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An Early History of Australia Before the arrival of European settlers， Aboriginal and Tortes Strait Islander peoples inhabited most areas of the Australian continent. Each people spoke one or more of hundreds of separate languages, with lifestyles and religious and cultural traditions that differed according to the region in which they lived. Adaptable and creative， with simple but highly efficient technology, Indigenous Australians had complex social systems and highly developed traditions reflecting a deep connection with the land and environment. Asian and Oceanic people had contact with Australia’s Indigenous peoples for thousands of years before the European expansion into the Eastern Hemisphere. Some formed substantial relationships with communities in northern Australia. In 1606， the Spanish explorer Luis Vaez de Torres sailed through the strait that separates Australia and Papua New Guinea. Dutch explorers charted the north and west coasts and found Tasmania. The first British explorer, William Dampier， landed on the northwest coast in 1688. But it was not until 1770 that his countryman, Captain James Cook， on the Endeavour, extended a scientific voyage to the South Pacific in order to chart the east coast of the continent that had become known as New Holland， and claimed it for the British Crown. The American war of independence shut off that country as a place to transport convicts, requiring Great Britain to establish a new penal colony. Sir Joseph Banks， the President of the Royal Society, had sailed as a naturalist with Captain Cook， and suggested Australia for this purpose. The First Fleet of 11 ships arrived at Botany Bay in January 1788. Governor Phillip preferred Sydney Harbor and the date he landed in the Harbor, 26 January， is now commemorated as Australia Day. The First Fleet carded 1, 500 people， half of them convicts. Robert Hughes’ The Fatal Shore (1987) is a classic book on the convict system. Hughes suggests that the penal system had lasting effects on Australian society. About 160, 000 convicts were sent to the Australian continent over the next 80 years. The wool industry and the gold rushes of the mid-19th century provided an impetus to free settlement. Scarcity of labor， the vastness of the bush and new wealth based on farming, mining and trade all contributed to the development of uniquely Australian institutions and sensibilities. At the time of European settlement in 1788 it is estimated there were at least 300，000 Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia. European settlement involved the displacement and dispossession of Indigenous peoples. It disrupted traditional land management practices and introduced new plants and animals into fragile Australian ecosystems.

Transformation of St Kilda Seventy-five years ago， the residents of a group of islands off the northwest coast of Scotland packed up and left for good. Their home—St Kilda—now has World Heritage status but with the departure of the St Kildans in August 1930, a way of life that had existed for thousands of years， vanished. St Kilda was years for years known as the most remote settlement in the entire British Empire, but actually it is not so far away—around 200 km west of the nearest point of the Scottish mainland. Seventy-five years ago， at the end of August 1930, the last 36 islanders banked up their turf fires， opened their Bibles at Exodus, put some oats on the table， then left forever, bringing to an end a habitation and a way of life that stretched back at least two thousand years. St Kilda is an archipelago of sea stacks， skerries and four islands, of which only one， Hirta, was permanently inhabited. It was remote in ways other than geography. The people， who never numbered more than a couple of hundred, spoke not English but a distinctive form of Gaelic. Their economy， their whole culture, revolved round seabirds—fulmars， gannets and puffins. They ate them and exchanged their feathers and precious oil for goods such as tea and sugar from the mainland. In the Victorian era, at the height of Britain’s imperial adventure， this self-sufficient life held a strange fascination. St Kilda became a fashionable tourist destination and steamers regularly dropped anchor in Village Bay. But the visitors could not comprehend the St Kildans they gawped at. There is an astonishing recording in the BBC’s archives of an islander saying that her mother, in payment for a bale of tweed which had taken all winter to weave， was given an orange. She didn’t know what it was. There had been worse traumas: St Kilda’s graveyard is one of the most heartrending places. It is full of tiny hummocks， where infants are buried. Newborn babies were all anointed where the cord had been cut with a concoction of fulmar oil, dung and earth and 8 out of 10 of them died of neonatal tetanus. The minister finally put a stop to this in 1891 and after that the babies lived， but it was too late. Add to this grief, emigration and harsh religion and it’s no wonder that the St Kildans lost heart. By the 1920s there were no longer enough people to do all the work. In 1930 they planted no crops and petitioned the government to take them off the island. St Kilda is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland. There are tow National Trust wardens and in the summer volunteer work parties come to maintain the buildings. There’s a resident archaeologist. A century on St Kilda has become a chic destination once again. There were 15，000 visitors last year. Recently one of the wardens found the first piece of litter; a plastic water bottle wedged between the stones of a wall.

Tea， that most quintessential of English drinks, is a relative latecomer to British shores. Although the custom of drinking tea dates back to the third millennium BC in China， it was not until the mid-17th century that the beverage first appeared in England. The use of tea spread slowly from its Asian homeland, reaching Europe by way of Venice around 1560， although Portuguese trading ships may have made contact with the Chinese as early as 1515. It was the Portuguese and Dutch traders who first imported tea to Europe, with regular shipments by 1610. England was a latecomer to the tea trade， as the East India Company did not capitalize on tea’s popularity until the mid-18th century. Coffee Houses Curiously, it was the London coffee houses that were responsible for introducing tea to England. One of the first coffee house merchants to offer tea was Thomas Garway， who owned an establishment in Exchange Alley. He sold both liquid and dry tea to the public as early as 1657. Three years later he issued a broadsheet advertising tea at ￡6 and ￡10 per pound (ouch!), touting its virtues at “making the body active and lusty”， and “preserving perfect health until extreme old age”. Tea gained popularity quickly in the coffee houses, and by 1700 over 500 coffee houses sold it. This distressed the tavern owners， as tea cut their sales of ale and gin, and it was bad news for the government， who depended upon a steady stream of revenue from taxes on liquor sales. By 1750 tea had become the favored drink of Britain’s lower classes. Taxation on Tea Charles Ⅱ did his bit to counter the growth of tea, with several acts forbidding its sale in private houses. This measure was designed to counter sedition， but it was so unpopular that it was impossible to enforce it. A 1676 act taxed tea and required coffee house operators to apply for a license. This was just the start of government attempts to control, or at least， to profit from the popularity of tea in Britain. By the mid-18th century the duty on tea had reached an absurd 119%. This heavy taxation had the effect of creating a whole new industry-tea smuggling. Smuggling Tea Ships from Holland and Scandinavia brought tea to the British coast, then stood offshore while smugglers met them and unloaded the precious cargo in small vessels. The smugglers， often local fishermen, snuck the tea inland through underground passages and hidden paths to special hiding places. One of the best hiding places was in the local parish church! Even smuggled tea was expensive， however, and therefore extremely profitable， so many smugglers began to adulterate the tea with other substances, such as willow， licorice, and sloe leaves. Used tea leaves were also retried and added to fresh leaves.

Born in 1451， the son of an Italian weaver, Christopher Columbus took to the sea at an early age， making up for his lack of formal education by teaching himself geography, navigation， and Latin. By the 1480s Columbus—a tall, red-haired， long-faced man with a ruddy complexion, oval eyes， and a prominent nose—was an experienced seaman. Dazzled by the prospect of Asian riches, he hatched a scheme to reach the Indies (India， China, the East Indies， or Japan) by sailing west. After the courts of Portugal, England， and France showed little interest in his plan, Columbus turned to Spain for backing. He won the support of Ferdinand and Isabella， the Spanish monarchs, and himself raised much of the money needed to finance the voyage. The legend that the queen had to hock the crown jewels is as spurious as the fable that Columbus set out to prove the earth was round. Columbus chartered one seventy-five-foot ship， the Santa María, and the Spanish city of Palos supplied two smaller caravels， the Pinta and Nina. From Palos this little squadron, with eighty-seven officers and men， set sail westward for what Columbus thought was Asia. The first leg of the journey went well, thanks to a strong trade wind. But then the breeze lagged， the days passed, and the crew began to grumble about their captain’s farfetched plan. To rally flagging morale， he reminded the crew of the dazzling riches awaiting them. Yet skepticism remained rife, and he finally promised that the expedition would turn back if land were not sighted in three days. Early on October 12， 1492, after thirty-three days at sea， a lookout on the Santa María yelled “Tierra! Tierra! ［Land! Land!］” It was an island in the Bahamas that Columbus named San Salvador (Blessed Savior). According to Columbus’s own reckoning he was near the Indies, so he called the island people los Indios. He described the Indians as naked people， “very well made, of very handsome bodies and very good faces.” The Arawak Indians paddled out in dugout logs， which they called canoes, and offered gifts to the strangers. Their warm generosity and docile temperament led Columbus to write in his journal that “they invite you to share anything that they possess， and show as much love as if their hearts went with it.” Yet he added that “with fifty men they could all be subjugated and compelled to do anything one wishes.”

This was the first significant victory for Mary Rose Taylor， the chairman of the Margaret Mitchell House, Inc.， Foundation, who has championed the efforts to save the house. Taylor looks like a typical Buckhead Society matron： a former University of North Carolina homecoming queen, she is tall， blond, carefully coifed and married to a successful real-estate developer. But she considers herself a product of the sixties and the civil-rights movement. A former television journalist， she worked for “60 Minutes” in the late sixties, was once married to the talk-show host Charlie Rose， and has been an anchorwoman for one of Atlanta’s main television stations. She played an important role in Mayor Campbell’s 1994 election campaign. “I see the Mitchell House and the debate surrounding it as a symbol of Atlanta’s inability to deal with its past, ” she says. “I want to use the past to stimulate greater candor about racial relations， not to glorify the antebellum South.” Taylor has never read Gone with the Wind before moving to Atlanta in 1980, and hadn’t seen the movie since her first date， at the age of sixteen in 1961. She didn’t learn about the existence of the house until 1987 and was surprised to discover that there was no monument commemorating Mitchell. After all, the book has sold some thirty， million copies, and the movie has been seen by hundreds of millions. Along with Coca-Cola， Gone with the Wind has been Atlanta’s most successful export product and is potentially one of its biggest tourist attractions. (Gung-ho tourists have been known to visit Oakland Cemetery in search of the grave of Scarlett O’Hara.) Mitchell’s apartment house on Peachtree and Tenth Street dates back to 1899, Taylor tells me. Mitchell moved into an apartment on the ground floor in 1925 (she was a writer for the Atlanta Journal at the time)， and she wrote most of Gone with the Wind there, before moving out in 1932. “It was an elegant nineteen-century home，” Taylor says. “This area was still very attractive and fashionable when Margaret lived here. She called it the Dump, but that was part of her off-the-cuff humor. She referred to her office as the Black Hole of Calcutta and to the cafe when she ate lunch as the Roachery.” The house became a hippie hangout in the sixties， and in 1979 it was abandoned. In her effort to save it, Taylor formed a not-for-profit organization in 1990. “Andy Young advised me to form a board that was fifty per cent African-American and sixty percent female.” Taylor says， “But I think I probably would have done that anyway.”

US Environmental Protection While the G8 summit was under way， and once the news of Wednesday’s London bombings became known, the American president George Bush was widely quoted on the subject of international terrorism. He spoke of his resolve to bring the perpetrators to justice， and to “spread an ideology of hope and compassion that will overwhelm” what he called “their ideology of hate”. But as the G8 meeting drew to a close, the US President had rather less to say about the Plan of Action， announced by the world leaders, to tackle what they deemed the “serious and long-term challenge” of climate change. Stephen Evans， who’s on a driving tour of the western United States, says many Americans remain unconvinced that this is an issue they need to take seriously： “I’ve just driven down from Salt Lake City, through the desert of Utah and Nevada. It is a magnificent sublime wilderness where horizons are wide when they’re not broken by the craggy splendour of an ancient volcanic landscape. As the sun sinks here， the rocks glow red and it’s hard to imagine a threat to the environment where space seems limitless. And yet, many of these escarpments hide sites where humans dispose of all sorts of waste. Just beyond the beauty is a land being violated. This is where America throws its trash over the back wall.” In Europe， insurance premiums rise as homes get built on flood plains in a search for every inch of exploitable space. In America, there is not this connection between wallets and weather. Extremes of climate seem natural. Only on the crowded coasts is the environment an issue. California and New York have tough regulations. In between， they often can’t see what the fuss is about. It’s a big country they feel. The taxi-driver in Texas who told me that global warming was hokum is not a lone voice, some of the big oil companies that lobby Mr. Bush are also loathe to concede a link between their product and climate change. The environment sometimes seems like the fashionable issue of the moment， the right badge to wear, the current political designer label. Things are changing though. Neo-conservatives are worried that importing oil means relying on hostile regimes， which, moreover， might funnel some of the dollars to anti-American causes— what the neocons call a “terrorism tax on the American people.” So there is pressure on Mr. Bush over the environment but not as a grand cause. It’s a concern rather about importing an expensive fuel from hostile places. And Mr. Bush may respond with tax incentives for cleaner technology that the US market seems increasingly to want.

As the famous Chinese saying goes， “Above, there is Heaven—below， there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.” An impressive claim, but the only way to find out if Suzhou is indeed one of these two earthly paradises is to actually visit the place. Suzhou sits only four meters above sea level， so water features heavily in the landscape of its canal towns, as well as in the serene classical gardens that have been designated as World Heritage sites. This was immediately obvious on arrival， with rivers and canals crisscrossing the streets on the ten-minute walk from the train station to my riverside hostel. Because of Suzhou’s location near the mouth of the Yangtze, numerous canals were built to stabilize the flood-prone delta areas. Several other towns and cities in the region followed suit， creating what has become known as China’s region of water towns. As well as the countless lakes, 35 kilometers of rivers， and 168 bridges nearby, the Grand Canal is another significant draw. Stretching from Beijing to Hangzhou， it cuts an impressive path from north to south, and brought significant trade to the towns. After a few minutes’ exploration down some of its many back streets， I discovered why Suzhou is often praised as the “Venice of the Orient.” a Aside from the countess picturesque stone bridges peppering the city, Suzhou， like Venice, was once a great trading port， supplying goods from China’s “most productive land.” And during my brief visit I saw many small boats using the rivers to transport goods throughout the city. It’s also the silk capital of China. In ancient times it was from here that silk would have been transported along the Grand Canal to Beijing, and eventually all the way along the silk road to places as far away as Rome. Even today， Suzhou’s silk exports account for 30 percent of the country’s total. With its mild climate, fertile land and abundance of produce， it is no wonder that Suzhou is referred to as “heaven on earth.” Suzhou’s gardens date back as far as 600 AD. These gardens were designed by artists who were hired at the height of the Tang and Song dynasties, and used four basic elements to create a harmony between heaven and earth： trees, water， bridges and rock. With an abundance of water, and stones brought from nearby Lake Tai， it was the trees (the older the better) which were the most prized elements of the gardens. The gardens are not known for their size, but for their delicate design incorporating hills and ponds， terraces and corridors. Suzhou also has a strong tradition of Kunqu Opera, which was listed by UNESCO in 2001 as one of the “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.” A good place to see it is at the Garden of the Master of the Nets， which is also one of the city’s nine gardens to have earned a UNESCO World Heritage listing.

Ecotourism Thinking about going off the beaten path for your next vacation？ If so, you might be one of the many people—who are enjoying a relatively new mode of travel known as ecotourism. As the name implies， ecotourism focuses on conserving the ecology and natural heritage of tourist destinations. In addition, ecotourism features indigenous cultures and promotes ways for local communities to control and maintain their resources. In the past， vacationers usually spent their time staying at luxury hotels and visiting famous landmarks and museums in cities such as New York, Paris and Tokyo. Others preferred to relax on the beautiful beaches of Hawaii or the deck of a cruise ship in the sunny Caribbean. There was little interaction with the local people and overcrowding often spoiled the natural beauty of popular vacation spots. In addition， excessive commercialization turned many places into tourist traps. Since the early 1980s, however， adventure-oriented and nature-based vacation activities have become increasingly popular. Developing alongside a global rise in environmental consciousness and respect for cultural diversity, ecotourism is the one of the fastest growing sectors of the travel and tourism industry. Mountain climbing in the Himalayas， roughing it on a wilderness expedition, trekking in the Amazon rainforest and whale watching on the high seas are attractive alternatives to the urban comforts of five-star hotels and classy restaurants. But ecotourism means more than just traveling to remote destinations. The concept also emphasizes educating visitors about local people， customs and cultural heritage. Perhaps most importantly, it involves a methodical approach to tourism that minimizes the negative impact on natural habitats and gives host communities a leading role in decision-making processes， along with the lion’s share of economic benefits. As tourism might be the largest industry in the world, sustainable growth strategies should be adopted to ensure that our natural and cultural heritage is preserved for the enjoyment and benefit of future generations.

Maya： Away from Crowds Central America is home to many secret treasures for tourists who like to avoid the crowds, including numerous ancient Maya settlements. The seven countries of Central America—Guatemala， Panama, Belize， Honduras, El Salvador， Nicaragua and Costa Rica—are full of natural beauty and cultural treasures. Many of the region’s nature reserves, ancient Maya settlements and colonial cities have been declared world cultural heritage sites by the United Nations Educational， Scientific and Cultural Organization. There are lots of volcanoes and an exotic animal kingdom to explore, yet few people outside the region know of them. The view into the crater of the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua is a breathtaking experience， enlivened by the accompanying strong smell of sulphur and the loud screaming of parrots. Yet the car park on the edge of the crater is nearly empty. This is a boon for daring travelers who can enjoy all the beauty without having to share it with hordes of others visitors. El Salvador has a “road of flowers” and Nicaragua has a “road of white villages” connecting villages from the colonial period. Honduras is developing a means of connecting the native American communities in the Atlantic coast from the Garifuna, descendents of the Carribean Indians and Africans， to the Miskito Indians in the jungle. Geological enthusiasts could also follow a volcanic trail through Central America. There are many volcanoes in just a small area, some with perfectly cone-shaped peaks constantly emitting smoke from their craters. Some of them are partially accessible. A bus travels to the edge of the Masaya craters in Nicaragua， an active volcano just 500 meters high. For safety reasons, every traveler should get local information from the local tourism authority before climbing a volcano. The Arenal Volcano in northern Costa Rica terrified local inhabitants and tourists in August 2000 when it spouted hot gas and ash. Individual travelers can easily find travel information. The long distance buses that connect all the countries in the region are very comfortable with air conditioning and TV. And if you travel through the villages in small， local rundown buses, you will swiftly come into close contact with local inhabitants and their animals. You are just as likely to have a hen thrust into your lap as a small child.

Welcome to the scenic Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Here you will find a host of fun events and activities to entertain you and your family for your entire vacation. Looking for a slower pace instead？ We can help with that as well. Here in New Hampshire there are many opportunities to find a peaceful spot hidden among the lush forests of tall evergreens and hard-woods or next to a rambling brook or pictorial lake. Pack a picnic lunch, bring along a good book， sit back and enjoy the views and delight in the splendor of this beautiful region. No matter what your fancy, you will never be at a loss of what to do. Within the locales of this lovely region， we offer 273 lakes and ponds of all sizes, family attractions， lake cruises, swimming， summer theater, hiking， biking, fishing， scenic country drives, museums antiquing， craft fairs and festivals and of course, shopping. The possibilities of fun and relaxation are endless. With so many fun things to do in an atmosphere that promotes relaxation， it is no wonder so many people return to the serenity of N.H.’s lakes year after year. For the best that New Hampshire has to offer in natural beauty, an enormous array of lodging， fine dining, outdoor activities， attractions kids of all ages will love, and great shopping， the Lakes Region is a vacation wonderland. A trip to the scenic Lakes Region of N. H. is incomplete without visiting Wolfeboro which is the center of activity on the eastern side of Lake Winnipesaukee and can be reached by driving Routes 28 or 109. This lovely and historic lakeside town is often referred to as the “Oldest Summer Resort in America, ” for here in 1763 the Royal Governor Wentworth’s family began building a summer estate. Soon after this point other wealthy families built summer homes here as well and eventually the railroads pushed into the region and the area soon became a full-fledged recreation and vacation area. As you approach Wolfeboro from any direction you will pass by lovely old homes and inns until you arrive at the picturesque center of the village with views of Wolfeboro Bay and the lake beyond. Along Main Street you will find channing boutiques and specialty shops of every description， a range of restaurants from casual family spots to historic inn dining rooms and taverns. A beautifully situated park on the lake’s shore provides a perfect spot to savor an ice cream while watching the boats darting about on the bay or the exciting arrival of the famous M/S Mount Washington as she docks nearby. This park hosts many cultural and entertaining events throughout the year and is the center point for summertime entertainment. Visitors will enjoy such events as musical performances, fine art shows， craft fairs, the New England Antique Boat Museum， fireworks and many other activities.

The Grand Canyon A famous American John Muir said in 1898： “The Grand Canyon…as unearthly in the color and grandeur and quantity of its architecture as if you had found it after death on some other star.” Like Muir, those of us who stand along the rim are prompted to wonder about the unearthliness and the forces that created and are still changing this place. After more than 100 years of studies， many things are still obscure. Today visitors come by the thousands—the great and simple of the earth—all in a spirit of marvel. Travelers come from every state of the Union, from every country in Europe and Asia， pilgrims to a shrine that is the same as the creed. From the depths of the canyon comes welling silence. Seldom can you hear the roar of the river. For all sounds are swallowed in this gulf of space. It makes one want to murmur. A woman once whispered to her companion. This silence is not the silence of death; rather， it is a presence. It is like a great piece of music. But music made of man works up to a climax and ceases; he Grand Canyon is all climax， a chord echoing into eternity. Perhaps the most spectacular feature of the Grand Canyon, its Redwall limestone cliff， stands about half way up the chasm and is practically vertical. Its average height is 550 feet almost exactly that of the Washington Monument. Though it is actually gray-blue limestone, the surface of the cliff has been stained to a sunset hue by iron salts washing out of the rocks. Above the Redwall come alternating layers of red sandstone and shale(页岩) 1，000 feet thick, then comes the next pale-blue layer. The topmost layers are a yellowish limestone. Now， visitors to the South Rim alone may number 18, 000 in a single day. Some of that number will travel by mule (轻型牵引机) train down Bright Angel Trail to the canyon’s floor， cross the raging fiver by a suspension bridge and amount to the North Rim. Though the two rims face each other across only 12 miles, it is a journey of 214 miles by car from one to the other. Nor can you visit the North Rim except in summer； some 1, 200 feet higher than the South Rim， it is snow covered much of the year except in July and August. But there is no day that you may not visit the South Rim and find the sun warm on your face and the air perfumed with the incense of smoke from an Indian hearth. The Grand Canyon is an unearthly sight. No wonder an American writer and journalist said, “I came here an atheist， and departed a devout believer.”

Many matters， however, are less easily brought to the test of experience. If， like most of mankind, you have strong convictions on many such matters， there are ways in which you can make yourself aware of your own prejudices. If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you subconsciously are aware of having no good reason for thinking as you do. If someone maintains that two and two are five， or that Iceland is on the equator you feel pity rather than anger, unless you know so little of arithmetic or geography that his opinion shakes your own contrary conviction. The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. So whenever you find yourself getting angry about difference of opinion， be on your guard; you will probably find， on examination that your belief is going beyond what the evidence justifies. For those who have enough psychological imagination, it is a good plan to imagine an argument with a person having a different opinion. This has one advantage， and only one, as compared with actual conversation with opponents： this one advantage is that the method is not subject to the same limitations of time and space. Mahatma Gandhi considered it unfortunate to have railways and steamboats and machinery; he would have liked to undo the whole of the industrial revolution. You may never have an opportunity of actually meeting anyone who holds his opinion， because in Western countries most people take the advantage of modern technology for granted. But if you want to make sure that you are right in agreeing with the prevailing opinion, you will find it a good plan to test the arguments that occur to you by considering what Gandhi might have said in refutation of them. I have sometimes been led actually to change my mind as a result of this kind of imaginary dialogue. Furthermore， I have frequently found myself growing more agreeable through realizing the possible reasonableness of a hypothetical opponent.

It used to be said that English people take their pleasures sadly. No doubt this would still be true if they had any pleasures to take， but the price of alcohol and tobacco in my country has provided sufficient external causes for melancholy. I have sometimes thought that the habit of taking pleasures sadly has crossed the Atlantic. And I have wondered what it is that makes so many English-speaking people somber in their outlook in spite of good health and a good income. In the course of my travels in America I have been impressed by a kind of fundamental malaise which seems to me extremely common and which poses difficult problems for the social reformer. Most social reformers have held the opinion that, if poverty were abolished and there were no more economic insecurity， the millennium would have arrived. But when I look at the faces of people in opulent cars, whether in your country or in mine， I do not see that look of radiant happiness which the aforesaid social reformers had led me to expect. In nine cases out of ten, I see instead a look of boredom and discontent and an almost frantic longing for something that might tickle the jaded palate. But it is not only the very rich who suffer in this way. Professional men very frequently feel hopelessly thwarted. There is something that they long to do or some public object that they long to work for. But if they were to indulge their wishes in these respects， they fear that they would lose their livelihood. Their wives are equally unsatisfied, for their neighbor， Mrs. So-and-So, has gone ahead more quickly， has a better car, a larger apartment and grander friends. Life for almost everybody is a long competitive struggle where very few can win the race. and those who do not win are unhappy. On social occasions when it is de rigueur to seem cheerful， the necessary demeanor is stimulated by alcohol. But the gaiety does not ring true and anybody who had drunk too much is apt to lapse into lachrymose melancholy.

Ban Ki-moon Stepped on the Stage On January 1 Ban Ki-moon， the new secretary-general, moved into the office on the 38th floor of United Nations headquarters in New York. Most of the talk has focused on whether it is appropriate that the world’s regions should “take turns” in holding such a key post. But the more important issue is what consequences will flow from having an Asian in the top job at the precise moment that Asia emerges into the geopolitical sun. A certain historical distance has always existed between the Asian region and the international organization. Most of New York’s energy is consumed by the Middle East and Africa， not Asia. The UN is Atlanticist in structure and sometimes in orientation. There have been several signs in recent years, however， of a quickening of interactions between the UN and Asia. First, the end of the cold war broke the superpower deadlock in the Security Council， conjured up new confidence about the organization’s place in international relations and was followed by the establishment of two of the UN’s largest and most complex peace operations, in Cambodia and East Timor. Second， the emergence of new and interconnected security threats in the region, including infectious diseases， resource scarcity, environmental catastrophes such as the 2004 tsunami， trafficking in drugs and people, and state failure， has demonstrated the advantages of international cooperation. As these threats escalate, so will the work of the UN and its agencies. Third， as the focus of international power moves towards them, Asian states are stepping up their engagement with the world body. The top five contributors of peacekeeping personnel are all from the UN’s Asian regional group. Both Japan and India remain intent on permanent membership of the Security Council. Most striking of all is China’s increasingly practical behavior in New York. China was once poorly represented， defensive in the Council and uninterested in peacekeeping: now it is ably represented， confident and skillful in the chamber and before the media, and deploys more peacekeeping personnel than any other permanent member. This is the stage onto which Mr. Ban stepped.

Genetic researchers have accelerated a plant’s growth by making its cells split faster—a technique that could someday lead to healthier crops， shorter growing seasons and less use of herbicides. One outside scientist called the findings astonishing. But the technique needs more testing on a range of plants, and public fear of genetically modified food is jeopardizing support for such experiments， especially in Europe, researchers said. The experiment， reported Thursday in the journal Nature, was carried out by a team at Cambridge University. The researchers first took a gene promoting cell division from inside the Arabidopsis plant， a flowering weed often used for genetic experiments. They transplanted that gene into a tobacco plant. There, in an especially potent form， the gene produced large amounts of a protein that, in combination with other chemicals naturally in the tobacco， made the plant’s cells divide more quickly at the tips of roots and shoots. Within a month after planting, the altered tobacco grew as much as twice as tall as other tobacco plants. Ultimately， the other plants caught up, and both groups then appeared identical in all ways. “It’s sort of like they’ve been able to make the plant go full throttle，” a said plant growth biologist John Schiefelbein at the University of Michigan. The leader of the study, Claire Cockcroft， said it is conceivable that the technique could be transferred to other species. Such plants, which probably would take years to develop commercially， might allow an extra planting in some climates or the introduction of crops in places where the growing season is too short, researchers said. The quick-growth plants would presumably take hold more easily， requiring less chemical herbicide to knock out weeds. Such plants might make easier and cheaper sources of some drugs. In scientific circles, the British research may also help settle an intense debate over what makes plants grow. Some argue， like these researchers, that something at the cellular level switches on growth； others look to hormones or other chemicals at a higher level of the plant’s makeup. “This is astonishing. Normally you would expect growth regulation to be more complicated, ” said plant researcher Xuemin Wang at Kansas State University. “This has huge implications in terms of how we look at plant growth.” Biotechnology companies have genetically manipulated fruits and vegetables to make them more attractive or resistant to insects and disease. Genetic work has shown some early promise for faster growth， too. But previous attempts to boost growth through faster cell division have produced more cells—but smaller ones—and no overall growth. Scientists said such work is safe, with little chance of accidentally turning an unwanted plant into a fast-growing weed. After all， crops have been selectively bred for decades to bring out certain traits. However, ethicist Jeffrey Burkhardt at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences said selective breeding takes perhaps 15 years， giving scientists ample time to see the implications. “With the new biotechnology, you’re potentially moving traits in and out within a year，” he said.

Transgenic plants and animals result from genetic engineering experiments in which genetic material is moved from one organism to another， so that the latter will exhibit a characteristic. Business corporations, scientists， and farmers hope that transgenic techniques will allow more cost-effective and precise plants and animals with desirable characteristics that are not available using up to date breeding technology. Transgenic techniques allow genetic material to be transferred between completely unrelated organisms. In order for a transgenic technique to work, the genetic engineer must first construct a transgene， which is the gene to be introduced plus a control sequence. When making a transgene, scientists usually substitute the original promoter sequence with one that will be active in the correct tissues of the recipient plant or animal. The creation of transgenic animals is one of the most dramatic advances derived from recombinant DNA technology. A transgenic animal results from insertion of a foreign gene into an embryo. The foreign gene becomes a permanent part of the host animals’ genetic material. As the embryo develops， the foreign gene may be present in many cells of the body, including the germ cells of the testis or the ovary. If the transgenic animal is fertile， the inserted foreign gene (transgene) will be inherited by future progeny. Thus, a transgenic animal， once created, can persist into future generations. Transgenic animals are different from animals in which foreign cells or foreign organs have been engrafted. The progeny of engrafted animals do not inherit the experimental change. The progeny of transgenic animals do. The techniques for creating a transgenic animal include the following： 1) picking a foreign gene, 2) placing the foreign gene in a suitable form called a “construct” which guides the insertion of the foreign gene into the animal genome and encourages its expression， and 3) injecting the construct into a single fertilized egg or at the very early embryo stage of the host animal. Much genetic engineering goes into the choice of a foreign gene and building a construct. The construct must have promoters to turn on foreign gene expression at its new site within the host animal genome. By choosing a particular promoter and splicing it in front of the foreign gene, we can encourage expression of our transgene within a specific tissue. One of the most important applications of transgenic animals is the development of new animal models of human disease. Transgenic animals can serve as models for many malignant tumors. Mice have been the most frequent hosts for transgenic modification， other domestic animals have also been used. One idea has been to create transgenic cows which secrete important pharmaceutical substances in their milk. Other attempts are being made to express human interferon in the milk of sheep. A transgenic crop plant contains a gene or genes which have been artificially inserted instead of the plant acquiring them through pollination. The inserted gene sequence (known as the transgene) may come from another unrelated plant, or from a completely different species： transgenic BT corn, for example， which produces its own insecticide, containing a gene from a bacterium. Plants containing transgenes are often called genetically modified or GM crops although in reality all crops have been genetically modified from their original wild state by domestication， selection and controlled breeding over long periods of time.

The shotgun marriage of chemistry and engineering called “Nanotechnology” is ushering in the era of serf-replicating machinery and serf-assembling consumer goods made from cheap raw atoms. Nanotechnology is molecular manufacturing or， more simply, building things one atom or molecule at a time with programmed baroscopic robot arms. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter (3-4 atoms wide). Utilizing the well understood chemical properties of atoms and molecules (how they “stick” together)， nanotechnology proposes the construction of novel molecular devices possessing extraordinary properties. The trick is to manipulate atoms individually and place them exactly where needed to produce the desired structure. This ability is almost in our grasp. The anticipated payoff for mastering this technology is far beyond any human accomplishment so far. By treating atoms as discrete, bit-like objects， molecular manufacturing will bring a digital revolution to the production of material objects. Working at the resolution limit of matter, it will enable the ultimate in miniaturization and performance. By starting with cheap， abundant components-molecules-and processing them with small, high-frequency， high-productivity machines, it will make products inexpensive. Design computers that each executes more instructions per second than all of the semiconductor CPUs in the world combined. Nanotechnology will reverse the harm done by the industrial revolution. Imagine being able to cure cancer by drinking a medicine stirred into your favorite fruit juice. Imagine a supercomputer no bigger than a human cell Imagine a four-person， surface-to-orbit spacecraft no larger or more expensive than the family car. These are just a few products expected from nanotechnology. Humanity will be faced with a powerful, accelerated social revolution as a result of nanotechnology. In the near future， a team of scientists will succeed in constructing the first nano-sized robot capable of self-replication. Within a few short years, and five billion trillion nano-robots later， virtually all present industrial processes will be obsolete as well as our contemporary concept of labor. Consumer goods will become plentiful, inexpensive， smart, and durable. Medicine will take a quantum leap forward， space travel and colonization will become safe and affordable. For these and other reasons, global life styles will change radically and human behavior will be drastically impacted. The world is on the brink of a new technological revolution beyond any human experience. A new， more powerful industrial revolution capable of bringing wealth, health， and education, without pollution， to every person on the planet. No longer will forest need to be cut or smoke spewed into the air. This is the promise of nanotechnology. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter. That’s a thousand, million times smaller than a meter. If you blew up a baseball to the size of the earth， the atoms would become visible, about the size of grapes. Some 3-4 atoms fit lined up inside a nanometer.

Maglev is a system in which the vehicle runs levitated from the guide way (corresponding to the rail tracks of conventional railways) by using electromagnetic forces between superconducting magnets on board the vehicle and coils on the ground. Different from conventional wheel-on-rail system， the Trans rapid accomplishes the functions of support, guidance， acceleration and braking by using non-contact electromagnetic instead of mechanical force. Because there is almost no mechanical contact Trans rapid can run with lower noise, but relatively higher speed up to 500 km/h. The magnetic levitation system is based on the power of attraction between the electromagnets in the vehicle and the ferromagnetic stator packs in the guide way. In contrast to the conventional trains， the propulsion system for the Trans rapid is not mounted in the vehicle but in the guide way. The long-stator linear motor in the guide way is divided into segments which are individually switched on and off, with power only being supplied to the given segment as the train passes. Electronically controlled support magnets located on both sides along the entire length of the vehicle pull the vehicle up to the ferromagnetic stator packs mounted to the underside of the guideway. Guidance magnets located on both sides along the entire length of the vehicle keep the vehicle laterally on the track. Electronic systems guarantee that the clearance remains constant (nominally 10 mm). To hover， the maglev requires less power than its air conditioning equipment. The levitation system is supplied from on-b0ard batteries and thus independent of the propulsion system. The vehicle is capable of hovering up to 30 minutes without external energy. While travelling, the on-board batteries are recharged by linear generators integrated into the support magnets. The maglev hovers over a single or double track guide way. It can be mounted either at-grade or elevated on slim columns and consists of individual steel or concrete beams up to 62 meters in length. To change tracks， bendable switches are used which consist of a continuous steel beam which is elastically bent by means of electro-mechanical setting drives. Low speed switches, approx.78 meters long， are used to change tracks near stations and can be passed over in the turnout direction at 100 km/h (in the straight direction at full operating speed). High speed switches, approx.150 meters long， are used where higher turnout speeds are required (200 km/h turnout speed and in the straight direction at full operating speed). The maglev is propelled by a non-contact, long-stator linear motor which is installed in the guide way and functions like a rotating electric motor with the stator cut open and stretched out below the guide way.

Why Do We Dream？ Our dreams may affect our lives (and vice versa) more than we ever realized, says new research. For 11 years， a 58-year-old anthropologist kept a journal of nearly 500 dreams by a man. By analyzing color patterns in the dreams, Arizona-based researcher Robert Hoss could accurately predict certain things about the man’s emotional state. Hoss correctly identified two separate years when the man experienced crises in his life. The anthropologist confirmed that in 1997 he had clashed with a colleague over a management issue， and in 2003 he’d had a falling out with a friend that left deep emotional scars. How was Hoss able to gauge the dreamer’s turmoil? “The clues were in the colors，” he says. The anthropologist’s dominant dream hues were reds and blacks, which spiked during difficult times. “Even without knowing the events in his life，” Hoss observes, “we accurately determined the emotional states based on those colors in his dreams.” Hoss is among a growing group of researchers who， thanks to cutting-edge medical technology and innovative psychological research, are beginning to decipher the secrets hidden in our dreams and the role dreaming plays in our lives. A look at some of their latest discoveries can give us new insights into the language of dreams. Dreams are a way for the subconscious to communicate with the conscious mind. Dreaming of something you’re worried about， researchers say, is the brain’s way of helping you rehearse for a disaster in case it occurs. Dreaming of a challenge， like giving a presentation at work or playing sports, can enhance your performance. And cognitive neuroscientists have discovered that dreams and the rapid eye movement (REM) that happens while you’re dreaming are linked to your ability to learn and remember. Dreaming is a “mood regulatory system，” says Rosalind Cartwright, PhD， chairman of the psychology department at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She’s found that dreams help people work through the day’s emotional quandaries. “It’s like having a built-in therapist, ” says Cartwright. While we sleep， dreams compare new emotional experience to old memories, creating plaid-like patterns of old images laid on top of new ones. As she puts it， “You may wake up and think, what was Uncle Harry doing in my dream？ I haven’t seen him for 50 years. But the old and new images are emotionally related.” It’s the job of the conscious mind to figure out the relationship. In fact, dream emotions can help therapists treat patients undergoing traumatic life events. In a new study of 30 recently divorced adults， Cartwright tracked their dreams over a five-month period, measuring their feelings toward their ex-spouses. She discovered that those who were angriest at the spouse while dreaming had the best chance of successfully coping with divorce. “If their dreams were bland，” Cartwright says, “they hadn’t started to work through their emotions and deal with the divorce.” For therapists， this finding will help determine whether divorced men or women need counseling or have already dreamed their troubles away.

Passage2 There are many countries around the world adopting the principle of sustainable development.When put into practice，it helps combat environmental deterioration in air quality, water quality and terrestrial control.At the same time，its practice maintains habitat diversity, and it also helps improve poverty situations，controls over consumption and improves health and education.Finally, sustainable development promotes viable roles for all members of society，while improving the economic situation of developing countries.But some people argue that the use of the principles of sustainable development in developing countries overlooks the importance of local customs, traditions and people.Some other people believe that sustainable development is a vague term，and that some organizations use it to further their own interests, whether those interests are environmental or economic in nature，Countries that have relatively small, uncompetitive productive sectors tend to implement protectionist policies.Whereas interdependence is desirable during times of peace，war necessitates competition and independence.Tariffs and importation limits strengthen a country's economic vitality while potentially weakening the economies ofits enemies.Moreover, protectionism in the weapons industry is highly desirable during such circumstances because reliance on another state for armaments can be fatal. For the most part，economists emphasize the negative effects of protectionism.It reduces international trade and raises prices for consumers.In addition, domestic firms that receive protection have less incentive to innovate.Although free trade puts uncompetitive firms out of business，the displaced workers and resources are ultimately allocated to other areas of the economy.Imposing quotas is a method used to protect trade, since foreign companies cannot ship more products，regardless of how low they set their prices.Countries that hope to help a new industry thrive locally often impose quotas on imported goods.They believe that such restrictions allow entities in the new industry to develop their own competitive advantages and produce the products efficiently.Protectionism's purpose is usually to create jobs for domestic workers.Companies that operate in industries protected by quotas hire workers locally.But a disadvantage of quotas is the reduction in the quality ofproducts in the absence of competition from foreign companies.Without competition, local firms are less likely to invest in innovation and improve their products and services.Domestic sellers don't have an incentive to enhance efficiency and lower their prices，and under such conditions, consumers eventually pay more for products and services they could receive from foreign competitors.As local companies lose competitiveness，they become pressured to outsource jobs.In the long run, increasing protectionism commonly leads to layoffs and economic slowdown.