Passage 1

    The Information Highway is the road that links computer users to a large number of on-line services: the Web, e-mail, and software, to mention just a few. Not long ago, the information Highway was a new road, with not many users. Now, everyone seems to want to take a drive, with over 30 million families connected worldwide. Not surprisingly, this well-traveled highway is starting to look like a well-traveled highway. Traffic jams can cause many serious problems, forcing the system to close down for repair. Naturally, accidents will happen on such a crowded road, and usually victims are some files, gone forever. Then, of course, there's Mr. Cool, with his new broad-band connection, who speeds down the highway faster than most of us can go. But don't trick yourself; he pays for that speeding.

Passage 2

    Want to know more about global warming and how you can help prevent it? Doctor Herman Friedman, who is considered a leading expert on the subject, will speak at Grayson Hall next Friday. Friedman studied environmental science at three well-known universities around the world before becoming a professor in the subject. He has also traveled around the world observing environmental concerns. The gradual bleaching (变白) of the Grate Barrier Reef, which came into the public eye in 2002, is his latest interest. Signed copies of his colorful book, which was published just last month, will be on sale after his talk.

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    If you are sitting, please stand up. Move your legs. Touch your toes if you can. Do anything but sit. New research shows that if you cut down on the time you spend sitting, you might live longer. Sitting less than three hours a day might extend your life by two years. Cutting television time to less than two hours a day can add one point four years to life.

    The human body is designed to move. The fact is just the opposite. Modern lifestyles and office jobs rarely give us the chance to move around. We sit while we're eating; we sit in the car; we sit while we are watching TV. And most of us sit for many hours at work. Sitting is something we do all the time. On average, Americans sit for four and a half to five hours a day. But that does not make sitting good for us.

    Though you may exercise often, that does not mean you can sit for the rest of your waking hours. We can't throw away physical activity. It is extremely important. Even if you exercise for 30 minutes a day, what goes on in the other 23 and a half hours a day is also very important.

    Changes are coming to some offices, especially in the design of desks. A “standing desk” lets people stand while they work. Another new design is called the “treadmill desk”. It is an exercise machine that lets you walk slowly in one place. Even some U.S. schools begin to experiment with desks that are part bicycle to keep children moving.

    Many companies may not buy a standing desk for everybody. However, they may get five standing desks or a treadmill desk for their employees and put them in a certain place where people can go for an hour a day to answer their emails or talk on the phone. Experts suggest some other activities: take a walk at lunchtime; walk to the offices and talk directly instead of emailing colleagues. All these activities may help you live longer.

    The human athlete has a special trick that no other animal has. It is called self-talk. Athletes talk to themselves to warm up, to focus and to help themselves believe they will win. A few simple words like “I can do it!” and “It is now or never!” can make the difference between winning gold or not.

    Self-talk is also used by speakers, actors and other performers. Before a speech, politicians believe that their words will win votes. And, self-talk helps students stay calm even when stumped by hard exam questions. Self-talk is a life skill you can use wherever you are, whenever you need it.

    The whole idea of talking to themselves seems strange to many people. Imagine your teacher saying, “For homework, talk to yourself for half an hour tonight.” You might think he is playing a joke on your class. Instead, adults teach kids all about talking to other people. There are many books on why, when, what and how to communicate with the rest of the world. Thus, you can grow up knowing a lot more about people around you than about yourself.

    It is good to speak and listen to others. But there is great value in making time to listen to yourself. When you do, you get to know yourself better. Along the way, you may discover the power you have for using words well.

    Such ideas are so exciting to psychologists that they have been trying to learn more about self-talk. In the study, people found certain lost items at home more easily when they talked to themselves while searching for the things.

Dear Koko,

    I've learned about you from my amazing teacher. I think it's fun that you can communicate with us humans by using the sign language. I've spent a lot of time watching you in different videos and love you from the bottom of my heart.

    It's heartbreaking to learn about all of the cruel things done to gorillas (大猩猩). In Africa, for example, the killers use guns to kill your fellows for meat. They don't understand the influence their actions are having on gorillas. Another thing is the loss of gorillas' natural home, which is caused by the improved infrastructure such as building roads and airports. When we cut down trees, you become homeless. We take away your shelter and sources of food, leaving you with very little chance of survival.

    Some of my classmates are writing to the relevant departments about these serious problems. Hopefully these letters will make a difference during your lifetime. Over the past three months, my class has been researching on gorillas, and I've learned so many things. For example, I've learned that you have a lot of feelings similar to mine and you are always so careful with everything you do. I think that you are really worth saving.

    We've come up with many ideas to help you and your fellows. One of the best ideas is to communicate with the President of the World Bank and have him give more financial support to the organizations for gorillas. Another idea is to make public laws on the killers. I also think we need to keep educating people about gorillas.

    I love writing to you and hope you can understand how important you've become to our class. Would it be too much to ask for a return letter?

Mike

    Whenever we talk about holidays, my mother teases my sister and me about how we “make out like robbers.” She is referring to the fact that we are half Jewish and half Indian, so we receive gifts on both the festivals of lights: Hanukkah and Diwali. Though my mother teases us, I do not mind getting two sets of gifts!

    Hanukkah is celebrated on the 25^th day of the Jewish month, which is usually sometime in December. On Hanukkah, like most Jewish families, we light a menorah and say a prayer each night. We also say a special prayer on the first night. After that, it is a tradition for my sister and me to do 'hot and cold' for our hidden Hanukkah gifts. When we walk towards the gift, our parents say 'hot' and when we walk further away, they say 'cold'. We each receive one present every night of Hanukkah. Another part I like about this holiday is seeing family members who we do not see often. My aunt usually stays for a few days, and we sometimes visit other relatives.

    Diwali is celebrated on the 13^th day of the dark fortnight of the month of Ashwin (October/November). To celebrate Diwali, my family does a pooja, or prayers, in honor of the goddess Lakshmi. Since she is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, the pooja includes washing silver coins in milk and water. In India, people decorate their houses with lamps, similar to the way you might light up your house for Christmas. My family just places a few candles outside. We also set off firecrackers, which is my favorite part. We often do this activity with friends to add to the excitement.

    Both holidays have different histories and stories. We celebrate them in different ways, yet they both have the same meaning. They both translate into Festival of Lights, and they both mean family and presents for me!

    The number of insects in the world has fallen by 45 percent in the past 35 years. Scientists say this could be dangerous for humans. A report on insect numbers has been published in the journal "Science". It says the human population has doubled since 1980 while the number of insects has nearly halved. One of the biggest reasons for this loss of insects is the act of cutting down trees or burning them. Many of the places where insects live are disappearing because of new cities and land being used for farming. Another reason is global warming. Scientists say that in the UK, the number of butterflies, bees and wasps(黄蜂) has fallen by up to 60 percent. Many countries are worried about the disappearance of them.

    Scientists say the decline in insect populations will lead to many problems for humans. One of the biggest dangers is that there will be fewer insects to pollinate flowers. This means that farmers will have problems growing food. The lead author of the report, Professor Rodolfo Dirzo, said falling numbers of insects could also lead to more diseases in humans. He said rats and mice would have less food to eat so they will move to cities and bring diseases with them. Dr. Ben from London University said we needed to stop more insects from dying. He added that scientists must understand what species(物种) are winning and losing in the fight for survival. He said this knowledge would help us to protect the "helpful" insects.