No one can fail to stand in awed（令人敬畏的）admiration of the great discoveries of history-Newton's laws of motion,Kepler's principles of planetary movement,Einstein's general theory of relativity．Equally awe-inspiring are artistic creations in painting,theatre,music,and literature,which have also been brought about by discovery through personal efforts．What do these extraordinary achievements of wellknown scientists and artists have to do with problem solving?

　　A great scientific discovery or a great work of art is surely the result of problem solving activity．The solution to a problem,we are told,often comes to thinkers in a “flash of insight（顿悟）”,although they may have been turning the problem over in their minds for some time．As a particular form of problem solving,these creative acts are based on the broad knowledge gained in the past,whether this be of the“public”sort known to science,or of the “private”sort known to the artist．

　　Many creative thinkers state that they have completely devoted themselves to the subject matter of the problem,often over fairly long periods of time．Indeed,it would be strange if they had not done this．Nothing in such statements supports the idea that there is anything very different about the problem solving that leads to discoveries of the great contributions to the society．The act of discovery,even in the relatively predictable（可以预见的）sense that it occurs in everyday learning,involves（涉及）a “sudden insight”which changes the problem situation into a solution situation．As we have seen,everyday discovery also requires that the learner have the knowledge of the rules gained in the past,which is involved in the solution．

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　　Directions:Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A～F for each paragraph．There is one extra heading which you do not need．

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　　Equipped only with a pair of binoculars（双筒望远镜）and ready to spend long hours waiting in all weathers for a precious glance of a rare bullfinch（红腹灰雀）,Britain's birdwatchers had long been supposed to be lovers of a minority sport．But new figures show birdwatching is fast becoming a popular pastime,with almost three million of us absorbed in our fluttering feathered friends．

　　Devoted birdwatchers,those prepared to travel thousands of miles for a sighting of a rare Siberian bird,are fast being joined by a new breed of follower whose interest is satiated by watching a few finches（雀科鸣鸟）on a Sunday walk or putting up a birdbox in the back garden．

　　“Almost three million UK birdwatchers is certainly possible if you include everyone with only a casual interest,”Stephen Moss said in his newly published book— A Bird in the Bush:a Social History of Birdwatching — which records the pursuit from the rich Victorian Englishman's love of shooting rare birds to the less offensive observational tendencies of birdwatchers today．

　　Television wildlife programmes have helped to fuel the new trend．Last summer,BBC 2's Britain Goes Wild was a surprise success．It pulled in three million viewers and led to bird-houses selling out across the UK as 45000 people promised to put up a box．

　　Birdwatchers' networking system first came to the attention of the nation in 1989,when a birdwatcher caught sight of the first Vermivora chrysoptera— a goldenwinged songbird from North America to be seen in Britain．He put a message out on the network service Birdline,and the next day 3000 birdwatehers proved the full pull of a truly rare bird as they visited the Tesco car park in Kent,where it had settled．Today,birdwatchers can log on to www．birdline．com．uk or have news of the latest sightings texted to their phones．

　　“Multimillion-pound spending on binoculars,bird food and boxes point to the increasing numbers of birdwatchers,”said David Cromack,the editor of Bird Watching magazine．“The number of people involved is so big that they have great potential to influence government decisions affecting the environment．”

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“I THIRST”

　　Each day water-related diseases kill 3900 of the world's children

　　Across the world,1.1 billion people have no access to clean drinking water．More than 2.6 billion people lack basic sanitation（卫生设备）．

　　The combination proves deadly．Each year,diseases related to inadequate water and sanitation kill between 2 and 5 million people and cause an estimated 80 percent of all sicknesses in the developing world．Safe drinking water is a precondition for health and the fight against child death rate,inequality between men and women,and poverty．

　　Consider these facts:

　　·The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is 6 kilometers．

　　·Only 58 percent of children in sub-Saharan Africa are drinking safe water,and only 37 percent of children in South Asia have access to even a basic toilet．

　　·Each year in India alone,73 million working days are lost to water-borne diseases．

　　Here are three ways you can help:

　　(1)Write Congress

　　Current U．S．foreign aid for drinking water and sanitation budgets only one dollar per year per American citizen．Few members of Congress have ever received a letter from voters about clean drinking water abroad．

　　(2)Sponsor a project with a faith-based organization

　　Many U．S．religious groups already sponsor water and sanitation projects,working with partner organizations abroad．Simply put,a single project by a U．S．organization can make safe water a reality for thousands of people．

　　(3)Support nonprofit water organizations

　　Numerous U．S．based nonprofits work skillfully abroad in commumty-led projects related to drinking water and sanitation．Like the sample of non-profits noted as follows,some organizations are large,others small-scale;some operate worldwide,others are devoted to certain areas in Africa,Asia,or Latin America．Support them generously．

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　　“Come in,Kim．Have a seat,please,”said Bill Williams,the manager．This was Kim's first experience with an assessment．After only six months he was due for a raise if this assessment was satisfactory．

　　“Kim,”began Bill Williams,“I am very pleased with the quality of your work．I have nothing but praise for your devotion and your hard work．My only concern is that,you are not active enough in putting forward your suggestions．”

　　“But,”replied Kim,“I have always completed every assignment you have given me,Mr．Williams．”

　　“I know that,Kim．And please,call me Bill．But what I expect is for you to think independently and introduce new ideas．I need more input from you— more feedback on how things are going．I don't need a“yes man”．You never tell me what you think．You just smile as though everything is fine．”

　　“But,”said Kim,“I feel that since you are my superior,it would be presumptuous of me to tell you what to do．”

　　“I'm not asking you to tell me what to do,but what you think we could do．To make suggestions．I employed you because I respect your experience in this field,but you are not communicating your thoughts to me．”

　　“Yes,I see．I'm not accustomed to this,but I will try to do as you say…Bill．”

　　“Good,then．I expect to hear more from you at staff meetings or at any other time you want to discuss an idea with me．”

　　“Yes,of course．Thank you,Mr．Will…Bill．”

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　　You either have it,or you don't — a sense of direction,that is．But why is it that some people could find their way across the Sahara without a map,while others can lose them selves in the next street?

　　Scientists say we're all born with a sense of direction,but it is not properly understood how it works．One theory is that people with a good sense of direction have simply worked harder at developing it．Research being carried out at Liver pool University supports this idea and suggests that if we don't use it,we lose it．

　　“Children as young as seven have the ability to find their way around,”says Jim Martland,Research Director of the project．“However,if they are not allowed out alone or are taken everywhere by ear,they never develop the skills．”

　　Jim Martland also emphasizes that young people should be taught certain skills to improve their sense of direction．He makes the following suggestions:

　　·If you are using a map,turn it so it relates to the way you are facing．

　　·If you leave your bike in a strange place,put it near something like a big stone or a tree．Note landmarks on the route as you go away from your bike．When you return,go back along the same route．

　　·Simplify the way of finding your direction by using lines such as streets in a town,streams,or walls in the countryside to guide you．Count your steps so that you know how far you have gone and note any landmarks such as tower blocks or hills which can help to find out where you are．

　　Now you need never get lost again!

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　　There are two basic ways to see growth:one as a product,the other as a process．People have generally viewed personal growth as an external（外在的）result or a product that can easily be identified and measured．The worker who gets a rise,the student whose grades improve,the foreigner who learns a new language— all these examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts．

　　By contrast（对照）,the process of personal growth is much more different to determine,since it is a journey and not the specific signposts or landmarks along the way．The process is not the road itself,but the attitudes,feelings people have,and their caution or courage,as they meet with new experiences and unexpected difficulties．In this process,the journey never really ends;there are always new ways to experience the world,new ideas to try,new challenges to accept．

　　In order to grow,to travel new roads,people need to have a willingness to take risks,to face the unknown,and to accept the possibility that they may “fail”at first．How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is necessary for our ability to grow．Do we see ourselves as quick and curious?If so,we tend to take more chances and be more open to unfamiliar experiences．Do we think we're shy and indecisive?Then our sense of fear can cause us to hesitate,to move slowly,and we think we are slow to adapt（适应）changes or that we're not smart enough to deal with a new challenge．Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all．

　　These feelings of insecurity（不安全）and selfdoubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow．If we protect ourselves too much,then we stop growing．We become trapped inside a shell of our own making．

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　　In summer,millions of people will head for the beach．And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play,it may also be useful in another way．Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity．

　　“Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave?Or have you jumped in the water and felt lhe energy as waves crashed over you?”asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland．“There is certainly a lot of energy in waves．”

　　Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity．

　　Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean．“The winds start out by snaking little ripples（波纹）in the water,but if they keep on blowing,those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves,”Taylor said．“Waves are one of nature's ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey．”

　　When waves come towards the shore,people can set up dams or other barricades to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine（涡轮机）．The turbine can then power an electrical generator（发电机）．

　　The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy,and it is already being used in Scotland．

　　The resource is huge．We will never run out of wave power,besides,wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources,such as oil and coal．

　　Oceans cover three quarters of the earth's surface．That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world．There are some drawbacks,however．

　　Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money．He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown．Plus,wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic．

　　With more research,however,“many of these problems might be overcome,”Taylor said．“Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers,drive our cars,and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world．Finding more energy sources is very important,for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day．”

　　In the future,when you turn on a light switch,an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!

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　　The Americans believe that anybody can become President of the United States．In a recent Hollywood comedy（喜剧）,that is exactly what happens．

　　Dave Kovic,played by Kevin Kline,is a kind-hearted man who runs a business that finds people jobs．He leads a typical（典型的）American way of life,except for one thing— he looks exactly like the President,Bill Mitchell．In fact,the only thing that makes him different from the nation's leader is that he is very nice!

　　The President has started using look-alikes during some public appearances．Dave is offered a chance to“serve his country”by becoming one．

However,things go wrong．The President becomes very ill and Dave ends up acting as the President forever．

　　Director Ivan Reitman,who made the popular and successful comedies like Tzwins,Ghostbusters and Legal Eagles,could have gone for easy laughs by making fun of the American government．Instead,Dave is an attractive comedy about an ordinary man in extraordinary situations．Kevin Kline gives a double performance as Dave and the President,and Sigourney Weaver is at her best as his First Lady．The love story that develops between her role and Dave is a real ctassic（经典）．

　　The film is 100% American．However,if you've ever felt that anybody could do a better job running the country than the people in power,then you'll enjoy Dave!

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　　Say you are a 17th century construction worker who's worked long and hard to build a splendid tower for the dead wife of your emperor．

　　Now say that the emperor orders your fingertips cut off so you can never build another one．Yes,that is the Taj Mahal,one of the most famous buildings in the world．

And the tale behind the construction is just as impressive（印象深刻的）as the building itself．

　　First,there's the emperor of northern India,Shah Jehan,also called the King of the World．In 1612,Shah Jehan married Mumtaz Mahal．Madly in love,they had 14 children over the next 20 years．But then sadness camde．As Mumtaz was about to give birth to child number 14,she said she had heard her unborn baby cry out．It was a sign of death．And as Mumtaz lay dying,she asked Jehan to build a lasting memorial（纪念物）to celebrate their love．

　　When the heartbroken Jehan appeared eight days after his wife's death,his people were shocked to see that his coalblack hair had turned snow-white．

　　Putting away his sadness,Jehan ordered his wife's dying wish carried out．More than 20,000 workers labored nearly 22 years to complete the construction．In 1653,Jehan placed Mumtaz's remains in the center under the building．

　　And then,son number five,Aurangzeb,murdered his brothers and took over the power from his aging father．Jehan lived the rest of his days— eight years,to be exact— imprisoned not far from the Taj Mahal．Jehan was only allowed to climb onto the top of his prison to see the timeless treasure from a distance．But never again would he be allowed to visit it— until he was buried next to his wife．

　　Today 25,000 people visit the Taj Mahal each day．Though the reason for building the tower was a strange,sad story,those who see its breath-taking beauty are reminded of the happiness that inspired（激发…的灵感）its construction．

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