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In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table．A waitress put a glass of water in front of him．“How much is an ice cream sundae?” “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress．The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it．“How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he required．Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient．“Thirty-five cents,” she said rudely．The little boy again counted the coins．“I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said．The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away．The boy finished the ice cream, paid the bill and departed．When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw．There, placed nearly beside the empty dish, were two five-cent coins and five one-cent coins－her tip．

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　　Do you enjoy reading? Do you read newspapers or magazines? Chances are, if you do any of these activities, your pre-school child is on his way to becoming a reader．

　　The process of learning to read is complex, and one of the most important things to know is that parents can help their children learn to read．As children have conversations with adults, they hear both new and familiar words and their vocabulary grows．

　　There are many opportunities for adults and children to talk together, such as when riding in the car or in a bus, doing housework like fixing dinner, or bathing and getting ready for bed．A major part of conversation is listening．When children talk, adults listen and respond．Then children listen and respond, and so the flow of conversation happens．

　　Have you watched you pre-school child pretend to read to his younger sisters or brothers? Have you read his favorite story over and over? These experiences tell children that reading is fun．And when things are fun and they are repeated, your child will see letters．He begins to connect them to familiar words, especially the letters that make up his name．A natural next step for him to take is to write the letters．

　　When children see parents make a grocery list, they want to use a pencil and paper to make their own list．To encourage these beginning writing activities, have pencils, markers, crayons and scrap paper within your children’s reach．

　　The more children get connected with talking, listening, reading and writing, the easier it is for them to become active readers．While you as a parent have a big influence on these early behaviors, it is important to remember that opportunities for literacy experiences happen when you and your child share in the basic routines(日常生活)of everyday life．

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　　Language is always changing．In a society where life continues year after year with few changes, the language does not change, either．The earliest known languages had difficult grammar but a small, limited vocabulary．Over the century, the grammar changed, and the vocabulary grew．For example, the English and Spanish people who came to America during the sixteenth century gave names to all new plants and animals they found．In this way, hundreds of new words were introduced into English and Spanish vocabularies．Today life is changing very fast, and language is changing fast too．

　　There are several major language families in the world．Some scientists say there are nine main families, but other scientists divide them differently．The languages in each family are connected, and scientists think that they came from the same parent language About 3 percent of the people in the world speak languages that are not in these major families．

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More and more often we heard of people talking about Karaoke(卡拉OK)．But what on earth it is about still remains a question for many people．Karaoke is a sort of acoustic(听觉的)equipment which was invented in Japan around the middle of the 1970's．It means "a band without people" in Japanese．In fact, it is just a music tape without words．This equipment first appeared in some public houses and snack bars, and mainly for the customers to enjoy themselves．Most of the music in Karaoke was popular music．Therefore, at times, when anyone felt like it, he might sing songs to the accompaniment(陪伴)of the music that came from the equipment．Shortly after its invention, Karaoke was spread to the whole world．It was introduced to China and was welcomed by many people．Although you are not a good singer, or even sometimes you may sing out of tune, you can always enjoy yourself by singing Karaoke．

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　　If cars had wings，they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2011．The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its car-plane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2011．

　　“It’s the next‘wow’vehicle，”said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh．“Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don’t fly．”

　　The car plane has wings that unfold for flying－a process the company says takes one minute－and fold back up for driving．A runway is still required to take off and land．

　　The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both．The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations．

　　The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly．They say it saves you the trouble from trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports：You drive the car to the airport and then you’re good to go．When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road．There are no expensive parking fees because you don’t have to store it at an airport－you park it in the garage at home．

　　The car-plane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet．It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers．Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of flying into marginal(临界)conditions．

　　The Transition’s price tag：＄194,000, But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, transponder or GPS．Another option is a full-plane parachute．

　　“If you get into a very awful situation, it is the necessary safety option,”Gersh said．

　　So far,the company has more than 70 orders with deposits．“We’re working very closely with them, but there are still some remaining steps,”Brown said．

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　　Officials in a remote Russian city have drawn up a list of practical tips for locals on how to survive encounters(相遇)with bears, after growing numbers have wandered into the streets in search of food．

　　Officials in the city of Syktyvkar drew up the guidelines to guide the local people, after several bears were caught sight of in the city, going hungry after a heat wave shriveled their usual diet of nuts and berries．

　　The guide warns that city people there should stay calm and stand still if they meet with a bear．“Speak to the bear in a firm voice” and “Don’t turn your back on it,” it adds．In the worst case, if the bear attacks, the person should also be ready to attack, the guide says．“Shout angrily at it and look it straight in the eye,” the guide advises．“Bears have started coming into the areas where people live more and more often,” the city officials said in a statement．“Any encounter with a bear is unsafe for humans, so our task is to do all we can to prevent such accidents．”

　　In September, a bear attacked a 25-year-old man in a central street of the city, wounding him in the neck before he managed to run away, police said．“Three or four people who met with brown bears have been recorded recently,” the head of the hunting department in the regional agriculture organization, Alexander said

　　Officials have asked police to patrol(巡逻)streets close to wooded areas in the evenings．

　　Syktyvkar is the regional capital of the remote Komi region in northwest Russia．Its population is just over 230,000．

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　　Available for Immediate Shipment

　　Order by Phone：1-800-321-1484

　　This is the pen that has a built-in video camera, capturing videos or still images with a click of its button．Ideal for use while secured in a pocket, it can capture up to five hours of video and up to 20,000 images．Its battery provides up to two hours of power before requiring a recharge．

　　Item 78098; ＄149.95

　　Available for 3-day shipment

　　Order by Phone：1-800-321-1484

　　This is the men’s watch with an unnoticeable camcorder, so you’ll always have a camera ready to capture a chance famous person or a pet’s ridiculous actions．The camera is located at the two-o’clock position, yet the watch’s hands never make it covered．The camera’s rechargeable battery provides up to two hours of use from a four-hour charge．

　　Item 77918; ＄249.95

　　Available for Immediate Shipment

　　Order by Phone：1-800-321-1484

　　This is the only personal media viewer that provides a private viewing experience just like watching a widescreen 55 inch television from 10 meters away．It connects to a video iPod, iPhone, portable DVD player．Includes two AA batteries that provide up to six hours of continuous operation and iPod cable．

　　Item 77281; ＄99.95

　　Available for Immediate Shipment

　　Order by Phone：1-800-321-1484

　　This is the watch that vividly displays 120 of your favorite digital photographs．You can download digital photographs to the watch．The watch can be viewed in the Photo Album mode(time and photo view)or digital mode(time and date view)．A six-hour charge provides up to 10 days of use．

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　　Social networking websites are causing alarming changes in the brains of young users, a famous scientist has warned．Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Bebo are said to shorten attention spans(幅度), encourage instant satisfaction and make children more self-centered．

　　Warnings from neuroscientist(神经系统科学家)Susan Greenfield will disturb the millions whose social lives depend on surfing their favorite websites each day．But they will strike a chord(弦)with parents and teachers who complain that many teenagers lack the ability to communicate or concentrate away from their screens．

　　More than 150 million use Facebook to keep in touch with friends, share photographs and videos and post regular updates of their movements and thoughts．A further six million have signed up to Twitter, the "micro-blogging" service that lets users exchange text messages about themselves．But while the sites are popular and extremely profitable, a growing number of psychologists and neuroscientists believe they may be doing more harm than good．

　　Baroness Tarot, an Oxford University neuroscientist believes repeated exposure could rewire the brain．Computer games and fast-paced TV shows were also a factor, she said．"My fear is that these technologies are weakening the brain to the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and live for the moment．" "I often wonder whether real conversation in real time may eventually give way to these easier and faster screen dialogues, in much the same way as killing and butchering an animal to eat has been replaced by the convenience of packages on the supermarket shelf," she said．

　　Psychologists have also argued that digital technology is changing the way we think．They point out that students no longer need to plan their term papers before starting to write－thanks to word processors they can edit as they go along．

　　A study by the Broadcaster Audience Board found teenagers now spend seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen．Educational psychologist Jane Healy believes children should be kept away from computer games until they are seven．Most games only excite the "flight or fight" areas of the brain, rather than the areas responsible reasoning．

　　Sue Palmer, author of Toxic Childhood, said："We are seeing children's brain development damaged because they don't engage in the activity they have engaged in for thousands of years．I'm not against technology and computers．But before they start social networking, they need to learn to make real relationships with people．"

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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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　　Most British telephone cards are just plain green, but card collecting is becoming a popular hobby in Britain and collectors even have their own magazine, International Telephone Cards．One reason for their interests is that cards from around the world come in a wide variety of different and often very attractive design, There are 100, 000 different cards in Japan alone, and there you can put your own design onto a bank card simply by using a photograph or a business card．

　　The first telephone cards, produced in 1976, were Italian．Five years later the first British card appeared, and now you can buy cards in more than a hundred countries．People usually start collecting cards because they are attractive, small and light, and they do not need much space．It is also a cheap hobby for beginners, although for some people it becomes a serious business．In Paris, for example, there is a market where you can buy only telephone cards, and some French cards cost up to 4,000 pounds．The first Japanese card has a value of about 28,000 pounds．Most people only see cards with prices like these in their collectors’ magazine．

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