The new mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan, is a man of the people, ready to listen to their problems, but only until 6 p.m. Then he has to do his homework. Michael Sessions, 18, beat former mayor Douglas Ingles, 51, by just two votes and became the new mayor of Hillsdale. He is America's youngest mayor.

    As Sessions was too young to enter the election in the spring of 2005, he registered to vote on Sept, 22, one day after his 18-year-old birthday. The day after that he started his write-in campaign, which means he should persuade voters to remember his name and write it by hand on the voting ballots（选票）.

    To help get his name known, Sessions earned＄700 by selling apples over the summer. He spent the money on posters and put them on the Hillsdale's lawns.

    Sessions' month-long campaign included going door to door, explaining his ideas of the town's future in the kitchens of his neighbors. "They'd look at me, and say‘How old are you again? How much experience do you have?' And I say ‘I'm still in high school', " he said. Sessions promised Hillsdale's voters he would renew local economy. “I was hopeful the whole time, ” he explained. One day he spent so long out on the streets knocking on the doors that he ended up in a hospital emergency room.

    Sessions said that his schoolwork will not get in the way of his job as a mayor. “From 7:50 a.m. to 2:30p.m., I'11 be a student. From 3 to 6, I'11 be the mayor of Hillsdale," he said.

    “He did a very brave thing that couldn't have been easy for him to do, "said Jack Vettel, a councilman in Hillsdale, a city of 8,200 about 75 miles southwest of Detroit. "He does care about this town. He's been here all his life.”

    Sessions will receive＄3, 600 a year during this four-year term, and will work out of his bedroom since the town does not provide the mayor with an office.

    Do you sometimes argue about what seems to you to be a simple fact? Do you argue whether it's cold outdoors or whether the car in front of you is going faster than the speed limit (限速)?

    If you get into such arguments, try to think about the story about the six blind men and the elephant. The first blind man who felt the elephant's trunk (象鼻) said it was like a snake. The second who felt the elephant's side said it was like a wall, while the third said it was like a spear( 矛 ) as he touched the animal's tusk. The fourth, who took hold of the elephant's tail insisted that it was like a rope. The fifth man said it looked liked a tree as he put his arms around one of the elephant's legs. The last, who was tall and got hold of the elephant's ears, said it was like a huge fan.

    Each man's idea of the animal came from his own experience. So if someone disagrees with you about a “simple fact”, it's often because his experience in the matter is different from yours.

    To see how hard it is for even one person to make up his mind about a “simple fact”, try this simple experiment. Get three large bowls. Put ice water in one. Put hot water in the second. Put lukewarm water (温水)in the third. Now put your left hand in the hot water. Put your right hand in the lukewarm water. Your right hand will tell you the water is cold. Your left hand will tell you it is hot.

    If you're planning on travelling, there are a few simple rules about how to make life easier both before and after your journey.

    First of all, always check and double­check departure (起程) time. It is amazing how few people really do this carefully. Once I arrived at the airport a few minutes after ten. My secretary had got the ticket for me and I thought she had said that the plane left at 10：50. When I arrived at the airport, the clerk at the departure desk told me that my flight was closed. Therefore, I had to wait three hours for the next one and missed an important meeting.

    The second rule is to remember that even in this age of credit cards, it is still important to have at least a little of the local currency (货币) with you when you arrive in a country. This can be necessary if you are flying to a place few tourists normally visit. Once I arrived at a place at midnight and the bank at the airport was closed. The only way to get to my hotel was by taxi and because I had no dollars, I offered to pay in pounds instead. "Listen! I only take real money!" the driver said angrily. Luckily I was able to borrow a few dollars from a clerk at the hotel, but it was embarrassing.

    The third and last rule is to find out as much as you can about the weather at your destination before you leave. I feel sorry for some of my workmates who travel in heavy suits and raincoats in May, when it is still fairly cool in London or Manchester, to places like Athens, Rome or Madrid, where it is already beginning to get quite warm during the day.

    Is there a way to turn back the aging process in people? For centuries, people have been looking for a "fountain of youth." The idea is that if you find a magical fountain, and drink its water, you will not age.

    Researchers in New York did not find an actual fountain of youth, but they may have found a way to turn back the aging process. It appears that the answer may be called the hypothalamus, which is part of your brain. It controls important body activities, including growth, the way we process food and so on. Researchers found that hypothalamus neural stem cells (干细胞) also influence how fast aging takes place.

    Dongsheng Cai was the leading researcher in a study on aging in mice. He and his team reported their findings. "when the hypothalamus starts aging, particularly the loss of hypothalamus stem cells, so does the body." he said.

    Using this information, the researchers began trying to activate (激活) the hypothalamus in laboratory mice. The results show that the treatment slowed aging in the animals. "When we injected the hypothalamus stem cells to the middle-aged mice, the mice aged slowly and they could also live longer."

    But these results were just from studying mice in a laboratory. If the mice can live longer, does that mean people could have longer lives? The next step is to see if the anti-aging effects also work in human beings. If so, they say the findings could lead to new ways to help doctors identify and treat age-related health problems.

    In Britain. Boxing Day is usually celebrated on December 26th, which is the following day after Christmas Day. However, strictly speaking, Boxing Day is the first weekday after Christmas. Like Christmas Day, Boxing Day is a public holiday. This means it's a non-working day in the whole of Britain. When Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday is the public holiday.

    The exact origin(起源)of the holiday is unclear. One of the thoughts is that during the Middle Ages, when great sailing ships were setting off to discover new land, a Christmas Box was placed by a priest(神父)on each ship. Those sailors who wanted to ensure a safe return would drop money into the box. It was sealed up and kept on board until the ship came home safely. Then the box was handed over to the priest in exchange for the saying of a mass of thanks for the success of the sailing. The priest wouldn't open it to share the contents with the poor until Christmas.

    One more thought is about the "Alms Box" placed in every church on Christmas Day. Worshippers(做礼拜的人) put gifts for the poor into it. These boxes were always opened the day after Christmas. That is why that day became known as Boxing Day.

    Today, many businesses, organizations and families try to keep the traditional spirit of Boxing Day alive by donating(捐赠) their time, services and money to aid Food Banks, providing gifts for the poor, or helping families in need. Besides, spending time with family and shopping are popular Boxing Day activities now.

The giant Amazon rainforest in South America has been a mystery for centuries. It holds all kinds of natural wonders. Among them in Colombia, a river stands out as"the most beautiful river"in the world. 

Locally called Carni o Cristales, this special river lies in a national park. It is made up of several waterfalls, rapids, and plenty of pools. For most of the year, Canio Cristales looks like a common river: clean, green, and rocky. However, during the short period between September and November, the river explodes(迸发) with life and colour. It appears as any mix of colours including blue, green, yellow, orange, and a purplish red. So it is also known as the"River of Five Colours". 

Although at first it may appear as if some chemicals were added to the water, this rainbow river is completely natural. Cafio Cristales'colours are the result of a rare(稀有) water plant which needs sunlight to grow. The plants change col-our depending on how much sunlight they receive, and the amount is decided by the height and speed of the water. Therefore, it is possible for the plants to be totally colourless if the sunlight is too hard to get. They are a delicate plant. This makes them easily damaged in the water. 

Actually, the river faces some problems, including drier seasons, wildlife trouble, waste management, and budget(预算) cuts. In 2007, the park was forced to close because it was over-crowded with tourists. Now the park admits only 200 people a day and requires them to mind their behaviour. 

Today, Cano Cristales still shines among Colombia's most popular natural attractions, drawing thousands of tourists every year.