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　　LONDON：What could possibly be wrong with planting trees? The benefits are obvious; they firm the soil, take in extra water and take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere．However, it now turns out that planting trees could add to global warming．

　　Tree roots do a great job of keeping soil firmly on the ground and out of the wind's power．The problem is that some of those dust clouds play an important part in soaking up carbon dioxide．

　　Huge dust storms blow out over the oceans from dry parts of North Africa and central Asia．Tons of dust are lifted as a thin film over the oceans surface．The dust fuels oceanic life．

　　Dust from China is carried east and left in the Pacific Ocean．If a tree-planting program there is successful and the dust supply reduced, the net result may be that less carbon dioxide gets locked away in the ocean．

　　Andy Ridgwell, an environmental scientist from the University of East Anglia, has spent the past few years studying dust and says his work “shows clearly the complexity of the system and the importance of not tinkering(粗劣地修补)with it without understanding the results．For this reason the need is to focus on cutting carbon dioxide giving off rather than monkeying(瞎弄)about with the land surface．”

　　An American scientist, Robert Jackson, has shown that when native grassland areas are invaded(侵入)by trees, carbon is lost from the soil．“We are studying why the soil carbon disappears, but one theory is that trees do a lot more of their growing above ground compared to grasses, so less carbon goes directly into the soil from trees．” says Jackson．

　　In wet areas of the world, the gain from trees absorbing carbon dioxide above ground seems to be outweighed by the loss of carbon from the soil below ground．Countries that plan to combat global warming by planting trees may have to think again．

　　Solutions to environmental problems are often more complex than they first appear, and understanding the Earth's climate is a very great challenge．

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　　Jeremy Shu-How Lin is an American professional basketball player with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association．Lin was born on August on 23, 1988 in Los Angeles , California , and grew up in a Christian family in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Palo Alto．His parents, Gie-Ming and Shirley, emigrated from Taiwan to the United States in the mid-1970s．They are dual nationals of both Taiwan and the U．S．

　　Lin's parents are both 5 feet 6 inches tall．His maternal grandmother's family was tall, and her father was over 6 feet．Lin has an older brother, Josh , and a younger brother , Joseph．

　　In his senior year in 2005-2006, Lin captained Palo Alto High School to a 32-1 record and upset nationally ranked Mater Dei , 51-47 , for the California Interscholastic Federation(CIF)Division II state title．He was named first – team All-State and Northern California Division II Player of the Year, ending his senior year averaging 15.1 points , 7.1 assists , 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 steals．

　　Lin sent his resume and a DVD of highlights of his high school basketball career to many universities．Harvard and Brown were the only teams that guaranteed him a spot on their basketball teams．

　　In July 2005, then-Harvard assistant coach Bill Holden saw that Lin was 6 feet 3 inches, which fit the physical attributes he was seeking , and he had a 4.2 grade point average in high school , which fit Harvard's academic standards．However, Holden was not initially impressed with Lin's on-court abilities, and told Lin's high school basketball coach , Peter Diepenbrock , that Lin was a “Division III player”．Later that week, Holden saw Lin playing in a much more competitive game, driving to the basket at every opportunity with the “instincts of a killer”．Lin became a top-priority for Holden．Harvard coaches feared that Stanford, close to Lin's home, would offer Lin a scholarship, but it did not , and Lin chose to attend Harvard．

　　Joe Lacob, incoming Warriors' owner and Stanford booster, said Stanford's failure to accept Lin “was really stupid．The kid was right across the street．If you can't recognize that, you've got a problem．” Kerry Keating, the UCLA assistant who offered Lin the opportunity to walk-on , said in hindsight that Lin would probably have ended up starting at point guard for UCLA(University of California at Los Angeles)．

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　　Have you ever wondered why stems(茎)grow upwards and roots downwards? Why plants always seem to turn, towards the light and climbing plants run up rather than down? The answer is simple：auxin,a chemical substance that controls growth in plants．

　　Auxin is a plant hormone(激素)．Darwin was already interested in it in the 19th century．Only in recent years, however, has the hormone started to give away its secrets ,thanks to intensive molecular research．Auxin is produced in the young,growing parts of plants and then transported throughout the plant－to a low -lying stem for example．The stem needs to straighten out as soon as possible to be able to absorb the topside,resulting in the underside growing faster and the stem straightening out．For the same reason, plants in front of windows will always turn to the light．This active regulation of auxin transport allows plants to take ideal advantage of local and changing conditions．

　　The transport of auxin through the plant plays a vital role．And ,from all appearances,it is not a simple matter．The researchers identified an important new link and means of transport for auxin：PILS proteins(蛋白质)．PILS proteins are vital for auxin-dependent plant growth and adjust the intracellular(细胞内的)storage of the hormone．It is exactly this compartmentalizing(分类)of auxin that seems functionally important for the various developmental processes．

　　Higher auxin levels at the right moment and in the right place result in better growth and greater harvest．Better adjustment of auxin levels would make plants grow more efficiently．The researchers hope to contribute to the development of more efficient growing processes by continuing to sort out auxin transport processes．

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　　The Gunpowder Plot was conspiracy(阴谋)to kill King James I, as well as the members of the House of Lords and Commons at the re-opening of Parliament．It was designed by a group of Catholics in protest against the anti-Catholic laws that were being introduced by the king．

　　Robert Catesby was the leader of the group．It was he and his cousin, Thomas Wintour, and two other friends, Thomas Percy and John Wright, who formed the center of the group．They were joined by nine more men; among them was Guy Fawkes, from the city of York in the north of England．

　　Fawkes found a store room directly under the House of Lords and rented it out under the false name of John Johnson．The conspirators stored thirty-six barrels of gunpowder there, and Fawkes, who was an explosives expert, was to light the fuses(引信)on 5th November 1605．

　　The plot failed because one of the conspirators, Francis Tresham, sent a letter to his relative, who was a member of the House of Lords．The letter warned him not to attend the opening ceremony of Parliament．The letter was passed on to the authorities, who took action．

　　Guy Fawkes was found in the cellar on the night of 4th November with the thirty-six barrels and a number of fuses．He was imprisoned and ill-treated, eventually giving away the names of the conspirators．

　　Soldiers of the king surrounded Holbeach House, in the Midlands, where they knew the conspirators to be hiding．In the fight that followed, four of them were shot dead, including Catesby and Percy, who were actually killed by the same bullet．The others were imprisoned and hanged along with Guy Fawkes on 31st January 1606．

　　These days, on 5th November, children all over Britain celebrate Guy Fawkes Night by building huge bonfires and lighting fireworks．It's a family tradition and an occasion to eat potatoes baked by the flames．There is always a 'guy' on top of the fire, a model of Guy Fawkes, dressed in the clothes of the 17th century．

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　　As a preteen in New York, Whitney Johnson volunteered at soup kitchens and delivered clothes to the homeless．While at college, she started an English-language tutoring program for immigrant children．No one was surprised, then, when she chose to volunteer in an orphanage in Khayelitsha, one of South Africa's poorest areas, during her junior year abroad．

　　At the orphanage, Johnson discovered most of the children infected with HIV at birth, many abandoned by parents too sick to care for them, or neglected by surviving relatives．Few were receiving the care needed to stay healthy．Many died．When she left, all she wanted to do was go back and change what she had seen．

　　After graduation, Johnson began a fund-raising effort that eventually collected enough money to found UBA, a nonprofit organization intended to provide services for HIV-positive(阳性的)kids aged 4 to 18 in Khayelitsha．Now UBA is housed in a church big enough for offices and the children．The staff includes counselors(咨询师), a social worker, a nurse, a cook, and a handful of volunteers, ensuring that each child has access to proper care, a free healthy meal, and emotional support．Once a week, she makes sure the children receive age-appropriate lessons about AIDS．The social worker sees to it that the kids are enrolled(注册)in school and have safe living conditions－especially those without parents．

　　Johnson plans to soon relocate UBA to an even larger location with more medical staff and a field“so the kids can run around and just feel like kids．" She's also working with the South African Department of Health so that the new center can distribute drugs and give blood tests．

　　"Many people think that HIV means death, but it doesn't," Johnson says．"There's so much that can be done．" In the five years since the center opened, not one of the 200 kids in the program has died．“It's so emotional to see the strong, independent people they become．" One teenage girl who had received help at UBA even announced that she wanted to become a nurse．

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　　Once many years ago, I pulled a family out of a burning car somewhere in Wyoming．Last week I received a telephone call from a woman who could not stop crying as she told me that one of my stories had saved her son from committing suicide．In closing she called me a hero．

　　That got me thinking about what a hero is．Was I a hero because I pulled a family from a burning car? If so, how could I be a hero just because I wrote a story that saved someone's life?

　　Today I decided to look up the word "hero" in the dictionary to see exactly what it meant．It read "a person who does．something brave"．As I read on, it also said "a person who is good and noble "．

　　That statement impressed me more than the part about being brave．So I thought about something very important．Say I was walking into the local Wal-Mart Store and I happened to open, and hold the door for someone as a courtesy．As they passed me by, I say, "How are you today?" Most of the time that would be no big deal, but this time let's say it was for someone who was deeply depressed and near the end of the rope．That may have very well been the only kindness or courtesy shown to them in a very long time．

　　Having been near "the end of my rope", after my marriage of twenty years ended, I was in such a condition．I was within hours trying to get enough courage to end the pain and misery．When I returned home, someone had sent me a card in the mail which told me how much they would appreciate me as a friend．That wonderful card probably saved my life．That person, without even knowing it, saved a life and became a hero．

　　Gee, who would have ever thought that anyone can become a hero, and possibly save a life just by being kind and courteous to others? The best part of all is that becoming a hero is free to all who wish to wear such an honor．

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　　Is this a car? Is it a smart phone? Is it a gaming machine?

　　Yes to all three．The Toyota Fun-Vii is a pleasure palace on wheels．

　　If Toyota has its way, paint jobs could become a thing of the past, because it has introduced an amazing car that can change its whole look in an instant．

　　The Vii in Fun-Vii, which stands for “Vehicle, Interactive,

　　Internet” It is a small three-seater car that looks like a smart phone, so it is called a smart phone on wheels．Inside and out, most aspects of the car can interact(互相作用)with the internet and be controlled by a smart phone．The magical car allows the owners to download pictures from their phones onto the outside, so that the look of the car could be changed instantly．The color inside could also be changed to reflect the owner's mood．Just as the company president Akio Toyoda said, "A car must appeal to our emotions．If it's not fun, it's not a car．"

　　Its outside and inside are not made of solid paint but touch screens that can display pictures and videos．A network update function downloads all the latest software to make sure the car is always up-to-date, and it can provide the latest entertainment as well as information about its surroundings to the driver．As you drive around, the thoughtful car allows you to communicate with your friends in the nearby cars．It also helps you find your way from one place to another．It's all because the car is networked with all the other cars on the road and drives itself．The smart car is a practical, family sized vehicle fuelled by hydrogen, and it is one of the futuristic concept cars under the theme of "fun to drive, again"．It heralds(预示)a not-too-distant future where people, cars and society are linked．

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　　Could you identify a maple tree, recognize different insects, or correctly distinguish a tortoise from a soft-shell turtle(鳖)? If the answer is yes, then it's likely that you're old enough to have had a childhood where screens and electronic toys weren't the main free-time activities．If the answer is no, then maybe you're young enough to count among a generation now supposed to be suffering from nature-deficit disorder(大自然缺失症)．

　　Relating to contemporary children and young people, nature-deficit disorder refers to the increasing tendency to spend very little time outdoors in the open countryside．This suggests that today's kids have little access to nature in the way that their parents did, instead spending most of their spare time inside．21st century kids are more likely to watch TV or play on computers．Even if they do participate in a physical activity, it's very likely to be some kind of organized sport under the watchful eye of adults, rather than wandering through the countryside unsupervised．

　　Though this might just appear to be a general observation on the way technology has changed childhood, nature-deficit disorder goes beyond a simple lack of exposure to the countryside．This is more like an illness, with symptoms which might include sadness, boredom and loneliness．

　　The expression "nature-deficit disorder" was coined in 2005 by American author Richard Louv．The term comes from his bestselling book on the same topic entitled Last Child in the Woods－saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, which inspired a movement that campaigned to reconnect young people with the natural environment, as exposure to nature is a key factor in healthy child development．

　　As well as electronic entertainment, causes of nature-deficit disorder include parental fears about traffic and strangers, health and safety rules, and laws against catching wild animals and collecting wild flowers．

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　　London has already hosted the Olympics twice before and the 2012 Olympics will make it the first city in history to have held three Olympic games．

　　These games were going to be held in Rome but, because of a volcano, Rome wasn't ready．London agreed to stage the games and the White City Olympic Stadium was built in just 10 months．What was new at these Olympics was the opening ceremony where athletes paraded(列队行进)with their teams behind their national flags．Only 22 countries took part and the profits were just over ￡21,000!

　　Because of the Second World War, the 1944 Olympics were cancelled．Four years later the war was over and London was able to hold the Games in 1948．Things were very different in London during these Olympic Games and many years of war had left the UK poor and hungry．People called them the "Austerity Games"．But there were still some great sports and some exciting events!

　　59 countries took part, more than at any other Olympics before and the USA won the most medals with 84．For the first time, cameras filmed the games and broadcast them on television so that people could watch them in their own homes．

　　The Games this year are going to be bigger, better and more exciting than ever before．There will be more than 10,000 athletes from 204 countries taking part!

　　London wants to make sure that the benefits of the Olympics don't just last for a few weeks in summer but go on much longer．The buildings have been designed and constructed so that they can be used for different things when the Games are over．

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　　Teofilo Stevenson was born in 1952 and grew up in a small town in Cuba．He started boxing as a teenager and, when he was 13, went to Havana to train at the national sports complex．"I lost 14 of my first 20 fights," said Stevenson．"I hated getting hit．What happened was that I decided I hated losing even more．"

　　When he was just 20, Teofilo went to the Olympic Games in Germany and won a gold medal．He was tall and powerful with a long "reach"．His long arms could hit opponents(对手)before they could hit him．At the Games in Canada in 1976 he won the gold again．In the ring, boxers were afraid of Teofilo, they tried to stay away from him and not get too close to his powerful punches(拳)．He won another gold medal in Moscow in 1980．Only two of the fights he had at the Olympic Games lasted for the full three rounds．That means he either knocked his opponents to the floor and they were counted out or the referee stopped the fight because it was dangerous for the other boxer．

　　Stevenson was such a good boxer that people wanted him to turn professional．After he had won his first gold medal, managers and famous promoters started to offer him money to fight around the world．Teofilo turned them all down．He wanted to stay in Cuba and didn't want to fight for money or fame．

　　Lots of people think that Teofilo Stevenson was as good as the famous boxer Muhammad Ali, but the two fighters never fought each other．They did meet outside the ring and the two men are now friends．Teofilo thinks "it would have been a draw" if they had fought．

　　Teofilo now works for the Cuban Ministry of Sport and he is also the vice president of the Cuban Boxing Federation．He likes spending his time with his family and he is still regarded as a legend(传奇)around the world．

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