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　　The emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and lives in Antarctica．The male and female are similar in size, reaching 122 cm in height and weighing anywhere from 22 to 45 kg．The back and head are black, contrasting sharply with the pale-yellow breast and bright-yellow ears．Like all penguins, it is flightless, with a streamlined body and their wings stiffen and flatten into flippers(鳍状肢)for a marine habitat．

　　Its diet consists primarily of fish, but can also include animals with hard shells．In hunting, the species can remain underwater up to 18 minutes, diving to a depth of 535 m．Its unusually structured hemoglobin(血红蛋白)allows it to function at low oxygen levels．

　　The emperor penguin is perhaps best known for the journeys adults make each year in order to mate and to feed their babies．The only penguin species that breeds(繁殖)during the Antarctic winter, it goes on a long journey of 50-120 km over the ice to breeding areas which may include thousands of individuals．The female lays a single egg, which is incubated(孵化)by the male while the female returns to the sea to feed; parents take turns searching for food at sea and caring for their chick．They both care for the chick until it is able to enter the water to find food on its own．During the process of incubation, the male can lose up to 1/3 to 1/2 of his body weight．One of the coolest things about the male is that if the chick comes out its egg before the female returns, the male can actually produce a special liquid to feed the chick．He can only do this for a short time．If the female doesn’t return, he must leave the chick to go on with his own life．The emperor penguin can typically live for 20 years in the wild, although observations suggest that some individual may live to 50 years of age．

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　　You can call us at(212)868-8488 to place your orders．If you want to fax or mail us your order, you do not need to fill out a separate form．Just place products in your shopping list online and continue through checkout(结账台)until you are reminded to print out the order sheet for fax or mail orders．Then write your credit card information on the printed sheet and fax or mail it to ChinaSprout to complete your order．

　　You will receive an order confirmation via email automatically within 24 hours of placing your order．If you have not received your order confirmation within two days, please let us know through our contact form．We will respond within one business day．

　　ChinaSprout wants to provide the fastest service for you．We will ship all orders within 24 hours．There is a good possibility that by the time you call with a change or cancellation, your package could already be on its way to you．If you would like to make a change or cancel your order, please contact us as soon as possible．We will do everything possible to try to meet your needs．

　　We do accept international orders．We will ship all international orders by air mail unless you specifically request otherwise．Your shipping costs are calculated by USPS(美国邮政管理局)service; just add the products in the shopping cart, fill out the address, and you will see the shipping costs．Air mail will take 7-21 business days．International Priority will take 1-4 business days．All international orders must be paid using a credit card．Checks and money orders are not accepted．Please note that International USPS packages may have no guarantee for delivery time and tracking．

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　　After a very busy afternoon, as I walked into my house, I heard the phone ringing．It was my friend Lydia, upset over an argument with her husband．My usual approach is to offer advice, but this time, extremely tired from chores, I simply pulled off my coat, sat down in a chair and listened to my friend's frustration and sadness．Without the disturbance of judgment or the desire to comfort her, I stayed totally quiet while she talked．Eventually Lydia's depression eased and we said our goodbyes．The next day she phoned to thank me．"I'm so grateful for the way you helped me through this," she said．

　　At first I was surprised．After all, I had done nothing except be there for her．But after I had my own venting(发泄的)experience with another friend later that evening, I realized that my focused silence had some value．In fact, most relationship experts agree that talk is cheap; it's listening that's rare and valuable．It allows you not only to hear what the other person is saying, but also to have a clear understanding of her thoughts and feelings．And for the speaker, that level of understanding translates into concern and respect．

　　Unfortunately, listening isn't as easy as it sounds．Thanks to schedules filled with family and work, multitasking has become the barrier(障碍)to listening．My tiredness may have been the only thing stopping me from folding laundry or checking my e-mail while Lydia talked that afternoon．

　　Another barrier to listening is our listening system：Most of us take in only about half of what's being said during a conversation, according to the International Listening Association．Research shows that we speak at 125 to 150 words per minute, yet think at 500 words a minute．Therefore, because we think much more quickly than we speak, it is easy for us to lose our concentration when listening to speakers．

　　While it can be hard to focus at times, it's a skill worth developing．With a little practice－employing some techniques－you can become a better listener．

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　　“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity,” said the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey．I’ve never watched her show, but when a self-made billionaire gives life advice it’s probably worth listening to．

　　Her point is that blind luck is very rare．You may have to be lucky to find a good job these days but that does not mean you should sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you．If you’re a Chinese, you may already be familiar with the tale of a farmer waiting by a tree stump(树桩)for a rabbit to run out and break its neck．

　　A book by the UK psychologist Richard Wiseman, called The Luck Factor, argues we can all make ourselves luckier．It’s not about going to a temple to burn some incense(香)hopes that the gods will give you good fortune; it’s practical advice you can follow each day．

　　Wiseman conducted an experiment as part of his studies．First he divided volunteers into two groups; those who said they were lucky in life and those who said they were not．He gave everyone a newspaper and asked them to look through it to count how many photographs it had inside．On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds．Why? On the second page of the newspaper, a command, “Stop counting．There are 43 photographs in this newspaper,” was written in big letters．The unlucky people mostly did not spot the message．

　　It’s easy to compare this situation to a young person looking for jobs in a local paper．They might search so hard for one type of position that they miss an even better opportunity．People who are “lucky”, in fact, keep an open mind and don’t go through the same routine every day．

　　I first came to China in 2002 when it was considered a rather strange thing to do．Like many foreigners, my plan was to teach English for one year．Seven years later, and still here, I’ve had many great opportunities such as writing for newspapers and magazines．I did not dream these would have been possible．I’ve also never been sick, had an accident, got into a fight or had problems with the police．Coincidence? After reading about Professor Wiseman’s studies I think not．

　　As Wiseman advises, I usually trust my own judgment．Your friends and parents may give you advice based on rational(理性)thinking, but it’s important to consider how you feel about each choice you make．Your feeling acts as a warning for a potential problem．

　　Finally, try to turn bad luck into good．Even if you do fall down and break a leg, the time spent at home can be used wisely to study English．

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　　To help the environment, many Americans have made the change from paper and plastic bags to reusable grocery bags．But a report by a Florida newspaper says that reusable grocery bags sold by some supermarkets contain high levels of lead(铅)．Lead is a metal that can be harmful to humans, especially young children, Now, Senator Charles Schumer is asking the US government to investigate(调查)the use of lead in reusable shopping bags．

　　“When our families go to the grocery store looking for safe and healthy foods to feed their kids, the last thing they should have to worry about is poisonous bags．” Schumer said, “A quick investigation will allow everyone to make informed, timely decisions．” Schumer added．

　　Lead in the bags is not likely to rub off(因摩擦而粘在……上面)on food．But over time, paint on the bags can rub off and the bags can wear out．When this happens, lead can be released(释放)．

　　The Tampa Tribune newspaper said certain bags sold at Publix and Winn-Dixie supermarkets had lead levels that were a concern to health officials．The affected bags were found in Florida．But Publix has more than 1,000 stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Sough Carolina and Tennessee．Publix says that all of its bags are under current laws about lead content, but that they have asked the makers of the bags to reduce the lead levels in the product．

　　The bags with the highest levels of lead had fancy designs and many pictures．Plain reusable bags without decoration were found to contain little lead．Consumers worried about lead levels in reusable bags can change to cloth or string bags．Paper bags are also a good choice, since paper can be recycled(回收)．

　　Since 2007, Publix supermarkets have sold more than 13 million reusable bags．The store says because shoppers have made the change to reusable bags, it has saved more than 1 billion paper and plastics bags．

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　　An acrobatic show：To celebrate its 50^th anniversary, the China Acrobatic Troupe(剧团)will present “The Soul of China”, where the seemingly impossible is made real．Chills will run down your spine(脊柱)as you watch breathlessly as performers take their art and their bodies to the edge．

　　Time：7∶30 p. m., September 13-19

　　Place：Capital Theatre, 22 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District

　　Joint Show：A group ink painting exhibition is running at the Huangshicheng Art Gallery in Beijing．About 50 works by 25 young artists including GeYun and Yu Yang are on display．

　　Time：9∶00 a. m.－5∶00 p. m. until September 10

　　Place：Huangshicheng Art Gallery, 136 Nanchizi Dajie, Dongcheng District

　　Oil paintings：The Wanfung Art Gallery will host a joint show of oil painting by 10 young and middle-aged artists．On display are more than 30 of their latest works, which capture the wondrous variety of life in unique styles．

　　Time：9∶00 a. m.－4∶00 p. m. until September 15

　　Place：136 Nanchizi Street, Dongcheng District

　　Literature museum：The National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature offers an in-depth study of the evolution of Chinese contemporary literature from 1919 to 1949．

　　Time：9∶00 a. m.－4∶00 p. m., daily

　　Place：45 Anyuan Donglu, Chaoyang District(Shaoyaoju area)

　　Beijing rocks：“The Fashion Night of Chinese Rock” is set to bring rock fans out by the thousands next month．Nine Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert, including older generation bands, middle generation and some recent arrivals．The audience will be given a chance to decide what songs they want to hear, which is sure to bring a storm．

　　Time：September 16

　　Place：The Olympic Center

　　Belgium Orchestra：La Petite Bande, the Baroque Orchestra of Belgium, will perform in Beijing at the Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities as part of activities across the world in memory of the 250^th anniversary of Bach’s death．

　　Time：7∶30 p. m．September 11－14

　　Place：Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities

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　　Perhaps you have never heard of Katherine Lawes．Katherine was the wife of Lewis Lawes, warden(监狱长)at Sing Sing Prison from 1920 to 1941．In these 21 years he made many reforms－and an important part of his success was due to his wife Katherine．

　　Katherine took seriously the idea that the prisoners are human beings, worthy of attention and respect．She regularly visited inside the walls of Sing Sing．She encouraged the prisoners, took things to them and spent time listening to them．Most importantly, she cared about them．And as a result, they cared deeply about her．

　　Then one night in October of 1937, news was "telegraphed" between the prison cells(牢房)that Katherine had been killed in an accident．The prisoners asked the warden to allow them to attend her funeral．He agreed to their strange request and a few days later the south gate of Sing Sing swung slowly open．Hundreds of men who had committed almost every crime imaginable marched slowly out of the prison, later gathered again at the gate and returned to their cells(牢房)．No one tried to escape．If he had, the others might have killed him immediately．So devoted were they to Katherine Lawes, the woman who daily walked into the prison to show the men a piece of Heaven．

　　Katherine’s strength was to see the men less as prisoners and more as individuals．Thomas Moore once said, "We can only treat badly those things or people whose souls we show no respect for．"

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　　For the most part, you are probably only exposed to the music that is played on your favorite radio stations and TV shows, music Web sites, or the music that your friends and family members enjoy．While you probably know a lot about your favorite type of music, it can be a rewarding experience to enlarge your horizons(眼界),discovering artists and types of music that you’re not familiar with．Who knows, you might discover you like certain types of music you never even considered．

　　Have you ever wondered about the history and influences of your favorite types of music? For example, did you know that rock ‘n’ roll originated(起源)from the blues, and that the blues began as a form of musical expression for African Americans during slavery(奴隶制度)? Did you know that most hip-hop is heavily influenced by the early rhythm blues and jazz?

　　There are many fun ways to learn about different musical styles and their historical roots．For example, if you like hip-hop, listen to some of your favorite CDs and the songs．There is a possibility that the artist used parts of older songs to create the music, You can go to the library or online to learn more about the artists and listen to more of their music by checking out CDs from the library or downloading songs online for a small fee．

　　You can learn so much about culture and history just by paying attention to different types of music and what is being expressed in the songs．There are so many different styles of music to learn about ,and you owe(欠)it to yourself to make an effort to listen to and learn about them．

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Part-time Front Desk Position

　　Fuse Fitness is looking for a part-time front desk receptionist at our new Carlsbad location．

　　Job duties include：

　　Welcoming and greeting members;

　　Answering phone calls;

　　Signing up new members;

　　Cleaning and performing other various duties．

　　You should have great communication skills and be dependable．More importantly, you should have a positive spirit in stressful situations．You are expected to work five days a week(including weekends)．

　　Please, no phone calls about this job in the morning!

　　Tel：(760)434-7704

　　E-mail：info@fusefitness．com

　　Apply in person at：2502 El Camino Real, Carlsbad, CA 92008

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　　If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life, one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have．Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment．

　　Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other commitments that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal(叙旧)with the friends, relatives and acquaintances we already have．

　　Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!

　　Are there any people you could call right now and be assured of a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count on to help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?

　　If you haven’t seen much of them lately， is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?

　　If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is that you have gotten too busy, take a good look at how you spend your time．Compare it with your real values and priorities(优先考虑的事)in life．Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?

　　If you have become too busy for friends, why has this happened? Are you seeking material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other human beings? Have you allowed your time to be over-committed because you never say “No” to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be delegated to others? If so, why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?

　　Examine whether the way you are now spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities．Make sure that you schedule adequate time for the things that are truly most important to you．

　　If you really want to keep friends in your life, make a space in your schedule, and a space in your heart for them．