Back in 2003 an 86-year-old man drove his Buick through a crowded farmers' market. Nine people were killed. More than fifty-four people were hurt, fourteen with serious injuries. When he finally stopped, the 86-year-old man got out his car and screamed at people to get out of the way. No alcohol or drugs were found in his system. Apparently, he was just old and confused.

    This is a frightening accident, and it is not a rare one. There are many examples of elderly drivers driving into swimming pools, houses, storefronts, or worse.

    In our teenage years, we all heard “driving is not a right; it's a privilege.” That is still true, and there comes an age when driving is no longer a privilege that can be allowed. After a certain age, eyesight and dementia(痴呆) are very serious concerns. Undoubtedly, these age-related problems affect some older adults' driving ability. By the time a person is between eighty-five and ninety years old, his or her driving privilege should be examined.

    Licensing laws vary greatly from state to state, and it's time for a national law on the maximum age limit for driving. The motivation for this law is safety. Another option is to start with laws that ban anyone over the age of eighty-five from driving after sundown, because driving conditions are not as safe as daylight hours. Still another option that may allow elderly drivers to continue driving could be new technology like a voice warning system that cautions drivers on busy streets or at traffic lights. Finally, since there are laws against driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, shouldn't some prescription drugs also be included? The average age of 85-year-old is undoubtedly taking at least one prescription drug daily.

    The thought of an 86-year-old driver with failing eyesight running down the road in a two-ton piece of metal is unsettling to us all. Driving at an advanced age is not only challenging for the elderly drivers, but also it's dangerous for the rest of us.

    An absolute description of the threat hanging over the world's mammals,reptiles,amphibians and other life forms has been published by the well-known scientific journal,Nature.A special analysis carried out by the journal indicates that an astonishing 41% of all amphibians on the planet now face extinction while 26% of mammal species and 13% of birds are similarly threatened.

    Many species are already critically endangered and close to extinction,including the Sumatran elephant,Amur leopard and mountain gorilla.But also in danger of vanishing（消失）for the wild,it now appears,are animals that are currently rated as merely being endangered.

    In each case,the finger of blame points directly at human activities.The continuing spread of agriculture is destroying millions of hectares of wild habitats every year,leaving animals without homes,while the introduction of newly-come species,often helped by humans,is also damaging native populations.At the same time,pollution and overfishing are destroying ocean ecosystems.

    "Habitat destruction,pollution or overfishing either kill off wild creatures and plants or leaves them badly weakened," said Derek Tittensor,an ocean ecologist at the World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge. "The trouble is that in coming decades,the additional threat of worsening climate change will become more and more common and could then kill off these survivors."

    The problem,according to Nature,is worsened because of the huge gaps in scientists knowledge about the planet's biodiversity.Evaluations of the total number of species of animals and plants alive vary from 2 million to 50 million.In addition,evaluations of current rates of species' disappearances vary from 500 to 36,000 a year. "That is the real problem we face," added Tittensor. "The scale of uncertainty is huge."

    In the end,however,the data indicate that the world is heading cruelly towards a mass extinction-which is defined as one involving a loss of 75% of species or more.This could arrive in less than a hundred years or could take a thousand,depending on extinction rates.

    Recently, I experienced a wonderful lesson in how little things still mean a lot. My brother, mother and I live in a very rural district of Hawaii. Our farm is at least a dozen miles from the most basic of services. Therefore, I take weekly trips to COSTCO to get supplies. About a month ago, I finished loading up the car and was about to leave, when a piece of paper caught my eye. I picked it up and read it carefully.

    It was a receipt(收据) from the State Motor Vehicle Division, recording the owner's payment of her Vehicle's Registration fees. At first I thought that I could find the owner. So I waited there for about an hour. Although the receipt had been borne (由……携带) on the wind, where in the busy, crowded parking lot would I find the owner? I looked over the receipt for contact or any personal data, perhaps a license tag(牌照)or telephone number. I checked the date, the fees paid, noted the name of the owner and pocketed the paper. I concluded that the best and easiest step to take was to put the receipt in an envelope and send it to the owner first the next morning.

    By the end of the week, I received a beautiful thank-you letter from a very grateful and happy woman containing a handwritten message and a gift card. In the letter, the woman explained how the wind snatched(夺去) her receipt from a pocket in her car's passenger door. She had searched everywhere for quite some time before giving up.

    It felt great to know I'd helped someone avoid a loss by doing something that at first glance(一瞥) seemed little or even unimportant.

    Watson entered Mr. Smith's office. The boss was a hard man. He fired people who didn't do well without giving them a second chance.

    “Watson,” said Mr. Smith, “this past year your department hasn't earned money. We're going to drop that department. It's finished. I'm sorry, —but you'll have to go.” “But, sir — if I just had a little more time. For the moment I need the job to keep my son at Riverside School.”

    “What's that!” said the boss. “Riverside! I didn't know you had a boy there. That's an expensive school for a man with your salary.”

    “I know, sir. But he likes it there so much! He's a star athlete and the best boxer in the school. The boys call him Champ there.”

    The boss sat perfectly still for a long time — a faraway (恍惚的) look in his eyes. Then, suddenly, he said, “We've got to close your department, Watson. But you'll take over a new job in another department. It means longer hours—maybe more pay. Now get out. You're here for life.”

    Watson got out, with surprise on his face. Then the boss took a letter from the top drawer of his desk. It was Herbie's last letter from Riverside School —written a few days before he died. He had read it over and over again with sick pain. The letter read:

    I can't say the boys here are any nicer to me than the others were. I guess it's the same everywhere when you're a cripple (跛脚的人). But don't worry about me, Dad, They've got a good chemistry department here. And there's one boy here who is really great. He's a track star and boxing champ (冠军) and just tops in chemistry.

    The boys call him Champ. He made them stop throwing my books around. And he knocked a boy down who hit me. He is the best friend I ever had. Dad, when I grow up, I want to do something for Champ. Something big — that he won't even know about.

Your son,

Herbie

    26-year-old Anna Cherdantseva, from the city of Ufa in Russia, is a full-time employee of a furniture company, spending up t0 10 hours every day trying out new sofas for comfort and safety.

    Last month, Russian furniture giant M25 Group announced that it was taking application for a new position. Although all new products are tested in a specialized laboratory, management decided that in order to better meet the needs of consumers it needed some feedback(反馈) on real-life use of its sofas.  In just a few days, M25 received over 5,000 job applications.

    "We selected candidates in several stages," M25 Group spokesperson Anastasia Russkih said.  "Initially we checked their CVs, and then we let them tell us why they wanted the job. " Eventually, the furniture company shortlisted just 7 candidates, out of which Anna Cherdantseva, a 26-year-old marketing expert, proved to be the most suitable for the job.  "It was a real fight for my dream job," Anna said after getting selected.

    Despite describing herself as an active person, Cherdantseva says that spending about l0 hours a day sitting on sofas doesn't sound bad at all.  "Of course I will spend a lot of time on new sofas.  The more time I spend on them, the better it will be for my work," she told reporters.

    Anna Cherdantseva is at present on a three-month probation(试用期) at M25, but the company claims that as long as she proves to be up to the task, they plan on offering her a permanent position The young woman will receive a monthly salary of 56,000 rubles( $l,000) for the first three months.  It's not so bad for sitting on the job.

    The Top 4 Restaurants of 2018

    No. 4

    Kuya Ja's Lechon Belly (4 stars): 5268-H Nicholson Lane, Rockville, Md. 240-669-4383. kuyajas. com.

    Open: Breakfast, lunch and dinner Wednesday through Monday; breakfast and lunch Tuesdays.

    Prices: Sandwiches, bowls and combination meals, $ 6.99-$ 12.59.

    Sound check: 74 decibels（分贝）/ Must speak with raised voice.

    No. 3

    Little Havana（41/2 stars): 3704 14th St. NW. 202-758-2127. littlehavanadc.com.

    Open: Dinner daily.

    Prices: Sandwiches and mains $ 9-$ 25.

    Sound check: 70 decibels / Conversation is easy.

    No. 2

    Three Blacksmiths (41/2 stars): 20 Main St., Sperryville, Va. 540-987-5105. Three black smiths.com.

    Open: Dinner Thursday—Saturday.

    Prices: Small plates $ 5 - $ 20, large plates and family-style plates $ 24 - $ 94.

    Sound check: 81 decibels / Extremely loud.

    No. 1

    Momofuku（5 stars): 1090 I St. NW. 202-602-1832. ccdc.momofuku.com.

    Open: Lunch Monday through Friday, dinner daily, breakfast Saturday and Sunday.

    Prices: Small plates $ 5 - $15.

    Sound check: 75 decibels / Must speak with raised voice.