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　　Some people will do just about anything to save money．And I am one of them．Take my family's last vacation．It was my six-year-old son's winter break form school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip．The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us ＄400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day．I had meetings in New York，So I had to get back．But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay．I took my nine-month-old and took off for home．

　　The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight．Yes, I encouraged－okay, ordered－them to wait it out at the airport, to "earn" more Delta Dollars．Our total take：＄1,600．Not bad, huh?

　　Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either．But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar．And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up．

　　I've made living looking for the best deals and exposing(揭露)the worst tricks．I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade．I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade：A Consumer Survival Guide．And I really do what I believe in．

　　I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money's worth．I'm also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants．But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut．It keeps its shape longer, and it's the first thing people notice．And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture．Quality lasts．

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　　FRIDAY, Aug．3(Health Day News)－Middle school students　who are physically fit are likely to score higher on standardized tests measuring reading and math abilities, a new study has found．And, the average scores went up in connection with levels of fitness, the findings showed．

　　“The more physically fit kids were, the higher their scores,” said the study's lead author, Trent Petrie, director of the Center for Sport Psychology at the University of North Texas in Denton．“Parents should encourage their kids to be physically active．There are some real cognitive(认知的)and academic benefits that come from physical fitness,” Petrie said．

　　Results of the study are scheduled to be presented Friday at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Orlando, Fla．The study included more than 1,200　middle school students　from five schools in a suburban area of Texas, with 561 boys and 650 girls．About 57 percent of the children were white, and nearly one-quarter were Mexican American．Nine percent were black and about 2 percent were of Asian descent．

　　The school district provided the researchers with information on the children's race, age, grade level and whether they qualified for the free school lunch program, which was an indicator of the family's socioeconomic status．The schools also provided scores to the tests, which were given between one and four months after the researchers had assessed the children's levels of fitness．Fitness tests were administered during　physical education　classes to determine the youngsters' heart and lung health(cardiorespiratory fitness), as well as their body mass index(BMI), an indicator of how much body fat a person has．The children also filled out questionnaires that helped the researchers determine factors such as self-esteem and social support．

　　After accounting for factors such as age, sex, family income and self-esteem, the researchers found that for both boys and girls, higher levels of　heart and lung health　predicted better scores on both the math and reading tests．

　　For boys, perceived(感观的)social support also seemed to increase their reading scores, the investigators found．In girls, while being physically fit predicted higher reading scores, so too did a higher BMI－which indicates more body fat．“We were a little surprised by this finding,” Petrie said．

　　“It was not as strong an association as the one with physical fitness,” he added．The authors suspect it may have something to do with girls this age entering adolescence, which may be related to a higher BMI and slightly higher brain development．He said he plans to make great effort to look for this relationship again in larger studies to see if it was a chance finding, or if the association holds up．

　　“While we can't say 100 percent that　physical fitness　causes better academic performance, we can say that there is a strong and predictive relationship between physical fitness and academic performance,” Petrie said．

　　“It's hard to tease apart(梳理)the exact reason for this association,” said Becky Hashim, an attending clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the departments of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Montefiore, in New York City．

　　“It may be that the children are getting more oxygen．When the heart and lungs are working at a higher capacity, it may allow the brain to work at peak performance．Children who are less fit may be sleepier during school,” she noted．“I personally feel that there's probably a strong relationship between the confidence you get from being able to do something physical well and academic performance．”

　　Whatever the reason behind this association may be, “there's certainly no harm in pushing physical fitness,” Hashim added．“Physical fitness may make you feel better, give you more confidence and improve your performance across the board,” she said．

　　Petrie agreed．“Physically fit kids are happier, have higher self-esteem and, tend to have better relationships, and now we're beginning to see that there also seem to be benefits cognitively and academically．Our study sends a strong warning to policymakers to reconsider the service program of physical education classes for kids,” he said．

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　　I had the meanest mother in the whole world．While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal, eggs or toast．While others had Cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich．As you can guess, my supper was different from the other kids' too．But at least, I wasn't alone in my sufferings．My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did．

　　My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times．She had to know who our friends were and where we were going．She insisted if we said we'd be gone an hour, then we should be gone one hour or less－not one hour and one minute．And she always insisted upon us telling the truth．Now you can see how mean she was．

　　The worst is yet to come．We had to be in bed by nine each night and up at eight the next morning．We couldn't sleep till noon like our friends．So while they slept－my mother actually had the courage to break the Child Labor Law．She made us work．We had to wash dishes, make beds, and learn to cook．We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath every day．The other kids always wore their clothes for days．We reached the height of disgrace because she made our clothes herself, just to save money．I believe she laid awake at night thinking up mean things to do to us．

　　Through the years, things didn't improve a bit．We could not lie in bed “sick” like our friends did, and miss school．Our marks in school had to live up to expectations．Our friends' report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing．My mother, being as different as she was, would be satisfied with nothing less than ugly black marks．

　　As the years rolled by, first one and then the other of us was put to shame．We graduated from high school．With our mother behind us, talking, hitting and demanding respect, none of us was allowed the pleasure of being a drop-out．

　　My mother was a complete failure as a mother．Out of four children, a couple of us attained some higher education．None of us have ever been arrested or divorced．Each of my brothers served his time in the service of this country．She forced us to grow up into God-fearing, educated, honest adults．I am now trying to raise my three children．I am filled with pride when my children call me mean．Why? Because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the whole world．

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　　When you meet someone for the first time, you will form an impression in your mind of that person in the first moment．Your reactions to other people, however, are really just barometers(晴雨表)for how you perceive(理解)yourself．Your reactions to others say more about you than they do about others．You cannot really love or hate something about another unless it reflects something you love or hate yourself．We are usually drawn to those who are most like us and tend to dislike those who display those aspects of ourselves that we dislike．

　　Therefore, you can allow others to be the mirror to illuminate(阐明;照亮)more clearly your own feelings of self-worth．Conversely, you can view the people you judge negatively as mirrors to show you what you are not accepting about yourself．

　　To survive together peacefully with others, you will need to learn tolerance．A big challenge is to shift your perspective from judgment of others to a lifelong exploration of yourself．Your task is to assess all the decisions, judgments you make onto others and to begin to view them as clues to how you can heal yourself and become whole．

　　Several days ago I had a business lunch with a man who displayed objectionable table manners．My first reaction was to judge him as rude and his table manners as annoying．When I noticed that I was judging him, I stopped and asked myself what I was feeling．I discovered that I was embarrassed to be seen with someone who was chewing with his mouth open and loudly blowing his nose．I was astonished to find how much I cared about how the other people in the restaurant perceived me．

　　Remember that your judgment of someone will not serve as a protective shield against you becoming like him．Just because I judge my lunch partner as rude does not prevent me from ever looking or acting like him．In the same way, extending tolerance to him would not cause me to suddenly begin chewing my food with my mouth open．

　　When you approach life in this manner, those with whom you have the greatest dissatisfactions as well as those you admire and love can be seen as mirrors, guiding you to discover parts of yourself that you reject and to embrace your greatest quality．

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　　With the development of modern society and high tech, it is becoming more and more convenient for people to communicate．Meanwhile, virtual world has begun to exist．Virtual entertainment sites let you chat, feed the dog and shop in a way that feels real．But they are also the gateway to the real-world trouble．

　　Virtual property(虚拟财产), which you gain through computer games and social networking sites, is a billion dollar global industry．For example, fantasy worlds like Secondlife, and World of Warcraft issue their own currencies, and players can make a profit by trading in the real world or setting up clothing stores．The currencies are bought with hard cash and profits made online can be converted back into real-world money．

　　But even in imaginary worlds, property ownership can go hand in hand with property theft．Last week, several netizens went to Tencent's headquarters to file a complaint, accusing the company of not adequately protecting their accounts．They'd had their QQ Show avatar and clothes stolen．

　　“Virtual property theft is occurring today all over the world,” says Professor Greg Lastowka, an American specialist in Internet law．“Local police are often confused by claims of virtual theft, thinking it has no real value,” says Lastowka．

　　Reports of stolen virtual property are becoming increasingly frequent, but the law is slow to respond．China has no specific law to protect virtual property．Without clear legal rules, players cannot prove ownership, so the police might not bother with the case．

　　Virtual property may appear to be something that only has meaning in an imaginary world．Yet somebody has spent real-world time and money on making it their own．To them, it has value, and if someone else takes it, that's theft．

　　In case of theft, users can report it to the Internet department of the local public security bureaus．Users can also take some action to protect their virtual property．They should not accept files from strangers or go to websites with a dubious(可疑的)reputation．Changing passwords every three months can also help．

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　　My husband and I were at a store in my community(社区)waiting in line．We were behind a mother and her boy who was probably about seven years old．She had beautiful flowers in her basket．The flowers brought a smile to my face．I told the lady how lovely her flowers were and she said it was her son who picked them．So I asked if he would like to pick some for me．

　　He was off quickly down the road．When he returned he was so obviously pleased at having done a two-fold good job：picking nice flowers and helping me．

　　When I thanked him, he said in a loud and clear voice, "You're welcome．" So, by then his mother was praising her helpful polite son who felt great about doing a good deed．They were feeling great and I was feeling great, too．

　　But it didn't end there．You see, among the whole line of people who watched the little boy and me as they were waiting to check out was an old woman．I had overheard(偶然听到)she said that she lived alone because her husband died two years ago．As we were leaving the store, a little voice inside said, "Give the flowers to that woman．" In the parking lot I went up to her and explained what the little voice told me．But she said that she really couldn't take the flowers because it was the flowers that the little boy had given to me She thanked me．

　　So, these flowers touched the hearts of a mother and son．me and my husband, the line of shoppers and, our special stranger in the parking lot．

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　　Some performances to be held in Beijing

　　Monkey King

　　WHEN：Aug 27th 7∶30 pm

　　Starts Aug 27th, ends Aug 27th

　　WHERE：

　　Mei Lanfang Grand Theater

　　CONTACT：

　　6417-7845, 400-610-3721

　　www.Piao.com.Cn

　　This classic Peking Opera performance tells the story of the monkey who causes much trouble．National Golden Award winner Wang Lu plays the leading role．RMB 50－2,080．

　　Big Brass(铜管乐器)Concert

　　WHEN：Aug 29th 7∶30 pm

　　Starts Aug 29th, ends Aug 29th

　　WHERE：

　　National Ceuter for the Performing Arts

　　CONTACT：

　　400-610-3721

　　ponypiaoen@hotmail.com

　　www.piao.com.cn

　　Made up of American top brass musicians, the Big Brass is not only good at performing works of the Renaissance(文艺复兴时期)，but performing modern works in a light style．In this concert, both styles will be presented．RMB 80 480．

　　Chinese National Orchestra(管弦乐队)Concert

　　WHEN：Sep 1st 7∶30 pm－9 pm

　　Starts Sep l st, ends Sep 1 st

　　WHERE：

　　National Center for the performing Arts

　　400-610-3721

　　ponypiaoen@hotmail.com

　　Enjoy Chinese folk songs(民歌)in the concert p．resented by Chinese National Orchestra and directed by experienced musician Chen Xieyang．RMB 80－400．

　　Vienna philharmonic Quartet(交响乐团的四重奏)Concert

　　WHEN：Sep 5th 7∶30 pm

　　Starts Sep 5th, ends Sep 5th

　　WHERE：

　　National Center for the performing Arts

　　CONTACT：

　　400-610-3721

　　ponypiaoen@hotmail.com

　　www.piao.com.cn

　　As part of a series of performances from this September to November, four musicians perform Vienna String Quartet to start the opening concert．Besides performing works from．Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, they also perform some from Dvorak and Shostakovich．RMB 80－400．

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　　Computers are very important to modem life．Many people think that in the future computers will be used in lots of everyday life．It is thought that we won't have to go shopping because we will be able to get most things which are sold in shops on the Internet．There will be no more books because we will be able to get all texts from computers．The Internet will be used to play games, see films and buy food．Most telephone calls will be made by computers, too．

　　Some people are glad about those new ways of shopping and communication(交流)．Others do not think that computers will replace(代替)our old ways．

　　Some people think that one day we will not read books made of paper．Instead, we will buy and read books using computers, which will keep many different books in them at the same time．We won't．need to turn lots of pages and paper will be saved．Computerized(计算机化的)books will be used more and more．

　　While many people say it is a pleasure to go into shops and look at things you want to buy．It is also unlikely that many people will want to read large texts on our computers, because paper books will perhaps be more friendly．Maybe computers won't change these two habits．

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　　My brother, mother and I live in a rural district of Hawaii．Our farm is at least twelve miles away from the most basic of services．Therefore, I take weekly trips to the shop to get living goods．About a month ago, 1 finished putting all the things on the car and prepared to leave．As I settled into my seat, a piece of paper on the ground caught my eye．I picked it up and read it carefully．

　　The form was a receipt(收据)from the State Motor Vehicle Department, recording the owner's payment of her Vehicle' s Registration fees(车辆登记费)．At first I thought that I could find the owner．So I waited there for about an hour．The form might be carried away by the wind in the crowded parking lot．Would I find the owner? I looked over the form for contact or any personal data, perhaps a license tag or telephone number．I checked the date and the fees paid, noted the name of the owner and pocketed the paper．I concluded that the best and easiest step to take was to put the form in an envelope and send it to the owner the next morning．

　　By the end of the week, I received a beautiful "thank you" letter from a very grateful and happy woman containing a hand written message and a card．In the letter, the owner explained how the wind rudely took her receipt away from a pocket in her car's passenger door．She had searched worriedly for quite some time．

　　It felt great to know I'd helped someone avoid a loss by doing something that at first sight seemed little and unimportant．

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　　In the 1960 s,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 test you must remember that the score 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(戏剧性的)affects your chances of staying healthy．By the early 1970 s,hundreds of similar studies had followed Holmes and Rahe．And millions of Americans who work and live under stress worried over the reports．Somehow 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 a loved one－are impossible to avoid．Moreover ,any warning to avoid all stressful events is a prescription(处方)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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