Miss Parker taught physics in a New York school. Last month she explained to one of her classes about sound ,and she decided to test them to see how successful she had been in her explanation. She said to them, “Now I have a brother in Los Angeles. If I was calling him on the phone and at the same time you were 75 feet away, listening to me from across the street, which of you would hear what I said earlier, my brother or you and for what reason?”

    Tom at once answered, “Your brother. Because electricity travels faster than sound waves.”“That's every good,” Miss Parker answered; but then one of the girls raised her hand, and Miss Parker said.“Yes, Kate.”

    “I disagree,” Kate said.“Your brother would hear you earlier because when it's 11 o'clock here it's only 8 o'clock in Los Angeles.”

    When Cherry Watson travelled on a recent flight from New York to Washington and noticed an 'awful tension' in the cabin, she first thought it was caused by typical bad-tempered passengers. But as the flight neared its end, it became obvious that something was very wrong.

    A teenage boy with Down Syndrome (唐氏综合症) who was traveling with his family had become upset and would not return to his seat, regardless of the cabin crew's warnings over the loudspeaker that it was almost time to land. The pilot was forced to circle above the airport, delaying the landing and angering people on the already tense flight.

    'If it was a cartoon,' remembered Watson, 'there would have been smoke coming out of people's ears.'

    The boy's elderly parents and adult brothers and sisters tried to persuade him to get off the floor and back into his seat, but in vain. Watson, who used to be a teacher, stood up and quickly headed to the back of the plane.

    She found the boy in the passage between rows of seats, lying on his belly, and lay down on her stomach to face him. She began chatting calmly with him, asking his name, his favorite book, and his favorite characters. He told her he felt sick and she tried to comfort him.

    Minutes later, he allowed her to hold his hand, and then together they got properly back into airplane seats. Watson asked for sick bags, and held them as the boy threw up several times, including on her. As she helped him clean up, she repeatedly told him everything would be okay and that they'd get through it together.

    After the plane was finally able to land, no one was impatient to step off the flight as one might expect. Instead, calmed passengers—obviously following Watson's amazing example—allowed the boy and his family to depart first, smiling at them as they passed. His parents tearfully thanked Watson for what she had done, and a doctor sitting nearby also let her know he had even taken notes on her expert way of handling the situation.

    When we don't understand each other's language, we can talk with the help of signs.

    A Frenchman was once travelling in England. He could not speak English at all. One day he went into a restaurant and sat down at a table. When the waiter came, he opened his mouth, put his fingers in it, and took out again. He wanted to say. "Bring me something to eat."

    The waiter soon brought him a cup of tea. The man moved his head from side to side. The waiter understood him and took the tea away. In a moment he came with a cup of coffee. But the man again refused it. He shook his head whenever the waiter brought him something to drink, for drinks are not food.

    When the man was going away, another man came in. This man saw the waiter, and he put his hand on his stomach. That was enough. In a few minutes there was a large plate of meat and vegetables on the table in front of him.

    So you see, we cannot understand the language of signs as well as we can understand the language of words.

    Tens of thousands of ancient pictures carved into the rocks at one of France's most important tourist sites are being gradually destroyed. Scientists and researchers fear that the 36,000 drawings on rocks in Mont Bego in the French Alps are being damaged so rapidly that they will not survive for future generations.

    The mountain, believed to have once been a site for prayer, is scattered (散布) with 4,000-year-old drawings cut into bare rock. They include pictures of cows with horns, cultivated fields and various gods and goddesses. But as the popularity of the site increases, the pictures are being ruined by thoughtless graffiti (涂鸦).

    Jean Clottes is the chairman of the International Committee on Rock Art. He says, "People think that because the pictures have been there so long they will always continue to be there. But if the damage continues at this rate there will be nothing left in 50 years."

    He describes seeing tourists stamping on the drawings, wearing away the rock and definition (清晰) of the artwork as they do so. Some visitors, he says, even cut off parts to take home as souvenirs. "When people think they can't take a good enough photograph, they rub the drawings to get a clearer picture," he said. "The drawings are polished by the weather, and if the sun is shining and the visitors can't see them properly they simply rub them to make them look fresher." Other researchers describe how people arrive carrying long sticks with sharp ends to scratch (刮) their own drawings, or even their names, in the rocks.

    But experts are divided over the best way to preserve the drawings. Henry de Lumley, director of the Museum of Natural History in Paris, believes that the only way to save the site is to turn the whole mountain into a "no-go" area, preventing the public from going there except on guided tours. Otherwise, he says, not only will the site be completely destroyed but important research work will be reduced.

    Clottes disagrees, "The measure suggested by Henry de Lumley is the most severe, and while it is the most effective, it is also certain to bring about protests from people who live there," he said. "The site was classified as a historic monument years ago by the Ministry of Culture, and we must do as much as possible to save what is there."

    David Lavergne, the regional architect, also wants to avoid closing the site. "Henry de Lumley's idea isn't ideal," he said. "Our department feels that the best solution is to let people look at the site, but because the area is very big it is difficult to prevent visitors from damaging it. I would prefer that everyone was able to look at it, but the main problem is money. We do not have the funds to employ the necessary number of guards. We may have to consider charging a fee. It doesn't seem to be possible to get the government support."

    Scott and Daniel Harry are enjoying everyday tasks like shopping and washing for the first time following their move to an accommodation (住宿) support house in Kurwongbah, north of Brisbane last year.

    Disability Services Queensland's Strengthening Non-Government Organisations project provided an accommodation support model that would enable residents (居住者) like Daniel and Scott to live more independently.

    The house is just one of many accommodation support services funded (资助) through the project. The five-bedroom house provides 24-hour care for up to four individuals with complex needs, including medical support. Care and staffing levels are varied and flexible, depending on each resident's requirements.

    Scott and Daniel, who have a severe form of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, require 24-hour support in all activities of daily living. Before they moved to the house, they lived with their family. Scott says living at home was difficult as it placed a physical and emotional strain (负担) on their parents who had to wake them several times each night to reposition them or place them on breathing machines.

    "We were heavyhearted," says Scott, who is planning to write a book about his life experiences. "But our parents now have a lot more time for themselves. We now manage ourselves on a day-to-day basis."

    Daniel is an enthusiastic gardener, taking care of his own vegetable garden. The men share the house with one other young man, and they go to rugby league games, meeting up with friends.

    Leeding Care Australia provides the care service at Kurwongbah. Manager Lee Garniss says setting up the facilities (设施) has not been without its challenges.

    "It is an unconventional model of care," Lee says. "The home is Scott and Daniel's home, however it is also a workplace for their support staff. Balancing these two requirements has been a challenge for all."

    "We have experienced a bit of a learning phase over the last twelve months. However, by working as a team we try our best to meet the needs of both residents and staff and I think we have achieved the right balance."

    Benjamin Franklin clearly knew how to get things done. After scanning the long list of Benjamin Franklin's achievements, one can only come to one conclusion that the American man probably never had a wasted day in his life. When he was 84 years old, he became a successful author, printer, politician, postmaster, inventor, musician, and diplomat.

    There's much we can learn from Benjarin Frankin's work habits and opinions on life that can increase our own productivity. Here are some ways Franklin overcame lazy, wasted days.

    Start a group and share knowledge. When Franklin was 21, he was a struggling printer in Philadelphia. To increase his connections and to learn more about his industry, he created a group. The group was in great need of books, but books were expensive. Franklin helped start a library where books were bought and lent to members. This sharing of knowledge, experience, and connections helped Franklin become a famous and respected printer in Philadelphia.

    Attack opportunities. "To succeed," Franklin wrote," jump as quickly at opportunities as you can." We can all agree, but when an opportunity comes we often look the other way. It's because the opportunity isn't dressed the way we expect. We often think that the opportunity was only in the form of a golden egg or a million-dollar lottery ticket or a new job offer. But more often than not, the opportunity comes in smaller, less beautiful packages.

    Time is something in short supply. Franklin wrote "Lost time is never found again." This may sound like it came from the pen of a poet, but it's really an inspirational call to action. Franklin worked, created, and lived knowing that time is scarce. He never put off his work.

    While Franklin was an able inventor we can be sure that his notebook contained a few unsuccessful ideas. Franklin wrote, "Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out."