Extensive Reading Lesson 38

中国哀悼舟曲遇难同胞

据新华社报道，周日早间，数千民众汇聚到北京天安门广场，见证升旗仪式后，五星红旗缓缓降下一半，以哀悼一周前甘肃舟曲特大山洪泥石流中遇难的同胞。

今天，胡锦涛、江泽民、吴邦国、温家宝、贾庆林、李长春、习近平、李克强、贺国强、周永康在北京等地向舟曲遇难同胞默哀。

上午10时，数千救援人员、村民来到舟曲县东街村的泥石流废墟，集体默哀，悼念遇难者。在甘肃省会兰州也举行了哀悼仪式。截至14日16时，泥石流致使1239人遇难，505人失踪。

中石油回应“慎用词”事件

据新华社报道，近日，一则“中国石油天然气集团公司新闻报道公文稿件慎用词汇表”引起网络热议。中石油有关负责人14日认可了这份文件的真实性，但强调这是“内部文件”。该文件3000多字，对35个类别的新闻报道中慎用词汇和应用词汇进行了归纳总结，涉及“集团公司领导活动”和“人事劳资和薪酬”等。“垄断”、“暴利”、“高薪”、“高福利”、“套现”和“亚洲最赚钱公司”都在慎用词之列。

改良版解放鞋海外受宠

据《法制晚报》报道，中国人民解放军穿的解放鞋现在成了国际时尚界的新宠。改良的解放鞋在美国卖到了441元，没改良的产品在日本的售价也有70元。河南一家制鞋厂的负责人透露，他们生产的改良的解放鞋有60%出口到了海外市场，其中欧美市场占了绝大部分。

首都机场无线免费用

据《北京日报》报道，首都机场已经完成3个航站楼无线网络升级改造。旅客凭“二代身份证”或“护照”即可在各航站楼自助办理实名上网账号，每个账号可免费上网5小时，每个有效证件每日最多可申领3个账号，全部为当日有效。

木星体积巨型之谜揭开

据英国《每日邮报》消息，科学家发现木星之所以能成为太阳系内体积最大的行星是因为“吞食”了另一颗星体，其体积大约是地球的10倍。这项研究为研究太阳系诞生之初的剧烈环境提供了新视野。当时较小的行星在相互碰撞中融合为更大的星体，地球和月球正是两颗体积分别相当于火星和金星这样的天体剧烈碰撞后的产物。

尼日尔面临严峻饥荒

据英国广播公司报道，联合国世界粮食计划署表示，尼日尔目前正遭受历史上最严重的饥荒威胁，共有730万人亟需粮食救济，几乎占到了该国总人口的50%。长期的干旱过后，暴雨又袭击了尼日尔部分地区，致使至少6人死亡。世界粮食计划署称，约17%-20%的尼日尔孩子严重营养不良，远高于15%这一标志着进入紧急状态的门槛。日前，粮食计划署呼吁对尼日尔提供2.13亿美元的资金援助，但仍有40%的资金没到位。

做慈善成富豪地位新象征

路透社报道，在美国亿万富翁纷纷承诺捐赠善款和该国努力走出经济衰退的大背景下，做慈善正逐渐成为富人社会地位的一种象征。一个人到底有多富有可能已与拥有房产或跑车的数量无关，而捐出多少善款似乎更值得一谈。近来，“股神”巴菲特与微软创始人比尔•盖茨敦促美国亿万富翁们签字承诺，在生前或死后将至少一半的财产捐献出来。尽管专家称人们施善的主要动机并非借以扬名，一些人还是表示说，如果做慈善在富人中成为一种更大的荣誉，那倒也不是什么坏事。

威尼斯迎来首位女船夫

据英国《每日电讯报》报道，上周五，威尼斯终于迎来了首位女船夫乔治娅•博斯科洛。年仅24 岁的博斯科洛已是两个孩子的母亲。在通过最后的考核之后，她的名字被添加到获准从事这一古老职业的官方名单中。博斯科洛之所以令人侧目，是因为自从1094年威尼斯水路上出现船夫以来，还从来没有过女性撑船人。威尼斯驾船课程共6个月，其中有400小时的课是讲授如何用一支桨操纵狭长的平底船在水路上行进的。

童年不幸影响成年健康

英国广播公司从美国心理协会一次大会获悉，一系列研究表明，童年时由于贫穷或受虐待造成的压力会对一个人以后的生活带来长远的影响，比如导致心脏病，加速细胞老化。匹兹堡大学的研究者在探寻贫困生活和早期心脏病之间的关系时发现，200名参与实验的青少年中，来自特困家庭的人在动脉硬化和血压等指数上要高于其他人。在另外一项研究中，俄亥俄州立大学研究者发现，童年丧亲或受虐待会使一个人在日后生活中更容易受压力影响，甚至会折寿。

女性一生试衣2万件

英国《每日邮报》报道，女性平均一生要试约2.1万件衣服，不过最后能让她们掏钱买下的只有一半。女性平均每月逛街4次，每次会试牛仔裤、裙子或鞋，平均每月要试40件不同款式的衣服，一年就是480件。以女性一生购物时间45年计算，一名女性一生大概要试2.1万件服饰。调查显示，试各式各样的衣服是逛街时最令人开心的部分。对不少女性而言，她们还可以利用这个机会尝试那些超贵的衣服。
 

China mourns Zhouqu mudslide victims

Thousands of people gathered at the Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing early Sunday morning to watch a national flag hoisted to full height and then lowered to half-mast, mourning victims of a massive mudslide in northwest China's Zhouqu County one week ago, Xinhua reported.

Chinese President Hu Jintao, former President Jiang Zemin and other Chinese leaders, including Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang on Sunday paid a silent tribute to the mudslide victims in Beijing.

At 10 a.m., thousands of rescuers and villagers stood still on the debris of mudslide at the Dongjie Village in Zhouqu, bowing their heads in commemoration of the dead. Ceremonies were also held Sunday in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu. The death toll in the mudslide has risen to 1,239 as of 4 p.m. Saturday, with 505 still missing.

CNPC: leaked doc only for internal use

A document titled "China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) on careful use of words in reports and official documents" caused uproar on the internet recently, Xinhua reported. A CNPC official who refused to give his name confirmed yesterday the document was true, but pointed out that the file was only an "internal file." The file, over 3,000 Chinese characters, detailed on prohibited or restricted wording for 35 categories of news reporting, such as reports of company officials' activities, human resources and salaries. Expressions like "monopoly", "huge profits", "high salary", "better benefits", "cash out" and "Asia's most profitable company" are just some of many among the list.

Modified liberation shoes get int'l market

Original liberation shoes for PLA, now get popular in international fashion market, the Legal Evening News reported. Modified liberation shoes are sold at 441 yuan (US$65) in the US market, even the shoes of original style worth 70 yuan in Japanese market. Manager of a Henan shoes factory told the newspaper that 60 percent of its modified liberation shoes have been exported to the overseas market, with the European and American markets taking the majority.

Airport offers free Wi-Fi

Passengers can use second-generation ID card or passport to apply for free real-name Wi-Fi account as Beijing Capital International Airport has finished upgrading of Wi-Fi network at its three terminals, the Beijing Daily reported. Each valid credential is allowed to apply for three accounts a day, 5 hours free use of Wi-Fi for each account, and only valid on the day of application.

Jupiter swallowed smaller planet

Scientists have discovered that Jupiter swallowed up a planet 10 times the size of the Earth in a massive collision, on the way to becoming the largest planet in the solar system, the Daily Mailreports. The study gives an intriguing new insight into the violent early life of our solar system, in which collisions of small planets formed larger planets. The Earth and Moon are the result of a gigantic collision between two planets the size of Mars and Venus.

Niger famine worst in history

Niger is now facing the worst hunger crisis in its history, the UN's World Food Programme says, with almost half the population - or 7.3 million people - in desperate need of food, BBC reported. After a prolonged drought, heavy rains have now hit parts of the country, killing at least six people. The WFP says 17 percent of children, or one in five, are acutely malnourished. The figure is well above the normal 15 percent threshold for declaring an emergency. WFP is appealing for US$213m (￡136m) in aid, but is still 40% short of its target.

Philanthropy the new status symbol

As dozens of U.S. billionaires pledge their fortunes to charity while the country struggles to shake off recession, philanthropy is becoming a status symbol among the rich, Reuters reports. Being truly wealthy may no longer be about how many properties or fast cars a billionaire owns - it could be about how much money they give away. Investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates are urging America's billionaires to sign a pledge to give away at least half their wealth during their lifetime or upon their death. While experts say recognition is not a key motivation for people to give, some say it would not be a bad thing if philanthropy became more of a badge of honor among the rich.

Venice gets 1st female gondolier

Venice has finally gotten its first ever female gondolier, the Telegraph reported. Giorgia Boscolo, a 24-year-old mother of two, passed her final exams on Friday and her name has now been added to the official list of those allowed to practice the age-old profession in the lagoon city. She is so remarkable because since gondoliers took to the waterways of Venice in 1094, there had never been a woman among them. The gondolier course lasts six months and includes 400 hours of instruction in using the single oar that is used to propel a gondola through the water.

Childhood stress leads to adult ill health

A series of studies suggest that childhood stress caused by poverty or abuse can lead to heart disease and speed up cell ageing. The American Psychological Association meeting heard that early experiences "cast a long shadow" on health, BBC reported. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh looked at the relationship between living in poverty and early signs of heart disease in 200 healthy teenagers. They found that those from the worst-off families had stiffer arteries and higher blood pressure. Another study presented by Researchers at Ohio State University at the conference showed that childhood events such as the death of a parent or abuse can make people more vulnerable to the effects of stress in later life and even shorten lifespan.

Shopping is big try-on for women

Women will try on more than 21,000 items of clothing in a lifetime but will only buy half of them, theDaily Mail reported. On average, women go shopping four times a month and try on pairs of jeans, dresses or shoes on each trip. The average woman will try on 40 different items of clothing each month or 480 a year. That's more than 21,000 items of clothing over a typical 45-year shopping lifespan. The research shows that for many women, trying on different clothes is often the best part of a shopping trip. It's also an excuse to try on clothes that are too expensive.