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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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　　You’re in a bit of a dilemma standing in front of the produce section of your local supermarket．In one hand, you’re holding a conventionally grown Granny Smith apple．In your other hand, you have one that’s been organically grown．Both apples are firm, shiny and green．Both provide vitamins and fiber, and both are free of fat, sodium and cholesterol．

　　The conventionally grown apple costs less and is a proven family favorite．But the organic apple has a label that says “USDA Organic”．Does that mean it’s better? Safer? More nutritious? Several differences between organic and non-organic foods exist．Become a better informed consumer for your next trip to the supermarket．

　　The word “organic” refers to the way farmers grow and process agricultural products, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meat．Organic farming practices are designed to encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution．Farmers who grow organic produce and meat don’t use conventional methods to fertilize, control weeds or prevent livestock disease．

Here are other differences between conventional farming and organic farming：

　　*Organic or not? Check the label．

　　The U．S．Department of Agriculture(USDA)has established an organic certification program that requires all organic foods to meet strict government standards．These standards regulate how such foods are grown, handled and processed．Any farmer or food manufacturer who labels and sells a product as organic must be USDA certified as meeting these standards．Only producers who sell less than ＄5,000 a year in organic foods are exempt(免除)from this certification．

　　If a food bears a USDA Organic label, it means it’s produced and processed according to the USDA standards．The seal is voluntary, but many organic producers use it．

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　　If you were to come up with a list of organizations whose failures had done the most damage to the American economy in recent years, you would probably have to start with the Wall Street firms that brought us the financial crisis．From there, you might move on to the automakers in Detroit．

　　But I would suggest that the list should also include a less obvious nominee：public education．

　　At its top level, the American system of higher education may be the best in the world．Yet in terms of its core mission－turning teenagers into educated college graduates－much of the system is failing．

　　The United States does a good job enrolling(招生)teenagers in college, but only half of the students who enroll end up with a bachelor’s degree．

　　So identifying the causes of the college dropout crisis in the world’s largest economy matters enormously, and a new book called “Crossing the Finish Line” tries to do precisely that．Its authors are economists William Bowen and Michael McPherson, and a doctoral candidate Matthew Chingos．The first problem they diagnose is something they call under-matching．It refers to students who choose not to attend the best college they can get into．They instead go to a less selective one, perhaps one that is closer to home or less expensive．About half of the low-income students with a grade-point average of at least 3.5 in high school and an SAT score of at least 1,200 do not attend the best college they could have．“I was really astonished by the degree to which well-qualified students from poor families under-matched,” said Mr．Bowen．

　　In fact, well-off students attend the colleges that do the best job of producing graduates．Meanwhile, lower-income students－even when they are better qualified－often go to colleges that excel(擅长)in producing drop-outs．“It’s really a waste,” Mr．Bowen said, “and a big problem for the country．” As the authors point out, the only way to lift the college graduation rate significantly is to lift it among poor and working-class students．Instead, it appears to have fallen．

What can be done? Money is clearly part of the answer．

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　　Grandpa Nybakken loved life－especially when he could play a trick on somebody．At those times, his large Norwegian frame shook with laughter while he pretended innocent surprise, exclaiming, “Oh, forevermore!” But on a cold Saturday in downtown Chicago, Grandpa felt that God played a trick on him, and grandpa wasn’t laughing．

　　Grandpa worked as a carpenter．On this particular day, he was building some boxes for the clothes his church was sending to an orphanage abroad．On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone．He remembered putting them there that morning, so he drove back to the church．His search proved fruitless．

　　Suddenly, he realized what had happened．The glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the boxes, which he had nailed shut．His brand new glasses were heading for China!

　　The Great Depression was at its height, and Grandpa had six children．He had spent twenty dollars for those glasses that very morning．

　　“It’s not fair,” he told God as he drove home in frustration．“I’ve been very faithful in giving of my time and money to your work, and now this．”

　　Several months later, the director of the orphanage was on vacation in the United States．He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him, so he came to speak on Sunday night at my grandfather’s small church in Chicago．Grandpa and his family sat in their usual seats among the small congregation(教堂会众)．

　　“But most of all,” he said, “I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year．”

　　“Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses．Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my co-workers and I were much in prayer about this．Then your boxes arrived．When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses lying on the top．” After a long pause, he continued, “Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom-made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that!”

　　The people listened, happy for the amazing glasses．But the director surely must have confused their church with another, they thought, there were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas．

　　But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way．

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　　As I began to feel completely sick of the cold North American winter, spring break finally arrived! What made me even more excited was that we were going to Florida to enjoy the warm weather!

　　Just imagine wearing T-shirts or a swimsuit under the hot Florida sun!

　　Before the vacation started, we had a little episode(插曲)at the airport．The alarm sounded when my host mom and me were walking through the security check．We were taken away to have further checks, but when they finally told us that we could go, we felt relieved and amused．It was just because of the decorations(装饰品)on my pants and the tinfoil(锡纸)around my host mom’s chewing gum!－Just as a reminder, no overly fashionable pants or tinfoil on a plane!

　　Of course, I had a lot of first experiences during this special vacation．Since eight of us were living in a house, we had to share bedrooms, I, fortunately or unfortunately, had to share a room with my 4-year-old host sister．She is tiny compared to me, but she took up about two thirds of the bed．Moreover, because I was not used to sleeping in the same room with others, I was afraid of waking her up and hardly slept at all．

　　Luckily, except for that, everything went really well．My host family were really warm hearted, and they wanted me to try everything new．With their “persuasion”, I was “forced” to go kayaking(划皮艇), which turned out to be really fun．We went through some canals and I saw manatees(海牛)and dolphins with my own eyes for the very first time!

　　When we finally landed in Wisconsin again, everyone looked tanned and full of energy!

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　　It was the beginning of the school year a few years ago and I had a little boy in my class who came from a non-English speaking home．He was very quiet and shy．I wasn’t sure how much he understood during the school day and I was especially concerned that he just stood by himself at break time and did not play．If I tried to talk to him, he would turn away and tightly shut his eyes to hide from me．

　　After a day or two of this, I decided to seek the help of one of my outgoing and friendly little girls．I called her over and she ran to me, ready to help．

　　I immediately began a long speech about what I needed from her．I asked her if she would try to get him to play, and I started talking quickly about all these suggestions on how she could start communicating with him．I explained she could do this, she could do that, she could try this idea, she could try that idea．She touched my arm to stop my talking and looked up at me in that wise and special way that only a six-year-old can, and said, “Don’t worry．I speak kid．” And she ran off．

　　I stood there all alone, silently watching her．It took less than a minute for the two new friends to run off, hand in hand, happily joining a game of tag(捉人游戏)taking place all over the gym．

　　I often think of that small moment, about what I learned and how important it is for all teachers to speak kid－big kid, little kid and middle kid．I knew my focus must be on teaching students how to think, how to approach problems, and how to figure out solutions and never take the opportunity away．We must be ready to learn from our students because those “teachable moments” during the school days are for us, the teachers, as well as our kids．

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　　One Room Air-conditioner－＄50

　　Date：2010-10-20, 11：09 PM EDT

　　Reply to：sale-nkzcp-1836592471@ craigslist．org

　　I have a one room air-conditioner．I had a central air conditioning system put in and I don’t need it any more．I only used it for a month and it works great．

　　Brand New Nike shoes－＄25

　　Date：2010-10-20, 11∶04 PM EDT

　　Reply to：sale-vyuvv-1836588920@ craigslist．org

　　I have a new pair of kids Nike Tennis shoes．They have never been worn．They are just sitting out in my garage for someone in need of new tennis shoes．They are in excellent condition．I bought them for my daughter a few years ago and they didn’t fit her．They must be picked up in Medina．

　　24’ Boat－＄1,000

　　Date：2010-10-20, 11∶36 PM EDT

　　Reply to：sale-fndfx-1836614645@ craigslist．org

　　I have a 1961 24’ wooden boat with a 350 hp Chevy engine．Boat hull(船身)and floors have been redone．The motor works．The boat is not in the water, but has been standing on blocks for a year and the inside will need to be put back together as it was taken apart to redo the floors．Everything taken off is still there．Please call 440-942-2763 if you are interested．

　　8-piece Kid’s Bedroom Set－＄600

　　Date：2010-10-20, 11∶29 PM EDT

　　Reply to：sale-473ny-1836608704@ craigslist．org

　　This is an 8-piece bedroom set．It includes five different dressers, one mirror and two beds with bed boards．My girls are older and have their own rooms and wanted a change．Cash and carry only．I cannot deliver, but I can assist in the set-up of the beds．

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　　There are many festivals in Argentina during the year．Therefore, you can enjoy the different interesting festivals when traveling there．First of all, we should talk about the Tango(探戈舞)Festival in Argentina, which is held in the capital of this country － Buenos Aires, from February to March．You ought to know that Argentina is the home of tango, so Argentineans admire this dance very much．Even if you cannot dance perfectly, you should join the people and try to perform this dance．

　　The next festival in Argentina is Open Polo(马球)Tournament．You should go to Palermo to see this festival in Argentina．This festival is held every year and is the most important polo tournament in Argentina．This kind of sport is considered the most important in Argentina．Attending this festival in Argentina, you will be able to communicate with different people, admire the fascinating competition between the teams of different countries, such as Argentina, England, Australia, as well as the US．This festival in Argentina is usually held between November and December every year．So don’t miss the opportunity if you travel to Argentina at this time．

　　The other festival in Argentina is the Semana Musical Llao Llao．This is a festival of classical music．The festival was created in 1993 and is held at the Llao Llao Hotel, near Bariloche．The festival is held yearly in October．So if you admire this kind of music, you should travel to Argentina in October．There are also many carnivals in October．There are also many carnivals in Argentina in summer．Of course, it’s impossible to put everything about festivals in Argentina into just one article．We hope that you have found this article interesting and eye-catching．

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　　I was driving home one evening about 5, stuck in traffic, and the car started to die－I hardly managed to get into a gas station, glad only that I would have a somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck(拖车)．Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the “ Quickie Mart” building, then suddenly she slipped(滑倒)on some ice and fell down, so I got out to see if she was okay．

　　When I got there, it looked like she had been overcome by weep than that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked exhausted with dark circles under her eyes．She dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up and gave it to her．It was a coin．

　　At that moment, everything came into focus for me：the crying woman, the ancient Suburban packed full of stuff and three kids in the back, and the gas pump(汽油泵)reading ＄4.95．

　　I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying “I don’t want my kids to see me crying,” so we stood at the other side of the pump from her car．She said she was driving to California for Christmas and that things were very hard for her right now．

　　I took out my credit card and swiped(刷磁卡)it through the card reader on the pump so that she could fill up her car completely, and I bought 2 big bags of food for her kids in the car who attacked it like wolves．While it was fueling, she asked, “So, are you an angel or something?” I said, “At this time of year, angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses common people．”

　　It was unbelievable to be part of someone else’s miracle．And of course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home with no problem．Sometimes, angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the flutter(摆动)of their wings．

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　　Disposing(处理)of waste has been a problem since humans started producing it．As more and more people choose to live close together in cities, the waste disposal problem becomes increasingly difficult．

　　During the eighteenth century, it was usual for several neighboring towns to get together to select a faraway spot as a dump site．Residents or trash haulers(垃圾拖运者)would transport household rubbish, rotted wood, and old possessions to the site．Periodically some of the trash was burned and the rest was buried．The unpleasant sights and smells caused no problem because nobody lived close by．Factories, mills, and other industrial sites also had waste to be disposed of．

　　Those located on rivers often just dumped the unwanted remains into the water．Others built huge burners with chimneys to deal with the problem．

　　Several facts make these choices unacceptable to modern society．The first problem is space．Dumps, which are now called landfills, are most needed in heavily populated areas．Such areas rarely have empty land suitable for this purpose．Property is either too expensive or too close to residential neighborhoods．Long distance trash hauling has been a common practice, but once farm areas are refusing to accept rubbish from elsewhere, cheap land within trucking distance of major city areas is nonexistent．Awareness of pollution dangers has resulted in more strict rules of waste disposal．Pollution of rivers, ground water, land and air is a price people cannot longer pay to get rid of waste．The amount of waste, however, continues to grow．

　　Recycling efforts have become common place, and many towns require their people to take part．Even the most efficient recycling programs, however, can hope to deal with only about 50 percent of a city’s reusable waste．

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