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            • 1． Tourists visiting Brazil for the World Cup are advised to pack a bathing suit, sunscreen, and a whole lot of cash. Home to some of the world’s most expensive restaurants and hotels, and with some prices rising more as the opening match approaches,Brazil will shock those visitors whose idea of a tropical paradise is paying $1 for a beachside beer.
                   Instead, Brazil is often the land of the $10 caipirinha, a local drink, the $100 risotto（意大利炖饭）and the $1,000-a-night hotel room, prices fueled by many of the same imbalances and government policies that have restrained economic growth in recent years. Even by European and U.S. standards, such prices for basic items are often staggering.
                   In Sao Paulo, a bustling business hub that is surrounded by some of the country’s largest coffee farms, a coffee often costs twice as much as in Lisbon, says Paulo Duarte, a pharmaceutical consultant who splits time between both cities. “It’s absurd,”Duarte said. “We’re talking about one
              country that produces coffee and another that imports it.”
                   High prices are nothing new inBrazil. The country has a long history of economic instability and runaway inflation (通货膨胀), which topped 2,400 percent a year as recently as 1993. Inflation these days is much more manageable, running at about 6 percent a year, though that is still high by international standards.Sao Paulo, for example, is the most expensive city in theAmericasand the 19th most expensive in the world, ahead ofNew YorkandLondon, according to a recent survey by the Mercer consulting firm.Riois among the world’s 30 most expensive cities.
                   One reason prices are so steep is that the cost of doing business is so high, thanks to a mix of taxes, import tariffs (关税), bureaucracy and poor infrastructure that can make Brazil a difficult place to operate. Economists have a name for that: “Custo Brasil,” or “Brazil Cost.” It can make goods manufactured 30 percent more expensive than those produced abroad, according to a study by the industry federation ofRio de Janeiro.
                   Even for tourists with some money to burn, creative solutions are often called for. Dimitar Bogdanov and Simeon Vassilev, a Hungarian couple who visited Rio de Janeiro for the first time early this year, paid $100 for a risotto at one of the city’s chic (别致的) restaurants. But they decided to change their big night plans, and managed to spend “only” $30 at a per-kilo buffet place where you pay by the weight of your serving. “Some things are way overpriced but some others are cheap compared to Europe,” Bogdanov said, recommending that tourists spend on Brazil’s famous rubber flip-flops, which can retail for $24 overseas but cost as little as $8 here.
                   Sometimes, though, there’s no getting around the problem, especially when it comes to the World Cup. The average hotel cost for the night of the final on July 13 inRiois 816 reais ($371), according to Trivago, a website that compares prices on over 190 booking websites. One two-star bed and breakfast in Copacabana is charging 2,000 reais ($909) for a small, poorly furnished room for that one night. By comparison, an 80-minute flight between New York and Washington under the same conditions costs as little as $167.
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            • 2． We sometimes think global warming or climate change is a problem very far away from our lives, and that only the government needs to worry about it. But it’s hardly possible to completely stay out of it – scientists are now 95 percent sure that humans have been the “ dominant cause” of global warming trends since the 1950s.
                  One of the conclusions of a report released on Sept 27 by the United Nations says that human activities have caused glo bal temperatures to rise by 0.890C between 1901 and 2012. That might not seem like a lot, but the truth is that a major part of that heat has been absorbed into the oceans, which is not surprising given that they cover two thirds of Earth’s surface. Also, water has a much greater capacity (容量) to absorb heat than the air does, according to The Economist.
                  While many greenhouse gases occur naturally and are needed to keep the Earth warm enough to support life, humans’ use of fossil fuels is the main source of excess (多余的) greenhouse gases. According to CNN, by driving cars, using electricity produced by burning coal and oil or heating our homes with coal or natural gas, we release a large amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
                  Your body can barely feel a difference of 0.890C, but the Earth’s ecosystems are so sensitive that even small changes can disturb them. It often starts with the smallest creatures at the bottom of the food chain, eventually affecting bigger animals, many of which could end up becoming extinct.
                  Global warming is also linked to an increase in extreme weather. A larger amount of carbon dioxide traps more energy inside the atmosphere. This changes the patterns of storms and rainfall in many regions and can lead to droughts and floods. Worse still, melting sea ice in warmer oceans is causing sea levels to rise at a speed of more than three millimeters per year, according to The Guardian, which also increases the risk of flooding.
                  “The report should serve as another wake-up call that our activities today have a profound impact on society, not only for us, but for many generations to come,” French Michel Jarraud, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization, said at a news conference.
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            • 3． With the videogame market flooded with more violent games, it can be a constant struggle for parents to monitor and limit their children’s video-gaming.
                 But a recent US Supreme Court decision doesn’t help parents. The ruling struck down California’s 2010 law that had prevented the sale or rental to those younger than 18 of violent games. The majority opinion said such limits went against First Amendment rights. So, parents, it’s up to you to fight against the influences of the＄18 billion video-gaming industry.
                 With so many video and computer games easily accessible, that monitoring role isn’t easy. It’s not just a matter of saying “no” to children, say psychologists. Some parents who shun government involvement in such matters welcomed the ruling, even while hating violent video games.
              “It’s a parent’s responsibility to teach them what they should watch and use,” said Ruth Forster, 45, Avon. Her daughter, Ellie, 13, doesn't like to play video games now, but Forster monitors her daughter’s movies and books. “Parents need to see how children react to a video and how it affects them,” she advised. “There are other video games out there you can help them to choose. Hopefully, if you instilled(灌输)enough good things  in them, they’ll do the right thing.” Parents need to be aware of the games their children are playing and how long they’re playing, and make sure the games are appropriate for their ages and personalities, she said.
                 It’s not hard to find reviews, ratings(分级) and details about games. Video-game ratings by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, give consumers an idea of the level of violence, sexual content and bad language. Videos with a rating of “M” for mature, for example, are said to be suitable for people 17 and older. But the system is voluntary, so younger children can buy or rent “M”-rated games. But it’s not enough to rely completely on the ratings.   
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            • 4． For thousands of years, mankind has produced plants and animals to create more desired and useful plants and animals. For example, modern com has been produced to such a large size that it is no longer able to reproduce without man's assistance. Modern dairy cows produce too much milk and if they are not often emptied of milk, they could leak, burst, become infected, and possibly die. Besides, most dogs raised by people can not survive in the wild even with special training.
                  Since natural evolution is extremely slow and mankind's selective production programs only take a few generations to produce a completely new species, natural evolution has already taken a back seat to mankind's production programs. In addition, mankind has successfully killed off several species all together. For example, there are no more European wolves in existence and mammoths (猛犸象) probably died out because of mankind. Even certain diseases have been permanently got rid of from the planet, and dozens of other diseases will soon be too. Again, natural evolution did i»t cause most of the destruction during man's rule of the world.
                  Currently, scientists are creating new species with desired characteristics in the lab significantly faster than natural evolution creates new species. In a single generation, new species can be created and destroyed by mankind, while natural evolution could take thousands of years to do the same but only accidentally. Scientists are even able to replace defective (有缺陷的) or damaged genes with different genes to attempt to cure genetic defects. This is something that natural evolution could possibly never correct.
                  Eventually scientists will even be able to improve the quality of people. For example, imagine not only correcting your eyesight with gene treatment, but also ensuring that all of your children do not receive your old genes of poor eyesight too. Scientists will one day be able to improve the memory and intelligence of your children, so that they will do better in school and achieve more in life. Doctors and scientists will be able to customize (订制) babies before they are born just like picking options at a car store.
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            • 5． Anne Frank's life was short and tragic. Yet her brave spirit has survived in her dairy. She wrote this diary while hiding from the Nazis during World War Ⅱ.
                    Anne's father prepared a hiding place for his family. He sealed off several rooms at the back of his office building, and covered the entrance with a movable bookcase. In July 1942, Anne, her mother and her father, her sister Margot, and four Jewish friends stepped behind the bookcase into the hidden rooms. The Frank family and their friends stayed shut away in secret for over two years. Brave friends risks their lives to bring them food. But constant fear and loss of freedom were hard to bear. For comfort, Anne started to write a diary. She was very good at expressing her thoughts and feelings in words.
                   Anne’s was 13 when she stared to write. Her diary shows that, just like other teenagers, she looked forward to adult life. She hoped to have career as a writer, and she longed to find love. She had a high ideal and wished "to be used or give pleasure to people around me." Throughout her time in hiding, Anne kept her faith in human nature. She wrote," In sprite of everything, I still believe that human beings are really good at heart."
                   In 1944, the Frank family's hiding place was given away to the Gestapo(German secret police). Anne was sent to the Bergen-Belsen prison camp in Germany. She died at the camp in 1945 at the age of 15.
                  Otto, Anne's father, was the only member of the Frank family to survive the war. He published her diary in 1947. Since then it has been published in more than 50 languages. Millions of people have visited the family's hiding place in Amsterdam. Anne Frank's story still inspires people to fight against all kinds of race discrimination(歧视).  
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