Evolution.

In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five fays off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I'd hitch a ride (搭便车).

I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn't give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured (使……放心)me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.

Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favour I'd been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.

After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven't changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.” I couldn't remember where I'd met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.

    Many facts suggest that children are overweight (超重的) and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.

    Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food.

    There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives.

    There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime (消遣), it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food. What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.

    The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.

    We know that St. Patrick's Day festivities may include a little bit of drinking. But there are plenty of kid-safe St. Patrick's Day events around metro Phoenix, too. Here are the lucky St. Patrick's Day celebrations for kids.

    3/17: Lucky St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

    Kids can make their own treats at the Children's Museum of Phoenix this St. Patrick's Day. Children can make and decorate their cupcakes with rainbow candies and chocolate. To-go containers will also be provided.

    Details: 1-3 p.m. Friday, March 1. Children's Museum of Phoenix, 215 N.7^th Street, Phoenix. $ 3 for members. $ 4 for non-members. 602-253-0501.

    3/17-19: Fountain O' Green Artisan Market

    This community festival will include sculptures, paintings, handcrafted jewelry and clothes from selected local and regional artists, live music and dance performances throughout the weekend. There will also be a food court.

    On Friday, emerald-colored water will shoot from the town's fountain at noon. Take the kids to see the annual tradition and picnic in the park.

    Details: 10 a.m.-5 p.m, Friday-Sunday, March 17-19.Avenue of the Fountains and Saguaro Boulevard, Fountain Hills. Free. 480-488-2014.

    3-17: St. Patrick's Day Party at AZ Air Time

    Kids above 12 years old can collect their free, green glow necklaces and jump for three hours, scale the rock climbing wall or dive into the giant pit of foam（泡沫橡胶）. Jump socks required.

Details: 8-11p.m. Friday, March 17. AZ Air Time, 13802 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 145, Scottsdale. $15, which is a $14 savings. 480-427-2000.

    While you might not realize it, the environment where you sleep can make a great difference in the actual quality of sleep that you get every night. With a few simple lifestyle changes, you can create a healthy sleep environment that helps improve your sleep quality.

    Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends, holidays and days off. Studies show that people who do so are more rested than those who sleep irregularly (不规律地).

    Go to sleep only when you start to feel sleepy. If you don't fall asleep within about 15 minutes, get up and do something relaxing. Go back to bed when you are tired.

    Pay attention to what you eat and drink. Don't go to bed either hungry or stuffed. Your discomfort might keep you up. Avoid caffeine (咖啡因) 6 hours before you sleep. Having a cup of coffee within a few hours of bed time can keep you awake for hours when you are trying to sleep. Coffee isn't the only product containing caffeine. Avoid chocolate and tea, too. Also limit (限制) how much you drink before bed to prevent trips to the toilet at night.

    Many people turn on the TV before they go to bed. TV influences your natural sleep habits by making you stay up longer than you usually would, especially if you are watching something exciting. Instead of turning on the TV, read a book. Light reading before bed can help you fall into a deep sleep quickly.

    If you suffer from serious sleep problems, go to your doctor. Your doctor will help treat the problem or may advise you to see a sleep specialist.

    Some people say summer is the time when teachers should get more pay. But not everyone is grateful to teachers for keeping kids occupied (无空闲的) between August and June: Washington state representative Liz Pike has written a Facebook post, titled "A life in the day of a WA state representative," and responded to teachers' complaints of rising costs of living. The post has received criticism for being anti-teacher. After reading her post, I feel that Liz Pike should rethink her criticism of public school teaching and avoid comparing it to the private school.

    Many of us teachers would certainly like teaching to be more like the private school. We see nothing wrong with fair pay for fair performance. In fact, performance is the name of the game. With standardized testing popular throughout K-12 education, teachers are some of the most analyzed and performance-measured employees in the United States. Liz Pike is very angry that teachers want raises even while test scores are dropping. Well, how are we supposed to have discipline (纪律) in the classroom when our hands are tied and we can hardly do anything with naughty students or fail students who are not prepared to move on to the next grade?

    Teachers would love to be able to turn education around and improve student performance. But we can't, and we should not suffer for it. Unlike private school businesses, public schools cannot turn away "customers". A private school business serves customers who walk through the door of their own free will, while public schools have to educate students who only attend because courts say they must.

    She says those who are "uninspired" by a lack of a cost of living increase should give up teaching. Is this the message that she thinks should be sent to the students whose academic performance she claims (声称) to care so much about? That "if you love it you'll shut up and not stand up for yourself"? I think teachers should stand up for themselves and I also think supporting teachers can make teachers teach children how to stand up for themselves.

    A scientist once said: "I have concluded that the earth is being visited by intelligently controlled vehicles from outer space."

    If we take this as a reasonable explanation for UFOs (unidentified flying objects), questions immediately come up.

    "Why don't they get in touch with us, then? Why don't they land right on the White House lawn and declare themselves?" people asked.

In reply, scientists say that, while this may be what we want, it may not necessarily be what they want.

    "The most likely explanation, it seems to me," said Dr. Mead, "is that they are simply watching what we are up to—that responsible society outside our solar system is keeping an eye on us to see that we don't cause a chain reaction that might have unexpected effects for the outside of our solar system."

    Opinions from other scientists might go like this: "Why should they want to get in touch with us? We may feel we're more important than we really are! They may want to observe us only and not interfere(干涉) with the development of our civilization. They may not care if we see them but they also may not care to say 'hello'."

    Some scientists have also suggested that Earth is a kind of zoo or wildlife reserve. Just as we set aside wilderness areas and wildlife reserves to allow animals and growing things to develop naturally while we observe them. So perhaps Earth was set aside ages ago for the same purpose.

    Are we being observed by intelligent beings from other civilizations in the universe? Are they watching our progress in space travel? Do we live in a huge "zoo" observed by our "keepers," but having no communication with them?

    Never before in our history have we had to face ideas bravely like these. The simple fact is that we, who have always regarded ourselves as supreme in the universe, may not be so. Now we have to recognize that, among the stars in the heavens, there may very well be worlds lived by beings who are to us as we are to ants.