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A tenth or even one hundredth of a second in many sports makes the difference between winning and coming in second, which is why today`s athletes don`t rely on just muscles or skill -- they`ve added digital technology to their training. Athletes improve their performance using digital devices that measure everything from their heartbeat to the oxygen in their blood. Trainers use computers to track an athlete`s progress and analyze factors that could shave seconds off their finish time. Golfers have sensors attached to key parts of their body to study and perfect their swing. The digital revolution in sports doesn`t end there. Think what you might be able to improve -- a basketball shot, a tennis serve, or your running motion -- if you could perfect your body mechanics using a computer`s help.


Say that you are walking down a path and come upon a huge rock blocking your path. What would you do? Too many people choose to turn back, then use that as their excuse for not being able to live the life they want. It`s those rare few who make the decision to learn how to rock climb. Those are the mega-successful who not only surmount the obstacle in front of them, but in so doing gain the skill and confidence to climb any mountain they want to. What are you seeing as an obstacle in your life right now? Remember, "For the unprepared loser, the obstacle is a stumbling block. For the prepared victor, it is but a stepping stone."


The atmospheric layer where we live is known as the troposphere and extends from the surface of the Earth up to about six miles. Ozone in this layer is a bad pollutant. Ozone is a major component of urban smog and damages human health, vegetation, and many common materials like rubber, cloth, and paint. But in the upper atmosphere, ozone protects us from the more severe forms of the sun`s radiation. The region of the atmosphere in which ozone is most concentrated is known as the ozone layer, which lies from about 10 to 20 miles above the Earth. Because ozone absorbs certain wavelengths of harmful ultraviolet radiation, this layer acts as an important protection for life on the Earth.


Bacteria suffer from negative public relations. You probably associate bacteria with the three D`s: dirt, disease, and death. And indeed, for centuries bacterial infections were the major cause of infant and child mortality worldwide. While it is true that bacteria are responsible for a large number of human diseases, not all bacteria are bad, and some could make a really positive contribution to your health. Our digestive system contains millions of bacteria that live in a delicate balance with one another. This includes beneficial bacteria that have the upper hand in a healthy digestive system and act as natural defenders to the body`s immune system. This is vital for good health and well=being, and in a healthy person you could expect to find up ;to 1kg of friendly bacteria living together5 in perfect balance.


It is a geological fact that there is only so much oil in the ground and, if we keep pumping it out, then, some day, it will all be gone. At the present rate of world oil consumption, it is estimated that the last barrel will be pumped in the year 2037. Cleary we need alternatives to oil. One such alternative already exists. Ethanol is a fuel made from grains. While ethanol can be made from corn, wheat, soy beans, or sugar beets, almost 90% of the ethanol produced in the United States is made from corn. Ethanol is produced by taking the starch portion of the corn and fermenting it. The fermented starch is then distilled into ethanol. The excess water is removed so the resulting ethanol is every pure -- 200 proof.


Adults often use "please" to soften the impact of a direct order, saying, "Please hurry or you`ll be late for school," or Please turn off the TV and start your book report now." Children often abuse the "please" and rebel against the order. That, in turn, infuriates most parents. What is worse, some children use the "please formula" to make their own demands: "Mom, you have to take me to the store now, please. I said 'puhleeze,' didn`t I?" Since there are so many other options for engaging cooperation, I suggest you save "please" for a situation in which you have little emotional investment and merely wish to model a common courtesy, for xample, "Please pass the bread."


When she was left abandoned, he came to her rescue, serving as a guide and shielding her against monsters. Then, he showered her with gifts of a magic wand and beautiful clothing as well as taught her survival skills. One thing led to another, and the two got married. Fairy tale? Yes, but it is only half of the story. Here is the other half. Jenny Thompson, 30, played the wretched girl in the fairy tale. Her savior was Jerry Chang, 31. The two first met in an online role-playing game, without really knowing each other. That cyber relationship blossomed into a real-life romance that ended in marriage in about two months after they encountered through the online game.


There is a reason why we should not neglect or scorn contemporary fiction. The best imaginative literature at any time represents the growing points of its age. In the literature of an age, its conflicts, tendencies, and obsessions are uncovered and made manifest. Good writers reveal the deeper stirrings of the life of their time while they are still unknown to the public, politicians, and current received opinion.

Contemporary novels are the mirror of the age, but a very special kind of mirror, a mirror that reflects not merely the external features of the age but also its inner face, its nervous system, the coursing of its blood, and the unconscious conflicts which sway it.


I am passionate about the game of golf. I have played it most of my life and have spent much time trying to figure out what I find so intriguing about getting a small white ball into a small dark hole. Part of the reason is the range of emotions a round of golf can bring out and the complex array of personality traits it reveals. I have often said that I can tell more about how someone is likely to tract in a business situation from one round of golf than I can from a hundred hours of meetings. Maybe golf shows more directly the psyche than other games and situations. It`s astonishing how so simple a game can reveal so much.


Men tend to regard the success at work as that of their lives--they take the workday home. On the other hand, women tend to take their home to work. The less stress a woman feels at home, the less likely she is to feel stress on the job. It`s easy to see how one partner`s stress can affect the other. If a man is suffering negative stress with no relief, he will probably have less quality time for his family. The tension in the home may increase as a result of the man`s stress, leading to stress on the wife. In turn, she may take that stress to work and be less productive, causing her male subordinate extra stress, which he will then take home.


A church realized the importance of humility, so it formed a committee to fine the most humble person in the church. Many names were submitted and numerous candidates evaluated. Finally the committee came to a unanimous decision. They selected a quiet little man who always lived in the background and had never taken credit for anything he had done. They awarded him the "Most Humble" button for his faithful service. However, the next day they had to take it away from him because he wore it.


Many plants have very sensitive biological clocks which regulate their routine. Some flowers close up at night with such predictability that you can use them to tell time. Flowers bloom because the inside of a petal grows faster than the outside. This is timed so that flowers are open during the hours when the greatest number of pollinating insects are available. Plants can do more than tell the time of day. They can also figure out what time of year it is. Day length is a critical signal to stimulate flowering. They measure the length of day and night in order to know the best time to bloom. So next time you lose track of the time, join those clock watchers--the plants.


A suspension bridge has huge steel cables hanging over the two main towers and the roadway (sometimes called the deck) is hung from small cables which hang down from the main cable. Suspension bridges are a good way to span a wide gap because they need only two support towers. These towers are usually on lan or in the shallow water near the shore. Strong cables, which extend from one end of the bridge to the other, hang between the two towers. The ends of the cables are attached to concrete anchor blocks on land. Small vertical cables, called stringers, hang down and hold the roadway in place.


Why is it hard to pull a wooden block over a table top? The surface of the block and the surface of the table rub against each other. These surfaces may seem smooth, but they are really full of tiny bumps and pits. Although they are tiny, microscopically, they`re very rough. The bumps and pits are still large enough so that bumps on one surface can slide into a pit on the other surface. So when one surface slides over the other, they grind and rub. They grab and let go and grab again. This grinding and rubbing causes the force that resists motion, the force of friction.


Our brains play an important part in how we perceive objects. For example, take a look at the picture on the left and describe what you see. You will see rows of crooked lines with a distorted checkerboard pattern in them. And the lines look wider at one end than the other. Although barely believable, all these lines are straight and parallel to one another. Why do they appear to be crooked? It is an example of an optical illusion. The placement of the alternating dark and light squares tricks our eyes into seeing the horizontal lines as crooked.


A rich man saw a farmer with a beautiful white horse. He told the man that he would give him $500 for the horse. The farmer replied, "Idon`t know, mister, it doesn`t look so good," and tried to walk away. The rich man bade $1j,000, but the poor man refused in the same way. Finally, offering $2,000, the rich man said he wouldn`t take no for an answer The farmer agreed, and the rich man took the horse home. When he arrived home he realized the horse was almost blind. So he rushed back to the farmer`s house and demanded his money back. The farmer was confused and replied, "But I told you the horse doesn`t look so good--but you still bought it."


As a chaplain in a university residence hall, I am supposed to uphold all of the school rules, which include a ban on pets. That changed, however, when I was given a kitten as a gift. The freshmen in my dorm kept my secret. They covered for me by calling my kitten "the Book," since I had so many in my room. One morning I was leaving the 애그 with the kitten in a carrier. A student stopped me and asked, "Where are you taking the Book?" I explained that I was taking the kitten to the vet. "She`s getting neutered today," I told him. "Hmm," the student responded, "no sequels,"


The summer holidays are approaching, and once again, students are competing with one another to see who can plan the toughest and most dangerous foreign trip the summer. But travellers` tales should be taken with a pinch of salt. Everyone loves to exaggerate and embellish to make things sound better. If you say you did a bungee jump of 44 meters in Queensland, someone will say they did one of 98 meters at Victoria Falls. If you say you got diarrhea, they will say they had amoebic dysentery or malaria. Part of the fun of travelling in your teens and twenties is the telling of tales afterwards. It`s part of the rite of passage from child to adult, and there`s nothing wrong with that.


I had my four-year old granddaughter, Jenny, with me while I was shopping for a swimsuit. We sorted through different sections of the rack and soon she selected a swimsuit for me. "Grandma, here is one for you," she proudly stated. "Oh no, Jenny," I said as I looked at the somewhat skimpy bikini she held up. "Grandma needs a one piece." "Okay, Grandma," she replied as she separated the top from the bottom, "which piece do you want?"


At forty-two, Erdman joined Revlon as senior director of marketing. But after only seven months, she was let go as part of a cutback. "It was as if somebody had punched me in the nose," she says. A month later, a publishing friend asked for advice on selling advertising to the beauty industry. Two and one-half years later, working out of her apartment, Erdman is now supplying that advice to major clients at roughly the same income she earned at Revlon. She is much busier than before but she likes being her own boss. "Getting laid off forces you to be creative," she says. "It lights a fire under you."


Although supporters of the polygraph, the machine that detects lying, claim an accuracy rate around 90 percent, many critics say the number is closer to 60 percent. The problem is that despite the name "lie detector," the machine is not really designed to detect lies. To make up for the polygraph`s weaknesses, scientists are working on a new type of lie detector that focuses on lying itself. It makes use of stress, such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing patterns, and sweating. What a polygraph test does is record the stress levels caused by different types of questions, some seemingly harmless and some more challenging. However, feelings of stress do not guarantee that someone is lying; a truth-telling individual who is anxious about the test can receive a positive result.


The art of reading what`s in a face is an old one. As early as 2000 BC Babylonian diviners were interpreting the meaning of a newborn`s head for the benefit of society at large. The tendency to leap to conclusions based solely on a person`s face was turned into an art form in the 17th century, when divining someone`s personality by their facial characteristics became a popular pastime. People would read the moles on a face or the lines in a forehead and then make a character assessment. But it must be remembered that what is beautiful in a society or culture can be the opposite in another. In the 19th century a popular science was hrenology:
the diagnosis of a person`s mental ability according to the shape of their skull and face.


The main tactics the casinos employ to stop people from leaving are relatively straightforward. The absence of windows or clocks is designed to make customers forget what the time is. The free food and drinks are served to ensure that customers never want to leave to get something to eat or drink. And the drinks are alcoholic, helping to weaken people`s judgment, making them more likely to carry on gambling even when they are losing. But some sensible customers leave the casinos immediately when they have used up the available cash in their wallet. Also, the exits in casinos are made as difficult as possible to find--the owners hope that in the time taken trying to find a way out, customers will be tempted to lay just one more bet.


Amazon.com was one of the first sites to take advantage of the Internet`s computing power to allow consumers to search easily for any book in print, read thousands of reviews, and make purchases with a few clicks of a mouse. Customers` shipping and credit card information are stored securely after their first purchase. Subsequent purchases require only a single click to send the requested titles on their way. E-mail confirmations are sent to customers, and shipping is often upgraded for free. The shipping system is currently undergoing a significant change 엳 새 the development of the transport industry. Amazon was also the first commercial site to develop the technology necessary to analyze a customer`s purchases and make recommendations for other books.


The modern university has, in various ways, become a highly irrational place. Many students and faculty members are governed by its huge, factory-like atmosphere. They may feel like automatons processed by the bureaucracy and computers, or even cattle run through a meat-processing plant. The masses of students and large, impersonal 애근 make getting to know other students difficult. The huge lecture classes make it virtually impossible to know professors personally. The intimate contact between professors and students is now being made through various kinds of educational activities. Grades may be derived from a series of machine-graded multiple-choice exams and posted impersonally, often by social security number rather than name.


No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2,000 years, though Pompeii was once a busy city of 22,000 people. Pompeii lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano. Mount Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe, but they were not safe. In August of the year 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii, and then came a cloud of poisonous gas. When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ash. Almost all of its people were dead.



The Big Bang Theory proposes that the universe was once extremely compact, dense, and hot A cosmic explosion called the big bang occurred about 10 billion to 20 billion years ago, and the universe has since been expanding and cooling. The theory is based on the mathematical equations, known as the field equations, of the general theory of relativity set forth by Albert Einstein. Russian physicist Alexander Friedmann provided a set of solutions to the field equations. These solutions have served as the framework for much of the current theoretical work on the big bang theory. American astronomer Edwin Hubble provided some of the greatest supporting evidence for the theory with this discovery. According the discovery, the light of distant galaxies is universally shifted toward the red end of the spectrum.



Acupuncture has helped millions of people, not only in Asia, but all over the world. People say that acupuncture works. But how does it work? One explanation of how acupuncture works is thousands of years old. The ancient Chinese, who were the first to use acupuncture, believed that energy flowed through the human body. They thought that sometimes too much energy--or too little energy--flowed to one part of the body, which caused pain or sickness. There were, however, several hundred plces on the body where an acupuncturist could change the flow of energy. Those places were called acupuncture points. A needle inserted into an acupuncture point on a patient`s leg, for example, changed the flow of energy to the patient`s stomach. When the energy flowed correctly again, the patient would feel better.



Every year on the first day of summer, the sun rises at a point that is farther north than on any other day of the year. At the ruins of Stonehenge in England, this solstice sunrise appears on the horizon in direct alignment with the massive heel stone. This is the most outstanding feature of this ancient monument built during the same era as the Great Pyramid of Egypt. There is little doubt that the builders of Stonehenge used it to mark this special day as the beginning of each year. By counting the number of days between these annual alignments, they could determine the length of the year. This could serve as a practical calendar to mark holidays and seasonal festivals and to ensure the timely planting and harvesting of crops.



Making friends was, in fact, the purpose of the trip. The trip was planned by The Friendship Force, an international organization that promotes world peace. The Friendship Force believes that people who are friends will not fight wars.　So, to help people from all over the world become friends, it organizes exchanges of people. The U.S.-Russian exchange was one of the largest exchanges it has ever organized. The Friendship Force sect 300 Americans to Russia and 300 Russians to the United States. The Russians, like the Americans, prepared for their visit by learning about life in the other country. Still, they, too, experienced a little culture shock.


The humble tomato, the scientific name of which is Lycopersicon esculentum(Latin for edible wolf`s peach), has become one of humanity`s most ubiquitous crops..

In the United States alone, around 20 million families go through a yearly ritual every spring: planting tomato starts in suburban plots, apartment window boxes, and inner-city gardens. Few of these hobbyists probably know that their beloved varieties such as Ultra Boys or Early Cascades are the direct descendants of an obscure weed from the Andes. Fewer still probably appreciate that research has demonstrated this ancient fruit to be a potential treasure-trove of disease fighting nutrients.


Although stretching is very healthy for you, there are some "dos and don`ts" of stretching. You should try to stretch at least three times a week. Each stretch should continue for 10 to 30 seconds, For example, when you touch your toes, try to hold this stretch for up to 30 seconds. Each stretch should be repeated four times. Another tip is, don`t bounce when you stretch. Bouncing can pull or tear your muscles. Instead, stretching should be a smooth movement. Finally, you shouldn`t stretch immediately after walking into a gym or waking up in the morning. Wait until your body has warmed up before stretching.


Many technological benefits resulted from cross-cultural interaction. One example of these was the magnetic compass.
Invented in China around 900 A.D., the magnetic compass spread across the Indian Ocean and reached Europe by the mid-12th century. Soon it was used throughout the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Before that, sailing was dangerous; with the compass, sailors could travel more safely and cover greater distances than before.
Refined sugar is another example of the technological benefits of cross-cultural exchange. European travelers discovered the technology for creating crystallized sugar Muslims developed and brought it back to Europe.


" It was love at first sight." It`s always exciting to hear those words. But do people really believe in love at first sight?

We asked 80 Americans this question--38 men and 42 women. Twenty-six people (32%) said they believed in love at first sight; Fifty-four(68%)said they didn`t.
Next, we wanted to find out who believed in love at first sight and who didn`t. We were surprised to find that both younger and older people believed they could fall in love in a few short seconds. What was the more interesting thing we learned in our study? More men believed in love at first sight than women: 44% of the men believed in this kind of love, while only 27% of the women did.


It is worthwhile to stress that the line between philosophy and science is not fixed. Some philosophical questions eventually turned into scientific questions once the appropriate scientific methodology was developed.

For example, the question "Is there life on Mars?" is now clearly a scientific question, but used to be a philosophical one. Similarly, the question "Are computers able to think?" is currently a philosophical question, but it might turn into a scientific question for cognitive science. However, most classical questions, like the question of whether God exists, appear to be such that it is difficult to imagine that they can be answered with the help of any scientific procedures.


As you know, the Richmond Small Business Network had experienced unprecedented growth in the last three years. Much of that growth is due to you and your business colleagues. So we`d like to invite you to the Richmond Reception for Small Business Leaders and take the opportunity to show our appreciation. The reception will be held at the historic Parisian Room of the Freemont Hotel. We will begin the festivities at 5:30 p.m on October 11. Entertainment will be provided by the Jazz Ensemble. Light snacks will be provided. Drinks are at guests` own expense. Free parking is available at the Schooner Garage, located on the corner of Schooner and 5th Street. Please call 534-1231 for directions.


Thank you for your kind e-mail about our boutique going out of business. Yes, I`m afraid the rumors are true. We will be closing our doors officially on the last Sunday of this month. Since the new shopping mall opened nearby, it has been very difficult for us to compete with them. The good news is that we will be having a liquidation sale next Saturday. All of our dresses and suits, including those from our new spring line, will be marked down to 50% off. Our goal is to sell 90% of our stock before we close, so please stop by to see our great selection. Thank you for supporting our business over the past ten years. You have always been one of our most valuable customers.


Jason Hill has worked as an employee of this firm for the last 2 years. I have worked with Jason over the past 12 months, and was his project supervisor for eight months of these. Jason produced work of a consistently high standard and, in particular, was extremely helpful to his colleagues in assisting with their computer problems. He maintained an exemplary attendance record, and was always punctual, indeed, often arriving early for work in order to better prepare himself. He completed work on, or ahead of schedule, and was always a leader in group projects. We are very sorry to lose him, but I am confident that he will quickly adapt himself to a new work environment. Please don`t hesitate to contact me if you have any question.


Non-profit agencies around the city demonstrated today in front of Brisco Services. Over 100 people took part in the planned event to express their frustration at high property prices. They claim that large companies, which are able to pay skyrocketing rents, are pushing real estate pried out of control. Community service organizations and other non-profit groups, who often aren`t able to pay the rents, may be forced to leave the city. They warn that they won`t able to provide the necessary services to those people who need them the most. The agencies are asking some of the most profitable companies to work with them in developing creative solutions. The agencies claim that their services benefit Brisco and the community.


My wife and I have read your publications, and they have affected our lifestyle significantly. We are very careful about the products we buy and try to recycle whatever is usable. In addition, I`ve given up smoking and have resolved to try to convince other to quit that unhealthy habit as well. My wife and I both feel strongly that our natural environment will be saved only if more and more people change their lifestyles. That`s why we would like to be volunteers for Save the Earth. Please sen us an application form and information explaining your organization`s needs. We can each contribute approximately ten hours of our time a week. We are interested in helping your cause. We look forward to hearing from you.


Susie sat on the shelf in the store, a layer of dust coating her body. She wanted to cry as she watched all the other toys go home. She had been in the store for a long time and everyone had forgotten about her. Susie was once a beautiful doll with bright yellow thread for hair and big blue eyes. Her once pretty blue dress was in bad need of washing. She longed to go home with a special little girl and be loved and cherished but nobody eve looked at her when they came into the store. It was because she was missing an arm and nobody had ever bothered to sew it back on.


The rain finally stops. The air is clear and everything looks just a little bit greener than usual. I spend most of my time going around the lake. A carpet of soft moss surrounds a huge old oak tree. The moss leads up to the bush where I constructed my hide-away. Small wild animals are always coming or going and don`t seem to be bothered by me. The little brown rabbits live in a burrow just around the bend of the small path. I bring them carrots, leaf lettuce, and radishes. They try to get in the gardens, managing to burrow under the gate and eat almost everything.


I do not use birth control because it is against my religion. I could let other people take care of my children, but I will not allow it. When my two younger brothers and I were babies, our nother left us at an orphanage and never returned. We lived there together until I was five. Then a couple adopted my brothers, and I was left behind. I was heartbroken. I promised myself that when I became a mother, I would never give my children away. Even if I didin`t have much money, I would always take care of my children myself.


I`m Bill McKibben, an environmentalist. I believe the Earth is threatened by overpopulation. The problem is not lack of space. The entire world population could fit into Texas and each person could still have an area equal to the floor space ;of the typical U.S. house. The problem is consumption. That is people are using so much more of the Earth`s resources than their ancestors did. This consumption does damage to the environment, mainly by polluting the atmosphere with toxic gases. I think that persuading people to consume less is hopeless. It would be easier to convince them to have only two children. In this sense, I believe that couples should limit their family size not by force, but by choice.


Mr. Brown was chief of police. His police department solved most of the crimes in Idaville, true enough. The hardest cases, however, Chief Brown brought home and his son Encyclopedia solved them while eating dinner. Whenever he was asked about his success, he quickly spoke of many things, but of solving crimes he spoke not a word. Chief Brown would have liked to announce national television, "My son is the greatest detective I`ve ever seen in my life." But he didn`t announce it. He didn`t even whisper it. What good would it do? 쫴 would believe that the real brain behind Idaville`s war on crime was only ten years old? So people across the country went on thinking that Idaville had the smartest policemen in the world.


Trips to town, whether in daylight or at night, sometimes resulted in embarrassing moments, especially if I were alone. Quite frequently, when I paused at a curb, someone would take my arm and steer me across the street, lifting me bodily up onto the curb on the other side, without asking my permission. They did so with the best intention, naturally, but it was irritating to find myself suddenly sailing across the road, particularly if I was actually intending to head off in another direction. On occasion I was not even certain where I had landed! All blind people have to deal with such situations, and with regret I have to admit that I sometimes overreacted and became quite sharp.


In the beginning of December, the year I was thirteen, my father went bankrupt. That was the year we all made our Christmas presents. I remember looking forward to Christmas more than usual, anxious to know if the muffler I had secretly knitted for my father would please him and how the bracelet I had designed and made from wire would look on Mom. Despite the stress in my family, many presents were on the coffee table as always, only this year wrapped in the sports section of the newspaper and tied with last year`s red ribbons. Among them lay a small wooden box. Even at thirteen, I knew that such a box was not likely to contain something cheap. I looked at it with suspicion My father smiled and said, "It`s for you. Open it." Inside was a pair of gold earrings.


Children who have too many opportunities, choices, scheduled activities, and things to do are often the ones who are the most susceptible to boredom. The reason is that these children are used to be entertained and stimulated virtually every moment of every day. They often rush from activity to activity with little time in-between and have schedules that look almost as full as those of their parents! If something isn`t going on, they feel bored and restless, most desperately to find something to do. Many kids feel they can`t live without a telephone in their hand, a television set or radio playing at virtually every moment, or a computer or video game to entertain them.


The most precious thing in the desert is water. Ordinary non-desert plants take up water from the soil by means of their deep roots and give off water through their leaves. This process is called evaporation. The cactus has no leaves or only very small ones that usually drop off as the plant matures. The cactus thus avoids a huge loss of water. Photosynthesis, the process by which plants make carbohydrates as fuel to meet their energy requirements, occurs on the green surface of the cactus stem. The stem is fleshy and thick and can store a large amount of water. Its tough skin keeps the water safely hoarded. Cactus toots spread out near the surface of the soil, enabling the plant to absorb water from a wide area during the infrequent, light rains that occur in the desert.


The standard of living that Americans enjoy exceeds anything our ancestors dreamed of. But the conveniences of daily life that we are accustomed to have been obtained at a terrible price. In our eagerness to make what we call progress, we have contaminated our rivers and oceans and lakes by emptying the raw sewage from our toilets into them We have aggravated the problem by allowing chemical pesticides and fertilizers used on crops to run off into our water supplies. We have also dumped poisonous chemicals into landfills so that in many places the water lying under the ground endangers the health of those who eventually drink it. As a result, the amount of clean water is diminishing.


Historic extinctions of exploited species seem to have followed a pattern resembling at least some of the prehistoric ones. Hunting has played as important a role in reducing numbers as environmental change has . But the final push over the brink has come from a reduction in some way of the species` ability to adapt. The complexity that may characterize the path leading to extinctions is well illustrated by the most famous historic extinction of all--that of the Passenger Pigeon in North America.


In the United States the way people their leisure time is an important part of their identity Perhaps everybody does nearly the same thing all day in the office or the factory, but leisure time is what makes people distinct and reveals who they are. Some people like rock music, for example, and others may like jazz or classical music. Some people are runners or swimmers, and others surf the television with a remote control. Some go to museums while others spend long hours shopping at a mall. These kinds of choices are ways that people define themselves.


Generally, most of the ancient cosmetic powders, oils, and creams were harmless. But in the name of beauty, some people applied dangerous chemicals and poisons to their skin. During the Italian Renaissance, women wore white powder mad of lead on their faces. Of course, doctors now know lead is like a poison for our bodies. Also around the time of the Renaissance, women in Italy put drops of belladonna in their eyes. Belladonna is a very poisonous plant. By putting belladonna drops in her eyes, a woman`s pupils would become very large. People thought this made her more beautiful. actually, this because the plan is called belladonna. In Italian, belladonna means "beautiful woman."


The development of computers also makes it possible for us to have access to more information via the Internet and databases. consequently, when we research a topic, we don`t necessarily have to go to the library to find information because the computer has many resources. It is easy to use the Internet and databases since all we have to do is type ;in a few key words and wait a few moments. In addition, we can do this research at home, making it convenient for busy students. One more effect of computer technology on higher education is time-saving writing techniques. E-mail assignments are much quicker and easier to finish than before.


Today, many a doctor accepts the traditional medical techniques, which include the use of plants, insects, and a variety of other creatures to prevent or to cure disease. Especially, traditional medicine has been used to help stop the spread of the disease schistosomiasis. People who drink dirty water can get this disease from a small worm which lives in snails found in the water. This is a major medical problem faced by more than 300 million people around the world. One symptom of schistosomiasis is server loss of water. This disease also damages the liver and kills a person if not treated. Through traditional medicine, scientists in Egypt discovered a kind of plant that kills the water snails which carry this disease. Today, this plant is grown near water sources in many Third World countries.


Early one morning on a tiny island in the South Pacific, a coconut hunt sadly from his palm tree. all he wanted was to see the world. The tree kept telling him that he could see everything from his place on the treetop. He could see the ships and more than 300 tropical islands, scattered across the clear blue waters. But the coconut wanted to go to the other islands to roll down the mountains and splash in the rushing rivers. He knew that the exotic animals lived deep in the island rainforests. His friends told him stories of the volcanoes in the center of some of the islands. He felt trapped on his small island.


My mother and father had just left the house to go to the movies. I was baby-sitting my two little sisters when the doorbell rang. I knew that I shoudn`t answer the door bell in any case, but something drew me to open it. I saw a man at the door and said, "Can I help you?" He looked at me and stared, as if he didn`t hear me the first time. I repeated myself several times, but he just stared. I remembered that he might be deaf, and having taken three years of sign language, I signed "can I help you?" He nodded heavily, and then pushed me aside and stepped in. I signed 'Do my parents know you?" He nodded again.


Once upon a time there were two little kids taking a bath. They had gotten lots of chigger bites at the lake so their mom made them a soothing oatmeal bath.
Their mother was doing the dishes while they were relaxing in the bathtub. All of a sudden, a giant opened up the roof to the bathroom and peeked inside. He smelled the warm oatmeal and got himself a spoon. He reached down and scooped up a spoonful of the oatmeal bath. The little boy, Paul, was on the spoon! The giant couldn`t see well, and nor could he hear very well. He didn`t even know the children were there. Maggie yelled, "Jump, Paul!"


A teacher asked her students to name famous Americans in history. One boy replied, "Richard Stans." The teacher was puzzled. She had never heard of Richard Stans. "who is he?" she asked the boy. "I`m not sure," the boy answered, "but he must be very important. Every morning we all stand and face the flag. Then we say, 'I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for Richard Stans.''' The teacher had to laugh. The boy had misunderstood the correct words, which are: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands."


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