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　　In the past, people who graduated from college felt proud of their academic(学业的)achievements and felt confident that their degree would help them to find a good job．

　　However, in the past four years the job market has changed greatly．This year’s college graduates are facing one of the worst job markets．For example, Ryan Stewart, a graduate of San Jose State University, got a degree in religious studies, but no job prospects．He points out that many people already working are getting laid off and don’t have jobs, so it’s even harder for new college graduates to find jobs．

　　Four years ago, the future looked bright for the class of 2006．There were many high-tech job chances．Graduates received many job offers, and they were able to get jobs with high salaries and benefits such as insurance(保险)and paid vacations．However, "Times have changed and it's a new market," according to an officer of the San Jose State Career Center．

　　The officer says students who do find jobs started preparing two years ago．They worked during summer vacations, they have had several short-time jobs, and they’ve majored in one of the few fields that are still hot, like chemical engineering, accounting, or nursing, where average starting salaries have actually increased over last year．Other popular fields(like information system management, computer science, and political science)have seen big declines(下降)in starting salaries．

　　Ryan Stewart(he had hoped to become a teacher)may go back to school in order to become a college teacher．He thinks college teaching could be a good career even in a bad economy．

　　In conclusion, these days a degree may not be a ticket to instant wealth for some students．For now, they can only hope the value of their degree will increase over time．

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　　Lots of students shop to reduce stress or just to kill time with their friends．Shopping to get rid of boredom or to escape from life’s pressures may lead to serious problems．When you start to shop out of control, you become a shopping addict．

　　Shopping addicts show signs that are similar to other addicts．Some students think that shopping, even as little as buying gifts for classmates, can make them feel better and forget their problems．Actually, it can make them feel worse, guilty, or even cause them to run into financial difficulties．Finding yourself in a financial struggle or deep in debt may harm your relationships with friends and parents．

　　Do you go shopping for just a few things and come home with your wallet empty? Do you always go shopping after an emotional trauma or when life feels tough(艰难的)? Do you regret later what you buy? Or do you buy things that you never use? Maybe your parents or friends have expressed disagreement that leads you to hide items or lie about prices．

　　Avoid any environment that may make you want to spend money．Never use credit cards．Form some other meaningful and beneficial hobbies．Exercise, yoga and hot baths generally may help you not want to shop．Take a drive through the country where there aren’t any stores．Have patience with yourself and your money, which can benefit you for the rest of your life．

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　　Hi! Have you ever suddenly felt that someone you knew was in trouble－and was he? Have you ever dreamed something that came true later? Maybe you have ESP(超感觉知觉)．

　　ESP stands for Extrasensory Perception．It may be called a sixth sense．It seems to let people know about events before they happen, or events that are happening some distance away．

　　Here's an example．A woman was ironing clothes．Suddenly she screamed, "My father is dead! I saw him sitting in the chair!" Just then, a telegram came．The woman's father died of a heart attack．He died sitting in a chair．

　　There are thousands of stories like this one on record．Scientists are studying them to find out what's behind these strange mental messages．Here's another example－one of hundreds of dreams that have come true．

　　A man dreamed he was walking along a road when a horse and carriage came by．The driver said, "There's room for one more．" The man felt the driver seemed dead, so he ran away．The next day, when the man was getting on a crowded bus, the bus driver said, "There's room for one more．"

　　Then the man saw that the driver's face was the same face he had seen in the dream．He wouldn't get on the bus．As the bus drove off, it crashed and burst into flames．Everyone was killed!

　　Some people say stories like these are coincidences．Others, including some scientists, say that ESP is real．From studies of ESP, we may someday learn more about the human mind．

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　　Man, a land animal．But he is also closely tied to the sea．Throughout history the sea has served the needs of man．The sea has provided man with food and a convenient way to travel to many parts of the world．Today, nearly two-thirds of the world’s population live within 80 kilometers of the sea coast．

　　In the modern technological world, the sea offers many resources to help mankind survive．Resources on land are beginning to be used up．The sea, however, still can be hoped to supply many of man’s needs．

　　The list of riches of the sea yet to be developed by man’s technology is big．Oil and gas explorations have been carried out for nearly 30 years．Valuable amounts of minerals exist on the ocean floor ready to be mined．

　　Fish farming promises to be a good way to produce large quantities of food．The culture of fish and shellfish(贝类动物)is an ancient skill practised in the past mainly by Oriental people, including people in China．

　　Besides oil and gas, the sea may offer new sources of energy．Experts believe that the warm temperature of the ocean can be used in a way similar to the steam in a steamship．Ocean currents and waves offer possible use as a source of energy．

　　Technology is enabling man to explore ever more deeply under the sea．The development of strong, new materials has made this possible．

　　The technology to harvest the sea continues to improve．Experts believe that by the year 2020 the problems that prevent us from exploiting(开发)fully the food, minerals, and energy sources of the sea will be largely solved．

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　　It is true that shyness can be a disadvantage socially for those who suffer from it seriously．I mean real shyness, not somebody who is simply quiet．Quiet people could be shy, but on the other hand, they may just be observing because they are unsure of you or others in your company．They may be capable of being extrovert(性格外向的)and sociable, but on some particular occasions, they are quiet．

　　I have learnt from my experience that those who observe and listen more and talk less can gain a position of strength．This means that even a very shy person, the type who is reluctant to talk in company, especially new company, can become a strong person in just about anything they choose．Remember, knowledge is power, and a shy introvert(性格内向的人)is in a better position to gain knowledge than an extrovert．Introverted people can give great attention to learning, and as good listeners they can take in an enormous amount from others．Over time, people can come to respect them far more than the extrovert who speaks a lot．Usually about themselves．

　　What does it take, then for a very shy person to be that successful person they have always wanted to be? They may only need one more thing to push themselves on their way．They need to dare themselves to take the leap; and when they do, they will probably find all the knowledge they have gained over the years will help them on their way to the top in their chosen field．

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Well, when the huge wave hit the boat, my safety belt broke and I was swept overboard．I don’t really understand how it happened, but it did．I heard someone yell out, but then my boat, Wild One, went off into the darkness and I was alone in a very rough sea．I then spent five and a half hours in the water．The place where it happened was, oh, about 50 kilometers from shore．It was likely that I wouldn’t see another day, but I always thought I’d overcome the difficulties．At first I was watching out for Wild One．The rest of the crew knew I was gone, so they were sure to come back and look for me．After a while, I saw the boat’s lights when it came looking for me．They were within about 300 meters of me, but the spotlight just missed me．The reason why they didn’t see me was because of the huge waves．You know, I started sailing when I was seven, and started ocean racing when I was about eighteen, but I’d never been overboard before．I believed I was going to survive, but it was very cold, and as the hours passed I started to get desperate——and frozen! It was around 5 am when I saw the lights of a tanker coming towards me．I figured it was probably my last chance．At first, I thought they were going to miss me, and then they made a slight turn and I yelled out “Help!” and they heard me．Then another yacht appeared．These guys were terrific．They gave me dry clothes, and then one jumped into the bunk and hung onto me．They covered us with as much dry clothing as they could, and the guy in with me stayed to transfer his body heat to me．

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　　If there is one thing I'm sure about，it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers．It is not that newspapers are a necessity．Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio．Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday．But for most people reading a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation．

　　The nature of what is news may change．What basically makes news is what affects our lives - the big political stories，the coverage of the wars，earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same．I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though．It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic engineering．In the future, I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do - as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are．

　　It’s quite possible that in the next century newspapers will be transmitted(传送)electronically from Fleet Street and printed out in our own home．In fact，I’m pretty sure that how it will happen in the future．You will probably be able to choose from a menu；making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read - sports and international news, etc．

　　I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media．They actually feed off each other．Some people once foresaw that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn’t happened．What is read on the printed page lasts longer than pictures：on a screen or sound lost in the air．And as for the Internet, it’s never really pleasant to read something just on a screen．

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　　The bus driver and his passengers were being hailed as heroes last night after rescuing a woman from her burning car following a crash on the Bluff Highway．The 60-year-old woman was taken by ambulance to Southland Hospital after firefighters battled for 30 minutes to cut her from her car．

　　Acting Senior Sergeant Brock Davis, of Invercargill, said emergency services were called to the scene of the crash at the crossroads of Motorimu Rd and State Highway I shortly before 5∶00 p. m. yesterday．

　　Mr．Davis said a Mitsubishi car driven by a 30-year-old man traveling north on the highway and the woman’s southbound(南行的)Suzuki Alto collided(碰撞)．The man suffered slight injuries in the crash, he said．

　　Invercargill Passenger Transport Ltd driver Bill McDermott and his passengers－New Zealand Aluminum Smelters Ltd workers were first on the scene and alerted emergency services．The scene at the spot was disordered, Mr．McDermott said．

　　“There was a car on its side and a guy wandering around who was quite excited,” he said．“We stopped, got out and found a lady trapped in her car……then we noticed flames in the engine bay and the smell of petrol．” Mr．McDermott took a fire extinguisher(灭火器)from the bus，doused(泼洒)the flames，and several other workers controlled traffic．

　　However，he said his actions were “no big deal”．He was not willing to take any credit for helping the woman．

　　“The praise goes to all the guys that jumped off that bus．” Invercargill Senior Station officer Alan Goldsworthy, who was an officer in charge at the scene, said there was a possibility the car could have burst into flames if Mr．McDermott and the smelter workers had not helped．“They should acquire a good pat on the back．” he said．

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　　You either have it, or you don’t－a sense of direction, that is．But why is it that some people could find their way across the Sahara without a map, while others can lose themselves in the next street?

　　Scientists say we’re all born with a sense of direction, but it is not properly understood how it works．One theory is that people with a sense of direction have simply worked harder at developing it．Research being carried out at Liverpool University supports this idea and suggests that if we don’t use it, we lose it．

　　“Children as young as seven have the ability to find their way around,” says Jim Martland, Research Chief of the project．“However, if they are not allowed out alone or are taken everywhere by car, they never develop the skills．”

　　Jim Martland also emphasizes that young people should be taught certain skills to improve their sense of direction．He makes the following suggestions：

　　If you are using a map, turn it so it relates to the way you are facing．

　　If you leave your bike in a strange place, put it near something like a big stone or a tree．Note landmarks on the route as you go away from your bile．When you return, go back along the same route．

　　Simplify the way of finding your direction by using lines such as streets in a town, streams, or walls in the countryside to guide you．Count your steps so that you know how far you have gone and note any landmarks such as tower blocks or hills which can help to find out where you are．

　　Now you need never get lost again!

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　　For any person who must speak in public, to business or pleasure groups, humor is a helpful, and necessary, tool for getting your message across．Why does humor work a lot? There are several reasons．

　　People will enjoy what you have to say if it is presented with humor．But, more importantly, if you are in a situation where important, and perhaps controversial(有争议的), ideas must be presented to less than open minds, humor allows those ideas to be presented in a non-threatening(无威胁的)manner．Abraham Lincoln was famous for his ability to relate humorous stories to make a point．Humor used carefully throughout a presentation will also keep the listener’s interest high．In a word, individuals learning how to use humor in their speeches can strengthen arguments, support interesting presentations and, most of all, entertain their audience in a positive and comfortable way．

　　While popular culture may well hold many kinds of humor, some of it has no place in presentations that are designed to educate and encourage the audience．If you want to become a professional stand-up(单人表演的)comedian whose goal is 100％ entertainment, then you may be able to use some of the reference materials like The Art of Using Humor in Public Speaking．They can help you develop your skills and sources of humor．To that end, your participation in this study of humor will become necessary．Hopefully, you will come to appreciate the special difficulty of entertaining the audience with good and clean humor．

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