The highest beef prices in almost three decades have arrived just before the start of the hot season, causing a great shock to both consumers and restaurant owners—and relief isn't likely anytime soon. A decreasing number of cattle and growing export demand from countries such as China and Japan have caused the average price of fresh beef to climb to $5.28 a pound in February, up almost a quarter from January and the highest price since 1987.

    Everything that's produced is being consumed, said Kevin Good, an analyst at CattleFax, a Colorado-based information group. Prices will likely stay high for a couple of years as cattle producers start to rebuild their cattle among big questions about whether the Southwest and parts of the Midwest will see enough rain to water the grass.

    "I quit buying steaks a while ago when the price went up," said 59-year-old Len Markham, who works at Texas Tech. She says she limits red meat purchases to hamburger, choosing chicken, pork and fish instead.

    Restaurant owners, too, must deal with the high prices. Mark Hutchens, owner of the 50 Yard Line Steakhouse in Lubbock, raised his menu prices for beef items by about 5 percent in November. Since then, the owner of the small eating house has tried to make cuts elsewhere to avoid passing it on to customers. "It really puts more pressure on the small guys," he said of non-chain restaurants. "I just think you have to stay competitive and keep your costs low."

    “White-tablecloth restaurants have adjusted the size of their steaks, making them thinner”, says Jim Robb, director of the Colorado-based Livestock Marketing Information Center. “And fast-food restaurants are cutting costs by reducing the number of menu items and are offering other meat options, including turkey burgers, Robb said. Chain restaurants also try to buy beef as much as they can, which essentially gives them a discount”, Iowa State University assistant economics professor Lee Schulz said.

    The high prices are welcome news for at least one group: ranchers(大农场经营者), especially those in Texas who for years have struggled amid drought（干旱） and high feed prices. But even as ranchers breathe a sigh of relief, some worry lasting high prices will cause consumers to permanently change their buying habits — switching to chicken or pork. Pete Bonds, a 62-year-old Texas rancher and president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, said that's a big concern. “But such fears may be unfounded, Robb said. “Three years ago, economists thought consumers would start finding substitutions for beef as the drought spread. We're surprised we haven't seen more of that," he said.

    South Dakota rancher Chuck O'Connor thinks that consumers won't abandon beef for good. "I'm sure some are maybe going to cut back some, but to say that people aren't going to buy it anymore, I don't think that's going to happen," he said, adding, "I hope not."

From: Lee Haojie

Subject: Handheld Scanners

    Ms. Hu, I received the parcel from Scan Technology 1 piece. The scanner model they sent is correct, and the quantity is right. However, I've discovered the cables and connectors are all wrong. They are not suitable for the model 8021101.

    Can you do me a small favor and go through the product information website and see if the cables and connectors are still compatible (兼容的）with the 8021101 scanners? I have no wish to unpack the cables and connectors and try connecting them to the scanners. I believe we will have problem asking for an exchange if the cables and connectors are not compatible. If the website suggests an incompatibility, please contact Dan Richman and request an exchange for the collect model. (Refer to the invoice for his e-mail address.)

    I will only use the scanners for our project once we have resolved the exchange issue. We should not proceed unless we get confirmation (证实）on their compatibility. I am looking to resolve this in the shortest possible time as it would be disastrous to wait for this exchange without making progress on the project.

Haojie

    BEIJING — China's education authority will tighten the widely criticized policy of “extra credits” for the national college entrance examination to ensure a fairer chance for all exam-takers.

    Under the policy, high school students who win awards in national Olympic competitions could get "extra credits', up to 20 points for the national college entrance exam. Students with talent in sports and students who are from ethnic groups can also benefit from this policy. The extra credits have increased these students' chances of being admitted by famous universities. Some parents were found to have helped their children fabricate(伪造)award experiences or falsify qualifications to get extra credits.

    “It has harmed education equality，” the ministry said.

    Xiong Bingqi, vice-chief of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said the policy is designed to help students who have special talents but may be weak in academic performance to have a chance to receive higher education. It will still be needed but it is time to make the rules fairer," he said.

    The ministry said it will reduce the range of competitions whose winners can get extra credits, and limit the winners, privileges.

    The new policy will apply to students who begin high school in 2011, it said.

    Chen Lei, a mother of a 10-year-old girl, said she welcomed the ministry's policy adjustment as she does not want her daughter to become an Olympic competition geek.

    But not all the Chinese parents welcomed the new policy. “It is like a thunderbolt for me. My 13-year-old son has spent so much time studying Olympic math, and participated in so many technological competitions during vacations. It is useless now,” said Dong Wen, a 43-year-old mother.

    A student said, “Many students have changed the current study plan, and they can abandon the competition. I will be interested in learning the courses which can improve my abilities.”

    Yuan Guiren, minister of education, told China Daily that the reform is an attempt to consider the overall quality of an applicant. “But the country will not stop the national college entrance  examination as it is still the most objective way to evaluate talent in China,” he said.

    A. High tech with traditional life at Green Bank.

    Over millions of years, penguins（企鹅）have developed a keen sense of where to find food. Once they're old enough, they set off from the shores on which they were hatched for the first time and swim long distances in search of tasty fish like anchovies and sardines. But they don't search directly for the fish themselves.

    For example, when young African penguins head out to sea, they look for areas with low surface temperatures and high chlorophyll(叶绿素) because those conditions signal the presence of phytoplankton（浮游植物）. And lots of phytoplankton means lots of plankton（浮游动物）, which in turn means lots of their favorite fish. Well, that's what it used to mean.

    Climate change plus overfishing have made the penguin feeding grounds a mirage(海市蜃楼). The habitat is indeed plankton-rich—but now it's fish-poor. Researchers call this an “ecological trap.”

    “It's a situation where you have a signal that previously pointed an animal towards good quality habitat. That habitat's been changed, usually by human pressures. The signal stays, but the quality in the environment deteriorates.”

    Richard Sherley, a zoologist at the University of Exeter and his team used satellite imaging to track the African penguins from eight sites along southern Africa. Historically, the birds benefited from tons of fish off the coasts of Angola, Namibia and western South Africa, but now they're going hungry.

    “I was really hoping we'd see them going east, and finding areas where the fish had moved to but it ends up being quite a sad story for the penguins.” said Richard.

    The researchers calculate that by falling into this ecological trap, African penguin populations on South Africa's Western Cape have declined by around 80 percent.

    Some research groups are exploring the idea of moving chicks to a place where they can't get trapped, like the Eastern Cape. But Sherley thinks that a longer-term solution means making and carrying out rules to create more sustainable(可持续的) fishing industry, something that he says needs public support.

    My college experience included this life-skill lesson: Drink alcohol on a full stomach. Or you will get inebriated too quickly. Of course, most college students shouldn't be drinking at all, but we know from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism that close to 60 percent of college students aged 18 to 22 do consume alcohol, which makes harm-reducing approaches important.

    Unfortunately, campus authorities and researchers are reporting a practice that turns the full-stomach drinking strategy on its head: rather than filling up before a night of partying, significant numbers of students refuse to eat all day before consuming alcohol.

    This is a high-risk behavior called "drunkorexia," which is one part eating disorder, one part alcoholism—a very dangerous combination for college-age students. The term drunkorexia, which can also include excessive exercise or purging before consuming alcohol, was coined about 10 years ago, and it started showing up in medical research around 2012. Drunkorexia addresses the need to be the life of the party while staying extremely thin, pointing to a flawed mind-set about body image and alcoholism among college students, mostly women.

    Imagine this scenario: A female college freshman doesn't eat anything all day, exercises on an empty stomach, then downs five shots of tequila in less than two hours. Because there's no food in her system to help slow the absorption of alcohol, those shots affect her rapidly, leading to inebriation and possibly passing out, vomiting or suffering alcohol poisoning. That's drunkorexia.

    Tavis Glassman, professor of health education and public health at the University of Toledo in Ohio, researches drunkorexia and worries about scenarios such as the one described above: "With nothing in her system, alcohol hits quickly, and that brings up the same issues as with any high-risk drinking: getting home safely, sexual assault, unintentional injury, fights, hangovers that affect class attendance and grades, and possibly ending up in emergency because the alcohol hits so hard," he says.

    "Alcohol can negatively affect the liver or gastrointestinal system, it can interfere with sleep, lower the immune system and is linked to several types of cancers," Hultin says.

    Travelling can be a fun way to gain life experiences, especially during a week-long school vacation. But what if you're a student and don't have enough money for a trip? Don't worry.

Here are some useful tips.

    Save: This probably is the most important preparation for travelling. Cut expenses to fatten your wallet so you'll have more choices about where to go and how to get there.

    Plan ahead: Don't wait until the last minute to plan your trip. Tickets may cost more when bought on short notice. Giving yourself several months to get ready can mean security(安全)and savings.

    Do your homework: No matter where you go, research the places you will visit. Decide what to see. Travel books will provide information on the cheapest hotels and restaurants.

    Plan sensibly(明智地): Write down how much you expect to spend for food and hotels. Stick to your plan or you may not have enough money to cover everything.

    Travel in groups: Find someone who is interested in visiting the same places. By travelling with others you can share costs and experiences.

    Work as you go: Need more money to support your trip? Look for work in the places you visit.

    Go off the beaten path: Tourist cities may be expensive. You may want to rethink your trip and go to a lesser-known area. Smaller towns can have many interesting activities and sights.

    Pack necessary things: The most important things to take are not always clothes. Remember medicine in case you get sick and snacks in case you can't find a cheap restaurant.

    Use the Internet: The Net can help to save money. Some useful websites include www. Iravelocity.com, www.bargains-lowest fare.com and www.Economy travel.com.

    By planning sensibly, even students can enjoy the travel. Your travel experiences will be remembered for a lifetime.