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　　Besides containing attractive flowers, trees and other plants that beautify the community, eco-friendly rain gardens are healthy for the environment and the people living and working nearby．

　　A rain garden is not very different from a traditional garden．It is just a far more eco-friendly garden．Usually it is built lower than the ground．Rain gardens make smart use of rain and storm water by temporarily holding water from rain and storms and letting it soak(浸人)slowly into the ground before it runs into streams or enters the public drinking water supply．

　　Thus, a rain garden keeps the water, allowing it to be used as needed by plants in the rain garden, rather than flowing immediately into nearby streams and going unused．The water will soak slowly into the ground within a day or two．This creates an advantage that the rain garden does not allow mosquitoes to breed．This is a simple, attractive, and eco-friendly “green” way to treat storm water．

　　What’s more, planting a rain garden helps reduce pollution and improve the environment．Without using expensive machinery and chemicals, rain gardens remove harmful chemicals in the rainwater and cut down on the amount of pollution reaching streams and rivers by up to 30％．

　　Native plants are recommended for rain gardens because they are more used to the locals climatem, soil, and water conditions．They may attract local wildlife such as native birds．Water your rain garden immediately after planting and once a week, unless you have had at least an inch of rain during the week．Once the native plants establish the necessary root system, it will require little care．

　　Often, local governments and private businesses develop large rain gardens in their yards and in public parks as a way to improve the environment and solve flooding problems．However, you don’t need to be a professional environmental engineer to create a rain garden．As long as you’re eco-conscious homeowners, you can help the environment by building smaller rain gardens in your yards．

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　　People use their mouths for many things．They eat, talk, shout and sing．They smile and they kiss．In the English language, there are many expressions using the word “mouth．”

　　For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say “Do not bad mouth me．”　Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that person’s feelings．Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell．The speaker might say：“I really put my foot in my mouth this time．” If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth．In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing．

　　Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something．The other person might protest：“I did not say that．Do not put words in my mouth．”

　　Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family．There is an expression for this, too．You might say such a person, “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth．” This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth．This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food．

　　Parents might sometimes withhold sweet food from a child as a form of punishment for saying bad things．For example, if a child says things she should not say to her parents, she might be described as a mouthy child．The parents might even tell the child to stop mouthing off．

　　But enough of all this talk．I have been running my mouth long enough．

閱讀理解

　　Do you know what really troubles me? For some reason, words with silent letters have always bothered me．For example, consider these words：know, design, island, school, wrist, naughty, and salmon．All of these words have at least one letter that is not typically pronounced, and these words are just a very small part of words with silent letters in them．

　　Some words are even worse, consider this word：colonel．Not only are some letters not pronounced, but letters that are not even there are pronounced．

　　Even foreign languages, especially French, are guilty of this needless complexity and confusion．I know there must be some main historical reasons why the words are spelled and pronounced the way they are, but that does not mean bad traditions must continue to survive．Especially if they are no longer logical．

　　Unfortunately, there is very little that anyone can do for it, because there’s no group of people who can change or have the right to change the English language for everyone．However, the only thing we can do is make changes in the way we talk and write in hopes that it catches on．For example, I pronounce the letter “l(fā)” in salmon on purpose to make people annoyed and to sound more different or complicated．I even pronounce colonel the correct or French way．

　　I can only hope these two minor changes to the English language make sense to you, and you will help to keep up these minor changes forever in your everyday life．

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　　Jack lay, quiet and unmoving, for thirty minutes while a stranger repeatedly stabbed(刺)him with sharp needles, causing blood to pour steadily out of his leg．Jack was getting a tattoo．His friend Tony had recently gotten a tattoo, and Jack was so impressed by it that he decided to get one too．Peer pressure, media influence, and personal expression are some of the common reasons for wearing tattoos today．

　　The desire to be accepted by one’s friends or peers can have a great influence on what a person does．Sometimes, wearing a tattoo can be a sign that you belong to a certain group．Gangs often use special clothes and tattoos to identify their particular group．Some of these groups wear only brand-name clothes．Others wear tattoos．When a person’s friends are all doing something, that person is more likely to do the same thing．

　　The media is another big influence behind the popularity of tattoos in North America．A wide variety of media images show tattoos－people appearing in commercials selling expensive cars, famous sports heroes with tattoos in magazines, fashion models wearing designer clothes that show their bodies tattooed with detailed and colorful patterns．These media images link tattoos to ideas of wealth, success, and status．As a result, many people decide to get a tattoo for its fashion and status value．

　　Many people decide to wear tattoos in order to express their artistic nature, their beliefs, or their feelings－in other words, to show their individuality(個(gè)性)．A musician in a rock band may get a tattoo of a guitar on the arm．Some environmentalists may tattoo pictures of endangered animals on their shoulders．A tattoo can be a public sign to show what is important in a person’s life．

　　As you can see, there are many reasons why young North Americans get tattoos．A tattoo can be part of a group’s uniform, a sign of fashion, or an expression of individuality．The decision to get a tattoo is most often a result of the influence of friends or media or the desire to express oneself．For Jack, it was a mixture of all three．

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　　1．The Video Camera Pen

　　Item 78431; ＄129.95

　　Available for Immediate Shipment

　　Order by Phone：1-800-321-1484

　　This is the pen that has a built-in video camera, capturing videos or still images with a click of its button．Ideal for use while secured in a pocket, it can capture up to five hours of video and up to 20,000 images．Its battery provides up to two hours of power before requiring a recharge．

　　2．The Wristwatch Camcorder

　　Item 78098; ＄149.95

　　Available for 3-day shipment

　　Order by Phone：1-800-321-1484

　　This is the men’s watch with an unnoticeable camcorder, so you’ll always have a camera ready to capture a chance famous person or a pet’s ridiculous actions．The camera is located at the two-o’clock position, yet the watch’s hands never make it covered．The camera’s rechargeable battery provides up to two hours of use from a four-hour charge．

　　3．The only 55 Inch Widescreen Personal Movie Theater

　　Item 77918; ＄249.95

　　Available for Immediate Shipment

　　Order by Phone：1-800-321-1484

　　This is the only personal media viewer that provides a private viewing experience just like watching a widescreen 55 inch television from 10 meters away．It connects to a video iPod, iPhone, portable DVD player．Includes two AA batteries that provide up to six hours of continuous operation and iPod cable．

　　4．The Digital Phone Album Watch

　　Item 77281; ＄99.95

　　Available for Immediate Shipment

　　Order by Phone：1-800-321-1484

　　This is the watch that vividly displays

　　120 of your favorite digital photographs．You can download digital photographs to the watch．The watch can be viewed in the Photo Album mode(time and photo view)or digital mode(time and date view)．A six-hour charge provides up to 10 days of use．

閱讀理解

　　“Hey, Jenna, do you think we’ll still be friends when we’re eighty-two?” I asked my friend．It was clear that she was wondering where I had come up with such a question．Losing Jenna would be like losing a very close sister．We hung out together．We gave each other advice．

　　“Of course, we’ll still be friends when we’re eighty-two．” Jenna announced loudly．

　　The next year, in the fourth grade, we met Jamie．The three of us soon became close friends．We played together almost every day．I thought even time couldn’t pull us apart, but I was sadly mistaken．

　　The three of us started fighting a lot．Before Christmas, we had a really big fight, and Jamie and Jenna were against me, both saying I was bossy．I felt helpless and lonely．I thought Christmas would be horrible!

　　I was surprised when Jenna came to my house and gave me an awesome Christmas card she had made for me．I was so sure that she was still disappointed with me．

　　“Wow,” I said, breaking the silence as we stood on either side of my front door．“Thanks．”

　　“Okay…well…I have to go,” she said softly．

　　“Okay．See you later then…” and I closed the door．

　　“Who was that at the door?” my mum asked．

　　The card started off with “Merry Christmas”, but then it said, “I am so glad we’re friends．I am sorry about what I said when we were fighting．A fight won’t stop us from being friends．Besides, we said we were going to be friends even when we’re eight-two．”

　　I stopped reading and started laughing．I couldn’t believe I had forgotten what she said that day in her back yard．I couldn’t believe I had been so selfish in trying to get even and making my friends feel sorry for me that I had forgotten about real friendship．

閱讀理解

　　Health and climate scientists have mapped how climate change affects different parts of the world in different ways．The scientists point to evidence that changes in the past thirty years may already be affecting human health．Temperature changes may also influence the spread of disease．For example, warmer weather speeds the growth of organisms that cause diseases like malaria and dengue fever．

　　The work by scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the World Health Organization appeared in the journal Nature．Jonathan Patz, professor of the Gaylord Nelson Institute, led the study．He notes that climate scientists linked global warming to the heat that killed thousands in Europe in August of 2003．He says poor countries are least responsible for the warming yet are most at risk from the health effects of higher temperatures．He says areas at greatest risk include Southern and Eastern Africa and coastlines along the Pacific and Indian Oceans．Also, large cities experience what scientists call a “heat island” effect that can intensify conditions．

　　Professor Patz says average temperatures worldwide have increased about one-third of a degree Celsius in the last thirty years．But he tells us even that can make a difference with a disease like malaria．The report says average temperatures could increase by as much as six degrees Celsius by the end of the century．

　　Representatives from about two hundred nations have been meeting in Montreal, Canada, to discuss climate change．The ten-day conference ends December 9th．It is the first such United Nations meeting since the Kyoto Protocol took effect earlier this year．The protocol seeks to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases released as pollution into the air．

閱讀理解

　　Visiting a pub is one of Britain’s oldest forms of entertainment．The idea for the first public houses was brought to Britain thousands of years ago by the conquering Roman army．The first pubs served only wine, but after the discovery of hops(啤酒花)in the fourteenth century, pubs began to serve mainly beer, as they do today．

　　Today, there are 61,000 pubs in the United Kingdom．One of the oldest, Fighting Cocks in St．Albans, Herts, is located in a building that dates back to the 11th century．Modern pubs are often owned by English breweries(啤酒廠)and serve only their owner’s products．British pubs are required to have a license, which is difficult to obtain, and operate between 11 a. m. and 11 p. m. every day except Sunday, when they must close at 10∶30 p. m．

　　The drinking age in Britain is eighteen, but fourteen-year-olds may enter a pub unaccompanied if they order a meal．Children may enter a pub with their parents until 9 p. m., which lets families enjoy reasonably priced pub meals together, and allows pubs to continue in their traditional roles as community centers．

　　Customs in British pubs differ from those in American bars．In Britain, you must go to the bar to order drinks and food and pay for your purchase immediately, and there is no table service．Bartenders are called “l(fā)andlords” and “barmaids” and they do not expect frequent tipping．To tip a landlord or barmaid, it is customary to tell him to “buy himself one”．He or she may or may not take you up on your offer．At the end of a visit, a polite customer will return his glass to the bar．

閱讀理解

　　“It hurts me more than you”, and “This is for your own good”－these are the statements my mother used to make years ago when I had to learn Latin, clean my room, stay home and do homework．

　　That was before we entered the permissive period in education in which we decided it was all right not to push our children to achieve their best in school．The schools and the educators made it easy for us．They taught that it was all right to be parents who take a let-alone policy．We stopped making our children do homework．We gave them calculators, turned on the television, left the teaching to the teachers and went on vacation．

　　Now teachers, faced with children who have been developing at their own pace for the past 15 years, are realizing we’ve made a terrible mistake．One such teacher is Sharon Klompus who says of her students “so passive” and wonders what has happened．Nothing is demanded of them, she believes．Television, says Klompus, contributes to children’s passivity．“We’re talking about a generation of kids who’ve never been hurt or hungry．They have learned somebody will always do it for them, instead of saying ‘go and look it up’, you tell them the answer．It takes greater energy to say no to a kid．”

　　Yes, it does．It takes energy and it takes work．It’s time for parents to end their vacation and come back to work．It’s time to take the car away, to turn the TV off, to tell them it hurts you more than them but it’s for their own good．It’s time to start telling them no again．

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　　Social Program：22nd－26th August 2011

　　Monday Evening－Study Centre or Sports Park

　　Study Center：The school will be open from 7.45 pm to 9.35pm．

　　Sports Park：Aerobics, Swimming or Fitness Training(with a Fitness Card)．

　　Tuesday Evening－Cinema

　　Cinema：To get your free ticket, you must write down which film you would like to watch．See the leaflet on the board for this evening’s UCI Cinema program．For more information about the films, visit the UCI website www．uci．co．uk or see the film section in this week’s Time Out magazine．

　　Wednesday Evening－Study Centre of Tennis Coaching

　　Study Center：The school will be open from 7.35 pm to 9.35 pm．

　　Tennis Coaching：With former Junior Wimbledon tennis player Stuart Silvester．

　　Thursday Evening－Chinese Party

　　Chinese Party：Come along and enjoy the hospitality of the Chinese students! You can try delicious Chinese food and learn about Chinese traditions．Please note that you should eat your evening meal at your home-stay, as the food is a taster and not a full meal．Non alcoholic and alcoholic drinks will be served．

　　Friday afternoon－Historical Walking Tour or Sports Parks

　　Historical Walking Tour：This afternoon you will have the opportunity to visit parts of Norwich you may have otherwise missed, with a professional guide．In medieval times Norwich was the second most important city in England and this afternoon you can learn some of the interesting history of our fine city．

　　Sports Park：Badminton, Basketball, Fitness Training(with a Fitness Card), Football, Squash, Swimming or Volleyball．

　　Please sign early if you wish to play any of the sports listed above．