-
Passage 1 (35)
Dell
’
s Story
What I saw was a great opportunity to
provide computing technology in a more efficient
way.
That was the core idea of what
became Dell Computer Corporation and
that
’
s one we were stuck
over ever since.
I
started
the
business
with
a
simple
question:
how
can
we
make
the
process
of
buying
a
computer better? The answer was: sell
the computer directly to the end customers.
It
hadn
’
t occurred to me that
others hadn
’
t figured it
out. I thought it was pretty obvious. I
am
sure
if
I
had
taken
the
time
to
ask,
plenty
of
people
would
have
told
me
that
my
idea
wouldn
’
t work
—
I have heard
that a lot in the fifteen years since starting the
business.
On January 2, 1984, I went
back to Austin earlier than I would have to attend
classes, and I
did all the things you
need to do to set up a business. I registered the
company with the State of
Texas as
“
PC
’
s
Limited
”
. I placed ads in
the classified section in our local newspaper.
Through
my previous contract with
customers and the small ads I placed in the paper,
I was already getting
a
lot
of
business.
I
was
selling
between
$$50,000
to
$$80,000
upgraded
PCs,
upgrade
kits,
and
add
-
on computer
components to people in Austin area. Not long
after starting the classes I was
able
to
move
from
a
stuffy
room
that
I
shared
with
a
roommate
to
a
condominium
with
high
ceilings and two bedrooms.
In early May, I incorporated the
company as
“
Dell Computer
Corporation
”
, doing business
as
“
PC
’
s
Limited
”
. We moved the
business from my condo to a 1000
-
square
-
foot office
space
in a small business center in
North Austin. I hired a few people to take orders
over telephone and a
few
more
to
fulfill
them.
Manufacturing
consisted
of
three
guys
with
screwdrivers
sitting
at
six
-
foot tables
upgrading machines.
Passage
2(34)
Dad Sure Could Play
That Mandolin
My
father
was
a
self
-
taught
mandolin
player.
He
was
one
of
the
best
string
instrument
players in our town. He could not read
music, but if he heard a tune a few times, he
could play it.
When he was younger, he
was a member of a small country music band. They
could play at local
dances and on a few
occasions would play for the local radio station.
Occasionally,
Dad
would
get
out
his
mandolin
and
play
for
the
family.
“Davey,
Davey
Crockett, King of the
Wild Frontier” accompanied
the Walt
Disney Series, was a favorite song for
the family. He knew we enjoyed the song
and the program and would often get out the
mandolin
after the program was over. I
could never get over how he could play the songs
so well after only
hearing them a few
times. I loved to sing, but I never learned how to
play the mandolin. This is
something I
regret to this day.
Dad loved to play
the mandolin for his family. He knew we enjoyed
singing and hearing him
play. He was
like that. If he could give pleasure to others, he
would, especially his family. He was
always there, sacrificing his time and
efforts to see that his family had enough in their
life. I had to
mature into a man and
have children of my own before I realized how much
he had sacrificed.
Nobody
played
the
mandolin
like
my
father.
He
could
touch
your
soul
with
the
tones
that
came out of that old
mandolin. He seemed to shine when he was playing.
You could see his pride
in his ability
to play so well for his family.
Passage 3(39)
An
Unusual Architect
—
Leoh Ming
Pei
Leoh Ming Pei, the 1983
Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, is a
founding partner of
I.
M.
Pei
&
Partners
based
in
New
York
City.
He
was
born
in
China
in
1917,
the
son
of
a
prominent banker. He came
to the United States in 1935 to study architecture
at the Massachusetts
Institute of
Technology (B. Arch. 1940) and the Harvard
Graduate School of Design (M. Arch.
1946).
During
World War
Ⅱ
, he served on
the National Defense Research Commission at
Princeton,
and
from
1945
to
1948,
he
taught
at
Harvard.
In
1948
he
accepted
the
newly
created
post
of
director
of
Architecture
at
Webb
&
Knapp,
Inc.,
the
real
estate
development
firm,
and
this
association
resulted
in
major
architectural
and
planning
projects
in
Chicago,
Philadelphia,
Washington,
Pittsburgh
and
other
cities.
In
1958,
he
formed
the
partnership
of
I.
M.
Pei
&
Associates,
which
became
I.
M.
Pei
&
Parteners
in
1966.
The
partnership
received
the
1968
Architectural
Firm
Award
of
The
American
Institute
of
Architects.
In
1982,
the
deans
of
the
architectural
schools
of
the
United
Sates
chose
I.
M.
Pei
as
the
best
designer
of
significant
non
-
residential
structures.
Pei has designed over forty
projects in this country and abroad, twenty of
which have been
award
winners.
He
has
designed
arts
facilities
and
university
buildings
on
the
campuses
of
the
Massachusetts
Institute
of
Technology,
University
of
Rochester,
Cornell
University,
the
Choate
School,
Syracuse
University,
New
York
University
and
University
of
Hawaii.
He
has
been
selected to design the
headquarters for the Bank of China in Hong Kong.
Pei is currently a member of the
National Council on the Arts, and previously
served on the
National
Council
on
the
Humanities.
On
this
vivid
planet,
it
appears
colorful
with
azure
blue
seawater,
lush
green
plants
and
many
world
famous
buildings.
Among
these
largest
artificial
articles in the
world, many originated from the same architect
—
that is Leoh Ming Pei.
Passage 4(38)
The Cobbler and the Banker
A
cobbler
passed
his
time
in
singing
from
morning
till
night;
it
was
wonderful
to
see,
wonderful to hear him; he was more
contented in making shoes, than was any of the
seven sages.
His neighbor, on the
contrary, who was rolling in wealth, sung but
little, and slept less. He was a
banker; when by chance he fell into a
doze at day
-
break, the
cobbler awoke him with his song.
Having
at length sent for the songster, he said to him,
“
How much a year do you
earn, Master
Gregory?
”
“
I never reckon in that way,
living as I do from one day to another; somehow I
manage to
reach the end of the year;
each day brings its meal. But the worst of it is,
a number of days occur
in the year on
which we are forbidden to work; without that our
earnings would be very tolerable,
and
the curate, moreover, is constantly adding some
new saint to the list.” said the merry
cobbler.
The banker,
laughing at his simplicity, said, “In the future I
shall place you above want. Take
this
hundred crowns, preserve them carefully, and make
use of them in time of need.”
The cobbler fancied he beheld all the
wealth which the earth had produced in the past
century
for the use of mankind.
Returning home, he buried his money and his
happiness at the same time.
No more
singing. He lost his voice, the moment he acquired
that which is the source of so much
grief. Sleep quitted his dwelling, and
cares, suspicions, and false alarms took its
place. All day, his
eye wandered in the
direction of the treasure, and at night, if some
stray cat made a noise, the cat
was
robbing him. At length the poor man ran to
th
e house of his rich neighbor; “Give
me back,”
said he, “sleep and my voice,
and take your one hundred crowns.”
Passage 5(41)
18
-
year
-
old Mayor
America
’
s
youngest mayor
，
Michael
Sessions
，
is just an 18
-
year
-
old
high school student
who lives with his
mother.
Michael Sessions is
too
young to drink champagne
legally
，
but the
1
8
-
year
-
old high school senior has reason to celebrate.
He unofficially won a race for mayor.
By 670 votes to 668, Sessions beat the
sitting mayor, who is 51, and had all the
advantages of
incumbency. He was too
young to stand by the spring deadline for
registration. So after he turned
18, he
entered as a write
-
in
candidate
—
meaning voters had to remember his name
and add it to
the ballot by hand in
order to support him.
Once
his victory is certified and
he
’
s sworn in the ceremony
which is set for Nov. 21, 2005
—
he may be the
youngest mayor in the USA. The U.S. Conference of
Mayors lacks the data to
determine
whether he
’
ll be the
youngest mayor ever. At least two other teens have
been elected
as mayors in recent years,
but they were a tad older and represented much
smaller towns.
Sessions
plans
to
devote
after
-
school
hours
to
the
job
and
use
his
bedroom
as
his
office
because
other
than
a
$$250
per
month
salary,
he
receives
no
other
compensation.
The
mayor
doesn
’
t even have
an office at city hall.
He says many
voters told him they wanted
“
new
energy
”
, but he was still
caught off
-
guard
by the support he received.
Passage 6(40)
Marriage of Henry
Ⅷ
When Henry
became
King
of
England
he
married
Catherine
，
the
daughter
of
the
King
of
Spain and widow of
his elder brother
．
The Pope
had given special permission for him to marry his
brother
’
s
widow
，
as this was against
the laws of the church
．
She
gave Henry a daughter
，
Mary
，
but all her sons died at
birth
，
and Henry badly needed
a son to follow him
．
He began
to feel that
God had not approved of
his marriage and Pope had been wrong to allow
it
．
There was one
possible remedy
．
The Pope
must declare that the marriage had been allowed
by mistake and was
unlawful
；
Henry would then be
free to marry again
．
The Pope
could easily
have
agreed
，
as he had done for
two recent Kings of France in similar
cases
．
But emperor Charles
V was Catherine
’
s
nephew
，
and his army had
seized Rome
．
The Pope was in
his power and did
not dare to annoy him
by helping Henry.
Henry
’
s
trouble
over
his
marriage
made
him
realize
something
that
most
English
people
had known for years:
that foreign interference in English affairs had
gone on too long and must be
stopped
for ever
．
The parliament of
1529 felt this most
strongly
．
In seven years it
destroyed the
feudal
power
of
the
church
completely.
The
Church
Council
accepted
Henry
as
its
head
．
Archbishop
Cranmer declared that his marriage to Catherine
was unlawful and accepted his
new
wife
，
Ann
Boleyn
，
as
Queen
．
Passage 7(51)
American Black Bears
American black bears appear in a
variety of colors despite their name. In the
eastern part of
their range, most of
these bears have shiny black fur, but in the west
they grow brown, red, or even
yellow
coats. To the north, the black bear is actually
gray or white in color. Even in the same litter,
both brown and black furred bears may
be born.
Black bears are
the smallest of all American bears, ranging in
length from five to six feet,
weighing
from
three
hundred
to
five
hundred
pounds.
Their
eyes
and
ears
are
small
and
their
eyesight and hearing are not as good as
their sense of smell.
Like all bears,
the black bear is timid, clumsy, and rarely
dangerous, but if attacked, most can
climb trees and cover ground at great
speeds. When angry or frightened, it is a
formidable enemy.
Black
bears feed on leaves, herbs, roots, fruit,
berries, insects, fish, and even larger animals.
One of the most interesting
characteristics of bears, including the black
bear, is their winter sleep.
Unlike
squirrels and many other woodland animals, bears
do not actually hibernate. Although the
bear does not eat during the winter
months, sustaining itself from body fat, its
temperature remains
almost normal, and
it breathes regularly four or five times per
minute.
Most
black
bears
live
alone,
except
during
mating
season.
They
prefer
to
live
in
caves,
hollow logs, or dense thickets. A
little of one to four cubs is born in January or
February, and they
remain with their
mother until they are fully grown or about one and
a half years old. Black bears
can live
as long as thirty years in the wild, and even
longer in game preserves set aside for them.
Passage 8(44)
Swimming with Dolphins Can Beat
Depression
Swimming with dolphins can
be good for your health, according to a new
research. The study
found that swimming
with the creatures led to falling levels of
depressive symptoms in patients.
The
findings show human health and
well
-
being are dependent on
relationships with the natural
environment.
The research,
partly carried out by Leicester University Medical
School in Honduras, appears
in
a
special
human
and
animal
health
issue,
highlighting
the
impact
nature
has
on
people
’
s
well
-
being.
30
patients
diagnosed
with
mild
or
moderate
depression
took
part
in
the
study.
All
patients stopped antidepressant
treatment or psychotherapy at least four weeks
before taking part
in the study, with
depression scores measured at the start and end of
treatment. For two weeks half
of the
group swam and snorkeled with dolphins for an hour
a day. At the same time the control
group carried out the same type of
water activities, but with the absence of dolphins
to control for
the influence of water
and natural setting.
The researchers
found that the average severity of the depressive
symptoms reduced more in
the
dolphin
group
than
in
the
water
therapy
group.
They
said
that
the
overall
reduction
in
symptoms of anxiety in both groups may
be explained by the therapeutic property of water.
But
the effects exerted by the dolphins
were significantly greater than those just in the
natural setting
of
water.
One
reason
for
it
could
be
the
emotions
raised
by
the
interaction
with
the
dolphins,
according to the researchers.
Passage 9(47)
Pregnant Women Can Safely Drink Coffee
Previous studies suggested caffeine
might harm unborn babies as it stays in the system
longer
in
pregnant
women,
passing
easily
to
a
growing baby.
Health
officials
have
warned
that
a
high
caffeine intake could affect birth
weight or the chance of having a miscarriage. But
a new study
suggests
that
pregnant
women
can
safely
drink
coffee
as
caffeine
does
not
affect
their
unborn
baby.
The
study
recruited
more
than
1,000
women
before
they
were
20
weeks
’
pregnant,
who
drank at least three cups of coffee a
day. The group was split into two, with 568 women
drinking
ordinary
instant
coffee
and
629
drinking
decaffeinated.
The
authors
then
monitored
the
birth
weight
of
1,150
newborn
babies
and
the
length
of
pregnancy
for
the
babies.
They
found
no
significant differences between the two
groups for birth weight or length of pregnancy.
In
the
study,
the
women
were
not
told
what
type
of
coffee
they
were
drinking,
and
the
research
was
adjusted
to
take
into
account
factors
such
as
age,
weight
and
whether
the
women
smoked. When the adjustments were made,
the average weight of babies born to women in the
decaffeinated group was a mere 16g
higher than those born to women in the caffeinated
group.
The average difference in the
length of pregnancy was less than two days.
A spokesman for the British Coffee
Association said: “This new study is very
interesting and
supports the consistent
advice given that pregnant women should stick to a
safe upper limit
—
in
line with guidance issued by the Food
Standards Agency. This equates to three cups of
brewed, or
four cups of instant coffee.
Passage 10(48)
Monarch Butterflies
A severe
winter storm in central Mexico killed hundreds of
millions of monarch butterflies. It
is
the largest number of monarch butterflies killed
at one time. However, scientists say the loss is
not expected to threaten the species.
Researchers
say
the
butterflies
froze
to
death
after
heavy
rain
fell,
followed
by
freezing
temperatures.
Monarch
butterflies
can
easily
freeze
to
death
if
they
become
wet
and
the
temperature drops to freezing.
During the year, monarch butterflies
fly long distances, or migrate. They are one of
the few
kinds of insects to migrate.
The monarchs spend the
winter in Mexico. Each spring, the butterflies fly
north after they
mate. The females stop
to lay their eggs in the southern United States.
The adults die soon after.
The monarchs
that develop from those eggs continue the flight.
They return to the same areas in
North
America where their parents lived.
By
summer,
the
butterflies
can
reach
as
far
north
as
Canada.
During
the
autumn,
the
monarchs return to the same forests in
the mountains of Mexico.
Some scientists have suggested that the
loss of forests in the mountains of Mexico led to
the
die
-
off of
monarchs. They say the remaining forests may no
longer provide enough protection to
keep the butterflies warm and dry.
Every winter, millions of monarchs die in the high
mountain
forests.
However,
scientists
note
that
the
species
is
not
in
danger
of
disappearing.
That
is
because
there
are
other,
smaller
populations
of
monarchs
in
the
United
States
that
did
not
migrate
to
Mexico. Scientists say they will know
after more study if the monarch populations in
Mexico will
be able to recover from the
die
-
off.
Passage 11(49)
Passengers in Vehicles Can Inhale More
Pollution Than Pedestrians
Passengers
in taxis, buses, and cars all inhale substantially
more pollution than cyclists and
pedestrians, a new study shows.
Researchers measured levels of
ultrafine, traffic
produced
pollution particles on busy London
streets
using
a
newly
developed
particle
counter
fitted
with
a
video
recorder.
The
equipment
allowed them to match particle levels
with each of the five modes of transport. They
also could
identify
what
activities and behaviors led to the highest
exposures. On average, taxi passengers
were exposed to more than 100,000
ultrafine particle counts per cubic centimeter.
Bus travelers
were exposed to just
under 100,000 and people in cars about 40,000.
Pedestrians and bicyclists,
meanwhile,
were exposed to counts of just 5,000 and 8,000
respectively. Ultrafine particles are so
small that large amounts can be inhaled
in a single breath, after which they can settle in
the lungs
and damage cells.
The
researchers
found
the
trends
such
as
pedestrians
having
the
lowest
exposures
and
the
in
-
vehicle
exposures being much higher to be common across
different countries. However, the
concentrations
do
vary
due
to
different
local
conditions,
such
as
traffic,
meteorology,
building
layout and configuration.
People
sitting
in
a
vehicle
in
the
middle
of
heavy
traffic
are
directly
in
the
path
of
the
pollutant source
—
other
vehicle
’
s mufflers.
Pollution in cars is less than in other vehicles
most
likely because cars generally
spend less time in traffic than taxis and buses.
Also, private cars tend
to be cleaner
to begin with.
The researchers also
suggest the best place to walk in a busy city is
the one where is closer to
the
buildings, where you
’
ll be
exposed to approximately 10 percent less pollution
than curbside.
Passage 12
(42)
Birds Can Distinguish
Languages
A team of Japanese
researchers recently found that pet birds not only
can imitate sounds, but
can
distinguish
between
languages,
potentially
offering
new
clues
on
how
the
brain
recognizes
speech.
The researchers did not use Japanese
because it was the language the birds normally
listen to.
Instead,
they
exposed Java Sparrows
to
English
and Chinese
translations
recorded
by
exchange
students of two
well
-
known Japanese novels,
“
The Tale of
Genji
”
and “I Am
a Cat”. A bird
sitting on a perch first
listened to the English version and was only
allowed to eat afterwards. Then
the
researchers played English and Chinese recordings
at random and only allowed the bird to eat
after hopping onto the perch with the
English. The bird correctly identified the English
recording
75 percent of the time. The
same results were achieved with another two birds
that were permitted
to eat only when
Chinese was played.
It
has
already
been
confirmed
that
monkeys,
mice
and
other
mammals
can
recognize
different
languages but this is the first time that birds
have been found to possess the ability.
An
experimental
psychology
professor
who
led
the
research
said
that
humans
are
able
to
distinguish
between
languages,
even
ones
they
don
’
t
know,
from
the
intonation
and
pronunciation, and it seems that paddy
birds have the same ability.
He added that if the common
traits in brain structure are studied,
it may shed light on the mechanisms of speech
recognition.
Passage
13(53)
Animals
’
Compasses
Researchers have found that
migrating animals use a variety of inner compasses
to help them
navigate. Some steer by
the position of the Sun. Others navigate by the
stars. Some use the Sun as
their guide
during the day and then switch to star navigation
by night. One study shows that the
homing
pigeon
uses
the
Earth
’
s
magnetic
fields
as
a
guide
in
finding
home
and
many
other
animals can also make use of magnetic
compasses. It is of course very useful for a
migrating bird
to be able to switch to
a magnetic compass when clouds cover the Sun;
otherwise it would just
have to land
and wait for the Sun to come out again.
Even with the Sun or stars to steer by,
the problems of navigation are more complicated
than
they might seem at first. For
example, a worker honeybee that has found a rich
source of nectar
and pollen flies
rapidly home to
the hive
to
report. The bee scout delivers her report through
a
complicated dance in the hive, in
which she tells the other workers not only how far
away the food
is, but also what
direction to fly in relation to the Sun. But the
Sun does not stay in one place all
day.
As the workers start out to gather the food, the
Sun may already have changed its position. In
later
trips,
the
Sun
will
seem
to
move
farther
and
farther
toward
the
west.
Yet
the worker
bees
seem to have no trouble in finding the
food source. Their inner clocks tell them just
where the Sun
will be and they change
their course correspondingly.
Passage 14(54)
Study: Vegetables May Keep Brains Young
New research on vegetables and aging
gives mothers another reason to say “I told you
so”. It
found
that
eating
vegetables
appears
to
help
keep
the
brain
young
and
may
slow
the
mental
decline.
On measures of
mental sharpness, older people who ate more than
two servings of vegetables
daily
appeared about five years younger than those who
ate few or no vegetables at the end of the
six
-
year study.
The research in almost 2,000
Chicago
area men and women
doesn
’
t prove that
vegetables
reduce mental decline, but
it adds to mounting evidence pointing in that
direction. The findings
also echo
previous research in women only.
Green
leafy vegetables appeared to be the most
beneficial. The researchers said that may be
because
they
contain
healthy
amounts
of
vitamin
E,
which
is
believed
to
help
fight
chemicals
produced by the
body that can damage cells.
“
Vegetables generally
contain more
vitamin E than fruits.
Vegetables also are often eaten
with
healthy
fats
such
as
salad
oils,
which
help
the
body
absorb
vitamin
E,
”
said
lead
author
Martha Clare Morris, a researcher at
Chicago
’
s Rush University
Medical Center.
The study was published
in this week
’
s issue of the
journal Neurology.
The research
involved 1,946 people aged 65 and older who filled
out questionnaires about
their eating
habits. They also had mental function tests three
times over about six years.
The
tests
included
measures
of
short
-
term
and
delayed
memory,
which
asked
these
older
people to recall elements of a story
that had just been read to them. The
participants also were
asked
to recognize symbols and numbers on different
cards.
Passage
15(55)
Most U.S. High School
Dropouts Regretful
Most students who
drop out of high school in the United States admit
they made a mistake by
quitting
and
some
say
they
might
have
stayed
if
classes
were
more
challenging,
according
to a
report released on
Thursday.
Three out of four
of the dropouts said if they could turn back the
clock they would choose to
stay, and
eight out of 10 said they now recognized that a
high
school diploma was important to
succeed in life. Statistics show they
are right. A high school dropout on average earns
$$9,200 less
a
year
than
a
high
school
graduate,
and
about
$$1
million
less
over
a
lifetime
than
a
college
graduate.
John
Brodgeland,
one
of
the
report
’
s
authors,
pointed
out
that
these
kids
wanted
to
be
doctors
and
nurses
and
engineers
and
astronauts
and
then
they
hit
the
schoolhouse
door
and
they
’
re
confronted with an environment which is not
inspiring, not engaging and often disorderly
and
unsafe.
Some
had
high
grades
and
were
just
bored
out
of
their
minds.
They
found
no
connection between the classroom and
life and their career aspirations.
In
order to reduce the number of dropouts, John
Brodgeland recommends federal, state and
local efforts to offer students school
options, engage parents and create
early
-
warning systems for
at
-
risk youths.
He also calls for more accurate tracking of
dropouts and consideration of raising
the legal dropout age to 18.
Passage 16(56)
International Business and
Cross
-
cultural Communication
The
increase
in
international
business
and
in
foreign
investment
has
created
a
need
for
executives
with
knowledge
of
foreign
languages
and
skills
in
cross
-
cultural
communication.
Americans,
however, have not been well trained in either area
and, consequently, have not enjoyed
the
same
level
of
success
in
negotiation
in
an
international
arena
as
have
their
foreign
counterparts.
In many international business
negotiations abroad, Americans are perceived as
wealthy and
impersonal.
It
often
appears
to
the
foreign
negotiator
that
the
American
represents
a
large
multi
-
million
-
dollar
corporation that can afford to pay the price
without bargaining further. The
American
negotiator
’
s role becomes
that of an impersonal purveyor of information and
cash.
In studies of American
negotiators abroad, several traits have been
identified that may serve
to confirm
this stereotypical perception, while undermining
the negotiator
’
s position.
Two traits
in particular cause
cross
-
cultural
misunderstanding are directness and impatience on
the part of
the American negotiator.
Furthermore, American negotiators often insist on
realizing short
-
term
goals.
Foreign
negotiators,
on
the
other
hand,
may
value
the
relationship
established
between
negotiators and may
be willing to invest time in it for
long
-
term benefits. In order
to solidify the
relationship, they may
opt for indirect interactions without regard for
the time involved in getting
to know
the other negotiator.
Clearly,
perceptions
and
differences
in
values
affect
the
outcomes
of
negotiations
and
the
success
of
negotiators.
For
Americans
to
play
a
more
effective
role
in
international
business
negotiations, they must put forth more
effort to improve
cross
-
cultural
understanding.
Passage
17(57)
The
IIT
-
Mumbai Barred the
Internet Access in Its Hostels
Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai, with
about 5,000 students, is one of seven