In the middle of the 20th century people were worried about whales.The number of whales killed worldwide came up to 66,000 per year.However,people weren't worried about the whale as an endangered animal.Instead,they were worried about the whale industry,which would disappear if there were no whales.In 1946,the International Whaling Commission was established.It limited the whale hunting for every country and controlled the whale industry.But the commission recognized that the limitation wasn't enough.They set a worldwide law against hunting whales with only two exceptions: the hunt for scientific research and "aboriginal whaling".Aboriginal whaling allows some countries to hunt a limited number of whales because it is a part of their culture.Some countries like Japan and Norway don't care about the law;they make excuses to hunt whales and sell the products.They only care about the money.

    Many fishermen complain that dolphins,also a kind of whale,steal their fish.Therefore,they kill thousands of them.In fact,this is not the truth.In reality there are so many fishermen who steal the fish from each other.Some whale hunters say that they catch the animals for scientists.They have to research what whales are eating.For that, they kill them and look into their stomach.The truth is that they only want to sell the meat.Today scientists want to observe live whales for their research.

    Many whale families are not protected and thousands of them are killed.Nobody knows if all whale families would survive,even if humans end all whale hunting today.The pollution of the oceans increases fast and the poison gets into the bodies of the animals.Many of them get sick and die.The human being has killed 90%-95% of many whale families.Others are already extinct.

    Today some international organizations try to protect whales.They make reports to explain how important and endangered whales are.Now people are becoming more interested in whales and a complete new industry has developed,whale watching,which you may want to learn about.

    One day，Mr.Arnold was teaching a lesson，and things were going as normally as ever.He was explaining the story of mankind to his pupils.He told them that，in the beginning，men were nomads(游牧人)；they never stayed in the same place for very long.Instead，they would travel about，here and there，in search of food，wherever it was to be found. And when the food ran out，they would move off somewhere else.

He taught them about the invention of farming and keeping animals.This was an important discovery，because by learning to cultivate(耕作)the land，and care for animals，mankind would always have food steadily available.It also meant that people could remain living in one place，and this made it easier to set about tasks that would take a long while to complete，like building towns，cities，and all that were in them.All the children listening were attracted by this story，until Lucy jumped up：

    “And if that was so important and improved everything so much，why are we nomads all over again，Mr.Arnold？”

    Mr.Arnold didnt know what to say. Lucy was a very intelligent girl.He knew that she lived with her parents in a house，so she must know that her family were not nomads；so what did she mean?

“We have all become nomads again，” continued Lucy.“The other day，outside the city，they were cutting the forest down. A while ago a fisherman told me how they fish.Its the same with everyone：when theres no more forest left, the foresters go elsewhere，and when the fish run out, the fishermen move on.Thats what the nomads did，isnt it？”

The teacher nodded,thoughtfully. Really,Lucy was right. Mankind had turned into nomads. Instead of looking after the land in a way that we could be sure it would keep supplying our needs，we kept developing it until the land was bare.And then off we would go to the next place！The class spent the rest of the afternoon talking about what they could do to show how to be more civilized.

    The next day everyone attended class wearing a green T-­shirt，with a message that said，“I am not a nomad！”

    And，from then on，they set about showing that indeed they were not.Every time they knew they needed something，they made sure that they would get it using care and control.If they needed wood or paper，they would make sure that they got the recycled kind.They ordered their fish from fish farms，making sure that the fish they received were not too young and too small.They only used animals that were well cared for，and brought up on farms.

    And so，from their little town，those children managed to give up being nomads again，just as prehistoric men had done so many thousands of years ago.

    Is there anything more important than health? I don't think so. “Health is the greatest wealth.” wise people say. You can't be good at your studies or work well when you are ill. If you have a headache, toothache, backache, earache or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a bad cough, if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold, or if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, I think you should go to the doctor. The doctor will examine your throat, feel your pulse, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, test your eyes, check your teeth or have your chest X-rayed. After that he will advise some treatment, or some medicine. The only thing you have to do is to follow his advice.    

    Speaking about doctor's advice, I can't help telling you a funny story. An old gentleman came to see the doctor. The man was very ill. He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs. The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease. He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest. He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks. In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule: “Eat with pleasure, drink with pleasure and enjoy life as it is.” The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn't smoke more than one cigarette a day. A month later the gentleman came into the doctor's office. He looked cheerful and happy. He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man.“ But you know, doctor,” he said, “it's not easy to begin smoking at my age.”

    It's comforting to think if you were somehow swallowed by a whale, you'd simply hang out in his stomach until he eventually spat you out, unharmed and whole. Unfortunately, your chance of ending up in this type of situation is pretty low.

    In 2012 reporter Ben Shattuck read the records at the New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library. Despite his extensive research at one of the most comprehensive whaling archives(档案), he failed to find a single report of anyone ever being swallowed alive by a whale. He found plenty of reports of whalers who were bitten or injured by the creatures, and several who died after fighting with a whale, but none related to swallowing.

    With whales' large mouths, it certainly seems possible that a whale could swallow someone whole, so why is it so unlikely? Baleen whales, or whales without teeth, are some of the largest creatures on the planet. Despite their massive size, baleen whales could never get you into their bellies thanks to their relatively small esophagus(食道). These whales are designed to eat small sea creatures, and the opening in their throat is only about as large as a basketball, so you'd never make it that far.

    But what about toothed whales? Sperm whales eat whole seals, so you could easily fit down their throats and into their stomachs. However, once you reached the first of the sperm whale's four stomachs, your journey would probably end quickly. Not only would the whale's stomach acid make quick work of you, but you'd experience a distinct lack of air on the inside. Actually, you're more likely to get eaten or injured as you try to make it past the sperm whale's sharp teeth. Plenty of whalers, have fought with sperm whales and lost their hands or lives due to these mean teeth.

    With child behavior, there is almost much more than it meets the eye. Because it occurs at so many different levels, child behavior that seems simple at one level can often be much more complex and meaningful at another.

    For instance, a little child's pattern of getting into cupboards, drawers and closed rooms, even after being told not to, is easily considered as bad behavior. When viewed at that level, the pattern is unacceptable and could lead to punishment. But it can be viewed at a more complex and meaningful level, namely child exploration. If a child regularly experiences an angry parent who seems determined to prevent any exploratory activities, the child will decide to continue to achieve future discoveries. When parents view this behavior as born out of natural curiosity rather than simple opposition, they are more likely to accept and appropriately monitor it. Although it may lead to warning responses to ensure the child's safety, it is less likely to lead to punishment.

    There are countless other examples. Holding a goldfish outside its bowl is foolish at one level but also can be seen as a young child's attempt to express physical affection for a pet. Spending time with friends rather than family is selfish at one level but also indicates a teen's need for independence.

    The point here is that child behavior is often exhibited in simple forms that can appear to be oppositional, selfish or generally unacceptable if viewed only at that basic level. However, when viewed at a more meaningful level, the same apparently simple behavior can be seen as something larger and potentially more adaptive. This doesn't mean the behavior should be ignored, especially if it is inappropriate. But looking at the bigger picture of a child's behavior, adults might gain a fuller understanding of what they're dealing with, which can create more flexibility in how they respond.

    "You can use me as a last resort(选择), and if nobody else volunteers, then I will do it." This was an actual reply from a parent after I put out a request for volunteers for my kids' lacrosse(长曲棍球) club.

    I guess that there's probably some demanding work schedule, or social anxiety around stepping up to help for an unknown sport. She may just need a little persuading. So I try again and tug at the heartstrings. I mention the single parent with four kids running the show and I talk about the dad coaching a team that his kids aren't even on … At this point the unwilling parent speaks up, "Alright. Yes, I'll do it."

    I'm secretly relieved because I know there's real power in sharing volunteer responsibilities among many. The unwilling parent organizes the meal schedule, sends out emails, and collects money for end-of-season gifts. Somewhere along the way, the same parent ends up becoming an invaluable member of the team. The coach is able to focus on the kids while the other parents are relieved to be off the hook for another season. Handing out sliced oranges to bloodthirsty kids can be as exciting as watching your own kid score a goal.

    Still, most of us volunteers breathe a sigh of relief when the season comes to a close. That relief is coupled with a deep understanding of why the same people keep coming back for more: Connecting to the community(社区) as you freely give your time, money, skills, or services provides a real joy. Volunteering just feels so good.

    In that sense, I'm pretty sure volunteering is more of a selfish act than I'd freely like to admit. However, if others benefit in the process, and I get some reward too, does it really matter where my motivation lies?