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　　The huge thirst for jobs in the civil service has made the national civil servant(公务员)exam one of China's most competitive tests．The first exam was held in 1995, and since then more and more people have signed up for it, with applications reaching a peak over the last two years．

　　The latest online survey, carried out by China Youth Daily and www．qq．com, found that more than 73 percent of young people want to work as civil servants．Of the 17,330 respondents, about 83 percent said they were attracted by the job's stability, guaranteed health care and pension(退休金)．Meanwhile, 55 percent said it could bring "practical profits"．Nearly 1 million people applied to take the exam last year, yet only just over 10,000 were finally employed．

　　This year the competition continued．The exact number of applicants is not known, with the final day for applications today．But the flood of applicants has already broken the exam's website once．China Youth Daily reported that the site was forced to close for maintenance due to unusually high traffic on the night of October 16, which has never happened in the past．

　　In a typical year several hundred applicants will apply for many of the jobs listed．For example, the five job vacancies provided by the secretariat(秘书处)of the Central Committee of the CPC have attracted more than 3,880 applicants this year．In general, the exam means 50 people competing for one post, the report said．Positions as civil servants are attractive, not only because of the stable income and good health care, but also because of the low risks compared with the power and resources the positions enjoy．Among the total 6 million public servants, around 20,000 were dismissed between 1996 and 2007．

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　　After a year of preparing herself, Laura Dekker has been given permission to sail around the world．“I was so happy that I almost jumped into the river,” Laura said, after learning of the court’s verdict(判决)．

　　The 14-year-old was born on a ship in the South Pacific, and currently lives with her father on a boat．When child protection agencies heard about her plan to sail alone, they took the case to court and prevented her from making such a dangerous voyage．

　　Since the decision, though, Laura had been preparing with her father to convince the court that she was ready．Later on, she received the books and other materials she would need for school while she was at sea．She added safety equipment to a new, big ship．And she took her first aid course to learn several survival skills, like how to put out fires on the boat, take care of her own injuries and deal with lack of sleep．She also planned a safer course --- adding alternate routes(备用路径)to avoid pirate attacks, and planning a course that would have her on dry land as she moved from port to port across the globe．

　　Even with all of the added preparations, the trip still has its risks．In early June, 16-year-old Abby Sunderland, an American, had to abandon(放弃)her attempt to become the youngest sailor to travel around the world．Her ship’s mast(桅杆)broke due to rough waters in the Indian Ocean, and she was rescued by a French fishing ship．

　　Laura plans to take longer than Abby for her voyage, and is using a larger and more stable boat．If she finished successfully in less than two years, she will take the title from current record-holder Jessica Watson, of Australia, who was 16 when she completed the journey．

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　　Prince Charles yesterday pledged(承诺)to reduce the royal impact on the environment through sweeping changes to his personal lifestyle and official schedule．The prince will replace carbon-heavy private jets and helicopters with scheduled flights and train services．

　　The move came as Prince Charles urged business leaders to publish the environmental pact(协定)of their activities．He said, "Few accountants and business decision-makers ask, 'How much of our critical natural resource is left? How many miles of polar ice cap has our business helped melt this year? By how many inches have we raised sea levels? How many species have we put at risk? How many homes will be flooded? How many people will die of thirst or starvation because of our activities?' These are not comfortable questions, but, by God, they need to he asked．"

　　He added, "At the moment these costs do not appear in anyone's books．Yet they are real, they are incurred now and in a relatively short time, the damage being caused may be beyond remedy(治疗)．" He said the world was "running up the biggest global credit card debt in history, but with little or no thought for how the bill will ever be paid．"

　　Flanked by the prime minister and business and community leaders at St James's Palace, the prince said his new "accounting for sustainability" project would give consumers the power to choose products that caused less damage to the planet．

　　Duchy Originals, the prince's food company, is taking steps to work out how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas are emitted(排放)in growing, processing and distributing its products．The changes to the prince's travel arrangements announced yesterday are part of a wider review of the carbon footprint associated with activities at all three of his residences-Clarence House in London, High-grove and Birkhall on the Balmorals estate, as well as the activities of his 21 personal and 105 full-time staff．Measures include a review of electricity use, commuter and other staff travel are intended to identify further reductions in carbon dioxide emissions(排放)．The review will report in June, when Clarence House will announce annual targets to reduce carbon emissions．

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　　For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub．Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news．

　　As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved．Many of them have become historic sites．The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England．

　　However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society．On a cold night, the pub's landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire．There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drinks available at an affordable price．

　　That's how things used to be．Things are beginning to change．It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩)is causing 39 British pubs in a week to go out of business．People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer．Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs．

　　This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 11 p．m．．Previously, with 11 p．m．as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly．The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities．

　　In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market．British pubs now offer something for everyone．A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men's Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter．Today, however, women can freely enter 99％ of pubs without experiencing any problems．Perhaps things are changing for the better after all．

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　　A person may have an idea about himself that will prevent him from doing good work．He may have the idea that he is not capable of it．A child may think he is stupid because he does not understand how to make the most of his mental faculties(机能), or he may accept another person's mistaken estimate(评价)of his ability．Older people may be handicapped(阻碍)by the mistaken belief that they are incapable of learning anything new because of their age．

　　A person who believes that he is incapable will not make a real effort, because he feels that it would be useless．He won't go at a job with the confidence necessary for success．He is therefore likely to fail, and the failure will strengthen his belief in his incompetence．Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this．When he was a small boy he got off to a poor start in arithmetic．His teacher got the idea that he had no ability in arithmetic, and told his parents what she thought in order that they would not expect too much of him．In this way, they too developed the idea, “Isn't it too bad that Alfred can't do arithmetic？” He accepted their mistaken estimate of his ability, felt that it was useless to try, and was very poor at arithmetic, just as they expected．

　　One day Adler succeeded in solving a problem which none of the other students had been able to solve．This gave him confidence．He rejected the idea that he couldn't do arithmetic and was determined to show them that he could．His new-found confidence stimulated him to go at arithmetic problems with a new spirit．He now worked with interest, determination and purpose, and he soon became extraordinary good at arithmetic．

　　This experience made him realize that many people have more ability than they think they have, and that lack of success is as often the result of lack of knowledge of how to apply one's ability, lack of confidence, and lack of determination as it is the result of lack of ability．

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　　Young women are more adventurous than young men when travelling abroad in gap years．One in three female backpackers visits more than three countries during a year out and travels alone, according to new research．

　　By contrast, the majority of their male counterparts visit only one country and tend to travel in groups, says a survey by the Gap Year company, which provides information and services for students considering taking a year out．

　　More women than men say that their prime reason for taking time off is to see the world and experience different cultures．Men were more likely to rank “having fun” higher on their list of priorities．Women were more likely to value the challenge of a foreign trip, and many cited reasons such as learning a language and meeting new people．

　　The more adventurous gap years taken by women seem to work to their benefit; more than three quarters of those surveyed reported increased confidence, self-reliance and independence, whereas only half of the men had that experience．

　　The research also showed that women were more likely to do voluntary work while travelling, with more than one in ten helping with teaching or development projects．One of the reasons given for this is a wish to see the country in an authentic light．

　　A greater proportion of women than men faced objections or criticism from their families over their gap-year plans．Among the men surveyed, lack of money was the main barrier to travel．

　　Carolyn Martin, a doctor from London, was a typically confident female traveller．Starting in Cape Town, she travelled around southern Africa and Australia with a string of unusual and sometimes dangerous jobs．

　　“I had one job chasing elephants off the runway in Africa by banging a stick against a pan，” she recalled．“It was OK but one day I did get chased by one．”

　　She said that she had travelled alone because “you meet more people”．

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　　I was not quite seventeen when I decided to join the US Marine Corps．My mother tried her best to talk me out of my dream, and then finally signed the papers that would permit me to enter the service．

　　One day, nearly two years after the Philippines became my home, I was summoned to the office of Lieutenant(海军上尉)Colonel Boyd．He seemed to be a kind man, but I was pretty sure that he hadn't called me in to pass the time of day．

　　Standing before his desk, I waited nervously as he read through some paperwork．Then he looked up．“Why, Private, haven't you written to your mother for more than six months?”

　　I felt weak in my knees．Has it been that long? I thought．

　　“I didn't have anything to say, Sir．”

　　Lieutenant Colonel Boyd told me that my mother had contacted the American Red Cross, which in turn communicated with my commanding officer about my failure to write．Then he asked, “Do you see that desk, Private？”

　　“Yes, Sir．”

　　“Open the top drawer and you'll find some paper and a pen．Sit down right this minute and find something to say to your mother．”

　　“Yes, Sir．”

　　When I finished a brief letter, I stood before him again．

　　“Private, I'm ordering you to find something to say to your mother at least once a week．Do you understand？” I did．

　　Some thirty-five years later, my aged mother's mental condition was deteriorating, and I was forced to place her in a convalescent home(疗养所)．As I went through her belongings, I began inspecting the contents of an old cedar chest．At the bottom, tied with a bright red ribbon, I found a bundle of letters．

　　They were the letters I had been ordered to write from the Philippines．I sat on the floor of her apartment that afternoon reading each one, tears streaming down my cheeks．I now realized how deeply, as a young man, had upset her by my lack of consideration．

　　The lesson I learned may have been too late to help my mother, but it's still done me good．These days I don't need a commanding officer standing over me to write to my loved ones on a regular basis．

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　　I got my first driver's license(执照)in 1953 by taking driver education in my first year at Central High School in Charlotte, North Carolina．Four years later when it was time to renew my license I was a married woman．Henry and I were living in Baltimore, Maryland．Two weeks before my 20th birthday, Henry drove me to the motor vehicle office on a hot July afternoon．When I got to the office and showed to the man behind the counter my North Carolina driver’ s license, ready to renew, the man told me that I was under age by Maryland law since I was not yet 21．“Mr．Henry Smith, your husband, will have to sign for you, ”he said．

　　I argued, pointing to a very large belly(肚子)of mine, “I am married．I am having a baby．Why should I have to have someone sign for me to drive?”He answered coldly, “It’s the law, madam．”

　　Henry encouraged me to calm down, just go ahead and get the license and be done with it．“No, ” I said．I refused to have him sign for me．So I left without a Maryland license．

　　I called the North Carolina Motor Vehicle Office and renewed my NC license by mail－using my name Susan Brown．And thus it was for the next twelve years．Since Henry was in the army I could drive under my home state license．By the time Henry left the army we were once again living in Maryland, and I had to take the Maryland driver’ s exam．Since then I just go in and renew every four years－sign the name Susan Brown, have my new picture taken, and walk out with a license to drive．

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　　In the animal kingdom, weakness can bring about aggression in other animals．This sometimes happens with humans also．But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people．I see it every day when people hold doors for me, pour cream into my coffee, or help me to put on my coat．And I have discovered that it makes them happy．

　　From my wheelchair experience, I see the best in people, but sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily．They don’t get to see this soft side of others．Often, we try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness, which includes a lot of pretending．But only when we stop pretending we’ re brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that’ s in them．

Last month, when I was driving home on a busy highway, I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual．People behind me began to get impatient and angry, with some speeding up alongside me, horning(按喇叭)or even shouting at me．At that moment, I decided to do something I had never done in twenty-four years of driving．I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed．

　　No more angry shouts and no more horns!

　　When I put on my flashlights, I was saying to the other drivers, “I have a problem here．I am weak and doing the best I can．” And everyone understood．Several times, I saw drivers who wanted to pass．They couldn’t get around me because of the stream of passing traffic．But instead of getting impatient and angry, they waited, knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak．

　　Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don’t feel that way．But those are few and far between．More often, it would be better if we don’t pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we're brave when we’re scared．

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　　Good posture certainly shows good health．It also adds to a body's energy and beauty．The body is not handsome when the back is bent and neck thrusts forward．Bad posture suggests the impression that a person is tired, lacking in energy, bored, or weak．Tiredness may sometimes be the cause of bad posture．Most often, however, it is due to careless and poor health habits．Whatever it causes, bad posture affects one physically．The muscles are stretched and pulled into unnatural positions, which can lead to poor base of the body's various systems．

　　Nutrition is the study of how the body takes food and uses it．This science provides information about the kinds of food a person must eat to improve and maintain good health．Such knowledge helps him develop and form people habits to his problems of healthful living．People habits of nutrition can be developed by paying attention to：(1)the variety of food included in the diet；(2)the quality of each kind of food eaten．A diet, or the food regularly eaten, must contain all the necessary factors．

　　Many physicians believe that overweight is one of the greatest dangers to good health．This condition often leads to a shorter life．An overweight person is also easier to suffer disease, and various disorders of the digestive system．A person’s weight directly has something to do with the amounts of food he eats．

　　All foods can make a person fat if too much is eaten．In reducing, the safe weight loss is about two pounds a week．The sensible way to lose weight is to decrease the gaining starchy(含淀粉的)foods, fats and sweets in the diet．