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　　Question：My ninth-grade art teacher doesn't give any grade above 94％ because, she says, "There's always room for improvement．" In previous years, I earned a 99％ and a 100％．The 94％ I received this term does not reflect the hard work that I put into this course．Because of her "improvement" theory, I got a lower grade than I deserve．Is her grading philosophy(原则)morally correct?

　　Answer：Your teacher's grading system may be unwise, but it is not morally wrong．A teacher deserves wide latitude in selecting the method of grading that best promotes learning in her classroom ; that is, after all, the prime function of grades．It is she who has the training and experience to make this decision．

　　You can criticize her methodology．A 100 need not imply that there is no possibility of improvement, only that a student successfully completed the course work．A ninth grader could get a well-earned 100 in English class but still has a way to go before he writes as well as Jane Austen．What's more, grades are not only an educational device(手段)but are also part of a screening system to help assign(分配)kids to their next class or program．By capping her grades at 94 while most other teachers grade on a scale that tops out at 100, your teacher could risk making a student lose a chance of getting a scholarship or getting into a top college．

　　What it is wrong to condemn(指责)her for is overlooking your hard work．Your hard work is worthy of encouragement, but effort does not equal accomplishment．If scholars suddenly discovered that Rembrandt had dashed off The Night Watch in an afternoon, it would still be The Night Watch．

　　I could spend months sweating over my own "paintings", but I'd produce something you wouldn't want to hang in your living room or your garage．

　　One feature(特点)of a good grading system is that those measured by it generally regard it as fair and reasonable－not the case here．Strong feeling of anger is seldom an aid to education．And so your next step should be to discuss your concerns with your teacher or the principal．

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　　My father was a keen baseball fan．Whenever he could, Dad took me out to the park and pitched balls for me to hit．

　　One day at the park, a woman pushing a young boy in a wheelchair stopped to watch us play．My dad was over to them in a flash to ask if the child could join our game．The woman explained that her son had polio(小儿麻痹症)and wouldn't be able to get out of the chair．That didn't stop my dad．He placed the bat in the youngster's hand, pushed him out to home plate and assisted him in holding the bat．Then he yelled out to me, "Anne, pitch one in to us．"

　　I saw the delight in the boy's eyes, so I aimed at the bat and let the ball fly．The ball made contact with the bat(球拍)with an assist from my dad and the child screamed with joy．As I turned, I heard my dad singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game．

　　An hour later we all left the field, very tired but very happy．Dad told the mother to bring the boy back next Saturday and we would play another game．

　　Dad and I were at the field the next Saturday but the mother and son never came．Twenty years passed, with my dad gone, I had very mixed emotions about leaving the neighborhood Before moving I decided to take one last walk around the park where Dad and I had spent so many happy moments．Two Little League teams were on the field just about to start a game．I felt the sting of tears in my eyes as I watched the children play the game．

　　"Jeff, protect your base," one coach yelled．I cheered the runner on when the ball was hit far into the outfield．The coach turned and smiled, "I never thought I’d ever be a coach playing on this field．You see, I had polio as a child and was restricted to a wheelchair．Thanks to a man's assistance, I was able to hit the ball and hear him singing the song Take Me Out to the Ball Game．I believe that experience gave me the desire to walk again．I hope that some day I'll look up in the stands and see that man and his daughter again．I sure would like to thank him．"

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　　I shall never forget the night，a few years ago，when Marion J．Douglas was a student in one of my adult-education classes．He told us how tragedy had struck at his home，not once，but twice．The first time he had lost his five-year-old daughter．He and his wife thought they couldn’t bear that first loss；but，as he said，“Ten months later，God gave us another little girl and she died in five days．”

　　This double bereavement was almost too much to bear．“I couldn’t take it，” this father told us，“I couldn’t sleep，eat，rest or relax．My nerves were entirely shaken and my confidence gone．”At last he went to doctors；one recommended sleeping pills and another recommended a trip，but neither helped．He said，“My body felt as if it was surrounded in a vice(大钳子)，and the jaws of the vice were being drawn tighter and tighter．” The tension of grief(悲伤)－if you have ever been paralyzed(使瘫痪)by sorrow，you know what he meant．

　　“But thank God，I had one child left－a four-year-old son．He gave me the solution to my problem．One afternoon as I sat around feeling sorry for myself，he asked，‘Daddy，will you build a boat for me？’ I was in no mood to build a boat；in fact，I was in no mood to do anything．But my son is a persistent little fellow！I had to give in．Building that toy boat took me about three hours．By the time it was finished，I realized that those three hours spent building that boat were first hours of mental relaxation and peace that I had had in months！I realized that it is difficult to worry while you are busy doing something that requires planning and thinking．In my case，building the boat had knocked worry out of the ring．So I determined to keep busy．”

　　“The following night，I made a list of jobs that ought to be done．Scores of items needed to be repaired．Amazingly，I had made a list of 242 items that needed attention．During the last two years I have completed most of them．I am busy so that I have no time for worry．”

　　No time for worry！That is exactly what Winston Churchill said when he was working eighteen hours a day at the height of the war．When he was asked if he worried about his huge responsibilities，he said，“I am too busy．I have no time for worry．”

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　　The first field season is now over at the hut village of the workmen who built the tombs in the Valley of the Kings．However，the archaeologists working on the excavation(挖掘)have found that they still have a great deal to do．The sun, the wind and tourists have left their mark on the village, originally discovered by Bernard Bruyhre in 1935．

　　“From our modern perspective，it is upsetting to see how the village was first excavated and then left to be destroyed．Passers-by have used the huts as rubbish dumps and restrooms,”says Jaana Toivari－Viitala, a teacher at the University of Helsinki．“Fortunately, while we still have some surface cleaning to do, conservation are off to a good start．”

　　The hut village offers rare insight into everyday life in ancient Egypt．

　　“In the early twentieth century，archaeologists were only interested in the tombs of kings．The workmen’s huts they discovered were seen as a necessary evil in the quest for the real treasures．”

　　“Now several international research groups on different excavations are examining everyday life and work in the Valley of the Kings．This seems to be a trend in archaeology right now．” Toivari-Viitala says．

　　Her research group wants to find out why the hut village was built on the slope of a mountain，halfway between the construction site and Deir-el-Medina．They are also interested in how many workers lived in the village at a time, when they lived there, and what their role was in the construction work．

　　“Comparing the names found in the village and in Deir-el-Medina provides useful information．Judging from the construction methods，settlement in the village can be divided into two separate periods：the initial settlement and a later one．”

　　For the time being，much is up to guessing, but Toivari-Viitala believes that the coming four field seasons, three months each, will see results．

　　“The working conditions are not nearly as difficult as I thought they would be．The cool winds in the mountains nicely alleviate the heat．”

　　The research group working on the “Workmen’s huts in the Theban mountains” project is planning to return to the Valley of the Kings in October．

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　　I don't ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again．There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it's like to work in a field dominated by men．I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting．What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-time and the nature of black holes．

　　At 19, when I began studying astrophysics(天体物理学), it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom．But while earning my Ph．D．at MIT and then as 3 post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me．My every achievement－jobs, research papers, awards－was viewed through the lens of gender(性别)politics．So were my failures．Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus(相对于)right brain, or nature versus nurture(培育), I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind．

　　Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations：I don't talk about that anymore．It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn't want to deal with gender issues．Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don't study sociology or political theory．

　　Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women's college in New York City．Recently, someone asked me how many of the 45 students in my class were women．You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer：45．I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children．And I don't dismiss those concerns．Still, I don't tell them "war" stories．Instead, I have given them this：the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments．And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science．And that's a sight worth talking about．

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　　Job sharing refers to the situation in which two people divide the responsibility of one full-time job．The two people willingly act as part-time workers, enough hours between them to fulfill the duties of a full-time worker．If they each work half the job, for example, they each receive 50 per cent of the job's wages, its holidays and its other benefits．

　　Job sharing differs from conventional(常规的)part-time work in that it occurs mainly in the more highly skilled and professional areas, which require higher levels of responsibility and employee commitment．

　　Job sharing should not be confused with the term work sharing, which refers to increasing the number of jobs by reducing the number of hours of each existing job, thus offering more positions to the growing number of unemployed people．Job sharing, by contrast, is not designed to address unemployment problems; its focus, rather, is to provide well-paid work for skilled workers and professionals who want more free time for other activities．

　　As would be expected, most job sharers are women．A survey carried out in 1988 by Britain's Equal Opportunities Commission showed that 78 per cent of sharers were female, the majority of whom were between 20 and 40 years of age．Subsequent studies have come up with similar results．Many of these women were re-entering the job market after having had children, but they chose not to seek part-time work because it would have meant lower status．Job sharing also offered an acceptable shift back into full-time work after a long absence．

　　The necessity of close cooperation when sharing a job with another person makes the actual work quite different from conventional one-position jobs．However, to ensure a greater chance that the partnership will succeed, each person needs to know the strengths, weaknesses and preferences of his or her partner before applying for a position．Moreover, there must be a fair division of both routine tasks and interesting ones．In sum, for a position to be job-shared well, the two individuals must be well matched and must treat each other as equals．

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　　Book 1：Brack Obama

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　　His mother came from Kansas．His father came from Kenya．He grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia, far from the center of American politics．Few people had even heard of Brack Obama before 2004．Bt one powerful speech in Boston changed all that for the Illinois senator(参议员)．In 2008, this inspiring leader ran for the country’s top job, President．

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　　Growing up, Danica Patrick dreamed of racing in the Indianapolis 500．In 2005, her dream came true．Danica finished the race in fourth place, the best ever result by a woman．Three years later, she became the first female to win an IndyCar race．As a woman competing in a sport dominated by men, Danica faced many obstacles．But she never stopped believing in herself, no matter what the difficulties．

　　Book 3：Ellen Ochoa

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　　Some people dream of becoming stars．Ellen Ochoa dreamed of living among them! She worked hard to make her dream of becoming an astronaut come true．On April 8, 1993, she strapped(用带子系好)herself in for the ride of her life aboard the space shuttle Discovery．Ochoa aimed high and boldly went where no Hispanic woman had gone before．Find out about Ochoa’s amazing journey in her own words and photos from her personal collection!

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　　Fans, teammates, and opponents know him as King James．Many people consider LeBron James to be the most talented basketball Player of his generation．But there is much more to his story．He overcame hard times as a kid and rose to national fame as a teenager．He then jumped right from high school to the pros．Along the way, LeBron never lost sight of where he came from or who he is．

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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．

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　　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．

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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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