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　　To prevent the deserts coming near, China has planted billions of trees---to replace destroyed forests and as barriers against the sand．This isn’t a cure, though, say experts, as thirsty trees can make the problem worse by taking in groundwater．

　　“Planting tress is one way, but it isn’t that simple．It doesn’t solve the basic issue of water resources,” says Wu Bo, a professor．“We need to calculate how much water the trees will absorb, or else it could have a negative effect．”

　　Villagers in Zhengxin have taken on this challenge, with limited success．When the irrigation channels began to run dry, Lu Xianglin switched from wheat to cotton on his land．He also planted trees to protect his fields from sandstorms．He says he still gets good yields using flood irrigation and earns a good income for his family．

　　Other farmers haven’t stuck it out：About one in three have left Zhengxin in the past 10 years after their wheat crops died．Young people who can find jobs in the towns rarely return．

　　Last week, Mr Lu joined the other men in his village on a government-arranged trip to see the land that has been set aside for their relocation, nearly 40 miles to the south．The next day, he was back, shaking his head at the plan．The idea of uprooting his family troubles him, as does the idea of giving up the land that fed his forefathers．He prefers to stay and keep up the fight．

　　“With enough water, this problem can be solved,” Lu says．“We can plant trees and grass, and they will grow bigger．That will stop the desert．”

　　Experts say that farmers could switch to drip irrigation to lessen their water intake for growing crops．Elsewhere in the region, farmers have built brick greenhouses as part of a plan to grow vegetables using less water．Roadside signs urge farmers to “Save Water, Protect the Environment”．

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　　Since 1989, Dave Thomas, who died at the age of 69, was one of the most recognizable faces on TV．He appeared in more than 800 commercials for the hamburger chain named for his daughter．“As long as it works”, he said in 1991, “I’ll continue to do those commercials．”

　　Even though he was successful, Thomas remained troubled by his childhood．“He still won’t let anyone see his feet, which are out of shape because he never had proper fitting shoes,” Wendy said in 1993．Born to a single mother, he was adopted(收养)as a baby by Rex and Auleva Thomas of Kalamazoo in Michigan．After Auleva died when he was 5, Thomas spent years on the road as Rex traveled around seeking construction work．“He fed me,” Thomas said, “and if I got out of line, he’d beat me．”

　　Moving out on his own at 15, Thomas worked, first as a waiter, in many restaurants．But he had something much better in mind．“I thought if owned a restaurant,” he said, “I could eat for free．” A 1956 meeting with Harland Sanders led Thomas to a career as the manager of a Kentucky Chicken restaurant that made him a millionaire in 1968．

　　In 1969, after breaking with Sanders, Thomas started the first Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers, in Columbus, Ohio, which set itself apart by serving made-to-order burgers．With 6,000 restaurants worldwide, the chain now makes ＄ 6 billion a year in sales．

　　Although troubled by his own experience with adoption, Thomas, married since 1954 to Lorraine, 66, and with four grown kids besides Wendy, felt it could offer a future for other children．He started the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in 1992．

　　In 1993, Thomas, who had left school at 15, graduated from Coconut Creek High School in Florida．He even took Lorraine to the graduation dance party．The kids voted him Most Likely to Succeed．

　　“The Dave you saw on TV was the real Dave,” says friend Pat Williams．“He wasn’t a great actor or a great speaker．He was just Joe Everybody．”

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　　The American newspaper has been around for about three hundred years．In 1721, the printer James Franklin, Benjamin's older brother, started the New England Courant, and that was what we might recognize today as a real newspaper．He filled his paper with stories of adventure, articles on art, on famous people, and on all sorts of political subjects．

　　Three centuries after the appearance of Franklin's Courant, few believe that newspapers in their present printed form will remain alive for long．Newspaper companies are losing advertisers(广告商), readers, market value and in some cases, their sense of purpose at a speed that would not have been imaginable just several years ago．The chief editor(主编)of the times said recently, "At places where they gather, editors ask one another, 'How are you?', as if they have just come out of the hospital or a lost law case．“An article about the newspaper appeared on the website of the Guardian, under the headline “NOT DEAD YET．”

　　Perhaps not, but the rise of the Internet, which has made the daily newspaper look slow and out of step with the world, has brought about a real sense of death．Some American newspapers have lost 42％ of their market value in the past three years．The New York Times Company has seen its stock(股票)drop by 54％ since the end of 2004, with much of the loss coming in the past year．A manager at Deutsche Bank suggested that stock-holders sell off their Times stock．The Washington Post Company has prevented the trouble only by changing part of its business to education; its testing and test-preparation service now brings in at least half the company's income．

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　　WASHINGTON(AP)－Astronomers believe they’ve found the oldest thing they’ve ever seen in the universe：It’s a galaxy(星系)far, far away from a time long, long ago．

　　Hidden in a Hubble Space Telescope photo released earlier this year is a small point of light that European astronomers now calculate is a galaxy from 13．1 billion years ago．That’s a time when the universe was very young, just about 600 million years old．That would make it the earliest and most distant galaxy seen so far．

　　By now the galaxy is so ancient it probably doesn’t exist in its earlier form and has already changed into bigger neighbors, said Matthew Lehnert of the Paris Observatory, lead author of the study published online Wednesday in the journal Nature．

　　“We are looking at the universe when it was a 20th of its current age,” said California Institute of Technology astronomy professor Richard Ellis, who wasn’t part of the discovery team．“In human terms, we’re looking at a 4-year-old boy in the lifetime of an adult．”

　　While Ellis finds the basis for the study “pretty good”, there have been other claims about the age of distant space objects that have not held up to careful examination．And some experts have questions about this one．But even the doubters praised the study as important and interesting．

　　The European astronomers calculated the age after 16 hours of observations from a telescope in Chile that looked at light signatures of cooling hydrogen gas．

　　Earlier this year, astronomers had made a general estimate of 600 to 800 million years after the Big Bang(宇宙大爆炸)for the most distant unclear points of light in the Hubble photograph, which was presented at an astronomy meeting back in January．

　　In the new study, researchers focused on a single galaxy in their analysis of hydrogen’s light signature, further finding out the age．Garth Illingworth of the University of California, Santa Cruz, who was the scientist behind the Hubble image, said it provided confirmation for the age using a different method, something he called amazing “for such faint objects”．

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　　The man of many secrets--Harry Houdini--was one of the greatest American entertainers in the theater this century．He was a man famous for his escapes-from prison cells, from wooden boxes floating in rivers, from locked tanks full of water．He appeared in theaters all over Europe and America．Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic” tricks．

　　Of course, his secret was not magic or supernatural powers．It was simply strength．He had the ability to move his toes as well as he moved his fingers．He could move his body into almost any position he wanted．

　　Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17, in 1891．He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in clubs in New York．They called themselves the Houdini Brothers．When Harry married in 1894, he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant．Bur for a long time they were not very successful．Then Harry performed his first prison escape in Chicago in 1898．Harry persuaded a detective to let him try to escape from the prison, and he invited the local newspapermen to watch．

　　It was the publicity(宣传)that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success．Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs and toes trained to escape ankle chains．But his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors．Every time he went into the prison cell, Bess gave him a kiss for good luck-and a small skeleton key, which is a key that fits many locks, pass quickly from her mouth to his．

　　Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame．He arranged to escape from the local prison of every town he visited．In the afternoon, the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers, and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full．What was the result? Worldwide fame and a name remembered today．

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　　What should you think about when trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others．These may show strengths that you can use in your work．A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career．A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work．So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school．On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard．Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value．A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details．This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs．

　　Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work．You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills．If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it．If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers．You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example．Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job．

　　Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself．You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures．It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist．Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background．You should not be apologetic(认错的)about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work．

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　　You wake up and the weather is all wet．What are you going to do today? Here are four ideas for you to try when it’s raining cats and dogs．

　　You can create your own puppets with things your parents already have around the house．First, you’ll need some old socks or brown paper bags．Then get them decorated．Give your puppets names and funny voices．You might want to make up a special story for them．Maybe one puppet lost his way home．Maybe another puppet has superman powers．To make your show even better, use a cardboard box as a stage．

　　Ask your parents for some old sheets, blankets, or comforters．Spread them over chairs or other furniture to create a top-secret castle．Bring a flashlight, a good book to read, and maybe even a snack．

　　Both boys and girls can have fun trying on old clothes．Ask your parents to let you try on old hats, jewelry, shoes, and clothes．Do you want to be a doctor? You can pretend it in a doctor coat．Or maybe you see yourself as a movie star．Ask your mom for her old dance dresses．Don’t forget the earrings and high heels![来源：学科网]

　　Birthdays and holidays are chances for us to thank people who love us．But it can be a special treat to get a gift or a card on an ordinary day．Think of the people who make you happy and then come up with a way to show them your care．Use your arts and craft supplies to create a special card．Or ask your parents to help you make cookies as a gift for that special person．You will be delivering sunshine on a rainy day!

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　　James Stallman Rockefeller, the oldest-known U．S．Olympic medal winner and the former head of the bank that became Citigroup, died Tuesday．He was 102．Records of the U．S．Olympic Committee show that Rockefeller was the oldest American medal winner．He was the captain of Yale University's eight-man rowing team with coxswain that won gold at the 1924 Paris Olympics - beating the Canadian team by less than 16 seconds．The oars from the winning race and the gold medal were prominently displayed in Rockefeller's house．"I think he was really proud of that - probably more than the bank career," said his grandson．

　　Rockefeller suffered a stroke on Thursday, said his grandson, who lived with him at his Greenwich home for two years, attributed his long life to a regimented(严密组织的)lifestyle：breakfast at eight a．m．, lunch at 1 p．m．, cocktails at 6 p．m．and dinner promptly at 7 p．m．．He liked plain food, without sauces or cheese, and plenty of fresh vegetables, including those grown in the garden of his estate．Rockefeller was in good health until shortly before he died．He drove his car up until last year and would review documents from the various charities and businesses he helped lead．

　　Rockefeller, born on June 8, 1902, was a grandson of William Rockefeller, who founded Standard Oil with his brother, John D．Rockefeller．He graduated from Yale in 1924 and served in the Airborne Command during World War II．He started at the bank, and then called the National City Bank, in 1930, following his uncle and grandfather, who were leaders of the bank．He became president in 1952, chairman in 1959 and retired in 1967．In 1955, under Rockefeller's leadership, the bank merged with the First National Bank of New York to form Citigroup．Rockefeller also was a director of numerous companies, including Pan American Airways, Northern Pacific Railroad, NCR and Monsanto, and served on the boards of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the American Museum of Natural History．

　　Rockefeller and his wife．Nancy Carnegie Rockefeller, had four children．His wife died in 1994．

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　　On the day Apple debuted the often-delayed white-colored iPhone 4, the company's marketing department gave a nod to the product's troubled history．

　　"Finally．" read the big headline Thursday above a picture of the white phone on the homepage of Apple．com．

　　The white model was supposed to ship alongside the black one at the iPhone 4's launch(推出)last June．But design and manufacturing complications delayed the process by 10 months, catching Apple off guard, executives say．

　　As CNN reported last month, earlier test models of the white iPhone 4 produced unclear photos, especially when the flash(闪光灯)was used．Its whiteness confused the proximity sensor(距离传感器), which detects when the phone is held next to someone's head and turns off the touch screen to save battery life．

　　These problems weren't present in older iPhones that came in white because they didn't have flash photography; the proximity sensor was unaffected because the front side of previous models was black．

　　"We thought we were there a year ago, or less than that, when we launched the iPhone 4, and we weren't," Philip Schiller, Apple's chief marketing executive, said in an interview．"It's not as simple as making something white．There's a lot more that goes into both the material science of it－how it holds up over time…but also in how it all works with the sensors．"

　　Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White predicts that the white model could help drive sales of Apple's phones．He says Apple could sell 1 million to 1．5 million every three months until the next iPhone model is unveiled, which is expected to be this fall．

　　Forty-five people were lined up at Apple's flagship New York store Thursday morning to buy white iPhones, according to a CNN Money report．

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　　A characteristic of American culture that has become almost a tradition is to respect the self-made man－the man who has risen to the top through his own efforts, usually beginning by working with his hands．While the leader in business or industry or the college professor occupies a higher social position and commands greater respect m the community than the common laborer or even the skilled factory worker, he may take pains to point out that his father started life in America as a farmer or laborer of some sort．

　　This attitude toward manual(体力的)labor is now still seen in many aspects of American life．One is invited to dinner at a home that is not only comfortably but even luxuriously(豪华地)furnished and in which there is every evidence of the fact that the family has been able to afford foreign travel, expensive hobbies, and college education for the children; yet the hostess probably will cook the dinner herself, wil2 serve it herself and will wash dishes afterward, furthermore the dinner will not consist merely of something quickly and easily assembled from contents of various cans and a cake or a pie bought at the nearby bakery．On the contrary, the hostess usually takes pride in careful preparation of special dishes．A professional man may talk about washing the car, digging in his flowerbeds, painting the house．His wife may even help with these things, just as he often helps her with the dishwashing．The son who is away at college may wait on table and wash dishes for his living, or during the summer he may work with a construction gang on a highway in order to pay for his education．

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