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　　When Christopher Columbus landed on the then unnamed Costa Rica in 1502, he saw many Indians wearing gold earrings．So he thought the land must be rich in gold．He named the place Costa Rica, which means “rich coast” in Spanish．

　　Though little gold was found, Costa Rica today is indeed rich with coffee and bananas．Coffee is the most important product in Costa Rica and most of it is exported(出口)to other countries like America and West Germany．Bananas are the country's second most important export．

　　Costa Ricans also grow many other crops such as fruits, corn and beans for their own use．Costa Ricans love colors and their houses are painted in bright colors．

　　Education is very important to the Costa Ricans．Almost every village has a school and education is a must for children between seven and fourteen years of age．Boys and girls go to separate(单独的)schools．Classes begin in March and end in November．The other three months of the year are harvest time and the children have to help their parents to pick coffee beans．

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　　An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old son．Suddenly a crow(乌鸦)landed on their window．

　　The father asked his son, “What is that? ”

　　The son replied, “That is a crow．”

　　After a few minutes, the father asked his son for the second time, “What is this? ”

　　The son said, “Father, I told you just now．It’ s a crow．”

　　After a little while, the father asked his son the same question for the third time, “What is this? ”

　　This time, the son said to his father in a low and cold tone, “It's a crow, a crow．”

　　After a moment, the father yet again asked his son for the fourth time, “What is this? ”

　　This time his son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? I have told you already, ‘IT IS A CROW’．Are you not able to understand this? ”

　　A minute later the father went to his room and came back with a diary, which he had kept since his son was born．On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page．

　　Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa when a crow suddenly landed on the window edge．My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied him 23 times that it was a crow．I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question．I didn't at all feel angry, but instead felt affection for my son．

　　If your parents reach old age, do not look at them as a burden, but speak to them gently, and be kind to them．From today say this aloud, “I want to see my parents happy forever．They have cared for me ever since I was a little child．They have always showered me with love．I will take care of my old parents in the best way no matter how they behave．”

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　　In 1986, when Monty Reed was a member of the Army Rangers(黑鹰突击队), he had an accident．"It was a night jump, and we were jumping low, " he recalls．"We were training．Somebody got too close to my parachute(降落伞)．"The parachute below blocked Reed's air and his parachute failed to open．Reed crashed a hundred feet to the ground, breaking his back in five places．

　　The next morning, Reed could not move．"Doctors said it was likely that I would never walk again．" Reed stared out of his hospital window, wondering what the future would be like．It was the saddest moment of his life．"The experts are telling me my body doesn't work! What am I supposed to do? " he thought．

　　To distract(转移注意力)himself, he picked up a book：Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers．The science-fiction describes a set of man-made muscles that would allow people to carry 2, 000 pounds．He thought that if he could build something like that, it might be able to lift him out of his wheelchair．So he began his project and finally succeeded in building a set of robot legs．Several years later, he made an amazing recovery and was able to get up and walk away from his wheelchair．He even jumped out of an airplane again to celebrate．

　　Reed wanted to do something for others with the second chance that life had given him．He has now perfected the robot legs that can get the injured, the elderly and the paralyzed(瘫痪的)out of their wheelchairs．Now he has started his own company to make the legs．"I’ve seen them compete in marathons and go swimming and mountain climbing, " he said．“So never give up! ”

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Safety and Security Procedures

　　Your safety and the security of your personal property are of the primary concern to those of us who welcome you as our guest．We urge you to take advantage of the following suggestions．

　　YOUR VEHICLE(交通工具)

　　Lock it and don't leave money or valuable items inside．We are not responsible for their loss．

　　TRAVELING

　　Be good at noticing things around you when sightseeing or traveling．Stay in well-lit and heavily traveled areas．Don't display large amounts of cash．

　　GUEST ROOM SECURITY

　　For additional security use the deadbolt(插锁)provided on your door and make sure the windows are locked．As an additional precautious measure, please secure the secondary locks provided．Do not admit anyone to your room without first making identification(身份鉴定)．A one-way viewer is provided in your door to assist with identification．If there is any doubt about the person's identity, please contact the Front Desk．

　　SAFETY BOXES

　　Do not leave money or valuables in your room or vehicle．We provide free safety boxes for your use．Hotel is not responsible for items left in the room valued over ＄200．

　　KEYS

　　Safeguard your key．Please do not leave it in the door．Do not give your key to others or leave it unattended．Please leave your key at the Front Desk when you check out．

　　REPORTING

　　Please report any suspicious activity, or safety concerns to management．

　　FIRE

　　Please familiarize yourself with the nearest fire exits．Report fire or smoke to the hotel guard．In the unlikely event of a fire, please move quickly and calmly to the nearest safe exit and leave the building．Avoid the use of elevator．

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　　Children are missing an important part of their education because parents cannot afford their after-school activities．Half of parents in Wales are saying“no”to after-school activities because they cannot afford them according to a poll for Save the Children．

　　The government said providing free or subsidized(补助的)leisure activities for children from poorer background is essential to reducing child poverty in the UK．Of those who pay for activities, Save the Children said almost half of parents had to pay more than ￡10 per child per week．Many parents were paying more than ＄20 per week, the survey found．

　　“What happens after the school gates close at 3∶30 pm is just as momentous as what goes on in the school day, ”said Sally Copley at Save the Children．“Children who do after-school activities have more confidence, see the world in different ways and have a stronger sense of identity(认同感)．All this finally translates into doing better in exams and getting a better career．”

　　Half of parents in Wales of 4-to-18-year-olds said their child did some form of sporting activity, the most popular pastime(消遣)．Other popular choices included drama/dance(26％), Brownies/Scouts(童子军)(18％)and music lessons(13％)．Almost a third of parents said activities they would like their child to take part in were located more than six miles from where they lived．

　　Save the Children said its research highlighted that children from poorer backgrounds did not have the same chances as their better-off friends．Many local governments have offered a wide range of after-young people in their area．The Welsh Assembly Government's community-focused schools programme supports local education authorities to develop a range of out-of-school-hours learning opportunities and childcare for children and young people．

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　　In the 1960s, medical researchers Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe developed a checklist of stressful events．They appreciated the tricky point that any major change can be stressful．Bad events like “serious illness of a family member” were high on the list, but so were some helpful life changing events like marriage．

　　When you take the Holmes Rahe you must remember that the score does not show how you deal with stress-it only shows how much you have to deal with．And we now know that the way you deal with these events dramatically affects your chances of staying healthy．By the early 1970s, hundreds of similar studies had followed Holmes and Rahe．And millions of Americans who work and live under stress worried over the reports．Somehow the research got boiled down to a memorable message．Women's magazines ran titles like “Stress causes illness．”

　　If you want to stay physically and mentally healthy, the articles said, avoid stressful events．But such simplistic advice is impossible to follow．Even if stressful events are dangerous, many-like the death of loved one-are impossible to avoid．Moreover, any warning to avoid all stressful events is a prescription for staying away from chances as well as trouble．Since any change can be stressful, a person who wanted to be completely free of stress would never marry, have a child, take a new job or move．The idea that all stress makes you sick also takes no notice of a lot of what we know about people．It supposes we're all vulnerable and not active in the face of the difficult situation．But what about human ability and creativity? Many come through periods of stress with more physical and mental strength than they had before．We also know that a long time without change or challenge can lead to boredom and physical and mental pressure．

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　　The common cold is the world's most widespread illness, which is plagues(疫病)that flesh receives．

　　The most widespread fallacy(谬误)of all is that colds are caused by cold．They are not．They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person．You catch a cold by coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one．If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever．But they do not．And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes．

　　During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches(战壕), cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds．

　　In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp(奥斯维辛集中营), naked and starving, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds．At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in Experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time．After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room．Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion．Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose．

　　If, then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in the winter? Despite the most pains-taking research, no one has yet found the answer．One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on．

　　No one has yet found a cure for the cold．There are drugs and pain suppressors(止痛片)such as aspirin, but all they do is relieve the symptoms．

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　　Self-employed private physicians who charge a fee for each patient visit are the foundation of medical practice in the United States．Most physicians have a contract relationship with one or more hospitals in the community．They send their patients to this hospital, which usually charges patients according to the number of days they stay and the facilities(operating room, tests, medicines that they use)．Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or, in the case of veteran's hospitals, a federal government agency．Others are operated by religious orders(教会)or other non-profit groups．

　　Some medical doctors are on salary．Salaried physicians may work as hospital staff members, or residents, who are often still in training．They may teach in medical schools, be hired by corporations to care for their workers or work for the federal government's Public Health Service．

　　Physicians are among the best paid professionals in the United States．In the 1980s, it was not uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than＄100 000 a year．Specialists, particularly surgeons, might earn several times that amount．Physicians list many reasons why they deserve to be so well rewarded for their work．One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a physician in the United States．Most would be physicians first attend college for four years, which can cost nearly＄20 000 a year at one of the best private institutions．Prospective physicians then attend medical school for four years．Tuition alone can exceed＄10 000 a year．By the time they have obtained their medical degrees, many young physicians are deeply in debt．They still face three to five years of residency(实习阶段)in a hospital, the first year as an apprentice physician．The hours are long and the pay is relatively low．

　　Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too．Sometimes several physicians will decide to establish a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying equipment．These physicians also take care of each other's patients in emergencies．

　　Physicians work long hours and must accept a great deal of responsibility．Many medical procedures, even quite routine ones, involve risk．It is understandable that physicians want to be well rewarded for making decisions which can mean the difference between life and death．

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　　The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card fraud．Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal web site．

　　Web sites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care．

　　On-line shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they thought they bought．The thieves then go shopping with your card number-or sell the information over the Internet．Computers hackers have broken down security systems, raising questions about the safety of cardholder information．Several months ago, 25, 000 customers of CD Universe, an on-line music retailer(零售商), were not lucky．Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Web site after the retailer refused to pay US＄157, 828 to get back the information．

　　Credit-card firms are now fighting against on-line fraud．Mastercard is working on plans for Web-only credit card, with a lower credit limit．The card could be used only for shopping on-line．However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated．

　　Ask about your credit-card firm's on-line rules：Under British law, cardholders have to pay the first US＄78 of any fraudulent(欺骗性的)spending．

　　And shop only at secure sites; Send your credit-card information only if the Web site offers advanced secure system．

　　If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen．The Website address may also start https：//the extra “s” stands for secure．If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone．

　　Keep your password safe：Most on-line sites require a user name and password before placing an order．Treat your passwords with care．

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　　British paychologists have found evidence of a link between excessive(过度的) Internet use and depression, a research has shown．

　　Leeds University researchers, writing in the Psychopathology journal, said a small part of Internet users were classed as Internet addicts and that people in this group were more likely to be depressed than non-addicted users．

　　The article on the relationship between excessive Internet use and depression is from a questionnaire-based study of 1,319 young people and adults．

　　The respondents answered questions about how much time they spent on the Internet and what they used it for; they also complete the Beck Depression Inventory-a series of questions designed to measure the seriousness of depression．

　　The six-page report, by the university's Institute of Psychological Science, said 18 of the people who complete the questionnaire were Internet addict．“Our research indicates that excessive Internet use is associated with depression, but what we don't know is which comes first-are depressed people drawn to the Internet or does the Internet cause depression?” the article's lead author Dr Catriona Morrison said．”What is clear is that, for a small part of people, excessive use of the Internet could be warning signal for depressive tendencies．”

　　The age range of all respondents was between 16 and 51 years, with an average age of 21.24．The average age of the 18 Internet addicts was 18.3 years．By comparing the levels of depression within this group to that within a group of 18 non-addicted Internet users, researchers found the Internet addicts had a higher chance of developing depression than non-addicts．They also discovered that addicts spent more time visiting sexually pleasing website, online gaming sites and online communities．

　　“The public speculation(推测)was further proved by this study．That's to say, over-engaging in websites which serve to replace normal social function might be linked to psychological disorders like depression and addiction,”Morrison said．”We now need to consider the wider social influence of this relationship and clearly prove the effects of excessive Internet use on mental health．”

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