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　　We know the famous ones－the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells－but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper(雨刮器)？Shouldn’t we know who they are?

　　Joan Mclean thinks so．In fact, Mclean, a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range, feels so strongly about this matter that she’s developed a course on the topic．In addition to learning “who” invented “what”, however, Mclean also likes her students to learn the answers to the “why” and “how” questions．According to Mclean, “When students learn the answers to these questions, they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try．”

　　So, just what is the story behind the windshield wiper? Well, Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to Mew York City．The day was cold and stormy, but Anderson still wanted to see the sights, so she jumped aboard a streetcar．Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the windshield, she found herself wondering why there couldn’t be a built-in device for cleaning the window．Still wondering about this when she returned home to Birmingham, Alabama, Anderson started drafting out solutions．One of her ideas, a lever(操作杆)on the inside of a vehicle that would control an arm on the outside, became the first windshield wiper．

　　Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations．It’s hard to imagine driving without Garrett A．Morgan’s traffic light．It’s equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J．Blodgett’s innovation that makes glass invisible．Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses?

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　　Everyone gets sick of hearing, “Put on your seat belt!” But it's good advice．People who wear seat belts are 45 percent less likely to be killed while riding in the front seat of a car．

　　The US government wants more seat belt laws．It says children ages 4 to 15 are often killed in car accidents．In 2005, there were 1,627 children ages 4 to 15 killed in car accidents．More than 1,000 of those children were not wearing seat belts．If they had been wearing seat belts, 500 of those children could be alive today．

　　These children are too old to be in car seats, but they often sit in the back seat．Seat belt laws in many states, including Wisconsin, only require people in the front seat to wear seat belts．Children who aren't wearing seat belts can be thrown from the car．The risk of dying in an accident is three times greater if the person is thrown from the car．

　　New laws could require children ages 4 to 8 to be in booster seats in the car．Booster seats help seat belts fit children properly．Right now, only 5 percent of children ages 4 to 8 are seated in booster seats．

　　While parents have the choice of whether wearing seat belts or not, children are too young to make that choice．Even if you decide not to wear a seat belt, make sure your children are in seat belts and car seats．It's the law and it will save their lives．

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　　When asked to point out one or two things that are most important to themselves, many put friends ahead of homes, jobs, cloth and cars．

　　A true friendship carries a long history of experience that determines who we are and keeps us connected．It is a treasure we should protect．Unfortunately, the better friends you are, the more probably you'll have disagreements．And the result can be what you don't want－an end to the relationship．

　　The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended．First, don't let your pride get in your way．Most of us can forgive each other when differences are brought out in the open．Second, apologize when you're wrong－even if you've been wronged．Over the course of a friendship, even the best people make mistakes．Sometimes, it may be best if the wronged person takes the lead and apologizes．When you apologize, give your friend a chance to admit that he has been wrong．Third, see things from your friend's point view(观点)．And finally, accept that friendships change as our needs and lifestyles(生活方式)change．Making friends can sometimes seem easy．The hard part is keeping the connections strong during the natural ups and downs that have an effect on all relationships．My suggestion：Consider friendship an honor and a gift, and worth the effort to treasure and nurture(培养)．

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　　The first time I saw Carlos I would never have believed he was going to change my life．I had my arms full of books and I was tearing into the classroom when I ran into something solid．It was Carlos．

　　“My, you’re tall,” he said．

　　Of course, the class began to laugh．Angry, I walked to my seat without a word．

　　I glanced back to see if Reed Harrington was laughing with the rest．That would be the last straw．But Reed was studying chemistry and did not seem to be aware of anything else．I didn’t know why I considered Reed my friend．Maybe just because he was a good two inches taller than I．Anyway, every time I blew out my birthday candles and made a wish, it was for a date with Reed Harrington．“Take that seat,” Mr．McCarthy told the proud newcomer Carlos, pointing to the only empty one, in the back of the room．

　　Carlos smiled broadly．“But I need a couple of dictionaries．” Again the class laughed, but now they were laughing with Carlos, not at him．He had been here only 10 minutes and already he had them on his side．

　　It was the school elections that made me think of Carlos again．Reed Harrington was voted president and Carlos vice president．“How come?” I kept asking myself．“How come this shrimp(虾)who’s only been in town for a little over a month gets to be so popular．”

　　So on that morning, I stopped Carlos and said, “It doesn’t seem to bother you－being short．” He looked up at me．“Of course I mind being short．But there isn’t anything I can do about it．When I realized I was going to have to spend my life in this undersized skin, I just decided to make the best of it and concentrate on being myself．” “You seem to get along great,” I admitted．“But what about me? Nobody wants to date a girl taller than he is．” “The trouble with you is you’re afraid to be yourself．You’re smart．And you could be pretty．In fact, you might be more than pretty．” I felt myself turning red…

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　　Coffee has a history dating back to at least the 9th century and has been a catalyst for social interaction across cultures and eras．Originally discovered in Ethiopia, coffee beans were brought into the Middle East by Arab traders, spreading to Egypt, Yemen, Persia, Turkey, and North Africa by the 15th century．Muslim merchants eventually brought the beans to the thriving port city of Venice, where they sold them to wealthy Italian buyers．Soon, the Dutch began importing and growing coffee in places like Java and Ceylon(largely through slave labor), and the British East India Trading Company was popularizing the beverage in England．Coffee spread across Europe and even reached America．

　　Where there has been coffee, there has been the coffeehouse．From the 15th century Middle Eastern establishments where men gathered to listen to music, play chess, and hear recitations from works of literature, to Paris' Cafe le Procope where luminaries of the French Enlightenment such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot came to enjoy a hot cup of joe, coffeehouses have traditionally served as centers of social interaction, places where people can come to relax, chat, and exchange ideas．

　　The modern coffee shop is modeled on the espresso and pastry-centered Italian coffeehouses that arose with the establishment of Italian-American immigrant communities in major US cities such as New York City's Little Italy and Greenwich Village, Boston's North End, and San Francisco's North Beach．New York coffee shops were often frequented by the Beats in the 1950's．It wasn't long before Seattle and other parts of the Pacific Northwest were developing coffee shops as part of a thriving counterculture scene．The Seattle-based Starbucks took this model and brought it into mainstream culture．

　　Although coffeehouses today continue to serve their traditional purpose as lively social hubs in many communities, they have noticeably adapted to the times．Rediscovering their purpose as centers of information exchange and communication, many coffee shops now provide their customers with internet access and newspapers．It has become extremely common to see someone sitting at a Starbucks listening to music or surfing the web on his or her laptop．Coffee stores today also maintain a fairly identifiable, yet unique aesthetic：wooden furniture and plush couches, paintings and murals drawn on walls, and soft-lighting combine to give coffee shops the cozy feeling of a home away from home．

　　Today, big business retail coffee shops are expanding quickly all over the world．Starbucks alone has stores in over 40 countries and plans to add more．Despite its popularity, Starbucks has been criticized and labeled by many as a blood-sucking corporate machine, driving smaller coffee shops out of business through unfair practices．This has even spawned an anti-corporate coffee counterculture, with those subscribing to this culture boycotting big business coffee chains．Increasingly popular coffee stores such as The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf are also giving Starbucks some stiff competition．In any case, it seems pretty clear that coffee has weaved itself into the fabric of our consumer-oriented culture．

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　　We supply the bike, panniers, all the support gear, easy to follow maps, cycle routes and either the accommodation or several accommodation suggestions depending on the tour．

　　All you need to do is bring your cycle gear．Book your accommodation off the detailed list if required, and you are all set for a cheap, environmentally friendly holiday in New Zealand．

　　We do all the hard work of sorting routes and where to stay－you just relax and enjoy the riding! Too easy．

　　There are more tours to come so if you don’t see a tour that suits your needs let us know!

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　　For years experts have argued that poor households are consuming less nourishing food than the rest of the population．

　　But a survey of some of the lowest earners in Britain shows the nutritional value of what they eat is little different to everyone else．

　　In fact, the same deficiencies in diet were shared by all the population and the findings suggest that poor eating choices are far more widespread than previously suspected - affecting many wealthier families．

　　These included low fruit and vegetable consumption, not eating enough oily fish and eating too much saturated fat and sugar．

　　“This is a large and significant study and it shows we are all eating just as bad a diet as each other,” said Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University．

　　The poorest families were eating only slightly more sugar and slightly less fruit and vegetables, according to the study of 3,728 respondents in the bottom of the population．

　　Alison Tedstone, head of nutritional science at the Food Standard Agency, said：“Overall, people on low incomes have less than ideal diets, but their diets are only slightly worse than those of the rest of the population．”

　　The study also showed that low earners are choosing to eat unhealthily．Their food choices were not linked to their income, their access to shops or their cooking skills．

　　The findings appear to contradict assumptions that the poor cannot afford healthier foods or are too far away from shops that sell them．

　　The Low Income Nutrition and Diet Survey showed that like the rest of the population, the poor's daily fruit and vegetable intake on average is below the recommended five portions．Fewer than 10 per cent of respondents hit this target, while around 20 per cent ate less than a portion per day．

　　More than three quarters(76 per cent)of men and 81 per cent of women did less than one 30-minute session of moderate or vigorous exercise per week．

　　Some 45 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women were smokers．

　　This compares with 28 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women in the general population．

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　　Teenagers who drink alcohol are at higher risk of becoming victims of violence, a Cardiff University study has found．

　　A team from the School of Dentistry’s Violence Research Group studied drinking habits in children aged 11 - 16 in England．They found not only a link between drink and violence but also that children who drank were more likely to be hit, even if they weren’t violent themselves．

　　The researchers are now calling for measures to prevent alcohol misuse to reduce injury risk．Current policy focuses on reducing aggression but this research shows that there should be equal effort to reduce victimization．

　　More than 4,000 children were surveyed at 13 schools at four local authorities in the North, the Midlands, London, and the South．The study found that 25％ of 11-year-olds were drinking monthly and 3.6％ daily, with 12.8％ admitting to getting drunk 3 to 5 times a year．By the age of 16, 40％ were drinking weekly and 6.2％ were drinking every day．The research also showed 22.6％ of 16-year-olds were getting drunk more than 21 times a year．

　　The study, which has just been published in the Journal of Adolescence, found a strong link between frequency of drinking and frequency of hitting other people

　　However, children who reported drinking monthly were also three times more likely to be hit．Adolescents who drank but didn’t get into fights were more likely to be hit than those who did fight．

　　Professor Jonathan Shepherd, who led the research, said a lot of previous alcohol-related violence work had focused on the offenders rather than the victims．His team is calling for more prevention work from parents and teachers in the first two years of secondary school by taking advantage of the “teachable moment”，that is, immediately after a student has missed school because of drunkenness．

　　Previous work by Professor Jonathan Shepherd has shown drinkers may be more at risk of violence because of reduced physical co-ordination, poor decision-making in threatening situations and isolation while out late at night．

　　He said, “This new study seems to be the first to show a direct link between alcohol misuse and victimization．There now needs to he much more effort put into reducing alcohol misuse in order to reduce injury．”

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　　“Can I see my baby?” the happy new mother asked．When the bundle was in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped．The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the tall hospital window．The baby had been born without ears．

　　Time proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect．It was only his appearance that was imperfect．When he rushed home from school one day and threw himself into his mother’s arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be misfortunate．He cried out the tragedy, “A boy, a big boy．．．called me a freak(怪人)．”

　　He grew up, handsome．A favourite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that．He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music．“But you might communicate with other young people，” his mother blamed him, but felt a kindness in her heart

　　Two years went by．One day, his father said to the son, “You’re going to the hospital, son．Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need．But it’s a secret．” The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged．

　　Later he married and entered the diplomatic service．One day, he asked his father, “Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her．” “I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know．．．not yet．”

　　The years kept their secret, but the day did come．He stood with his father over his mother’s casket．Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to reveal the mother had no outer ears．

　　“Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut，” his father whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they?”

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　　People all know that December 25th is Christmas Day for Americans and other westerners．Yet not all people know Boxing Day．

　　Boxing Day is a holiday observed on December 26th, or the first weekday after Christmas．And it is a festival only for those service persons such as postmen, errand boys, newspaper boys, milkmen, etc．On that day, families traditionally give Christmas boxes to those service workers．It is a custom, but nobody is certain how it was originated．

　　A popular legend tells us the story．There was once a wealthy lady called Chatter in England．One morning many, many years ago, it snowed very heavily．Chatter was waiting anxiously for a very important letter from her boyfriend．Then a postboy came and gave her the letter．She was so delighted that she gave him a box containing gifts．Later on more and more people followed her example．As time went by, giving boxes of gifts to service persons became a custom in Britain．Later the custom spread to the British Commonwealth and America．In the United States, some people give their employees money instead of boxes nowadays．

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