Why do so many tourists come to Easter Island? Because it has world-famous stone statues (雕像) . These statues, whose likenesses look like humans with huge stone cylinders（柱状物）balancing on their heads like hats, have tourists coming from all over the world. The tourists come to see these works of ancient art carved by the early inhabitants of the island. They come to see the mystery that has puzzled historians for decades.

    Easter Island is located in a remote part Of the South Pacific Ocean about 2,300 miles west of Chile. Easter Island covers just 45 square miles and its Polynesian name is Rapa Nui.

    On Easter Sunday 1722, a Dutch explorer named Jacob Roggeveen was the first European to see Easter Island. The early Polynesians carved the statues within the holes of the volcano (火山) using only stone tools. Then they moved these huge statues to various destinations throughout the island. These 600 statues range in height from 10 to 40 feet. Some of them weigh as much as 50 tons. How could the early Polynesians lift hundreds of heavy statues out of the volcano? How did they move them across the island to their various locations? All of these questions, as well as many others, remain unanswered.

    The early islanders probably worshiped (崇拜) these eyeless giants until sometime around 1670. In 1680, a war broke out between two groups of islanders. The victors（胜利者）of the war and ancestors of the present inhabitants, broke down many of the statues. In most cases, they broke the necks of the statues.

    Now 15 of the statues on Easter Island have been repaired to their original positions on their stone platforms. Even today, using modern tools and machinery, putting up such large statues and balancing cylinders on top of their heads presents a challenging task.

    I passed a man on the way home from work this evening. He was walking down the side of the carriageway. Actually, he was walking unsteadily. I slowed down wondering whether to stop and give him a lift, at least down to a safer part of the road. I couldn't be sure but he appeared to be quite drunk. I pulled over and watched him in my rear-view mirror. He was obviously well-oiled. A truck turned sharply to avoid him at one point-he didn't appear to care.

    Having stopped now, I thought I might as well wait for him to reach the car. Five minutes went by and he reached the car. My windows were down, and I asked him if he wanted a lift. He indicated that he was going to the next town, just out of my way, but not far enough to put me to trouble. So in he got.

    “Sorry, I'm really quite drunk. I've been at a funeral. My family are all really out of it, so I decided to walk home. I'm Ryan,” and he offered me his hand. I drove and we talked. He told me he'd buried his uncle, and that he was a traveler.

    He called me brother and offered me his cool shades as payment. I declined and said the joy was in the giving. Three times along the way he told me that, “Whatever we put out there comes back to us. Something good will come to you for picking me up.” We told each other where we came from, the places we've lived, and how we both ended up here. He apologized again for being so drunk. “Anywhere around here is fine for me,” he said. So I dropped him at the next junction. We shook hands and spoke each other's names again.

    I felt as if I'd been blessed somehow. I think I have been.

Boston City View Bike Tour

    Boston City View Bike Tour offers an environmentally friendly and exciting bicycle tour of Boston—from historic places to strange neighborhood streets. The Boston City View Bicycle Tour is the classic tour for those looking to get a great introduction to Boston.

    Boston City View Bike Tour highlights（最精彩的部分）:

    Tour includes comfortable bikes, helmet and water

    Friendly tour guides

    One guide for every 6 riders for safety and the quality of the experience

    Comfortable pace

    All levels and ages are welcome

    Child seats are offered if asked

    This tour covers all of Boston's best sites:

    Historic Fenway Park

    The Christian Science Center

    The Freedom Trail

    The beautiful brownstones in Back Bay and the South End

    The Rose Kennedy Greenway—Boston's newest public park

    The Charles River Esplanade

    The North End—Boston's oldest Italian neighborhood

    Copley square, where you'll see the Boston Public Library & Trinity Church

    Please note:

    You don't need to be Lance Armstrong to enjoy the Boston City View Bike Tour—all levels of riders are welcome. About 70% of riding is done on city streets, mixed with cars. The remaining 30% of the tour covers the bike path on the quiet streets.

    The tour is 2.5-3.5 hours long and covers 10-12 miles. It is a great way to entertain guests and get a little exercise.

    Make your book today and get your e-tickets for the Boston City View Bike Tour online.

    This tour is seasonal and runs daily from April 1st through Nov. 30th.

Does your school have any problems with discipline? What happens when students step out of line? Here are some examples of bad behaviour:

    Playing truant(missing school without permission from parents).

    Stealing, smoking, hitting, swearing(说脏话), running, kissing.

    Cheating in exams.

    Calling a teacher or another pupil bad names.

    Not doing homework.

    Not listening or not paying attention in lessons.

    Wearing unsuitable clothes.

Here are some of the ways that UK school children can be punished:

Exclusion: a pupil is asked to leave the school and not come back. The pupil has to find a new school or a different method of education.

Suspension: a pupil cannot enter the building or attend lessons until the school has a meeting about their situation. Suspension can last from one to 45 days. The pupil is usually given work to do at home with a special teacher.

Detention: a pupil is asked to stay after school and work for 30—60 minutes before they Can leave.

Lines: a pupil has to write a sentence many times(e.g.100 or more)on a sheet of paper, e, g, “I must not shout in class”.

    Freya MacDonald, a 15-year-old pupil from Scotland, made the news when she refused to accept her school's punishment. Her family says that she was given 11 detentions for trivial things in class and coming into school through a fire door.

Freya says that repeated detentions disrupted her fight to an education under Scottish law and made it difficult for her to learn. She refused to return until the school respected her civil rights. She wants the headmaster and her teachers to sign a letter to promise this. Hundreds of schools in Scotland were told not to use detention as a punishment because of her legal action.

Many UK schools now give parents a home-school contract, explaining their discipline and rules. Parents must sign this document to agree that they accept the school's rules and discipline and that they are responsible for their child's behaviour.

    OPENINGS AND PREVIEWS

    Animals Out of Paper

    Yolo！Productions and the Great Griffon present the play by Rajiv Joseph，in which an origami（折纸术）artist invites a teenage talent and his teacher into her studio. Merri Milwe directs. In previews. Opens Feb.12.（West Park Presbyterian Church，165 W.86th St.212-868-4444.）

    The Audience

    Helen Mirren stars in the play by Peter Morgan，about Queen Elizabeth II of the UK and her private meetings with twelve Prime Ministers in the course of sixty years. Stephen Daldry directs. Also starring Dylan Baker and Judith Ivey. Previews begin Feb.14.（Schoenfeld，236 W.45th St.212-239-6200.）

    Hamilton

    Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote this musical about Alexander Hamilton，in which the birth of America is presented as an immigrant story. Thomas Kail directs. In previews. Opens Feb.17.（Public，425 Lafayette St.212-967-7555.）

    On the Twentieth Century

    Kristin Chenoweth and Peter Gallagher star in the musical comedy by Betty Comden and Adolph Green，about a Broadway producer who tries to win a movie star's love during a cross-country train journey. Scott Ellis directs，for Roundabout Theatre Company. Previews begin Feb.12.（American Airlines Theatre，227 W.42nd St.212-719-1300.）

Adults usually do not remember most of the things that are taught by their teachers at school. But this story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I drift off course, I think of this story.

It was a normal Monday morning, and my teacher was teaching us on important things in life and about devoting ourselves to what is important to us. This is how the story went

An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get onto the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years.

His house was dirty, and a stench(恶臭) came out of the house and it smelled terrible. The neighbors could not stand the smell any more, so they called for the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years.

The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire (百万富翁). They waited outside his house expecting to share the good news with him. When the old man arrived home that evening, one of the officers told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire.

But the old man said nothing at all; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, sat at the street corner and continued to beg.

Clearly, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything significant for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing.