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                                                                                                     What's On?

Electric Underground

7.30pm－1.00am   Freeat the Cyclops Theatre

Do you know who's playing in your area? We're bringing you an evening of live rock and pop music from the best local bands. Are you interested in becoming a musician and getting a recording contract(合同)? If so, come early to the talk at 7.30pm by JulesSkye, a successful record producer. He's going to talk about how you can find the right person to produce you music.

Gee Whizz

8.30pm-10.30pm  Comedy at Kaleidoscope

Come and see Gee Whizz perform. He's the funnieststand-up comedian on the comedy scene. This joyful show will please everyone,from the youngest to the oldest. Gee Whizz really knows how to make you laugh!Our bar is open from 7.00pm for drinks and snacks(快餐).

Simon's Workshop

5.00pm-7.30pm   Wednesdays at Victoria Stage

This is a good chance for anyone who wants to learnhow to do comedy. The workshop looks at every kind of comedy, and practicesmany different ways of making people laugh. Simon is a comedian and actor whohas 10 years' experience of teaching comedy. His workshops are exciting andfun. An evening with Simon will give you the confidence to be funny.

Charlotte Stone

8.00pm-11.00pm    Pizza World

Fine food with beautiful jazz music; this is agreat evening out. Charlotte Stone will perform songs from her new best-sellingCD, with James Pickering on the piano. The menu is Italian, with excellent meatand fresh fish, pizzas and pasta(面食). Book early to get atable. Our bar is open all day, and serves cocktails, coffee, beer, and whitewine.

    We already know the fastest, least expensive way to slow climate change: Use less energy. With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets.

    Not long ago, my wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is bending up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don't keep reducing emissions(排放) of carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere.

    We decided to try an experiment. For one month we recorded our personal emissions of CO₂. We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we went on a strict diet. The average US household(家庭) produces about 150 pounds of CO₂  a day by doing common-place things like turning on air-conditioning or driving cars. That's more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses. But how much should we try to reduce?

    For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth. In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the melting(融化) of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. "To stay below that point, we need to reduce CO₂  emissions by 80 percent," he said.

    Good advice, I thought. I'd opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind. We'd gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock. I'd almost forgotten the windows even opened. We should not let this happen again. It's time for us to change our habits if necessary.

    “Body clocks” are biological methods of controlling body activities. Every living thing has one. In humans, a body clock controls normal periods of sleeping and waking. It controls the times when you are most likely to feel pain. Eating, sleeping and exercising at about the same time each day will help keep body activities normal. But changes in your life—a new job, for example—destroy the balance and thus cause health problems. You could have difficult sleeping, for example. Scientists suggest that early afternoon is the best time of day for physical exercise. They say we are stronger and faster then. Later, about four o'clock, most people feel tired because of the drop of sugar level in the blood. Early afternoon also is a good time to do tasks about memory（记忆） and mathematics. If you must study, however, do it just before going to sleep at night. Scientists say you are more likely to remember information when there is a short delay（耽搁）between study and bed. Body clocks control all the activities from day to day. They also produce changes about every ninety minutes during the day. At the end of such a time period, our ability to think hard begins to become weak. That is the time we are most likely to day-dream. Within fifteen minutes, we are ready to go back to what we were doing.

    Feeding birds is a popular way to watch wildlife. But experts say it might put wild birds at risk.

    Feeding birds is not necessary for their survival except in extreme weather conditions. Feeders(喂食器)can definitely help birds get through that kind of weather. But most birds eat insects and show little interest in bird feeders. For those birds, we can grow native plants in a natural environment. Birds which are fond of eating seeds will be more likely to come to feeders if there is some cover nearby. This lets them feed and then fly to protective areas, such as in trees.

    The most common mistake people make with their bird feeders is that they put feeders in places where birds are easily frightened by passers-by, risk being hurt by cats, or risk flying into windows.

    So set up a bird feeder at least one meter away from a window. That way, if a bird gets frightened, it won't get killed when it hits the glass. Owners of cats should keep them inside home so they can't hurt the birds.

    Some birds are more aggressive at feeders. They eat a lot and do not leave much food for other birds. A solution is to put the food in more than one place by using different kinds of seeds or fruits. This can also increase the number and diversity of birds in your neighborhood. But don't feed wild birds anything salty, like potato chips, or food that could choke them, like bread.

    Pay attention to food quality and freshness. Unprotected food left too long in feeders will turn moldy(发霉), which can kill wildlife.

    Another word of advice: Always provide a supply of clean water for birds, but use care when looking for the right birdbath. If the birdbaths are too deep for birds, putting a few large stones in the water can give the birds a place to sit.

    On March 2, at the meeting held ahead of the yearly session of the CPPCC National Committee(全国政协大会), interpreter(口译员)Yao Mengyao caught the attention of many with her "quick reaction and correct translation," Xinhua noted,

    Yao began her studies in English in primary school where she would listen to English tapes. She ofen spoke to her teacher about English-related topics that were not limited to the ones in her textbooks, "They were always very professional uncommon topics, "said Yao's senior school teacher Shen Yingzi,

    Like Yao, Zhang Lu is a regular interpreter for China's top leaders, including Premier Li Keqing and former Premier Wen Jiabao Her effortless but on-point translations of ancient poems mentioned by former Premier Wen won praise.

    So how do interpreters reach their top positions?

    The reason for their success is largely hard work. Other than when they go out on visits with Chinese leaders, the interpreters follow a very strict schedule. Zhang called this schedule"an unshakable plan". They listen to foreign media such as BBC, VOA or CNN through TV or radio for their training.

    It is reported that a month before the two sessions(两会), the interpreters get notice of the spokesperson they are going to interpret for. They then make full use of this month to prepare themselves. They try to predict the questions that might be asked and consider the sayings the spokesperson might use when they answer the questions.

    In truth, there is no secret to their success: It's all a matter of skill and hard work.

    Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you've got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we're the apple of our parents' eyes, and that our Grandmas think we're great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. But sometimes it's a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you should build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.

    Self-image is your own mind's picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about US. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.

    The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don't allow doubts to occur in it.

    It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can't move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you're silly because you aren't good at math, find a tutor. If you think you're weak because you can't run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you're dull because you don't wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn't mean it's true.

    The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat (拍) yourself on the back, you'll know you're well on your way. Good luck!