Extensive Reading Lesson 43

你的手机中毒了吗？

据《联合早报》网报道，约27%的智能手机被安装了恶意软件，而它们的主人却毫不知情。调研公司Frost & Sullivan提供的数据显示，截至2010年6月底，在国内被截获的手机病毒及恶意软件总数已经超过1600个，2010年底将达到2200个-2400个。目前，手机“黑色产业链”已经形成并在逐渐发展中。有业内人士估算，通过山寨机内置恶意软件或传播手机病毒“吸费”的黑色产业链，每年收入高达10亿元。据Frost & Sullivan预测，2014年中国手机安全产品用户数将达到4.34亿，届时中国将成为世界上最大的手机安全市场。

三大台风相会东部沿海

《环球时报》援引中国国家气象中心消息称，三大热带气旋目前正聚集在中国东部沿海，将会给江浙鲁闽等诸多省份带来丰沛降水。

今年第7号台风“圆规”正以每小时25千米的速度向东海移动，预计将会给上海带来暴雨。福建目前正同时迎战两股台风：第8号台风“南山”昨晚登陆福建北部地区，第6号台风“狮子山”明天晚些时间将登陆闽粤交界地带。

布莱尔回忆录起波澜

据美联社报道，英国前首相托尼•布莱尔的回忆录《旅程》在周三正式发售之前竟然掀起了政治波澜。数段预览节选透露，他曾为伊拉克牺牲的士兵和平民落泪，但仍坚信出兵伊拉克、推翻萨达姆•侯赛因政权的做法是正确的。英国书商对此书都表现出浓厚的兴趣，布莱尔也凭此书赚了约460万英镑。出版商兰登书屋称《旅程》是布莱尔对其政治生涯顶峰时期“坦诚而开放”的回顾。此书将在12个国家出版，除了印刷版，还有电子版以及由布莱尔本人朗读的音频版。

委内瑞拉维权农民过世

据路透社报道，委内瑞拉49岁的农民富兰克林•布里托被加拉加斯一家军队医院强行收容后，于周一离世。2003年，布里托位于玻利瓦尔州南部的59英亩丝兰和西瓜种植园被没收，后由邻居霸占，自此他开始了一系列抗议活动。去年他在美洲国家组织的加拉加斯办公室前驻扎了数个月，把嘴缝合进行绝食抗议，甚至对着电视镜头砍掉一根手指，到年底他被强行带到军队医院。政府曾表示布里托精神恍惚，拒绝接受政府为保证其土地权利而做的努力。

夏威夷丛林出现火旋风

据英国《每日邮报》报道，夏威夷大岛丛林中出现了一次火旋风，疾风和丛林之火联手造就了这个极其罕见的景象。在拍摄的画面中，浓厚的黑烟漩涡里的火焰窜至地面上方20英尺（6米）高。这场丛林之火吞噬了约1400英亩土地。土地和自然资源部努力扑灭了60%的丛林之火，目前，这座岛的其他部分仍在燃烧。虽然大火尚未造成人员伤亡，但火旋风形成之后，消防人员被迫撤退到安全位置。

老年人愿读年轻人负面新闻

路透社报道，一项新研究发现，老年人喜欢阅读有关年轻人的负面新闻，因为这能增强他们的自信。德国研究者说，社会倾向于描绘老年人的负面形象。尽管老年人通常被认为是明智的，但是他们也经常被贴上迟钝、健忘的标签。俄亥俄州立大学的西尔维娅•诺布罗克-维斯特维克博士说：“生活在以年轻人为中心的文化中，老年人也许希望能增强自信心。这就是为什么他们更喜欢阅读有关年轻人的负面新闻。”

油炸啤酒诞生

据英国《每日电讯报》消息，美国德克萨斯州的一名厨师宣称，他发明了世界上首份油炸啤酒的食谱。先将啤酒放入像脆饼干一样的咸面团里，然后把面团放入375度的油里炸20秒。这么短的时间使啤酒得以保留原味。发明者马克•扎贝尔说他正准备申请此项专利。

海南酒店推“性爱房”

据海南当地媒体报道，琼海市一家三星级酒店对一些房间进行了重新布置，专门为了吸引那些注重温存一刻的年轻情侣。一些大床房和双人套间被涂成粉红色，墙上装饰了玻璃镜面。房间内设置了“性爱水床”并放置了性爱辅助工具，房间电视还会定时播放性爱片。

Gmail推出优先级收件箱

据英国《每日电讯报》报道，谷歌Gmail邮件服务周二推出了一项名为“优先级收件箱”功能。搜索业巨头谷歌用一套复杂的算法来分析用户的邮件使用习惯，并根据分析出的重要性将收件箱中的邮件按照3个类别排序：“未读/重要”、“标记星号的”以及“其他”。

巴西男妓折戟西班牙

据英国广播公司报道，西班牙警方近日端掉了一个向该国走私巴西男妓的犯罪团伙。14名组织走私者和17名男妓已被警方拘捕。 报道称，该团伙向这些男妓及其“客人”提供可卡因、伟哥等毒品。男妓们被迫在西班牙各省转战，每天要24小时随时提供性服务。

男篮败北波多黎各

据美联社报道，在男篮世锦赛上，波多黎各队利用流利的配合，压制了中国队的大个球员，84比76结束比赛，迎来他们首场胜利。中国队目前一胜二负，他们在比赛中过分依赖高个球员易建联和王治郅，他俩第一节攻下全队21分里面的20分。但波多黎各队以快攻反击，总体赢得了上风。易建联贡献了24分，王治郅17分。

威尼斯电影节开幕

据路透社报道，第67届威尼斯国际电影节于周三开幕。达伦•阿罗诺夫斯基执导、娜塔莉•波特曼主演的惊悚片《黑天鹅》为这次年度电影盛会正式拉开了帷幕。电影节为期11天。主席马可•穆勒在选择23部参赛影片时着眼于青年英才导演，他希望好莱坞奇才影人的出席能弥补本届电影节的星光黯淡。主竞赛单元的电影人平均年龄只有47岁，异常年轻。徐克执导的《狄仁杰之通天帝国》是竞赛单元中唯一的华语影片。

《变形金刚》主演最能赚钱

据路透社报道，《变形金刚》男星希亚•拉博夫连续两年称雄《福布斯》网站评选出的“好莱坞高回报率演员榜”。根据此网站的计算，电影公司在拉博夫身上每花1美元，他主演的电影就能取得81美元的回报。安妮•海瑟薇位列第二，电影公司在其身上每花1美元，其电影就可以赚64美元。《哈利•波特》的男星丹尼尔•雷德克里夫位居第三，而《钢铁侠》的扮演者小罗伯特•唐尼夺得第四名。接下来的第五名是凯特•布兰切特，梅丽尔•斯特里普和詹妮弗•安妮斯顿则并列第六。
 

Watch your mobile phone!

About 27 percent of smartphones have been equipped with malicious software, but their owners are unaware, Zaobao.com reported. Statistics from Frost & Sullivan, a survey company, showed at the end of June 2010 more than 1,600 pieces of malicious software had been intercepted in China, and the number could amount to 2,200-2,400 by the end of this year. It was said that a "black industry chain" has been formed and is developing gradually. Insiders estimate that money obtained from malicious software in mobile phones or the transmission of mobile-phone viruses could hit 1 billion yuan annually. Frost & Sullivan also predicted that by 2014 China would have become the largest mobile phone safety market, with 434 million Chinese mobile phone users adopting protective software to ensure safety.

East China braces for typhoon

Three tropical cyclones are gathering around the coastal area of East China and are threatening heavy rainstorms to several provinces, including Zhejiang, Shandong, Jiangsu and Fujian, according to Global Times, which cited the China Meteorological Centre.

Tropical storm No.7 Kompasu moved toward the East China Sea at a speed of 25 kph Tuesday, which will result in torrential rainstorms for Shanghai. Fujian Province was bracing itself to fight two tropical storms at the same time. No.8 Namtheun landed in northern Fujian last night, and No.6 Lionrock is expected to hit the border of Fujian and Guangdong provinces late tomorrow.

Excitement over Blair memoir

The former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's memoir, A Journey, is stirring political passions even before it hits bookstores Wednesday, AP reported. Preview excerpts reveal that he has cried for soldiers and civilians killed in Iraq but still thinks it was right to invade and topple Saddam Hussein. But British booksellers are reporting heavy interest in the book, for which Blair was paid an estimated 4.6 million pounds. Billed by publisher Random House as a "frank, open" account of life at the top, A Journey is being published in a dozen countries, alongside an e-book and an audio version read by Blair himself.

Farmer on hunger strike dies

The 49-year-old Venezuelan farmer Franklin Brito died Monday at a Caracas military hospital where he had been taken against his will, Reuters reported. After some 59 acres of yucca and watermelon plantations on his land in southern Bolivar state were seized and occupied by neighbors in 2003, Brito began a series of protests. Before being taken to the military hospital at the end of last year, Brito camped for months outside the Caracas office of the Organization of American States, sewed his mouth shut for a hunger protest and even chopped off a finger in front of television cameras. The government has in the past said Brito was mentally unstable and that he had rejected their efforts to guarantee his land rights.

Tornado of fire in Hawaii

A tornado of fire tore through brush on Hawaii's Big Island; a terrifying combination of strong winds and brush fires have combined to create this extremely rare phenomenon, the Daily Mail reported. A camera captured swirls of thick, black smoke spinning in a vortex as flames soar more than 20ft from the ground. The brush fire destroyed around 1,400 acres and is still burning on parts of the island after the Department of Land and Natural Resources managed to contain 60 percent of the wildfires. No injuries have been reported by the blaze, but firefighters were forced to retreat a safe distance after the fire whirl was created.

Older people laugh at youth

Reuters reported that older people like reading negative news stories about their younger counterparts because it boosts their own self-esteem, according to a new study. German researchers said older people tend to be portrayed negatively in society. Although they are often described as wise, they are also shown as slow and forgetful. "Living in a youth-centered culture, they may appreciate a boost in self-esteem. That's why they prefer negative stories about younger people, who are seen as having a higher status in our society," said Dr. Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick of Ohio State University.

Deep-fried beer invented

A chef in Texas has created what he claims is the world's first recipe for deep-fried beer, the Daily Telegraph reported. The beer is placed inside a pocket of salty, pretzel-like dough and then dunked in oil at 375 degrees for about 20 seconds, a short enough time for the confection to remain alcoholic. Inventor Mark Zable said a patent for the process is pending.

Hotel aims for better sex

A 3-star hotel in Qionghai City, Hainan Province, redecorated to cater to young couples who want a better sexual experience, local media reported. Rooms with queen-sized beds as well as double rooms got painted pink, and mirrors went up on walls. Rooms also feature special waterbeds, sex toys and adult videos.

Gmail starts to prioritize inbox

Google's Gmail launched a new "priority inbox" service Tuesday, according to the Daily Telegraph. The search giant uses a complex set of algorithms to analyze a user's email behavior and rank emails depending on their perceived importance in three categories from top to bottom: unread and important, starred and everything else.

Male prostitutes arrested in Spain

Spanish police have broken up a sex trafficking ring that brought Brazilian men to Spain to work as prostitutes, the BBC reported. Authorities arrested 14 people on suspicion of running the group and 17 alleged male prostitutes. The victims and their clients were supplied with cocaine, viagra and other recreational drugs. The victims had to work 24 hours a day and were moved from province to province.

Puerto Rico defeats China in hoops

AP reports that Puerto Rico Tuesday used a strong transition game to overcome China's size advantage to earn its first win at the basketball World Championship 84-76. China (1-2) relied heavily on seven-footers Yi Jianlian and Wang Zhizhi to stay in the game, as the duo scored 20 of the team's 21 first-quarter points. But the quicker Puerto Ricans countered with fast breaks, and gained the upper hand. Yi finished with 24 points while Wang had 17.

Venice film festival opens

The 67th Venice International Film Festival opened Wednesday, Reuters reported. The thrillerBlack Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman, officially kicked off the annual celebration of cinema, which will last for 11 days. Festival director Marco Mueller has opted for youth in his choice of directors of the 23 competition films, and he said he hopes the presence of Hollywood mavericks can make up for the expected shortage of A-list celebrities this year. The average age of filmmakers in the main competition is an unusually low 47. Hark Tsui's Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame is the only Chinese language film in the competition unit.

Shia LaBeouf earns studios most money

For the second straight year, Transformers star Shia LaBeouf topped a Forbes.com list of Hollywood's Best Actors for the Buck, Reuters reported. Based on the site's own calculations, for every US$1 the studios spent on LaBeouf, his films return about US$81 of profit. Anne Hathaway took the No. 2 spot, earning the studios US$64 off of her films for every dollar they spent for her.Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe was No. 3 this year, while Iron Man's Robert Downey Jr. nabbed fourth. Behind them, Cate Blanchett came in fifth and Meryl Streep and Jennifer Aniston were tied in sixth place.