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　　February 28^th, 2009 2∶54 am GMT

　　I have to say that am shocked at just how bad the new music is．This cannot be the same band that produced great albums such as HTDAAB and ATYCLB!This is awful!They either do not care anymore, or have completely lost it．I never thought U2 would become irrelevant, but they have officially become one of those bands that you will now say,“Remember when they were great?”

　　－Posted by Ronald Harris

　　February 28^th, 2009 8∶29 pm GMT

　　Total drivel, Mr Harris．The new album is great, far better than the safe, cynical HTDAAB and ATYCLB．U2 have become inventive again, like they were in the 1990s．thank goodness!

　　－Posted by Dan

　　March 3^rd, 2009 12∶09 pm GMT

　　Agree, Dan．The new album is the best since Actung Baby．Magnificent is an anthem in the waiting, Breathe is unbelievable, and Stand Up Comedy is absolutely outstanding－to name just three!Loving the new sound, pure class as usual．

　　－Posted by Martin

　　March 4^th, 2009 7∶43 pm GMT

　　Totally agree with you guys．This album is unbelievable．Breathe is definitely a great song, same with Moment of Surrender．I bet their upcoming tour will be amazing．If you haven't bought the CD yet, you should．I bought mine on Amozon.com for ＄3.99．I couldn't believe it．

　　－Posted by Josh Briggs

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　　Many people hate the idea of having to sleep on a plane．But Swedish entrepreneur Oscar Dios thinks they can be persuaded otherwise and he has created a new kind of hostel to prove it．

　　Dios says it is the world's first jumbo jet(大型喷气式客机)hostel, an actual jet-plane Sweden's main airport outside Stockholm which has been converted(改装)into a 25-room guesthouse that sleeps as many as 72 people．

　　“I learned about this plane that was standing abandoned at Arlanda airport and I've been trying the concept of hostels in many different houses and buildings,”he told reporters．“I thought,‘Why not a plane?”’

　　Jumbo Hostels opened for business on Thursday, giving customers the chance to check in and sleep in a room that can best be described as cozy．

　　“The most challenging part with this project is trying to build something inside a metal hull(外壳)－it's just really, really tight．”

　　The jet, which was originally produced for Singapore Airlines, was taken out of service in 2002．One thing the hostel has going for it is price－a room starts at 350 Swedish crowns(about ＄41), which is a lot less than hotel rooms outside of major airports．

　　Another feature：customers can get married on the wing of the plane and live in the plane's more luxurious honeymoon room situated in the cockpit(驾驶舱)．

　　Instead of walking down the aisle(走廊), lovebirds can take what Jumbo Hostels calls the“wing walk,”where they can be joined in great joy at the wing tip．The hostel has someone ready to perform the ceremony．

　　But in some respects, this hostel remains a plane－most customers have to share the jet's nine bathrooms and staff only wear air steward and stewardess clothes．The only room that has its own bathroom is the honeymoon suite．

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　　The world of the science-fiction 3-D film Avatar is so perfect that the line between fact and fiction has become somewhat blurred(模糊)．

　　Movie-goers(电影观众)have admitted being annoyed by depression at not being able to visit the planet Pandora．Set in the future when Earth's resources have been used up, director James Cameron's film tells the story of a company trying to exploit a rare mineral on a new planet．The humans clash(冲突)with the natives－a peace-loving race of 7-foot-tall, blue-skinned creatures called the Na'vi, who exist in perfect harmony with nature．

　　Fans have flooded the Internet with their confused feelings．On the site Avatar Forums(论坛), the topic“Ways to deal with the depression of the dream of Pandora not being able to come true”has more than 1,000 posts．In a similar forum, Louis, one user, wrote：“When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed grey．It just seems so meaningless．I still don't really see any reason to keep doing things at all．I live in a dying world．”On the Avatar site Naviblue, a fan calling himself Jorba has even asked others to join him in starting a real Na'vi tribe．

　　This fantasy world, with its wonderful plants and animal life, is brought to life by using impressive special effects．Many people believe that 2010 is the breakthrough year for the technology helped by 3-D movies such as Avatar．“It has taken the best of our technology to create this virtual world and real life will never be as perfect as it seems on screen．It makes real life seem more imperfect．”

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　　British newspapers are among the oldest and most famous in the world．But recently big changes have seen these traditional publications try to fit the modern world．After 222 years, The Times(《泰晤士报》)has changed its size to become much smaller．In fact, the paper has cut its size in half from a broadsheet to tabloid．

　　In Britain the newspaper market is divided between the larger broadsheets and the smaller tabloids．These terms refer to the size of the papers' pages, but there is also a clear difference in content．Broadsheets such as The Times, The Guardian(《卫报》)and Daily Telegraph(《每日电讯报》)are serious papers．They cover a broad range of political, economic and international issues．Their stories are also reasonably long and use quite formal language．

　　Tabloids have far more stories about less serious issues such as celebrities'(名人)love lives．Their stories are shorter and use more simple language．Tabloids often have bigger pictures．Britain's best-selling newspaper, The Sun, is a tabloid and has a naked(裸体的)girl on page three every day．

　　By changing to the size of a tabloid, The Times is following in the footsteps of a less famous broadsheet paper The Independent(《独立报》)．It changed to tabloid last year and saw its sales increase greatly．Although both papers have switched to the smaller size, the content of the papers has remained the same．They are both still serious papers．

　　The two papers claim that people find the smaller size easier to handle when they travel to work on the bus or the train in the morning．Instead of calling the new style of their paper tabloid, the paper says its new size is“compact”(紧凑型)．

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　　FROM 1964 to 1978, Dazhai, with a population of 500, was the most famous village in China．Millions of Chinese came to the Shanxi village to visit its terraced fields(梯田)and“splendid”irrigation systems．

　　It was not until 1978 when Guo Fenglian, head of the village, paid a visit to the US that China's model village found how far it had fallen behind those in developed countries．

　　“I was astonished at their modern equipment in harvesting, which could even separate big tomatoes with small ones,”said Guo．“American farmers' life quality also impressed me a lot．Every day they had two cups of milk, which is something we don't have even in our wildest dreams．”

　　“We have to learn their advanced technology and administration for our own development,”said then first Deputy Prime Minister Deng Xiaoping who was planning China's reform and opening up policy then．“Through opening our doors, we would not only take advantage of foreign funds(资金), but also create job opportunities and cultivate(培养)talents．”

　　In 1978 Japanese electricity giant Panasonic(松下)came to China as the first foreign business to invest(投资)here and its success attracted other world brands into exploring the Chinese market．So far China has for 15 years taken in the world's second biggest foreign investment, following the US, to help set the country in a fast growth．

　　However, China's 30-year road of reform was not always smooth．Doubts on the reform began to rise at the end of the 1980s as many people worried the country would turn to capitalism(资本主义)．

　　“The criterion for our judgment is whether it helps develop socialist productive forces, whether it helps increase the overall national strength of a socialist country, and whether it brings about better living standards,”said Deng．

　　“China's reform and opening up is a unique success story．It has brought benefit to both China and the world,”said William Keller, chief manager of a Swiss pharmaceutical(制药的)company．

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　　HANS Christian Andersen put Denmark on the map of the world literature with his stories The Emperor's New Clothes, The Little Mermaid(小美人鱼)and The Ugly Duckling．Now Copenhagen, the country's capital, has become the center of the world political map, with 190 world leaders attending the climate talks there, not to mention thousands of reporters．

　　Just how much do you know about the Scandinavian country?

　　Denmark is famous for its design culture．At the heat of“Danish Design”is the idea that, as poet and designer Piet Hein puts it：“There is one art, not more, nor less, [and that is] to do all things with artlessness(朴实)”．

　　Danish design places equal emphasis on practicality and quality．From Lego toys to furniture, Danish products are known for their clean lines, simplicity and functionality．“Remove material where it's not needed．Keep things simple and functional and make them carefully,”explained Hans J．Wegner, the first Danish designer to achieve worldwide fame：“The aim is not to create a work of art, but to produce a good chair．”

　　“The Danes have done a better job than most in promoting arts in Europe, considering their country's size and population, in the fields of architecture, sculpture and design,”writes Helena Smith, reporter with British newspaper the Guardian．

　　The simplicity of Danish design may extend to the quality of life there．Some even claim that the Danes have the highest quality of life of any nation in the world．

　　Kate Vial, a 55-year-old American who has lived and worked in Denmark for more than 30 years, explaining why she chooses to live in Denmark rather than the US, told Germany's biggest news weekly Der Spiegel：“I just chose a simpler lifestyle, one where I could ride my bike all over and where I don't have to make a great living to survive．”

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　　The Zhoukoudian Beijing Man Site is one of the most important world heritage sites in China．Since the discovery, which changed China's knowledge of its history, was made in the 1920s, Zhoukoudian has become an important place for archaeologists from all over the world．At the site in the south-west suburb of Beijing, there is, for example, the earliest evidence of the use of fire by humans．It has also been proved that people lived there continuously between 500,000 and 10,000 years ago．

　　Today, however, Zhoukoudian is in serious danger．Parts of the cave have been badly affected by rain and exposure to the air．Some areas are almost completely covered in weeds, causing serious damage．Pollution from nearby cement factories has also contributed to the problem．

　　The site is extremely expensive to maintain and it will cost between three and five million yuan to repair it．At the moment, visitors are not allowed to visit the caves．

　　Zhoukoudian is on the World Cultural Heritage List, organized by UNESCO, the United．Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization．The list is constanly checked．Any site which is seriously damaged or which is not properly protected is an endangered heritage, and UNESCO is very quick to do something about situations like this．They have recommended that the site be closed and repaired．If nothing is done, to repair it, it could be removed from the list．

　　This is a very serious matter and the Chinese Academy of Sciences is trying to raise public awareness about it．They have suggested that the general public be encouraged to help with the problem．A professor at the Academy has proposed that a fund be established to raise money．

　　Dr Zhu Ming of the Academy said,“We have requested that the government get involved, but we also need assistance from ordinary people．They can help by contributing to the cost of repairing the caves．They are a precious part of our cultura heritage－it is of vital importance that we do something．If not, it will be a catastrophe．”

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　　Phys ed(physical education)is making a comeback as a part of the school core curriculum(核心课程), but with a difference．While group sports are still part of the curriculum, the new way is to teach skills that are useful beyond gym class．Instead of learning how to climb a rope, children are taught to lift weights, balance their diets and build physical endurance(忍耐力)．In this way, kids are given the tools and skills and experiences so they can lead a physically active life the rest of their life．

　　Considering that 15 percent of American children 6 to l8 are overweight, supporters say more money and thought must be put into phys ed curriculum．In many cases, that may mean not just replacing the old gym-class model with fitness programs but also starting up phys ed programs because school boards often“put P.E.on the chopping block(砧板), cutting it entirely or decreasing its teachers or the days it is offered,”says Alicia Moag-Stahlberg, the executive director of Action for Health Kids．The difference in phys ed programs is partly due to the lack of a national standard．“Physical education needs to be part of the core curriculum,”she added．The wisdom of the new approach has some scientific support．Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have showed how effective the fit-for-life model of gym class can be．They observed how 50 overweight children lost more weight when they cycled and skied cross-country(越野)than when they played sports．The researchers also found that teaching sports like football resulted in less overall movement, partly because some reluctant students were able to sit on the bench．

　　Another problem with simply teaching group sports in gym class is that only a small percentage of students continue playing them after graduating from high school．The new method teaches skills that translate to adulthood．

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How I Turned to Be Optimistic

　　I began to grow up that winter nigh when my parents and I were returning from my aunt's house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America．We were on the bus then．I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me．I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning．

　　I do not remember myself crying for this reason again．In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives．When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see－the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures．The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then．

　　The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once．For the first two years in New York I was really lost－having to study in three schools as a result of family moves．I did not quite know what I was or what l should be．Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me．Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other．I was often sad, and saw no end to“the hard times．”

　　My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home．I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews With lmmigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives．

　　From my experiences I have learned one important rule：almost all common troubles eventually go away!Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little!I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy．

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　　When Paul was a boy growing up in Utah, he happened to live near a copper smelter(炼铜厂), and the chemicals that poured out had made a wasteland out of what used to be a beautiful forest．One day a young visitor looked at this wasteland and called it an awful area．Paul knocked him down．From then on, something happened inside him．

　　Years later Paul was back in the area, and he went to the smelter office．He asked if they had any plans or if they would let him try to bring the trees back．The answer from that big industry was“No”．

　　Paul then went to college to study the science of plants．Unfortunately, his teachers said there weren't any birds or squirrels to spread the seeds．It would be a waste of his life to try to do it．Everyone knew that, he was told．Even if he was knowledgeable as he had expected, he wouldn't get his idea accepted．

　　Paul later got married and had some kids．But his dream would not die．And then one night he did what he could with what he had．As Samuel Johnson wrote,“It is common to overlook what is near by keeping the eye fixed on something remote．Attainable good is often ignored by minds busied in wide ranges．”Under the cover of darkness, he went secretly into the wasteland and started planting．

　　And every week, he made his secret journey into the wasteland and planted trees and grass．For fifteen years he did this against the plain common sense．Slowly rabbits appeared．Later, as there was legal pressure to clean up the environment, the company actually hired Paul to do what he was already doing．

　　Now the place is fourteen thousand acres of trees and grass and bushes, and Paul has received almost every environmental award Utah has．It took him until his hair turned white, but he managed to keep that impossible vow he made to himself as a child．