Don't talk to me．I'm busy with my iPhone．

　　Riding a London subway, a person from China will notice one major difference：in London, people do not look at each other．In fact, eye contact is avoided at all times．That's not rudeness－people are just too busy to bother looking．

　　Busy doing what, you ask? Well, they're certainly not using the time for a moment of quiet reflection(沉思)．Nor are they reading a book．New technology has replaced quiet habits．Today the only acceptable form of book on the London Underground is an e-book．

　　Apple must earn a fortune from London commuters(乘车上下班的人)．Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, over 40 000-yes, that's 40 000--" apps"(programs downloaded for the iPhone)have been designed．

　　Commuters love them because they are the perfect time-filler．One" app", called iShoot, is a game that features tanks．Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the train to be closest to the exit of their destination(目的地)ISteam clouds the iPhoue screen when you breathe into the microphone．You can then write in the" steam" on your phone screen．

　　For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be the distraction(消遣)of choice．It's not just teenagers who"plug in" to their music--iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages．

　　And if games e-books and music aren't enough to keep you occupied．Then perhaps you would prefer a film? The development of palm DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV show or film on the way to work．With all this distraction, it's amazing that people still remember to get off the train．

By Nicola Davison,21st Century staff

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　　If women are mercilessly exploited(剥削)year after year, they have only themselves to blame．Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores．Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion．

　　Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste．Many women spend large sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn．Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time changing their old-fashioned dresses．Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on．

　　No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society．Fashion designers are rarely concerned with necessary things like warmth, comfort and durability(耐用)．They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right．There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or picking her way through deep snow in high heeled shoes．

　　When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious．Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers．Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability(稳定耐用)? That is for you to decide．

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　　Scientists have found that human eyes are more likely to be damaged by UV rays(紫外线)while skiing in the snow-covered areas than sitting on the beach, according to a report by the UK newspaper The Telegraph．

　　The researchers at Kanazawa Medical University, Japan and American company Johnson conducted the study together．They looked at the effects of light reflection on newly fallen snow on a ski trail(a rough path)in Ishikawa District, northern Japan．They compared the results with the levels of UV rays on a sand beach in southern Japan's Okinawa District．They found that on the beach, eyes are exposed to a daily 260 kilojoules(千焦耳)of UV a square meter compared to 658 kilojoules in snow-covered areas．

　　The findings are supported by the Japan Meteorological Agency．According to the agency, the reflection rate of UV light on beaches is often between 10 and 25 percent, compared to 80 percent in the new snow areas．The amount of light increased 4 percent with a 300-meter rise in height．

　　Most of us know that UV rays can harm the skin．That's why we wear sunscreen on our skin before we get out in the sun．But many of us may not realize that UV rays are also harmful to the eyes．

　　If your eyes are exposed to large amounts of UV radiation over a short period of time, you may experience a kind of sunburn of the eye, which is harmful．Your eyes will become red and feel a strange feeling．They may be sensitive to light．Fortunately, this is usually temporary and seldom causes permanent damage to the eyes．

　　Long-term exposure to UV radiation, however, can be more serious．Scientific studies and researches have shown that exposure to small amounts of UV radiation over a period of many years increases the chance of eye damage, which could lead to total blindness．

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　　With eco-tourism on the rise, eco-hotels are fast becoming the darling of the travel industry．These days, however, staying at an eco-hotel doesn't necessarily mean vacationing in a tree house in the Costa Rican jungle, although that is certainly a choice．

　　The majority of eco-hotels fall into one of several categories：hotels and resorts that conserve ecologically important habitats; “green” hotels that reduce, recycle, minimize waste, and protect water; sustainable hotels that harvest food from gardens on the hotel property or get part of all their power from renewable energy; hotels that encourage community involvement such as guests taking part in trail clearing; and hotels that offer some form of environmental education to their guests．

　　As such, eco-hotels are a various group．Stylish urban hotels like the Willard Inter-Continental Washington focus on energy conservation whereas the Rosario Resort＆Spa on Orcas Island in Washington State offers a wildly popular “green” vacation package where guests can “take a hike, clear a trail”．

　　No matter what you call them, eco-hotel, eco-lodge, eco-resort, or green hotel, they're part of the “greening” of the tourism industry．

　　Part of what drives this greening of the hotel industry is no doubt competition．Going green is yet another way to distinguish a hotel from the mass of other excellent hotels that consumers have to choose from．But for many hotels, it's also part of their philosophy．With the concept of “going green” firmly rooted in consumers' minds, eco-hotels have taken it to the next level, and whether or not money is the driving factor behind the greening of the hotel industry doesn't matter so much as it's good for the planet．

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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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　　“Our aim is to take our art to the world and make people understand what it is to move,” said David Belle, the founder of parkour(跑酷)．

　　Do you love running? It is a good exercise, yet many people find it boring．But what if making your morning jog a creative one? Like jumping from walls and over gaps, and ground rolls? Just like the James Bond in the movie Casino Royale? Bond jumps down from a roof to a windowsill(窗台)and then runs several blocks over obstacles on the way．It is just because of Bond's wonderful performances that the sport has become popular worldwide．

　　Yes, that's parkour, an extreme street sport aimed at moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, getting over all the obstacles in the path using only the abilities of the human body．Parkour is considered an extreme sport．As its participants dash around a city, they may jump over fences, run up walls and even move from rooftop to rooftop．

　　Parkour can be just as exciting and charming as it sounds, but its participants see parkour much more than that．

　　Overcoming all the obstacles on the course and in life is part of the philosophy(理念)behind parkour．This is the same as life．You must determine your destination, go straight, jump over all the barriers as if in parkour and never fall back from them in your life, to reach the destination successfully．A parkour lover said, “I love parkour because its philosophy has become my life, my way to do everything．”

　　Another philosophy we've learnt from parkour is freedom．It can be done by anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world．It is a kind of expression of trust in yourself that you earn energy and confidence．

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Reading comprehension

　　Everyone gathered around and Paddy read out loud, slowly, his tone growing sadder and sadder．The little headline said：BOXER RECEIVFS LIFF SENTENCE．

　　Frank Cleary, aged 26,professional boxer, was today found guilty of the murder of Albert Cumming, aged 32,laborer ,last July．The jury(陪审团)reached its decision after only ten minutes, recommending the most sever punishment the court could give out．It was, said the judge, a simple case．Cumming and Cleary had quarreled violently at the Harbour Hotel on July 23rd and police saw Cleary kicking at the head of the unconscious Cumming．When arrested, Cleary was drunk but clear-thinking…

　　Cleary was sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour．Asked if he had anything to say , Cleary answered，“Just don't tell my mother．”

　　"It happened over three years ago, " Paddy said helplessly．No one answered him or moved, for no one knew what to do．“Just don't tell my mother,” said Fee numbly．"And no one did! Oh．God! My poor, poor Frank!"

　　Paddy wiped the tears from his face and said．“Fee dear, pack your things．We'll go to see him．"

　　She half-rose before sinking back, her eyes in her small white face stared as if dead．"I can't go．" she said without a hint of pain, yet making everyone feel that the pain was there．"It would kill him to see me．I know him so well - his pride, his ambition．Let him bear the shame alone, it's what he wants．We've got to help him keep his secret．What good will it do him to see us? "

　　Paddy was still weeping．but not for Frank, for the life which had gone from Fee's face, for the dying in her eyes．Frank had always brought bitterness and misfortune ,always stood between Fee and himself．He was the cause of her withdrawal from his hart and the hearts of his children．

　　Every time it looked as if there might be happiness for Fee, Frank took it away．But Paddy's love for her was as deep and impossible to wipe out as hers was for Frank．

　　So he said．" Well, Fee, we won't go．But we must make sure he is taken care of．How about if Iwrite to Father Jones and ask him to look out for Frank?

　　The eyes didn't liven , but a faint pink stole into her cheeks “Yes, Paddy, do that．Only make sure he knows not to tell Frank we found out．Perhaps it would ease Frank to think for certain that we don't know．”

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Reading comprehension

　　One of the main challenges facing many countries is how to maintain their identity in the face of globalization and the growing multi-language trend．“One of the main reasons for economic failure in many African countries is the fact that, with a few important exceptions, mother-tongue education is not practiced in any of the independent African states．" said Neville Alexander．Doctor of the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa at the University of Cape Town．

　　In response to the spread of English and the increased multi-language trends arising from Immigration．many countries have introduced language laws in the laws in the last decade．In some ,the use of languages other than the national language is banned in public spaces such as advertising posters．One of the first such legal provisions was the 1994 " Toubon law' in France．but the idea has been copied in many countries since then．Such efforts to govern language use are often dismissed as futile by language experts．who are well aware of the difficulty of controlling fashions in speech and know from research that language switching among bilinguals is a natural process．

　　It is especially difficult for native speakers of English to understand the desire to maintain the 'purity" of a language by law．Since the time of Shakespeare．English has continually absorbed foreign words into its own language．English is one of the most mixed and rapidly changing languages in the world．But the has not been a barrier to acquiring prestige and power．Another reason for the failure of many native English speakers to understand the role of state regulation is that it bas never been the Anglo-Saxon way of doing things．English has never had a state-controlled authority for the language, similar, for example, to the Academie Francaise in France．

　　The need to protect national languages is, for most western Europeans, a recent phenomenon- especially the need to ensure that English does not unnecessarily take over too many fields．

　　Public communication, education and new modes of communication promoted by technology, may be key fields to defend．

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Reading comprehension

　　Increasingly over the last few years, we have become familiar with the range of small electronic devices or “smart” accessories(附件,饰品)．Pocket heart -rate monitors for joggers and electronic maps are just the first examples of many new products that promise to change our lives in all sorts of surprising ways．

　　As a scientist at New York University．Rosalind Picard tries out different smart accessories before they go on the market．One of these was the so-called " frown(皱眉)headband"．Rosalind was shocked to realize just how often she frowned．Stuck in a traffic jam recently, Rosalind kept hearing the sounds of the tiny sensor inside the band worn around her forehead -each time she frowned in annoyance, the sensor gave out a signal．

　　Another computer scientist , Stevcn Feiner, is working on a pair of glasses that will do more than help you to see．Imagine you want to try a restaurant in a foreign city but you're not familiar with the dishes on the menu．If you are wearing a pair of Steven's glasses．all you have to do is glance above the restaurant's doorway and your glasses will immediately become windows to the Internet, offering you full details of the meals served inside．The glasses could also be used to help people make speeches, give chefs access to the latest recipes and even provide doctors with patient information while they carry out operations．

　　At the moment, Steven's invention looks more like a large ski mask than a pair of glasses．

　　It's a headset connected to a hand-held computer and a Global Positioning System(GPS)receiver, which tracks the wearer's position．But he says that these head-worn displays will eventually get smaller and lighter as technology improves．

　　And, of course, this new technology has a fashionable as well as a useful application．A chemical engineer named Roben Langer has invented a new microchip that, if put inside a ring, can give off different smells according to a person's mood．That, of course, may or may not appeal to you．And, in the end , it is shoppers．not scientists , who will determine which of these smart accessories will succeed as fashionable items and which are sure to join history's long list of crazy inventions．

　　It is clear, however ,that as computers get smaller and cheaper．Lhcy will pop up in all sorts of easily-wearable accessories．even in the buttons on your coat．What's marc, this is something that's going to happen a lot sooner than we all expect．

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　　In a world where your iPhone comes with a woman who answers your questions, reads your texts aloud, and gives directions, it may not seem like a big deal that computers are now writing stories．In fact, it is．A software company has essentially taught computers to write short news stories through artificial intelligence．If we can teach a computer the elements of story telling, why can't we teach our students the same thing?

　　Remember the five-paragraph essay? It's still around, still being promoted as if it were a literary form．In fact, it is an unnatural invention, one that must have been produced by academics who don't write much themselves．

　　Writers engaged in the act of trying to say something on paper don’t write artificial thesis statements(中心论点)．They needn't avoid using "I," especially when telling about a personal experience or expressing an opinion．Yet many English teachers forbid the use of our favorite pronoun in expository(说明文)writing．These are the folks who teach kids not to use the same word twice, so that if you've described a box as "small" in paragraph one, it must become "diminutive" if it shows up in paragraph two．

　　Many teachers also disapprove of using dialogue in essays．But why so? The problem with teaching writing as if it were disconnected from speech is that students start to see it simply as an unnatural activity they do in school．And yet we all tell stories and engage in long "he-said/she-said" conversations．

　　If we start from it with students, we can help them see the links that exist between speech and text．Students can learn a lot, for example, by being asked to tell a family story aloud and then to write it down．

　　Daniel Pink, in his bestselling book, "A Whole New Mind" says that American society' s enthusiasm with left-brained rational thinking is finally giving way to a more balanced approach, one where we start to value and reward right-brain thinkers －the artists, the designers, the entertainers－the people who know how to tell stories, the future belongs to the storytellers．

　　So let's give kids an early start．Let1 s help them learn the craft of writing in a way that's natural, expressive, and human．It will be a lot of fun．And if we have to break up a few topic sentences along the way to allow a story to come into being, so be it．And that, dear reader, is my thesis statement．

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