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　　I recently spent two years in the Arctic filming the series Blue Planet．I love being in an environment that hasn't changed for 20,000 years．Of course it's freezing, but it must be a healthy place because you never catch colds．

　　When I'm filming, I like to really feel how lonely the environment is．Filming underwater involves cutting through thick ice and diving in tied to a line．The person at the other end has to be ready to pull you out fast if necessary．

　　Originally I was a research diver for the British Antarctic Survey project, but for me science lacked excitement．I'd always enjoyed photography, and whenever camera teams passed through, they encouraged me to watch and learn．I was then able to move into filming in 1985 and have concentrated on Arctic and Antarctic wildlife ever since．

　　I prefer to be faced with the animals I'm filming．I haven't got in the water with killer whales yet, but I plan to．Of course, it's dangerous if you choose the wrong moment．They're big animals and can move fast, so I'd be stupid to film them searching for food!

　　I've never had problems with polar bears, although once I was frightened when one tried to get into my tent．Polar bears are bold, clever and dangerous．But I made this one see I wasn't about to attack it-I'm sure it realised I wouldn't hurt it．

　　When I come home back from my trips, I work in the mornings and spend the afternoons swimming to keep fit．Now I'm fifty, filming is harder．The challenge for me is to continue to deliver high-quality work．

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　　What would railway station or a newspaper be like without advertisements? Would you like to read only closely printed columns of news in your daily paper?A cheerful, witty advertisement makes such a difference to a dull wall or a newspaper full of the daily ration of calamities(不幸事件)．

　　We must not forget, either, that advertising makes a positive contribution to our pockets．Newspapers, commercial radio and television companies could not exist without this source of revenue(收入)．The fact that we pay so little for our daily paper, or can enjoy so many broadcast programs is due entirely to the money spent by advertisers．Just think what a newspaper would cost if we had to pay its full price!

　　Another thing we mustn't forget is the "small ads", which are in almost every newspaper and magazine．What a very useful service they perform for the community!Just about anything can be accomplished-marriage or death in what used to be called the "hatch, match and dispatch" columns but by far the most fascinating section or "agony"(创痛)column．No other item in a newspaper provides such entertaining reading or offers such a deep insight into human nature．

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　　On the afternoon of September 27,2008 ,astronaut Zhai Zhigang became the first Chinese man to walk in space on Saturday, clambering(攀爬)out of China's Shenzhou VII space craft in a technological feat(成就)that made the Chinese people excited．

　　"I'm feeling quite well．I greet the Chinese people and the people of the world," Zhai said as he climbed out of the craft at around 16∶40 Beijing time, a historic achievement telecast live on CCTV．Tens of millions of Chinese viewers gathered before TV screens to watch the moment．

　　Chinese President Hu Jintao and other top leaders had appeared at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center to watch the live transmission of Zhai's space walk．

　　Zhai, 42, chosen by an expert team for the first "out-of -capsule activity," showed a red national flag, helped by colleague Liu Boming, who also briefly popped his head out of the capsule．

　　Zhai slowly made his way towards a test sample of solid lubricant(润滑剂)outside the capsule, took a sample and handed it to Liu．

　　Zhai safely returned inside the craft after about 20 minutes．The walk marked the highpoint of China's third manned space journey, which has received widespread media coverage．

　　Zhai wore a ＄4.4 million Chinese-made suit weighing 120 kg．Liu wore a Russian-made one and acted as an assistant．

　　The third crew member, Jing Haipeng, monitored the ship from inside the re-entry module．

　　The risky maneuver is a step towards China's longer-term goal of building a space lab and then a larger space station, analysts said．

　　"On this flight, Chinese people's footprints will be left in space for the first time," said a commentary by the Xinhua news agency．

　　The astronauts went abroad on their walk after receiving a clean bill of health from doctors on the ground at mission control in Beijing, Xinhua said．

　　Zhai's suit has 10 layers and takes up to 15 hours to assemble and put on．

　　China's first manned spaceflight was in 2003．A second, two-manned flight followed in 2005．The only other countries that have sent people into space are Russia and the United States．

　　Shenzhou VII took off on Thursday and is due to land on the northern steppes(草原)of Inner Mongolia on Sunday．

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　　Here are the descriptions of some schools：

　　Alta Vista High School is a district continuation high school that offers a program focused on building academic and functional skills ,as well as basic work habits．As a continuation high school, Alta Vista offers students a second chance to school．

　　Call：690-667-2924; fax：670-467-4848

　　Mountain View Academy is a Christian high school operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church．It is for boys and girls in Grades 9－12．Mountain View Academy offers quality, personalized education in a contemporary Christian environment．

　　Call：650-967-2324; fax：650-967-6886

　　Mountain View High School’s academic program is designed to meet the needs of a diverse student body．It offers community college classes and advanced programs that allow students to take college-level classes while still in high school．

　　Call：650-331-2814

　　Castilleja School fosters(培养)intellectual, physical, creative and emotional growth through a college preparatory experience within a diverse and supportive community．The students are all girls in senior high school．

　　Call：650-940-4600; fax：650-961-6349

　　The school’s purpose is to offer a fresh start toward academic and social success．Summer school offers all subjects and it’s for boys and girls in Grades 8－12．

　　Call：650-493-7071; fax：650-493-7073．

　　E-mail：info@poloaltoprep.com

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　　I am one of the many city people who are always saying that given the choice we would prefer to live in the country away from the dirt and noise of a large city．I have managed to convince myself that if it weren’t for my job I would immediately head out for the open spaces and go back to nature in some sleepy village buried in the country．But how realistic is the dream?

　　Cities can be frightening places．The majority of the population live in massive tower blocks, noisy, dirty and impersonal．The sense of belonging to a community tends to disappear when you live fifteen floors up．All you can see from your window is sky, or other blocks of fiats．

　　Strangely enough, whereas in the past the inhabitants of one street all knew each other, nowadays people on the same floor in tower blocks don’t even say hello to each other．

　　Country life, on the other hand, differs from this kind of isolated(隔离)existence because a sense of community generally ties the inhabitants of small villages together．But country life has disadvantages too．It is true that you are cut off from the exciting and important events that take place in cities．There’s little possibility of going to a new show or the latest movie．Shopping becomes a major problem, and for anything slightly out of the ordinary you have to go on an expedition to the nearest large town．The city-people who leave for the country are often oppressed by a sense of unbearable stillness and quietness．

　　What, then, of my dreams of leaning on a cottage gate and murmuring“morning”to the locals as they pass by?I’m eager for the idea, but you see there’s my cat, Toby．I’m not at all sure that he would take to all that fresh air and exercise in the long grass．I mean, can you see him mixing with all those hearty males down the farm?No, he would rather have the electric fire any evening．

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　　There are three airports in New York．When you arrive at one of them ,you can take a bus or a taxi to any place in New York．

　　Eating out

　　There are many kinds of food in New York, and you shouldn’t eat at McDonald’s every day．There are good restaurants in Little Italy and Chinatown, for example．

　　Hotels

　　There are lots of good hotels in New York．The best is the plaza on 5th avenue but you don't have to pay a lot to stay in the city; there are lots of smaller hotels and the YMCA near central park is great for young people．

　　Public transport

　　In New York, there’re good bus and subway services．If you are planning to use the subway a lot, you should buy a subway ticket for the journey because it’s cheaper．But you don’t have to use the public transport－there are lots of places you can go to on foot, such as the Empire State Building, the 5^th Avenue and the Central Park．The new taxis are a part of the city experience, so you should take at least one taxi during your visit!

　　Places to see

　　Finally ,there are a lot of places to see in New York－Time square ,the statue of Liberty．And you shouldn't go home without climbing the statue of Liberty to enjoy the scenery of the city．

　　shopping

　　Shopping in New York is fun．There are big shops on 5th avenue．They are open seven days a week．But be careful when you look at the prices;you have to pay a special 8% tax on everything you buy in New York．

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　　The curtain of the Beijing Olympics dropped on August 24^th with a closing ceremony featured with carnival(狂欢节)festiveness;however ,it seems that the atmosphere of gathering and celebration still goes on in people’s hearts．The readers of People’s Daily Online have left many messages expressing their admiration for the organizers and share their views on the whole games．

　　Most of them speak highly of the games by using such words as“extremely successful”,”memorable”and“flawless(无暇的)”．The opening and closing ceremonies have also received wide laud for being“exceptional”,“most attracting”,“unforgettable”,“unique”,“wonderful”,and“splendid”．

　　The following are some of the messages：

　　“Wo Ai Beijing!!!Such a great event held by an exceptional host．Well done to all in Beijing and many thanks to the volunteers．The Chinese government did very well to keep the games safe for all．By Sudesh”．

　　“It was the most attracting show I’ve ever seen．Unlikely some country will ever be able to measure up!My deepest respect for all of you and sincere congratulations for these amazing ,unique and breathtaking OG．Breathtaking!By Griet”．

　　“With great respect for the Chinese people and with much interest I have watched closely these unforgettable and unique Olympic Games．I’ve enjoyed the amazing and breathtaking opening and closing ceremonies in Belgium．Please accept my feelings of gratitude and respect．You were all amazing!Congratulations．by Nancy”

　　“All the Americans I know think that China did a great job in the Olympics, and that the games and ceremonies were a pleasure to watch and were a triumph of China ‘s creativity．Jim Richards, Randolph,Mass ,USA”．

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　　There are many factors which may have an influence on adults and children being able to lead a healthy life．

　　Nowadays, people are very busy．Often, both parents work outside the home．Children are expected to take on more responsibility at home to help their parents．They also have sporting and leisure activities as well as school expectations．

　　The busyness also adds another factor：the need to use cars to get from one place to another quickly．

　　Today, society places a lot of emphasis on technology．Computers, DVDs, CDs, television, PlayStations and Xboxes have become major leisure activities, rather than traditional more active pursuits．This has led to a more sedentary lifestyle．

　　The media provide entertainment and information．Unfortunately, they also promote fast food which fits easily into busy lifestyles．It is much more convenient at times to buy a quick takeaway rather than prepare a meal．The media constantly bombard(轰炸)their audience with “perfect” body images, the need to buy the most fashionable clothes, the most up-to-date computer games, the best places to visit and the best things to do．

　　Environments vary．We may be exposed to pollution, such as cigarette smoke．This can be harmful to people who suffer from breathing difficulties．Environments where passive smoking is unavoidable make it difficult to lead a healthy life．

　　The important factor influencing healthy lifestyles is motivation or the desire to be healthy．Any person who wants to be healthy will find a way to be healthy－if he/she is motivated enough!

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　　New Annotated Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

　　Price：￡28.00

　　Publication Date：30/11/2004

　　Publisher's description

　　Collects Doyle's fifty-six classic short stories, arranged in the order in which they appeared in the late nineteenth century book editions, in a set complemented(补充)by four novels, editor biographies of Doyle, Holmes, and Watson as well as literary and cultural details about Victorian society．

　　Breaking Ground by Daniel Libeskind

　　Price：￡16.00

　　Publication Date：11/10/2004

　　Brief introduction

　　This is a book about the adventure life that can offer each of us if we seize it, and about the powerful forces of tragedy, memory and hope．For Daniel Libeskind, life's adventure has been through architecture, which he has found has the power to reshape human experience．Although often relating to the past, his buildings are about the future．This memoir(自传)of one man's journey brings together history, personal experience, our physical environment and a fresh international vision．

　　In the Shadow of No Towers by Art Spiegelman

　　Price：￡16.00

　　Publication Date：02/09/2004

　　Brief introduction

　　On 11th September 2001, Art Spiegelman raced to the World Trade Center, not knowing if his daughter Nadja was living or dead．Once she was found safe－in her school at the foot of the burning towers－he returned home, to meditate(反省)on the trauma(创伤)，and to work on a comic strip(连环漫画)．In the Shadow of No Towers is New Yorker Art Spiegelman's extraordinary account of “the hijacking” on 90.11 and the following hijacking of those events' by America．

　　Light on Snow by Anita Shreve

　　Price：￡14.00

　　Publication Date：07/10/2004

　　Publisher's description

　　This is the 11th novel by Anita Shreve, the critically accepted bestseller．A moving story of love and courage and tragedy and of the ways in which the human heart always seeks to heal itself．

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　　Normally a student must attend a certain number of courses in order to graduate, and each course which he attends gives him a credit which he may count towards a degree．In many American universities the total work for a degree consists of thirty-six courses each lasting for one semester．A typical course consists of three classes per week for fifteen weeks, while attending a university a student will probably attend four or five courses during each semester．Generally a student would expect to take four years attending two semesters each year．It is possible to spread the period of work for the degree over a longer period．It is also possible for a student to move between one university and another during his degree course, though this is not in fact done as a regular practice．

　　For every course that he follows a student is given a grade, which is recorded, and the record is available for the student to show to prospective employers．All this imposes(施加)a constant pressure and strain(负担)of work, but in spite of this some students still find time for great activity in student affairs．Elections to positions in student organizations arouse much enthusiasm．The student organizations are effective in ensuring that the students observe university regulations．Any student who is thought to have broken the rules, for example, by cheating has to appear before a student court．With the enormous numbers of students, the operation of the system does involve a certain amount of activity．A student who has held one of these positions of authority is much respected and it will be of benefit to him later in his career．

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