How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments -mostly for entertainment purposes - is fair and respectful? Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats.

    Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural homes. Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species, but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals' natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty. Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species' name, diet, and natural range.

    The animals' normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don't usually take care of the animals' natural needs. The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusually and self-destructive behavior called zoochosis. A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.

    Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered. Captive breeding(圈养繁殖) of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild. Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out. In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers. Haven't we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?

    Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals' natural habitats.

    “Don't tell anyone”. We hear these words when someone tells a secret to us. But it can be hard to keep a secret. We5re often tempted to “spill the beans"，even if we regret it later.

    According to Asim Shah, professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine, US, keeping a secret may well "become a burden”. This is because people often have an “obsessive and anxious urge to share it with someone”.

    An earlier study, led by Anita E. Kelly, a scientist at the University of Notre Dame, US, suggested that keeping a secret could cause stress. People entrusted (受委托的)with secrets can suffer from depression, anxiety, and body aches, reported the Daily Mail.

    But with secrets so often getting out, why do people share them at all? Shah explained that people often feel that it will help them keep a person as a friend. Another reason people share secrets is guilt over keeping it from someone close to them. A sense of distrust can develop when people who are close do not share it with each other. "Keeping or sharing secrets often puts people in a position of either gaining or losing the trust of someone,” according to Shah.

    He added that talkative people could let secrets slip out (泄露). But this doesn't mean that it is a good idea only to share secrets with quiet people. A quiet person may be someone who keeps everything inside. To tell such a person a secret may cause them stress, and make them talk about the secret.

    Shah said that to judge whether to tell someone a secret, you'd better put yourself in their position. Think about how you would feel to be told that you mustn't give the information away. Shah also recommended that if you accidentally give up someone's secret you should come clean about it. Let the person know that their secret isn't so secret anymore.

    After retirement, Michael Kennedy could have chosen to take walks around his seaside home. Instead, the former mechanical engineer engaged himself in the toughest task of his life - keeping the thundering waves of the Norfolk coast.

    The 73-year-old has spent the past 14 years building his own sea wall at Hunstanton, piling up rocks picked from the sandy beach to slow the erosion （侵蚀）of the soft limestone （石灰岩）and chalk cliffs. It's estimated that Michael has shifted 200 tons of stone in the last 14 years.

    “It's a real labour of love because I come down here whatever the weather, in spring, summer, autumn and winter,” said the divorced father of two. “It keeps me fit and I love it.”

    Mr Kennedy moved to the area after retiring from the London Underground. Nicknamed Fred Flintstone by locals, he tries to move at least 40 pounds of rocks in two-hour sessions which he finishes by 2 pm.

    Everything he collects is placed into piles at the foot of the cliffs. Larger rocks go at the bottom to provide the main line of defence and smaller ones are placed at the top. He also picks up rubbish and prides himself on having created a spotless, stone-free sandy beach for holidaymakers to enjoy.

    The work goes on six days a week. Saturdays are his day off so that the Chelsea “fanatic” can watch football and other sports. However, there are signs that he is becoming a victim of his own success, as the number of stones has dwindled significantly in recent months.

    “It's confusing, Mr Kennedy said. “Usually every year the stones just come in with the sea but this year we haven't had any.” He added, “I hope to still be doing it when I'm 100 but perhaps just four days a week instead of six.”

    Town mayor Peter Mallam said Mr Kennedy had become “quite a local legend”. “It's fascinating. Everyone knows of the old guy who collects the stones. He's done a sterling effort.”

    I'll never forget the day when Mary came into my office and said, I am too old to learn how to use a computer. I shook my head. Here was a woman who had raised 6 children and who had made great progress in her career telling me that she was too old to learn something new. I told her that I always believed people were never too old to learn.

    Mary followed my advice and did learn how to use the computer. Now, she is retired and leading a very active life volunteering in her community(社区), using her computer skills and helping anyone that needs help.

    When she was in her sixties, one day she called me and said she had played the piano for others all her life, and now she was going to plan to make a CD of her own. My mind flashed back to the day when she told me she was too old to learn. You can imagine my surprise and delight.

    To produce the CD, she had a lot of things to learn. It was not just sitting at the piano and playing. She had to research the songs, learn about copyright(版权), and learn about marketing. It was pretty amazing for someone who once said she was too old to learn. And finally she made it. Now she has her own CD-Mixed Blessings.

    Most of you probably have heard about some people who have gone back to university in their seventies and have also graduated. They are on their way again to charging themselves with a new skill and a new attitude towards life. The point is you are unable to learn anything at any age if you believe you are too old. On the contrary, you can achieve anything at any age if you believe you can.

    They hide in trees, hang from helicopters, even follow people down on motorcycles—all so that they can snap a shot of a celebrity. They are paparazzi—photographers who make a living by taking pictures of the rich and famous.

    This September, California, a state with plenty of celebrities, passed a law aimed at taking action against paparazzi. The law forbids photographers from entering private property to take pictures, from using high-tech devices to take pictures of people on private property, and from "persistently following in order to take a picture." Violators can be fined or spend time in prison. The United State Congress is considering passing a similar law.

    Supporters of the California law say it will protect the privacy of celebrities, whom paparazzi have been bothering for years. Opponents (反对者) say the law restricts photojournalists from doing their job.

    Most celebrities seem to like having their pictures taken when they are in public at award shows or other events. After all, it's free publicity. But when they're not in public, they say, photographers should leave them alone. Yet paparazzi have been known to secretly look in windows and worse. Actor Michael J. Fox said that paparazzi have even "tried to pretend to be medical personnel at the hospital where my wife was giving birth to our son."

    Celebrities have as much right to their privacy as anyone else, supporters of the law state. Supporters further argue that the California law is a fair way to keep the press at bay, because the law still allows photographers to do their job. It only punishes them, supporters say, when they violate celebrities' privacy.

    Opponents of the law say it violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution (美国宪法第一修正案), which guarantees that no laws will be made to limit "the freedom of speech, or of the press." Although some people might not consider paparazzi a part of the legal press, the California law does not single out paparazzi. It applies to photographers working for any publication.

    Opponents of the law are also concerned about its wording. "Does 'persistently' mean following someone for six minutes, six seconds, or six days?" asked lawyer Douglas Mirell. The wording of the law is too vague, critics complain, and could be used to punish almost any news photographer.

    The United States needs a free press to keep the public informed about important news, paparazzi law opponents say. Limiting the press in any way, they argue, limits the freedom of all.

I love hiking. In the mountains, the birds sing for me; the various trees and flowers overwhelm (征服) my eyes and the deep blue of the sky inspires me and makes me feel calm. Furthermore, I can breathe the fresh air, keeping away from the dust and pollution of the city. It seems that all my senses are awakened when I am in the mountains. More importantly, hiking teaches me a lot.

I have been a traveler since childhood and was drawn towards mountains and their beauty. Later my reading several travel books made me think if I could also go on such journeys. Finally, I decided to give it a try. After I was well-prepared to face all difficulties of the hike, I joined a group of hikers. On the way, we encouraged each other, took beautiful pictures, and sat down now and then to feel the breath of the land. All my worries disappeared and we talked and laughed just like kids. This journey excited me for a long time.

I never actually realized the need for water until I started hiking. I remember once I was on a hike where our water was not enough. It was a night hike and the next day we had to return back to our base camp following the same route. So we have to save it for emergencies (紧急事件).That day I exactly learned water is of great value and that we have a duty to save it.

Besides enjoying the beautiful natural views, you have to go out of your comfort zone and push yourself hard to challenge your normal limits when hiking. On a hike, you may sometimes get injured but you can't stop until you reach the destination. Every next try will surely make you stronger and happier if you embrace (拥抱) your injuries, pains and discomforts.

Sometimes we may have a conversation with those locals living in wooden houses. You know, mountain life is hard and difficult. But they never complain about their life. They are happy with what they have. Many times they are facing extreme weather and they just fight with them. They are so brave. What can we complain about?