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　　Obama still smokes in secret

　　US President Barack Obama may have just made life more difficult for cigarette makers, but he still smokes every now and then in secret．

　　Obama, who has publicly struggled to quit smoking, said he still hasn't completely kicked the habit even after signing a law this week that will likely set tough new rules for the tobacco industry．

　　“As a former smoker I constantly struggle with it．Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes．Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No,” Obama said at a news conference．

　　"I don't do it in front of my kids, I don't do it in front of my family．I would say that I am 95 percent cured, but there are times where I mess up,” he said．

　　The new law gives the US Food and Drug Administration the power to strictly limit the making and marketing of tobacco products．

　　At a White House signing ceremony Monday, Obama said that he was among the nearly 90 percent of smokers who took up the habit before their 18th birthday．

　　"Once you go down this path it's something you continually struggle with, which is exactly why the law we signed is so important because what we don't want is kids going down that path in the first place,” he said at the news conference．

　　Nearly 20 percent of Americans smoke and tobacco use kills about 440,000 people a year in the United States due to cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases．

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　　NewYork Tuesday April 12－Dustin Hoffman fan Pamela Crack got the shock of her life when the movie star telephoned her as she was doing her housework．．Crack, 58, said she was “flabbergasted”when she picked up the phone and heard the star at the other end．

　　“It’s not every day you get a Hollywood superstar phoning you when you’re doing the housework,” Crack told The Sun, “It was a moment I’ll never forget．”

　　Hoffman was in the back of a London taxi driven by Crack’s husband, Dave, when he made the call after being told Pamela was a fan．Dave Crack later became the star of Hoffman’s speech at the Bafta award ceremony Sunday, where the 62-year-old American actor presented the Best Film award．

　　“He said to give him a mention,” Hoffman told the audience to a burst of laughter．“Cheers Dave．” Taxi driver Crack said the Hollywood star was a joy to drive from the moment he got into the taxi eating a cheese and tomato sandwich．

　　“I said ‘You’re that Dustin Hoffman, aren’t you?’ and he said, ‘Yes I am－would you like a sandwich?’ I was a bit surprised but I took a sandwich from him and ate it hungrily．”

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　　On Christmas morning, I went to the Cockhedge Mall．People there were all busy buying their last minute requirements．I needed to buy a birthday card for my son-in-law whose birthday is the 29th of December．Picking up a few more things as well as my cared I went to join the line for the express checkout which was for people who only had a few items in a basket and not a trolley load．This line was next to the Customer Service desk．

　　Seemingly waiting quite a long time, I was jogged out of my thoughts by a voice behind me making comments on the things I bought．

　　It was so funny when I realized that she was describing the contents of my basket．The owner of the voice was a very pretty young lady．I said to her that I was going to buy a box of Christmas cookies but the only ones left were not to my liking．The lady told me that just opposite Cockhedge in Superdrug they had lots of cookies．I said, “I’m not going to bother now．I had enough of shops and I’m going home．”

　　The assistant from the Customer Service came across at this time saying “If there is anyone in the line with a few items in their basket, none of which needed to be weighed, I will check out their groceries at the desk．” Because I had the sprouts(豆芽菜)which needed to be weighted, the young lady accepted the offer and walked away waving goodbye．

　　Eventually my turn came at the checkout．I was walking away when I met my new friend once again who handed me a beautiful box of Christmas cookies．With a big hug she said “Hope you have a lovely Christmas．” She had been into Superdrug to buy me the cookies while I was still queuing in Cockhedge．

　　What a generosity to a stranger!I was so surprised you could have knocked me down with a feather．My Good Samaritan would never know what a joyful Christmas day I had with my family．Telling them this story, as we ate around the table, kept everyone spellbound．

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阅读理解

　　On Christmas morning, I went to the Cockhedge Mall．People there were all busy buying their last minute requirements．I needed to buy a birthday card for my son-in-law whose birthday is the 29th of December．Picking up a few more things as well as my cared I went to join the line for the express checkout which was for people who only had a few items in a basket and not a trolley load．This line was next to the Customer Service desk．

　　Seemingly waiting quite a long time, I was jogged out of my thoughts by a voice behind me making comments on the things I bought．

　　It was so funny when I realized that she was describing the contents of my basket．The owner of the voice was a very pretty young lady．I said to her that I was going to buy a box of Christmas cookies but the only ones left were not to my liking．The lady told me that just opposite Cockhedge in Superdrug they had lots of cookies．I said, “I’m not going to bother now．I had enough of shops and I’m going home．”

　　The assistant from the Customer Service came across at this time saying “If there is anyone in the line with a few items in their basket, none of which needed to be weighed, I will check out their groceries at the desk．” Because I had the sprouts(豆芽菜)which needed to be weighted, the young lady accepted the offer and walked away waving goodbye．

　　Eventually my turn came at the checkout．I was walking away when I met my new friend once again who handed me a beautiful box of Christmas cookies．With a big hug she said “Hope you have a lovely Christmas．” She had been into Superdrug to buy me the cookies while I was still queuing in Cockhedge．

　　What a generosity to a stranger! I was so surprised you could have knocked me down with a feather．My Good Samaritan would never know what a joyful Christmas day I had with my family．Telling them this story, as we ate around the table, kept everyone spellbound．

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　　Honesty may well be the policy, but it often deserts us when no one is watching, psychologists report today．Experiments with an honesty box to collect payments for hot drinks show that people are better at paying up when under the gaze(注视)of a pair of eyes．The surprise was that the eyes were not real, but photographed．

　　Researchers at Newcastle University set up the experiment in secret．They attached a poster to a cupboard of mugs above an-honesty box alongside a kettle with tea, coffee and milk．Over 10 weeks, they alternated each week between images of eyes and pictures of flowers．

　　Dr．Bateson, a behavioral biologist and leader of the study, said that even though the eyes were not real they still seemed to make people behave more honestly．They effect may arise from behavioral characteristics that developed as early humans formed social groups that increased their chances of survival．Individuals had to co-operate for the good of the group, rather than act selfishly．

　　"If nobody is watching us it is in our interests to behave selfishly．But when we think we're being watched we should behave better, so people see us as co-operative and behave the same way towards us, "Dr．Bateson said．

　　"We thought we'd get a slight effect with eyes, but it was quite striking how much difference they made．Even at a subconscious level, it seems people respond to eyes, and that might be because eyes send a strong biological signal we have evolved to respond to．"

　　The finding, which researchers believe sheds light on our evolutionary past, could be turned to practical use．The psychologists say images of eyes could promote ticket sales on public transport and improve monitor systems to prevent antisocial behavior．

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　　Obama still smokes in secret

　　US President Barack Obama may have just made life more difficult for cigarette makers, but he still smokes every now and then in secret．

　　Obama, who has publicly struggled to quit smoking, said he still hasn't completely kicked the habit even after signing a law this week that will likely set tough new rules for the tobacco industry．

　　“As a former smoker I constantly struggle with it．Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes．Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No,” Obama said at a news conference．

　　"I don't do it in front of my kids, I don't do it in front of my family．I would say that I am 95 percent cured, but there are times where I mess up,” he said．

　　The new law gives the US Food and Drug Administration the power to strictly limit the making and marketing of tobacco products．

　　At a White House signing ceremony Monday, Obama said that he was among the nearly 90 percent of smokers who took up the habit before their 18th birthday．

　　"Once you go down this path it's something you continually struggle with, which is exactly why the law we signed is so important because what we don't want is kids going down that path in the first place,” he said at the news conference．

　　Nearly 20 percent of Americans smoke and tobacco use kills about 440,000 people a year in the United States due to cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases．

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　　NewYork Tuesday April 12－Dustin Hoffman fan Pamela Crack got the shock of her life when the movie star telephoned her as she was doing her housework．．Crack, 58, said she was “flabbergasted” when she picked up the phone and heard the star at the other end．

　　“It’s not every day you get a Hollywood superstar phoning you when you’re doing the housework,” Crack told The Sun, “It was a moment I’ll never forget．”

　　Hoffman was in the back of a London taxi driven by Crack’s husband, Dave, when he made the call after being told Pamela was a fan．Dave Crack later became the star of Hoffman’s speech at the Bafta award ceremony Sunday, where the 62-year-old American actor presented the Best Film award．

　　“He said to give him a mention,” Hoffman told the audience to a burst of laughter．“Cheers Dave．” Taxi driver Crack said the Hollywood star was a joy to drive from the moment he got into the taxi eating a cheese and tomato sandwich．

　　“I said ‘You’re that Dustin Hoffman, aren’t you?’ and he said, ‘Yes I am－would you like a sandwich?’ I was a bit surprised but I took a sandwich from him and ate it hungrily．”

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　　Do you want to visit Warwick Castle in Britain? Warwick is a friendly and a memorable experience with something for all ages．Easily accessible by car, bus, train, cycling or on foot it is surrounded by historic buildings and numerous attractions．

　　Ticket Prices &Offers

　　Look at our online offers, Warwick-Castle, com is the only place to purchase the Ultimate Castle and The Castle Dungeon ticket at the best price．

　　Online bookings must be made 24 hours before you visit．Please note that admission to The Castle Dungeon is NOT included with standard online or on the day tickets．There are limited Dungeons tickets available, and only from Warwick-Castle, corn．Please book in advance to guarantee your Castle Dungeon experience．

　　One Day Tickets

　　Booking online is the best way to get your tickets for Britain's Ultimate Castle．Save 20％ and skip the ticket queue when you arrive - it couldn't be easier!

　　If you're not sure when you want to visit then don't worry, you can still book a Flexible Ticket-valid(有效的)for any day that the castle is open during 2010．

　　Buy tickets online now!

　　Important notes on ticketing

　　Please note that if you wish to visit the Castle using an on-the-day promotional voucher(票券),your Dungeon experience can be prebooked by calling 0870 442 2375．

　　A ￡1.50 fee applies to all bookings made online and via telephone - one fee per booking．Children must be accompanied by an adult．Group rates are available for groups of more than 10 people．Groups can book by calling 0870 442 2371 or online．

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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 considered one 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 raceat 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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　　BANGKOK－The tiny island nation of Tuvalu has promised to do its part for climate change by fueling its economy entirely from renewable sources by 2020．

　　The South Pacific nation of 12,000 people is part of a movement of countrie s and cities committed to going climate neutral．Since February 2008, 10 nations have promised to reduce their emission(释放)of greenhouse gases as part of a goal of reaching zero emissions in the next decade．

　　None of these commitments alone is expected to make a significant difference in the fight to cut heat-trapping gases．But the moves can inspire bigger emitters(排放者)like the United States to take further steps to limit their carbon footprints．

　　Climate scientists have urged rich countries to reduce emissions from 2005 levels by between 25 percent and 40 percent by 2020 to avoid the worst effect of warming．For its parts, Tuvalu hopes to replace the fossil fuels that are imported by ship with solar energy and wind power soon．

　　Tuvalu already emits almost no greenhouse gases．But because of climate change, many South Pacific islands see worsening flooding．The country is just 10 square miles in size, with most of its land less than a meter above sea level．

　　So far, Tuvalu has installed(安装)a 40-kiliowatt solar energy system with the help of Japan’s Kansai Electric Power Co．and Tokyo Electric Power Company．The Tuvalu government is working to expand the ＄410,000 project from 40 to 60 kilowatts, and will extend solar power to outer islands．

　　“We thank those countries who are helping Tuvalu reduce its carbon footprint,” Public Utilities and Industries Minister Kausea Natano said．“And we look forward to the day when our nation offers an example to all--- powered entirely by natural resources such as the sun and the wind．”

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