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　　237 West Palmdale Boulevard

　　Fresno, California 93706

　　AmToy Corporation

　　Suite 15

　　TransAm Building

　　San Francisco, California 94115

　　November 20,2010

　　Dear Sirs,

　　As a concerned parent, I am writing to protest your recent advertisement for Electro-Robo seen in local media in California．Specifically, I am referring to newspaper and magazine ads(attached to this letter)published the week of November 15．

　　Children respond to your type of advertising in an immature way; that is, they are unable to understand how expensive some toys are for middle class parents．Further, your product is violent in nature．Your advertisement gives children the impression that it’s fine to have “two guns and laser eyes．” You also suggest that children need your toy to protect them “when you go outside．” This is not a healthy attitude for children to have．

　　I hope you will stop advertising your product in such a way that may harm our children．

　　Sincerely yours,

　　(Mrs．)Alma Hernandez

　　President, Parents for Non violent Toys

　　Enclosed Advertisement：

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　　I was waiting for a phone call from my agent．He had left a message the night before, telling me that my show was to be canceled．I called him several times, but each time his secretary told me that he was in a meeting and that he would call me later．So I waited and waited, but there was still no call．Three hours passing by, I became more and more impatient．I was certain that my agent didn’t care about my work, and he didn’t care about me．I was overcome with that thought．I started to shout at the phone,“ Let me wait, will you? Who do you think you are?”

　　At that time I didn’t realize my wife was looking on．Without showing her surprise, she rushed in, seized the phone, tore off the wires, and shouted at the phone, “Yeah! Who do you think you are? Bad telephone! Bad telephone!” And she swept it into the wastebasket．

　　I stood watching her, speechless．What on earth?

　　She stepped to the doorway and shouted at the rest of the house, “Now hear this! All objects in this room－if you do anything to upset my husband, out you go!”

　　Then she turned to me, kissed me, and said calmly, “Honey, you just have to learn how to take control．” With that, she left the room．

　　After watching a crazy woman rushing in and out, shouting at everything in sight, I noticed that something in my mood had changed．I was laughing．How could I have trouble with that phone? Her antics helped me realize I had been driven crazy by small things．Twenty minutes later my agent did call．I was able to listen to him and talk to him calmly．

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　　With a ￡4 million ITV contract(合同)in her pocket and an engagement(婚约)to her England footballer boyfriend, it's been a good year for Christine Bleakley．Perhaps it's no wonder, as the TV presenter is 31, the age at which women are the most attractive, according to a survey．

　　While the average British woman of 31 may be married with a child, the survey noted they are at a wonderful age because they have not only youthful beauty but also more confidence and a better sense of style than flesh-faced teenagers．

　　Some 70 percent of more than 2,000 men and women surveyed considered confidence as a key factor in making a woman attractive, ahead of the 67 percent who included physical beauty and 47 percent who looked for a sense of style．Almost two thirds of the women agreed with the opinion "With age, comes beauty", and over half said that as they age they do away with their insecurities and feel more beautiful, while 55 percent felt they knew the best make-up to wear．

　　Self-confidence varied widely across the country in the survey：London women emerged as the most confident about their looks, with 37 percent describing themselves as beautiful, compared with just 28 percent of Welsh women．Meanwhile, East Midlands women spend the most on beauty programs－￡129.69 monthly－compared with a national average of ￡105.50．

　　The research was carried on for TV shopping channel QVC to mark the launch of its "Beauty Month"．QVC marketing director Sue Leeson said："This research shows what many have always suspected－real beauty is about more than just good looks but a combination of confidence, style and personality, too．”

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　　For years my husband, John, and I had dreamed of taking our three kids to Disney World．We'd planned our trip down to the last detail and dollar．But in Georgia, halfway there, our car broke down．

　　At a garage, the mechanic promised our Mercury Sable would be repaired by the next week．Meanwhile, John tried to find us a rental car．After many phone calls, John finally found a car．Luckily, our auto club would pick up the tab．We ended up arriving there three hours behind schedule．We tried every ride and met Mickey．

　　At the end of the long weekend we called the garage to check on our car．It turned out that the mechanic hadn't even looked at it yet! John got on the phone again．He found it would cost more than ＄ l, 100 to rent a car to drive home．That plus a plane ticket for him to go pick up our own car and we'd be out over ＄2,000!

　　I wailed(痛哭)and asked John, "What are we going to do?" He said, "It'll work out．" John encouraged me not to lose heart and he insisted on trying to find a way out．Amazingly, John found a car transport company that had a car we could drive home, paying only for gas! But all the way home I couldn't stop thinking about the money we'd still need for John's trip back to the garage and another long driving home．

　　When we got home, the high school student who had fed our cats asked how our trip was．I gave him the rundown, "Things worked out okay except that our car's still stuck in Georgia．" "No problem," he said．"I'm heading to Florida for a spring break with my parents．We'll be glad to stop in Georgia on the way back and pick up your car．"

　　We ended up spending only ＄50 more than we'd budgeted．The next week, our car was back, and I had a new understanding of dealing with trouble．Whatever happens, if you never give up, a good solution will come out at last．

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　　Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice．However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner．

　　Born in September, 1897, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies’ two daughters．Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers．She finished her high school education at the College of Sévigné in Paris．

　　Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics．When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities(设备)to help save the lives of wounded soldiers．Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgium．Her services were recognized in the form of a Military’s Medal by the French government．

　　In 1918, Irene became her mother’s assistant at the Curie Institute．In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work．They soon fell in love and were married in 1926．Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later．

　　Like her mother, Irene combined family and career．Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935．Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity(辐射能)．Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956．

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　　Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best．For example, to absorb heat from the sun to heat water, you need large, flat, black surfaces．One way to do that is to build those surfaces specially, on the roofs of buildings．But why go to all that trouble when cities are full of black surfaces already, in the form of asphalt(柏油)roads?

　　Ten years ago, this thought came into the mind of Arian de Bondt, a Dutch engineer．He finally persuaded his boss to follow it up．The result is that their building is now heated in winter and cooled in summer by a system that relies on the surface of the road outside．

　　The heat-collector is a system of connected water pipes．Most of them run from one side of the street to the other, just under the asphalt road．Some, however, dive deep into the ground．

　　When the street surface gets hot in summer, water pumped through the pipes picks up this heat and takes it underground through one of the diving pipes．At a depth of 100 meters lies a natural aquifer(蓄水层)into which several heat exchangers(交换器)have been built．The hot water from the street runs through these exchangers, warming the ground-water, before returning to the surface through another pipe．The aquifer is thus used as a heat store．

　　In winter, the working system is changed slightly．Water is pumped through the heat exchangers to pick up the heat stored during summer．This water goes into the building and is used to warm the place up．After performing that task, it is pumped under the asphalt and its remaining heat keeps the road free of snow and ice．

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　　When you first meet a disabled person, what is your first reaction? Curiosity? Sympathy? If you experience any of these emotions, you are not alone．Chances are that you don’t regularly associate with someone who is disabled．Here are four points to keep in mind if you should happen to meet a disabled person．

　　Disabled people can lead active lives

　　With few exceptions, a disability does not prevent someone from working, raising a family, or taking part in social activities．Many sports and recreation programs have been adapted to a person with a disability．Instead of concentrating on the disability, look at the person the same way you would look at any normal person．

　　It’s all right to ask questions

　　Many people are afraid of offending someone by asking about their disability．When meeting them for the first time, it’s natural to be curious about who he or she is, and where they’re from．Asking questions is usually acceptable, as long as you use common sense．Don’t, for example, ask a blind person how he feeds and bathes himself．

　　Offer help when necessary

　　You see a woman in a wheelchair having trouble entering a building．It’s usually appropriate to lend a hand if someone is having obvious difficulty, but keep in mind that not everyone will be willing to accept your help．Unless the woman in the wheelchair is in danger, you do your part．

　　Remember that we all have obstacles to overcome

　　No matter who we are, each of us has a weakness or challenge to face．Like you, a disabled person would much rather be accepted for who they are, rather than be pitied．Many friends have said to me, “I often forget that you are blind．” To me, that is the top compliment．

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　　Millions of people are using cell phones today．In many places it is actually considered unusual not to use one．In many countries, cell phones are very popular with young people．They find that the phones are more than a means of communication-having a mobile phone shows that they are cool and connected．

　　The explosions around the world in mobile phone use make some health professionals worried．Some doctors are concerned that in the future many people may suffer health problems from the use of mobile phones．In England, there has been a serious debate about this issue．Mobile phone companies are worried about the negative publicity of such ideas．They say that there is no proof that mobile phones are bad for your health．

　　On the other hand, why do some medical studies show changes in the brain cells of some people who use mobile phones? Signs of change in the issues of the brain and head can be detected with modern scanning(扫描)equipment．In one case, a traveling salesman had to retire at a young age because of serious memory loss, He couldn’t remember even simple tasks．He would often forget the name of his own son．This man used to talk on his mobile phone for about six hours a day, every day of his working week ,for a couple of years．His family doctor blamed his mobile phone use, but his employer’s doctor didn’t agree．

　　What is it that makes mobile phones potentially harmful? The answer is radiation．High-tech machines can detect very small amounts of radiation from mobile phones．Mobile phone companies agree that there is some radiation, but they say the amount is too small to worry about．

　　As the discussion about their safety continues, it appears that it’s best to use mobile phones less often．Use your regular phone if you want to talk for a long time．Use your mobile phone only when you really need it．Mobile phones can be very useful and convenient, especially in emergencies．In the future, mobile phones may have a warning label that says they are bad for your health．So for now, it’s wise not to use your mobile phone too often．

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　　AAAGH! The Generation 90s is coming!

　　Wearing earphones, using complex Net language and constantly text messaging friends, the Gen-90s following the Gen-80s begin to make their world debut(初次登台)．

　　Each generation or age group has its own symbols and lifestyle．Read on and judge for yourselves if you fit the Gen-90s profile(概况，简介)．

　　Earphones

　　These little devices seem to grow on the heads of the Gen-90s．They might lead to MP3, MP4 or MP101 players, giving these young people a plugged-in，cool and perhaps self-addicted look, of course, life is not always music to the ears．

　　Martian language

　　They have created their own code-like online language．It’s a mixture of English, Japanese and Chinese that perhaps only Martians can understand．This is an imaginative generation, though they need to be careful to keep it out of their term papers．

　　Self-Portrait(肖像)

　　Saying “cheese” to their own digital cameras is routine for this generation．A little bit of narcissism(自恋)never hurts anyone．It helps them reflect a little on their own lives．But be aware of the risks of posting private photos online．

　　Text-messaging

　　They can type their mobile phones as fast as they can speak．This is a generation that respects efficiency．However, oral communication is important and will never go out of style．

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　　“Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeleton(骨骼)in the closet(衣橱)?” Jessica asked．“A skeleton in the closet?” her mother paused thoughtfully．“Well, it’s something that you would rather not have anyone else know about．For example, if in the past, someone in Dad’s family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family’s closet’．He really wouldn’t want any neighbor to know about it．”

　　“Why pick on my family?” Jessica’s father said with anger．“Your family history isn’t so good, you know．Wasn’t your great-great-grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?” “Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners．” “Gosh, sorry I asked．I think I understand now,” Jessica cut in before things grew worse．

　　After dinner, the house was very quiet．Jessica’s parents were still quite angry with each other．Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read．When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica’s closet．Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor．Jessica’s mother sank in a faint(晕倒), waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead．She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter．

　　“What happened? Where am I?” she asked．“You just destroyed the school’s skeleton, Mum,” explained Jessica．“I brought it home to help me with my health project．I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad．” Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly．“They’re both crazy,” she thought．