It was a weeknight. We were a half dozen guys in our late teens, hanging around “the flat” — as usual. The flat was poorly furnished, which, after some time, grew tiresome. We wanted action.

    We got in a car, big enough for all of us to crowd into — and off we went, in search of adventure. We soon found ourselves at Blue Gum Corner, a place named after the huge old blue gum tree that stood by there, a well-known local landmark. It stands at a minor crossroad leading to our town. The trunk is tall and smooth with no handholds for climbing. About six metres from the ground the first branch sticks out over the road. We parked beneath the huge old tree and discussed what we might do. All of a sudden we hit upon an idea — a hanging! I was chosen as “hangee”.

    The plan was quite simple. As I stood upon the roof of the car, the rope (绳子) was threaded down my jacket through my collar and down one leg of my jeans. I put my foot through the loop at the bottom. There I hung, still. The boys rolled about laughing until, a car, I hear a car! Before they ran to hide in the nearby field, they gave me a good push so that “the body” would swing as the car drove by.

    To our disappointment, the car simply turned off for town without even slowing. The boys came out of their hiding places and we discussed the situation. Surely they had seen me, hadn't they? Then we heard another car. The act was repeated, but still without any obvious reaction. We played the game about five or six times, but as no one seemed to notice, we abandoned the trick.

    What we did not know was that every car that had passed had unquestionably seen “the body” and each one, too scared to stop, had driven directly to the local Police Station. Now at that time of the night, the local policeman was sound asleep in his bed, so the first person sent to the scene was the traffic officer that happened to be on duty that particular night. He had been informed that some person had been killed, by hanging, at Blue Gum Corner. When he arrived, the body was gone! And he was hearing “unnatural sounds” from the surrounding area. As far as he knew, some fierce animal was hiding in the field before him, possibly dragging a body behind him — and we thought we were scared!

    He went to his radio and made a call that really began to worry us. I lay so close that I could hear every word. He called for the “armed police” and a “dog team, better make it two” and he had a “serious situation” at Blue Gum Corner. Then the police officer arrived. After a briefing from the traffic officer he decided not to go into the field until armed police and dog teams arrived. Now two spotlights were on the field and none of us could move.

    As luck would have it, police cars cannot leave their spotlights on all night without charging their batteries. So, after a time, the two officers began lightening the field by turns, allowing us the opportunity to move on our fours for freedom. One by one, we all managed to steal away and make our way home. Behind us we left what must have looked like a small city of lights, police cars, roadblocks, barking dogs, armed officers and an old rope hanging from a tree.

    When I think back to that night, to that tree, to what the drivers of the cars think happened, to what police believe happened, and to what I know happened, I am reminded of a simple truth — our eyes see darkness and light, color and movement, our ears hear only vibrations (振动) in the air. It is how we explain these vivid pictures that shapes our “reality”.

    Wanted, Someone for a Kiss

    We're looking for producers to join us in the second of London 100FM. You'll work on the station's music programmes. Music production experience in radio is necessary, along with rich knowledge of modern dance music. Please apply (申请) in writing to Producer Vacancies, Kiss 100.

Father Christmas

    We're looking for a very special person preferably over 40, to fill our Father Christmas suit. Working days: Every Saturday from November 24 to December 15 and every day from December17 to December24 except Sunday, 10:30-16:00. Excellent pay. Please contact (联系) the Enterprise Shopping Center, Station Parade, Eastbourne.

    Accountants Assistant

    When you join in them in our Revenue Administration Unit, you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Revenue Division, dealing with post and other general duties. If you are educated to GCSE grade C level we would like to talk to you. This position is equally suitable for a school leaver of for somebody who has office experience. Wealden District Council.

Software Trainer

    If you are aged 24-45 and have experience in teaching and training, you could be the person we are looking for. You should be good at the computer and have some experience in programme writing. You will be allowed to make our decision, and to design courses as well as present them. Pay upwards of ￡15,000 for the right person. Please apply by sending your CV (简历) to Mrs. R. Ogilvie, Palmlace Limited.

    Over the past century, an alarming number of animals have become endangered or even extinct. Below are some animals whose numbers have been rapidly dropping in recent years.

    Panda Bear

    One of the biggest reasons contributing to the decline in the panda species is the destruction of its natural habitat. Farmers in China have gradually been claiming more and more of the land. As a result, pandas are forced to move away to places where it is hard to find bamboo for food.

    Green Turtle

    The green sea turtle species has survived for several millions of years, so you might wonder why it's only becoming endangered now. A major cause is the change in climate and temperature, which both affect the hatching rates of turtle eggs. Climate changes also cause violent weather and rising water levels to flood areas where turtles usually go to lay their eggs. Apart from this, oil spills and other poisonous pollution, as well as increased fishing activities can cause sickness, or even death to the green turtles.

    Cheetah

    Cheetahs are famous for being the fastest animal on land but even they can't run from some of the larger threats that have harmed them. Like the panda bears, cheetahs have gradually been losing their natural homes due to humans claiming land and developing in those areas. To make matters even worse, smaller animals move away when these areas are occupied, which means that the cheetah has less food! Don't forget that other large animals, such as lions, are also fighting for any food that they can find, so occasionally young cheetahs end up as prey too.

    Indian Elephant

    Elephants are extremely intelligent animals and also the largest mammals that live on land. Sadly, in Asia many elephants were killed so that people could remove their tusks to use as decorative objects. While this practice has been banned now, some people still illegally continue. Forests in India have also been steadily destroyed and elephants are sometimes killed when they end up on human territory.

    Susan couldn't help it. She and her friends began lunch with cheese. Then they ate cheeseburgers and drank milk. Things seemed fine, but then suddenly Susan's stomach started making noise. Her stomach hurt, and, racing to the restroom, she had terrible gas! She was so ashamed. She had been so excited to go to lunch with her friends that she totally forgot to watch how many dairy products (奶制品) she ate! Susan is lactose intolerant (乳糖不耐受的), and eating too many dairy foods can make her feel really sick.

    Lactose intolerance means that the body can't easily digest (消化) a special sugar called lactose. Unfortunately for Susan and millions of other people with this problem, lactose is found in almost all dairy products — cheese, milk and ice cream.

    Our body uses lactase (乳糖酵素) to break lactose into a simpler form of sugar. Once lactose is broken down, it's easy to digest and it provides great energy for the body. But people like Susan don't have enough lactase to break down all the lactose they take in. So, about half an hour to two hours after eating dairy­rich foods, their stomachs begin to hurt and they have gas, making their stomachs get bigger. Sometimes they even get diarrhea (腹泻) when they eat too many dairy foods.

    So how can someone living with this problem still eat out with his or her friends? Here are some tips. If you're going to eat a dairy­rich food like ice cream, eat something that doesn't have any dairy with it, like a salad or a sandwich without cheese. This will help slow digestion, and your body will have time to create more lactase.

    The most popular martial arts (武术)today came from Asia, especially China. Some Chinese fighting styles were invented more than 3, 000 years ago. Many martial arts were invented because people needed to defend themselves or protect others. Nowadays, people learn martial arts as a way of keeping fit or as a competitive sport, but they are still very useful for selfdefence (防卫).

     Martial arts are often referred to as either soft or hard. These terms imply a way of dealing with your opponent's (对手的)force. Soft martial arts, such as tai chi, teach you to use your opponent's own force to defend yourself. Soft styles use movements and timing to avoid, deflect and redirect their opponent's attacks (攻击). These martial arts are soft for the defender but not for the attacker! On the other hand, hard styles, such as kung fu, teach you to defend yourself using force. Techniques involve blocking, posturing and powerful punching and kicking. Hard martial arts techniques are more effective(有效的)if you are more skillful, more powerful and faster than your opponent.

    Perhaps one of the best known Japanese martial arts today is karate. But did you know that it came from Fujian Province? in the century, a community of Chinese migrants(移民)from Fujian settled (定居)in what was then the kingdom of Okinawa. The Chinese migrants used to gather in a park to .enjoy cultural activities — one of which was kung fu. This soon caught the attention of local youths, who started learning kung fu from their Chinese neighbours.

    In fact, Chinese influence in martial arts was not only kung fu. The very first Korean military (军事)training manual was based on a Chinese version. During the Japanese invasion (侵略)of Korea in the 16th century, the Korean army needed an effective way to train a large number of soldiers. They used a training methodology from a Chinese military manual called ji xiao xin shu, written by the famous Chinese general, Qi Jiguang, who had himself defeated Japanese army.

    It's difficult to know the exact answer to whether babies dream and what they dream about. However, sleep experts have shown that newborns dream the most in the first two weeks after birth. Babies spend most of their sleeping time in REM(rapid eye movement) stage. As dreaming takes place in a light state of sleep, newborns tend to wake up due to noises, movements and other factors. When dreaming, newborns make a few noises and their eyes move. They may move around the sides or up and down. They may laugh, scream, or cry during the REM sleep. Also, their facial muscles, hands, and legs move, due to which they may wake up. So wrapping a baby in swaddling(裹紧的) clothes can keep the baby's body from moving and help them sleep better. As babies grow, their body movement decreases when dreaming.

    Studies say that the brain activity associated with dreaming is essential for the babies' mental development. During the REM stage, the flow of blood to the brain increases. As a result, certain nerve proteins are produced, which are the building units of the brain. Babies get stimulation from what they see, hear, or feel. The brain processes the information acquired while awake, and stores what is essential to the individual. A study concludes that babies learned while they were dreaming.

    What's the time for babies to start dreaming? Researchers say that before birth, babies start experiencing REM sleep around week 25, and so they may start dreaming at the point. On the contrary, some psychologists believe that children start having dreams when they are about 5 years old. At that age, they start becoming aware of themselves and begin to understand the things around them, which is what dreams are actually made of.