I am a writer．I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language－the way it can evoke(唤起)an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth．Language is the tool of my trade．And I use them all－all the Englishes I grew up with．

　　Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks．Like others, I have described it to people as“broken”English．But feel embarrassed to say that．It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than“broken”, as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness．I’ve heard other terms used,“limited English,”for example．But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions(认识)of the limited English speaker．

　　I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s“limited”English limited my perception of her．I was ashamed of her English．I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say．That is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect．And I had plenty of evidence to support me：the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her．

　　I started writing fiction in 1985．And for reasons I won’t get into today, I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with：the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described as“broken”, and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese, her internal(内在的)language, and for that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure：I wanted to catch what language ability tests can never show; her intention, her feelings, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts．

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　　Societies all over the world name places in similar ways．Quite often there is no official naming ceremony but places tend to be called names as points of reference by people．Then an organized body steps in and gives the place a name．Frequently it happens that a place has two names：One is named by the people and the other by the government．As in many areas, old habits died hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost．

　　Many roads and places in Singapore(新加坡)are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations．Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place．This is in keeping with traditions in many countries-in both the West and the East．

　　Another way of naming places is naming them after other places．Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were originally from the places that the roads were named after．The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases．If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus－obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel．

　　Some places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places．Bras Basah Road is an interesting example,“Base Basah”means“wet rice”in Malay(马来语)．Now why would anyone want to name a road“Wet Rice Road”?The reason is simple．During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road．

　　A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes．There is“Circular Road”for one．Other roads may have part of their names to describe their shapes, like“Paya Lebar Crescent”．This road is called a crescent(月牙)because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again．

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　　All to often, a choice that seems sustainable(可持续的)turns out on closer examination to be problematic．Probably the best example is the rush to produce ethanol(乙醇)for fuel from corn．Corn is a renewable resouree－you can harvest it and grow more, almost limitlessly．So replacing gas with corn ethanol seems like a great idea．

　　One might get a bit more energy out of the ethand than that used to make it, which could still make ethanol more sustainable than gas generally, but that’s not the end of the problem．Using corn to make ethanol means less corn is left to feed animals and people, which drives up the cost of food．That result leads to turning the fallow land－including, in some cases, rain forest in places such as Brazil－into farmland, which in turn gives off lots carbon dioxide(CO₂)into the air．Finally, over many years, the energy benefit from buring ethanol would make up for the forest loss．But by then, climate change would have progressed so far that it might not help．

　　You cannot really declare any practice“sustainable”until you have done a complete life-cycle analysis of its environmental(环境的)costs．Even then, technology and public policy keep developing, and that development can lead to unforeseen and undesired results．The admirable goal of living sustainably requires plenty of thought on an ongoing basis．

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　　Cities alarmed by deaths and injuries of pedestrians are taking efforts to make crosswalks safer for people on foot, especially seniors and children who neeed more time to cross streets．

　　A pedestrian is killed in a traffic accident in the USA every 110 minutes; one is injured every nine minutes, according to offcial data．Crosswalks can be especiallly dangerous for the elderly．Among people 70 and older, 36％ of pedestrian deaths in 2006 occurred in crosswalks, compard with 21％ of those younger than 70, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety．

　　The Federal Highway Administration(FHWA)advises that next year states increase by nearly 15％ the amount of time traffic lights provide for pedestrians to cross the street after the flashing orange hand appears．

　　FHWA spokesman Doug Hecox says reasons for the change include an aging population that needs more time to cross, healthconscious Americans walking more, children encouraged to walk to prevent getting overweight and high gas prices pushing people to walk instead of drive．

　　Pedestrian deaths went down by 12％ from 5, 449 in 1996 to 4,784 in 2006,．But among those in 2006,471 were killed in crosswalks, down slightly from 488 ten years earlier, the NAational Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA)says．

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　　Honesty comes in many forms．First there’s self-honesty．Is what people see the real article or do you appear through smoke and mirrors?I find that if I try to be something I’m not, I feel unsure of myself and take out a part from my PBA(personal bank account)．I love how singer Judy Garland put it,“Always be a first-class version(版本)of yourself, instead of a second-class version of somebody else．”

　　Then there’s honesty in our actions．Are you honest at school, with your parents, and with your boss?If you’ve ever been dishonest, I think we all have, try being honest, and notice how whole it makes you feel．Remember, you can’t to wrong and feel right．This story by Jeff is a good example of that：

　　In my second year of study, there were three kids in my math class who didn’t do well．

I was really good at it．I would charge them three dollars for each test that I helped them pass．I’d write on a little piece of paper all the right answers, and hand them off．

　　At first I felt like I was making money, kind of a nice job．I wasn’t thinking about how it could hurt all of us．After a while I realized I shouldn’t do that anymore, because I wasn’t really helping theml They weren’t learning anything, and it would only get harder dwon the road．Cheating certainly wasn’t helping me．

　　It takes courage to be honest when people all around you are getting away with cheating on tests, lying to their parents, and stealing at work．But, remember, every act of honesty is a deposit(储蓄)into your PBA and will build strength．

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　　July 21, 2007 was a typical English summer’s day-it rained for 24 hours!As usual, I rushed home from work at midday to check on the house．Nothing was amiss．By the time I left work at 5 pm, hoever, the road into our village was flooded．Our house had never been flooded but, as I opened the front door, a wave of water greeted me．Thank God the kids weren’t with me, because the house was 5 feet deep in water．We lost everything downstairs．And the plaster had to be ton off the walls, ceilings pulled down．

　　At first we tried to push on through．We didn’t want to move the children out of home, so we camped upstairs．We put a sheet of plastic across the floor to protect us from the damp．But after three months, we felt very sick, so we moved to a wooden house in a park．The house was small, but at first we were all just delighted to be in a new place．Unfortunately, things took longer than expected and we were there for 10 months．The life there was inconvenient．What surprised me most was how much I missed being part of a community(社区)．We had lived in a friendly village with good neighbours, and I’d never thought how much I’d miss that．

　　Although our situation was very had, it’s difficult to feel too sorry for yourself when you look at what’s happening elsewhere．I watched a news peport about floods in Northern India and thought,

“We didn’t have a straw but(茅草房)that who swept away, and our house is still standing．We’re lucky．”

　　We moved back home in August．With December coming, there’s still reconstruction work to be done, so it’s difficult to prepare for Christmas, But I can’t wait-I’m going to throw a party for our friends in the village to say thanks for their support．This year, I won’t need any gifts-living away from home for months has made me realize how little we actually need or miss all our possessions．Although we are replacing things, there’s really no rush-we have our home back, and that’s the main thing．

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　　Hey there,

　　So you’re about to spend four years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars of your parents’ money, and all you really know about college is that all of your friends are going．Do you ever atop to wonder why you’re going?

　　Belax．You’re making the right decision．First of all, you’ll discover what interests you by taking coursea in many subjects．For example, it’s hard to decide if you want to be a painter if you’ve never painted any picture;once you’re in a drawing-room on campus, you’ll know one way or the other．College is also a lot of fun-after you graduate, you’ll be working every weekday for 50 or so years．And remember that college graduates earn about twice the income of those who never attended college．

　　Finding the right college can be difficult．Fortunately, Johnson Revicetv is here to help you every step of the way．

　　*Researching Schools．To us, the most important decision you’ll make is to choose the school that really fits you best-not the one that is the most competitive(有竞争力的)or has the best-equipped rooms．

　　*Applying to School．On JohnsonRevietv, com, you’ll find hundreds of actual college applications(申请)and links to many more．

　　*Raising Your Scores．American College Test is one of the most difficult parts of the admissions(录取)course．It’s not the most important, though, and not everyone needs to prepare for the test．But, if you think you can to better, find the right course for better scores．

　　*Paying for School．Most families need financial aid fir the high cost of college．The problem is that financial aid seems difficult to get and many families get eaught up in the price of college rather than learning the ways to get financial aid．If you really do your research, you’ll learn that you ean afford to attend any college, no matter the cost．

　　For more information, call 600-3681 orvisit JohnsonRevietv．com．Wherever you go, have a nice trip!

　　Jodhnson Smith

　　Foundr and CEO

　　Johnson Review

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Reading Comprehension

　　The latest research suggests a more prosaic, democratic, even puritanical view of the world．The key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not a divine spark．It’s not I．Q．, a generally bad predictor of success, even in realms like chess．Instead, it’s deliberate practice．Top performers spend more hours(many more hours)rigorously practicing their craft．If you wanted to picture how a typical genius might develop, you’d take a girl who possessed a slightly above average verbal ability．It wouldn’t have to be a big talent, just enough so that she might gain some sense of distinction．Then you would want her to meet, say, a novelist, who coincidentally shared some similar biographical traits．Maybe the writer was from the same town, had the same ethnic background, or, shared the same birthday．

　　This contact would give the girl a vision of her future self．It would give her some idea of a fascinating circle she might someday join．It would also help if one of her parents died when she was 12, giving her a strong sense of insecurity and fueling a desperate need for success．Armed with this ambition, she would read novels and life stories of writers without end．This would give her a primary knowledge of her field．She’d be able to see new writing in deeper ways and quickly perceive its inner workings．

　　Then she would practice writing．Her practice would be slow, painstaking and error-focused．By practicing in this way, she delays the automatizing process．Her mind wants to turn conscious, newly learned skills into unconscious, automatically performed skills．By practicing slowly, by breaking skills down into tiny parts and repeating, she forces the brain to internalize a better pattern of performance．Then she would find an adviser who would provide a constant stream of feedback, viewing her performance from the outside, correcting the smallest errors, pushing her to take on tougher challenges．By now she is redoing problems－how do I get characters into a room－dozens and dozens of times．She is establishing habits of thought she can call upon in order to understand or solve future problems．

　　The primary trait she possesses is not some mysterious genius．It’s the ability to develop a purposeful, laborious and boring practice routine．The latest research takes some of the magic out of great achievement．But it underlines a fact that is often neglected．Public discussion is affected by genetics and what we’re“hard-wired”to do．And it’s true that genes play a role in our capabilities．But the brain is also very plastic．We construct ourselves through behavior．

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Reading Comprehension

　　“Get your hands off me, I have been stolen,”the laptop, a portable computer, shouted．That is a new solution to laptop computer theft：a program that lets owners give their property a voice when it has been taken．

　　The program allows users to display alerts on the missing computer’s screen and even to set a spoken message．Tracking software for stolen laptops has been on the market for some time, but this is thought to be the first that allows owners to give the thief a piece of their mind．

　　Owners must report their laptop missing by logging on to a website, which sends a message to the model：a red and yellow“lost or stolen”banner pops up on its screen when it is started．Under the latest version(版本)of the software, users can also send a spoken message．

　　The message can be set to reappear every 30 seconds, no matter how many times the thief closes it．“One customer sent a message saying, ‘You are being tracked．I am right at your door’,”said Carrie Hafeman, chief executive of the company which produces the program, Retriever．

　　In the latest version, people can add a spoken message．The default through the computer’s speakers is：“Help, this laptop is reported lost or stolen．If you are not my owner, please report me now．”

　　The Retriever software package, which costs ＄29．95(￡21)but has a free trial period, has the functions of many security software programs．Owners can remotely switch to an alternative password prompt if they fear that the thief has also got hold of the access details．

　　If a thief accesses the internet with the stolen laptop, Retriever will collect information on the internet service provider in use, so that the police can be alerted to its location．

　　Thousands of laptops are stolen every year from homes and offices, but with the use of laptops increasing, the number stolen while their owners are out and about has been rising sharply．

　　Other security software allows users to erase data remotely or lock down the computer．

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Reading Comprehension

　　Welcome to Banff, Canada’s first, most famous and arguably most fascinating national park．If you’ve come to ski or snowboard, we’ll see you on the slopes．Skiing is a locals’ favorite too．

　　While you’re here, try other recreational activities available in our mountains．Popular choices include a Banff Gondola ride up Sulphur Mountain, bathe in the natural mineral waters at the Upper Hot Spring, horse-drawn sleigh ride, drive-your-own-team dog sled excursion, and snowmobile tour to the highland(but not in the national park)．

　　We also recommend you make time to enjoy simple pleasure．After looking around Banff Ave shops, walk a couple of blocks west or south to the scenic Bow River．

　　Try ice skating on frozen Lake Louise where Ice Magic International Ice Sculpture Competition works are displayed after Jan 25．You can rent skates in Banff or at the sport shop in the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise hotel．

　　Banff’s backcountry paths access a wilderness world of silence and matchless beauty－cross country skis and snowshoes provide the means．Banff sport shops rent equipment and clothes, or join an organized tour．Although we’ve been many times, we still find the cliffs and icefalls of our frozen canyons worth visiting．

　　Wildlife watching also creates satisfying memories．We have seen hundreds of the elk and bighorn sheep that attract visitors, yet they still arouse a sense of wonder．And the rare spotting of a cougar, wolf or woodland caribou takes our breath away．

　　See if simple pleasures work for you．Fight in the snow with your kids, walk beside a stream or climb to a high place and admire the view．

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