E-mail has been widely used since its invention for its convenience, efficiency, and high speed. However, it is wise to remember how easily this wonderful technology can be misused, sometimes unintentionally, but can result in serious consequences.

    Now let's look at the case of the Illinois man who left the snow-filled streets of Chicago for a vacation in Florida. His wife was on a business trip and was planning to meet him there the next day. When he reached his hotel , he decided to send his wife a quick E-mail. Unable to find the note with his wife's E-mail address, he did his best to type from his memory. Unfortunately, he missed one letter and his E-mail was directed to an elderly lady whose husband had passed away (去世) only the day before. When the sad widow checked her E-mail, she took one look at the screen, let out a sharp cry, and fell to the floor in a dead faint (昏迷 ). At the sound , her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen:

    MY DEAREST WIFE： JUST GOT CHECKED IN. EVERYTHING PREPARED FOR YOUR ARRIVAL TOMORROW.

    P.S. SURE IS HOT DOWN HERE

    For the past four days, the streets of India have been brightly lit and full of festivities. Millions of people around the country have been celebrating the festival of Diwali.

    Diwali has been celebrated in India for hundreds of years. It takes place each year in either October or November. Although the holiday lasts only one night, people continue to celebrate for several days.

    People light oil lamps during the festival. In the tradition of the Hindu religion, the lamps are meant to celebrate the victory of light over darkness and good over evil (邪恶). The holiday also celebrates the start of a new year in the Hindu calendar. But Diwali is an important festival in many other Indian religions as well, including Sikhism and Jainism. In a country of more than 1.2 billion people and different religious beliefs, Diwali is a celebration that touches everyone.

    Diwali means “rows of lamps” in Sanskrit, a language used in many Indian religions. During the festival, families and friends come together to light the oil lamps，which are called diyas. Then they put the lamps in rows outside their homes and temples.

    As in other cultures' winter holidays，sweets and gifts are also a big part of Diwali. Neighbors and friends share treats, called mithai, and exchange presents.

    Employers often use the holiday to express appreciation for their workers. This year, a businessman even bought cars and houses for some of his employees!

    The Diwali spirit can be felt outside India as well. Indians in countries around the world, including the U. S. and Canada，are also celebrating the holiday this week.

    These are instructions for making invisible ink using baking soda.

    The extreme hot weather often makes people restless with sweats in summer. Even though people are annoyed by it, experts suggest that summer is the best season to give out your body's poisonous matters and refresh your energy.

    One popular choice is hot-stone massage(按摩). Therapists(理疗师)use smooth and heated stones, usually river rocks, to massage certain parts of the body, or set them on key points of the body. The warmth of the hot stones will promote blood circulation and also help muscles relax, while sweating is also believed to be good for letting out the body's poisonous factors.

    Another popular choice is hot-stone baths. The hot-stone bath will help the body give out poisons and humidity(湿气) that build up during the last winter. Summer is the best season to form a good body. Rather than use water or steam to heat and wash the body, people simply wear a coat or something comfortable, and then lie on heated stone tablets made of hot stones, which are warmed to around 45^oC. The body will gradually warm up and blood circulation will also be improved. More sweat will come out quickly. The sweat is smooth and fresh, not smelly like that released after sports activities. Such baths bring a number of health benefits, such as anti-aging, improved blood circulation and stress relief. The slimming effect of dieting can even be promoted.

    It dates back to ancient times to use hot stones for treatment, but the modern hot-stone massage generally owes to Mary Nelson, a native of Tucson, Arizona, America, whose trademark is "La Stone Therapy".

    The therapy is earning a good fame and popularity with many people, especially those who are often seated in cool rooms with air-conditioners. The hot-stone therapy can help cure many illnesses, back pain included.

    The Children's Groundwater Festival, first organized by the Groundwater Foundation 19 years ago, is celebrated every year in Nebraska, a state of the central United States in the Great Plains. After organizing the festival for 16 years, the foundation passed the program on to the local community of Grand Island, Nebraska. The festival is an annual event for fourth and fifth graders of Nebraska. It is an interesting and energetic day filled with hands­on education. Water magic, folk singers and musicians, storytellers, and bird shows add to the happy atmosphere during the festival. There are also some educational activities:

    Gooey Garbage: Children build a landfill (废物填埋场) and learn how a properly­built landfill can protect groundwater.

    Water Races: Children learn about water pollution by racing a drop of water through a model.

    Well in a Cup: By building a small aquifer (蓄水层) in a cup, children learn about aquifers and drinking water wells.

    Taster's Choice: Children drink different types of water, from tap water to bottled water. Then they are taught about the treatment process of each type of water.

    There's No New Water: Students are taught to make a special glass container and learn about the water cycle.

    The Children's Groundwater Festival not only has a great influence on Nebraska's people. So far, similar festivals have been held in nearly 40 American states, Mexico City, several provinces in Canada, and New Delhi, India. People everywhere are realizing the importance of educating young people to learn and care about groundwater.

    For more information about this festival, remember to watch our program tomorrow evening. I'll be waiting for you.

    When the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris (巴黎圣母院) was on fire, it seemed as if the nation had lost a piece of its soul. A similar tragedy took place in 19th century Russia. And the rebuilding effort of the Russians might offer some inspiration for the French.

    Standing in the heart of the Russian capital, with 60,000 square meters of floor space and 1,500 rooms, the Winter Palace was among the world's grandest building. On Dec. 17, 1837, a fire broke out at the Winter Palace. By the morning of Dec.19, only the structure's framework remained.

    For the czar (沙皇), the fire presented a political challenge. Fearing that Russia's enemies would cast the fire as a blow to the czarist orders, the czar's supporters quickly worked together to shape the description of the fire in Russia and abroad. They wanted the country to appear united. And they certainly didn't want despair to become the story.

    The first full account of the fire was written in French by the poet Petr Viazemskii. A Russian translation appeared two months later. That text and others painted a highly idealized picture of the response to the tragedy. The accounts noted that the czar forcefully directed the fire's containment. Soldiers were selfless to save the palace. The Russian people felt the loss just as deeply as the czar.

    To erase the shame of the fire, the czar set a nearly impossible goal: rebuild the palace within 15 months, and he ordered that rebuilt palace look exactly as it had before. Thousands of workers labored on the construction site. They made rapid progress. On Match 25, 1839, the czar celebrated the rebirth of the Winter Palace.

Outwardly identical to the old version, the new palace featured more iron and brick in its structures—and less wood. It was far less fire-prone than the original.

    Notre Dame hasn't experienced the same level of destruction as the Winter Palace, if the Russian phoenix of 1839 is any indication, there is hope that a renewed Notre Dame will once again grace the banks of the Seine.