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　　Ali is from a Middle Eastern country．He now stays in the USA．He smokes a lot of cigarettes(香烟)every day．He has smoked for nine years．Ali says, “ I tried to quit(放弃)smoking in my hometown, but it was impossible．My brothers smoke．All my friends smoke．At parties and at meetings, almost all the men smoke．Here in the United States, not as many people smoke．It will be easier to change my habit here．”

　　Many smokers are like Ali：they want to stop smoking．The smokers know that smoking is bad for their health．They know it can cause cancer and heart disease．But it is difficult for them to give up smoking because cigarettes have a drug in them．The drug is nicotine(尼古丁)．People who smoke a lot need nicotine．

　　When a person first begins to smoke, he usually feels terrible．The nicotine makes him sick．In a few days, the smoker's body is used to the nicotine, and he feels fine．Later, the smoker needs nicotine to keep feeling fine．Without nicotine, he feels bad．

　　It is very hard to quit smoking, and many people who quit will soon smoke again．At a party or at work they will decide to smoke “just one” cigarette．Then they will smoke another cigarette, and another．Soon they become smokers again．Maybe there is only one easy way to quit smoking：never start．

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　　A qualified doctor who seldom practiced but instead devoted his life to writing．He once said：“Medicine is my lawful(合法的)wife, and literature is my lover．” Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, was a great playwright and one of the masters(大师)of the modern short story．

　　When Chekhov entered the Moscow University Medical School in 1879, he started to publish hundreds of comic short stories to support his family．After he graduated, he wrote regularly for a local daily newspaper．

　　As a writer he was extremely fast, often producing a short story in an hour or less．Chekhov's medical and science experience can be seen through the indifference(冷漠)many of his characters show to tragic events．In 1892, he became a full time writer and published some of his most memorable stories．

　　Chekhov often wrote about the sufferings of life in small town Russia．Tragic events control his characters who are filled with feelings of hopelessness and despair．

　　It is often said that nothing happens in Chekhov's stories and plays．He made up for this with his exciting technique for developing drama within his characters．Chekhov's work combined the calm attitude of a scientist and doctor with the sensitivity(敏感)of an artist．

　　Some of Chekhov's works were translated into Chinese as early as the 1940s．One of his famous stories, The Man in a Shell(《装在套子里的人》), about a school teacher's extraordinarily orderly life, was selected as a text for Chinese senior students．

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　　Many animals recognize their food because they see it．So do humans．When you see an apple or a piece of chocolate you know that these are things you can eat．You can also use other senses when you choose your food．You may like it because it smells good or because it tastes good．You may dislike some types of food because they do not look, smell or taste very nice．Different animals use different senses to find and choose their food．A few animals depend on only one of their senses, while most animals use more than one sense．

　　Although there are many different types of food, some animals spend their lives eating only one type．The giant panda eats only one particular type of bamboo．Other animals eat only one type of food even when given the choice．A kind of white butterfly will stay on the leaves of a cabbage, even though there are plenty of other vegetables in the garden．However, most animals have a more varied diet．The bear eats fruits and fish．The fox eats small animals, birds and fruits．The diet of these animals will be different depending on the season．

　　Humans have a very varied diet．We often eat food because we like it and not because it is good for us．In countries such as France and Britain, people eat foods with too much sugar．This makes them overweight, which is bad for their health．Eating too much red meat and animal products, such as butter, can also be bad for the health．Choosing the right food, therefore, has become an area of study in modern life．

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　　Remembering your dreams will require some efforts on your part．But what your dreams can offer and tell you about yourself will be well worth it．Here are some tips to help recall your dreams：

　　1．Before going to bed, keep a clear mind．Tell yourself that “I will remember my dreams when I wake up”．This is actually a proven and effective way to recall your dreams．

　　2．Have a regular bedtime and wake-up time．Make this your routine．Going to bed and waking up at a regular time every day could aid in dream recollection．

　　3．Avoid drinking and taking medicine before going to bed．These things may prevent you from remembering your dreams．

　　4．Keep a pencil and a notebook next to your bed so that they will be within reach as soon as you wake up．Having a small lamp by your bedside is also a good idea, so you wake up in the middle of the night and can record your dreams immediately．

　　5．Do not get out of bed immediately．Upon waking from a dream, lie still in your bed, keeping your eyes closed and moving as little as possible．Let your mind wander among the images of what you have just dreamed．

　　6．Write down as many details in your dreams as you can, no matter how seemingly unimportant they may be．Do not judge the content or worry if they make sense．

　　7．Sometimes it may help to draw pictures．A picture is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes．Even if you are not an artist, a simple drawing can help to recall details of your dreams．

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　　Slowly I climbed into the driver’s seat of the old brown Pontiac．“Hi, Miss Caroline!” cried the three passengers, my friend Annie and her two children．No, I’m not Annie’s driver．I’m just a friend．

　　Let me explain．I’m 68, retired and live alone．Annie’s 27, works as a part-time bank teller and is married with two kids．We’re different, but we have one very important need in common--a car．I couldn’t afford to fix my own car and the bus didn’t go everywhere I needed to go．

　　A friend had a suggestion．“My daughter Annie’s been using my old Pontiac while her husband job-hunts,” he said, “He got laid off and I know they could use help with gas．Maybe you two could share the car．”

　　Share a car? We Americans are pretty territorial about our automobiles．Still, need overrode(压倒)nervousness and I gave Annie a call．We quickly worked out a schedule．Three days a week for me, the rest for her．

　　Having wheels again was a huge help．Soon the car brought something more．Driving each other home on the days we switched, Annie and I talked about everything．

　　She had plenty of worries．Besides her finances, her dad’s health was failing．However, she lifted my spirits! She once said, “Life doesn’t always turn out the way I want, but I trust things will work out．And they do．Just like this car!”

　　Annie and her family moved to Los Angeles．I still borrow the Pontiac from her dad, who is healthy once again．Now, whenever I drive the car, I think about Annie, and about how a simple exchange born of economic need can become such a blessing．Like Annie says, life doesn’t always turn out the way we want．But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t turn out good．

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　　Skeptics are strange lot．Some of them refuse to admit the serious threat of human activities to the environment, and they are tired of people who disagree with them．Those people, say skeptics, spread noting but bad news about the environment．The “eco-guilt” brought on by the discouraging news about our planet gives rise to the popularity of skeptics as people search for more comforting worldviews．

　　Perhaps that explains why a new book by Bjorn Lombard received so much publicity．That book ,The Skeptical Environmentalist, declares that it　measures the “real state of the world’’ as fine．Of course, another explanation is the deep pockets of some big businesses with special interests．Indeed, Mr．Lombard’s views are similar to those of some Industry-funded organizations, which start huge activities though the media to confuse the public about issues like global warming．

　　So it was strange to see Mr．Limburg’s book go largely unchallenged in the media though his beliefs were contrary to most scientific opinions．One national newspaper in Canada ran a number of articles and reviews full of words of praise, even with the conclusion that “After Limburg, the environmental movement will begin to die down．”

　　Such one-sided views should have immediately been challenged．But only a different review appeared in Nature, a respected science magazine with specific readership．The review remarked that Mr．Limburg’s “preference for unexamined materials is incredible(不可信的)”．

　　A critical(批判的)eye is valuable, and the media should present information in such a way that could allow people to make informed decisions．Unfortunately, that is often inaccessible as blocked by the desire to be shocking or to defend some special interest．People might become half-blind before a world partially exhibited by the media．That’s a shame, because matters concerning the health of the planet are far too important to be treated lightly．

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　　Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice．However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner．

　　Born in September, 1987, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies’ two daughters．Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers．She finished her high school education at the College of Sévigné in Paris．

　　Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics．When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities(设备)to help save the lives of wounded soldiers．Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgium．Her services were recognized in the form of a Military’s Medal by the French government．

In 1918, Irene became her mother’s assistant at the Curie Institute．In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work．They soon fell in love and were married in 1926．Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later．

　　Like her mother, Irene combined family and career．Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935．Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity(辐射能)．Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956．

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　　About 21,000 young people in 17 American states do not attend classes in school buildings．

　　Instead, they receive their elementary and high school education by working at home on computers．The center for Education Reform says the United States has 67 public “cyber schools” and that is about twice as many as two years ago．

　　The money for students to attend a cyber school cotes from the governments of the states where they live．Some educators say cyber schools ices money that should support traditional public schools．They also say it is difficult to know if students are learning well．

　　Other educators praise this new form of education for letting students work at their own speed．These people say cyber schools help students who were unhappy or unsuccessful in traditional schools．They say learning at home by computer ends long bus rides for children who live far from school．

　　Whatever the judgment of cyber schools, they are getting more and more popular．For example, a new cyber school called Commonwealth Connections Academy will take in students this fall．It will serve children in the state of Pennsylvania from ages five through thirteen．

　　Children get free equipment for their online education．This includes a computer, a printer, books and technical services．Parents and students talk with teachers by telephone or by sending emails through their computers when necessary．

　　Students at cyber schools usually do not know one another．But 56 such students finished studies at Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School recently met for the first time．They were guests of honor at their graduation．

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　　Parents who buy computers for their children may be damaging their exam results, according to new research．

　　Access to PCs and high speed broadband can lead to a decline in test scores among young people, it was claimed．

　　The study suggested that computers could provide a distraction for schoolchildren as they spend hours socializing with friends and playing games．

　　Technology can also lead to a widening gap in education standards between rich and poor pupils as parents from working class households are less likely to monitor computer use．

　　Prof Jacob Vigdor．who co-wrote the report ,said：“Adults may think of computer technology as a productivity tool ,but the average kid doesn’t share that perception．”

　　Researchers compared the same children’s reading and math scores before and after they access to a home computer．pupils with and without the technology were also compared．Academics found that computers had negative impact on math and reading test scores．

　　The researchers concluded that home computers were put to more productive use in households where parental monitoring was more effective．In disadvantaged households ,parents were less likely to check children’s computer use and guide sons and daughter towards educational programs．

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　　Restaurants do not include a service charge in the bill ,so you should tip(付小费)the waiter 15％ of the total bill．If service is slow or particularly bad, some Americans will tip only 10％．If service is particularly good, it is appropriate to tip 20％．If service is so bad that you will never eat in the restaurant again, leave two cents．This is deliberate insult(羞辱), because it tells the waiter that you don’t forget to leave a tip．Tipping is only appropriate in restaurants which offer table service．You do not tip the cashier in a fast food restaurant．

　　Taxi drivers expect to get a tip equal to 15％ of the total fare．If the driver is especially helpful or has got you to your destination more quickly than expected, give a 20％ tip．

　　Hotel bellboys expect a ＄1 tip for helping you with your bags．If you order room service, the tip is included in the bill．Coat checkroom attendants expect ＄ 1 per coat．Hairdressers and barbers expect a tip of 15％ of the bill．Parking attendants expect a ＄ 1 tip．

　　Federal regulations prohibit letter carriers from accepting cash gifts in any amount, or gifts worth ＄ 20 or more from customers．

　　If you are in doubt, ask whether it is appropriate to tip or whether a tip is included in the bill．Bribery(贿赂)is not considered appropriate and often illegal．Attempting to bribe a policeman will certainly get you arrested．