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Winners Club

　　You choose to be a winner!

　　The Winners Club is a bank account specially designed for teenagers．It has been made to help you better manage your money．The Winners Club is a transaction account(交易账户)where you receive a key－card so you can get to your money 24/7 – that’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

　　It’s a club with impressive features for teenagers：

　　●No account keeping fees!

　　You’re no millionaire so we don’t expect you to pay large fees．In fact, there are no account keeping or transaction fees!

　　●Excellent interest rates!

　　You want your money to grow．The Winners Club has a good rate of interest which gets even better if you make at least two deposits(储蓄)without taking them out in a month．

　　●Convenient

　　Teenagers are busy－we get that．You may never need to come to a bank at all．With the Winners Club you can choose to use handy tellers and to bank from home using the phone and the Internet … You can have money directly deposited into your Winners Club account．This could be your pocket money or your pay from your part – time job!

　　●Mega magazine included

　　Along with your regular report, you will receive a FREE magazine full of good ideas to make even more of your money．There are also fantastic offers and competitions only for Winners Club members．

　　The Winners Club is a great choice for teenagers．And it is so easy to join．Simply fill in an application form．You will have to get permission from your parent or guardian(so we can organize that cool key－card)but it is easy．We can’t want to hear from you．It’s the best way to choose to be a winner!

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　　Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast．Diagnosed with diabetes(糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin(胰岛素)three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death．And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance．

　　After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back．He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar．com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones－a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources．

　　Jason Swencki’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six．Father and son visit the online children's forums(论坛)together most evenings．"Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site's volunteers．"They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone．"

　　Kody is anything but alone：Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases．And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages．

　　These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity(慈善机构), Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people－225 to date－who can't afford a diabetic's huge expenses．Fight-it．org has raised about ＄23,000－in products and in cash．In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean．

　　Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables．"Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar's original members．"But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now．"

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　　If you look for a book as a present for a child, you will be spoiled for choice even in a year when there is no new Harry Potter．J．K．Rowling’s wizard is not alone：the past decade has been a harvest for good children’s books, which has set off a large quantity of films and in turn led to increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings．

　　Yet despite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children．According to statistics, in 1997 23％ said they didn’t like reading at all．In 2003, 35％ did．And around 6％ of children leave primary school each year unable to read properly．

　　Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability(可利用性)of computer games．Maybe the books boom(繁荣)has affected only the top of the educational pile．Either way, Chancellor Gordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class．In his pre-budget(预算)report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most．

　　Reading Recovery is aimed at six-year-olds, who receive four months of individual daily half- hour classes with a specially trained teacher．An evaluation earlier this year reported that children on the scheme made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months’ progress, and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age．

　　International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school they read well, but read less－often for fun than those elsewhere．Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on(热衷)reading can expect lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator(指示物)of future educational success．According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage．

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　　It was the summer of 1965．Deluca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend．Buck asked Deluca about his plan for the future．“I’m going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” Deluca recalls saying．“Buck said, ‘you should open a sandwich shop．’”

　　That afternoon, they agreed to be partners．And they set a goal：to open 32 stores in ten years．After doing some research, Buck wrote a check for ＄ 1,000．Deluca rented a storefront(店面)in Connecticut, and when they couldn’t cover their start-up costs, Buck kicked in another ＄1,000．

　　But business didn’t go smoothly as they expected．Deluca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn’t know how badly, because we didn’t have any financial controls．” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs．

　　Deluca was managing the store and to the University of Bridgeport at the same time．Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York．They’d meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running．“We convinced ourselves to open a second store．We figured we could tell the public, ‘We are so successful, we are opening a second store．’” And they did－in the spring of 1966．Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error．

　　But the partners’ learn-as-you-go approach turned out to be their greatest strength．Every Friday, Deluca would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their supplies．“It probably took me two and a half hours and it wasn’t necessary but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out,” Deluca says．

　　And having a goal was also important．“There are so many problems that can get you down．You just have to keep working toward your goal,” Deluca adds．

　　Deluca ended up founding Subways Sandwich, the multimillion-dollar restaurant chain．

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　　The huge thirst for jobs in the civil service has made the national civil servant exam one of China's most competitive tests．The first exam was held in 1995, and since then more and more people have signed up for it, with applications reaching a peak over the last two years．

　　The latest online survey, carried out by China Youth Daily and www．qq．com, found that more than 73 per cent of young people want to work as civil servants．Of the 17,330 respondents, about 83 per cent said they were attracted by the job's stability, guaranteed health care and pension(养老金)．Meanwhile, 55 per cent said it could bring "practical profits．" Nearly 1 million people applied to take the exam last year, yet only just over 10,000 were finally employed．

　　This year the competition continued．The exact number of applicants is not known, with the final day for applications today．But the flood of applicants has already broken the exam's website once．China Youth Daily reported that the site was forced to close for maintenance(系统维护)due to unusually high traffic on the night of October 16．

　　In a typical year several hundred applicants will apply for many of the jobs listed．For example, the five job vacancies provided by the secretariat(秘书处)of the Central Committee of the Party have this year attracted more than 3,880 applicants．In general, the exam means 50 people competing for one post, the report said．Positions as civil servants are attractive, not only because of the stable income and good health care, but also because of the low risks compared with the power and resources the positions enjoy．Among the total 6 million public servants, around 20,000 were dismissed between 1996 and 2003．

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　　Maps and statistics can tell us a lot about where a country is headed．Take the US Census Bureau's latest findings on American cities．They show that for the first time since 1900, Detroit is not on the list of the Top 10 most populous US cities．In its place is San Jose, California．

　　Detroit has been the long-time centre of the US auto industry, but in the past few years the "Big Three" US automakers－General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler － have closed plants and laid off workers．With the factory closings and huge job losses, Detroit cannot collect enough tax revenue to pay its bills, forcing it to close schools and lay off city workers．Cutbacks then cause others to flee the city．

　　"It's part of a pattern for the heavily industrialized cities," says Dana Johnson, an economist in Detroit．"There's been an ongoing dynamic(变化)here of people fleeing the city looking for better schools, better lifestyles, better services．"

　　Detroit is hardly alone．After World War II, the US was the world's leading manufacturer．Cars, televisions, toys, and clothing made in America were exported around the world．As a result, the well-paid factory workers formed the backbone of a rising middle class．In the last three decades, the US economy has changed．Companies have moved factories overseas to take advantage of lower wages in Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe．

　　Where are people who leave the northeast and midwest going?They are moving south and west, another broad trend．In general, people are moving to where it's warmer, less expensive and less crowded, or where jobs are more plentiful in growing service industries like health care, in the technology sector, or in factories that moved from the northeast or midwest．

　　In a sense, the computer chips of San Jose, the new 10th largest city, in the heart of what is known as Silicon Valley, have replaced the sheet metal and molten steel of Detroit as the symbol of American economic power．

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　　President Bush met with many of Asia's top leaders this past week．During his trip, the President attended the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC)conference in Hanoi, Vietnam．He asked the organization's 21 members to take a stand against North Korea's nuclear program and to fight terrorism．

　　APEC members did not sign a formal written agreement asking North Korea to stop its nuclear program．However, Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet read aloud a statement of support at the end of the conference．After its October 9 nuclear test, North Korea agreed to resume negotiations with the United States, Russia, China, Japan, and South Korea about ending its nuclear program．But no dates for the meetings have been set．

　　Bush received a warm welcome when he arrived in Vietnam．During his three-day trip, the President took a tour of the country's economic capital, Ho Chi Minh City．Vietnamese officials considered the President's visit important．The United States and Vietnam have had a rocky relationship since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975．Both nations agreed to fight diseases like AIDS and bird flu．They also promised to increase trade and to create a good military relationship．

　　Bush also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin．Bush signed an agreement supporting Russia's entry to the World Trade Organization(WTO)．The WTO is an international organization that monitors and enforces rules about global trade．

　　After Vietnam, Bush flew to Indonesia and spent six hours there．While there, he met with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono．The President made his last stop in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Tuesday where he had breakfast with U．S．military troops and met with commanders．He returned to the White House on Wednesday．

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　　Want to take an out-of-this-world trip?Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic plans to make that possible．Beginning in 2009, people should have the opportunity to become space tourists, traveling at about 3,000 mph to heights about 75 miles above Earth．Branson has high hopes for his latest plans．"It is just the start of what we believe will be a new age in the history of mankind－one day making the affordable exploration of space by human beings a real possibility," he said．

　　At the start, though, the trip won't be cheap．Seats aboard Virgin's first craft－VSS Enterprise－will cost about ＄200,000．Prices could drop after the first hundred space flights．Despite the current ticket cost, more than 30,000 people－including celebrities(名人)Sigourney Weaver and Victoria Principal－have expressed interest in getting onboard．

　　People who don't have an extra ＄200,000 still have a chance to get a seat aboard the craft．A computer game contest and a reality television show are in the works．Those who can't afford a ticket will have an opportunity to win a seat．

　　Virgin is expected to be the first commercial spacecraft．It will hold six passengers and two pilots．Passengers will be able to see the Earth from many different viewpoints．The cabin will include 15 floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing for views that extend about 1,000 miles in any direction．

　　Passengers will have three days of preflight preparation．On the big day, the spacecraft will take off from the Mojave Spaceport in the California desert．The craft will rocket passengers into space at four times the speed of sound．The journey will last about 2 1/2 hours．Passengers will wear spacesuits and helmets(头盔)．They will be able to float around the cabin and do somersaults(空翻)during the five minutes of weightlessness they will experience in zero gravity．At the end of the flight, the craft will land on a runway．

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　　Would you like to know if your body is older or younger than it should be?Dr．David Wikenheiser has been studying aging in Vancouver, Canada, for the past 10 years and has found the average person is 15 or more years older biologically than their actual age．

　　He says：“We all know people who are 30 but look over 40, and others who are 70 yet look 50, the difference comes down to lifestyle．Some peoples' bodies get ‘rusty(生锈)' faster than others, and this makes them age more quickly．”

　　After conducting more than 3,000 tests, Dr．Wikenheiser believes that, on average, you can lower your biological age by 10 years in three months with the right lifestyle changes．

　　“You can't change your genetics(遗传学)but you can make other changes such as eating the right food, drinking enough water to flush out toxins(毒素), exercising and managing stress,” he says．But exercising too much is just as bad as not doing enough．Working out for more than two hours at a time every day puts too great a strain on your heart．

　　“Multivitamin and antioxidant supplements are important even if you're eating the right amount of fruit and vegetables．Today's soil tends to lack important minerals so these are no longer found in the food we eat, in large enough quantities．We should also change bleached(漂白)white table salt for natural sea salt which is much better for us．” It's also important to eat three meals a day．Missed meals put a strain on your brain as your blood sugar level drops．Many of us are also eating the wrong fats or avoiding fat altogether, so we miss out important nutritional oils．

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　　Scientists warn today that the Atlantic bluefin tuna(金枪鱼)faces disappearance unless certain action is taken．They used electronic ways to track the movement of the powerful fish from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mediterranean, and report today in the journal Nature that meals of sushi and sandwiches with tuna worldwide are more dangerous than anyone has imagined．

　　The bluefin tuna can live for 30 years, grow to three metres in length and weigh as much as 700kg．A good one can fetch as much as ￡ 52,000 in the Tokyo fish markets．“In my lifetime, we've brought this big fish to the doorstep of death in the western Atlantic Ocean,” said Barbara Block of Stanford University in California．“The electronic way of tracks provides the best scientific information we've ever had to manage these tuna and we must, as an international community, start to act actively to make sure of the future of this fish．”

　　Scientists have repeatedly said that the harvest of the seas cannot be as good as before．There are fewer and fewer fish in around Newfoundland, North Sea and Iceland, so fishermen have pushed further offshore in search of deep ocean fish．Tuna－in the Mediterranean and Japan－have been under increasing pressure for years．The International Commission on the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna has tried to manage the fish since 1969．There are two populations：a western one that has dropped by 80％ in the past 30 years, and a larger, eastern population．Although catches are controlled by 3,000 tons a year in the western fishery, and 32,000 in the east, no one knew whether the limits worked．

　　So Professor Block and her team placed tracks on hundreds of the fish and tracked them to depths of more than 900 metres and on journeys of thousands of miles, measuring the movement, body and water temperatures．“There are two ways to save the Atlantic bluefin tuna－protect them in their production grounds and in their feeding grounds,” Prof．Block said．“This will need immediate action in both the central Atlantic, to reduce the loss of the big fish while hunting, and in the Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean, where tuna produce as separate populations．”