My husband and I had been married nearly twenty-two years when I acquired Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a disorder where my immune（免疫的）system responded to a virus by producing painful blisters. Although my long-term evaluation was good, I, who had been so fiercely independent, rapidly became absolutely helpless.

My husband, Scott, stepped up to the plate, taking care of kids and cooking dinners. He also became my personal caretaker, applying the medicine to all of my blisters because my hands couldn't do the job. Needless to say, I had negative emotions, bouncing from embarrassment to shame caused by total reliance on someone other than myself.

I recovered from my illness, but I couldn't seem to recover from the thought that I loved my husband less than he loved me. This seeming distinction in our love continued to annoy me for the year following my illness.

Then recently Scott and I went on a long bike ride. He's an experienced cyclist; I'm quite the green hand. At one point with a strong headwind and sharp pain building in my tired legs, I really thought I couldn't go any further. Seeing me struggle, Scott pulled in front of me and yelled over his shoulder, “Stay close behind me.” As I followed his steps, I discovered that my legs quit burning and I was able to catch my breath. My husband was pulling me along-again.

     I pray my husband will always be strong and healthy. But if he should ever become the struggling one, whether on a bike ride or with an illness, I trust Ill be ready to call out to him, Stay close behind me--my turn to pull you along.

    At 2:30 on December 5,1945, five US Navy training planes took off in clear weather from the base Lauderdale, Florida. The planes flew cast over the coast...and disappeared. The group was Flight 19, on a run between Florida and Bahamas. Tailor was the group leader. At about 3:40, Tailor reported that his compasses were not reading properly. The other planes followed their leaders aimlessly, first east, then west, then northeast over the ocean, as Tailor tried to make sure of the direction by radio. Then, suddenly Tailor was heard to give orders to dive...

    Quickly, two giant Martin seaplanes were sent up to search for Flight 19. Several hours later, the wind became strong and visibility (能见度) dropped. A return to base was ordered. But only one of the Martin seaplanes landed. Four days later, the Navy and Coast Guard combed a 100,000 square miles area with more than 100 planes and ships. No sign was ever shown of the missing planes.

Today, people have noted the disappearance of many ships and planes in the southwest part of the North Atlantic and began to call this area the Bermuda Triangle(百慕大三角区).

    The points of the triangle are Bermuda, Puerto Rico and a spot in the Gulf of Mexico, west of Florida. It is a two-faced water world of tiny islands, bright beaches and beautiful waters. Yet thick fogs, powerful currents(激流) and sudden storms are hidden behind this smiling surface.

    Marjorie grew up with a sense of worthlessness. Again and again her father said she would never accomplish anything in life. He told her she was a loser and that anything she did was sure to end in failure. With these words constantly ringing in her ears she grew up looking for someone who would love her and see her as a person of worth. This led her into relationships that disappointed her, ending in pain yet, which was another proof that she was worthless and unlovable. Where does our sense of self-worth come from?

    It is true that the foundation for a person's self-worth is laid in the home. Words that we hear in our home can build or tear down our worth. Encouraging words are words of life to us while words of criticism are words of death. Other people like teachers, friends and employers add to the collection of life-giving death words in a person's heart. Over time a person begins to see themselves in the light of these words. In this situation can one develop a sense of worth?

    Feeling worthless is possibly the most obvious symptom of low self-esteem（自尊心）. But it's easy to overcome. However tough your childhood is, you can still choose to enrich the world every day simply by the way you interact with others and make caring decisions. Whether we contribute anything or not is a choice. Feeling worthless means that you're not doing as well in the areas that matter to you and therefore you need to try to increase your self-esteem. To feel worthwhile, you'll have to really work at it and never give up on yourself.

    All human beings are capable of adding value to society, including you. Thus there are no excuses for saying things like “I'm worthless, stupid, useless” because you have the choice not to be any of these things.

                                                                                                University Room Regulations

    Approved and Prohibited Items

    The following items are approved for use in residential(住宿的)rooms: electric blankets, hair dryers, personal computers, radios, televisions and DVD players. Items that are not allowed in student rooms include: candles, ceiling fans, fireworks, waterbeds, sun lamps and wireless routers. Please note that any prohibited items will be taken away by the Office of Residence Life.

    Access to Residential Rooms

    Students are provided with a combination(组合密码)for their room door locks upon check-in. Do not share your room door lock combination with anyone. The Office of Residence Life may change the door lock combination at any time at the expense of the resident if it is found that the student has shared the combination with others. The fee is $25 to change a room combination.

    Cooking Policy

    Students living in buildings that have kitchens are only permitted to cook in the kitchen. Students must clean up after cooking. This is not the responsibility of housekeeping staff. Kitchens that are not kept clean may be closed for use. With the exception of using a small microwave oven(微波炉) to heat food, students are not permitted to cook in their rooms.

    Pet Policy

    No pets except fish are permitted in student rooms. Students who are found with pets, whether visiting or owned by the student, are subject to an initial fine of $100 and a continuing fine of $50 a day per pet. Students receive written notice when the fine goes into effect. If, one week from the date of written notice, the pet is not removed, the student is referred to the Student Court.

    Quiet Hours

    Residential buildings must maintain an atmosphere that supports the academic mission of the University. Minimum quiet hours in all campus residences are 11:00 pm to 8:00 am Sunday through Thursday. Quiet hours on Friday and Saturday nights are 1:00 am to 8:00 am. Students who violate quiet hours are subject to a fine of $25.

    March 3 marks World Hearing Day. This year's theme is “Check your hearing!” Many experts and health organizations, including those who pay attention to the hearing-impaired (听力障碍), are working to help people realize the importance of protecting their hearing and avoid hearing loss.

    When we talk about music, what kind of feelings does it bring? Excitement… and relaxation. But what if the music lasts for hours?

    We interviewed a group of musicians based in Beijing during the weekend. They all said that hours of exposure to loud music can cause discomfort. One added that band members like to play at maximum volume (音量) and forget the harm that loud music can cause. The same thing not only occurs to musicians. It's also not rare for daily users since listening to loud music on loud sound equipment has become a part of modem life. According to the WHO, the practice has put more than a billion people around the world, aged 12-35, at risk of losing their hearing.

    We also interviewed some headphone users in the street, and most of them said that they are not heavy users but admitted they use headphones for hours on the subway and in the office or home. It's easy for these people to gradually increase the volume without awareness, especially in a noisy environment. Often, headphone users fail to realize they're listening to audio at unsafe levels until serious hearing problems suddenly occur.

    There are many reasons for hearing loss, including loud acoustic (听觉的) sources, drug abuse, and diseases. Experts suggest frequent medical checks and prevention measures.

    Whether congenital (先天的) or acquired, loss of hearing is usually irreversible. “Once the hearing loss occurs, it's already too late to be changed back to what it was before,” said Yang Shiming, expert of the Chinese PLA General Hospital. “Early prevention, early identification and early treatment. If everyone could do these things, hearing loss and its harm could be kept to a minimum,” Yang said. Of course, this applies to every one of us.

    The popular image of the mountain climber is of a person carefully climbing a steep cliff with a network of safety ropes, but it is not the only kind. Many climbers now enjoy bouldering. It's more accessible and better for the environment.

    Here is an example of a climber addressing a bouldering problem.

    Figure 1: The climber has two routes she could take, one to the left and one to the right. The left one appears easier because it has a jug within easy reach, but look what happens if she chooses that direction. She gets stuck on the rock and has to go back down. Sometimes that is even more difficult than going up.

    Figure 2: The climber takes the one to the right this time. Using a foothold and placing her right hand in a crimp, she is able to lift herself up and locate other handholds. After only a few moves, she is able to throw her leg over the top of the boulder and pull herself up.