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　　You can deposit money in a building society and obtain yearly interest at a certain rate．You can also borrow money from a building society．What, then, is difference between a bank and a building society? In fact, a building society does not seem to be very different from a savings bank．Many people regularly save money by depositing small amounts monthly in a building society, just as other people regularly save money by depositing small amounts monthly in a savings bank．Some people deposit large amounts in a building society as an investment．They receive higher interest than they would receive from a savings bank; their money can be invested either in building society shares or in loans to the society．

　　These societies are controlled by law, but they are not government organizations．They were originally started to enable people to buy houses．One of their main purposes is to provide loans for buying or building houses．Many people prefer buying a house to paying rent, but some of them cannot afford to buy a house．To cover the cost they borrow the money from a building society．The loan plus the interest is paid back in monthly amounts over an agreed number of years．Probably the payments made in this way are no more than the rent of a rented house．But at the end of the stated period, when the debt is paid, the borrower becomes the owner of the house．To protect the building society from “bad debts” he must sign a statement to say that the house belongs to the society until the debt is paid．

　　A building society invests the savings of its shareholders in houses and property．Unlike a bank, it does not serve as a general clearing house(清算所)for every kind of exchange or business operation．Its activities are limited compared with those of a bank．

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　　The case for college has been accepted without question for more than a generation．

　　All high school graduates ought to go, says conventional wisdom and statistical evidence, because college will help them earn more money, become “better” people, and learn to be more responsible citizens than those who don’t go．

　　But college has never been able to work its magic for everyone．And now that close to half our high school graduates are attending, those who don’t fit the pattern are becoming more numerous, and more obvious．College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis; college students interfere with each other’s experiments and write false letters of recommendation in the intense competition for admission to graduate school．Others find no stimulation in their studies, and drop out－often encouraged by college administrators．

　　Some observers say the fault is with the young people themselves－they are spoiled and they are expecting too much．But that is a condemnation of the students as a whole, and does not explain all campus unhappiness．Others blame the state of the world, and they are partly right．We’ve been told that young people have to go to college because our economy cannot absorb an army of untrained 18-year-olds．But disappointed graduates are learning that it can no longer absorb an army of trained 22-year-olds, either．

　　Some adventuresome educators and campus watchers have openly begun to suggest that college may not be the best, the proper, the only place for every young person after the completion of high school．

　　We may have been looking at all those surveys and statistics upside down, it seems, and through the rosy glow of our own remembered college experiences．Perhaps college does not make people intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, or quick to learn things－maybe it is just the other way round, and intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, quick-learning people are only the ones who have been attracted to college in the first place．And perhaps all those successful college graduates would have been successful whether they had gone to college or not．This is heresy(异端邪说)to those of us who have been brought up to believe that if little schooling is good, more has to be much better．But contrary evidence is beginning to mount up．

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　　Does a drink a day keep heart attacks away? Over the past 20 years, numerous studies have found that moderate alcohol consumption, say, one or two beers, glasses of wine or cocktails daily helps to prevent coronary heart disease．Last week a report in the New England Journal of Medicine added strong new evidence in support of that theory．More important, the work provided the first solid indication of how alcohol works to protect the heart．

　　In the study, researchers from Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvad Medical School compared the drinking habits of 340 men and women who had suffered recent heart attack with those of healthy people of the same age and sex．The scientists found that people who sip one to three drinks a day are about half as likely to suffer heart attacks as nondrinkers are．The apparent source of the protection：those who drank alcohol had higher blood levels of high density lipoproteins(脂蛋白), the so called good cholesterol(胆固醇), which is known to prevent heart disease．

　　As evidence has mounted(增长), some doctors have begun recommending a daily drink for patients of heart diseases．But most physicians are not ready to recommend a regular happy hour for everyone．The risks of teetotal ling(绝对戒酒)are nothing compared with the dangers of too much alcohol, including high blood pressure, strokes and liver troubles---not to mention violent behavior and traffic accident．Moreover, some studies suggest that even moderate drinking may increase the incidence of breast and colon cancer．Until there is evidence that the benefits of a daily dose(吸收剂量)of alcohol outweigh the risks, most people won’t be able to take a doctor’s prescription to the neighborhood bar or liquor store．

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　　Most people know that a wedding ring is symbolic of the bond of love and commitment between two people．But not everyone knows about the history behind this small yet powerful symbol．The history of the wedding ring goes back not just hundreds but thousands of years．No other currently practiced wedding tradition has been around as long．

　　The Egyptians were the first recorded civilization to use the wedding ring．In Egyptian hieroglyphics(象形文字)a circle represented eternity．Once a woman accepted the ring she became the “property” of the person who gave it to her and she was in a sense “his．” The first wedding ring could have been made of braided grass or hay(which would have been changed often), ivory, bone, or leather．Eventually, metal was used, but the first wedding bands were crude(未加工的)and rough．However, the sentiment remained the same-eternal commitment and love．

　　The Egyptians wore the wedding ring on the left hand because it was believed that a vein in the left hand went straight to the heart．This tradition is still commonly practiced today in most parts of the world largely for practical purposes(most people are right handed．)It is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand．But there are some countries and groups which do not follow this tradition．In the Jewish faith, the wedding ring is put on the index finger．Roman Catholics traditionally wore their wedding band on the right hand, and in many countries and regions in Europe some people still follow this tradition．

　　It is interesting to note that in the long history of the wedding ring that it is only in the last century that men have begun to wear them．However, now both men and women show their love and commitment by exchanging rings on their wedding day．

　　Once you begin shopping for rings you may be amazed by the choices that await you．There are several different types of metals：traditional gold, white gold, platinum, and titanium．You can have an inscription put on the inside of the band if you like．Some people are even choosing a tattoo band．The styles vary from a simple, yet elegant band to an elaborate ring covered with jewels．If you do not buy the wedding and engagement rings as a set you will want to be sure the styles are compatible．Choose carefully because this choice will need to stand the test of eternity．

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　　So long as teachers fail to distinguish(differ)between teaching and learning，they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves．Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them．It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading．Douglas insists that “reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible”．

　　Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes．They differ in kind and function．The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to plan cleverly the most efficient(有效的)system for teaching themselves to read．Teaching is also a public activity：It can be seen and observed．

　　Learning to read involves all that each individual does to understand the world of printed language．Almost all of it is private，for learning is an occupation of the mind，and that process is not open to public scrutiny．

　　If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable，what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the long search for knowledge？Smith has one principle rule for all teaching instructions．“Make learning to read easy，which means making reading a meaningful，enjoyable and frequent experience for children．”

　　When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are，and when both teacher and learner fulfill them properly，then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is got rid of．Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the chance to solve the problem of learning to read by learning．

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　　Money is all surrounding us．Every day, we see it, use it, and it is on the tip of our tongue．Did you ever stop to take into consideration where the money that you carry around every day comes from?

　　Making new money is a very unique job and no easy task．It has up to 65 steps．When the money in circulation(流通)gets dirty and worn out, it is replaced with new money．The old money is taken from banks and brought to places where it is destroyed．Usually, the old money is burned．The burned money is replaced by new paper money．

　　If old money is being replaced, then new money is printed in a place called a mint(造币厂)．Large sheets of paper are printed with many pictures of some currency(流通货币)．These large sheets are cut into individual bills．The individual bills are then put together in big stacks and then sent to banks．

　　Sometimes the mint will make a new bill with a new picture(portraits of statesman and places of interest are favoured)or a new colour．It is not easy for the government to make a new bill．It takes a long time, and there are many steps to go through before a new bill can be sent to banks．First, people in the government decide that a new kind of bill is needed．Then, they ask an artist to design the new bill．A different artist cuts the new picture into a soft piece of metal called a die．The dies are made and put onto large printing machines．Then, very special paper is used, which no one but the mint can have．Along with this special paper, the mint also prints currency using special colours．After the dies print the new currency onto the paper, the bills are cut, stacked, and sent off to the banks．

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There are many international organizations which work to save and protect endangered species(物种)and natural environment．If you would like more information about any of the organizations listed below, you can write to the addresses given．

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　　When middle-aged Alex quit his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．

　　After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test－even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadowland(虚幻世界)of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．

　　One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying ＄ 6,000 a year．" ＄ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a writer --full time．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly, "I'm going to stick it out and write．"

　　After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had：two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"

　　Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．

　　Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence(坚毅)it takes to stay the course(持续到底)in the shadowland．

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　　Athens will welcome the 2004 Olympic Games with open arms．Not only will the Games be returning to their birthplace, but they’ll also be entering a new period of Olympic history．

　　The International Olympic Committee(IOC)has been looking for ways to make the world’s largest sporting event a bit smaller and easier for cities to host．Mexico is the only Latin American nation to have hosted the Olympics．And the games have never been held in Africa．

　　It costs well over＄4 billion to host the Olympic Games．And this is stopping many poorer countries from trying to win the bid．Cities in Africa and Latin America, with great social and money problems, cannot even begin to make the bid．

　　So, the IOC has suggested 117 ways to make the Games smaller and easier for cities across the world．These ideas are to be put into practice soon－maybe in time for the Beijing 2008 Olympics．The IOC wants to save up to ＄400 million．

　　The suggestions include limiting the number of sports to 28 and the number of athletes to 10, 500．

　　“Imagine a bus with 28 seats and some sports need to get off to give their places to other sports, ”said an IOC official．Sports that might not appear in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games included baseball, softball and the modern pentathlon(五项全能)(shooting, fencing, horse, jumping, swimming and running)．

　　“We think that the Olympic Games have to be made smaller, and the less costly so that they can be organized by all continents and subcontinents(次大陆), ”said IOC president Jacques Rogge．“Our dream is that a continent such as Africa will be able to organize the Olympic Games．”

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If you do not use your arm or your legs for some time, they become weak; when you start using them again, they slowly become strong again．Everybody knows that．Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way．When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it．When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong．If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his own fault(过错)．But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame(受责备), and few of us know that it is just his own fault．Have you ever found that some people can’t read or write but usually they have better memories? This is because they cannot read or write and they have to remember things; they cannot write down in a little notebook．They have to remember days, names, songs and stories; so their memory is the whole time being exercised．So if you want to have a good memory, learn from the people：Practice remembering．