The 4-year-old boy was mentally disabled, unable to speak in complete sentences and unable to play with other children because of his violent fits(发作) of hitting and biting.

    The decision facing one Brooklyn jury（陪审团）was how much a landlord should pay in damages to the boy — named “G.M.M.” in court documents — after an investigation showed he had been living in an apartment illegally coated with lead paint.

    Attorneys（律师） representing G.M.M. said $3.4 million was the right number, arguing that the boy would have had a bright career ahead of him; both of his parents had graduated from college and his mother received a master's degree. But the landlord's defense put the figure at less than half that — $1.5 million. Attorney Roger Archibald noted that because the boy was Hispanic, G.M.M. was unlikely to attain the advanced education that would provide to such a large income.

    The 4-year-old's case is a rare public look at one corner of the American legal system that explicitly uses race and gender to determine how much victims or their families should receive in compensation（赔偿） when they are seriously injured or killed.

    As a result, white and male victims often receive larger awards than people of color and women in similar cases. These differences largely derive from projections of how much more money individuals would have earned over their lifetimes had they not been injured — projections that take into account average earnings and employment levels by race and gender.

    A student walks into his first class and realizes he forgot all about the midterm exam. He knows he needs to bring his grades up, and getting a zero will make it nearly impossible. He quickly jots down some notes and shoves them under his lap hoping it will help him pass. Cheating is a major concern in all academic environments. Students are creating new and more outrageous(令人吃惊的）ways of cheating every day: some claim that certain accounts of cheating can be justified, but overall it can always be prevented.

    Cheating has been around forever, and millions of ways to cheat have been fashioned. Copying homework and cheat sheets are some of the most basic ways students in all education levels have cheated. Some students think nothing about writing a few answers on their hand, in a gum wrapper, or boldly using a study guide to cheat. Desperate students have even gone as far as to steal the test or scan in bottle wrappers and put answers into the nutrition label. The internet has now become available in almost every location. Computers can be accessed at school, at home, and now even on cell phones. This opens a doorway for even more methods of cheating to be born.

    There are countless opinions on whether or not cheating can be justified. The truth is this behavior will always be a matter of opinion with each scenario of cheating. Students often rationalize their cheating by claiming they forgot to look over the material or did not understand what the teacher or professor was saying. Some may counter these arguments by saying that the student could have set reminders or asked the teacher to explain the material before the day of the test. Some other reasons students believe cheating is justified are their heavy workloads and trying to find time for school, sports, friends, and family. This may be true in certain instances, however, all students have these problems, and it is unfair to the students refrain(制止) from cheating when the student who is dishonest receives a better grade. The majority of students who think cheating is acceptable may believe the reason for this is that sometimes students are unaware they are cheating, there is not enough time given for assignments, or that the information is too much for the course.

    It may be difficult to accomplish, hut cheating can be prevented. 1'eachers and professors have tried many options to stop cheating. These options can range anywhere from simply spreading test-takers out in a room, to expelling（驱逐）a student, which will most likely hinder their plans of getting into another college. One simple way to fix the problem is to scold the student when caught. They may be so scared or embarrassed that they never do it again. This is a risky way to prevent cheating in some cases, however, because it can possibly damage self-esteem. Another simple way 10 avoid cheating is to create many different kinds of the same test. This prohibits students from getting the answers off of a neighbor's test, but students still have the option of using other cheating tactics.

    There may be a million ways to cheat and get away with it, but there are few times, if any, that it is justified. Cheating never has to be a necessity and is never worth compromising morals and losing years worth of working towards a degree. This problem is spreading throughout America; with everyone's help, it can be stopped.

    There was a strange father, John Blake, from Michigan, who named his children after a computer software term. He told the local newspaper the US traditional way of adding “Junior” or “II” after a boy's name was too common. So, when his son was born last week, he decided on the name John Blake 2.0, as if he were a software programmer.

    Mr. Blake admitted that it took months to persuade his wife, Jamie, to accept the idea. Mrs. Blake said she asked several friends whether they could accept this name or not. “All the men,” she said, “felt the name was cool.” However，her women friends did not think so. “I think the women end up like it，”she said.

    Mr. Blake told the local newspaper he got the idea from a film called The Legend of 1900，in which an abandoned baby is given the name 1900 to remember the year of its birth. “I thought that if they can do it , why can't we?” he said. After little John version 2.0 was born, Mr. Blake even sent a celebratory e-mail to the family and friends, which was designed to look as if he and his wife had created a new software. “I wrote things like there are a lot of new features from Version 1.0 with additional features from Jamie,” he said. And he has already planned for his son's future. “If he has a child, he could name it 3.0,” he said.

    I was a very lucky girl.Many girls didn't know they could take part in or even be good at sports,but I never needed to be told that because I grew up with my grandmother who was a great Olympian.Even today,many girls need that extra nod in sports,but where can they get it?

    Alzheimer's disease is a major national health problem. Nearly 2 million Americans over the age of 65 have Alzheimer's disease. It is a leading cause of death among the elderly. But Alzheimer's disease is not confined (限于) to the aged. There may be a million or more people under the age of 65 suffering from the disease.

    At one time, people suffering from the disease were said to be "getting old". The disease was thought to be a natural part of growing old, but it is now known that Alzheimer's disease strikes young and old alike. It is an organic (器官的) disease, that destroys brain cells.

    Alzheimer's disease affects the patient's memory, speech, and movement. In the beginning stages of the disease, the patient may seem slightly confused. He may have trouble speaking, and then the patient's memory begins to fail. He may forget dates, numbers, names and plans.

    As the disease progresses, the patient may not recognize family and friends. These symptoms(症状) often cause terrible anxiety in the patient. He may feel lost and frightened. Sometimes the patient reacts with wild and bad behavior.

In the last stages of the disease, the patient may not be able to take care of himself. He may have lost the ability to speak and walk.

    Scientists don't know exactly what causes Alzheimer's disease. It may be caused by a virus (病毒). It may be caused by a poisonous substance(物质) in the environment. At present, there is no cure for the disease. But there are ways to slow its progress. Exercise and physical treatment can help the patients of this disease.

    I want to talk about a soldier. I saw him yesterday as my husband and I were enjoying a wonderful lunch in the cave-like dining room of an old hotel.

    It is hard to imagine being comfortable in a room that probably seats a thousand, but the real magic of the place is its wonderful setting. Every comer is a wood and stone masterpiece, with high glass windows that look out to the huge cliffs of the valley.

    A man entered with his family and took a seat. He wasn't in uniform, but he walked with the dignity of a soldier, and a slight limp (瘸). My suspicion was confirmed when he removed his hat and placed it on the table where I could see it. Embroidered (绣) on the cap were the words: "Iwo Jima Survivor".

    As they were waiting for lunch, the others talking happily, this gentleman was stating out of the window. He was content to be left out of the conversation and allowed to take in the wonderful and impressive view of the waterfall.

    I watched him, and imagined how much horror he had seen in the war. What losses did he suffer, and how many friends did he lose? What he had witnessed should have given him a good reason to lose faith in the world. Yet this tired soldier was smiling at the sky, at the sun and the roaring of the waterfall. Somehow, after everything, the world was still beautiful to him.

    I walked over to him and said, "Excuse me, sir. I'm sorry to interrupt, but I saw your hat, and I just wanted to say thank you for serving."

    He looked up at me, surprised, and said proudly, "You're welcome, and thank you, too."

    I told him I would go home and tell my children about this experience that I'd met him.