On November 24, 1868, Scott Joplin was born in Texas. He became famous as a ragtime (拉格泰姆音乐) composer and piano player. Ragtime music was an early form of jazz. This music has a lively beat and was developed from the music of African Americans.

    Ragtime became popular in the early 1890s, and the music was played on the piano. The piano player usually made up a melody, then changed it a little bit every time he played. Scott Joplin was very good at composing, or making up music and playing the piano. When he was growing up, Joplin's home was filled with music. Still, Joplin's father did not want him to be a musician. When he was about 14 years old, Joplin left home to travel and start a life of his own. He traveled all over the Midwest playing the piano and composing music. Sometimes he played with music groups. Other times he sang by himself in noisy saloons and bars. In 1899, Joplin wrote Maple Leaf Rag, a ragtime song that became a big hit and earned Joplin the title of The King of Ragtime. In all, he wrote more than 500 songs. Joplin's biggest dream was to compose a ragtime opera. Finally, after 10 years, Joplin completed a ragtime opera which he called Treemonisha. This opera was about a young black woman who became a leader of her people. She tried to help her people gain their freedom and their rights.

    1916, Joplin became very sick. He had a disease that made him forget things and become easily afraid of things. In 1917, he was put in the hospital. He finally died there on April 1, 1917. Scott Joplin's music became popular again in the early 1970s when it was used in a movie called The Sting.

    Ask any group of teenagers in the UK what they most like to eat, and foods like pizzas, curries, pasta, burgers and chips are bound to get mentioned and many young people would probably also list hanging out at the local fast food restaurant as one of their favorite pastimes (消遣).

    But what teenagers like to eat is not necessarily what they should be eating. According to the National and Nutrition Survey, far too many young people in the UK between the ages of 14 and 18 consume too much fat sugar and salt in their diet and take in too many calories. Meanwhile their intake of starchy carbohydrates (含大淀粉的碳水化合物), fibre, iron, vitamins and calcium is too low.

    For a growing body, eating foods containing plenty of calcium, such as milk, yoghurt and cheese, is particularly important as calcium is essential for the development of healthy, strong bones. Similarly, foods that are rich in iron are good for young, rapidly developing bodies, so red meat. bread, green vegetables, dried fruit and tonified(使增强体质的) breakfast cereals are also recommended.

    It is during our teenage years that habits of lifestyle can become entrenched (根深蒂固的),so it is crucial (全关重要的)that young people are educated about what foods arc good for them. In 2005, in an attempt 10 change eating habits and open teenagers' minds to new flavours and new tastes, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver launched a "Feed Me Better" campaign. As part of a television series Jamel School drivers, he worked with teachers and cooks in a number of schools across the UK to provide more healthy, nutritious school meal opt ions. Although there was initial resistance from sonic teenagers and parents. the campaign was generally hailed (把...... 誉为)as a huge success and helped to influence governmental policy on nutritional standards for school meals.

    No one expects to end the teenage love affair with fast and junk food but. hopefully, if projects "Feed Me Better" and the government's own "Change for Life" campaign continue to give out the right messages, more young people will understand the importance of balancing occasional treats with healthier food options.

    Imagine your body is like the house you live in. Every day, your family creates rubbish. The rubbish builds up until it is put out for the weekly garbage collection.

    Now, say you put three bags of garbage out, but because one of the collectors was away sick, only two bags are collected. You take the leftover bag inside to be put out again next week. The following week you put on another three bags, plus the leftover bag from last week. But again, only two bags are collected. Imagine this cycle is repeated over the following weeks.

    This is a simple description of what happens to your body when your kidneys (肾脏) don't work efficiently. Your body is not thoroughly emptied of waste products. Other areas of the body such as blood pressure and red blood cell production are affected and the insidious process that may lead to kidney failure begins.

    It's not uncommon for people to lose up to 90% of their kidney function before developing any symptoms. There may be no warning signs. This makes early detection (诊查)difficult.

    Kidney's main job is to remove toxins (毒素) and unwanted water from our blood. Every day our kidneys clean an average of 200 litres of blood. Kidney failure may be a gradual and silent process, going unnoticed because there is no obvious pain.

    Research shows that more than 35% of the patients requiring dialysis (透析) do not see a kidney specialist before they have to do so. Some risk factors for kidney disease such as age and genetic make-up are out of our control; however, some changes in lifestyle may help prevent kidney damage. Two major risk factors for kidney disease, diabetes (糖尿病) and high blood pressure, have been on the rise over the last few decades. Both conditions are chiefly affected by being overweight and not getting enough exercises, which are the potential (潜在的) risk factors for the kidney disease.

"Don't get dirty!" was once often shouted by parents angrily watching their children ruin their best clothes. It was unavoidable that children's whites would turn brown before the day was over. 

Today, many parents may secretly wish their children had the chance to pick up a bit of dirt. With the rise of city life, and the attraction of video games and social media, contact with nature is much less than in the past. For many, there is simply no opportunity to get muddy. According to recent research, the dirt outside is teaming with friendly microorganisms (微生物) that can train the immune (免疫的) system and build the body against illnesses, such as anxiety. 

These findings show that outdoor exercise is not only beneficial because of the chance to run around free—but that certain natural materials, such as soil and mud, also have powerful microorganisms which have positive effect on children's health. Outdoor play can also offer valuable learning experiences. For example, the act of rubbing and shaping materials like mud or sand can help children develop their senses and movement. 

Such activities—away from the house or classroom—may also help children to find ways to deal with emotions that may be hard to explore in other environments. So-called "Sandtray Therapy (沙盘疗法)", which includes using sand to express one's thoughts and feelings, is an accepted form of guidance for children who are struggling to speak out their inner emotions. 

Surprisingly, people who spent most of their childhood in the countryside show a better reply to stressful events like public speaking compared with those who grew up in cities. "The people who grew up in cities are kind of ‘walking time bombs' when facing the stress we meet today. However, people who have spent lots of time in nature since childhood are generally stronger in recovery and more positive." says Christopher Lowry, a professor of University of Colorado Boulder.

Cheney School is a popular, high performing school located in the heart of Oxford serving a diverse community of students who are eager to learn. The school is looking to add to its bank of exam invigilators (监考人), who will be employed on a casual basis to watch over students taking both mock (模拟的) and actual GCSE or GCE exams, as necessary throughout the school year.

Full training will be provided and staff will be contacted before the exam period to discuss the invigilation schedule in relation to their own availability.

We are looking for people who

*have a command of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

* have effective written communication skills

* are reliable and punctual

*are able to solve problems and keep calm under pressure

*enjoy working as part of a team

We can offer you

* € 10.19 per hour

*reduced tuition fees for your kids

*a housing allowance

*shuttle service

If you would like to find out more, please contact Ms Marie-Anne Fischer at mf@cheney.oxon.sch.uk, or by telephone on 01865-5755270.

How to apply: Please download an application form from the school's vacancy website: http: //www cheney.oxon.sch.uk/Invigilators.

You are what you wear. Clothes are important and necessary to us, but do you know how to choose suitable clothes in a correct way?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}. 

 When you go shopping and want to buy some clothes, you should think about which kind of clothes you really need and decide how much money you can spend on them.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}They tell you how to take care of the clothes. The label(标签) for a shirt may tell you to wash it in warm water. A sweater label may tell you to wash it in cold water. The label on a coat may say"dry cleaning only"and cleaning in water may destroy this coat.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. 

 Many clothes today must be dry-cleaned.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}When buying new clothes, you had better check if they need to be dry-cleaned. You can save money if you buy clothes that can be washed or that are well made. Well-made clothes last longer. They still look good after they have been washed many times. 

Clothes that cost more money don't always mean they are better made.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}On the other hand, less expensive clothes may sometimes look better and fit you well.

A. Dry cleaning is expensive.

B. Here are some suggestions for you.

C. They may not fit you, either.

D. We need to know how to look after the new clothes.

E. If you do as the directions say on the label, you can keep your clothes looking their best.

F. Then look at the labels that are inside the new clothes.

G. The quality of clothes should be considered.