In 1800, only three percent of the world's population lived in cities. Only one city—Beijing—had a population of over a million. Most people lived in rural areas, and never saw a city in their lives. In 1900, just a hundred years later, roughly 150 million people lived in cities, and the world's ten largest cities all had populations exceeding one million. By 2000, the number of city dwellers exceeded three billion; and in 2008, the world's population crossed a tipping point—more than half of the people on Earth lived in cities. By 2050, that could increase to over two—thirds. Clearly, humans have become an urban species.

   In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many people viewed cities negatively—crowded, dirty environments full of disease and crime. They feared that as cities got bigger, living conditions would worsen. In recent decades, however, attitudes have changed. Many experts now think urbanization(城市化) is good news, offering solutions to the problems of Earth's growing population.

   Harvard economist Edward Glaeser, author of The Victory of the City, is one such person. Glaeser argues that cities are very productive because "the absence of space between people" reduces the cost of transporting goods, people, and ideas. While the flow of goods has always been important to cities, what is most important today is the flow of ideas. Successful cities enable people to learn from each other easily, and attract and reward smart people with higher wages.

   Another urbanization supporter is environmentalist Stewart Brand. Brand believes cities help the environment because they allow half of the world's population to live on about four percent of the land. This leaves more space for open country, such as farmland. City dwellers also have less impact per person on the environment than people in the countryside. Their roads, sewers, and power lines need fewer resources to build and operate. City apartments require less energy to heat, cool, and light. Most importantly, people in cities drive less so they produce fewer greenhouse gases per person.

   So it's a mistake to see urbanization as evil; it's a natural part of development. The challenge is how to manage the growth.

 The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before a huge pile of troublesome stuff they call “books”. I was going to have my examination the next day. "When can I go to bed?" I asked myself. I didn’t answer, in fact I dared not.

  The clock struck 12."Oh, dear!" I cried, "ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most wretched creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.”

  The clock struck one. I was quite hopeless now. I forgot all I had learnt. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were heavy, so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.

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 so­called“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.

D

    One day last month，I read a story about two teachers who gave awards to their students．The awards were labeled the“8th Annual Ghetto(贫民区)Classroom Awards，”They were intended to be“light-hearted”and the teachers didn’t mean anything bad．One student was recognized for his academic difficulties with the award．

    The world learned about it because his mother posted it on social media．She wasn’t proud．She was angry，confused and hurt for her son．Did I mention that the students to whom the awards were given were in a class for kids who receive special services for learning disabilities? Yes，the "Ghetto Classroom" was the special education classroom．

    When I read this story，I was sure of three things：That student got the message that he was a loser；he would never forget those teachers；he would head to high school without a lot of confidence．

    Humor can be tricky．I learned this the hard way，in my first year of teaching．Someone mentioned that one of my students，whom I had placed into the "athletic" category，had taken ballet lessons for years，and I gently teased her for it．At least I thought it was gentle．I also thought it was okay，until the day when she came to me after class and told me that it hurt her feelings and she'd like me to stop．

    I'm thankful every day that she had the courage to talk to me．Over the years I think I figured out how to throw away my sarcastic(挖苦的)wit(风趣)and learned how to have humor without being hurtful．

    It's really quite simple：You can make fun of yourself in a self-deprecating(自我贬低的)way，but never make fun of your students．

D

    Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family's last vacation. It was my six-year-old. son's winter break from school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked (超额预定), and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits (信誉赔偿) to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meetings in New York, so I had to get back. But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.

    The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged-okay, ordered--them to wait it out at the airport to "earn" more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?

    Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.

    I've made a living looking for the best deals and exposing (揭露) the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in.

    I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money's worth. I'm also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn't hesitate tospend on a good haircut. It keeps its shape longer, and it's the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.

       Charlie and Jackie joined a wholesale company together just after graduation. They both worked very hard.

       After several years, the boss made Jackie sales manager but Charlie remained a salesman. One day Charlie could not take it any more. He handed in his resignation letter (辞职信) to the boss and complained that the boss did not value hard-working employees, but only raised those who tried to please him. He thought that it was really unfair.

       The boss knew that Charlie had spared no effect for the company all these years, but in order to help Charlie to realize the difference between him and Jackie, the boss asked Charlie to do the following: Go and find out if there is anyone selling watermelons in the market. Charlie went, returned and only said, “Yes.” The boss asked, “How much is per kg?” Charlie went back to the market to ask and returned to answer, “$12 per kg.”

       The boss told Charlie that he would ask Jackie the same question. Jackie went, returned and said, “Boss, only one person is selling watermelons. $12 per kg, $100 for 10 kg. He has a total of 340 melons. On the table are 58 melons, and every melon weighs about 15 kg, bought from the South two days ago. They are fresh, red, and of good quality.”

       Charlie was struck and he realized the difference between himself and Jackie. He decided not to leave but to learn from Jackie.

       My dear friends, you know, a more successful person is more observant, thinks more and understands in depth. For the same matter, he sees several years ahead, while you see only tomorrow. The difference between a year and a day is 365 times, so how could you win?

       Think: how far have you seen ahead in your life? How thoughtful are you?

    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, 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 Guandian, 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.

     It was windy and cold when a store owner was sticking a sign above his door that read “Puppies for Sale.” Just as he expected, a little boy soon appeared by the store owner’s sign.

       “How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked. The store owner replied, “$10 for each.” The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. “I have $2.50,” he said. “May I please look at them?”

       The store owner smiled and whistled, taking out five dogs. One puppy was left behind. Immediately the little boy singled it out and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?” The store owner explained that the little puppy was disabled. It would always be lame.

       The little boy became excited. “That is the little puppy that I want to buy.” The store owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.”

      The little boy got quite upset. He looked into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said, “I don’t want you to give him to me. That dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.50 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”

      The store owner smiled, “You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.”

      On hearing this, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the store owner and softly replied, “Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!”

 I have a younger brother. To me , he is a fourteen-year-old kid named Joe, with blond hair and blue eyes. To others, he is different. Where I see a kid who just needs a lot more attention, others see a mentally disabled boy, a kid who cannot walk or talk or think for himself. I see someone who just makes daily routine a bit less routine. Others see an annoyance, a bother.

 This is not to say that I have never felt resentful(怨恨的) toward Joe. He is my brother, and with that comes responsibility. “Gina, could you stay in tonight and watch your brother?” “Gina, do me a favor and feed him dinner and change his diaper(尿布) later, please?”“Could you come home right after school today and get Joe off the bus?”

These are phrases that I have heard since I was twelve. And sure, they have made me resent my brother to a certain extent. I would think: that’s not fair! Everyone else can stay after and be a member of this club, or get extra help from that teacher. Or, all my friends are going out tonight, why can’t I?  And, how come I have to feed him? He is not my son!

However, the small amount of resentment I feel toward my brother is erased a thousand times over by what I have learned from him. Besides making me responsible from a young age, and helping me be more accepting  of all kinds of people, he has taught me to be thankful for what I have.

I know that there are moment in my life that I should cherish and that Joe will never experience. He will never laugh so hard that he cries. He will never feel the glory of a straight-A report card. He will never comfort a  best friend crying on his shoulder. And he will never know how much his family love him. 

Because he will never know, it is up to me to know, every second , how lucky I am. It is up to me to realize that life should be lived to its fullest, and that you should always, always be grateful that God, or whoever are the powers that be, gave you the ability to live your life the way you were meant to live it.

Mr. Jackson was tired of living in his old house in the countryside and wanted to sell it and buy a better one. He tried to sell it for a long time, but was not successful, so at last he decided to go to an estate agent(房产经纪人）.

The agent advertised the house straight away, and a few days later, the owner saw a very beautiful photograph of his house, with a wonderful description of his garden in an expensive magazine.

Having read the advertisement through, the house owner hurried to phone the estate agent, saying, “I'm sorry, Mr. Jones, but I've decided not to sell my house after all.” “Why?” the agent asked in a surprised voice. “Because from the advertisement in that magazine I can see it's just the kind of house I've wanted to live in all my life.”