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　　New York State has passed the USA’s first state law banning motorists talking on hand-held cell phones．The ban will begin November 1, although drivers caught using hand-held cell phones will be given only warnings during the first month．

　　First-time violators(违法者)will face a ＄100 fine．A second time call for a ＄200 fine and every violation after that will cost＄500．

　　At least a dozen localities(地方)have established bans, starting in 1999; and 40 states have had bans proposed but not passed．At least 23 countries, including the Great Britain, Italy, Israel and Japan, ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones．

　　There are about 115 million cell phones in use in the United States and more than 6 million in New York State．

　　“To think that I’m not going to use cell phone when at the same time I can still use my laptop, I still can read a paper, I can still change my pants(裤子)while driving 65 mph．I think there’s just something wrong,” an official said．

　　Other critics noted that other things like eating, drinking coffee and applying make-up while driving posed(造成)at least as much of a concern．They suggested that the ban include a broader range of things．

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　　Everybody has had at least one experience from which he knows the meaning of life．This time, which took place several years ago, but seems as if it just happened．

　　On an afternoon several years ago, my brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister’s dress and picked out a beautiful skirt．“ Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago．She never wore it．She was saving it for a special occasion．” he said．I guess this was the occasion：it was the funeral of my sister, after her unexpected death．

　　He took the shirt and put it on bed, with the other clothes we were taking to the funeral．Then he closed the drawer and turned to me, “Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion．Every day you’re alive is a special occasion．”

　　I’m thinking about his words, and they’ve changed the way I live my life．I’m spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings．Whenever possible, life should be a kind of experience to enjoy, not to suffer．“Someday ”and “one of these days ”are losing their importance　on my vocabulary．If it’s worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now．

　　Ever since that day, I have been trying very hard not to put off, hold back or save anything that would add laughter and color to our lives．Every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that every day, every minute, every breath, truly is a gift．So cherish every day and find the true meaning of your life．

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A California family drives a car that could help protect the environment．When Jon and Sandy go to the store or to their daughters’ soccer games, they drive in high-tech style．They drive a ＄1 million, fuel-cell-powered car．It may be the world’s most expensive car and one of the most environmentally friendly cars．The FCX is the first fuel-cell-powered car to be used by a family anywhere in the world．The FCX uses hydrogen and oxygen for fuel．Car makers have been working to develop vehicles that are better for the environment．They are developing cars that use fuel other than gasoline．And then what is fuel cell technology? Fuel cell technology works by changing the chemicals hydrogen and oxygen into water．This process produces electricity, and water vapor which comes out of the exhaust pipe．Most cars release dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide．Many scientists say these gases are major contributors to global warming．“The FCX is driven just like any other vehicle on the road, but without the gases which pollute the environment,” scientists say．Fuel cell technology has been around since the 1800s, but scientists have yet been to perfect it．They say it may take years before the technology is ready for widespread use．Another earth-friendly car is already on the market．Hybrid cars use both gasoline and an electric motor．They are becoming more popular with customers because they cut pollution and improve fuel efficiency．

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　　Learning English is a great challenge, but with a little help from technology it can be as easy as a piece of cake．

　　As well as the classroom, teachers and textbooks, the Internet, TV and radio programs can play an active role in helping learn English．The Internet is full of rich and up-to-date information．English learners might wish to try http：//www．in2english．com．cn．This website is co-established by the British Council, the BBC World Service and Central Radio and TV University．It provides cultural information about Britain and has an example of the IELTS(International English Language Testing System)that students can use for practice．Different levels of grammar tests can also be found．

　　Another useful website for middle school students and teachers is：Besides reading 21st Century School Edition online, students are also invited to put their views on different topics up on the website．

　　Users have the opportunity to make friends with people who share their interests．

　　In the teaching and learning section, there are reading and vocabulary tips for students．

　　Compared with the Internet, TV programs have their own advantages：one does not have to sit at a computer and the audio and visual effects can even be relaxing．

　　One popular English-learning program is called "Modern English"．This focuses on oral English in practical situations such as taking photos and shopping．

　　The short dialogues and useful phrases may help students to express themselves if they go abroad or meet foreigners in China．More than 50 TV stations in about 300 cities have aired the program．

　　If you watch Beijing Television Channel 8, you might see a program titled "Study Abroad"．On this show Professor Wang Qiang from New Oriental School hosts "From Word to World"．

　　He selects words with a deep cultural background and teaches useful phrases related to that word．Cartoons are also used to explain how to use the word in daily life．Listening to the radio may not be a new way to learn English but it is easy．

　　China Radio International airs a program called "Studio Classroom" at 6：30 a．m．every day．This 25-minute program is aimed at middle school students and covers subjects from current news to travel and history, all in simple language．

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　　A "blogger" is a person who writes on an Internet computer Web site called a "blog"．The word "blog" is a short way of saying Web log, or personal Web site．Anyone can start a blog, and they can write about anything they like．

　　There are millions of blogs on the Internet today．They provide news, information and ideas and many people read them．They contain links to other Web sites．And they provide a place for people to write about their ideas and react to the ideas of others．

　　A research company called Perscus has studied more than 300 Web logs．It says that blogs are most popular with teenage girls．They use them to let their friends know what is happening in their lives．The study also says that more than 100,000 bloggers stopped taking part in the activity after a year．

　　However, some people develop serious blogs to present political and other ideas．For example, the Republican and Democratic parties in the southern state of Kentucky recently started their own blogs．And American companies are beginning to use blogs to advertise their products．

　　At the same time, some long-standing blogs have ended last week, blogging leader Dave Winer closed his free blog service "weblogs．com"．He says the site became too costly to continue．He started the blog four years ago．And thousands of people had written on it．They are now upset because they did not know that the site was closing．

　　One blog that is still going strong is called Rebecca's Pocket．Rebecca Blood created the Web-site in 1999．She wrote about the history of blogs on the site．That article led to a book called "The Weblog Handbook"．It has been translated into four languages so far．

　　Ms．Blood says Rebecea's Pocket gets about 30,000 visitors a month．She writes about anything and everything--politics, culture and movies．She recently provided medical advice．And she wrote about how to prevent people from stealing money from on-line bank accounts．

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　　Years after throwing a bottle-up note into a lake for a class project and just one year after his death, a man’s childhood message was found and returned to his mother．

　　Eleven years ago, a then 10-year-old boy, Joshua Baker, wrote the message, folded and put it in an empty container, his mother, Maggie Holbrook said．He died last February in a motor vehicle accident in California．He had recently returned after a serving in the Middle East as a US marine．

　　“ I think he was just letting us know he was OK and keep doing what we are doing ,” Holbrook said．

　　The message surfaced in White Lake in late April, just days after the 11^th anniversary of its being thrown into the lake．It was found by one of Baker’s closest friends, Steve Lieder, she said．Lieder and two friends were chatting near the lake when Lieder looked down and saw the bottle．He broke it open and found the note inside．

　　“My name is Joshua Baker．I am 10．If you find this, put it on the news．The date is 4/16/95．”

　　They immediately took it to Holbrook, who said she is now having the note preserved and will display it in her home．

　　She can remember when her son wrote the message for the school project．She said she always wondered why he didn’t put it in the nearby Wolf River, which has a much stronger current(水流)．

　　“I still remember the day he wrote it,” Holbrook said．“ I couldn’t understand why he threw it in the lake．No one would never see it again．Now I know．”

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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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　　Item 78431; ＄129.95

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　　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

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　　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．

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　　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．

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　　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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