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　　“Calling tower,” the pilot's voice crackled．“This is all emergency!” The radio operator in the control tower looked at his watch．It was 3：15 p．m Lieutenant Charles Taylor and five Navy bombers were in trouble：“We are off course．We cannot see land…repeat…we cannot see land．''

　　The control tower grew silent．The operator garbed(戴上)his microphone．“what is your position?” “We are not sure of our position．”Lieutenant Taylor replied．“We seem to be lost．”

　　Taylor had over 2, 500 hours of flight time．What Was happening?

　　The tower called back：“Assume bearing(方位)due west．”“We don't know which way is west, ”Taylor replied．“Everything is wrong…strange … we cannot be sure of any direction…Even the ocean looks odd…”the radio operator told Taylor to fly north “With the sun on the left” until he reached a Naval Air Station．Anyone could find the sun, especially a good pilot like Taylor．Soon the radio crackled again．"We have just over a small island,” said the pilot．“No other land in sight．”That was the last message Flight l9 sent to the radio tower．Five Navy bombers were lost．They had left the Naval Air Station for a routine training flight at 2∶00 p, m．, December 5, 1945．Each plane had enough fuel to fly more than a thousand miles．The weather was sunny and mild．Pilots from other flights had not seen anything strange there．So what happened? How could five Navy bombers and their crews just disappear?

　　The search for the five bombers covered 380,000 square miles of land and sea．Hundreds of boats and planes searched large areas of the Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, the mainland of Florida, and many neighboring islands．Some of the boats were aircraft carries, destroyers, and submarines, They searched the area for weeks．Nothing was ever found．No life rafts．No wreckage．No even an oil slick(浮油)．Oil from the engines should float on the surface, even if everything else had sunk．

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　　The iPhone, the iPad：each of Apple's products sounds cool and has become a fad(一时的风尚)．Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” －and many other brands are following suit．The BBC's iPlayer －which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet －adopted the title in 2008．A lovely bear －popular in the US and UK－that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”．A slimmed-down version of London's Independent newspaper was launched last week under the name “i”．

　　In general, single-letter prefixes(前缀)have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came to use．

　　Most “i” products are targeted at young people and considering the major readers of Independent's “i”, it's no surprise that they've selected this fashionable name．

　　But it's hard to see what's so special about the letter “i”．Why not use “a”, “b”, or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King's College．London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous．When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines．“Even when Apple created the iPod, it seems it didn't have one clear definition,” he says．

　　“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now associated with portability(轻便),” adds Thorne．

　　Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual．Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason．

　　Along with “Google” and “blog”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade．

　　But as history shows, people grow tired of fads．From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was associated with all things advanced and modern．However, as we entered the new century, the trend inevitably(不可避免地)disappeared．

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　　The British last an average of eight minutes and twenty-two seconds before they lose temper, according to new research．

　　The Internet has increased people's service demands and it is destroying the classic British characteristic of patience．More than half of the British have admitted they lose their temper quicker than ever before．People have become so used to the speed and convenience of the Internet that more than seven in ten get angry if forced to wait longer than one minute for a web page to download．

　　Being kept on hold made the British see red more than anything else, with the average person reaching their impatience limit after five minutes and four seconds．

　　In today's fast food culture, restaurant rage starts after only eight minutes and thirty-eight seconds, when the average diner will start to wonder whether the meal they have ordered will ever arrive．

　　People running late to meet a friend should not leave it any longer than ten minutes and one second if they do not want to face their anger．

　　Finally, when receiving a text or voicemail, be warned that the clock is ticking as the average Englishman expects a response within thirteen minutes and sixteen seconds．

　　Mark Schmid, of telecom giant TalkTalk, which conducted the research among 2,050 people, said that the speed of the online world is making us less prepared to wait for things to happen in the offline world．“This is causing people to reach the point of impatience earlier than ever before．”

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Sightseeing Tours in Germany

　　Germany has a variety of cities each with its own characteristics, from the busy city of Berlin, to the ancient city of Cologne, to the Bavarian capital of Munich．Thankfully, these major German cities offer sightseeing tours that offer the opportunity to better explore the surrounding regions and the country's most historic sites．

　　berlin image by J??rgen Remmer from Fotolia.com

　　Berlin on Bike takes visitors through the German capital via five bicycle tours, all with guides．Regular tours include the Wall Tour and Berlin's Best, with stops at some of the city's most famous landmarks, such as the Reichstag and the Berlin Wall．Specialty tours include the East Unplugged, which explores what life was like in East Berlin under Communist rule．The cost of the tour includes the bike and helmet rental, and tourists may choose to continue renting their bikes once the tour has ended．

　　berlinonbike．de/english/index．php

　　The Munich City Sightseeing Tour transports travelers throughout the city via an open-air, double-decker bus．Passengers can hop on and off at various stops throughout the day．This tour includes stops at such sites as the Munich central train station, the 1972 Olympic Stadium Park, Munich's opera house and Karlsplatz, the gate to the historic city．The bus features a narrated tour guide and offers an English-language option(选择)．

　　raileurope．com/activities/munich-city-sightseeing-tour/index．html

　　Nice City Tours offers three tours of Cologne, available to private or business groups in a variety of languages．The Old Town Tour runs for two hours and includes a guided tour of the Cologne Cathedral and some of the city's old squares．The Brewery Pub Tour explores some of the city's most beloved breweries and pubs, and details about the history behind Kolsch, Cologne's resident beer．Finally, the Old Town and Rhine Tour begins by visiting some of old town's most historic sites and ends with a ride down the Rhine River．

　　nicecitytours．com/tours．htm

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　　London has become a cycle friendly zone after the launch of a new bike hire scheme．It has been designed to encourage more people to cycle in and around central London．

　　So how does it work? First you have to sign up to the scheme to be sent a key．The key will unlock one of the bikes，which are kept at docking stations in and around central London．You have to pay an access fee for the key and then you pay as you go，for the length of time you use the bike．

　　Transport for London，which runs the scheme，are hoping to have 6,000 bikes and 400 docking stations in place by the end of the year．The new hire system is hoping to ease congestion(拥挤)in London and is expected to create up to 40,000 extra cycle trips a day into the city center．London Mayor Boris Johnston launched the scheme and said London had been “filled with thousands of gleaming machines that will transform the look and feel of our streets and become as commonplace on our roads as black cabs and red buses”．

　　However，there have been a few problems since the scheme was launched last Friday．On the first day some people found they couldn't dock their bike properly and their usage of the bike had not registered．Transport for London did admit they had been expecting a few “teething problems” and have said they wouldn't charge for the first day as a “gesture of goodwill”．Some other people have criticized the lack of docking stations and locks for the bikes as well as the price it costs to hire the bicycles．

　　Despite the comments，the green-thinking London Mayor still seems very positive about things，saying，“My campaign for the capital to become the greatest big cycling city in the world has taken a big pedal-powered push forwards．”

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　　We all eat when we are not hungry．If we stopped eating when we were full, we would be thin ,　and chefs would have to find other jobs．You may be tempted to eat when you are bored, tired,　angry or simply sitting in front of food that you feel like putting in your mouth．Don't give in , the diet plans warn．Or, if you must eat , then eat only food that is so unappealing or unsatisfying that it is not worth the effort．

　　It is as important for the sake of losing weight as understanding why there are times when it is extremely important to eat, however, even when there is plenty of food in your stomach．If you find yourself unable to resist snacking and give in and eat a sweet or snack, don't blame your lack of willpower．Your brain is making you do this．

　　This request for carbohydrates , for sweet or starchy(富含淀粉的)food is a signal that an important brain chemical needs to be made．This chemical is serotonin(血管收缩素)its production depends on what you eat or don't eat．When you eat carbohydrates(apart from the carbohydrates in fruit), serotonin is made．When you eat protein, serotonin is not made．

　　Some of us have brains that don't make enough serotonin to last all day, and by late afternoon, we feel the effects of too little of this chemical．We become bored, have difficulty concentrating, lose patience with things that annoy us , and feel tired．Therefore, more serotonin is needed．A food scientist said．“We found out years ago in our research that , at moments like this , the brain sends out a signal saying ‘eat some carbs '．If we pay attention to this message and eat a bar of chocolate or cake , as soon as the snack is digested , serotonin is made and we feel better．”

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　　The majority of America's schools participate in the National School Lunch Program(NSLP), which provides low-cost or free lunches to more than 30 million kids a day．Signed into law in 1946 by President Harry S．Truman, the government originally started the program to absorb remaining farm products, while providing meals to school age children．

　　Any school district or independent nonprofit school participating in the NSLP receives cash and food from the U．S．Department of Agriculture(USDA)．In turn, the school's meals must meet national nutrition requirements which are as follows：

　　No more than 30 percent of the meal's calories may come from fat．Meals must provide one-third of the recommended protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron and calorie intakes．

　　It is worth noting that many experts feel these national nutrition guidelines are out of date and that some fast food provided by the NSLP isn't much healthier than some fast food．President Obama's White House chef , for example, states the NSLP meals are high in fat．Parents and nutrition experts alike are calling for a complete review of the program．

　　Providing healthy school lunches within a limited budget is a challenge．Most schools today don't even have full kitchens due to school lunch budget drops．Food is instead prepared outside or simply heated up and served at the school．

　　Some school districts may find the NSLP unsatisfactory and instead provide other options．For example, the Farm-to-School Program aims to connect schools with local farms．Students can learn about the journey of their food “from farm to fork”, and local products appear in school meals．School gardens also provide opportunities for nutrition education, as well as produce food that can be offered at the school cafeteria．Of course, these programs require money and resources, and it is up to the school district to figure out how to get them．

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　　In our home it was natural to fear our father．Even our mother was afraid of him．As children, my sister and I thought every family was like that ----- that every family had an unpredictable dad who was impossible to please and a praying mom who was there to protect the children．We were good children．Mom was always telling us we were, even if daddy couldn't see it．

　　Then came the day we found something new and fun to do．We discovered we could draw pictures with chalk on our wooden front door．We could have lots of fun, so we set to work drawing and making lots of pretty pictures all over it．We had a great time．We decided to finish our pictures, knowing mom would just love them．

　　The praise we expected did not come．We did not understand why, but we knew all about anger, and that we were in big trouble! Off we ran to find a place to hide．In our wooded yard it was not hard for two small children to find safety．Together, we hid behind a tree and did not move．Soon we heard the frightened voices of mom and our neighbors calling out to us．We were afraid we would be found．The sun set, and it began to get dark．Those around us became more anxious, and we became more frightened．As we stayed together in the dark, we heard another voice, one we recognized with great fear：our daddy．But there was something strangely different about it．In it we heard something we had never heard before：fear and despair．Our daddy with tears running down his face, promising God his life for the safe return of his girls．

　　Things were different after that．We had a new daddy; it was as if the old one had been buried that day in the yard．Our whole family had been changed by one piece of chalk．

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　　People are not likely to see an optimistic picture from traffic statistic．To help solve their traffic troubles and problems, some rapidly growing Us cities have simply built more roads．But traffic experts say building more roads is a quick-fix solution that will not relieve the traffic problem in the long run．Soaring land costs, increasing concern over social and environmental disruptions caused by road building , and the likelihood that more roads can only lead to more cars and traffic are powerful factors bearing down on a 1950-style construction program．

　　The goal of smart-highway technology is to make traffic systems work at best efficiency by treating the road and the vehicles traveling on them as an overall transportation system．Electronic check system, closed –circuit television radio communication and other smart-highway technology can now be used at a reasonable cost to improve communication between drivers and the people who monitor traffic．

　　Pathfinder, a California-based smart-highway project in which a 14-mile stretch of the Santa Monica Freeway, makes up what is called a “smart corridor ”,is being instructed with buried facilities in the pavement．

　　Not all traffic expert, however, look to smart-highway technology as the final solution to traffic jams．Some say the high-tech approach is limited and can only offer temporary solutions to a serious problem．

　　“It doesn't deal with the central problems of too many cars for roads that can't be built fast enough．It sends the people wrong massage,” explained Michael Renner．Larson agrees and adds , “smart highways are just one of the tools that we will use to deal with our traffic problems．It's not the solution itself, just part of the package．There are different strategies．”

　　Other traffic problem-solving options being studied and experimented which include car pooling, rapid mass-transit systems, flexible work hours and road pricing, a system whereby motorists pay a certain amount of the time they use a high way．

　　It seems that we need a new , major trust to deal with the traffic problems of the next 20 years．There has to be a big change．

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　　Spending beyond one's means is becoming a national problem for Americans．Borrowing has become so easy that it takes great willpower for people to refuse it．“I received a number of gold MasterCard and gold Visa card offers in the mail during the past two months,” said one computer engineer at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Chicago．“I got three of them in one day last week．”

　　Lenders are providing easy credit(信贷)for borrowers．Many banks now offer every borrower a great variety of credit, a service once offered almost only to big companies．Norwest Bank Minneapolis offers lending programs for cars and boats that can cut monthly payments nearly in half．Carmakers, too, are lengthening easier terms．Ford Motor Credit states that 45％ of its recent lending has been for sixty months, rather than the thirty-six-month period that was usual before．

　　The total consumer debt in the United States rose 173 percent between 1974 and 1984, as the debt for each man, woman, and child increased from ＄10,264 to ＄26,566．Huge debt now is present in our economy at all levels．As a nation, we are more than ＄7 trillion in debt, and the total keeps increasing astonishingly．

　　As we have overborrowed , so have we overspent．In late 1986, the share of after-tax income that Americans saved sank below 2 percent for a short time, less than half the figure at which we saved only 10 years ago．Americans now are buying from foreigners between about ＄50 and ＄100 billion more Mercedes and Toyotas, Paris fashions, and tours to Europe than the Boeing 747s, agriculture machinery, or Kansas wheat that the foreigners bought from America The country could not produce and pay for all the things it wanted．

　　To make a long story short, we Americans have serious problems in keeping down spending and keeping up personal savings It is high time for us American people to learn the basics of long-term money management．

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