A report by the US' Open Syllabus Project found that the most read books among US college students in the past year were books like The Republic by ancient Greek philosopher Plato and The Clash of Civilizations by US political scientist Samuel Huntington.And according to reports by Chinese college libraries,the most popular books among Chinese students are novels like Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils by Chinese author Jin Yong.

    This is considered by many to be one of the reasons why Chinese students are sometimes not as good at critical thinking or observing global perspectives (视野) as US students—they read too many bestseller novels.

    "By reading texts in history/social studies,science,and other subjects,students build a foundation of knowledge in these fields that will also give them the background to be better readers in all areas,"Robert Pondiscio,vice president of the Core Knowledge Foundation in the US told Th.e Washington Post.

    According to China Youth.Daily,there are usually five stages when it comes to reading,with popular novels at the bottom.More advanced readers normally go on to read classic fictional literature,history and philosophy,or books with critical ideas.

    We spend hours,days or even weeks on a book,so it's only natural that we want to learn something useful in return for our efforts.Many see reading as an investment (投资) in themselves.But this practical view of literature and the thought that history and philosophy books are superior to novels are not agreed by everyone.After all,what they offer are two different kinds of satisfaction.While the former provides knowledge,the latter brings emotional experiences."Fiction and poetry are medicines,"UK writer Jeanette Winterson once wrote."What they heal is the rupture (裂痕) reality makes on the imagination."

    After a terrible electrical accident, which caused him to become both blind and deaf, the whole world became completely dark and quiet for Robert Edwards for almost ten years. The loss of sight and hearing threw him into such sorrow that he tried a few times to put an end to his life. His family, especially his wife, did their best to tend and comfort him and finally he regained the will to live.

    One hot summer afternoon, he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started all at once. He stood under a large tree to avoid getting wet, but he was struck by the lightning. Witnesses thought he was dead but he woke up some 20 minutes later lying face down in muddy water at the base of the tree. He was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes, he could hardly believe what he saw：a plough and a wall. When Mrs. Edwards came running up to him，shouting to their neighbors to call for help，he could see her and hear her voice for the first time in nearly ten years.

    The news of Robert regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread, and many doctors came to examine him. Most of them said that he regained his sight and hearing from the shock he got from the lightning. However, none of them could give a convincing answer as to why this should have happened. The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that, since Robert lost his sight and hearing as a result of a sudden shock, perhaps, the only way for him to regain them was by another sudden shock.

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    I had been in the city for some time and was coming home. I missed my boat and decided to travel on an old ship. I knew that it would not be a comfortable journey but I had no time to wait for another boat.

    Hardly had we left the port when I saw the dog Gulliver, the captain's favourite dog, for the first time. What a big dog it was! I had never seen one that could frighten me so much!

    On the third day the ship caught fire. Nobody tried to put it out. The ship began sinking and all the men rushed to the life-boats. I saw no chance of getting away in a boat. Suddenly I remembered there was a life-raft on the ship. I had no time to lose, so I immediately rushed towards the raft and pushed it overboard.

    In jumping down onto the raft I hurt myself badly and was unconscious for some time. When I came to, I found there was no sign of a life-boat. Every man who had been on board the ship must have gone down with her. I was the only one who was saved.

    The I saw Gulliver was coming fast towards the raft. He struggled a long time before he managed to get onto it. I wanted to push him back into the water but did not dare to move. The dog shook himself, went to the other end of the raft and lay down. I didn't dare to sleep that night. I must watch him. In the moonlight I could see his eyes were open. He was watching, too.

    We often just use our sense of sight, touch, smell, and taste to eat food. But what about our sense of hearing? Does sound also affect our dining experience?

    A new report answers, “yes, it does.”

    That answer comes from researchers at Brigham Young University and Colorado State University in the United States. They found that hearing is important in the eating experience.

    Hearing is often called “the forgotten food sense”, says Ryan Elder. Elder is an assistant professor of marketing at Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Management. He says that if people notice the sound the food makes as they eat it, they might eat less. On the other hand, watching loud television or listening to loud music while eating can hide such noises. And this could lead to overeating.

    For the study, the researchers wanted to test whether the sounds of eating—chewing, chomping and crunching—had any effect on how much a person ate. During the experiments, the test subjects wore headphones and listened to noise at either a high or low audio level. Then researchers gave them a crunchy snack: pretzels. The study found that subjects who listened to the higher volume noise ate more pretzels than those with the low audio levels.

    Elder says that when hiding I heard sounds of eating, like when you watch television or listen to loud music while eating, we take away the sense of hearing. And this may cause you to eat more than you would normally. The researchers are calling this, the “crunch effect”.

    The researchers admit that the effects may not seem like much at one meal. But over a week, a month or a year, all that food can really add up.

    Have you ever learned about F. Scott Fitzgerald? F. Scott Fitzgerald, born on September 24, 1896, an American novelist, was once a student of St. Paul Academy, the Newman School and attended Princeton. University for a short while. In 1917 he joined the army and was posted in Alabama, where he met his future wife Zelda Sayre. Then he had to make some money to impress her.

    His life with her was full of great happiness, as he wrote in his diary:" My own happiness in the past often approached such joy that I could share it even with the person dearest to me but had to walk it away in quiet streets and take down parts of it in my diary."

    This side of paradise, his first novel, was published in 1920. Encouraged by its success, Fitzgerald began to devote more time to his writing. Then he continued with the novel the Beautiful and Damned (1922), a collection of short stories Thales of the Jazz Age (1922), and a play The Vegetable (1923). But his greatest success was The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, which quick brought him praise from the literary world. Yet it failed to give him the needed financial security. Then, in 1926, he published another collection of short stories All the Sad Young Men.

    However, Fitzgerald's problems with his wife Zelda affected his writing. During the 1920s he tried to reorder his life, but failed. By 1930, his wife had her first breakdown and went to a Swiss clinic. During this period he completed novels Tender Is the Night in 1934 and The Love of the Last Tycoon in 1940 while his wife was in hospital in the United States, he got totally addicted to alcohol. Sheila Graham, his dear friend, helped him fight his alcoholism.

    We're Hiring Shift Workers for Our Production Plant

    Looking for a career with a company that values its employees, and promotes them from within? Then Black Cat Blades is the company for you!

    Cutting Operators

    CNC Operators

    Heat Treat Operators

    Full training provided, starting at $14.50 per hour, with the potential to move to $18.16 in one year.

    We also require a Skilled Welder(焊接工), to work 12-hour rotating shifts (轮班) in our cutting department. The successful candidate must be a registered journeyman(熟练工) within the Province of Alberta or with a Red Seal.

    We offer a great benefit package, including health and RRSPs. Desirable welfare: Profit Sharing, Pay for Years of Service, Fitness Program Allowance, and fun social events for you and your family.

    Apply in person, and we'll take you on a tour of our production equipment or forward your personal information by fax or e-mail.

    Black Cat Blades Ltd

    HR@ blackcatblades. com

    5604-59 St., Edmonton, AB T6B 3C3

    Fax: (780)465-9595