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　　Aimlessness has hardly been typical of the postwar Japan whose productivity and social harmony are the envy of the United States and Europe．But increasingly the Japanese are seeing a decline of the traditional work-moral values．Ten years ago young people were hardworking and saw their jobs as their primary reason for being, but now Japan has largely fulfilled its economic needs, and young people don't know where they should go next．

　　The coming of age of the postwar baby boom and an entry of women into the male-dominated job market have limited the opportunities of teenagers who are already questioning the heavy personal sacrifices involved in climbing Japans rigid social ladder to good schools and jobs．In a recent survey, it was found that only 24．5 percent of Japanese students were fully satisfied with school life, compared with 67．2 percent of students in the United States．In addition, far more Japanese workers expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs than their counterparts did in the ten other countries surveyed．

　　While often praised by foreigners for its emphasis on the basics, Japanese education tends to stress test taking and mechanical learning over creativity and self-expression．" Those things that do not show up in the test scores, personality, ability, courage or humanity are completely ignored," says Toshiki Kaifu, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's education committee．" Frustration against this kind of thing leads kids to drop out and run wild．" Last year Japan experienced 2,125 incidents of school violence, including 929 assaults on teachers．Amid the outcry, many conservative leaders are seeking a return to the prewar emphasis on moral education．Last year Mitsuo Setoyama, who was then education minister, raised eyebrows when he argued that liberal reforms introduced by the American occupation authorities after World WarⅡ had weakened the "Japanese morality of respect for parents．"

　　But that may have more to do with Japanese life-styles．" In Japan," says educator Yoko Muro, "it’s never a question of whether you enjoy your job and your life, but only how much you can endure．" With economic growth becoming centralization, fully 76 percent of Japans, 119 million citizens live in cities where community and the extended family have been abandoned in favor of isolated, two generation households．Urban Japanese have long endured lengthy commutes(travels to and from work)and crowded living conditions, but as the old group and family values weaken, the discomfort is beginning to tell．In the past decade, the Japanese divorce rate, while still well below that of the United States, has increased by more than 50 percent, and suicides have increased by nearly one-quarter．

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　　Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough, the answer to both these questions is yes．To some extent our intelligence is given us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence．On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings．Thus the limits of a person's intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment．This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways．

　　It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with．The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence．Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from the population, it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different．If on the other hand we take two identical twins they will very likely be as intelligent as each other．Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth．

　　Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments．We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring．We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays．

　　This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence．

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　　It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night．The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful：blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently．

　　My father realized it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him．I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same．I' m so glad I did．

　　On the way to the harbor we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape．After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea．As we got on board, we noticed two big humps(脊背)in the distance．

　　On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby．We couldn't believe it－there weren't any whales along the coast here．The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive．

　　The little baby whale－actually as big as our boat－was obviously stuck and could not move．The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools(漩涡)and waves．"She's trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side," my father said．At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently．With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water．Then it swam up right beside its mum．They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction．We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel．Slowly, they let us lead them, sometimes rising from the water right beside us to breathe－and to give us a trusting look with those huge eyes．Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off．They swam into the distance．

　　In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half．That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day．Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea．

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　　There is plenty for kids and teens to do in the Syracuse area during the summer, including some great educational opportunities．Here are the top four．

　　The zoo offers separate camps for kids．The camps for kindergarteners run from 9 am to 12∶30 pm, and cost ＄115 for zoo members and ＄135 for non-members．Kids entering 7^th and 8^th grades will have half a day from 1 pm to 4：30 pm．The cost is ＄149 for members and ＄160 for non-members．All camps feature numerous educational activities and animal encounters．The camps run from August 14 to August 19．Registration starts from July 10 for members and July 15 for non-members．

　　From August 1 to August 5, Christian Brothers Academy will host Active Learning Services from USA Chess．Topics of learning will include Chess Camp(age 5-15), and Video Game Creation Program(age 8-15)．Chess Camp promises improved chess skills through chess instructors utilizing demo(演示)boards and historic games．Half day sessions will cost ＄280 for the Computer Camps．A full day of Chess costs ＄400, and a half day of Chess followed by a half day of Computer Camps cost ＄430．

　　From July 5^th to August 12^th, Syracuse University will host pre-college programs for high school students．The Summer College will offer a wide variety of programs including architecture, engineering and computer science, public communications, and eco-fashion．The programs are taught by the teachers of Syracuse University and include hands-on activities．The costs range from ＄2325 to ＄7642．

　　The State University of New York will hold two-week educational enrichment programs for students entering grades2-4 from July 25 to August 5．Children will have a set program featuring art, science, technology, cultural appreciation and writing．Tuition for the programs is only ＄320 and a downloadable application is available．

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　　I suppose that having been brought up in the countryside and close to animals, it wasn’t remarkable(不平常的)when I decided to become a vet(兽医)．Luckily I was also good at all the necessary science subjects．So after the college entrance examination I found myself at a veterinary college, training to look after animals in all kinds of situations．I hoped that I would be able to work in the research field so that I could find cures for animal diseases．

　　Much to my surprise, I found public health care was a very important aspect of my course．This is an area of animal medicine where a vet’s work has many things in common with the work of a doctor of human diseases．I particularly liked it because I recognized that the study of animal diseases can help human medicine．As we know, many infectious diseases come from animals－including SARS and bird flu．

　　Some of the infections have only been understood after carefully analytical work in labs by animal doctors．They helped identify the animal source for diseases such as SARS．They were also the first to identify various kinds of viruses．Sometimes vets are also able to suggest a cure for human illnesses．When I found this out I was determined to make public health medicine my chosen career．

　　After graduation, I applied for a job in public health．Soon I found myself concerned with the problem of bird flu．This is an illness that attacks birds, but humans can catch the disease if they are in close contact with infected birds．Though the job is dangerous, it makes me proud that vets and other animal disease researchers are in the front line helping to fight these unknown human diseases．

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　　Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling．Recycling in the home is very important of course．However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need．We are dealing with the results of that over–consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place．

　　The total amount of packaging has increased by 12％ between 1999 and 2005．It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK．In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard．

　　Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment．The UK, for example, is running out of it for burying this unnecessary waste．If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect．Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy．The solution is not to produce such items in the first place．Food waste is a serious problem, too．Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need．However, few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example．

　　But this is not just about supermarkets．It is about all of us．We have learned to associate packaging with quality．We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality．This is especially true of food．But it is also applied to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary．

　　There are signs of hope．As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realize just how much unnecessary materials are collected．We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb．

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　　Every girl wants to have a great-looking tattoo(纹身)design that makes them more attractive．Small and lovely tattoo designs are the path to go for girls planning to get tattooed for the first time．

　　Nowadays, more and more females are getting a tattoo inked on their body．In the last fifteen years, tattoos have grown from being a sign of rebelliousness and trouble to a state of popular acceptance as a mark of fashion．

　　Tattoos are permanent so you need to be sure that you like it before getting one．A great way is to have small tattoos that look beautiful as well．You can get a cherry blossom tattoo on the foot, perhaps, a hibiscus flower on the shoulder or a lovely butterfly on the lower stomach; whatever design you choose, it can definitely add to your attractiveness and charm．

　　Deciding to get a tattoo needs careful thought and reflection．Otherwise, you could make some serious tattoo mistakes．Try to avoid big and obvious designs if possible．Another important part of choosing a tattoo design is the location．What part of the body do you want it on? Choosing a hidden location can often make the tattoo the perfect adornment(装饰)．As for professional women, tattoos should normally be where they can be hidden．

　　Most importantly, no matter what tattoo design you choose the final goal is that the design should be something you like．If you are into the tattoo and really feel passionate about it you will carry yourself in a different manner when you get it inked on your body．

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　　We all know how important human life is－it’s priceless．It doesn’t matter where you are from or what the color of your skins is－all people are human beings．Firstly, we can tell you that the lives of your relatives could depend on your ability to give first aid．If you think highly of human’s life, this website is for you! Here you can find information about first aid．

　　The very first thing that you should do when you see an accident is to evaluate the situation and prevent further dangerous incidents．First of all, you have to recognize what has happened and what the dangers to rescuers and victims are．Think about how to take care of the victims．

　　Helping usually takes place in very difficult conditions and injuries can be very bad．Therefore, you cannot be too afraid of making mistakes to help．Sometimes you have to face the fact that regardless of your actions and your efforts the victim’s condition might not improve－he or she could even die．In some cases even professional medical aid may not succeed．If you have done everything you think you should do, you shouldn’t feel guilty．

　　Do not expose yourself to danger．Giving first aid can be dangerous．While trying to help a victim, do not forget about your own safety．If something happens to you, you won’t be able to help anyone．

　　Call for help after you find out the condition of a victim．But remember if a victim faints due to breathing failure caused by drowning, choking or poisoning, you should first take actions that help to bring back the heart beat and breathing．While calling, talk shortly but clearly．Always provide the following information：the location of the accident, the kind of accident, the number of the injured and your full name and phone number and so on．

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　　People from East Asia tend to have more difficulty than those from Europe in distinguishing facial expressions--and a new report published online in Current Biology explains why．

　　Rachael Jack, University of Glasgow researcher, said that rather than scanning evenly across a face as Westerners do, Easterners fix their attention on the eyes．

　　“We show that Easterners and Westerners look at different face features to read facial expressions,” Jack said．“Westerners look at the eyes and the mouth in equal measure, whereas Easterners favor the eyes and ignore the mouth．”

　　The researchers studied cultural differences in the recognition of facial expressions by recording the eye movements of 13 Western Caucasian and 13 East Asian people while they observed pictures of expressive faces and put them into categories：happy, sad, surprised, fearful, disgusted, angry, or neutral．They compared how accurately participants read those facial expressions using their particular eye movement strategies．

　　It turned out that Easterners focused much greater attention on the eyes and made significantly more errors than Westerners did．“The cultural difference in eye movements that they show is probably a reflection of cultural difference in facial expressions,” Jack said．“Our data suggest that whereas Westerners use the whole face to convey emotion, Easterners use the eyes more and mouth less．”

　　In short, the data show that facial expressions are not universal signals of human emotion．From here on, examining how cultural factors have diversified these basic social skills will help our understanding of human emotion．Otherwise, when it comes to communicating emotions across cultures, Easterners and Westerners will find themselves lost in translation．

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　　For many years there’s been a debate about rewarding our children．Does it work? Is it effective?

　　Some people think we should establish a standard with our kids and give them something for meeting this standard as a reward．Punishment is given out in much the same way, but it’s used when certain standards of performance, behavior, etc．have not been met．Kids will often become more dutiful when threatened with punishment, and work harder when promised a valuable reward．The problem is what happens when you aren’t around．

　　To develop responsible, self-disciplined kids, parents need to promote certain ideas．One of these ideas is that everyone pitches in and helps in your family．Another idea is that there can be enjoyment in doing any task if we choose to make it so．When a task is for a worthy cause(our family can enjoy the house more because I helped clean it), this message can have a big impact．

　　This is how we help our kids develop a sense of responsibility．When our children develop this responsibility, they’ll be more disciplined, and they’ll control their emotions better．When we give rewards to our kids, we reduce the sense of responsibility．We also create children who may temporarily perform to a certain standard, but who aren’t likely to continue the performance without the carrot hanging in front of them．

　　“Rewards and punishment can change behavior for a while, but they cannot change the person who engages in the behavior,” said Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards．“Good values have to be grown from the inside out．” Parents can help give their children a sense of shared responsibility and discipline which can last a life time．The real rewards that your children receive will be their readiness for the complex and demanding world that waits for them－a world that rewards those who have learned the secrets of discipline responsibility．So keep those shiny rewarding to yourself, and let your kids find their own rewards．