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How Women Were Freed From Their Homes

　　As late as 1800, a woman's only place was in her home．Women in business were unheard of．No respectable woman would dream of entering what was strictly a “man's world”．Even if she would, what could she do? Men were sure that no woman could do a job well outside her home．This was a widely accepted idea．When the famous Bronte sisters began writing books in 1846, they had to resort to using men's names as aliases．(化名)

　　Teaching was the first profession opened to women, soon after 1800．But even that was not easy for women to take because most high schools and colleges were open only to men．Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in America to take in women．

　　Nursing was regarded as a respectable profession for women only after Florence Nightingale won high credit for her nursing career and became famous．Miss Nightingale opened the first training school for nursing in 1860 in England．

　　The invention of typewriters in 1867 helped to bring women out of their homes to join the business world．Because women are careful and have nimble fingers, businessmen found that they were well suited to this kind of work．

　　By 1890, tens of thousands of women were working in schools, hospitals, shops, offices, and factories both in England and the States．Some even managed to become doctors or lawyers．The idea of women working in business and other circles was accepted．

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　　For many years, no one could communicate with people who had been born without hearing．These deaf people were not able to use a spoken language．

　　But, beginning in the 1700s, the deaf were taught a special language．Using this language, they could share thoughts and ideas with others．The language they used was a language without sound．It was a sign language．

　　How did this sign language work? The deaf were taught to make certain movements using their hands, faces, and bodies．These movements stood for things and ideas．People might move their forefingers across their lips．This meant, “You are not telling the truth．” They might tap their chins with three fingers．This meant “my uncle．”

　　The deaf were also taught to use a finger alphabet．They used their fingers to make the letters of the alphabet．In this way, they spelled out words．Some deaf people could spell out words at a speed of 130 words per minute．

　　Sign language and finger spelling are not used as much as they once were．Today, the deaf are taught to understand others by watching their lips．They are also taught how to speak．

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　　In the fall of 1985．I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere．Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell．

　　My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college an the age of 65．She was the first in our family to reach that goal．But one year after I started college, she developed cancer．I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her．It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait．

　　Then I got married with another dream：building my family with a combination of adopted and biological children．In 1999, we adopted our first son．To lay eyes on him was fantastic－and very emotional．A year later came our second adopted boy．Then followed son No．3．In 2003, I gave birth to another boy．

　　You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo－a joyous zoo．Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time．But I never gave up on the dream either．I had only one choice：to find a way．That meant talking as few as one class each semester(学期)．

　　The hardest part was feeling guilty(有罪的，内疚的)about the time I spent away from the boys．They often wanted me to stay home with them．There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives．

　　In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina．It took me over 21 years to get my college degree!

　　I am not special, just single-minded．It always struck me that when you're looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you're in the midst of it, it just seems normal．Everything you want won't arrive in your life on one day．It's a process．Remember：little steps add up to big dreams．

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　　There are three different kinds of friends in our life．I classify(分类)them according to how well I know them and how well they know me．

　　The first type of friend is just an acquaintance(熟人)．This means that you only know their name．You might not even remember what they look like if you go away for a short vacation．You don't miss them when they are elsewhere．It is also this type of friend who gives you the most amount of aggravation(恼怒)．Since most of the time you are placed in a position where you have to act friendly．You would not normally tell an acquaintance when he or she is doing something that makes you feel angry, such as tapping the fingers on a table or shouting loudly．I call them “pest friends”．

　　The second kind of friend is a “guest friend”．They are just social partners．You meet them at a certain location and at the end of the meeting you go your separate way and they go theirs．You don't talk too often with this sort of friend, and you don't share each other's secrets．

　　Lastly, we have “best friends”．This sort of friend is there when you need them．They know you as a person and they are there through thick and thin．Best friends are the ones that you can lean and depend on no matter what happens．If you need a listening ear, they will be the one to lend support．

　　Friends come in all different shapes and sizes．Every friend has an impact on our life…

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　　Good readers know that reading isn't just about knowing words－it's a way of thinking．Smart readers think before, during and after reading．Here are some tips that may be of some help．

Think before you read．Before you read the text, ask yourself the questions that why you are reading it and what you want to get from it．Answering the questions will help you choose what words you need to know and what words you can skip or scan．

　　Think while you are reading．Can you get the meaning of the text without looking up new words in a dictionary? Are there any clues in the text? A text will often give examples that may help you understand what some of the words mean．Let's take the following sentence for example．

　　Many large Russian cities, such as Chelyabinsk and Irkutsk, have taken steps to protect their culture．

　　The words “Chelyabinsk” and “Irkutsk” may be new to us, but the sentence tells us that they are examples of ________．

　　Think after you read．Do you understand the text? What is the main idea of the text? Can you guess the meaning of the new words? Which words do you need to look up? Is the text too easy or too hard for you?

　　If you practice reading and thinking in this way, you will become a smarter reader and you will learn more, faster and better．

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　　These days, if you still think the cell phone is just for talking, you will get laughed at．Yes, it's true, voice-only handsets have become out of date．Today's do-it-all mobiles have a lot in common with the computer．The only difference may be that they fit in your pocket and you pay by the minutes to use them．Some of the things a cell phone can do for you will be available this year：

　　Surf at speed

　　Cell pones that let you use the Web have been around for years．So, what's new? Well, faster third-generation(3G)net works let you surf at anywhere．This then allows a carrier to send video, music, and games to your phone．Possible choices are from LG Electronic VX 8000 and Motorola V 1150．

　　Listen as you go

　　The problem with most cell phone MP3 players is that they hold only a handful of songs．But, that's about to change．Sony Ericsson's new W800i can hold around 150 songs in its 500 MB memory．And Sumsung's SPH-V5400 even comes with a 1.5 GB hard drive．Mobile phones may eventually replace mini-MP3 players, especially for teens．

　　Say cheese

　　Camera cell phones are not new either．But, most of them have limitations：around 1-megapixel(百万像素)．But new technology has made 2-megapixel units more common and 3-megapixel units are showing up soon．Some 2-megapixel models, like Sony Ericsson's K750i, offer limited zoom and focus controls．Others, like LG's recent MMA7110, can even capture 30 minutes of full- motion video．

　　Portable TV

　　You say you like “watching TV”? That's what Sumsung MM-A700 wants to give you．The new model lets users watch popular TV programs－for a fee．Other choices are Nokia's 6620, Sanyo's MM 7400 and NEC's N940．The NEC model lets you watch public TV－no fee．

　　The above are just a handful of what you will see in the coming months．Further down the road, your mobile phone may play a host of other roles, such as mobile credit card, position locator… So what is there that a cell phone can't do?

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　　What will man be like in the future－in 5, 000 or even 50, 000 years from now? We can only make guesses, of course, but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today, for man is slowly changing all the time．

　　Let us take an obvious example．Man, even 500 years ago, was shorter than he is today．Now, on average, men are about three inches taller．500 years is a relatively(相对的)short period of time, so we may assume that man will continue to grow taller．Again, in the modern world we use our brains a great deal．Even so, we still make use of only about 20％ of the brain's capacity(能力)．As time goes on, however, we shall have to use our brains more and more, and at last we shall need larger ones! This is likely to lead to a physical(身体上的)change too：the head, in particular the forehead, will grow larger．

　　Nowadays our eyes are in constant use．In fact, we use them so much that very often they become weaker and we have to wear glasses．But over a very long period of time it is likely that man's eyes will grow stronger．On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs．These, as a result, are likely to grow weaker．At the same time, however, our fingers will grow more sensitive because they are used a great deal in modern life．

　　But what about hair? This will probably disappear from the body altogether in the course of time because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer．In the future, then, both sexes are likely to be bald(秃顶的)．Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at! This may be true．All the same, in spite of all these changes, future man will still have a lot in common with us．He will still be a human being with thoughts and emotions similar to our own．

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　　Do you feel a little sleepy after lunch? Well, that's normal．Your body naturally slows down then．What should you do about it? Don't reach for a coffee! Instead, take a nap(小睡)．

　　There are many benefits of a daily nap．First of all, you are more efficient after napping．You remember things better and make fewer mistakes．Also, you can learn things more easily after taking a nap．A 20-minute nap can reduce information overload．It can also reduce stress．Finally, a nap may increase your self-confidence and make you more alert．It may even cheer you up．

　　But, there are some simple rules you should follow about taking a nap．First, take a nap in the middle of the day, about eight hours after you wake up．Otherwise, you may disturb your sleep-wake pattern．Next, a 20-minute nap is best．If you sleep longer, you may fall into a deep sleep．After waking from a deep sleep, you will feel worse．Also, you should set an alarm clock．That way, you can fully relax during your nap．You won't have to keep looking at the clock so that you don't oversleep．

　　Now, the next time you feel sleepy after lunch, don't get stressed．Put your head down, close your eyes, and have forty winks．

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　　Here is a story told about an American general(将军)who was a very important person in the American army during the First World War．Everybody in the United States knew him and many people wished to have a picture or something of his in their homes．

　　Soon after the war the general returned to Washington．One day he went to a dentist(牙医)and had six teeth pulled out．A week later the general heard that his teeth were being sold in shops at ＄5 each．On each of the teeth there was a label with the name of the general and words：“buy these teeth and show them to your friends at home．” The general got angry．He rushed to his office and ordered six officers to go around the city and buy all his teeth．

　　The officers went out and visited every shop in the capital．They were away from the office all day．In the evening they returned and put on the table in front of the general the teeth they had bought．They had collected 175 teeth．

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　　Four people in England back in 1953, stared at Photo 51, it wasn't much－a picture showing a black X．But three of these people won the Nobel Prize for figuring out what the photo really showed –the shape of DNA The discovery brought fame and fortune to scientists James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins．The fourth, the one who actually made the picture, was left out．

　　Her name was Rosalind Franklin．” She should have been up there,” says historian Mary Bowden．” If her photos hadn't been there, the others couldn't have come up with the structure．” One reason Franklin was missing was that she had died of cancer four years before the Nobel decision．But now scholars doubt that Franklin was not only robbed of her life by disease but robbed of credit by her competitors

　　At Cambridge University in the 1950s, Watson and Click tried to make models by cutting up shapes of DNA's parts and then putting them together．In the meantime, at King's College in London, Franklin and Wilkins shone X-rays at the molecule(分子)．The rays produced patterns reflection the shape．

　　But Wilkins and Franklin's relationship was a lot rockier than the celebrated teamwork of Watson and Crick, Wilkins thought Franklin was hired to be his assistant．But the college actually employed her to take over the DNA project．

　　What she did was produce X-ray pictures that told Watson and Crick that one of their early models was inside out．And she was not shy about saying so．That angered Watson, who attacked her in return, “Mere inspection suggested that she would not easily bend．Clearly she had to go or be put in her place．”

　　As Franklin's competitors, Wilkins, Watson and Crick had much to gain by cutting her out of the little group of researchers, says historian Pnina Abir-Am．In 1962 at the Nobel Prize awarding ceremony, Wilkins thanked 13 colleagues by name before he mentioned Franklin, Watson wrote his book laughing at her．Crick wrote in 1974 that “Franklin was only two steps away　from the solution．”

　　No, Franklin was the solution．“She contributed more than any other player to solving the structure of DNA．She must be considered a co-discoverer,” Abir-Am says．This was backed up by Aaron Klug, who worked with Franklin and later won a Nobel Prize himself．Once described as the “Dark Lady of DNA”, Franklin is finally coming into the light．

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