Thumbs Down to Texting （屈指发短信）

       Do you have a mobile phone? Do you send text messages to your friends and family?

       Text messaging or “texting” is becoming very popular. But, scientists have discovered that texting can give us problems with our hands. Be careful! Too much texting can cause swelling in our thumbs. Our thumbs were not made for pushing small buttons, over and over. Scientists call this problem RSI. We spoke to a doctor called Harriet Wilson, who treats many sick people with RSI. She says we need to see how much time we are spending in typing text messages. If we are spending more than 10–15 minutes at once, we could have problems in the future.

       As mobile phones develop, they are getting smaller with buttons closer together. Texting with a smaller phone is worse than using a larger phone with bigger buttons. Using a computer keyboard and playing video games can cause the same problem. So more and more people could find themselves with RSI. Among them, most are university students and teenagers, as they do not know the risks of spending so much time using computer, video games and mobile phones. If we don't do something about this, too many young people could grow up in terrible pain.

    Science fiction is a popular kind of writing. Many people think of Jules Verne as the father of science fiction. He was born in France in 1828. His father wanted him to become a lawyer. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} At first he wrote plays for the theater. Then, in 1863, he wrote a story called Five Weeks in a Balloon. The success of this book encouraged him to write more stories, such as A Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and From the Earth to the Moon (1865).

    In the 19th century, many people were interested in science and inventions. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}As a result, they were very popular. Verne's writing included many predictions (预言) for the 20th century and many of them came true. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}These books were very successful and they made Verne rich.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 20 ， 000 Leagues Under the Sea was a successful movie for Walt Disney. It was the first Disney movie to use real actors instead of cartoon drawings. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}The main character is an Englishman called Phileas Fogg. For him, the most important thing is to be always on time!

    A young lady was driving a family car home with her father when they were caught in a heavy storm. The young lady was a little afraid and asked her father. "What should I do, stop or keep driving?"

    Her father said, "Keep driving."

    After driving a few kilometers, the storm was becoming heavier and heavier. The young lady noticed that some cars and big transport trucks were pulling over（靠边停）to the side of the road. The young lady asked her father again if they should stop. But her father said nothing. So, she had to keep on driving.

    Ten minutes later, the storm started to become small and she could see a little more clearly. After a couple of kilometers, she drove out of the storm. Moreover, the sun came out and the road ahead was dry.

    Her father told her to stop and get out of the car.

    "But why now, Father?" she asked in surprise.

    Her father said, "When you get out, you can look back at all the people in cars and big trucks that gave up and they are still in the storm. Now, your storm is over because you didn't give up.

    Don't give up, even if the stronger do. If you keep going, soon your "personal storms" will be over. The sun will shine on you again and the road ahead will be dry and clear.

Information Card

    Winston Churchill once said, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." These are certainly words that millions of volunteers around the world could agree with.

    In the US, April is National Volunteer Month, to praise and thank volunteers who lend their time, talent, and support to what they care about.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} People who volunteer spend their time doing things they feel strongly about. For example, animal lovers may volunteer at an animal centre to help improve the treatment of animals.

    Volunteering allows volunteers to meet new people, try out new skills and explore career choices. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    Take Andrew Makhoul, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, as an example. Andrew didn't spend his last spring break relaxing. Instead, the 19-year-old boy decided to do something for people who were less lucky than himself. He travelled to an orphanage (孤儿院) in Guatemala in Central America. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} And it depends on volunteers to stay open.

    Andrew doesn't speak much Spanish, but he found communication wasn't a problem, "You communicated with love," according to an article on his university's website. And what he gave out, he got back, "{#blank#}4{#/blank#}" Andrew's first time as a volunteer only lasted a week, but by the end of that week, he knew he'd be back soon — because he saw love and hope.

    US author Sherry Anderson once wrote, "{#blank#}5{#/blank#}" And this is perhaps why volunteers all around the world keep doing what they do — their work is "priceless".
 

A. It is in one of the poorest parts of the country.

B. You could see love when you looked in their eyes.

C. Volunteering means choosing to work without being paid.

D. It's a chance for poor children to get better care and support.

E. Life will be difficult, but I have the confidence to live a happy, full life.

F. For young adults, valuable lessons may also be learned through volunteering.

G. Volunteers don't get paid, not because they're worthless, but because they're priceless.