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　　An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond．The concept is simple：help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time．

　　In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit(追求)to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools．

　　The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched(发起)the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998．Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong Kong．

　　In Chicago, the mayor(市长)appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program．As a result, reading clubs and neighborhood groups sprang up around the city．

　　Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character．

　　The only problem arose in New York, where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population．This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity(一致)can be achieved．Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point ,putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself．

　　As Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process．or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word．

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Mapping Your World

　　Different forms of maps are appearing．They allow independent travelers to get local knowledge of places they are visiting, from the official to the unusual．Meanwhile, hi-tech developments are creating new ways for us to map the world．Here are two of our favorites;

Green Maps

　　Green Maps allows people to share with the world their knowledge of environmentally friendly places and attractions in the local areas．Users add information with a set of icons(图标),making　it easy to read any map ,whatever the　nationalities of those who produce it．At present　there are over five hundred　Map projects being developed in 54 countries Green Maps’ advertised idea is “think　global, map local”．It is a wonderful　way of　gaining all sorts of　a place, ranging from community garden to good places of bird watching．

　　Green Maps is not specifically intended for travelers．Not all of its maps are online, so it may be necessary for some users to communicate with producers through the Green Maps website．

Maps Mashups

　　Many people use online maps developed by Google, but not many know about the mashups of them．Working in a similar way to Green Maps, Maps Mashups allows people to add icons of their own to existing maps to express a certain topic．The mashups is so called because it combines all the knowledge you could ever need．It ranges from the extremely useful, such as where all the World Heritage Sites are, to the most bizarre(古怪的)，such as where America’s munkest cities are．With the mashups added to the basic Google Maps, a multi-layered(多层的)map can be created．

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　　“Creativity is the key to a brighter future，”says education and business experts．Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children．

　　If Dick Drew had listened to his boss in 1925，we might not have a product that we now think of as of great importance：a new type of tape．Drew worked for the Minnesota Mining Company．At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together．But his boss told him not to think more about the idea．Finally，using his own time，Drew improved the tape，which now is used everywhere by many people．And his former company learned from its mistake．Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking about and developing new ideas．

　　Creativity is not something one is just born with，nor is it necessarily a character of high intelligence．The fact that a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively．Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something．

　　Unfortunately，schools have not tried to encourage creativity．With strong attention to test results and the development of reading，writing and mathematical skills，many educators give up creativity for correct answers．The result is that children can give back information but can’t recognize ways to use it in new situation．They may know the rules correctly but they are unable to use them to work out practical problems．

　　It is important to give children choices．From the earliest age，children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results．Even if it’s choosing between two food items for lunch，decision-making helps thinking skills．As children grow older，parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money．This is because the most important character of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble．

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The producers of instant coffee found their product strongly resisted in the market places despite their product’s obvious advantages．Furthermore，the advertising expense for instant coffee was far greater than that for regular coffee．Efforts were made to find the cause of the users’ seemingly unreasonable resistance to the product．The reason given by most people was dislike for the taste．The producers doubt that there might be deeper reasons，however．This was supported by one of motivation research’s classic studies，one often cited in the trade．Mason Haire of the University of California constructed two shopping lists that were the same except for one item．There were six items common to both lists：hamburger，carrots，bread，baking powder，canned peaches，and potatoes，with the brands or amounts specified．The seventh item，in fifth place on both lists，read “lib．Maxwell House coffee” on one list and “Nescafe instant coffee” on the other．One list was given to each one in a group of fifty women，and the other list to those in another group of the same size．The women were asked to study their lists and then to describe，as far as they could，the kind of woman(personality and character)who would draw up that shopping list．Nearly half of those who had received the list including instant coffee described a housewife who was lazy and a poor planner．On the other hand，only one woman in the other group described the housewife，who had included regular coffee on，her list was lazy; only six of that group suggested that she was a poor planner．Eight women felt that the instant-coffee user was probably not a good wife！No one in the other group drew such a conclusion about the housewife who intended to buy regular coffee．

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　　A is for always getting to work on time．

　　B is for being extremely busy．

　　C is for the conscientious(勤勤恳恳的)way you do your job．

　　You may be all these things at the office, and more．But when it comes to getting ahead, experts say, the ABCs of business should include a P, for politics, as in office politics．

　　Dale Carnegie suggested as much more than 50 years ago：Hard work alone doesn’t ensure career advancement．You have to be able to sell yourself and your ideas, both publicly and behind the scenes．Yet, despite the obvious rewards of engaging in office politics－a better job, a raise, praise－many people are still unable or unwilling－to “play the game”．

　　“People assume that office politics involves some manipulative(工于心计的)behavior,” says Deborah Comer, an assistant professor of management at Hofstra University．“But politics derives from the word ‘polite’．It can mean lobbying(游说)and forming associations．It can mean being kind and helpful, or even trying, to please your superior, and then expecting something in return．”

　　In fact, today, experts define office politics as proper behaviors used to pursue one’s own self-interest in the workplace．In many cases, this involves some forms of socializing within the office environment－not just in large companies, but in small workplaces as well．

　　“The first thing people are usually judged on is their ability to perform well on a consistent basis,” says Neil P．Lewis, a management psychologist．“But if two or three candidates are up for a promotion, each of whom has reasonably similar ability, a manager is going to promote the person he or she likes best．It’ s simple human nature．”

　　Yet, psychologists say, many employees and employers have trouble with the concept of politics in the office．Some people, they say, have an idealistic vision of work and what it takes to succeed．Still others associate politics with flattery, fearful that, if they speak up for themselves, they may appear to be flattering their boss for favors．

　　Experts suggest altering this negative picture by recognizing the need for some self-promotion．

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　　In a time of low academic achievement by children in the United States, many Americans are turning to Japan, a country of high academic achievement and economic success, for possible answers．However, the answers provided by Japanese preschools are not the ones Americans expected to find．In most Japanese preschools, surprisingly little emphasis is put on academic instruction．In one investigation, 300 Japanese and 210 American preschool teachers, child development specialists, and parents were asked about various aspects of early childhood education．Only 2 percent of the Japanese respondents listed “to give children a good start academically” as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools．In contrast, over half the American respondents chose this as one of their top three choices．To prepare children for successful careers in first grade and beyond, Japanese schools do not teach reading, writing, and mathematics, but rather skills such as persistence, concentration, and the ability to function as a member of a group．The majority of young Japanese children are taught to read at home by their parents．

　　In the recent comparison of Japanese and American preschool education, 91 percent of Japanese respondents chose providing children with a group experience as one of their top three reasons for a society to have preschools．62 percent of the more individually oriented(强调个性发展的)Americans listed group experience as one of their top three choices．An emphasis on the importance of the group seen in Japanese early childhood education continues into elementary school education．

　　Like in America, there is diversity in Japanese early childhood education．Some Japanese kindergartens have specific aims, such as early musical training or potential development．In large cities, some kindergartens are attached to universities that have elementary and secondary schools．

　　Some Japanese parents believe that if their young children attend a university-based program, it will increase the children’s chances of eventually being admitted to top-rated schools and universities．Several more progressive programs have introduced free play as a way out for the heavy intellectualizing in some Japanese kindergartens．

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Ice climb in London

　　The huge ice skating area at Somerset House has been drawing crowds each winter for years, but last November an ice wall was added for the first time, bringing even more danger and excitement．Standing more than 26 feet high is a long line of pure ice, featuring three climbing faces of varying difficulty using crampons(防滑鞋), ice picks and ropes．Using it costs about ￡40(020 78454600; www．somersethouseicednk．org．uk)．It is open from late November to the end of January．

　　Hang-gliding(悬挂式滑翔)in Rio De Janeiro

　　According to the hang-gliders of Rio, once you've swooped(俯冲)over the city's streets, gazing at the Sugar Loaf, and the city of Niteroion, the other side of Guanabara Bay, you will understand why birds are peaceful animals．Accept the romantic idea on a 30-minute cycling flight from the 525-meter Pedra Bonita in the Sao Conrado mountain down to the Sao Conrado beach．It costs around ￡55．

　　Contact Air Adventures(00 21 9843 9006; www．riohanggliding．com)．

　　Skywalk in Sydney

　　This experience takes having a look at a nice view to the whole other level, as you are suspended more than 850 feet(260 m)above street level, controlled to a glass viewing platform of Sydney Tower．It's the city's highest building．After a thorough briefing and being fitted with protective skysuits, skywalkers make their way along two-purpose-built walkways and platforms, which have transparent floor, while a guide points out landmarks．Night time skywalks are also available．It costs ￡46．

　　Mountain boarding in Leeds

　　Riders roll down hills and fly off jumps, doing tricks．A number of special mountainboard parks have opened around the country(see www．ridethehill．com)．But the Leeds body of the Boarding Society practice at least twice a week in the city in locations that include Roundhay Park．Those with their own boards are welcomed to join them．Contact the society at www．scuz．info．Alternatively, beginners can get lessons in Halifax at the Another World(01422 245196; www．Mountain boarding．co．uk)mountainboard center for ￡8 an hour, with equipment．

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　　“Old wives tales” are beliefs passed down from one generation to another, For example ,most of us remember our patents’ telling us to eat more of certain foods or not to do certain things．Is there any truth in these teachings? Some of them agree with present medical thinking ,but others have not passed the test of time．Did your mother ever tell you to eat your carrots because they are good for your eyes?

　　Scientists now report that eating carrots can help prevent a serious eye disease called Macular degeneration．Eating just one carrot a day can reduce the possibility of getting this．Disease by 40％ Garlic(蒜)is good for you, too．It can kill the type of virus that causes Colds

　　Unfortunately, not all of Mom’s advice passed the test medical studies．For example, generations of children have been told not to go to swimming within an hour after eating．But research suggests that there is no danger in doing so．Do sweets cause tooth problems? Well, yes and no．sticky sweets made with grains tend to cause more problems than sweets made with simple sugar．

　　Even though science can tell us that some of our traditional beliefs don’t hold water, there is still a lot of truth in the old wives’ tales, After all, much of this knowledge has been accumulated(积累)from thousands of our traditional beliefs don’t hold water．We should respect this body of knowledge even as research for clear scientific support to proven it true or false

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　　When people hear a president speak ,they seldom think about others helping to shape the presentation(报告)．Today, however, presidents depend on writers such as J．Terry Edmonds to help them communicate(交流)effectively．Edmonds is the first African American ever to work as a full-time speechwriter for a U．S．president; he is so the first African American to serve as director of speechwriting for White House．His is an all-American story of success．

　　Edmonds grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, his father drove a truck, and his mother worked as a waitress．A great reader ,Edmonds showed a gift for writing at his high School，Baltimore City College After graduating in 1967 Edmonds went on to Morgan State University．

　　Edmonds began his career in business, with jobs in public relations and communications．He joined the world of politics as news secretary for his congressman(国会议员)from Baltimore During Bill Clinton’s presidency, he wrote speeches for Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala and worked in a number of job in the White House and in governmental departments．President Clinton then appointed(任命)him to the office of directory of speechwriting Following the 2000 elections．Edmonds returned to Morgan State University as the school’s special assistant to the president for 2001-2002．

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