C

    FLORENCE, Italy—Svetlana Cojochru feels hurt. The Moldovan has lived here seven years as a caregiver to Italian kids and the elderly, but in order to stay she's had to prove her language skills by taking a test which requires her to write a postcard to an imaginary friend and answer a fictional job ad.

    Italy is the latest Western European country trying to control a growing immigrant(移民) population by demanding language skills in exchange for work permits, or in some cases, citizenship.

    Some immigrant advocates worry that as hard financial times make it more difficult for natives to keep jobs, such measures will become more a vehicle for intolerance than integration(融合). Others say it's only natural that newcomers learn the language of their host nation, seeing it as a condition to ensure they can contribute to society.

    Other European countries laid down a similar requirement for immigrants, and some terms are even tougher. The governments argue that this will help foreigners better join the society and promote understanding across cultures.

    Italy, which has a much weaker tradition of immigration, has witnessed a sharp increase in immigration in recent years. In 1990, immigrants numbered some 1.14 million out of Italy's then 56.7 million people, or about 2 percent. At the start of this year, foreigners living in Italy amounted to 4.56 million of a total population of 60.6 million, or 7.5 percent, with immigrants' children accounting for an even larger percentage of births in Italy.

    Cojochru, the Moldovan caregiver, hoped obtaining permanent residence(居住权) would help her bring her two children to Italy; they live with her sister in Moldova, where salaries are among the lowest in Europe. She was skeptical that the language requirement would encourage integration.

    Italians always “see me as a foreigner,” an outsider, even though she's stayed in the country for years and can speak the local language fluently, she said.

    Nobody should ever be turned away from a church.I've always said that and have believed it,but I had to put it in practice the other night.It was my birthday,and we had a party at church,upstairs in the hall.My son Tim's roommate Garth sang in a great band,the Rooks,and they played for us.They performed wonderfully.

    Suddenly I noticed a man I'd never really seen before.He was big,never took off his coat or hat and stood in the middle of the room,looking a bit nervous.A homeless guy had just wandered into my birthday party,I thought.And I kept thinking about the guy who hadn't been invited,I meant to head over to him and politely asked him to leave. Wait a minute,I thought.Should anybody be turned away from God's house?Of course other uncertain thoughts crossed my mind: What if he was here to make trouble?What was under that coat?What if he was a terrorist?But some higher born qualities held sway."Hi,"I said,walking over to him."I'm Rick.This is a birthday party for me. Would you like something to eat?"He nodded his head.I got him a plate of food and told him he was welcome to stay. He nodded.He stayed there in the center of the room,smiling and swaying to the music.After a long time I looked for him again,and he was gone.

    I've always loved the parable（寓言）of Luke about the man who gives a big dinner and when no one comes,he sends his servants into the city streets to welcome the poor,homeless,disabled and blind.I don't know who invited this guy but I was glad he was there.I hope he had a good time.

Venom(毒液）from a local scorpion(蝎子）in Cuba is being used by Cuban scientists as an effective weapon to fight cancer. The venom, with stopping pain, anti-inflammatory (炎症） and anti-cancer properties, is the active ingredient in the medicine “Vidatox 30 CH“ which can be used to treat liver, brain, lung and other cancers. The treatment has been successfully used for more than four years in humans after being first tested in biological models. Labiofam, a Cuban laboratory, has breeding(繁殖)centers for both the Red Scorpion and Blue Scorpion. Each month, some 30,000 scorpions in Las Minas town, 270 km east of Havana are made to give the venom. After two years, the scorpions are released back into their natural habitat.

Denyer Sanchez, a biologist from Labiofam, explained that the conditions are adjusted for reproduction, proved by the high number of breeding female scorpions. He said when the offspring(后代）becomes able to live in the environment, we release them because they do not have the necessary size yet to remove their venom, said Sanchez. Sanchez also said that there is still much to research on the exploitation process of scorpions, such as female death rate or the ability to survive of the released scorpions.

Cuban research on the scorpion's venom began at the end of 1980s in Guantanamo province, the island's eastern tip, where a group of biologists and doctors became interested in the stories told by the peasants about the venom's benefits. However，the first discovery was made by Cuban biologist Misael Bordier. In 2001, Bordier visited Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM) and presented the research progress in a professional journal. Bordier died in 2005, one year before Cuba's Industrial Property Office gave Labiofam the rights to exploit the patent related to the venom.

    Nowadays wind is useful. Think about the different ways that people use the wind. You can use it to fly a kite or to sail a boat. Wind is one of our cleanest and richest power sources, as well as one of the oldest. Evidence shows that windmills began to be used in ancient Iran back in the seventh century BC. They were first introduced to Europe during the 1100s, when armies returned from the Middle East with knowledge of using wind power.

    For many centuries, people used windmills to grind wheat into flour or pump water from deep underground. When electricity was discovered in the late 1800s, people living in remote areas began to use them to produce electricity. This allowed them to have electric lights and radio. However, by the 1940s, when electricity was available to people in almost all areas of the United States, windmills were rarely used.

    During the 1970s, people started becoming concerned about the pollution that is created when coal and gas are burned to produce electricity. People also realized that the supply of coal and gas would not last forever. Then, wind was rediscovered, though it means higher costs. Today, there is a global movement to supply more and more of our electricity through the use of wind.

    Forty-three years seems like a long time to remember the name of a mere acquaintance. I have forgotten the name of an old lady who was a customer on my paper route. Yet it seems like just yesterday that she taught me a lesson in forgiveness.

    On a Saturday afternoon, a friend and I were throwing rocks onto the roof of the old lady's house. The object of our play was to observe how the rocks changed to missiles （导弹）as they rolled to the roof's edge and shot out into the yard like comets （彗星）falling from the sky. I found myself a perfectly smooth rock and sent it for a ride. However, it slipped from my hand as I let it go and headed straight for a small window. At the sound of crashed glass, we knew we were in trouble and ran away.

    A few days later, when I was sure that I hadn't been discovered, I started to feel guilty for her misfortune. She still greeted me with a smile each day when I gave her the paper, but I was no longer able to act comfortably in her presence. I made up my mind to save my paper delivery money, and in three weeks I had the seven dollars that I calculated would cover the cost of her window. I put the money in an envelope with a note, and put the envelope through the letter slot in her door.

    The next day, I handed the old lady her paper and was able to return the warm smile that I was receiving from her. She thanked me for the paper and said, “Here, I have something for you.” It was a bag of cookies. I thanked her and began to eat the cookies as I continued my route.

    After several cookies, I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. When I opened the envelope, I was surprised. Inside were the seven dollars and a short note that said, “I'm proud of you.”

Improve your reading, writing and math skills

    Through the Literacy and Basic Skills program, you will learn reading, writing, math and other basic skills (e. g. computer) to help you prepare for:

    ● employment

    ● college studies

    ● independence

    ● school credit

    These courses(课程) are free and available in English or French. There are courses designed for local people and Deaf people as well.

    Requirements(要求)

    To take these courses you have to:

    ● be an Ontario resident

    ● be 16 years old or older

    ● have reading, writing and math skills below the grade 12 level

    Learn in a classroom

    You can take these free classroom courses at more than 300 locations across the province.

    Find out more by contacting Employment Ontario.

    Learn online

    You can also learn online as one way of the Literacy and Basic Skills program.

    Four different organizations in Ontario offer free online courses tailored to you. Find out more about learning online:

    ● in French

    ● in English

    ● as a local person

    ● as a Deaf person