Lu Xun is one of the greatest Chinese writers of the 20^th century. Besides his famous stories, he also wrote many influential articles about the living conditions of Chinese people.

    Born in 1881 to a wealthy family, Lu Xun had a happy childhood. In 1893, however, his grandfather, a senior government official, was put into prison for taking money. At the same time, his father became seriously ill. From that time on, his family were no longer accepted by their relatives and friends. These early experiences greatly influenced his writing.

    By the time Lu Xun arrived in Nanjing to study at university in 1899, he already believed that Chinese society had to change and become modern. In 1902 he went to study in Japan. There, he began writing articles for several Chinese student magazines. He showed a gift for writing and translating and he even wrote several books, although none was popular. He returned to China in 1909 because he was in need of money.

    After working for several years as a teacher in Beijing, Lu Xun again returned to writing. In 1918, he wrote his famous short story Diary of a Madman. It was the first Chinese novel published using the everyday language that people spoke, which helped make it a great success. This, together with his novel The True Story of Ah Q

    When you go to the doctor, you like to come away with a prescription．It makes you feel better to know you will get some medicine. But the doctor knows that medicine is not always needed. Sometimes all a sick person needs is some reassurance that all will be well. In such cases the doctor may prescribe a placebo.

    A placebo is a sugar pill, a harmless shot, or ail empty capsule. Even though they have no medicine in them, these things seem to make people well. The patient thinks it is medicine and begins to get better. How does this happen?

    The study of the placebo opens up new knowledge about the way the human body can heal itself. It is as if there was a doctor in each of us. The doctor will heal the body for us if we let it. But it is not yet known just how the placebo works to heal the body. Some people say it works because the human mind fools itself. These people say that if the mind is fooled into thinking it got medicine, then it will act as if it did, and the body will feel better.

    Placebos do not always work. The success of this treatment seems to rest a lot with the relationship between the patient and the doctor. If the patient has a lot of trust in the doctor and if the doctor really wants to help the patient, then the placebo is more likely to work. So in a way, the doctor is the most powerful placebo of all.

    A placebo can also have bad effects. If patients expect a bad reaction to medicine, then they will also show a bad reaction to the placebo. This would seem to show that a lot of how you react to medicine is in your mind rather than in your body. Some doctors still think that if the placebo can have bad effects it should never be used. They think there is still not enough known about it.

    The strange power of the placebo does seem to suggest that the human mind is stronger than we think it is. There are people who say you can heal your body by using your mind. And the interesting thing is that even people who swear this is not possible have been healed by a placebo．

    A car dealership in my hometown of Albuquerque was selling six to eight new cars a day. I was also told that 72 percent of this dealership's first-time visitors returned for a second visit.

    I was curious. How does a car dealership get 72 percent of its first-time visitors to return? And how can they sell six to eight cars a day in a declining car market?

    When I walked into Saturn of Albuquerque that Friday, the staff there didn't know me from Adam; yet they shared with me their pricing policy, the profit margin on every model, and staff income. They even opened their training manuals for my review and invited me back on Saturday if I wanted more information.

    On Sunday, the day after my second visit to the Saturn store, my wife, Jane, and I were walking as we frequently do. On this particular June morning, Jane gently slipped her hand in mine and said tenderly, ＂I don't know if you remember, but today's my fifth anniversary of being cancer-free.＂ I was surprised, partially because I was embarrassed that I had forgotten and, partially because.... Well, I didn't know what to do with Jane's information.

    The next day, Monday, Jane went off to work teaching school. Still not knowing what to do to mark this special occasion, I did the most impetuous thing I've ever done in my life: I bought a new Saturn. I didn't pick the color or the model, but I paid cash and told them I'd bring Jane in on Wednesday at 4:30. I told them why I was buying the car.

    On Tuesday, it dawned on me that Jane always wanted a white car. I called the sales consultant at Saturn, and I asked him if he had anything white in the store. He said he had one left but he couldn't guarantee it'd still be available on Wednesday at 4:30 because they were selling so fast. I said I'd take my chances and asked him to put it in the showroom.

    Wednesday came. Unexpectedly, someone in our family was admitted to the hospital. So, it wasn't until 9:30 Saturday morning when we finally made our way to the Saturn store. Jane had never been in a Saturn store. When we went through the front door, the Lord took control of her feet and her mouth. She saw that little white Saturn coupe all the way across the showroom floor. She quickly passed a multi-colored sea of automobiles, sat in the little white Saturn and said, ＂Oh, what a pretty little car. Can I have a new car?＂ I said, ＂No. Not until our son graduates from college.＂ She said, ＂I'm sick and tired of driving that old Dodge, I want a new car.＂ I said, ＂I promise, just three more semesters and he'll be out.＂

    Next, Jane walked around to the front of the car. As she looked it over, she let out the most blood-curdling, shrill scream I'd ever heard in 29 years of marriage.

    Now, before I tell you why Jane screamed, let me tell you what the sales consultant had done. He had ordered a large, professionally engraved sign (white letters on blue). The sign stood alone on the hood of the little white Saturn coupe. It said ＂Congratulations, Jane. This car is yours. Five years cancer-free. Let's celebrate life. From Team Saturn＂ Every employee at Saturn of Albuquerque had signed the back of that sign.

    Jane saw it, screamed, collapsed in my arms and cried loudly. I didn't know what to do. I was in tears. I took out my invoice (发票) from the previous Monday, pointing to the white coupe, said, ＂No, honey, this car isn't yours. I bought you this one.＂ I tapped the invoice with my index finger. Jane said, ＂No, I want this one right here.＂

    While this conversation was going on, there was no one in the store. The sales consultant had arranged it so that we could share the moment alone. Even so, it's impossible to have a lot of privacy when so many people are standing outside the showroom windows looking in. When Jane screamed and collapsed in my arms, I saw everybody outside applaud and begin to cry.

    Most American students go to traditional public schools. There are about 88,000 public schools all over the US. Some students attend about 3,000 independent public schools called charter schools.

    Charter schools are self­governing. Private companies operate some charter schools. They are similar in some ways to traditional public schools. They receive tax just as other public schools do. Charter schools must prove to local or state governments that their students are learning. These governments provide the schools with the agreement called a charter that permits them to operate.

    Charter schools are different because they do not have to obey most laws governing traditional public schools. Local, state or federal governments cannot tell them what to teach. Each school can choose its own goals and decide the ways it wants to reach them. Class size is usually smaller than in traditional public schools.

    Governments strongly support charter schools as a way to re­organize public schools that are failing to educate students. But some education agencies and unions oppose charter schools. One teachers' union has just made public the results of the first national study comparing the progress of students in traditional schools and charter schools.

    The American Federation of Teachers criticized the government's delay in releasing the results of the study, which is called the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Union education experts say the study shows that charter school students performed worse in math and reading tests than students in regular public schools.

    Some experts say the study is not a fair look at charter schools because students in those schools have more problems than students in traditional schools. Other education experts say the study results should make charter school officials demand more student progress.

    CHICAGO(Reuters)－Smoking not only can wrinkle (皱纹) the face and turn it yellow—it can do the same to the whole body, researchers reported on Monday.

    The study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, shows that smoking affects the skin all over the body－even skin protected from the sun.

    "We examined non-facial skin that was protected from the sun, and found that the total number of packs of cigarette smoked per day and the total years a person has smoked were linked with the amount of skin damage a person experienced," Dr. Yolanda, who led the study, said in a statement.

    "In participants older than 65 years, smokers had significantly more wrinkling than nonsmokers. Similar findings were seen in participants aged 45 to 65 years." Yolanda's team added in their report.

    The researchers tested 82 people, smokers and nonsmokers, taking pictures of the inner right arms. They ranged, in age from 22 to 91 and half were smokers. Independent judges decided how wrinkled each person's skin was.

    When skin is exposed to sunlight, especially the face, it becomes coarse(粗糙的), wrinkled and discolored with a pale yellow color, Yolanda's team wrote.

    Several previous studies have found that cigarette smoking led to premature(过早的)skin aging as measured by facial wrinkles, the study said, but little has been done to measure the aging of skin not exposed to light.

    The previous research has found that cigarette smoke, among other things, causes blood vessels(血管)beneath the skin to constrict(紧缩), reducing blood supply to the skin.

    Smoking can also damage the connective tissue(组织)that supports both die skin and the internal organs (器官).

    Back in 1988, I was working at the University of Bonn in Germany as a research fellow. I took some time off in early May to visit a friend, who was the director of a museum in Viterbo, in central Italy. I set out by train, which crossed the Swiss border to reach Zurich, winding through valleys and along hillsides, and entering tunnels and making its way through the Swiss Alps. The scenery was so beautiful.

    The train then crossed the Italian border before passing through Milan and Florence, then finally stopping in Rome. I was lucky, as my hotel was close to the railway station. The next morning, I had a coffee at a nearby café and eagerly set out to visit as many of the famous Roman landmarks as possible.

    The following day I headed back to the train station, intending to take a short train ride to Viterbo to meet up with my friend. When I arrived at the station and attempted to locate the correct platform, I quickly realized that the station was closed for an upgrade (升级). For a moment my mind went blank and did not know what to do. My biggest problem was my luggage—my suitcase and hand luggage were so heavy that I couldn't move about easily. As I don't speak Italian, I could not ask anyone for instructions. I dragged my suitcase about 100 meters to a nearby motor mechanics. A tall, strong man of about 50 years of age was working there and I excused myself and asked where the nearest station was. I am sure that he did not understand me properly but he could easily guess that I was looking for a station. He replied, but I did not understand.

    He smiled, wiped his hands and said something, which I guessed to mean "come along". So I dragged my suitcase along and followed him. He opened the door of his car, motioned to me to get in and then drove for a few minutes to the next station. I got out, unloaded my luggage, then shook his hand with thanks. He smiled back and drove away.

    There was no time to hug or exchange names  I understood he was busy and in the middle of his work. I was moved so much by his generosity that I have never forgotten him.