In its early history, Chicago had floods frequently, especially in the spring, making the streets so muddy that people, horses, and carts got stuck. An old joke that was popular at the time went something like this: A man is stuck up to his waist in a muddy Chicago street. Asked if he needs help, he replies,“No, thanks. I've got a good horse under me.”

    The city planners decided to build an underground drainage(排水) system, but there simply wasn't enough difference between the height of the ground level and the water level. The only two options were to lower the Chicago River or raise the city.

    An engineer named Ellis Chesbrough convinced the city that it had no choice but to build the pipes above ground and then cover them with dirt. This raised the level of the city's streets by as much as 12 feet.

    This of course created a new problem: dirt practically buried the first floors of every building in Chicago. Building owners were faced with a choice: either change the first floors of their buildings into basements, and the second stories into main floors, or hoist the entire bulidings to meet the new street level. Small wood-frame buildings could be lifted fairly easily. But what about large, heavy structures like the Tremont Hotel, which was a six-story brick building?

    That's where George Pullman came in. He had developed some house-moving skills successfully. To lift a big structure like Tremont Hotel, Pullman would place thousands of jackscrews(螺旋千斤顶) beneath the building's foundation. One man was assigned to operate each section of roughly 10 jackscrews. At Pullman's signal each man turned his jackscrew the same amount at the same time, thereby raising the building slowly and evenly. Astonishingly, the Tremont Hotel stayed open during the entire operation, and many of its guests didn't even notice anything was happening.

    Some people like to say that every problem has a solution. But in Chicago's early history, every engineering solution seemed to create a new problem. Now that Chicago's waste water was draining efficiently into the Chicago River, the city's next step was to clean the polluted river.

    Should schoolchildren have jobs?

    Now at school, the last thing you probably want to do is spend your weekends going to work. There is homework to do and sport to play{#blank#}1{#/blank#} When I was a teenager I had a Saturday job in a supermarket: stacking(摆放)shelves and working at the checkout.

    Today in the UK you are allowed to work from the age of 13, and many children do take up part-time jobs{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Teenagers agree that it teaches valuable lessons about working with adults and also about managing your money. So, that's no bad thing!

    Some research has shown that not taking on a Saturday or holiday job could be harmful to a person later on. But despite this, recent statistics have shown that the number of schoolchildren in the UK with a part-time job has fallen by a fifth in the past five years.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Probably not. Some experts feel that young people feel going out to work will affect their performance at school, and they are under more pressure now to study hard and get good exam results. However, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College leaders, told BBC News “Properly regulated part-time work is a good way of helping young people learn skills that they will need in their working lives”. In reality, it's all about getting the right balance between doing part-time work and having enough time to study and rest.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}One 13 year old girl called Rachel, who has a Saturday job in a shop, told the BBC that “I enjoy my job because I'm earning money and it helps increase my confidence in speaking to people and socializing with people I work with.” That seems like something worth getting up on a Saturday morning{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Do you do a part-time job when you are at school?

B. So you are not free to do what you are feeling like doing.

C. It is a waste of time and does no good to your career prospect.

D. It's a waste of independence and a useful thing to put on your CV (简历).

E. Does this mean that British teenagers? Are now more afraid of hard work?

F. But your parents probably persuade you to find a job and get some life experience.

G. Many young people actually want to work because it gives them a sense of freedom.

    A serious problem for today's society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.

    First, employers should take the responsibility for their retired employees. To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must take life-long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs. Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.

    In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions. Furthermore, some institutions should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately, as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.

    One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent.

    To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.

    One of the latest trends（趋势） in American Childcare is Chinese au pairs. Au Pair in Stamford, Conn, for example, has got increasing numbers of request for Chinese au pairs from aero to around 4, 000 since 2004. And that's true all across the country.

    "I thought it would be useful for him to learn Chinese at an early age" Joseph Stocke, the managing director of a company, says of his 2-year old son. "I would at least like to give him the chance to use the language in the future, " After only six months of being cared by 25-year-old woman from China, the boy can already understand basic Chinese daily expressions, his dad says.

    Li Drake, a Chinese native raising two children in Minnesota with an American husband, had another reason for looking for an au pair from China. She didn't want her children to miss out on their roots. " Because I am Chinese, my husband and I wanted the children to keep exposed to(接触) the language and culture." she says.

    "Staying with a native speaker is better for children than simply sitting in a classroom," says Suzanne Flynn, a professor in language education of Children. "But parents must understand that just one year with au pair is unlikely to produce wonders. Complete mastery demands continued learning until the age of 10 or 12. "

    The popularity if au pairs from China has been strengthened by the increasing numbers of American parents who want their children who want their children to learn Chinese. It is expected that American demand for au pairs will continue to rise in the next few years.

Learn to Manage Your Time in College

    A common view both among and of college students is that they are always short on money. While this may be true, many college students are also always running short on something else: time. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are a few things to consider:

    Manage your academic time.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Consequently, your academic work should always come first when it comes to arranging your time in order of importance. When looking at your schedule for the week, figure out what your academic commitments look like. What time do you have classes? How much homework do you have to do? What assignments are due? When do you have major exams or quizzes?

    Manage your personal time. It's an unrealistic expectation to think that you can study, go to class, and work all day, every day.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}Make sure to allow yourself time to go to something fun in the yard, attend a meeting for your favorite club, and just hang out for an hour or so at night with friends over dinner. Doing things that make your personal time more enjoyable and not totally focused on school? can actually improve your productivity when working on projects later.

    Keep your health in mind. When people's schedules are tight, one of the first things to go is sleep. While it may be common among college students, a lack of sleep is more hurtful than you might think. It can throw everything into disorder: your mental health, your physical health, your stress level, and, of course, your schedule. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Use your technology. Nothing helps a college student stay organized more than a good calendar! Some students use the calendars on their phones; others use things like Google Calendar; others still use the classic paper-calendar model.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Just change and try again.

A. Try your best to keep a routine on a regular basis.

B. Remember that your brain needs to have a break, too.

C. If what you're using isn't working for you, don't give up.

D. How can you balance your time when there never seems to be enough of it?

E. It's important to remember why you're in college in the first place: to graduate.

F. Making a list and then crossing items off as they are completed can be satisfying.

G. Take moments to plan out the time for a week: your homework, social time and sleep.

    It's sometimes hard to understand a teenager. It's even harder if a teenager doesn't agree with you.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Listen to what the teenager has to say. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} While you may not entirely agree with what he's saying, the tension will be lessened if the teenager feels like you are listening and trying to understand him. Also, he might return the favor and give you the chance to talk as well. It's best to have a conversation where both of your opinions matter rather than fight and possibly hurt each other in the process.

    Understand that while teenager may appear grown up and perhaps even sound matured, his mind has not fully developed, and he cannot think like an adult all the time. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} However, this doesn't mean you're completely right or he deserves to be ridiculed or treated like a child.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} However, remember that the teenager should understand when "no" is "no". Avoid bringing up a compromise every time you disagree on something. This might teach him that he can always get away with what he wants, whenever he wants it.

    If the conversation launches into an argument, stop it. Tell him that you both need to calm down and think clearly or the problem will never be solved. If he refuses to listen and continues arguing, step out of the room and allow time for both of you to settle down. Do not scold him or shout back. Your words will possibly be lost on the teenager since you both are too angry to listen to each other. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. He still needs to learn, and he doesn't know everything.

B. Avoid having a bad tone, including accusations in your words.

C. Find the good points the teenager has and mention the negative points too.

D. This article tells you how to disagree with a teenager in a kind manner.

E. People like being listened to, so give him the chance to express his opinion.

F. Come up with a compromise if the situation allows one.

G. Bring up the topic after a while and make sure you listen to each other patiently.