Since the day of its birth, the United Nations has been the subject of much debate.

{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Others think that it is too weak. We can better understand this debate if we learn more about the U.N. and its history.

        The U.N. was started for two reasons. First, when the idea wasborn, people all over the world were tired of war. They felt that there must be peaceful answers to the world's problems.

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        The second reason was that modern science had developed newbombs and airplanes.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} National borders were beginning to lose theirmeaning. Science would develop even more dangerous weapons in the future. Onlyan international organization would be able to control modern science.

        Franklin D. Roosevelt, U.S. President at the time, believed thatthe Allies (联盟) should plan for peace before the war ended. On December 1, 1943, Roosevelt, Britain's Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin from Soviet Union agreed to start anorganization for world peace.

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        During the next year and a half, the idea of such anorganisation was debated around the world. Then came the big day. On April 11,1945, the first international meeting of the United Nations took place in SanFrancisco. The goal of the meeting was to write the U.N. Charter (宪章). All of thefifty-one nations at the meeting had their own ideas to offer for the Charter.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Every nation present voted for the Charter. Noone voted against it.

A. The U.N. Charter is a beautiful piece of writing.

B. After a long debate, a final Charter was agreed upon.

C. Even the smallest country on earth can have its voice heard.

D. They asked all countries, large and small, to join theorganization.

E. These weapons made it almost impossible for a country todefend itself.

F. Some people attack the organization because they think it istoo powerful.

G. They also felt that only an international organization couldkeep world peace.

    When I recently revealed to my friends, colleagues, and family members that I would be moving my family to Israel, the reactions were numerous and varied. Some people said it was an expected thing while others asked: Why now? What will you do?

    For me, making the move to Israel is the fulfillment of a dream that has lasted for my 47 years of life. I have always known that Israel is my home. Over the years Israel has been in my heart, but I have found a number of reasons to put off making it my permanent residence: kids, the economy, education… you name an excuse, and at some point I have probably used it.

    Truthfully, I believe that I was always just a little bit scared. And of course I still am, with the fear factor that is reported by the press surrounding the Israeli military and economy. However, it has come to the point when I have realized that for over 2000 years we have longed for this land, and that for 47 years I have denied the opportunity to make it my home. I am finally ready to fully grasp this opportunity.

    Over the years, I have always loved visiting Israel. I have traveled there with my family, and enjoyed introducing thousands of travelers to the country. I have come to love all of these things about Israel as a tourist because I get to love my home. And as far as waiting for the “perfect” condition under which to make aliyah, I believe the time is now!

    I have been asked many times if I am nervous about moving to Israel. Before I answer, I remember that we have overcome the Greeks, the Romans, the Russian killings, Hitler and the Holocaust(大屠杀)，and the armies of seven countries.

    How can I not feel confident that I , and my family, will overcome any difficulties that may come our way? I am not worrying, complaining, crying, or fearing as I prepare to make aliyah. I am proud and excited to say that I am fulfilling a 47-year-old dream: I am going home.

    No rows of desks in this classroom, and no teacher lecturing at the front. In fact, that's something Barrie teacher Liz Collett rarely does. Instead, she's on the move, talking to students about their work, from the small group sitting on the floor playing games to others nearby figuring out a math problem.

    The children in this class do not take a spelling test all year－in fact, the school avoids all pencil-and-paper tests－nor do they get assigned homework. Instead, their teacher gives them immediate feedback（反馈）on their work throughout the day.

    Welcome to the school of the 21st century, a place where teachers and students cooperate all the time. Such advanced classrooms are trying things, which some might consider as coddling kids－letting students give a voice-recorded essay instead of a written one or even allowing teens to design their own courses.

    Though some people blame（谴责）schools for dumbing things down（降低教育标准）, others will say such changes are actually based on the newest research on how to attract today's youth and increase not only their interests, but also their achievements. Many of today's school are not holding kid's interests. And if they Ye not interested, they're not learning－and isn't that the point?

“Students today say they want their education to be useful and valuable, and don't want it to be simply repeating the facts. That's the kind of learning that be happening for many kids,” says Penny Milton, a researcher. “What we could argue is that to become good learners, they need to become thinkers.”

    Jan Olson, anther researcher, says schools have been operating the same way since the Industrial Revolution. But the digital age is bringing an education revolution. While using technology is a part of it, what's important for students is being able to use information and understand it, not just remembering it.

    Today's learner needs fewer traditional tests and more “effective” feedback, ongoing discussion with a teacher, which studies have found is the number one factor in improving achievement.

    A body image is the way a person views his or her body. It affects how a person “feels” about his or her body. For example, when not looking in a mirror, people have a sense of what their bodies look like. A positive body image is having a realistic and accepting view of your body. However, very few women have a positive body image. Society, dieting, eating disorders, and overweight are all related to a negative body image.

    A century ago, full and curvaceous (曲线美的) bodies were admired. They were also more natural for women to keep. Nowadays, the best female body has a tiny waist, flat stomach, thin legs, and is very slim. Women are told to weight less than ever before. Supermodels are the new women's idols. However, most of them are teenagers, and many of them have eating disorders or diet strictly. Trying to follow these standards is hard to most women. As a result, they starve themselves, or exercise—excessively (过度地), or both.

    Most women who know the standard of beauty and body weight are dieting to reduce weight and change their figures. Eating disorders are not simply unhealthy diet habits; they are considered as mental illnesses and can sometimes end in death. Strict dieting or food restriction combined with a negative body image can become an eating disorder.

    A negative body image can also lead to overweight. This is due to excessive eating to comfort bad feelings about their bodies. In addition, yo-yo dieting, which often follows a negative body image, leads to increasingly higher weights with each diet attempt.

    A negative body image is bad for women. I may help them to see an advisor who is good at treating women with negative body images. Lastly, if society worked on encouraging healthy lifestyles and healthy looking bodies for women, a lot of good would come from it.

    It's school time again! You're probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad for the vacation is over. Some kids feel nervous on the first day of school because of all the new things: new teachers, new friends, and maybe even a new school. Luckily, these "new" worries only stick around for a little while. Let's find out more about going back to school.

    Most teachers kick off the school year by introducing themselves and talking about what you'll be doing that year. Some teachers give students a chance to tell something about themselves to the rest of the class.

    When teachers do the talking on the first day, they often go over classroom rules so you'll know what's allowed and what's not. Pay close attention so you'll know if you need to raise your hand to ask a question and what the rules are about visiting the restroom.

    You might already know a lot of people in your class on the first day. But it's a great day to make new friends, so try to say "hello" to the kids you know and new ones that you don't. Make the first move and you'll be glad about what you did and so will your new friends!

    Most teachers let you pick your own seat on the first day, but by the second or third morning, they'll have mapped out a seating plan. It's a good idea to write down where your seat is in your notebook so you don't forget.

    Here are a few final tips for a fantastic(奇异的) first day: Get enough sleep. Have a healthy breakfast. Try your best. Develop good work habits, like writing down your assignments(作业) and handing in your homework on time. Take your time with schoolwork. If you don't understand something, ask the teacher.

    People who sleep fewer than six hours a night are more likely to die early, researchers in University of Warwick have found in a recent study. They discovered that people who slept for less than six hours each night were 12% more likely to die before the age of 65 than those who slept the recommended six to eight hours a night.

    The researchers pointed out that previous studies had shown that the lack of sleep was associated with problems like heart disease and high blood pressure. However, the researchers also found that sleeping too much was linked to an early death. Those who slept for more than nine hours a night were 30% more likely to die early, as an article in the latest Sleep suggested. That directly contradicts another passage in the same journal last month suggesting that people who slept for ten hours or longer a night were more likely to live to 100. This was thought to be because people who lived into extreme old age were healthier and therefore slept better.

    However, the authors of the latest research contradicted this and suggested that long sleep was a sign of underlying illnesses such as depression and low levels of physical activity. Professor Francesco Cappuccio at the University of Warwick said: "While short sleep may represent a cause of ill-health, long sleep is believed to represent more an indicator of ill-health."

    He also mentioned: "Modern society has seen a gradual reduction in the average amount of sleep people take, and this pattern is more common among full-time workers, suggesting that it may be due to social pressures for longer working hours. On the other hand, the worsening of our health is often accompanied by an extension of our sleeping time."

    "Consistently sleeping six to eight hours per night may be good for health. However, whether to achieve the goal depends on various factors such as the environment as well as measures of public health aimed at favourable changes of the working environments," Professor Francesco Cappuccio added.