A thief who dropped a winning lottery ticket at the scene of his crime has been given a 

lesson in honesty. His victim, who picked up the ticket, then claimed the $25,000 prize, managed to trace him, and handed over the cash. 

The robbery happened when maths professor VinicioSabbatucci, 58, was changing a tire on an Italian motorway. Another motorist,

 who stopped “to help”, stole a suitcase from his car and drove off. The professor found the dropped ticket and put  it in his pocket before driving home to Ascoli in eastern Italy. 

Next day, he saw the lottery results on TV and, taking out the ticket, realized it was a winner.He claimed the 60 million lire(里拉)prize. Then he began a battle with his conscience. Finally, he 

decided he could not keep the money despite having been robbed. He advertised in newspapers 

and on the radio, saying, “I’m trying to find the man who robbed me. I have 60 million lire for him—a lottery win. Please meet me. Anonymity(匿名)guaranteed.” 

 Professor Sabbatucci received hundreds of calls from people hoping to trick him into 

handing them the cash. But there was one voice he recognized and he arranged to meet the man 

In a park.The robber, a 35‐year-old unemployed father of two, gave back the suitcase and burst 

into tears. He could not believe what was happening. “Why didn’t you keep the money?” he 

asked. The professor replied, “I couldn’t because it’s not mine.” Then he walked off, spurning the thief’s offer of a reward. 

Thousands of hungry birds left the countryside of Britain in the bitter winter to find food and warmth in urban gardens. The move included species such as the redwing and the fieldfare, almost unknown outside rural areas.

The hard situation of farmland birds has been revealed in the latest survey of bird populations from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds released today.

The redwing has an obvious stripe over the eye and a red flash on the flanks (侧翼), while the fieldfare has a grey head, a peach under­belly, and a distinctive dark band on the tail.

Graham Madge, the societyˈs spokesman, says,“For many urban birdwatchers the sight of these striking species is a real treat. Many people have never imagined there being such an amazing chance.”

“Frozen ground prevented them from getting food in the countryside and they have been saved from starvation in towns，”he added.

He says the unusual sight this year somewhat tempered the frustration felt at the suffering of small garden birds such as robins and wrens. These birds are sensitive to cold and must eat almost continuously to stay alive. Data from people who took part in the societyˈs Big Garden Birdwatch recorded sightings in 280，000 gardens during the last weekend of January, with the goldcrest down 75 percent, the long­tailed tit down 27 percent, and the coal tit down 20 percent. The study highlighted the need for food to be left out for birds during winter.

The redwing and the fieldfare are relatively unknown outside the eastern part of the country. The research shows, however, that they moved to the other side of the country where the climate is generally mild in winter and that many for the first time have reached Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. The number of redwing sightings was up 185 percent, those of the fieldfare 73, and of the yellowhammer 68.

Another surprise garden“guest”this year was the blackcap. This robin­sized, silver­grey bird was rare in Britain 50 years ago, but increasing numbers now arrive each year from Germany and Austria.

Many foreign students report feeling lonely or unwelcome in Australia. Those feelings are among the reasons why Australia is taking a close look at its international education industry. But wherever international students go，making friends may not always be easy. Elisabeth Gareis of Baruch College in New York surveyed 454 international students. They were attending four－year colleges and graduate schools in the American South and Northeast.

Students from English－speaking countries and from northern and central Europe were more likely to be happy with their friendships. But 38% of the international students said they had no close friends in the United States. And half of the students from East Asia said they were unhappy with the number of American friends they had. Thirty percent said they wished their friendships could be deeper and more meaningful.

Professor Gareis says，“Students from East Asia have cultures that are different on many levels from the culture in the United States. There are also language problems，and maybe some social skills，such as small talks，which are possibly not as important in their native countries，where it’s not as important to start friendships with small talks. Many East Asian students blamed themselves for their limited friendships with Americans，for not speaking the language well enough and for not knowing the culture well enough.”

VOA’s Students Union blogger Jessica Stahl did her own survey to find out how American students and foreign students relate to each other. More than 100 students，about half of them American，answered her online questions. Half of the international students and 60% of the Americans said they related as well or better to the other group than to their own group.

Professor Gareis says，“International students who make friends with host nationals are，overall，more satisfied with their stay in the host country. They have better language skills，better academic performance and better attitudes toward the host country.”

 The newspaper must provide for the reader the facts，pure，unprejudiced，objectively selected facts．But in these days of complex news it must provide more；it must supply interpretation，the meaning of the facts．This is the most important assignment facing American journalists﹣to make clear to the reader the problems of the day，to make international news understandable as community news，to recognize that there is no longer any such thing as"local"news，because any event in the international area has a local reaction in the financial market，political circles，in terms，indeed，of our very way of life．

There is in journalism a widespread view that when you start an interpretation，you are entering dangerous waters，the rushing tides of opinion．This is nonsense．

The opponents of interpretation insist that the writer and the editor shall limit himself to the"facts"．This insistence raises two questions．What are the facts？And：Are the bare facts enough？

As for the first question，consider how a so called"factual"story comes about．The reporter collects，say，fifty facts；out of these fifty，his space being necessarily restricted，he selects the ten which he considers most important．This is Judgment Number One．Then he or his editor decides which of these ten facts shall hold the lead of the piece．This is Judgment Number Two．Then the night editor determines whether the article shall be presented on page one，where it has a large influence，or on page twentyfour，where it has little．Judgment Number Three．

Thus in the presentation of a socalled"factual"or"objective"story，at least three judgments are involved．And they are judgments not at all unlike those involved in interpretation，in which reporter and editor，calling upon their research resources，their general background，and their"news neutralism（中立）"，arrive at a conclusion as to the significance of the news．

The two areas of judgment，presentation of the news and its interpretation，are both objective rather than subjective processes﹣as objective，that is，as any human being can be．If an editor is determined to give a prejudiced view of the news，he can do it in other ways and more effectively than by interpretation．He can do it by the selection of those facts that support his particular viewpoint．Or he can do it by the place he gives a story﹣promoting it to page one or dragging it to page thirty．

A

Uncivilized behavior by passengers unacceptable

For the first time, airline passengers have been blacklisted for uncivilized behavior. Their names will remain on the blacklist for one or two years, according to an announcement by the China Air Transport Association on Saturday. The blacklisting means they will not be able to travel by air until their names are removed from the list.

Blacklisting passengers who disobey the rules for travelling by air and so place their own interests before everything else, including safety, has long been overdue (迟到的，延迟的).

There have been frequent reports of passengers making a scene when their flight was delayed or when they believed that they were not treated as they should be on a flight.

Yet it is natural for some flights to be delayed because of reasons such as bad weather or mechanical problems that need to be solved. However, some passengers seem to take it for granted that their flight must take off at the time stated on their ticket, and they even assume that the members of the cabin crew are simply there to do their bidding(吩咐).

They forget that they should behave themselves in the first place and that respect is reciprocal (互相给与的).There is no reason for them to be respected when they do not show enough respect for others.

Observing rules can never be over-emphasized when it comes to flight safety. No one has the right to disregard the rules for any reason. Of course, airlines should provide quality services to meet the needs of passengers. Yet, even if passengers are not satisfied with the service provided, there is still no reason for them to flout the rules that are designed for the safety of all.

The blacklisting of these three passengers should serve for others to know they have to toe the line (顺从集体).

New York Cityis preparing to end its ban on cell phones in schools, dooming an industry that appeared near dozens of schools where teens could park their phones in a van for a dollar a day.

The out-of-sight, out-of-mind rule is already applied at most New York City high schools. Even with the phone ban still on the books, students at those schools are told, “If we don’t see it. we don’t know about it.”

But at the 88 city school buildings where metal detectors have been equipped to keep weapons out, the ban is strictly introduced because the detectors catch phones, too.

Students at schools with metal detectors must either leave their phones at home or shell out for storage. For those students, many of whom have spent hundreds of dollars storing phones and other things over their high school periods, the ban can’t end soon enough.

“This costs a dollar every day, and it’s a pain to get in that line just so I can get my phone back so I can go home,” 16-year-old Adam Scully said after getting back his phone from the storage van parked outside his school.

Adam said leaving his phone at home is impossible, adding, “It’s not because I’m overly attached to my phone. It’ because my mom might need to reach me.”

Parents of teens who attend schools with metal detectors say they too would welcome an end to the phone ban.

Walter McIntyre, who has two children atClara Barton High SchoolinBrooklyn, said he now drives his children to school and holds onto their phones during the school day — even though many of their classmates leave their phones in a van.

“They don’t trust them in those places.” McIntyre said. “They don’t want to lose their phones because they know they’re not getting another one.”

The security problem came out when a Pure Loyalty van was robbed in theBronxin June of 2012 and hundreds of students lost their phones.

    Your house may have an effect on your figure. experts say the way you design your home could play a role in whether you pack on the pounds or keep them off. you can make your environment work for you instead of against you. Here are some ways to turn your home into part of your diet plan.

     Open the curtains and turn up the lights. dark environments are more likely to encourage overeating, for people are often less self-conscious(难为情) when they’re in poorly lit places – and so more likely to eat lots of food. If your home doesn’t have enough window light, get more lamps and flood the place with brightness.

       Mind the colors. Research suggests warm colors fuel our appetites. In one study, people who ate meals in a blue room consumed 33 percent less than those in a yellow or red room. Warm colors like yellow make food appear more appetizing, while cold colors make us less hungry. So when it’s time to repaint, go blue.

       Don’t forget the clock – or the radio. People who eat slowly tend to consume about 70 fewer calories(卡路里) per meal than those who rush through their meals. Begin keeping track of the time, and try to make dinner last at 30 minutes. And while you’re at it, actually sit down to eat. If you need some help slowing down, turning on relaxing music. It makes you less likely to rush through a meal.

       Downsize the dishes. Big serving bowls and plants can easily makes us fat. We eat about 22 percent more when using a 12-inch plate instead of a 10-inch plate. When we choose a large spoon over a smaller one, total intake(摄入) jumps by 14 percent. And we’ll pour about 30 percent more liquid into a short, wide glass than a tall, skinny glass.

Your body, which has close relations with the food you eat, is the most important thing you own, so it needs proper treatment and proper nourishment(营养), The old saying” An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” is not as silly as some people think. The body needs fruit and vegetables because they contain vitamin C. Many people take extra vitamins in pill form, believing that these will make them healthy. But a good diet is made up of nourishing food and this gives all the vitamins you need. The body doesn’t need or use extra vitamins, so why waste money on them?

   In the modern western world, many people are too busy to bother about eating properly. They throw anything into their stomachs, eating hurriedly and carelessly. The list of illnesses caused or made worse by bad eating habits is frightening.

Scientists have exactly discovered the set of brain cells involved in making risky decisions, and have been able to control them in rats using targeted light. By changing the activity of the cells they were able to change the behaviour of risk-taking rats to avoid risk, hinting the approach could in future be used to treat people with impulse (冲动) control problems.

Risk-taking is a key part of survival, knowing when to take a chance could pay off—such as moving to a new area to look for food when pickings are slim.

While all animals need an element of risk, the preference towards it varies between individuals. Researchers found this variation, which determines how risk-averse an individual is, is regulated by brain cells in a region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. This cluster of neurons releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, which regulates the brain’s reward and pleasure centres.

Previous studies have shown that in patients with Parkinson’s disease, taking medication which blocks specific dopamine receptors (DR2) (受体) leads to increased gambling (赌博) behaviour and risk taking behaviour. In studies with rats, researchers were able to use a technique called optogenetics (光遗传学)—which uses light sensitive proteins to change the activity of cells—to modify cells with DR 2 in the nucleus accumbens.

Rats were trained to choose one of two levers, offering them a choice between a “safe” or “risky” choice. The safe option resulted in a small, but consistent amount of a sugar water treat. But the risky choice consistently delivered smaller amounts of sugar water, with the occasional large pay off—essentially encouraging the animals to gamble for a bigger prize. Around two-thirds of the animals weren’t keen on risk, opting for the safe option, but the remaining third were risk-seekers. Brain scans of the animals showed that those with low levels of DR2 consistently went for the gamble.

But using pulses of light to stimulate (刺激) the DR2 cells and improve their activity could cause the risk-takers to play it safe and opt for the guaranteed but less rewarding option. Once the light-pulses stopped, the risk-takers returned to their gambling strategy.

In the risk-averse animals, stimulating the same cells had little to no effect.

Professor Karl Deisseroth, of Stanford University in California, said: “Humans and rats have similar brain structures involved.”And we found a drug known to increase risk preference in people had the same effect on the rats. So every indication is that these findings are relevant to humans. “Risky behavior has its moments where it’s valuable. As a species, we wouldn’t have come as far as we have without it.”