 600-3681 or visit JohnsonReview.com．Wherever you go, have a nice trip!

　　Johnson Smith

　　Founder and CEO

　　Johnson Review

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　　Clarissa looked out of the taxi window at the wet road．It was still raining．She was looking forward to getting home after a busy and tiring week in Italy．

　　The taxi stopped outside the terminal and Clarissa got out．While she was finding some money in her purse, the driver took out her luggage．She picked up her suitcase and entered the terminal building．The British airways check－in desk was near the entrance．After checking in her luggage, she went to buy some magazines．Then she went through passport control and the security check．

　　After waiting in line with other passengers, Clarissa walked down the corridor and onto the plane．Her seat was next to the window．While the plane was taking off, she closed her eyes, but when the plane was in the air, she began to relax．She pressed the button at the side of the seat, lay back and opened her eyes again．

　　Pin!The sound of the bell woke Clarissa from her dreams．“Ladies and gentlemen, we are now approaching Heathrow．Will you fasten your seatbelts and extinguish all your cigarettes．”

　　When the plane landed and came to a standstill, Clarissa saw that outside the sun was shining and the sky was clear．It was going to be a perfect day．

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　　In the United States, friendships can be close, constant, intense, generous and real, yet fade away in a short time if situations change．Neither side feels hurt by this．Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while－then no more．If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship where it left off and are delighted．

　　In the States, you can feel free to visit people's homes, share their holidays, or enjoy their lives without fear that you are taking on a lasting obligation(义务)．Do not hesitate to accept hospitality(好客)because you can't give it in return．No one will expect you to do so for they know you are far from home．Americans will enjoy welcoming you and be pleased if you accept their hospitality easily．

　　Once you arrive there, the welcome will be full and warm and real．Most visitors find themselves readily invited into many homes there．In some countries it is considered inhospitable to entertain at home, offering what is felt as only home－cooked food, not“doing something for your guest”．It is felt that restaurant entertaining, shows more respect and welcome．Or for other different reasons, such as crowded space, language difficulties, or family custom, outsiders are not invited into homes．

　　In the United States, both methods are used, but it is often considered more friendly to invite a person to one's home than to go to a public place, except in purely business relationships．So, if your host or hostess brings you home, do not feel that you are being shown inferior treatment．

　　Don't feel neglected if you do not find flowers awaiting you in your hotel room, either．Flowers are very expensive there; hotel delivery is uncertain; arrival times are delayed, changed, or canceled——so flowers are not customarily sent as a welcoming touch．Please do not feel unwanted!Outward signs vary in different lands; the inward welcome is what matters, and this will be real．

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　　Situated in the South West of England, between Exeter and Plymouth, Torquay is one of the most popular holiday resorts in Britain．It provides a variety of entertainment, sports of every kind and cultural facilities, all set in a position of outstanding natural beauty．Visitors can choose between luxury hotels by the sea, with private suites(套房), swimming pools and saunas, and comfortable but less expensive guest houses．There are camping sites, too, and hundreds of houses displaying“B＆B”signs．

　　As well as a number of small quiet bays, which are ideal for beach barbecues away from the crowds, Torquay has large sandy beaches where you can buy refreshments(饮料)and hire deck chairs, boats and even beach huts．There are large areas of grassland overlooking the sea, and miles of winding cliff paths for walkers who just want to enjoy the scenery and what is often said to be the healthiest air in the country．For the sportsmen and women there are opportunities not only for golf, tennis, squash and bowls, but also for water-skiing, hang-gliding and deep-sea fishing．

　　After a day in the open air, there's lots to do in the evenings, too．There are plenty of discos, the occasional opera or ballet, and summer variety shows in the seafront theatres．For the children, there is a beautiful model village with a complicated railway layout which is remarkably realistic-especially when the lights are all on at night．

　　Of course, there's no need to spend your whole holidays in Torquay．Only a short drive away is Dartmoor National Park, where you can walk for miles through dramatic, unspoiled countryside, or picnic by beautiful rivers and streams．Or, nearer to home, you can sail across Tor Bay to the lovely old fishing village of Brixham．

　　Torquay seems to have something for everyone．But don't take my word for it－come and see for yourself．

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