The library is one of the most popular places at a western university.Students turn to it for research，conversations about class，and many other services.

Compared with Chinese libraries，college libraries in the US and UK tend to offer more resources.A postgraduate at Yale University can borrow as many as 225 books at a time.

In addition to borrowing books，there are online and electronic resources.These include a database search of popular and academic material，such as LexisNexis Academic，which offers items from newspapers and magazines.

Although books and articles are the items that students ask for most frequently，some libraries provide audio and video recordings，maps and sheet music(活页乐谱)．At some schools，teachers and tutors put electronic copies of their teaching PPTs on the library web to give easier access for students.

Another useful service in western college libraries is the Interlibrary Loan.This allows a student at one school to borrow books from another school.The loan request is made through the studentˈs college library，which gets the book，gives it to the user，and arranges for its return.

Technology has brought more services to students and has made libraries attractive.Some universities have services for students to send messages through the computer or mobile texts to ask the library staff for information.

Earlier this year，Harvard University introduced a new Scan and Deliver service，allowing students to make requests for parts of books and articles.Requests made through the system are handled by library staff.The student receives an e-mail with an Internet link to the scanned pages.The service is free and all material comes within four days.

It used to be that libraries didnˈt allow food or drinks.But that rule is changing and many of them now contain a café so students can spend as much time as they want in the library.

Actually，some US university libraries are now all-night affairs，or have at least one study room open all night.

When something goes wrong，it can be very satisfying to say，“Well，itˈs so-and-soˈs fault.” or “I know Iˈm late，but itˈs not my fault；the car broke dwon.”It is probably not your fault，but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation，you are a loser.You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation.However，you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation.This is the winnerˈs key to success.

Winners are great at overcoming problems.For example，if you were late because your car broke down，maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly.Or，you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers，so you could call for help when in need.For another example，if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability，find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person.Ask to work with a different person，or donˈt rely on this person.       You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.

This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens.Winners donˈt have fewer problems in their lives；they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else.They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents.So，stop focusing on“whose fault it is”．Once you are confident about your power over bad situations，problems are just stepping stones for success.

       Those who doubt TV’s influence on our lives might consider the effect of automobile on American society. When the automobile first appeared on the highways, most Americans saw it as a horseless carriage, not as an important symbol of a new way of life. Similarly, those of us who grew up before television tend to think of it as just another medium in a series of 20th-century mass-communication systems, such as movies and radio. But television is not just another medium.

       If you were born before 1950, television came into your life after your formative years. Even if you are now a TV fan, it will be difficult for you to understand the changes it has brought. For example, imagine spending six hours a day at the local cinema when you were 12 years old. No parent would have allowed it. Yet, among the children we asked, nearly half the 12-year-olds watch an average of six or more hours of television per day. For many of them the habit continues into adulthood（成年）. From our surveys（调查）,we estimate（估计）that about one third of all American adults（成年人）watch an average of four more hours of television per day.

       None of us is totally dependent upon television for our view of the world. However, many of us have not had the opportunity to observe the reality of police station, courtrooms（法庭）, corporate board rooms（法人会议室）; or hospital operating rooms. Critics（评论家）complain about the stercotyped（不变的）characters and plots of TV dreams. But many viewers look on them as representative（代表）of the real world.

       If adults can so easily accept the reality of television, imagine: its effect on children. By the time the average American child reaches public school, he has already spent several years in an electronic nursery school. At the age of 10, the average child spend more hours a week in front of the TV screen than in the classroom. Given continuous exposure（暴露）to the world of TV, it’s not surprising that the children we tested seemed to be more strongly influenced by TV than the adults.

       At the other end of the life cycle, television becomes the steady and often the only companion of the elderly. As failing eyesight makes reading difficult, and getting around becomes it problem, many old people spend much of the day watching TV. Here the action of fictional drama helps make up for the inaction of their lives.

France has become the first country to forbid supermarkets to throw away unsold food. The law requires supermarkets to donate unsold food to charities and food banks. If supermarkets do not obey the law, they will have to pay $4,000 in fines.

Each year, French throws away about seven million tons of food. That is one-fifth of the amount of food bought each year. Along with individual consumption, restaurants and stores add to the food waste. Other European countries are also making efforts to reduce food waste. In Denmark, a new “waste” supermarket has opened, where customers can buy unsold food in cheaper price.

Some people welcome the new law. Louise Saint-Germain is the president of a small non-governmental organization called A Hand Stretched Out for Tomorrow in English. She said the increase in donation will allow her group to feed more people.

But other s are worried the law will lead to more donation than they can handle. Aline Chassagnot manages a Salvation Army store. “We simply don’t have the ability to hand out more food to more people. And we’re not the only ones,” she said. “Yes, there’s waste and there are enough poor people around,” she said. “But really taking into account a person’s needs and dignity might mean another way of thinking. That’s not so simple.”

 Many large supermarkets in France argue that the law doesn’t really change much. The director of one Carrefour supermarket in western Paris says her store has been donating unsold food to charities for years.

“Nothing is wasted,” the director said. “In the kitchen, chefs turn day-old bread products into new desserts. And food that is damaged or past its shelf life is turned into biofuel(生物燃料),” the director added. The biofuel helps power supermarket trucks.

I realize that we all live in a world where trust is in short supply. It seems that everywhere I go, I have to   (1)   my identity and trustworthiness ― whether it’s a bank, shop or any office. I have been accustomed to living by the   (2)   that no one is trustworthy   (3)   proved otherwise. Yesterday I saw a young man who lived by a totally   (4)   rule.

I was walking along a busy intersection when I  (5)  a young man standing near the pedestrian crossing setting up a stall(货摊).   (5)   I would ignore and hurry past such sellers. But I noticed this young man was   (6)  , so I stood for some time without crossing the street to see how he sold his   (7)  .

Soon, a young mother with a little boy came by and the child set his   (8)   on one of teddy bears. The mother asked the   (9)   and it was only one dollar. She pulled out a 10 dollar note and told the young man that she was giving him 10 dollars and wanted the   (10)   back. I was   (11)   to know how he was going to do it. He told the mom to put the   (13)  in the pouch(袋子) hanging around his neck and take out whatever change he   (12)   her.

I realized that this young man’s whole mode of earning   (13)   on trusting people not to cheat him. There was no   (14)   for him to know if someone took out more out of his pouch of earning. I was so   (15)   by how this young man trusted people that I bought a car model from him. I did not need it,   (16)  . I just hoped to help a little.

Now I   (17)   believe that the world would be a better place if we could all learn to   (18)   others more, like the young blind street seller of toys.

Their wealth, fame and power put their heads and shoulders above us ordinary people. But according to these   (1)  , true happiness lies in some of life’s   (2)   pleasures. David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nigel Farage all   (3)  that their families are the key to their well-being. But others gave unexpected brief ideas about their celebrity lives. The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, 55,   (4)   that what most keeps her spirits high was a   (5)   in magic and fairies. She said, “I do believe in fairies. I do believe in magic and when you blow on a dandelion（蒲公英）, you will see the light of the enchanted （被施魔法的）spreading their wings and   (6)  on their own journeys, just like you have today when you opened your eyes. Don’t let the day   (7)   without looking for fairies and magic. That makes me   (8)  , as every day is.”

Meanwhile, former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney revealed that he got his   (9)   through his stomach as well as his family. He said, “I love to hear the noises in the  (10)   as the meal is prepared and then my little grandson climbs on my knee and   (11)  a bite for every bite that I take.”

Food was also   (12)   to Strictly Come Dancing judge Len Goodman who said eating a bacon sandwich was enough to   (13)  a smile on his face, while rocker Rod Stewart, claimed that a simple cup of tea made him  (14)   happy.

For our most gifted sports stars,   (15)  , it seems the key to the good life is a   (16)  dog.

Tennis champion Andy Murray said he badly   (17)  Rusty and Maggie May when he was playing in tournaments around the world. Former England striker Gary Lineker   (18)   , saying, “Walking my dog makes me happy.” The joy at the word “ walkies” never decreases. Such   (19)    for something so simple is   (20)  satisfying. 

The film classic The Last Picture Show was the last movie shown in the old theater. Though the movie is 30 years old, most of the 250 seats were filled with teary-eyed audience wanting to say good-bye to the old building. Theater owner Ed Bradford said he chose the movie because it seemed appropriate. The movie is set in a small town where the only movie theater is preparing to close down.

I always walk to my husband’s office after work, wait for him and then we drive home together every day.

    One day, while I was waiting for him, a beautiful Cadillac（凯迪拉克轿车）  (1)   near me. I was busy   (2)   the car when I noticed the driver.   (3)  , she was probably the most   (4)   woman I had ever seen outside of a movie screen. Her eyes were as blue as the sea, and she had teeth like pearls. Minutes later, a man walked over and they drove off. Sitting there, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, I wanted to   (5)  . “Why is it so   (6)   that some people have it all?” I thought.

The next week I saw her again, and after that it almost became my   (7)   to see her. I would   (8)   if she and her husband ate out a lot and where they went. I wanted her to get out of the car so that I could see her in   (9)   length.

A few weeks later, this question was   (10)   for me. I was waiting at my usual spot and the lady’s husband came over to their car. He opened the door. The pretty woman   (11)   walked around to the passenger side—leaning on a walking cane. She   (12)   one leg with her hands and then the other. She had an artificial limb（假肢）on her left leg and a brace on her right one.

As they drove away, I began to cry. When my husband arrived, I told him about what had   (13)  . He said that he knew her husband and that, when the lady was twelve years old, she had been   (14)   in a car that got stuck on the railroad tracks. Unfortunately, both her parents were killed. The rail company made a large   (15)   with her because the crossing had no   (16)  . That’s   (17)   she owns such a nice car now.

    For weeks I have   (18)   this woman and her way of life, but now I realize how   (19)   I am. When you meet a person who seems to be much better off than you, don’t be fooled by   (20)  .

Whenever we see a button, we are eager to press it because we know something will happen. This is true in most cases, for example on a doorbell and on the “on/off” button on the TV. But some buttons are actually fake, like the “close” button on a lift.

    Many people are in the habit of pressing the “close” button because they don’t have the patience to wait for the lift doors to shut. But lifts’ “lose” buttons are a complete scam（骗局）, at least in the US—the doors will not close any faster no matter how hard you press.

    It started in the 1990s when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in the US, making sure that all lifts stayed open long enough so that people with disabilities could enter. Only US firefighters and repairmen can use the buttons to speed up the door-closing process if they have a code or special keys.

    But to normal lift riders, the buttons aren’t completely useless. According to psychologists, fake buttons can actually make you feel better by offering you a sense of control.

    “Perceived（能够感知的）control is very important. It reduces stress and increases wellbeing,” Ellen J. Langer, a psychology professor, said. “Having a lack of control is associated with depression.”

    Experts have revealed that a lot of buttons that don’t do anything exist in our lives for this same purpose. For example, many offices in the US have fake thermostats（温度调节器）because people tend to feel better when they think they can control the temperature in their workspace.

    But psychologists found it interesting that even when people are aware of these little “white lies”, they still continue to push fake buttons because as long as the doors eventually close, it is considered to be worth the effort.

    “That habit is here to stay,” John Kounios, a psychology professor, said. “Even though I have real doubts about the traffic light buttons, I always press them. After all, I’ve got nothing else to do while waiting. So why not press the button in the hope that this one will work?”

These are some ideas that some people came up with about what the life will be like in the year 2500.

We will have established a base on the moon. School kids can take field trips to the moon weekly. We will have found cures (疗法) for AIDS and cancer. The war will have ended and peace flows freely through the land. Kids will learn more and be smarter than ever before！History will be the main subject at school. Cafeteria (自助餐厅) food will be delicious！You just walk up to a machine, stick out your tongue, and it will scan your taste buds (味蕾) to see what you want to eat.

—Kristen

Here I am in the wonderful year of 2500 and life is so easy. I work in a pet store and it is so hard！I have to wake up at midnight every day and fly my car to the store. It takes so long to get there. It takes me 20 seconds to get to the store in Mississippi from my home in Florida！At work, I have to push 5 buttons and then I go home. It takes 2 seconds and that is like forever.

—Morgan

In the year 2500, I think we will have invented cars that run on things we donˈt need like garbage. Tail gas will smell like whatever you like such as chocolate. I also predict that buildings will be able to go into a different dimension (维) so your car wonˈt hit them. The cars in 2500 donˈt fly, for we havenˈt got that technology yet, but they can hover (盘旋) up to seven feet. These cars are made for speed!

—Carly

Instead of cars, we may have hovering devices that float around. We could also have electric cars instead of gas­powered cars. Food might be more healthy. What I believe is that the environment will change the most. The environmental changes will also determine many other changes. If more people try to help the environment, then perhaps in 2500 we will have more forests and wildlife. If people wonˈt help the environment, then we will have no forests and little wildlife left.

—Roberta