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　　Americans are proud of their variety and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general．Why are uniforms so popular in the USA?

　　Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eye of most people they look more professional than civilian clothes(便服)．People have become conditioned to expect superior quality from a man who wears a uniform．The television repairman who wears a uniform tends to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes．Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform．What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a barber, or a waiter to lose professional identity than to step out of uniform?

　　Uniforms also have many practical benefits．They save on other clothes．They save laundry(洗衣店)bills．They are tax-deductible(可减税的)．They’re often more comfortable and more long–lasting than civilian clothes．

　　Primary among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent(随之而引发的)loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them．Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement．When people look alike, they tend to think, speak, and act similarly, on the job at least．

　　Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems．Though they are long-lasting, often their initial(最初的)expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes．Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes．

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　　TUVALU, a tiny country in the Pacific Ocean, has asked for help as it fears it will be swallowed up by the sea．

　　Storms and huge waves are a constant threat and none of Tuvalu’s nine little islands is more than five-meters above sea level．Salt water is already entering the country’s drinking water supply, as well as damaging plants that produce fruit and vegetable．Without urgent help, the country’s days are numbered．

　　But Tuvalu is not the first place to face sinking into the sea．Venice, a historic city in Italy best known for its canals, has sunk about 24 cm over the past 100 years．Experts say that it will have sunk another 20－50cm by 2050．A century ago, St Mark’s Square, the lowest point in the city, flooded about nine times a year．Nowadays, it happens more than 100 times．While Venice is slowly sinking into the mud on which it stands, Tuvalu’s rising sea level is caused by global warming．

　　The average global temperature has increased by almost 0.8 centigrade over the past century; scientists expect it to rise by extra 1-3 degrees over the next 100 years．

　　Warmer weather makes glaciers(冰川)melt, adding more water to the ocean．The warmer temperatures also make water expand, so it takes up more space, cruising the sea level to rise．The sea level has risen about 10-25 cm in the last 100 years．

　　The main cause of global warming is human pollution．Through burning coal, oil and gas, people have been increasing the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere such as CO₂．This adds to the power of the greenhouse effect, making the planet even warmer．

　　Many scientists believe that, if the warming is not stopped, there will be huge climate changes．The sea level could rise by one meter this century．

　　Should this come true, the sea will swallow up millions of homes and the world will be flooded with climate refugees looking for somewhere to live．

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　　There are three branches of medicine．One is, called“doctor medicine”, or“scientific medicine”．Scientific doctors try to observe sicknesses, look for logical patterns, and then find out how the human body works．From there they figure out what treatments may work．This kind of medicine is believed to date from the 4^th century BC．Although nowadays it is successful, in the ancient world this approach probably did not cure many patients．

　　A second kind of medicine is called“natural cures”, or“folk medicine”, in which less educated people try to cure sicknesses with various herbs(药草)．These folk healers also use observation and logic, but they are not so aware of it．They try things until they find something that seems to work, and then they keep doing that．Folk medicine flourished long before the development of scientific medicine and was more successful in ancient times than doctor medicine．

　　The third kind is called“health spas(矿草疗养地)”, or“faith healing”．Sometimes this may be as simple as touching the holy man and being immediately healed．Other times, a magician may make you a magic charm, or say a spell, to cure you．Some religious groups organize special healing shrines for the sick．In these places people rest, get plenty of sleep, take healthy food, drink water instead of wine, and exercise in various ways．They also talk to the priests and pray to the gods．If you are feeling depressed or you have been working too hard, going to these places may be just the right thing to make you feel better．

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　　Suppose you work in a big firm and find English important for your job because you often deal with foreign businessmen．Now you are looking for a place where you can improve your English, especially your spoken English．Here are some ads about English language training from newspapers．You may find the information you need．

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　　Interest in pursuing international careers has soared in recent years．Enhanced by chronic(长久的)personnel shortages that are causing companies to search beyond their home borders for talent．

　　Professionals seek career experience outside of their home countries for a variety of reasons．They may feel the need to recharge their batteries with a new challenge．They may want a position with more responsibility that encourages creativity and initiative．Or they may wish to expose their children to another culture, and the opportunity to learn a second language．

　　When applying for a job, one usually has to submit a resume or curriculum vitae(履历)(CV)．The two terms generally mean the same thing：a one-or two-page document describing one's educational qualifications and professional experience．However, guidelines for preparing a r6sum6 are constantly changing．The best advice is to find out what is appropriate regarding the corporate(公司)culture, the country culture, and the culture of the person making the hiring decision．The challenge will be to embrace two or more cultures in one document．The following list is a good place to start．

　　“Educational requirements differ from country to country．In almost every case of 'cross-border' job hunting, just stating the title of your degree will not bean adequate description．Provide the reader with details about your studies and any related experience．

　　Pay attention to the resume format you use-chronological or reverse-chronological order．Chronological order means listing your 'oldest' work experience first．Reverse-chronological order means listing your current or most recent experience first．Most countries have preferences about which format is most acceptable．If you find no specific guidelines．the general preference is for the reverse-chronological format．

　　If you are submitting your resume in English, find out if the recipient(收件人)uses British English or American English because there are variations between the two versions．For example, university education is often referred to as 'tertiary education' in the United Kingdom, but this term is almost never used in the United States．A reader who is unfamiliar with these variations may assume that your resume contains errors．

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　　(Part of Yanglan’s speech in Beijing’s bid for the 2008 Olympic Games)

　　Mr．President, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon!

　　Before I introduce our cultural programs, I want to tell you one thing first about 2008．You're going to have a great time in Beijing．

　　Many people are fascinated by China’s sport legends(传奇)in history．For example, back to Song Dynasty, which is regarded as the origin of ancient football．The game was so popular that women were also participating．So now, you probably will understand why our women football team does so well today……．

　　With a concept inspired by the famed Silk Road, our Torch Relay will break new ground, traveling from Olympia through some of the oldest civilizations known to man-Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Byzantine, Mesopotamian, Persian, Arabian, Indian and Chinese．Carrying the message“Share the Peace, Share the Olympics,”the eternal flame will reach new heights as it crosses the Himalayas over the world's highest summit-Mount Qomolangma, which is known to many of you as Mt．Everest．In China, the flame will pass through Tibet, cross the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, travel the Great Wall and visit Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and the 56 ethnic communities who make up our society．On its journey, the flame will be seen by and inspire more human beings than any previous relay．

　　I am afraid I can not present the whole picture of our cultural programs within such a short period of time．Before I end, let me share with you one story．Seven hundred years ago, amazed by his incredible descriptions of a far away land of great beauty, people asked Marco Polo whether his stories about China were true．He answered：What I have told you was not even half of what I saw．Actually, what we have shown you here today is only a fraction of Beijing that awaits you．

　　Ladies and gentlemen, I believe that Beijing will prove to be a land of wonders to athletes, spectators(观众)and the worldwide television audience alike．Come and join us．

　　Thank you, Mr．President．Thank you all．

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　　In older people with mild cognitive(认知)impairment(损害)，having a drink now and then-up to an average of one drink of alcohol each day-may delay progression to dementia(痴呆症)，new research suggests．

　　“While many studies have assessed(评价)alcohol consumption and cognitive function in the elderly，this is the first study to look at how alcohol consumption affects the rate of progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia,”study authors Dr．Solfrizzi and Dr．Panza, from the University of Bari in Italy, said in a statement．

　　In the study, reported in the medical journal Neurology, the researchers assessed the occurrence of mild cognitive impairment in 1,445 subjects and progression to dementia in 121 patients with mild cognitive impairment．

　　The participants were between 65 and 84 years of age at the start of study, and they were followed for 3.5 years．Alcohol use was assessed before the survey．

　　Drinking was not associated with the development of mild cognitive impairment, according to the report．However, once mild impairment occurred．Subjects who had one drink per day of alcohol had an 85 percent reduced risk of dementia compared with those who abstained(戒绝)．

　　The benefit was seen with both alcohol in general and with wine in particular．

　　Having more than one drink a day, however, offered no protection against dementia compared with abstaining, the report indicates．

　　“The mechanism responsible for why low alcohol consumption appears to protect against the progression to dementia isn’t known．However, it is possible that the arrangement of blood vessels in the brain may play a role,”Solfrizzi and Panza conclude．

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　　China has a wealth of classical literature dating from as far back as the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and including the Classics, whose compilation(收集，选编)is attributed to Confucius．Among these, the most important classics in Chinese literature include the Yijing, the Shijing, the Shujing, the Liji, the Chunqiu and the Lunyu．

　　The earliest and most influential poetic collection was the Chuci, made up mainly of poems by Qu Yuan and his follower Song Yu．The songs in this collection are more lyrical and romantic and represent a different tradition from the earlier written Shijing．During the Han Dynasty, this form developed into the fu, a poem usually composed in rhymed verse except for the introductory and concluding passages, which are often in the form of questions and answers．

　　Classical poetry in China reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty．The early Tang period was best known for a number of poetic styles including the lushi, an eight-line poem with five or seven words in each line; and the jueju, a four-line poem with five or seven words in each line．The two best-known poets of this period were Li Bai and Du Fu．Li Bai was known for the romanticism in his poetry, while Du Fu was seen as a Confucian moralist with a strict sense of duty toward society．

　　Later Tang poets developed greater realism and social criticism within their work and improved the art of narration．One of the best known of the later Tang poets was Bai Juyi, whose poems were an inspired yet critical comment of the society of his time．

　　As the classical style of poetry became redundant(多余的), a more flexible poetic medium, the ci, arrived on the scene．The ci, a poetic form of Central Asian origin based on the tunes of popular songs, was developed to its fullest by the poets of the Song Dynasty．

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　　At Patcham High School, all people are of equal value and therefore equally deserving of our time, efforts, patience, support and respect．Our students’ academic success and personal development lie at heart of our educational practice．

　　Patcham High School is determined to be a school of excellence and wishes to be learning school, a family school and a community school．

　　Firstly, all students are of equal value and will have the opportunity to gain the fullest advantages from education to develop their skills．

　　Secondly, we intend to keep in very close contact with the families of our students．We shall encourage the families of the school to help and support us in the interests of all our students．

　　Thirdly, as a community school we intend to help our studnets understand, respect and live positively with people in our local area．

　　Above all, we aim to establish and encourage a friendly pattern of relationships between students and teachers based on mutual respect and trust．By the time they leave Patcham High School, all students will have received the best possible information and advice, designed for them as individuals, to enable them to make informed choices about their future education or careers and how to achieve their ambitions．

　　We encourage our students to have high expectations and to understand that leaving Patcham is a launching off for further education and successful life-long learning．

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