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　　At first, the earth’s surface layer(层)was made up of huge blocks of hard, solid rocks．There slowly, the rocks broke up into smaller and smaller pieces．Finally stones, pebble(卵石)and grains of sand were formed．Many sorts of plants and animals lived and died on the surface of the earth．They remain mixed up with the stones, pebbles and formed soil．The outmost layer of the earth is soil．

　　There are many ways in which large pieces of rock break into smaller ones．Wind, water, heat and cold help to break up rocks．When winds blow grains of sand against a large rock for a long time, the softer layer of the rock are slowly worn away．These leave holes and crack(裂缝)in the rock, which become bigger and finally the rock breaks up into smaller pieces．

　　The moving water of streams and rivers also help to break up rocks．As the water moves along, it carries with it small pieces of rock．These rub the larger ones．Thus, the larger rocks are worn down to smaller pieces．

　　The heat of the sun also help to breaking up rocks．When the sun shines, the rocks become very hot．If these rocks are suddenly cooled, they may crack．Ice also plays a part in making soil．Water in the cracks can turn into ice in cold weather．As this happens, it becomes bigger and cracks become wider, and finally break into smaller pieces．

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　　In the early days of the Internet, the idea that it represented an entirely new and separate field distinct from the real world was seized upon by both supporters and critics of the new technology．Supporters liked the idea that the virtual(虚拟的)world was a placeless datasphere, liberated from constraints and restrictions of the real world, and an opportunity for a fresh start．For instance, John Perry Barlow, an internet activist, issued the "Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace" in February 1996．He thundered, "Governments of the industrial world, I come from cyberspace, the new home of mind．Cyberspace does not lie within your borders．We are creating a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station of birth．

　　Where Mr．Barlow found the separation between the real and virtual worlds exciting, however, critics regarded it as a cause for concern．They worried that people were spending too much time online, communicating with people they had never even met in person in chat rooms, virtual game worlds and, more recently, on social - networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook．A study carried out by the Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society in 2000, for example, found that heavy internet users spent less time talking to friends and family, and warned that the Internet could be "the ultimate isolating(隔离)technology"．

　　Both groups were wrong, of course．The Internet has not turned out to be a thing apart．Unpleasant aspects of the real world, such as taxes, crime and cheating are now characteristics of the virtual world, too．C'amers who make real money selling swords, gold and other things in virtual game worlds may now find that the tax man wants to know about it．Designers of virtual objects in Second Life, an online virtual world, are seeking to real -world lawsuits(诉讼)in order to protect their intellectual property．

　　At the same time, however, some of the most exciting uses of the Internet rely on combining it with the real world．Social networking allows people to stay in touch with their friends online, and plan social activities in the real world．The distinction between online and offline chatters does not matter any more．

　　All these approaches treat the Internet as an extension or an attachment to the physical world, not a separate space．Rather than seeing the real and virtual fields as distinct and conflicting, in short, it makes sense to see them as complementary and connected．

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Western New Bridge Library Announcement

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　　The Garden Burgers located in Truman was recognized by the Garden Burgers head office in Kansas City, Missouri．The Truman location of Garden Burgers recorded the highest sales last year．It brought in over ＄ 1 ,500,000 for the entire year．But what is more important is that Truman only has a population of 40,000．The store directly behind the Truman store in terms of sales is located in a city of over 300,000．

　　Fred Laster and Jasper Watts bought into the Garden Burgers franchise(特许)only 3 years and a few months ago．They have used the combination of a good restaurant location and a series of promotional events to make Garden Burgers one of the most visited restaurants in Truman．However, they are quick to add that these are not the main reasons the store has done so well．"We found a franchise with a solid image and great franchise - wide marketing, " Watts said in a phone interview．

　　Laster and Watts expect this year to be just as productive as last year．After 4 months, they are on pace to exceed last year' s sales by more than ＄70,000．Each year the head office awards the owners of the store achieving the highest sales with a weekend stay at the best hotel in Kansas City and tickets to a Kansas City Chiefs football game．However, due to the extremely good sales performance of the store in Truman, the head office decided to change the tradition．Laster and Watts said their staff, which consists of only 5 university students, would be joining them in Kansas city as well．

　　Tom Justins, the president of Garden Burgers has also sent his congratulations and he hopes that all their stores can look at the example the store has set．

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How Many Lies Do the Children Tell You?

　　Mothers who feel their children don' t appreciate them can add another grievance to the list：half the time, their children are lying to them．A study designed to expose the truth about lying shows that undergraduates lie to their mothers in 46％ of their conversations．Still, mums should feel better than total strangers, who are told lies an astonishing 77％ of the time．

　　Bella Depaulo and a team of psychologists from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, asked 77 undergraduates to keep a record of all their conversations for a week, and write down whether they lied at any time．DePaulo named lying broadly, as "when you intentionally try to mislead someone", so she would catch the smallest of lies．

　　The students told an average of two lies a day．They said they had been studying when they had been out drinking．One told his parents that a textbook cost ＄50 rather than ＄20 so that they would send him extra money．Female students constantly told their plain-looking roommates that they were pretty．"They are everyday lies," says DePaulo．

　　DePaulo and her colleagues conclude that people tend to tell fewer lies to those they feel closest to．College students lied to their best friends 28％ of the time but lied to acquaintances 48％ of the time．In close relationships, people were more likely to tell "kind-hearted" lies, designed to protect feelings, rather than self-serving lies．

　　Romantic partners lie somewhere between close friends and acquaintances．Students lied to romantic partners about a third of the time．DePaulo thinks that unmarried lovers can expect less honesty than best friends because of the insecurity that comes with romance．

　　Mothers can take heart from one other finding．They may have been lied to, but at least their children talked to them．The students were recorded telling few lies to their fathers because they had little interaction with them．

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The fact that life isn’t fair doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do everything in our power to improve our own lives or the world as a whole．To the contrary, it suggests that we should．When we don’t recognize or admit that life isn’t fair, we tend to feel pity for others and for ourselves．Pity, of course, is a self-defeating emotion that does nothing for anyone, except to make everyone feel worse than they already do．When we do recognize that life isn’t fair, however, we feel compassion(热情)for others and for ourselves．And compassion is a heartfelt emotion that delivers loving-kindness to everyone it touches．The next time you find yourself thinking about the injustices of the world, try reminding yourself of this very basic fact．You may be surprised that it can persuade you out of self-pity and into helpful action．

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　　“Opinion” is a word that is used carelessly today．It is used to refer to matters of taste, belief, and judgment．This inaccurate use would probably cause little confusion if people didn’t attach too much importance to opinion．Unfortunately, most attach great importance to it．“I have as much right to my opinion as you to yours,’’ and ‘‘Everyone’s entitled to his opinion,’’ are common expressions．In fact, anyone who would challenge another’s opinion is likely to be branded intolerant．

　　Is that label accurate? Is it intolerant to challenge another’s opinion? It depends on what definition of opinion you have in mind．For example, you may ask a friend ‘‘What do you think of the new Ford cars?” And he may reply, “In my opinion, they’re ugly．” In this case, it would not only be intolerant to challenge his statement, but foolish．For it’s obvious that by opinion he means his personal preference, a matter of taste．And as the old saying goes, “It’s pointless to argue about matters of taste．

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The idea that high heels are bad for your health isn’t new --- scientists have warned women for years that they contribute to problems ranging from corns to hammer toes, tendonitis, knee pain, sprained(扭伤)ankles and back problems．But in 1998, Kerdgan and a team of Harvard researchers were the first to link high heels and knee osteoarthritis, a painful joint disease that destroys cartilage(软骨)surrounding the knee．The first study looked only at stiletto heels, and Kerrigan said she wanted to study the chunky high-heeled shoes she noticed many women wearing．“This study confirms what we all intuitively(直觉地)know that high-heeled shoes of any kind are not good for our health,” said Dr．Glenn Pfeifer, a San Francisco doctor and member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons who was not connected to the study．

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　　When a “boss child” doesn’t learn limits at home, the stage is set for a host of troubles outside the family．The overly willful and unbending child may have trouble obeying teachers or coachers, for example, or trouble keeping friends．It can be pretty lonely as the top dog if no one likes your bossy ways．

　　“I see more and more parents giving up their power,” says Barkley, who has studied bossy behavior for more than 30 years．They bend too far because they don’t want to be as strict as their own parents were．But they also feel less confident about their parenting skills．Their kids, in turn, feel more anxious．

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