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　　The Barbie doll first appeared at the toy fair in New York in 1959．Its creator was Ruth Handler, an American businesswoman．She and her husband Elliott along with Harold Matt Matson started the toy company Mattel．She based the design of the new doll on a German doll named Bild Lilli and named her after their daughter Barbara．

　　The first Barbie wore a black and white swimsuit and had her hair in a ponytail(马尾辫)．She looked very grown-up．But any concerns that parents would not want to buy it for little girls were soon proved wrong．

　　Mattel sold 300,000 Barbie dolls in the first year at a price of three dollars．Today, a fifty-year-old Barbie in good condition might cost more than 27,000 dollars．

　　Barbie dolls have represented 50 different nationalities and are sold in 150 countries．Mattel says 90％ of girls in the United States between the ages of three and ten own at least one Barbie doll．It says girls between the ages of three and six own an average of about 12．

　　Barbie also faced her share of critics．A well-known example was when women’s education groups objected to a talking Barbie doll that declared, among other things, “Math class is tough!” Mattel agreed to change it．Saudi Arabia has banned Barbie dolls．And a lawmaker in the American state of West Virginia would like to do the same．Last month, he proposed banning sales of Barbie and other dolls that influence girls to put too much importance on physical beauty．

　　Some people say Barbie is an unhealthy role model for young girls．Robin Gerber disagrees．She wrote a book about Barbie．She points out dolls like scientist Barbie and race car driver Barbie．She says people who criticize Barbie should tell girls the story of the businesswoman who created her．She says Ruth Handler wanted the dolls to help girls think about what they wanted to do with their lives．

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　　Internet dating has become one of the biggest and most successful business ventures on the Internet．Basically, Internet dating is a way to meet people for either friendship or dating without actually having to meet them in person first．

　　The first thing to do if you decide to try Internet dating is to build your profile(简介)which can include your hobbies, hopes for the future, and so on．A photograph is optional, but many sites claim that a photograph increases the number of people who look at your profile．Many Internet dating sites will charge a one-time registration fee to use their services．

　　Internet dating makes it possible to meet people from all over the world．You can even narrow the search down to your area by zip code．Another advantage is that you can communicate by email before you meet in person．Thousands of people have met, fallen in love, and married through Internet dating．It is an excellent way for shy people to meet．It is also a way for people with busy lives to connect with others, and an easy way to meet people who share your interests．

　　Just as in conventional dating and love, there are some pitfalls to be aware of in Internet dating．The person you have been talking to on the net may not be who they say they are．Be very aware that there are some people who misrepresent their appearance or private details, such as marital status, income, and so on, for their own reasons．It would not be the first time that someone has been taken in, and talk shows are full of cheating partners who have been caught dating over the Internet in their spare time．Nevertheless, taking a few simple precautions should help ensure that your Internet dating experience is fun．

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　　In the computer age, most of us take a broadband Internet connection for granted．Whether cable or mobile broadband, today’s connections are many times faster than those in the early days．Videos play smoothly, complex websites load quickly, and files download much faster than ten years ago．And the files are much bigger too．

　　There’s a catch, of course．You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet．If you don’t, it’s slow dial-up access for you．And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all．

　　Technology experts often talk about the “last mile” problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote locations．In cities and suburbs, it’s relatively easy to provide access for everyone．It is much more difficult to deliver access to those living far from cities, especially in developing countries．Internet service providers, for their part, have been reluctant to provide access to sparsely(稀疏地)populated areas．The handful of Internet users they would reach wouldn’t cover the expense．

　　But every year, technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users．Most broadband connections today run over existing cable TV and telephone lines although these technologies aren’t available everywhere．Some companies have delivered the Internet over standard power lines．Advancements in cheaper, more efficient fiber optics cables(光纤电缆)promise to bring extremely fast Internet connections to more users．

　　Still, the “last mile” problem remains hard to deal with．There will always be somewhere that doesn’t have an affordable broadband connection．But someday that might not matter．If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication(迹象), it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you wherever you go．

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　　A healthy dose of sunshine may be the secret to staying young, British scientists have disclosed．

　　Vitamin D is produced naturally by the skin in response to sunlight and may help to slow the ageing process and protect against heart disease, according to the study．

　　Researchers from King's College London studied 2,160 women aged between 18 and 79, looking at their telomeres - a biological marker of ageing found in DNA．As people get older, their telomeres get shorter and they are easy to have illnesses．

　　But the study found women with high levels of vitamin D had comparatively longer telomeres - a sign of being biologically younger and healthier．

　　The study suggests vitamin D may help to slow down the ageing process of DNA, and therefore the ageing process as a whole．

　　Lead researcher Dr Brent Richards said："These results are exciting because they prove for the first time that people who have higher levels of vitamin D may age more slowly than people with lower levels of vitamin

　　D．"This could help to explain how vitamin D has a protective effect on many ageing related diseases, such as heart disease and cancer．"

　　He said further studies are required to confirm the findings．

　　Professor Tim Spector, head of KCL's twin research unit, and a co-author of the report, added："Although it might sound absurd(荒谬的), it's possible that the same sunshine which may increase our risk of skin cancer may also have a healthy effect on the general ageing process．"

　　Vitamin D made by the action of sunlight on the skin accounts for 90 per cent of the body's supply, but lower levels can also be obtained through food such as fish, eggs and breakfast cereals．

　　Other studies have suggested the vitamin plays a key role in protecting against cancer and heart disease．

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　　Every once in a while, it is necessary to take a step back in order to take a long, hard look at where we are in our lives．At this point, it is good to ask yourself a bunch of critical questions．Are you at the point in your career where you want to be? Have you so far accomplished all of your goals in life? If so, then maybe it is time to make goals that stretch yourself a bit more．If you have not accomplished your goals in life, then perhaps you have made the mistake of setting too many goals or trying to accomplish them at an unnaturally fast pace．

　　It is necessary to set reasonable, intelligent goals in order to succeed in life．Do not be unrealistic because life is not a fairy tale．But you should try to recognize what you want, and to be as specific as possible when attempting to visualize(形象化)or otherwise express what your goals in life are．

　　In order for a goal to sufficiently motivate you, it needs to be a major one．The bigger your goals are, then the more motivated you will need to be to work towards accomplishing them．If you want, for example, to be the greatest concert pianist, in the world, then you are going to find yourself a lot more motivated than you would be if your goal were merely to, say, play a couple of Beethoven pieces extremely well．If you are a beginner, then no doubt mastering those tough songs is a very intelligent and realistic goal to set．But if that is your only goal as a pianist, then you will stop growing as a pianist once that goal has been achieved．This is why it is necessary to constantly stop and re-evaluate our goals so that we are aware of what they are, and thus stay motivated．

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　　The United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF)has declared October 15 as Global Handwashing Day in 2005．The first Global Handwashing Day is on October 15 of 2008．Activities are planned over twenty countries to get millions of people in the developing world to wash their hands with soap．Global Handwashing Day is the idea of the Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap．Partners include the UN Children's Fund, American government agencies, the World Bank and soap makers Unilever and Procter and Gamble．The goal is to create a culture of hand washing with soap．

　　Hand washing can prevent the spread of disease．Experts say people around the world wash their hands but very few use soap at so-called critical moments．These include after using the toilet, after cleaning a baby and before touching food．

When people get germs on their hands, they can infect themselves by touching their eyes, nose or mouth．Then they can infect others．

　　The organizers say all soaps are equally effective at removing disease-causing germs．The correct way to wash is to wet your hands with a small amount of water and cover them with soap．Rub it into all areas, including under the fingernails．Rub for at least twenty seconds．Then, rinse well under running water．Finally, dry your hands with a clean cloth or wave them in the air．Soap is important because it increases the time that people spend washing．It also helps to break up the grease and dirt that hold most of the germs．And it usually leaves a pleasant smell,which increases the likelihood that people will wash again．

　　Washing with soap before eating and after using the toilet could save more lives than any medicine．It could help reduce cases of diarrhea(痢疾)by almost half．And it could reduce deaths from pneumonia and other breathing infections by one-fourth．Diarrhea is the second leading cause of child deaths, killing more than one and a half million children a year．Pneumonia is the leading cause, killing about two million children under five each year．Hand washing can also prevent the spread of other diseases．

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　　As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation．Once you are in the habit of rushing through lift, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down．But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body．

　　Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it．In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be．A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life．It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health．

　　The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual．Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities．Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties．When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically．In fact we make choice between "fight" or "flight" and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life or death．The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress is, it involves the same response．It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered．Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress．Since we cannot remove stress from our lives(it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it．

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　　At the moment when looking round the world, all kinds of dance performances are being offered．There are competitions that claim to be a World Cup or World Championship, and the young dancer or the dance teacher who wants to enter his students might be quite confused．Which is which? Which is of high standard and good quality, and which is not worth going to? First of all it has clearly got to be distinguished between the different styles of dance and the purpose of such competitions．When a person wants to learn classical ballet, he or she would never dream of going to a ballroom teacher．Such a teacher might even have been world champion in his ballroom dancing, but he would definitely not be qualified in teaching proper classical ballet．

　　People in Britain and the USA are taking more interest in modern dance．Dance classes of all kinds are popular; the audiences going to watch modern dance companies are also larger．And perhaps the most popular modern dance company in Britain is the Ballet Rambert．

　　The Ballet Rambert is Britains’ oldest established dance company which began in 1926．In the 60 s the company lacked the money to go on staging big productions．The directors wanted to encourage new talent and to keep up their high standards．A change of direction was necessary．They decided to give the ballet a ‘new look” in 1966．The aim was to provide a chance for new talent－for musicians and designers as well as dancers－and to show dance as a contemporary art form．And although some of the company’s previous fans dislike the change, new audiences came to see the productions．

　　The modern dance pieces and modern music found unexpected popularity．In the 21 st century the Ballet Rambert was a great success in London’s West End．The company became a focus for new, progressive talent in the art．

　　Then, the Ballet Ramvert started to introduce young people to modern dance by giving performances at schools, which again, was a success．

　　The Ballet Rambert has managed to make modern dance popular while creating original and often avant－garde(标新立异)productions．It can claim to be the oldest dance company in Britain and at the same time one of the most modern!

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　　To learn an instrument such as the violin or accordion(手风琴)takes years．The job opportunities for musicians are scarce and competition is fierce．Then why are more people than ever before paying a lot of good cash to get their children the best music teaching they can afford?

　　The secret lies in the influence of music on the whole person．It has been found that learning a musical instrument actually increases a person’s IQ over time．Different instruments and different trypes of music have varying effect, with classical music and the string family coming out on top, potentially increasing you IQ by up to 12 points!

　　When is a good time to start learning music? Experts have found that even the fetus(胎儿)can benefit from listening to classical music．Surround yourself and your family with good music from the first．The Suzuki Piano Method teaches children from the age of 3 years piano, with two lessons per week．From preschool, children can learn to read music and play from sheet music．Progress in learning your instrument is directly proportional(成比例的)to the amount of practicing．

　　Is there such a thing as an unmusical child? Shinichi Suzuki proposes that music is the native home language of all human beings and therefore nobody can be “unmusical”．Of course there are exceptional talents, compared to which others may seem to be slower learners．

　　Is there any benefit for adults in starting an instrument? Apart from the purely relaxing aspect, yes．Learning an instrument can earn even adults additional IQ points, and as an added benefit in improves your health by reducing your stress levels．Your social life may benefit too, if you are prepared to come out of your box and join occasions such as Ceilidhs(musical get-togethers)or arrange house concerts．It has been established that people who play instruments tend to be more emotionally balanced and more patient with themselves, others and life in general．

　　So go ahead, sign up for that amateur orchestra, dust off your old trombone(长号)or take your first real six-string down from the attic(阁楼); get out there and play!

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　　Officials in the Midwestern U．S．town of Joplin, Missouri, say the death from Sundays’ big tornado reaches 116 and that search efforts continue for possible survivors trapped in rubble(碎石)．Search and rescue teams are conducting their third sweep through the nearly 10 kilometer－long and one－kilometer wide area of destruction left by the tornado．They are working as quickly as possible while weather conditions remain relatively stable．More storms are forecast for the erea．

　　Joplin Fire Chief Mitch Randles said there are areas with large piles of rubble that might hold survivors．“We are still finding individuals．We did rescue seven individuals from underneath rubble yesterday and , of course, we are also finding dead folks as well．” Said mre folks and that is why we are doing these searches．We want to make every opportunity that we can to find everybody that is in the rubble and that has survived to this point．”

　　Randles said the current sweep involves a slower pace that previous searches and that he plans a fourth search, possibly on Wednesday, using specially trained dogs．“We are searching every structure that has been damaged or destroyed in a more in-depth manner, “he said．” I have dogs and dog handlers coming from all over the country do help us in that effort．”

　　Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr said the Red Cross and other volunteer organizations are helping people who were left homeless by the tornado and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is on hand to help．“Joplin is a great city．We have suffered a great loss, “said Rohr．” We will recover and we will recover strongly and we have a lot of help and a lot of volunteers to make that easier．”

　　The tornado that struck Joplin was classified by the Natioonal Weather Service as an F－4, with winds of more than 300 kilometers per hour．It lasted only　20 minutes, but it killed more that 100 people, injured more than 400 others, and destroyed or heavily damaged some 2,000 homes, businesses, churches and a hospital．Authorities have registered more than 1,700 calls about missing people and they hope to resolve most of those cases soon, as victims are identified and survivors come forth and reunite with loved ones．

　　This was the worst tornado to strike the United States in 60 years．It was the latest in a wave of violent storms that have swept Midwestern and southern states in recent weeks, leaving more than 300 people dead an causing more than ＄2 billion dollars in damage．