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　　She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart．She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle-faced image of innocence．Outside, it was pouring so heavily．

　　We all stood there just inside the door of the Wal-Mart．We waited, some patiently, others annoyed because nature messed up their hurried day．I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world．

　　Her voice was so sweet that it broke the hypnotic trance(昏昏欲睡)we were all caught in．“Mom, let's run through the rain,” she said．

　　“No, honey．We'll wait until it slows down a bit,” Mom replied．

　　This young child waited about another minute and repeated：“Mom, let's run through the rain．”

　　“We'll get soaked if we do,” Mom said．

　　“No, we won't, Mom．That's not what you said this morning,” the young girl said as she tore at her Mom's arm．

　　“This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?”

　　“Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said if God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!”

　　The entire crowd stopped dead silent．I dare say you couldn't hear anything but the rain．We all stood silently．No one came or left in the next few minutes．Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say．

　　Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly．Some might even ignore what was said．But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's lifetime when innocent trust can be developed so that it will bloom into faith．“Honey, you are absolutely right．Let's run through the rain．If get wet, well maybe we just need washing, ” Mom said．Then off they ran．

　　We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they rushed past the cars and they held their shopping bags over their heads just in case．They got soaked．But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars．And yes, I did．I ran．I got wet．I needed washing．

　　You may lose your material possessions, your money and even your health, but no one can ever take away your precious memories．So don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories．zxxk

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　　For the kids in the Martin family, the usual morning ritual of getting ready for school and onto the school bus is a foreign concept．They live as if school didn't exist．They're at home all day, but they're not being homeschooled．They're being “unschooled”．There are no textbooks, no tests and no formal education at all in their work．

　　It's a philosophy that makes sense to a small but growing number of parents．Unschooling is legal in many states, and now there are at least 150,000 unschooled families nationwide．

　　“Just picture life without school．We wake up, and have breakfast, and we just start pursuing what we're interested in,” said Dayna Martin, a mother of four in Madison, N．H．

　　Martin doesn't believe her kids need to go to school to learn their ABCs．It's part of a radical(彻底的)new approach to education and parenting．" I just personally don't believe that humans learn best when they're trying to learn something that somebody else is telling them to," she said．And her hands-off(不干涉的)approach extends to other areas of the children's lives．The kids are allowed to eat whatever they want as long as it is in the house．

　　What's more, they make their own decisions, and don't have chores or rules．“Because I don't punish them, and I don't use the term rules,” Martin said．“Sometimes people come over and spend time with us, family or friends．They'll ask me, ‘How do your kids learn if they're having fun all day?' So they don't equate learning with fun,” she said．“Whatever they're interested in, I try to bring as much of that into their life as possible with as many resources as possible．”

　　Martin said she has “such a present-based mind-set” that she doesn't think about her kids' futures, and that she just wants them to be happy．

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　　During the 20^th century there has been a great change in the lives of women．A women marrying at the end of the 19^th century probably has been in her middle 20's and would be likely to have seven or eight children．By the time the youngest was 15, the mother would have been in her early 50's and would expect to live a further 20 years, during which chance and health made it hard for her to get paid work．

　　Today women marry younger and have fewer children．Usually a woman's youngest child will be 15 when she is 45 and she can be expected to live another 35 years and is likely to get paid work until 60．

　　This important change in women's life has only recently begun to have its full effect on women's economic position．Even a few years ago most girls left school and took a fulltime job．However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it．Today the school-leaving age is 16, many girls stay at school after that age, and though women marry younger, more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born．Many more return to work later．Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage, with the husband accepting a greater share of the duties of family life．

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　　In recent years, many Americans of both sexes and various ages have become interested in improving their bodies．They have become devoted to physical fitness．The need to exercise has almost become natural with many people who have a strong desire to be more physically fit．

　　By nature, Americans are enthusiastic and energetic about their hobbies and pastimes．They apply their energy to running．As a result, there are running clubs to join and many books and magazines to read about running．

　　The desire to be physically fit is explained by a “passion” for good health．The high rate of heart attacks in the 1960s caused an increase on the part of the public in improving the human body．Middle-aged men especially suffer from heart attacks．Thus, they are one group strongly interested in more physical exercise．In fact, many doctors encourage their patients to become more physically active, especially those who have sedentary jobs．It is interesting to note that the rate of heart attacks began to decrease in the 1970s and it is still decreasing．Physical fitness enjoys a favored role in the United States at present．It is a new “love” that many Americans have valued very much．Will

　　it last long? Only time can tell－or until another “new passion” comes along．

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　　Your habits－both what you do and what you think－can cause many sleep problems．Here are four ways to help you sleep better．

　　Your body's internal timekeepers want you to get up at the same time every day, including the weekends, which is probably the most important step toward establishing good sleep patterns, because regular exposure to light in the morning is what sets the brain's alarm clock．You can mark your inner clock's point more clearly in the morning by taking a walk or by having breakfast beside a sunny window．

　　Even small ups and downs in body temperature play a large role in your biological rhythms．Sleep generally follows cooling state of the body's temperature cycle．One way to control body temperature is with exercise．A workout lasting 20 minutes before before bedtime may encourage sleep．Too much exercise：two or three hours before bedtime, however, can keep you awake．You might also try a hot bath well before bedtime, which can help influence body temperature．

　　Research suggests that the caffeine from three cups of coffee still has effects up to eight hours later．Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others．Some are also more affected than they realized．Research subjects who say they can drink coffee before bed and sleep well actually don't sleep as well as they think when you test them in lab．Remember, too, that other substances－chocolate, cola and tea can cause poor quality rest．

　　Yes, alcohol does help you fall asleep．But as it's metabolized(代谢)by the body, it releases a natural stimulate(刺激物)that disrupts sleep during the second half of the night．And the greater the quantity of alcohol consumed, the worse the disruption．

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　　It was about midday．I'd left work early in the morning to cash a check．I walked along to the bank and found there were only about ten or eleven customers there, a pretty unusual number for those central banks．

　　I waited until it was my turn, walked up to the desk and started talking to the bank clerk．He had a really strange expression on his face－just sort of a blank(茫然的)stare．I thought he was looking at me until I realized he was staring over my shoulder．

　　I began to turn round to see what he was looking at and at the same moment, the outside bank guard, the one with the machine gun, came flying through the door and lay face down on the floor．Following him through the door were three absolutely frightening men wearing those horrible stocking masks．They were carrying guns; at least the one in front was carrying a pistol(手枪)．

　　Whether or not they said anything I can't remember to this day, or whether people just automatically(自动地)put their hands up I don't know．I put my hands up but I just didn't know what to do．

　　For a few moments there was just total silence, suddenly broken by the telephone ringing．I was wondering who was on the other end of the line．Nobody answered the telephone, so it just kept on ringing and ringing, in this otherwise deathly quiet．

　　Then two of the masked men went to the counter, jumped over it and got the cashiers and clerks to start filling their bags with cash．While the two were getting the money, the one at the door covering us with the gun obviously got a bit of anxiety attack and started swearing at them, telling them to hurry up and get a move on．

　　They jumped back over the counter．One of them lost his balance when he landed on the floor and fell over．The other two swore at him again．Then they left through the door, warning us, “Don't move．Stay like that with your hands up for ten minute．” Then they just disappeared and there was total silence．

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　　In Canada and the United States, there is a new group of children called “satellite kids”, who live in one place but whose parents live in another place．

　　Asians are immigrating to Canada and the United States in larger numbers than ever before．Most Asians immigrate because they believe that they can give their children a better education in the West．In Asia, especially in China, Japan, and Korea, it is difficult to go to university．Students must first pass the strict national examination．However, in Canada and the United States, it is easy to go to university, and anyone who wants to go can go．As a result, Asian parents decide to leave their countries so that their children can go to university．

　　The problem is that when Asians arrive, they discover that finding a job and making money are more difficult in the West than in the East．Also, they find that they are very lonely, and that they miss their homes．Because of these two reasons, most Asian parents decide to go back to work while their children study in the West．Therefore, these children become “satellite kids”, and most of their parents do not know how sad it is to be a “satellite kid”．

　　Only until now are Canadians and Americans discovering the “satellite kid” problem．Because these children do not speak English and because their parents are not there to take care of them, they are often absent from school．To be a “satellite kid” means to grow up in a country where you know you are different and where you cannot make friends because you do not speak English well．Also, it means to grow up lonely, because your parents are elsewhere．What these “satellite kids” will probably say to their parents is that it's better to have parents around than to have a university education．

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Urban Rainforest

　　On the west side of the island of Manhattan in New York City, tree by tree, leaf by leaf, a 2,500 square foot sector of the Central African Republic's Dzanga Ndoki Rainforest has been transported to, or recreated at, the American Museum of Natural History's new hall of biodiversity．When the hall opens this May, visitors will visit one of the world's biggest and most accurate reproductions of one of nature's most threatened creations．

　　To bring the rainforest to New York, a team of nearly two dozen scientists－the largest collecting expedition the museum has ever organised for an exhibit－spent five weeks in the African rainforest collecting soil, plants, and leaves; recording and documenting species; studying trees; shooting videotape and still photos; and interviewing local people．“This area has been explored very little”, says Hoel Cracraft who estimates that the museum will eventually collect 150 to 180 mammals, more than 300 species of birds, hundreds of butterflies, and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of organisms．The exhibition may even have produced a special prize－scientists suspect they have uncovered several new species．

　　To give the forest a sense of realness, the back wall of the exhibit is an enormous video screen, sounds will come out from hidden speakers, and plans even call for forest smells．Computer controls will vary the effects so that no two walkthroughs will ever be exactly the same．

　　After the team returned to New York, the forest was reproduced with the help of the computer．Computer modeling programmes plotted distances and special relationships．Artists studied photos and brought what they saw to life．Plaster trees were made．Recreated animals began to stand in the rainforest of the hall．Flying creatures will hang from the ceiling．The light in the forest one of the exhibit's cleverest recreations will seem real．Long tube lights will have the correct colour and temperature to produce a natural effect．The plants and animals exhibited throughout the hall exist naturally in a perfect balance remove one, and the whole is imperfect if not endangered．The exhibit is proof to the hope that the world's rainforests will never exist solely as a carefully preserved artifact．

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　　Below is a web page from http：//www．tvguide．com/．

　　Tonight's TV Hot List：Sunday January 31, 2010

　　Grammy Awards　　　　　　　8/7c CBS

　　Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are ready to take home a lot of hardware tonight as they lead all artists with 10 and eight nominations．The ladies also perform, along with fellow Album of the Year nominees the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga and the Dave Matthews Band．In addition, Bon Jovi, Green Day, Lady Antebellum, Maxwell, Pink and Zac Brown Band will also take the stage．But perhaps the most expected moment is the Michael Jackson tribute(吊唁礼物), which features the 3-D mini-movie "Earth Song" and will be highlighted by performers Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood and Usher．

　　Maurer　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　9/8c NBC

　　A mysterious company named Sabre, headed by an attractive, stubborn CEO(Kathy Bates), appears out of nowhere and buys out(买断股份)Dunder Mifflin．As Michael is unwilling to follow Sabre's new policies, Andy and Erin write a welcome song to greet the company．Meanwhile, Pam and Jim hope to get accepted into a desired local day-care center．

　　Surviving Survivor　　　　　　　　　　　　　　8/7c CBS

　　It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since the first season of Survivor．But tonight ten of the game's most iconic players, including previous winners Richard Hatch, Parvati Shallow and Tom Westman, discuss the series in detail and provide insights into how the game is actually played and the impact it's had on their lives．In addition, updates on beloved former castaways, like Ethan Zohn, Rupert Boneham and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, are given．

　　Private Practice　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　10∶01/9∶01c ABC

　　So Maya's pregnant and wants to have the baby．What to do now? Dink(Stephen Lunsford), the boy who did his part to get her into this mess, has a solution：He wants to marry her．You can imagine how Sam and Naomi will feel about that．And if that won't raise the histrionic level enough for you, how about this：A couple has two dying daughters, and only one can be saved．Their choice．And Brian Benben is back, so expect more Pete-Violet- Sheldon angst．

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　　Shakespeare, more perhaps than any other writer, made full use of the greatest resources of the English Language．Most of us use about five thousand words in our normal employment of English; Shakespeare in his works used about twenty-five thousand! There is probably no better way for a foreigner to appreciate the richness and variety of the English language than by studying the various ways in which Shakespeare uses it．Such a study is well worth the effort, even though some aspects of English usage, and the meaning of many words, have changed since Shakespeare's day．

　　However, it is surprising that we should know comparatively little about the life of the greatest English author．We know that Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon, and that he died there in 1616．He almost certainly attended the Grammer School in the town,but of this we cannot be sure．We know he was married there in 1582 to Anne Hathaway and that he had three children．We know that he spent much of his life in London writing his masterpieces．But this is almost all that we do know．

　　However, what is important about Shakespeare's life is not its incidental details but its products, the plays and the poems．For many years scholars have been trying to add a few facts about Shakespeare's life to the small number we already possess and for an equally long time critics have been theorizing about the plays．Sometimes, indeed, it seems that the poetry of Shakespeare will disappear under the great mass of comment that has been written upon it．

　　Fortunately this is not likely to happen．Shakespeare's people have long delighted not just the English but lovers of literature everywhere, and will continue to do so after the scholars and critics and all their works have been forgotten．

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