Poorer children would be offered the chance to attend lessons on Saturday to help catch up with their middleclass peers(同龄人), the shadow schools secretary, Michael Gove, said today．The Conservatives would give English state schools the freedom to choose to have longer teaching hours and extra classes at the weekend, he told the Association of Teachers and Lecturers'annual conference．

　　Gove said the move would help to close the achievement gap with richer children whose parents could afford extras such as tutoring and music lessons．

　　He told delegates(代表)in Manchester：“For children who come from homes where parents don't have the resources to provide additional stretch and cultural experiences, there are benefits in having those children in the learning environment, in school, for longer．”

　　“Parents would love to have schools starting earlier in some circumstances, and certainly going on later in the afternoon, given the reality of their working lives,”he said．He held up the example of Kipp(Knowledge is Power Program)schools in the US, which are often based in the poorest communities and open from 7∶30 a. m to 5pm on weekdays, plus Saturdays．

　　But it would be up to schools to decide to offer longer hours, Gove added．

　　Parents said Saturday classes could become a“badge of dishonor”if pupils were forced to go, while teachers raised concerns about their workload．

　　Margaret Morrissey, of Parents Outloud, said：“I think the suggestion the government made about one-to-one teaching for these kids would be a more preferable way of improving these children's performance．I'm just not sure whether taking away a child at weekends is actually going to make them cleverer in the week．”

　　The ATL's general secretary, Mary Bousted, said：“If we want Saturday schools, then we need more teachers doing the extra hours, not the same teachers working longer．”

　　Across the United States, there are several places where two independent towns grew together to become one city－but kept both their names．

　　Winston Salem is one of them．It's a midsized city in what's called the plateau(high land), between the Atlantic Coast and the inland mountains in the state of North Carolina．The Winston part is a relatively new place, founded early this century．It's home to the nation's biggest open air tobacco market．

　　The giant R．J．Reynolds Tobacco Company's headquarters is in Winston Salem, and Winston is the name of one of Reynolds'bestknown cigarette brands．Fast growing Winston soon surrounded the much older town of Salem, so in 1913, people in the area voted to combine them into a single place．

　　From a historical and tourist point of view, Salem, or Old Salem, as it's called today, is the interesting and unusual part of town．

　　Salem was founded in the 1700s by the Moravians．They spoke German, and their community was religiously based, with single men and single women living apart in separate dormitories．The Moravians greatly valued women's work and brainpower．In fact, one of the nation's oldest boarding schools for young women－the Moravians'Salem Academy founded in 1772－is still in operation．

　　Over the years, Salem lost its Moravian character．That all changed, though, when a nonprofit group began to rehabilitate the historic area．These days Old Salem is what's called a living history museum, with exhibits, music, and tours of 18th-century houses, taverns and Moravian dormitory buildings just seven blocks from the tallest skyscraper in Winston-Salem．

　　The historic community is booming again．Just as R．J．Reynolds is taking in millions of dollars making cigarettes across town, Old Salem is generating about S| 15 million a year in tourism revenue and donations．

　　In their book Time to Eat the Dog：The Real Guide to Sustainable Living, Robert and Brenda Vale say keeping a medium sized dog has the same ecological impact as driving 10,000 km a year in a 4.6 liter Land Cruiser．

　　“We're not actually saying it is time to eat the dog．We' re just saying that we need to think about and know the ecological impact of some of the things we do and that we take for granted．”

　　Constructing and driving the jeep for a year requires 0.41 hectares of land, while growing and manufacturing a dog's food takes about 0.84 hectares－or 1.1 hectares in the case of a large dog such as a German shepherd．

　　Convincing flesh eating cats and dogs to go vegetarian for the sake of the planet is a nonstarter, the Vales say．Instead they recommend keeping“greener”, smaller, and more sustainable pets, such as goldfish, chickens or rabbits．

　　The book's playful title, and serious suggestion that pet animals may be usefully“recycled”, by being eaten by their owners or turned into pet food when they die, may not appeal to animal fans．

　　Annoying as the idea may be, the question is valid given the planet's growing population and limited resources, Robert Vale said．

　　“Issues about sustainability are increasingly becoming things that are going to require us to make choices which are as difficult as eating your dog．It's not just about changing your light bulbs or taking a cloth bag to the supermarket,”he said．

　　“It's about much more challenging and difficult issues,”he added．“Once you see where cats and dogs fit in your overall balance of things, you might decide to have the cat but not also to have the two cars and the three bathrooms and be a meat eater yourself．”

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　　Years ago, when I started looking for my first job, wise advisers urged, “Barbara, be enthusiastic!Enthusiasm will take you further than any amount of experience．” How right they were!Enthusiastic people can turn a boring drive into an adventure, extra work into opportunity and strangers into friends．

　　“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson．It is the paste that helps you hang in there when the going gets tough．It is the inner voice that whispers, “I can do it!” when others shout, “No, you can't!” It took years and years for the early work of Barbara McClintock, a geneticist(遗传学家)who won the 1983 Nobel Prize in medicine, to be generally accepted．Yet she didn't let up on her experiments．Work was such a deep pleasure for her that she never thought of stopping．

　　We are all born with wide-eyed, enthusiastic wonder and it is this childlike wonder that gives enthusiastic people such a youthful air, whatever their age．At 90, cellist Pablo Casals would start his day by playing Bach(巴赫)．As the music flowed through his fingers, his bent shoulders would straighten and joy would reappear in his eyes．As author and poet Samuel once wrote, “Years wrinkle(使生皱纹)the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul．”

　　Enthusiastic people also love what they do, regardless of money, title or power．Patricia Mallrath, retired director of the Missouri Repertory Theater in Kansas City, was once asked where she got her enthusiasm．She replied, “My father, a lawyer, long ago told me, I never made a penny until I stopped working for money．”

　　If we cannot do what we love as a full-time career, we can do it as a hobby．Elizabeth Layton of Wellsville, Kan, was 68 before she began to draw．This activity ended her depression(抑郁)that had troubled her for at least 30 years, and the quality of her work led one critic to say, “I am persuaded to call Layton a genius．”

　　We can't afford to waste tears on “might-have-beens”．We need to turn the tears into sweat as we go after “what-can-be．” We need to live each moment whole-heartedly, with all our senses－finding pleasure in the sweet smell of a backyard garden, the simple picture of a six-year-old, and the beauty of a rainbow．

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　　Sometime early in the next century, human beings will move to Mars．They will live there for about a year, and then will be replaced with another group of pioneers．Building the base on Mars will advance our knowledge of the solar system and aid in our understanding of the earth．

　　We already know that Mars resembles the earth in many aspects：general size, presence of water, length of day, range of temperatures．These resemblances have caused many people to consider a centuries-long project：to terraform Mars．Terraforming means altering a planet's surface so that Earth's life forms can survive there．This concept, previously found only in science fiction is now being seriously considered by scientists．

　　Terraforming Mars is theoretically simple：add nitrogen and oxygen to the atmosphere; pump water to the surface; and add the earth's plants and animals in the order in which they developed on Earth．But it will take at least 300 years．

　　Some people think that such a project is too huge for humans to undertake, but there are very good reasons to make the attempt．The earth now contains some 6 billion people, and no one has any idea of how many humans the earth can support．Our very existence and numbers are threatening many other species．We also have had some experience with terraforming our own planet：altering the landscape, the atmosphere and the climate．Currently terraforming earth has become a wiser activity as we try to control global warming, air and water pollution, and preserve some natural living places．

　　While the possibility of such a project is small, it is not impossible．Even if earth-bound societies come and go in the next 300 years, the project can continue through the work of the Mars settlers without the need for constant backing from the earth．

　　The future existence of all the people in our world may very well depend upon our ability to terraform Mars．

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　　There was great excitement on the planet of Venus(金星)this week．For the first time Venusian scientists managed to land a satellite on the planet Earth, and it has been sending back signals as well as photographs ever since．

　　The satellite was directed into an area known as Manhattan(named after the great Venusian astronomer Prof．Manhattan, who first discovered it with his telescope 20000 light years ago)．

　　Because of excellent weather conditions and extremely strong signals, Venusian scientists were able to get valuable information as to feasibility(可行性)of a manned flying saucer(碟)landing on Earth．A press conference was held at the Venus Institute of Technology．

　　“We have come to the conclusion, based on last week's satellite landing,” Prof．Zog said, “that there is no life on Earth．”

　　“How do you know this?” the science reporter of the Venus Evening Star asked．

　　“For one thing, Earth's surface in the area of Manhattan is made up of solid concrete and nothing can grow there．For another, the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide(一氧化碳)and other deadly gases and nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive．”

　　“What does this mean as far as our flying saucer program is concerned?”

　　“We shall have to take our own oxygen with us, which means a much heavier flying saucer than originally planned．”

　　“Are there any other dangers that you discovered in your studies?”

　　“Take a look at this photo．You see this dark black cloud hovering(盘旋)over the surface of Earth?We don't know what it is made of, but it could give us a lot of trouble and we shall have further tests before we send a Venus Being there．”

　　“Over here you will notice what seems to be a river, but the satellite findings indicates it is polluted and the water is unfit to drink．This means we shall have to carry our own water, which will add even greater weight to the saucer．”

　　“If all you say is true, won't this set back the flying saucer program several years?”

　　“Yes, but we shall continue as soon as the Grubstart gives us the added funds．” Prof．Zog replied．

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　　If you are a male and you are reading this, congratulations：you are a survivor．According to statistics, you are more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman, and nine times more likely to die of AIDS．Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78 years for men in Australia, you will die on average five years before a woman．

　　There are many reasons for this, typically, men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke but perhaps more importantly, men don't go to the doctor．

　　“Men aren't seeing doctors as often as they should,” says Dr．Gullotta, “This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike．”

　　Gullotta says a healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two．For those over 45, it should be at least once a year．

　　Two months ago, Gullotta saw a 50-year-old man who had delayed doing anything about his smoker's cough for a year．

　　“When I finally saw him it had already spread and he has since died from lung cancer,” he says, “Earlier detection and treatment may not have cured him, but it would have prolonged his life．”

　　According to a recent survey, 95% of women aged between 15 and early 40s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70% of men in the same age group．

　　“A lot of men think they are invincible(不可战胜的),” Gullotta says．“They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, “Geez, if it could happen to him, ________．”

　　Then there is the ostrich approach, “some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know,” says Dr．Ross Cartmill．

　　“Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies,” Cartmill says．He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups．

　　“Regular check-ups for men would inevitably place strain(紧张)on the public purse,” Cartmill says．“But prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases．Besides, the ultimate cost is far greater：it is called premature death．”

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　　Have you got any wonderful plans for your coming winter vacation?Here are some wonderful films for you to kill time．

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　　Electric cars are dirty．In fact, not only are they dirty, they might even be more dirty than their gasoline-powered cousins．

　　People in California love to talk about “zero-emissions(排放)vehicles,” but people in California seem to be clueless about where electricity comes from．Power plants most all use fire to make it．Aside from the few folks who have their roofs covered with solar cells, we get our electricity from generators(发电机)．Generators are fueled by something－usually coal, oil, but also by heat generated in nuclear power plants．There are a few wind farms and geothermal(地热的)plants as well, but by far we get electricity mainly by burning something．

　　In other words, those “zero-emissions” cars are likely coal-burning cars．It's just the coal is burned somewhere else so it looks clean．It is not．It's as if the California Greens are covering their eyes－“If I can't see it, it's not happening．” Gasoline is an incredibly efficient way to power a vehicle; a gallon of gas has a lot of energy in it．But when you take that gas(or another fuel)and first use it to make electricity, you waste a nice part of that energy, mostly in the form of wasted heat－at the generator, through the transmission lines, etc．

　　A gallon of gas may propel your car 25 miles．But the electricity you get from that gallon of gas won't get you nearly as far－so electric cars burn more fuel than gas-powered ones．If our electricity came mostly from nukes, or geothermal, or hydro, or solar, or wind, then an electric car truly would be clean．But for political, technical, and economic reasons, we don't use much of those energy sources．

　　In addition, electric cars' batteries which are poisonous for a long time will eventually end up in a landfill(垃圾)．And finally, when cars are the polluters, the pollution is spread across all the roads．When it's a power plant, though, all the junk is in one place．Nature is very good at cleaning up when things are not too concentrated, but it takes a lot longer when all the garbage is in one spot．

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　　If you ask me for my biggest impression of what America's like over the last three years, I'd say it is how rich and diverse the student life is．For example, at Princeton, we have more than 100 student organizations planning all kinds of campus activities－from sports, band dancing to juggling and acting to translation, design, publishing, volunteering and camping．You name it．

　　My freshmen year, I tried a lot of activities, from dancing to design to newspapers．Then I found my passion in the environment and volunteerism．I joined Greening Princeton and Student Volunteer Council．A year later, I'd become the publicity chair and project coordinator(协调员)of these two clubs．

　　Student activities give us a chance to do things we care about and are good at．If we have good idea, we can propose it at a meeting, find interested people to form a team, then apply for funding from the school．We have full control of the project and the ability to make our ideas happen．For example, I came up with the idea of Daylight Dining and was supported by my club Greening Princeton．I wrote a proposal, presented it in front of the college master, and communicated with the head of Dining Services．After a few follow-ups, this project was carried out．

　　One other benefit of extra curricular(课外的)activities is the friendship that comes with them．Once you become part of a group, it is much easier to adjust to college life．You realize you are not alone．This will most likely increase your study efficiency and in turn help your academics．My headmaster once told me: “Stand on your tiptoes．” In that way, we not only have a better view of life, but will also put out our comfort zone．Getting involved in extra curricular activities has given me the opportunity to stand on my tiptoes．

　　Make yourself try new things and stick to the things that matter to you．This is one piece of advice I have．Remember, college is a color palette．You are the artist who can add your own colors．