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　　One morning, Tina and Wesley both wake up with sore throats and stuffy noses．They have the same symptoms, but they react very differently．While Tina reaches for water and vitamins, her husband, Wesley, reached for the phone．“I’d better make a doctor’s appointment,” he says．

　　Why do these two Chinese people react to sickness so differently? Tina grew up in the U．S．Wesley grew up in Taiwan．And they have discovered that differences between Chinese and American cultures extend(延伸)to every area of life．Even sickness and health．

　　When Westerners experience pain, they usually express their discomfort．Most Asians don’t．This creates a challenge for American nurses who care for Asian patients in the U．S．How do they know if that calm, quiet patient is really hurting? They have to keep asking their Asian patients how they feel．

　　In addition, Americans usually don’t want sickness to slow them down．Unlike Chinese people, Americans often don’t take time off work to rest and get well．They’d rather sneeze and cough all day at the office．

　　Americans who get sick in Asia may protest(抗议)when Chinese friends suggest they go to the hospital．“I’m not that sick!” they may say．In the U．S．, only very sick or injured patients go to hospital．People go to a doctor’s office for less serious problems．

　　Like Tina, Americans more often turn to vitamins or over-the-counter drugs to help them get well．

　　Chinese people, however, often head straight for the doctor when they get sick, like Wesley did．They want a prescription(药方)to treat their sickness before it gets serious．

　　Chinese patients often just trust their doctors to give them the information they need．Most Americans, however, ask their doctors lots of questions and do research．American patients want to know everything they can about their condition．

　　So, are one culture’s attitudes toward health better than the other’s? Perhaps not．Tina and Wesley will both recover from their colds．And today, doctors all over the world are sharing treatment methods with each other．In health, as in everything else, we can learn a lot from each other．

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　　After the Summer Olympics are over, when all the athletes and viewers have gone home and the television audience has switched off, another group of athletes and fans will arrive at the host city, and another competition will begin．These are the Paralympics, the games for athletes with a disability．But in Beijing in 2008, for the first time, one of the greatest paralympians will not be taking part．

　　She is a British athlete by the name of Tanni Grey－Thompson．Born with spina bifida(脊椎裂)which left her paralysed(瘫痪的)from the waist down, Tanni used a wheelchair from the age of 7．At first, she was not keen on(热爱)sport, apart from horse-riding, which gave her a sense of freedom．But in her teens, she started taking sports more seriously．She tried swimming, basketball and tennis．Eventually she found athletics, and never looked back．

　　Indeed, Tanni’s athletic career took off．In 1984, when she was 15, she pulled off a surprise victory in the 100 meters at the Junior National Wheelchair Games．

　　In 1988, Tanni went to her first Paralympic Games in Seoul．She won bronze in the 400 meters．Even greater success followed at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics．Tanni won gold in the100, 200, 400 and 800 meters relay, setting two world records in the process．In the same year she achieved the first of her six London Wheelchair Marathon victories．

　　Tanni’s enduring success has been part motivation, part preparation．“The training I do that enables me to be a good sprinter(短跑运动员)enables me to be good at a marathon too．I train 50 weeks of the year and that keeps me prepared for whatever distance I want to race．．．I am still competing at a very high level, but as I get older things get harder and I want to retire before I fall apart．”

　　Indeed Tanni retired finally after the Visa Paralympic World Cup in 2007．Her wish is to coach young athletes for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games．

　　In spite of ups and downs, she never takes her fate lying down．In her splendid life, she has won an amazing eleven gold medals, four silvers and one bronze in a series of Paralympics－ a top level athletic career covering two decades．She has won the London Wheelchair Marathon six times, more than any other competitor, and she has set over thirty world records．

　　What advice does she have for young athletes? “Work hard at your studies, and then train, train and train again．”

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　　Like all other mothers who have small children, I, too, have to steal time－from my own children at home and from the children who know me as their teacher－just to put a few words down on paper．Many times I've wanted to write for myself, for other women, for my parents, for my husband, and especially for my children．I would have liked to leave a legacy(遗产)of words explaining what it has meant to have twins．One reason that there is not a great deal written about being a mother of a new baby is that there is seldom a moment to think of anything else but the baby’s needs．

　　With twins, I did not have a spare hand to write with．

　　Before my twins were born, my days were long and I had nothing to write about．After the twins’ birth I did have something to write about, but I found myself facing not a pen and paper but milk bottles．

　　Some nights, friends would visit．They would leave at 11 p. m., heading for bed, and for us the night was only just beginning．With twins, there is really no night．Each feeding lasts a long time．At 1∶00 a. m., each of them would begin crying from hunger．At 4∶00am, when I finally put them down, I felt exhausted．

　　Two years have passed since then and we’ve managed to live through it all．My days are still very full and even now there isn’t one evening when I put the twins down for the night that I don’t have a break．At last a little time for myself．

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　　Recreational tree climbing is taking root in the ecotourism industry, and it's sending guys like Tim Kovar to far off reaches of the globe．Kovar, a tree-climbing instructor, recently returned to the U．S．from Brazil, where he spent time developing a tree-climbing operation thanks to the "slow travel" movement．

　　Slow travel, is like the slow food movement, the practice of giving fast food in favor of homegrown cooking－the kind that takes hours to prepare and enjoy．Likewise, slow travel urges visitors to experience a place's natural surroundings and learn about the ecology in a way not afforded by extreme games．

　　"Tree climbing is a slow activity," says Kovar．"It's not something you do quickly and then you're on to the next thing or event．" There is no such thing as a quick climb, especially for beginners．This wasn't a race against the clock or the fellow climbers．In fact, tree climbing is unlikely to ever become a feature of the extreme games．Many climbers refuse competition．There has already been so much competition in the world．

　　"When you stand below the tree, it can be amazing," Rusel DeMaria says, looking affectionately up at Michael's Triumph, a 150-foot-tall tree．But reaching the treetop, he adds, is an entirely different feeling．Likewise, his wife, Viola Brumbaugh, kneels on the ground and asks Michael's Triumph for permission to climb．"It goes a lot smoother that way, "She says．

　　And climbing has been included into many educational programs．New Tribe offers guided climbs through its school, Tree Climbing Northwest, where "we teach enough tree biology and forest ecology to raise awareness in our students," says New Tribe present Sophis Sparks．"We know that the tree climbing experience deepens personal appreciation for trees．After climbing, people value trees more and are motivated to support preservation．This is not just to preserve their playground．"

　　Perhaps that is why he struggles with the term "recreational tree climbing," saying, "I prefer to call it inspirational tree climbing．"

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　　The morning for our snowmobiling(雪上汽车)adventure finally arrived, and we set off on the hour-and-a-half drive to the resort．A fresh powder had fallen the night before, and everything was frosted white．We couldn’t have asked for more perfect conditions．The sun sparkled(闪光)on the snow, and the trails(路线)were completely empty – not another person or snowmobile in sight．We were thrilled at being the only people for miles around…until we got going．

　　As we drove through the deserted wilderness(荒野), my excitement became stone-cold fear．I had no idea what I was afraid of, or why I was afraid, but suddenly every turn, every hill, every steep(陡峭的)side of the mountain scared me to death．I kept picturing us crashing headlong into a tree or falling off the side of a drop．?

　　But after lunch things changed．We were the only humans who had been there since the snowfall．The peaceful place, the incredible beauty of the landscape, and the almost sacred experience of sharing a mountain with the wildlife touched my very core(核心)．My mind cleared and quieted and my muscles relaxed．

　　As we drove the last leg of the run, I began to resent being afraid to drive．Deep down, I wanted to be in charge of the thing that scared me．It made me angry that fear was keeping me from something I really wanted to do．The day was coming to an end, and the resort was only a few miles away．I knew that if I didn’t take my chance now, I would regret it．

　　I signaled for my husband to pull over．I wanted to drive, although my heart pounded(重击)．I stared off slowly and felt the wind in my face．I smiled and sped up a little．I let out a “Yee-haw!” and went full out, taking my husband on the best ride of the day．

　　We ended the day on that breathless, carefree, and I felt proud of myself – proud of overcoming my fear．

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　　He has vowed that he will not stop building his business until it is worth ￡100 million．But hard-working Owens can stop for at least a moment's celebration after making his first ￡1 million at the age of 16．Owens, who has used a computer since the age of seven, began teaching himself basic web design at the age of ten when he was given his first Mac computer．He used his pocket money to fund his first business project, website Mac Box Bundle at just 14 which has made ￡700,000 since its establishment in 2008．Mac Box Bundle sells a combination of popular Mac applications which are worth up to ＄400 together for under just ＄100 and donates 10 percent of the money to charities．

　　He then established an advertising company Branchr a year later and worked on the business after school and at weekends．Branchr made a surprising ￡500,000 in its first year．Branchr works as a platform for website owners to sell advertising．

　　Owens, from Northampton, currently employs eight staff－all adults－around the UK and America as sales and technical assistants．The young man lives with his parents．His mother who is a company secretary said he was inspired to go into business after observing the huge success achieved by Apple's chief executive officers(首席执行官)Steve Jobs．

　　Owens said, "I think everyone has business sense in them, and they just need to gain experience and be determined to make it．There is no magical formula(法则)for business, It takes hard work, determination and the drive to do something great．My aim is to become a leading name in the world of Internet and mobile advertising and push myself right to the top of the game．

　　The teenager insists his professional success has not affected his personal life, and says his interests include photography and playing the guitar．"My friends and I don't really talk about my success．To them I'm just a normal teenager and it doesn't change anything between us．"

阅读理解

　　How to improve my life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them．They'll say, "This is my fate, my destiny．I cannot change it．"

　　Of course not! You don't have to suffer needlessly．Your destiny depends on you, not on any other external factors．

　　I know someone who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it．Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, then goes to sleep．Next day, the same routine cycle follows．

　　Huh! Is this what she calls "doing her best"? She believes she has tried her best and just accepts it in her heart that this is the life that God has intended for her to live; that her luck can only change if God wills it．Of course God wants us to be happy and live our life to the fullest, but we have to do our share of exerting(运用)the effort to live the life of our dreams．

　　Remember that you reap what you sow．You just don't sit around and wait for a million dollars to fall from the sky．You have to get off the couch, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone．Don’t expect your luck to change unless you do something about it．If something goes wrong, don't just regard it as a temporary setback; but use it as feedback．Learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem．It's not enough to think positively; you also have to act positively．

　　If someone's life is in the trouble, do you just hope and pray that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person．So it is with your own life．It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best．In other words, don't just stand(or sit)there, do something to improve your life．

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　　To what degree can a computer achieve intelligence(智力)? The answer to this question may lie in a newly-developed US computer program called Smarter Child and the Internet．

　　If you ran into Smarter Child online, you would be surprised at this kid’s huge memory．It can recite many facts．For example, Smarter Child knows every baseball player in every team this season．

　　He knows every word in the dictionary and the weather in every major city areas across the US．However, if you ask Smarter Child other questions, you get stranger answers．A question about Smarter Child’s age returns, “One year, 11 days, 16 hours, 7 minutes, and 47 seconds!” Asking where he lives gets, “In a clean room in a high-tech building in California．”

　　Smarter Child uses the vast information on the World Wide Web as his memory bank．To answer questions about spelling, for instance, Smarter Child goes to American Heritage Dictionary online．For the weather, he visits www．intellicast．com．

　　Some scientists believe that by joining the many systems of the Internet, an artificial being with the combined knowledge of, say, Albert Einstein, Richard Nixon and Britney Spears could be born．However if Smarter Child wants to think and learn on his own like the boy-computer David in the movie A．I．, Artificial Intelligence, he must overcome two problems．

　　The first is that computers find it difficult to read web pages because the files are labeled in different ways．That’s why programmers need to tell Smarter Child where to look for the weather．It would be a much more difficult task to let him find it himself．

　　Another problem is that while Smarter Child can process(处理)information more exactly and faster than any human, he lacks common sense－a basic grounding of knowledge that is obvious to any young child．

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　　In the Harry Potter films, Hermione Granger is better than her male friends and is considered the brightest pupil in her grade．Isn’t it often the same in schools of our real world?

　　“It’s surprising but true that most of the top students have been girls since primary school．Girls are class leaders, club presidents and the top ones in exams,” said Wang Feixuan, 15, who studies at a Chengdu school．By any measure, Wang herself is a high-achiever．She is a top student, a team leader in her school’s sports club and a winner in national English and IT competitions．

　　But why do so many girls outperform their male peers?

　　In Sun Yunxiao’s latest book Save Our Boys, he points out that the education system is “more suited to girls, who are good at memorizing and like to sit quietly and read．” Yet he also says that girls have to do so much more when they compete with males for honors, top universities and later good jobs．They can feel great pressure nearly every day．

　　This seems to be the same in most countries in the world．Young women in the United States are also reported to feel the same pressure to be perfect．

　　“Let’s look at what we ask of our teenage girls,” says Professor Stephen Hinshaw in an interview．He thinks that it’s no longer enough that a girl does well in school and is a caring friend．On the TV, on the Internet and everywhere, girls see images of impossible perfection．

　　Today’s young women must be good learners, good athletes, and fill their after-school lives with other activities．But they are also asked to have the styles and looks of popular stars．“Be pretty, sweet and nice．Be athletic, competitive and get straight．Be impossibly perfect．” Stephen Hinshaw sums up．

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　　United States President George W．Bush is expected to issue a directive in the next few weeks．It will give the US Air Force a green light for the development of space weapons, US media reported last week．

　　This would potentially start a new global arms race, some experts have warned．

　　To keep that from happening, last Wednesday the White House explained that it was not considering putting weapons in space．It said it was making a shift in US space policy to allow for protection of satellites．

　　But some defense analysts and arms control advocates argue that the policy will pave the way for the US to put both defensive and offensive weapons in space．

　　“No one should be fooled,” said Theresa Hitchens, an American weapons expert．

　　The US is now restricted by a 1996 directive signed by President Bill Clinton．Plans for space weapons were vetoed by the Clinton cabinet．The directive emphasized the peaceful use of space, in agreement with almost unanimous global opinion．

　　The US military has placed importance on space and has sent up numberous satellites for troop communications and to provide intelligence and data to guide bombs to their targets．

　　The US Air Force wants to develop space- based weapons that could strike targets anywhere in the world within 90 minutes of receiving the order to open fire．

　　These new weapons under development cover a wide range．They include hunter- killer satellites and orbiting weapons．And they use lasers, radio waves, or even dense metal tubes, known as “Rods from God”, dropped from space to do the damage．

　　There are many barriers to the setting up of this kind of program, experts say．

　　First is the coast．It is estimated that the budget may be US ＄220 billion to US ＄ 1 trillion．

　　The technical difficulties of developing reliable space weapons are also a problem．

　　And, the program will draw strong criticism from around the world．Experts worry about starting a space arms race．