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　　WELCOME

　　Welcome to Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world．Windsor is one of the official residences(住所)of the Queen, who sometimes stays here．

　　Audio tours

　　Free audio tours are available on leaving the Admission Centre at the start of your visit．There is a descriptive audio tour for blind and poor-sighted visitors．

　　Guided tours

　　Visitors can explore the history of the Castle through a tour of the Precincts with an expert guide．Tours depart at regular intervals throughout the day from the Courtyard and finish at the entrance to the State Apartments．

　　Visitors with children

　　For those visiting with children, a special family tour and various activities are offered during school holidays and at weekends．Please note that, for safety reasons, pushchairs are not permitted in the State Apartments．However, baby carriers are available to borrow．

　　St George's Chapel

　　Visitors arriving at the Castle after 15∶00 from March to October are advised to visit St George's Chapel first, before it closes．

　　Shopping

　　Shops offer a wide range of souvenirs designed for the Royal Collection, including books, postcards, china, jewellery, and children's toys．Please ask at the Middle Ward shop about our home delivery service．

　　Refreshments

　　Bottled water can be purchased from the Courtyard and Middle Ward shops．From April to September ice cream is also available．Visitors wishing to leave the Castle for refreshments in the town may obtain re-entry permits from the castle shops．Eating and drinking are not permitted in the State Apartments or St George's Chapel．

　　Photography and mobiles phones

　　Non-commercial photography and filming are welcomed in the Castle．Photography, video recording and filming are not permitted inside the State Apartments or St George's Chapel．Mobile phones must be switched off inside the State Apartments and St George's Chapel in consideration of other visitors．

　　Security

　　As Windsor Castle is a working royal palace, visitors and their belongs should get through airport-style security checks．For safety and security reasons a one-way system operates along the visitor route．

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　　Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling．Recycling in the home is very important of course．However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need．We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place．

　　The total amount of packaging increased by 12％ between 1999 and 2005．It now makes up a third of a typical household's waste in the UK．In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard．

　　Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment．The UK, for example, is running out of areas for burying this unnecessary waste．If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect．Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy．The solution is not to produce such items in the first place．Food waste is a serious problem, too．Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need．However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example．

　　But this is not just about supermarkets．It is about all of us．We have learned to associate packaging with quality．We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality．This is especially true of food．But it also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary．

　　There are signs of hope．As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realize just how much unnecessary material we are collecting．We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb．

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　　“A very disruptive(扰乱型的)six-year old child kicked my legs and clawed at my hand．” said one teacher．“I broke up a fight but was kicked，” said another．Many people have heard stories like this．But the situation is more worrying still and it involves(涉及)parents．

　　Every child, regardless of(不管)the surroundings into which they are born, has the right to achieve their potential．And we recognize that, as a nation, it is a long way to achieve this goal．But rights come with reponsibilities and what worries people is that we are in danger ofignoring the latter．

　　Far too many children are behaving badly at school，even to the point of being violent to teachers．This is terrible enough，but it is hard to be surprised since many children are just mirroring the behavior of their parents．Too many are starting school unable to hold a knife and fork, unused to eating at a table，and unable to use the toilet properly．

　　We are in danger od becoming a nation of families living separate lives under one roof．The bedroom, once a place to sleep, has become the living space for the young．Spending hours in front of computer screens, on social networking sites or being addicted to computer games, children and young people spend little time with their parents．Parents are unable to monitor just what their children are watching．

　　Schools cannot right the wrongs of society and teachers cannot become substitute(代替)parents．Both parties need to work together．Parents must be helped and given confidence to take back control．They are responsible for setting limits to their children's behavior and sticking to those limits when things get tough(困难)．They are responsible for setting a good example to their children and for devoting that most precious of resources---time---so that children come to school ready and willing to learn．

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　　Death Valley is the lowest, hottest, driest area in North America．This California National Park has less than 5 cm of rainfall a year and temperature up to 53℃ in summer．That's enough to keep Americans away during the hottest months from June to August．But it is the high temperature and terrible heat that draw their most crazy fans, the foreign tourists．From all over the world, they come to the valley floor in cars, carrying maps and water bottles, and fanning themselves with newspapers to keep cool．

　　About 13 million visetors enter the park each year, from June through August．90％ of them are foreigners．They go there to experience the summer heat that gives Death Valley its name．The average high in July is53.2℃ and the low 30℃．For August, the average high si 52.2℃ and the low 29.4℃．

　　So what do Americans think of the foreign visitors who arrive for the heat, just when locals from the United States try to avoid it? Park manager Brenda Henson says, “ The foreigners want to experience the heat in Death Valley．We think it's crazy．”

　　In fact, Death Valley is a series of salt flats(盐滩)225 km long and 6 km to 26 km wide．Birds and animals are largely absent, and only the hardiest plants have some chance of existence in this extreme place．

　　One tourist from Paris concluded, “ We come to it because we can tell all our friends and family that we've been to the hottest place in the world．”

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　　I had been rather proud of myself when my friends and family got the ticket，whether it was for speeding，parking or stop sign violations(违反)．It was something that happened to others．But last Friday I joined the club．

　　I was asked to do a new project last week．On Friday morning on my way to work，I suddenly remembered that I had spent the past six weeks without considering that I had a week's vacation planned during that time．I was very disappointed with myself for not remembering it．The fact is that I was not paying enough attention to my driving and I did not come to a complete stop at the stop sign in front of a school．I was so distracted(思想不集中的)that I didn't even notice I had a policeman on my tail with his lights flashing．Finally I looked in my mirror and caught on．

　　The policeman was rude and took my papers．Fortunately, I had everything up to date and since I had never had a ticket before, there was nothing for him to do but write me a ticket．While I was sitting there in the seat of “shame”, I felt bad．If I had been that distracted and a child had run onto the road, perhaps I would have not reacted as well as I could have．It was a wake-up call．

　　People at work asked me if I tried to talk my way out of it．Frankly，it never occurred to me．I felt guilty．Now I no longer have a clean driving record．Please be careful out there，as a moment's distraction can lead to tragedy．

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　　One might expect that the ever－growing demands of the tourist trade would bring nothing but．good for the countries that receive the holiday－makers．Indeed, a rosy picture is painted for the long－term future of the holiday industry．Every month sees the building of a new hotel somewhere, and every month another rock－bound Pacific island is advertised as the 'last paradise(天堂) on earth'．

　　However, the scale and speed of this growth seem set to destroy the very things tourists want to enjoy．In those countries where there was a rush to make quick money out of sea－side holidays, over－crowded beaches and the concrete jungles of endless hotels have begun to lose their appeal．

　　Those countries with little experience of tourism can suffer most．In recent years, Nepal set out to attract foreign visitors to fund developments in health and education．Its forests , full of wildlife and rare flowers, were offered to tourists as one more untouched paradise．In fact, the nature all too soon felt the effects of thousands of holiday－makers traveling through the forest land．Ancient tacks became major routes for the walkers, with the consequent exploitation of　precious trees and plants．

　　Not only the environment of a country can suffer from the sudden growth of tourism．The people as well rapidly feel its effects．Farmland makes way for hotels, roads and airports; the old way of life goes．The one－time farmer is now the servant of some multi－national organization; he is no longer his own master．Once it was his back that bore the pain ; now it is his smile that is exploited．No doubt he wonders whether he wasn't happier in his village working his own land．

　　Thankfully, the tourist industry is waking up to the responsibilities it has towards those countries that receive its customers．The protection of wildlife and the creation of national parks go hand in hand with tourist development and in fact obtain financial support form tourist companies．At the same time, tourists are being encouraged to respect not only the countryside they visit but also its people．

　　The way tourism is handled in the next ten years will decide its fate and that of the countries we all want to visit．Their needs and problems are more important than those of the tourist companies．Increased understanding in planning world－wide tourism can preserve the market for these companies．If not, in a few years' time the very things that attract tourists now may well have been destroyed．

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　　Many people think that listening is a passive business．It is just the opposite．Listening well is an active exercise of our attention and hard work．It is because they do not realize this, or because they are not willing to do the work, that most people do not listen well．

　　Listening well also requires total concentration upon someone else．An essential part of listening well is the rule known as ‘bracketing'．Bracketing includes the temporary giving up or setting aside of your own prejudices and desires, to experience as far as possible someone else's world from the inside, stepping into his or her shoes．Moreover, since listening well involves bracketing, it also involves a temporary acceptance of the other person．Sensing this acceptance, the speaker will seem quite willing to open up the inner part of his or her mind to the listener．True communication is under way and the energy required for listening well is so great that it can be accomplished only by the will to extend oneself for mutual growth．

　　Most of the time we lack this energy．Even though we may feel in our business dealings or social relationships that we are listening well, what we are usually doing is listening selectively．Often we have a prepared list in mind and wonder, as we listen, how we can achieve certain desired results to get the conversation over as quickly as possible or redirected in ways more satisfactory to us．Many of us are far more interested in talking than in listening, or we simply refuse to listen to what we don't want to hear．

　　It wasn't until toward the end of my doctor career that I have found the knowledge that one is being truly listened to is frequently therapeutic(有疗效的) In about a quarter of the patients I saw, surprising improvement was shown during the first few months of psychotherapy(心理疗法), before any of the roots of problems had been uncovered or explained．There are several reasons for this phenomenon, but chief among them, I believe, was the patient's sense that he or she was being truly listened to, often for the first time in years, and for some, perhaps for the first time ever．

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　　When international aid is given, steps must be taken to ensure (确保)that the aid reaches the people for whom it is intended．The way to achieve this may not be simple．It is very difficult for a nation to give help directly to people in another nation．The United Nations Organiztion(UNO) could undertake to direct the distribution of aid．Here however rises the problem of costs．Also tied with this is time．Perhaps the UNO could set up a body of devoted men and women is every country who can speedily distribute aid to victims of floods and earthquakes．

　　More than the help that one nation can give to another during a disaster, it would be more effective to give other forms of help during normal times．A common proverb says, “Give me a fish and I eat for day, teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime．” If we follow this wise saying, it would be right to teach people from less developed nations to take care of themselves．For example, a country could share its technology with another．This could be in simple areas like agriculture or in more complex areas like medical and health care or even in building satellites．Even small country is able to help less developed nations．Sometimes what is take for granted, like the setting up of a water purification plant or the administration of a school, could be useful for countries which are looking about to solve common problems．It does not cost much to share such simple things．Exchange students could be attached for a number of months or years and learn the required craft while on the site．They can then take their knowledge back to their homelands and if necessary come back form time to time to clear doubts or to update themselves．Such aid will be truly helpful and there is no chance of it being temporary or of it falling into the wrong hands．

　　Many countries run extensive courses in all sorts of skills．It will not cost much to include deserving foreigners in these courses．Besides giving effective help to the countries concerned, there is also the build－up of friendships to consider．Giving direct help by giving materials may be effective in the short run and must continue to be given in the event of emergencies．However, in the long run what is really effective would be the sharing of knowledge．

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　　The light from the campfire brightened the darkness, but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis's Swamp (沼泽地) creeping into their bones．It was a strange place．Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack's dare．They liked camping, but not near this swamp．

　　“So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals．“How did this place get its name ? ”

　　“Are you sure you want to hear it ? It's a scary story,” warned Jack．

　　“Of course!” cried out Tom．“If there were anything to be scared of, you wouldn't have chosen this place!”

　　“Ok, but don't say I didn't warn you,” said Jack, and he began this tale．

　　“Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start a farm here．He built that cottage over there to live in．In those days, the area looked quite different －－－－ it was covered with tall trees and the swamp was a crystal－clear river．After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several fields and planted crops．He was so proud of his success that he refused to listen to advice．

　　“‘You are clearing too much land, ' warned one old man．‘ The land is a living thing．It will hit back at you if you abuse it．'

　　“ ‘ Silly fool,' said Dennis to himself．‘If I clear more land, I can grow more crops．I'll become wealthier．He's just jealous!'”

　　“Dennis continued to chop down trees．Small animals that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed．He was so eager to expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his door．He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land．He did not notice swamp plants choking all the native plants．”

　　“What happened ? ” Martin asked．It was growing colder．He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire．

　　“The land hit back－just as the old man warned, ” Jack shrugged．“Dennis disappeared．Old folks around here believe that swamp plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater．His body was never found．”

　　“What a stupid story, ” laughed Tom．“Plants can't …” Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted(晕倒)．The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring at Tom．Suddenly, they burst out laughing．Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom's face．It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke．

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　　It's such a happy-looking library, painted yellow, decorated with palm-tree stickers and sheltered from the Florida sun by its own roof．About the size of a microwave oven, it's pedestrian-friendly, too, waiting for book lovers next to a sidewalk in Palm Beach country Estates, along the northern boundary of Palm Beach Gardens．

　　It's a library built with love．

　　A year ago, shortly after Janey Henriksen saw a Brian Williams report about the Little Free Library organization, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit that aims to promote literacy and build a sense of community in a neighborhood by making books freely available, she announced to her family of four, “That's what we're going to do for our spring break!”

　　Son Austin, now a 10th-grader, didn't see the point of building a library that resembles a mailbox．But Janey insisted, and husband Peter unwillingly got to work．The 51-year-old owner of a ship supply company modified a small wooden house that he'd built years earlier for daughter Abbie's toy horses, and made a door of glass．

　　After adding the library's final touches(装点), the family hung a signboard on the front, instructing users to “take a book, return a book,” and making the Henriksen library, now one of several hundred like it nationwide and among more than 2,500 in the world, the only Little Free Library in Palm Beach County．

　　They stocked it with 20 or so books they'd already read, a mix of science fiction, reference titles, novels and kids' favorites．“I told them, keep in mind that you might not see it again,” said Janey, a stay-at-home mom．

　　Since then, the collection keeps replenishing(补充)itself, thanks to ongoing donations from borrowers．The library now gets an average of five visits a day．

　　The project's best payoff, says Peter, are the thank-you notes left behind．“We had no idea in the beginning that it would be so popular．”(317 words)

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