Train companies in Tokyo are taking action to reduce the number of people jumping in front of trains. They are fitting blue lights on station platforms to try and create a more calming atmosphere. The East Japan Railway Company has invested almost $170,000 to install the lights in all of the 29 stations on the capital’s busy Yamanote Line. There has been an alarming rise in the number of people committing suicide at train stations. A total of 68 people threw themselves under trains in the year up to March. This compares with 42 suicides in the same period a year earlier. In 2008, Japan had nearly 2,000 suicides by jumping in front of a train; around six percent of all suicides nationwide. Suicides have risen sharply in the past decade due to poor economic conditions.
No one knows if the blue lights will work. There is no evidence to show that blue light reduces suicidal feelings. Keihan Railway spokesman Osamu Okawa stated: "We thought we had to do something to save lives. We know there is no scientific proof that blue lights deter suicides, but if blue has a soothing effect on the mind, we want to try it to save lives." The Associated Press news agency reports on a Japanese therapist called Mizuki Takahashi. She explained her reasons why the blue lights might be a good idea: "We associate the color with the sky and the sea. It has a calming effect on agitated people, or people obsessed with one particular thing, which in this case is committing suicide," she said. Other companies are watching this experiment with interest.

My husband and children feel very happy to live here. They can’t see that we live on a dirty street in a dirty house among people who aren’t good. They can’t see that our neighbors have to make happiness out of all this dirt. I decided that my children must get out of this. The money that we’ve saved isn’t nearly enough.
The McGaritys have money but they are so proud. They look down upon the poor The McGarity girl just yesterday stood out there in the street eating from a bag of candy while a ring of hungry children watched her. I saw those children looking at her and crying in their hearts; and when she couldn’t eat any more she threw the rest down the sewer (下水道). Why Is it only because they have money There is more to happiness than money in the world, isn’t there
Miss Jackson who teaches at the Settlement House isn’t rich, but she knows things. She understands people. Her eyes look straight into yours when she talks with you. She can read your mind. I’d like to see the children will be like Miss Jackson when they grow up.

My husband and children feel very happy to live here. They can’t see that we live on a dirty street in a dirty house among people who aren’t good. They can’t see that our neighbors have to make happiness out of all this dirt. I decided that my children must get out of this. The money that we’ve saved isn’t nearly enough.
The McGaritys have money but they are so proud. They look down upon the poor The McGarity girl just yesterday stood out there in the street eating from a bag of candy while a ring of hungry children watched her. I saw those children looking at her and crying in their hearts; and when she couldn’t eat any more she threw the rest down the sewer (下水道). Why Is it only because they have money There is more to happiness than money in the world, isn’t there
Miss Jackson who teaches at the Settlement House isn’t rich, but she knows things. She understands people. Her eyes look straight into yours when she talks with you. She can read your mind. I’d like to see the children will be like Miss Jackson when they grow up.

It is 2 a. m. You took too long over dinner, the coast is still a couple of hundred kilometers away and it is essential to get that early morning ferry. And your car radiator pipe bas split. At times like that, the documents making up your insurance kit lying in the front of your car seem useless. The nearest phone was passed three kilometers back, and it would be reasonable to expect some delay in getting breakdown assistance when you have finally phoned through.
If on the other hand, you’ve got a spare in the car, five minutes’ work should see you on your way again. The majority of breakdowns do involve minor and easily changed parts. A few basic tools and the right mix of spares are well worth the space they take up. But to sort out which ones are most likely to be needed, and to buy them, can be expensive.
That is why the motoring organizations have come up with rental kits. For about 50 pence a day (slightly more to non-members) they will supply a boxed range of spares for a given ear. On returning the kit the motorist pays for any that are used, plus a small fee for repacking. Deposits are about ￡20.
It is much better, however, to reduce the risk of breakdowns by seeing that your car is properly serviced before setting out. Particularly when driving at high speed over long distances in hot weather.
Finally, it makes sense to purchase a safety triangle and an emergency plastic windscreen before leaving. Make sure all your fellow travellers know where your documents are; give one a spare set of keys, and slip into the back of your wallet a large banknote for the emergencies where a credit card won’t do.

Every year gray whales migrate from the Bering Sea in Alaska to the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.
Eleven gray whales have died in the San Francisco Bay in the last three weeks. No one knows why the whales are dying.
Last year 270 whales died along the whales’ migration route. Many people think starvation is the cause. This year the dead whales seem to have more blubber (fat) on them.
Twenty years ago, the gray whale was listed as an endangered species.
Some scientists think that the larger number of whales makes it hard to find enough food. More whales create more pressure on the food supply, a supply that some scientists say may have dwindled as a result of the warm waters of El Nino.
Most of the whales have been dead for many days before they are found and studied. This makes it hard to find the reason for death.
65 whales have been seen in the San Francisco Bay Area this year compared to 17 last year. The whales could be dying from many diseases, but it may be over-population.

Throughout history man has had to accept the fact that all living things must die, but people now live longer than they (36) . Yet, all living things still show the (37) of aging, which will eventually. (38) death.
Aging is not a disease, but as a person passes maturity, the cells of the body and the (39) they form do not function as well as they (40) in childhood and adolescence (青春期). The body provides less (41) against disease and is more prone (42) accident.A number of related cause may (43) aging. Some cells of the body have a fairly long life, but they are not (44) when they die. As a person ages, (45) of brain cells and muscle cells decrease, (46) body cells die and are replaced by new cells. In an aging person the (47) cells may not be as viable (能生存的) or as capable (48) growth as those of a young person.Another (49) in aging may be changes within the cells (50) . Some of the protein chemicals in cells are known (51) with age and become less elastic. This is why the skin of old people wrinkles and (52) . This is also the reason old people (53) in height. There may be other more important chemical changes in the cells. Some complex cell chemicals, such as RNA, store and (54) information that the cell need. Aging may affect this (55) and change the information carrying molecules so that they do not transmit the information as well.

We lost two superstars in 1977. Neither man’s admirers have been able to understand the success of the other one. And this tells us something of the difference between the generations that the two singers represent.
There were similarities between Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley. Both reached fame while young and became very rich. Although neither one had any musical education, both developed their own musical styles, which were at first criticized by the critics and later studied as new forms in the art of popular song. Both men had successful movie careers despite a total lack of acting ability.
Both were creations of the microphone, which made it possible for singers with weak voices to be heard beyond the third row. With Bing the microphone was usually hidden; but Elvis brought it to the stage.
The difference between the two men reflects the changing values in American life. Crosby’s music was soothing(令人舒畅的); Presley’s was disturbing. Crosby was singing to wartime America. His audiences had all the disturbances they could handle in their private lives; they did not want to buy more at the record shop and the movie theater.
Crosby’s admirers always said how "relaxed" and "natural" he was. When Presley began his career, the whole country had become relaxed and easygoing. Its young people, who had no memory of troubled times, found it boring. They were hungry for excitement. They welcomed Elvis, who was certainly not the kind of young man their parents would admire. Presley was loud and vulgar (粗俗的)—and he was bringing something new and exciting.
It is probably too simple to explain each man in terms of changes in the economic and political situation. Something in the culture was also changing.

Around the world more and more people are taking part in dangerous sports and activities. Now, there are people who look for an immediate excitement from a risky activity which may only last a few minutes or even seconds.
I would consider bungee jumping (蹦极) to be a good example of such an activity. You jump from a high place 200 meters above the ground with an elastic (弹性的) rope tied to your feet. You fall at up to 150 kilometers an hour until the rope stops you from hitting the ground. It is said that about 2 million people around the world have now tried bungee jumping. Other activities which most people around the world have now tried bungee include jumping from tall buildings and diving into the sea from the top of high cliffs.
Why do people take part in such activities as these Some psychologists suggest that it is because life in modern societies has become safe and boring. Not very long ago, people’s lives were constantly in danger. They had to go out and hunt for food, diseases could not easily be cured, and life was a continuous battle for survival.
Nowadays, according to many people, life offers little excitement. They live ad work in quite safe conditions; they buy food in shops, and there are doctors and hospitals to look after them become ill. The answer for some of these people is to look for danger in activities such as bungee jumping.

It is often difficult for visitors to understand Americans’ lack of desire for privacy. They are not a nation of walled gardens and closed gates. Their yards normally run into one another without fences；they often visit one another’s homes without being invited or telephoning first; they leave their office doors open while they work.
Their lack of desire for privacy probably results from their history as a nation. America is a big country. There have never been walled cities in the United States, nor was there the need for Americans to protect themselves from neighboring states. During the early years, America had so few settlers that neighbors were very important; they were not to be shut out by doors and fences. Neighbors offered protection and helped in the hard work of settling the land. They depended upon each other.
From the nation’s early history has come the desire for openness rather than privacy. Visitors will notice this desire in a number of small ways; there may be rooms in American homes that do not have doors or that have glass walls. If you notice that people forget to close your door when they leave your room, do not think that this is rude, help them to learn that you would like it to be closed, or else become accustomed to new ways. In either case, be patient with the differences.

My husband and children feel very happy to live here. They can’t see that we live on a dirty street in a dirty house among people who aren’t good. They can’t see that our neighbors have to make happiness out of all this dirt. I decided that my children must get out of this. The money that we’ve saved isn’t nearly enough.
The McGaritys have money but they are so proud. They look down upon the poor The McGarity girl just yesterday stood out there in the street eating from a bag of candy while a ring of hungry children watched her. I saw those children looking at her and crying in their hearts; and when she couldn’t eat any more she threw the rest down the sewer (下水道). Why Is it only because they have money There is more to happiness than money in the world, isn’t there
Miss Jackson who teaches at the Settlement House isn’t rich, but she knows things. She understands people. Her eyes look straight into yours when she talks with you. She can read your mind. I’d like to see the children will be like Miss Jackson when they grow up.