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　　Is there something that you’ve always wanted to try but just never had the time? Well, make plans to try it now since you are on summer vacation．Not all vacations call for taking a tour bus to take photos of famous landmarks．Some vacations allow you plenty of opportunities to learn．

　　The most difficult aspect of a learning vacation may be choosing one because the possibilities are endless．If you enjoy cooking, various companies can take you to Italy, France, Spain, Mexico or even Peru．Once there, you can learn to prepare the local cuisine(烹饪)．Trips are often planned to fit in with local food festivals or special events．

　　The term “learning vacation” often brings languages to mind．The best way to learn a language is in an environment where it’s spoken．Study Spanish, French or Estonian or Thai．You’ll be able to learn about the country and absorb the culture at the same time．

　　If you are fond of sports, you can polish your skills or learn new ones．Golf and tennis schools welcome players of all levels．If you want a bigger thrill, you can learn to surf, go climbing or race cars．It’s even possible to learn the art and techniques of bull fighting while on vacation!

　　You can also discover our inner artist．Many places offer painting classes in different mediums．The scenic locations of the schools offer plenty of subjects that provide inspiration for practice．

　　If you prefer capturing the world on film, take a photography vacation．Travel with a small group to photograph beautiful animals or scenery．You can also practice your technique on people or at historical sights．

　　Once you decide on a vacation, choose a company carefully．Request names of recent customers you can contact, and then ask them for an evaluation．The more you know before you go, the better prepared you’ll be．Then go out and learn something!

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　　As the economy begins to recover, salary increases should do the same．

　　In the past few years, employers have raised workers’ salaries by about 4 percent per year-except for 2009, when the figure dropped to 2.1 percent, according to a survey of world at Work．About one-third of companies froze raises altogether．

　　For 2010, world at Work’s survey projects an average salary increase budget of 2.7 percent, a figure that shows the situation has improved but the job market is still weak．Between 10 percent and 15 percent of companies said they would freeze raises-far fewer than in 2009, but still more than in most years．

　　How can you get a rise? Avalos and others offer the following tips：

　　*Do your job well．This means producing high-quality work, of course, but also keeping the big picture in mind．．

　　“It really comes down to positioning yourself as a high performer, somebody who is aware of business goals and helps the company meet their goals as an organization,” Avalos said．

　　*Be visible．When times are hard, some workers think, “I’m going to down and hope that nobody notices me, because I don’t want to be on a layoff(解雇)list,” said Richard Phillips, owner of Advantage Career Solutions．This is a mistake, because you’re unlikely to get a rise if no one knows what you have done．“If anything, what you want to do is to be more visible．”

　　*Make your boss’s life easier．This means everything from having a good attitude to taking on extra tasks．If you don’t know how you can help your boss, ask．

　　*Ask for a rise．Talk to your boss and present your case：Here’s what I’ve done, here’s how it fits with the company’s goals, here is why I think it’s worth a salary increase．In some cases, even if your company has an official raise freeze, you can get a rise if you make a good case．

　　If the answer is no-or if you’re not ready to ask directly-Phillips suggests asking, “What would you like to see from me that would put me in line for a rise?”

　　A question like this can improve your standing．“Just asking the question says to the boss, ‘I’m thinking about where I fit in here, what I can do’,” Phillips said．“That in and of itself has value．”

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　　Down on the beach of Dover, 56-year-old Channel swimmer Jackie Cobell bravely set off for Calais．The time was 6：40 am．28 hours and 44 minutes later the exhausted, successful mother from Kent crawled(爬行)to the shore and walked proudly into the record books．After five years in training, Mrs Cobell became the slowest person to cross the Channel under her own steam．The previous record for the slowest crossing, set by Henry Sullivan at 26 hours and 50 minutes, has stood for 87 years before Mrs Cobell started at Dover Saturday morning．

　　She had struggled through changing tides that swept her first one way, then the other．It turned the 21-mile crossing into a 65-mile one．She declared, “Time and tide wait for no man－and they certainly didn’t wait for me．I was fully expecting it to get dark before I got to Calais but I never imagined I’d also see the dawn again．But I wasn’t going to give up．”

　　Her feat(壮举)raised more than ＄2,000 in charity sponsorship for research into Huntingdon’s disease, a sum that was continuing to grow as news of her achievement spread．That was why she did it．“I don’t really know myself,” she said．“ I just kept thinking of all the people I’d be letting down if I stopped．”

　　Mrs Cobell took to the water so well at school．But after bringing up two daughters, she started to gain weight．Five years ago she took up swimming again and decided to prepare for the Channel challenge to lose weight．She became much fitter．Then came the big swim．“I practiced on Windermere lake,” she said．“it’s about half the distance of the Channel so I just doubled it, added some extra time, and worked out I could probably get to Calais in about 16 hours．”

　　Her husband David, trainer, official observer and friend sailed alongside her on a boat．She said, “I sang to keep myself going．When they told me I was a record breaker I thought they were just having a joke－until I realized it was the record for the slowest crossing．But maybe next time I might be a bit quicker．”

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　　For about three years now, I have been writing poetry．It was not until my junior year in high school that I developed an interest, love and skill for writing poetry．

　　Back in elementary school, I loved to write stories．I would write stories on post-it notes and anywhere I could．Yet when I had to write a limerick(五行打油诗)for an assignment, I could not wrap my head around poetry．I had a very hard time figuring out how to rhyme words and have the words make sense．I eventually tossed the paper with the attempted limerick in the trash．I did not try my hand at poetry again until several years later．

　　Many years later in my freshman year of high school, my English teacher gave my class a poetry project as an assignment．I still remember my limerick assignment and was afraid of doing the poetry project．For the project, we had to analyze a poem and write a response to it．I chose to respond to Robert Frost’s poem Fire and Ice．I also wrote my own poem first．I became really excited when writing the poem．

　　Two years later, I started writing poetry as a hobby and for fun．To learn how good or bad my poems were, I handed them in to some magazines and contests．I won second place in the North Carolina Poetry Society’s Sherry Pruitt Award Contest with a poem called The Ocean, and had my two poems published as high merit(优等)poems．I have continued to write poetry, and have even self-published three collections of poetry in both print and e-book formats, which can be found at my store on Lulu．

　　Now, I love writing poetry, but I don’t hate writing short stories．I just find it more difficult and not my style of writing, even though I still write short stories occasionally．

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　　With the popularity of Harry Potter novels, the number of children applying to boarding schools has risen, many of them hoping to find their own version of Hogwarts．However, others have interpreted this trend as a reaction to longer working hours and the break up of more marriages．The boarding schools of fiction are presented as one long midnight feast with pillow fights making firm friendships．However, some people say the reality is children having more homesickness and a lack of individual attention．Modern boarding schools have done much to get rid of the image of the mass dormitories with 40 or more beds in one room, some going as far as providing private rooms with bathrooms．Similarly, they make great announcements for their academic advantage, particularly in light of the increase in exams, homework and university entrance requirements facing children wishing to succeed in the modern world．

　　Alongside these more conventional schools, two types of boarding schools have also become more popular recently．Sports academies and stage schools seek to cater for children with particular interests and talents, while so-called troubled-teens have been able to turn to a range of religious or wilderness schools to solve their problematic behavior．

　　Boarding schools allow children a safe space in which to accomplish greater control and independence over their daily lives．Teachers and staff can look after and support but they are unlikely to be over-protective．This can be a great preparation for university or for working away from home in later life as it provides an intermediate step between childhood and full independence．

　　However, Parents are a child’s most natural support and best role models to learn from．If they are separated from them for long periods of time, this may damage their relationship and leave the child feeling anxious or alone．Schools are unlikely to be able to copy the detailed knowledge of each individual child that a parent has and therefore cannot be as effective in supporting the child．

　　To sum up, boarding schools have both their advantages and disadvantages, so it is up to you to decide whether to send your children to boarding schools or not．

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　　Does your pet have a slim figure? According to the Association of Pet Obesity Prevention(APOP), about half of all dogs and nearly 60％ of all indoor cats are overweight．Larry Kornegay, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, says he sees an overweight pet nearly every day, and unusually the owner is overweight．So talking about the topic can be touchy．“I talk about their pet’s health．Still, some clients take it personally．”

　　Here are some tips for pet weight loss：

　　See the vet(兽医)．Have your vet put together a plan and treat any existing medical problems．Pain relief and diet changes may be required for arthritic(患关节炎的)pets, which will allow for exercise to at least begin．

　　Skip the crash diet(an attempt to lose weight quickly by strictly limiting the diet)．A special weight-loss diet may be suggested．For example, look for the supplement which burns fat and builds muscle mass in foods．Never place any pet on a crash diet, especially cats, which can suffer a potentially fatal liver disease as a result．There’s a safe weight-loss drug for dogs you can ask your vet about．

　　Dine alone．“Cut out treats and resist temptation by keeping pets out of the room you’re dining in,” says Chicago vet Sheldon Rubin．You can buy low-calorie treats for dogs and cats．Rubin also recommends mini carrots, small apple slices or blueberries for dogs．What’s important is finding other ways, aside from food, to show your love．Play with your cat using an interactive toy, and take your dog for walks．Walks are great for bonding, and good for you．Studies show people are actually more willing to lose weight themselves if it also will help their pet．

　　Feed pets at special times．Pre-measure food carefully－don’t give them a larger meal than ever－and leave it in various places, so pets sniff it out and use the stairs．It’s fun, and it’s good exercise．

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　　If you plan on visiting to Fiji, you are probably looking for some fun things to do．Below are four unusual places．

　　The Poseidon resort is an underwater resort that gives visitors a beautiful view of sea life．This resort covers 255 acres．It’s covered and surrounded by a lagoon(咸水湖)that covers 5,000 acres and is about 90 feet under water, giving you a beautiful view of sea life right before your eyes．This resort even has a hotel for those who would prefer to have the unusual experience of sleeping and waking up to the beautiful scenery all around them．

　　If you’re looking for something unusual to do, you can’t pass up the mud pool at Sabeto．It is located in a mountain range with a huge group of Geothermal(地热的)pools full of nice, warm mud．Getting down and into the mud in the pool is believed to have benefits for healthy skin．This is unusual, but adults and especially kids will love it．

　　Fire walking in Fiji is believed to have originated on the island of Beau．Fire walking is when you walk on white-hot stones barefoot．To do this, you have to be mentally prepared for it．Trust me; there is a lot of preparation and strict rules that travelers follow in order to do this safely．

　　The Fiji museum is unusual due to all the amazing artifacts you’ll see dating back 3,000-4,000 years．This museum has a certain attraction that makes it funny－a shoe．It’s been said that a man named Thomas Baker was eaten by the locals several centuries ago and the only thing left was his shoe．This unusual museum is a great idea if you bring the whole family to Fiji．

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　　What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests．Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority(优先)over pizza．Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade．And the object of your romantic interest may have other choices．

　　In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our point of view．When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave．We may not always prevail－other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merits of the case．But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves．

　　Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion．They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives．Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable－to live is to persuade．Persuasion may be ethical(合乎道义的)or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading．Persuaders may enlighten our minds or catch our vulnerability(弱点)．Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners．Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make．Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other．

　　Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society．The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution(美国宪法)．

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　　Every pet owner loves his pet．There is no argument here．

　　But when we asked our readers whether they would clone(克隆，复制)their beloved animals, the responses(反应)were split almost down the middle．Of the 228 readers who answered it, 108 would clone, 111 would not and nine weighed each side without offering an opinion．

　　Clearly, from readers’ response, this is an issue that reaches deeply into both the joy and final sadness of owning a pet．It speaks, as well, to people’s widely differing expectations over the developing scientific procedure．

　　Most of the respondents who favored the idea strongly believed it would produce at least a close copy of the original; many felt the process would actually return an exact copy．Those on the other side, however, held little hope a clone could never truly recreate a pet, many simply didn’t wish to go against the natural law of life and death．

　　Both sides expressed equal love for their animals．More than a few respondents owned “the best dog/cat in the world”．They thought of their pets as their “best friend”, “a member of the family,” “the light of my life．” They told moving stories of pets’ heroism, intelligence and selfless devotion．

　　Then the loss is so disturbing---and the cloning so attractive．“People become very close to their animals, and the loss can be just as hard to bear as when a friend or family member dies,” says Gary Kowalski, author of Goodbye, Friend：Healing Wisdom for Anyone Who Has Ever Lost a Pet．“For me, cloning feels like an attempt to turn death away…It’s understandable．Death is always painful．It’s difficult to deal with．It’s hard to accept．”

　　But would cloning reduce the blow? This question seemed to be at the heart of this problem．

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　　When I was an official of a school in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times．Polly’s son, Jim, had great difficulty in school．He was classified as the educationally handicapped and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers．But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room．His parents knew his difficulties, but they always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride．Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident．After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper．

　　“Today we buried our 20-year-old son．He was killed in a motorcycle accident on Friday night．How I wish I had known that the last time I had talked to him would be the last time．If I had only known that, I would have said to him, ‘Jim, I love you and I’m always so proud of you．’ I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he had brought to the lives of the people who loved him．I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, his laughter, and his genuine love to other people．

　　“When I put all the good things on the scale and try to balance them with all the irritating(恼人的)things such as the radio that was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc．, I find that the irritations really don’t amount to much．

　　“I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, do have a chance．Tell your young people what you would want them to hear as if it may be your last conversation．The last time I talked to Jim was the morning of the day when he died．He called me to say, ‘Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you．You have to go to work now．Bye．’ That day, he gave me something to treasure forever．”

　　If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate life more and to tell people, especially family members, that they should take the time to let each other know just how much they care．You may never have another chance．Do it today!