I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled（给贴标签）everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. So we both got tired of each other．

    War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room．Soon，I heard her screaming，“Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened，I saw my shoes flying at me．I jumped to my feet and started yelling（叫喊）．She yelled back louder．

    The room was filled with anger．We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call．Kate answered it．From her end of the conversation，I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill．When she hung up，she quickly crawled(爬行) under her covers(被子)，sobbing（哭啼）．Obviously，that was something she should not go through alone．All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart．Slowly，I collected the pencils，took back the books，made my bed，cleaned the socks and swept the floor，even on her side．I got so into my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up. She was watching，her tears dried and her expression was such disbelief．Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine．I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me，“Thanks．”

    Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree，but we learned the meaning of living together：giving in, cleaning up and holding on．

For years I struggled and fought with the bird’s nest that sat on top of my head—my Medusa (神话中的蛇发女妖) hair, a composition of frizz (鬈发) and giant ringlets (垂下的长鬈发) that in no way could be tamed.

Growing up in a Russian-Jewish home with parents who thought North American styling products were similar to illegal substances such as heroin, I was never allowed to put them in my hair.

“Why buy gel (凝胶)? Your hair is so beautiful naturally, ” my mother would say. However, from boys not wanting to kiss me when we played spin the bottle in Grade 7 to being called “the mop”, I suffered for my hair.

When I got to university, I believed my frizzy hair was something that stood between me and everything—finding an internship (实习期), getting a boyfriend.

Then, in my second year, a miracle happened. I was asked to be a hair model for Japanese hair straightening, a process by which the molecules (分子) of my curls would be broken and reset in a straight position. I was the perfect candidate, the hairdresser told me. Although there are rumours about how hair relaxing can damage the scalp (头皮), for the next five years I didn’t find them to be true.

However, there was extreme damage done to my wallet. To keep up the straightening cost $700 every six months, and that was considered cheap. While some people thought I was crazy, I was willing to do anything to never again feel like that bored, frizzy-headed girl in Grade 7. But when I moved out of my parents’ house at age 26 and rented an apartment, the upkeep of my image became too costly. I couldn’t hide from my inner Medusa any longer. It was time to hug her and let her fly.

Seeking an alternative to my high-end habit, I turned to Google. After hours of searching, I hit upon a “curly haired” salon, a place designed for girls like me who were at their wits’ end. Although I bought the service called the “Curly-Doo”, I suspected I’d have the same mop at the end of the appointment.

I dragged my feet so hard getting there that I arrived 45 minutes late. I secretly hoped they would turn me away and give me the excuse I needed to justify the expense of relaxing again. Instead, my stylist simply said: “You are very late. Flip your head over.”

As my head was dipped in a tub full of freezing-cold water, then generously slathered with a jelly-like substance, I wondered what I had got myself into.

“Do you really think this will work?” I asked the stylist, Jacquai. “My curls are a lost cause.”

“No curly hair is hopeless,” she replied. “They just haven’t found a way to work with it, that’s all.”

After the hour was over, Jacquai had completed her work. She had styled my hair using only her hands, water and a mixture of organic potions.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing in the mirror: a naturally curly, Medusa-free me.

According to Jacquai, 75 percent of the population have a wave or curl in their hair and don’t know what to do with it. Men cut theirs short. Women flat-iron theirs to death.

When I browse through a beauty magazine or take the subway to work, it makes me sad to see so many people repressing their natural beauty.

Since I tamed my locks (头发), my world has changed. I have always been outgoing, but these days I seem to be more outspoken and confident than ever.

On top of that, friends and co-workers tell me I am looking better than ever, but they can’t tell the source of the change. I don’t need to tell them. My Medusa hair sways and speaks for herself.

 This story took place a long time ago. But it has been repeated time and time again. Everyone is moved by the true story.

   An old man was knocked down by a car and was taken to hospital. He was badly hurt, and during his few returns to consciousness (知觉), he repeatedly called for his son.

   None knew where his son was. A dirty letter was found in his pockets. The nurse learned that his son was a soldier in North Carolina.

   The hospital called the Red Cross office to find the young man. The young soldier was rushed to the airport in time to catch the plane.

   It was evening when the young soldier walked into the hospital. A nurse took him to the bedsides of the old man.

   "Your son is here," she said to the old man. She had to repeat the words several times before the old man's eyes opened. He dimly saw the young man and got great comfort. He reached out his hand. The soldier held the old man's hand and offered words of hope.

   All through the night the young soldier sat beside the bed. The nurse offered to watch instead of him for a while, he refused.

   At dawn the old man died. The nurse started to comfort him but the soldier asked her, "Who was that old man?" He was your father, "she answered." No, he wasn't. I never saw him before. I knew right away there was a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here. I realized I was needed. So I stayed."

The Bronte sisters were three sisters who became famous novelists． Their lives and works are connected with the lonely moors（荒野）of Yorkshire, England, where they lived． Patrick Bronte, the sisters’ father, was a poor Irishman who became the parish clergyman (牧师) of the small, isolated town of Haworth, Yorkshire． Bronte was somewhat strange and tended to be strict． His wife died in 1821 and her sister brought up the family out of duty, but with little love or understanding． The sisters went to several boarding schools where they received a better education than usual for girls at that time, but in a bad atmosphere．

Few jobs were available for women at that time, and the Bronte sisters, except for occasional jobs as governesses or schoolteachers, lived their entire lives at home． They were shy, poor, and lonely, and occupied themselves with music, drawing, reading and ---above all---writing． Their isolation led to the early development of their imaginations． In 1846, under the male pen names of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, the sisters published a joint volume of poems．Although only two copies were sold, all three sisters soon had their first novels published．

Charlotte Bronte’s most famous novel Jane Eyre （1847） is largely autobiographical． Through the heroine, Charlotte relived her hated boarding school life and her experiences as a governess in a large house． Rochester, the hero and master of the house, is fictional． Jane Eyre was enormously successful, but many readers were shocked that Rochester, who tried to make Jane his mistress, should be rewarded by marrying her． Some readers were also shocked because Jane wanted to be regarded as a thinking and independent person, rather than as a weak female．

  Charlotte Bronte wrote three other novels． The first one, The Professor, was not published until 1857, after her death． Shirley （1849） is set among the labor riots (暴动) of the early 1800s． Villette （1853） the most popular of the three, is based on Charlotte’s unhappy experiences as a governess in Brussels．

The biggest threat (威胁) to the future of Oxfordshire’s economy is transport.

That is the key finding of a major new report which interviewed more than 120 county firms. The results show 76 percent of the company owners and directors believe traffic jams and the quality of transport are affecting their business.

More than 30 percent say this is costing them dearly in the form of extra fuel costs, while some say the situation of being stuck in jams on key roads such as the A34 and A40 every day is making it harder to employ workers.

But lack (缺乏) of safer cycling plans is encouraging 72 percent of people to continue to go to work by car.

The report has led the government to try to work out a solution to the situation on the county’s crowded roads.

Nicola Blackwood, an official of Oxfordshire, recently brought transport minister Stephen Hammond to the county and said he became stuck in a traffic jam on the A34.

As a result, he has promised that he will aim to look at entire roads, rather than individual projects such as improving junctions (交叉路口).

Ms Blackwood said: “If we are able to achieve anything like our economic growth, we need to solve the problems that not only affect the new companies but also the growth of existing local businesses. What I want to see most of all is the quick production of a plan to solve the problem of the A34.”

John Cardy, co-founder of Garden Games, said he had considered moving his business from a farm in Garford to Witney but traffic fears had made him reconsider. He added: “Most of our employees were not prepared to use the A40 which is always crowded.”

A

A traveler lost his way and got off the highway to see where he was. As he drove by, he saw rows and rows of pigpens (猪舍) and pigs running in fields. Suddenly, his eyes caught something really strange. It looked like a pig with a wooden leg!

He drove up into the farm, where he met the farmer. “Excuse me，” the traveler said. “I was just driving by and looking at all your pigs, and I just had to stop and ask about it. Tell me, is there really a pig out there with a wooden leg？” The farmer smiled. “Oh, that would be old Caesar you saw. Heˈs the finest pig Iˈve ever had — and smart! Well, let me tell you a little about that pig.”

“One night a couple of years ago I got to drinking and I guess I had more than I should have. I fell down and knocked over a lamp. That started a fire in the house and old Caesar smelled the smoke. He came in the back door, got the wife and kid out, roused (唤醒) me up and got me out. There is no question about it — that night old Caesar saved all our lives. You know that Iˈm not going to forget it too easily.”

“Why，” the traveler said, “this is amazing! I have never heard of a pig like this before! This is fantastic! But tell me，how did he get that wooden leg？”

The farmer laughed and said, “Well，when you have a pig so smart, you donˈt want to eat him all at one time！”

A

Prince William kept the best for last. After two days of his visit, his third and final day of activities in China included feeding carrots to a 13-year-old Asian elephant.

   In Yunnan province, the prince heard about the dangers to China’s remaining 250 wild elephants. He also heard the story of Chang Zongbo, a policeman, who has spent his life trying to protect what remains of Yunnan’s rainforest and elephants.

   For 27 years, Chang Zongbo has climbed every one of the mountains. “We go for days, following the poachers and then waiting till they are sound asleep. That’s the safest time to arrest them, he says. A person killing an elephant can be sentenced to death in China, a powerful reason for the poacher to resist arrest.

   And that has worked. China is one of the safest place for an elephant these days.

   The major problem in China is the disappearing forest. Once their reserves were surrounded by natural forest in which elephants could travel freely. Now the reserves are completely cut off from each other by rubber farms. The elephants often walk into farms and villages. They eat up bananas and sugar cane. Occasionally they trample farmers to death.

Mr Chang is here to protect the elephants and at the same time he is doing what he can to prevent elephants from damaging crops and lives.

Before ending my interview, he tells me, “Every piece of forest, I work to save it. Every elephant, I work to save it. So when I look my grandchildren in the eye, I can tell them I did my best.” It’s also a message Prince William would like to send.

I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to study in the United States as an international student from Ukraine when I was fourteen years old, which was eight years ago. I went to a wonderful school, West Catholic High School, for my freshman year.

I remember my first day at that school as if it was yesterday. I was very nervous. My main fear was that I would not be able to express myself due to language barrier. I was trying to have as little communication as I possibly could. And I almost srcceeded until we had to introduce ourselves in front of the class.

And the moment the word "intrenational" flew out of my mouth, I was surrounded by thirty people who were asking questions one after another. It turned out to be the opposite of less communication, but it was so much fun.

During the first three months, I definitely experienced a little bit of cultural shock. I think Americans are the nicest people I have ever met in my entire life. They always smile and say,  "Hi, how are you?"

One day, I noticed the students looking at me suspiciously. Finally, my classmate came up to my locker and whispered, " Is that true that you are a princess and that you came to study here so that nobody would recognize you?" At one point, I even had an image of myself wearing a gown and gracefully waving at the crowd.

I think it was a priceless one-year experience! I saw a totally new world, experienced great culture, met a lot of incredible people and improved my language. This trip inspired me to learn foreign languages. That is one of the reasons I speak five different languages today.

Starting the day on an egg could keep your blood pressure(血压) under control, research suggests．Scientists have shown that eggs produce proteins with a function similar to that of powerful blood pressure-lowering drugs．

The research, from the University of Alberta in Canada, showed that when eggs come in contact with stomach enzymes(酶) they produce a protein that acts in the same way as Ace inhibitors, but more work is needed to show the effects outside a lab and in the human body．

Earlier this month, British researchers declared that, contrary to popular beliefs, it is healthy to go to work on an egg．They concluded that the type of cholesterol (胆固醇) found in eggs has little effect on increasing heart disease risks．

Researcher Professor Bruce Griffin, from the University of Surrey, said: “The wrong beliefs linking egg eating to high blood cholesterol and heart disease must be corrected. The amount of fat in our diet has an effect on blood cholesterol that is several times greater than the relatively small amounts of cholesterol found in eggs．The UK public do not need to be limiting the number of eggs they eat．They can be encouraged to include them in a healthy diet as they are one of nature’s most nutritious foods．”

The British Heart Foundation dropped its three-egg-a-week limit in 2005．However, almost half of Britons believe the limit still applies．

D

     For starters, I was surprised when during our first conversational Hindi (印度语) lesson we learned the word for "thank you" doesn't really exist in Hindi. Okay, so there technically is a word, but it's really only recognized and used in the cities, where there is more of a Western influence.  In the mountains, it is seldom used, and what's more, people often seemed annoyed when we would try to thank them.  They would either turn their heads, or shake their hands at us as if to say, "Don't, it's not necessary."

     When we asked our Indian instructors why this is, they explained that giving and generosity are such complete aspects of their culture. In fact, it is part of the culture to view possession as a very unsteady thing. Giving is more of a matter of "changing hands" than an act of generosity. In their eyes, the cucumbers and other food they would give us were never really "theirs". They see them as having passed along to them and now they are simply passing them along to us.

     I believe there is a great sense of generosity in Western culture, but it seems to be more of a secondary thought. In other words, the viewpoint seems to be, "If I have enough, I will happily donate my surplus (盈余)."Whereas in the Himalayas, the villagers were eager to give away their best cucumbers to a passing stranger, and they would have happily given more even when it means less for them. In contrast, people in the U. S. tend to donate old, used, or unwanted items rather than their prized ones.

     Interestingly, during a coffee chat a couple of months ago, one of my friends, Josh Millburn, was telling me about how he donated his favorite clothes and shoes - just for the experience of giving up the possessions he likes most as well as to practice detaching (分派) for material things. So, this is something we as Westerners can certainly do, but it doesn't come wholly into our culture. It's something we have to make ourselves consciously aware of and push ourselves outside of our comfort zones to achieve.