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　　“Everybody loves a bargain．” Is a well-known saying．One person’s useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person’s bargain．That is why so many Americans do not throw things away．They put them outside their house．They put on a "For Sale" sign．And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale．

　　The sellers put a paid announcement in a local newspaper．It tells when and where the yard sale will take place．These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn．

　　Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house．Then they sit all day in the sunlight－like tired guests at a party－waiting for someone to take them home．

　　Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale．Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else．Cooking equipment is also popular．So are old toys, tools, books, tables, and chairs．Then there are objects called "white elephants．" A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless．It may be an electric light shaped like a fish．You feel a sharp pain whenever you look at it．To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy．

　　Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect．It may be old toy trains, for example, or paintings of dogs．Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before．Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special．They might buy an object simply because it costs so little．They enjoy negotiating over prices, even if they really do not need the object．Later, they may hold their own yard sale to sell all the things they have bought．

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　　If your cellphone suddenly stops working, don’t blame the service provider．The malfunction(故障)might well have been caused by something bigger－a solar storm．Experts expect that Earth will see more solar activity in the near future．The malfunction of electronic devices will just one of the effects．

　　Sunspots(太阳黑子)serve as an indicator of the sun’s activity．For the past two years, sunspots have mostly been missing．Their absence, the most prolonged in nearly 100 years, has taken even seasoned sun watchers by surprise．

　　When the number of sunspots drops at the end of each 11-year cycle, solar storms die down and all become much calmer．This “solar minimum” doesn’t last long．Within a year, sunspots and solar storms begin to build toward a new crescendo, the next solar maximum．

　　What’s special about this latest cycle is that the sun is having trouble starting the next solar cycle．The sun began to calm down in late 2007, so no one expected many sunspots in 2008．They should return in 2010．Scientists have predicted that the next solar cycle could be the most active on record：more sunspots and more solar storms．However, sunspots are mostly missing now．

　　Since the earth is in close contact with the sun, strong solar activities can bring trouble to our life．People of the 21st century rely on high-tech systems for the basics of daily life．Air travel and radio communications can be affected by strong solar activities．A big solar storm could cause 20 times more economic damage than Hurricane Katrina．

　　What the sun will do next is beyond our ability to predict．Most astronomers think that the solar cycle will go on but at low level．However, there is also evidence that the sun is losing its ability to produce sunspots．By 2015, they could be gone altogether．

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　　When first entered, Vanak Restaurant does not look like much of a restaurant, but once the pleasant smells of kabob(烤肉串)hit the senses, you are incapable of calling it anything else．

　　Owned by a local couple, this Persian restaurant has an inviting, homelike atmosphere that many restaurants lack．

　　The space is small with only a few dining tables and nearly no decoration, but the environment is truly charming．

　　Lying in a hardly noticeable street corner, the restaurant still attracts all customers, especially those experienced in the delights of Middle Eastern cooking．

　　A common sight is that of old Persian men sitting in the corner talking loudly about world topics, watching news events on TV, drinking a black tea known as Persian chai, and reading local Persian newspapers all the while trying to finish off their plate piled with food．

　　The variety of food at the restaurant is limited, but the amount of each dish is fairly large．Most of the meals can serve two people and are under ＄10, so not only is it affordable but practical as well．

　　The food especially appeals to health-conscious eaters because each dish is very healthy, made with limited fat and oil and served straight off the grill(烤肉架)．

　　The main dish that the restaurant is popular for is its kabobs, which are different style of grilled meat．

　　One delicious and extremely healthy dish is the Joojeh Kabob, which is made of grilled chicken pieces served with either rice or bread．Another great kabob is the Chelo Kabob, a kabob consisting of grilled beef．

　　Although the restaurant is small, the atmosphere and the food is delicious．It is a place that should not be overlooked．

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　　One silly question I simply can’t stand is “How do you feel?” Usually the question is asked of a man in action－a man on the go, walking along the streets, or busily working at his desk．So what do you expect him to say? He’ll probably say, “Fine, I’m all right,” but you have put a bug in his ear －maybe now he’s not sure．If you are a good friend, you may have seen something in his face, or his walk that he overlooked that morning．It starts worrying him a little．First thing you know, he looks in a mirror to see if everything is all right, while you go merrily on your way asking someone else, “How do you feel?”

　　Every question has its time and place．It’s perfectly acceptable, for instance, to ask “How do you feel?” if you’re visiting a close friend in the hospital．But if the fellow is walking on both legs, hurrying to make a train, or sitting at his desk working, it’s no time to ask him that silly question．

　　When George Bernard Shaw, the famous writer of plays was in his eighties, someone asked him “How do you feel?” Shaw put him in his place．“When you reach my age,” he said, “either you feel all right or you’re dead．”

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　　Experts say that it is not easy to get used to life in a new culture．“Culture shock” is the term specialists use when talking about the feelings that people have in a new environment．“There are three stages of culture shock,” say the specialists．In the first stage, the newcomers like their new environment．Then, when the fresh experience dies, they begin to hate the city, the country, the people, and everything else．In the last stage, the newcomers begin to adjust to their surroundings and, as a result, enjoy their life more．

　　There are some obvious factors in culture shock．The weather may be unpleasant．The customs may be different．The public service systems－the telephone, post office, or transportation---may be difficult to work out．The simplest things seem to be big problems．The language may be difficult．

　　Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that．But culture shock surprises most people．Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who never had any difficulties in their home countries and were successful in their community．Coming to a new country, these people find they do not have the same established positions．They find themselves without a role, almost without an identity．

　　They have to build a new self-image．

　　Culture shock gives rises to a feeling of disorientation(迷惘)．This feeling may be homesickness．When homesick, people feel like staying inside all the time．They want to protect themselves from the strange environment, and create and escape inside their room for a sense of security．This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture．Getting to know the new environment and gaining experience are the long-term solutions to the problem of culture shock．

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　　Win a week in England!

　　You still don’t know what to do this summer? Well, here’s your chance to win a one-week language course in Kent, England! Free4Fun and ETC(English Travel Connections)are giving away two trips to Rochester．This historic city is less than an hour’s drive from London and close to the sea resort of Herne Bay．It is also the home of one of England’s most famous writers, Charles Dickens．The town of Rochester is in Southeast England．Charles Dickens often wrote about it in his books．His home, Gad’s Hill, is there, too．A popular attraction is Rochester Castle, a large Norman fortress(堡垒)．It was built in the 11th century and rebuilt during the 14th century．Other attractions are Rochester Cathedral, which was built during the 13th century, and Dickens Centre．It has got its name in honour of Dickens himself．

　　The trip to England includes：

　　*travel by train(via the Eurotunnel)to and from any railway station in Germany

　　*room and full board with a guest family for one week

　　*language course in small groups

　　*two trips to London

　　*large choice of sports and entertainment

　　*German-speaking advisors available 24 hours a day

　　Interested? All you have to do is to answer the following question：When was Charles Dickens born?

　　So, take the chance and send your answer by 1 May to：

　　Free4Fun "Rochester"

　　Free4Fun, 24 Elphinstone Road, Hastings, 2FQ6VJ

　　fax：089/85 763-103

　　e-mail：free4fun@netlight．com

　　The two winners will be contacted directly before 5 May．They will also be announced in the June issue of Free4Fun．Good luck!

　　For further information, contact：

　　phone：(03212)144 43

　　fax：(03212)144 42

　　e-mail：info@etc．com

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　　One hot night last July, when our new baby wouldn’t or couldn’t sleep, I tried everything I could think of：a warm bottle, songs gentle rocking．Nothing would settle him．Guessing that I had a long night ahead of me, I brought a portable TV into his room, figuring that watching the late movie was as good a way as any to kill of the hours till dawn．To my surprise, as soon as the TV lit up, the baby quieted right down, and his little eyes focused brightly on the tube．Not to waste an opportunity for sleep, I then tiptoed out of the room, leaving him to watch the actors celebrate John Bellushi's forty-fifth birthday．

　　My wife and I heard none of the baby that night, and the next morning when I went into his room, I found him still watching TV himself．

　　I found in my baby's behavior a symbol of the new generation．My wife and I had given him some books to examine, but he merely spit upon them．When we read to him, he did not feel comfortable．And so it is in the schools．We find that our students don't read and they look down upon reading and scold those of us who teach it．All they want to do is watch TV．After this experience with the baby, however, I have reached a conclusion：“Let them watch it!” If television is that much more attractive to children than books, why should we fight about it? Let them watch it all they want!

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　　Your children’s teacher will be providing extra time for test preparation．This school year’s test will be held on January 8 and 9．The test preparation time is open to all students, and we strongly encourage your children to attend．

　　This year we are changing the time for our test preparation：it will be on Thursday mornings from 8∶10 to 8∶50．This helps children who ride the bus and cannot stay for the after-school period．It also helps avoid conflicts with after-school activities．

Danielle and Marina will be working with the recent new test takers 6 days on the following Thursdays：15^th, Nov; 29^th, Nov; 6^th, Dec; 13^th, Dec．; 20^th, Dec．and 3^rd, Jan．

　　Besides the test preparation lectures on these dates, teachers are already putting test preparation into their usual courses．We are finding that we can help our students to be both skillful and whole-hearted readers and test takers－after all, we all know that the best test preparation is good reading and writing training．

　　What can you do at home? Again, the best and most effective test preparation for the ELA test is reading and more reading．The research is quite clear－students who do well in the tests are those who are good readers．Reading not only builds reading ability, it also helps build confidence－important for successful test taking! But do discourage your children from spending too much time on books that are too hard or even a bit too hard．Children best develop comprehension skills when they are reading books just right for them(too easy doesn’t hurt here either)．

　　Finally, on Friday, December 7, we will have a morning lecture on the ELA．Please pay attention!

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　　In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bikes to work every day．In New York, some bike riders have even formed a group called Bike for a Better City．They declare that if more people rode bikes to work, there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown part of the city and so less dirty air form car engines．

　　For several years, this group had been trying to get the city government to help bike riders．For example, they want the city to draw special lanes(车道)for bikes on some of the main streets, because when bike riders must use the same lanes as cars there are accidents．Bike for a Better City feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes．

　　But no bike lanes have been drawn．Not everyone thinks it is a good idea－they say it will slow traffic．Some store owners on the main streets don’t like the idea－they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business．

　　The city government has not yet decided what to do．It wants to keep everyone happy．On weekends, Central Park－the largest place open ground in New York－is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bikes only．

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　　Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers．But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son：suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents．“The door to his room is always shut．” Joanna noted．

　　Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter．“she used to cuddle up(拥抱)with me on the sofa and talk．” said Mark．“Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something．Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady．The problem is figuring out which time is which．”

　　Before age 11, Children like to tell their parents what’is on their minds．“In fact, parents are first on the list．” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers．“This completely changes during the teen years．” Riera explained．“They talk to their friends first, and then maybe their teachers and their parents last．”

　　Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them．To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them．And they must give their children a mental break, for children also need freedom, though young．Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with children is a better way to know them．