翻翻看

SEASIDE, Calif. - A 15-year-old girl who stopped an out-of-control school bus she was riding on was handed a Saturday detention instead because she was skipping school.

Rouse jumped up and applied the brakes, bringing the bus to a halt after striking two parked cars. No one was injured.

She said had asked the bus driver for a ride because she felt sick at school.

"She is in trouble with school because she made the wrong decision," said Rouse's grandmother, Sally Correll. "But I can't help but believe that she was where God wanted her to be."

A spokesperson for the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District could not immediately be reached Saturday.

 

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大意：一个十五岁的女孩在校车失控后安全将车停了下来，40个乘客无一伤亡。不过她却因为旷课而受到了学校的处罚。

  

 

LAS VEGAS, N.M. - Jessie Vigil's black-and-white car sports a red-and-blue emergency bar across the top and the word "police" painted on the doors. Vigil, however, isn't a cop. Law enforcement agencies say what he's done with his car isn't illegal as long as he doesn't act like a police officer.

He started decorating his 2007 Ford Mustang last summer to look like the police cruiser in the "Transformers" movie because his 7-year-old son, Thomas, was fond of the film.

"My intent was to re-create the movie car," said Vigil, a 35-year-old disabled veteran from the war in Iraq. "When I came back from Iraq, I tried to spoil him. I wasn't the best dad before."

He said he called the district attorney's office beforehand and spoke to Chief Deputy District Attorney Joe Ulibarri, who tried to discourage his decorating scheme but couldn't find anything in the law that would stop Vigil as long as he didn't impersonate an officer.

Ulibarri said a state law prevents people from mimicking state police cars, which are painted black and white. But he also said the state police sell their old cars to private citizens without changing the colors.

"Are we violating our own law by not repainting them?" he asked.

He called the state law vague, and noted that normal state police cars aren't Mustangs.

"I don't think this guy has any intent to mimic a state police officer," Ulibarri said. "I'm not hearing that he is causing a problem and arresting people."

A close look shows Vigil's car isn't a police cruiser. Instead of the familiar slogan "To protect and serve," it carries a motto: "To punish and enslave" on the side. Instead of telling people to dial 911 for emergencies, the Mustang advises them to "dial 411 for theater information."

He originally marked his car, "Transformers police" but later changed it to just "police." He also added what appears to be a bar of emergency lights, but said they're not actual lights.

Vigil acknowledged people have mixed feelings about his car.

State police Capt. Craig Martin said the agency is "concerned for the safety of people who think he is an officer and think they may get help from him.

"People around town know who he is, but not those people on the interstate."

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Information from: Las Vegas Optic

 

 

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LAS VEGAS, N.M. - Jessie Vigil's black-and-white car sports a red-and-blue emergency bar across the top and the word "police" painted on the doors. Vigil, however, isn't a cop. Law enforcement agencies say what he's done with his car isn't illegal as long as he doesn't act like a police officer.

Jessie Vigil把他的轿车染成了黑白相间的颜色，并且在车顶放置了一个红蓝乡间的报警器，甚至还在车门上喷写了一个“警察”字样，然而他并不是警察。执法机构称，只要他的行为不让别人误以为是警察，那么就不算违法。

 He started decorating his 2007 Ford Mustang last summer to look like the police cruiser in the "Transformers" movie because his 7-year-old son, Thomas, was fond of the film.

由于他的儿子Thomas非常喜欢电影"Transformers" (变形金刚？)，所以去年夏天开始，他就开始将自己的福特轿车装扮成电影中警车的样子。

"My intent was to re-create the movie car," said Vigil, a 35-year-old disabled veteran from the war in Iraq. "When I came back from Iraq, I tried to spoil him. I wasn't the best dad before."

他参加了伊拉克战争，不幸致残。“我想要重新造一个和电影中的警车一样的车”这个35岁的退伍老兵说，“我以前不是一个好父亲，自从我从伊拉克回来之后，我想宠爱他。”

He said he called the district attorney's office beforehand and spoke to Chief Deputy District Attorney Joe Ulibarri, who tried to discourage his decorating scheme but couldn't find anything in the law that would stop Vigil as long as he didn't impersonate an officer.

他说，在动手装饰之前，他打电话询问了当地的律师事务所，Joe Ulibarri律师想要阻止他，但是只要他不扮成一个警察，就没有任何可以依据的法律阻止他。

Ulibarri said a state law prevents people from mimicking state police cars, which are painted black and white. But he also said the state police sell their old cars to private citizens without changing the colors.

Ulibarri 说，法律规定人们不能将车装饰称黑白相间的警车样子。但是同时他还表示，很多警察局在没有更改车的颜色的情况下，将他们的旧警车卖给了普通大众。

(20mini)

 

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ, Associated Press Writer Mon Mar 10, 11:01 PM ET

 

MEXICO CITY - When Manuel Uribe went out on a date, he made all the necessary arrangements: a forklift to carry him out of the house and a flatbed tow truck big enough to haul the formerly half-ton man and his bed to a party.

But even the open road wasn't big enough to handle Uribe's dream of celebrating a budding romance and his success in losing about 440 pounds.

Uribe was halfway to a picnic near his Monterrey-area home on Sunday when one of the posts holding a sun-shielding tarp over his bed hit an overpass.

Uribe's blood pressure dropped so much his doctors advised him not to go on and the celebration — being documented by about two dozen photographers and reporters from around the world — was canceled.

"We were going to celebrate that I've been losing weight for two years and that it was my girlfriend's birthday," Uribe said in a telephone interview. "The saddest part was that I couldn't fulfill my dream of taking my girlfriend out to eat."

Uribe says that after losing weight on a high-protein diet he started two years ago, he's down to about 800 pounds.

Last year, Uribe left his house for the first time in five years. Six people pushed his iron bed on wheels out to the street as a mariachi band played and a crowd gathered to see the man who once weighed 1,235 pounds).

At the time, the 42-year-old mechanic rode through the streets of his native San Nicolas de los Garza to enjoy the sun and wave to neighbors.

Uribe weighed more than 250 pounds as an adolescent, and he just kept growing.

Since the summer of 2002, Uribe has been bedridden, relying on his mother and friends to feed and clean him. He drew worldwide attention when he pleaded for help on national television in January 2006.

Uribe says despite the setback, he still hopes to go out with his girlfriend on June 11, when he will turn 43.

"We'll just have to plan it better," he said.

 

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大意：墨西哥城有个大哥，原来 1,235 磅（我利用强大的灵斯格换算了一下，大概560公斤- -！半吨重啊，跟头小象差不多了~~），现在减了400磅，（不过还是要6个人抬着床出门，‘皇帝啊~~~）为此他想庆祝一下，同时也想携其女友出去走一走，吃点东西。他从n年前就引起了媒体的关注，当然这次宴会也少不了各种媒体咯。不幸的是，运他的车开的技术不好，或者他的体积太大，总之他的床上的遮蓬撞到了立交桥上- -！面对这种严峻的情况，这位大哥心里素质相当好，血压一点没有升高，而是直线下落~~于是医生建议：晒太阳、泡mm以及开什么新闻发布会之类的都取消吧！不过虽然已进入不惑之年，此兄激情不减，仍不甘心，还是趁回家之机一边在床上晒太阳一边向街坊邻居、大叔大妈之类围观群众挥一挥衣袖，没带走一片云彩。。。。虽然各种计划好的好事均为成功，但是400磅是的确减下来了，趋势还是不错的。而此兄目标是，43岁时，能够携女友散步~

Has Ping-pong panic hit China?
中国称霸广州世乒赛　“垄断”乒坛引争议

作者：21ST  时间：2008-03-07  来源：21世纪英文报第744期

Li Jiawei, originally from China, played for Singapore in this year's World Championships.

IT'S the one game that comes with the fewest surprises whenever the Chinese are involved – table tennis. The world's top-notch players are predominantly Chinese, and seldom has a world championship gold gone to any other country but China. The ongoing 49th World Table Tennis Championships in Guangzhou has again seen few exceptions to this rule.

Some table tennis fans have complained that the lack of any potent foreign challenge to China's reign has made the sport less "interesting" in recent years. They say it even threatens the future of the game.

Some players representing other countries are in fact "imported" from China. As a result, even teams from other countries may run up against an ethnic Chinese in the semi-finals or finals, and the players on both sides of the table may well have been former team mates.

Adham Sharara, president of the International Table Tennis Federation, has pushed through a resolution restricting the use of foreign players in international table tennis championship games.

Do you think the predominance of Chinese players in the field of table tennis has reduced its competitiveness and international status?

Yes

A major plus for sports fans is that they can support players from their country or region.

1. What makes a sports match exciting is that the audience can take sides and cheer for the players who come from their own countries or regions. If games in a certain category always ends up with two players from the same country competing against each other for the gold medal, the audience will lose interest.

2. The predominance of Chinese table tennis players is not good for the promotion of the game worldwide. People from other countries will lose interest watching the game. And they may not want to learn to play it. Table tennis may be the national game of China, but that is not necessarily a good thing if it means the sport will lose its international appeal.

No

Athletes from different countries have different strengths. Such diversity doesn't diminish the fun of sport.

1. China's strength in table tennis is the result of generations of coaches and athletes' hard work. Our current success in this field doesn't mean China will dominate the game forever. The fun of sports doesn't have to involve patriotism; the fun's also about individual performance and excellence.

2. As in soccer and basketball, it's quite natural for Chinese players to get hired by other countries to improve their performance. Such exchanges of talent will help improve the international status of the game. Chinese players don't really dominate the whole sport of table tennis. There are some very strong players from countries like South Korea, Singapore and Germany.

 

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IT'S the one game that comes with the fewest surprises whenever the Chinese are involved – table tennis. The world's top-notch players are predominantly Chinese, and seldom has a world championship gold gone to any other country but China. The ongoing 49th World Table Tennis Championships in Guangzhou has again seen few exceptions to this rule.

 乒乓球是一个只要有中国选手参与就没有悬念的体育运动。世界上顶尖的乒乓球选手都是中国的，而且在世界比赛中，金牌很少落入中国以外的国家中。在广州举行的49届世乒赛再次验证了这一规律的可靠性。

 Some table tennis fans have complained that the lack of any potent foreign challenge to China's reign has made the sport less "interesting" in recent years. They say it even threatens the future of the game.

一些乒乓球爱好者抱怨，由于缺少能够撼动中国在乒乓球领域统治地位的挑战，最近几年这项运动变得没有意思了。他们甚至还认为这会影响到这项运动的发展。

Some players representing other countries are in fact "imported" from China. As a result, even teams from other countries may run up against an ethnic Chinese in the semi-finals or finals, and the players on both sides of the table may well have been former team mates.

一些代表其他国家出场的选手其实是从中国引进的。所以在半决赛或者决赛中，虽然可能有一些别的国家代表队与中国队进行比赛，但是乒乓球桌两边的选手很可能是以前的队友。

Adham Sharara, president of the International Table Tennis Federation, has pushed through a resolution restricting the use of foreign players in international table tennis championship games.

国际乒联主席Adham Sharara已经推动一项在国际乒乓球比赛中限制采用外籍球员的决议。

Do you think the predominance of Chinese players in the field of table tennis has reduced its competitiveness and international status?

你是否认为中国球员的优势会降低此项运动的竞赛性甚至是它的国际地位呢？

Oh, and he can pass too

作者：21ST  时间：2008-03-04  来源：21世纪英文报第743期

Ball in the hands of Cleveland's LeBron James.

FIVE seconds on the clock. Ball in the hands of Cleveland's LeBron James. He's going to shoot, right?

That's what many people expected him to do in one such game against Detroit during the 2007 NBA Playoffs. Instead, James passed to a wide-open teammate – who missed the shot. After the game, James took heat from critics who argued that he was the one getting paid big bucks to take the shot.

However, James has never seen himself as a shoot-first superstar, nor has he ever played like one.

"His mentality is not as aggressive as a Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan," Cleveland teammate Eric Snow told the New York Times last year.

"His natural personality is to play the game. It's: 'Oh I got a shot. Oh, this guy's open.' With those guys, it's: 'I'm going to score. If they help, then I'll pass'."

Of course, that's not to say that James doesn't have plenty of opportunities to score. He's averaging just over 30 points per game and, remarkably, making nearly 50 percent of his shots. Such a high shooting percentage is reflective of his willingness to pass if others have a better shot.

"The kid gets it," wrote Ian O'Connor for USA Today. "At [23], and without a single college credit behind him, James is already smart enough to understand the practical value and aesthetic appeal of the pass."

Trades made last week by Cleveland's General Manager Danny Ferry will likely make James even more dangerous with the pass.

Ben Wallace from Chicago and sharp-shooter Wally Szczerbiak from Seattle began playing with the team on Sunday. And they've already been on the receiving end of some James passes.

"When you have a superstar like LeBron James, it's important to be able to put shooters around him," Ferry said.

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天啊，他是一个传球大师

图片：球在骑士队前锋詹姆斯手里

时间还剩5秒，球在骑士队前锋詹姆斯手里，他会攻击吗？

这就是在2007年决赛中，当骑士对阵Detroit时，人们期望看到詹姆斯做的事。但是，詹姆斯把球传给了外围队友，他的队友却打偏了。赛后，评论家批评詹姆斯说他放弃这次进攻肯定拿了很多钱，詹姆斯从这种批评中走了出来。

然而，詹姆斯从未把自己是第一前锋而当成超级明星，所以他也从来不是自己在打球。

“他的心里并不像Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan他们那样具有侵略性”，骑士队的Eric Snow ——詹姆斯的队友在去年对纽约时报的记者说。

“他的所有精力都在比赛上，比如‘哦，我进球了。哦，他哪里出现缺口了。’对于对方队友，他会说，‘我要进球啦，只要有他们的帮助，我就能传球’。”

当然，这并不是说詹姆斯没有进球的机会。他在每次比赛中都会拿到平均30分的成绩，同时，众所周知，每场比赛中，有近百分之五十的进攻都是他贡献的。这样高比例的进攻数量证明，如果其他队友有机会，他非常乐于传球给队友完成进攻。

"The kid gets it," wrote Ian O'Connor for USA Today. "At [23], and without a single college credit behind him, James is already smart enough to understand the practical value and aesthetic appeal of the pass."

Trades made last week by Cleveland's General Manager Danny Ferry will likely make James even more dangerous with the pass.

Ben Wallace from Chicago and sharp-shooter Wally Szczerbiak from Seattle began playing with the team on Sunday. And they've already been on the receiving end of some James passes.

"When you have a superstar like LeBron James, it's important to be able to put shooters around him," Ferry said.

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--by apple(今天事情突然变得好多，而且哪件都没干太好，不想翻了)

Young green warrior

作者：XU WEIWEI, 21ST  时间：2008-03-03  来源：21世纪英文报第743期

Wang Fengzhu is happy to do her part in protecting the environment.

AT Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, there's a 21-year-old student who's known for rejecting plastic bags from grocery stores.

She always carries a black cotton bag on her shoulder, even on her travels to Japan where she attended the Northeast Asia Youth Environmental Conference. She also takes a pair of "green chopsticks" with her when she dines in restaurants.

"In this way, I want to show other young people it's a trend in life," says Wang Fengzhu, a junior student majoring in Business English.

Wang has an important job: she was elected to the Tunza Youth Advisory Council of the United Nations Environmental Program in 2007. She was the first Chinese student to get onto the council.

Now Wang attends international net-meetings every month with other council members from over 10 countries.

"It's a precious chance for us to share ideas on environmental issues, and also learn about the latest green trends and activities in each other's regions," says Wang.

She also frequently sends news releases to green organizations in China and its North Asia neighbors, and patiently explains things in detail to them. Every three months she hands in a report to the UN, which includes a survey about the local environment and suggestions for improvement.

"My duty is to get young voices heard in the adult world," says Wang.

Wang's environmental awareness was aroused during her freshman year when she saw posters for the Green Association at her university. Growing up near a reservoir in Anhui Province, she was soon attracted to the organization and became a member.

Wang isn't just a theoretician, but also went in person into the mountains and rivers to do surveys. In 2006, she did a survey about the wetland pollution in the Huama Lake in Hubei and stayed in the village trying to raise awareness among young children there. "Where'll the birds go when the trees are gone?" she says.

@21

What do you want to do after graduation?

I'd like to obtain a master's degree in law. Then I want to work for an NGO.

What do you think is the most important thing happening in the world? Why?

Climate change. It's a disaster hard to escape from, but it also brings human beings into unprecedented unity.

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年轻的环保顾问

图片：Wang Fengzhu很高兴能为环保尽一份力。

在武汉的华中农业大学，有一个21岁的学生因拒绝使用超市的塑料袋而闻名。

她总是肩背一个黑色的棉布包，甚至当去日本参加东南亚青年环境会议时也是如此。她在餐馆就餐时也总是随身携带着环保筷子。

“我想用这种方式告诉年轻的朋友们，环保是一种趋势。”Wang Fengzhu如是说。她是商务英语系的一名大三学生。

Wang还有一个重要的工作，那就是2007年她被美国环保组织评选为联合国环保顾问。她是中国第一位参加这个会议的学生。

现在Wang每个月都要通过互联网与其他10个国家的青年环保顾问一起参加网络会议。

Wang说：“能在环保会议上共享经验，并分享各个区域的最近环保趋势和活动，对我们来说是一个非常宝贵的机会。”

她经常在中国和南亚邻国的环保组织上发布环保消息，并不厌其烦地向他们解释环保的细节问题。她每个季度会向联合国递交一份报告，报告中包括对地区环境的调查和改进的意见。

Wang说：“我的责任就是在成年人的世界中听到年轻人的声音。”

Wang的环保意识来源于她在大一时，环保组织在学校内张贴的海报。生长于安徽一个水库附近的她迅速被这个组织吸引，并成为其中一员。

Wang不仅仅是纸上谈兵，她亲自去了很多山脉和河流做调查。在2006年，她对湖北Huama湖的湿地污染做了调查，并留在当地的村子里为小孩子讲述环保知识以提高他们的环保意识。她说，“没有树也就没有鸟了。”

@21

毕业后你想做什么？

我想拿到法律硕士学位，然后在公益性组织工作。

你觉得世界上将会发生什么大事？为什么？

气候变化。这是一个难以逃避的灾难，但这也会让人们空前地统一起来。

作者：ZHANG CHUNMEI, 21ST  时间：2008-02-28  来源：21世纪英文报第743期

Like ordinary people, stars enjoy taking photos of themselves to remember happy moments. IMAGINECHINA
和普通人一样，明星们也喜欢用拍照的方式记录自己高兴的时刻。 IMAGINECHINA

WHEN Japanese scientists invented the self-timer function on cameras in 1978, they never could have imagined just how popular it would be 30 years later.

1978年日本科学家发明自拍功能的照相机的时候，他们没有想到在三十年之后这种功能如此流行。

Currently, millions of young Chinese use the feature to take photos of themselves and post them online for the world to see. Websites such as Tianya and Tudou offer channels specifically set apart for self-portraits. However, according to experts, these sites offer more than just pretty faces. They also reflect a budding era of narcissism in modern society. "We all want to exhibit our true and best side to others, to attain praise, acceptance and recognition," said Zhu Zhuohong， a psychology therapist at the 301 Hospital in Beijing.

现在，成千上万的中国年轻人利用这个功能自拍并且将照片上传到网上，让所有人都能看到他们的照片。像天涯论坛、土豆网等网站都特意为网友自拍提供了专门的栏目。然而专家称，这些网站不仅展示了美丽的照片，同时它还反映了现代社会年轻人的自恋倾向。“我们都希望能够向他人展示自己最美最真实的一面，希望能够获得别人的赞扬，接受和肯定。”北京301医院的心理医师Zhu Zhuohong说。


This is why, explained Zhu, some young people will post pictures of themselves alongside comments like "Am I a beautiful girl?" or "If you think I am beautiful, give me support". "We are curious about how others look at us," Zhu said.

Zhu解释说，这就是为什么一些年轻人在展示照片的时候总是写到“我是一个漂亮的女孩么？”或者“如果你觉得我漂亮，就支持我吧。”“因为我们很好奇别人如何看待自己。”Zhu说到。

The root of all this is narcissism, the love of the self. "Social psychology teaches that everyone is a narcissist, to varying degrees," Zhu said.
所有这一切的根源在于自我欣赏。Zhu说：“社会心理学中，每个人都是一个自恋者，只是程度不同罢了。”

（22分钟）

Camera crazy

In recent years, this self-love has been helped by advances in technology, said Ye Lideng, a technical engineer at Canon's Guangzhou branch. The era of cheap digital cameras, cellphone cameras and the availability of the Internet has driven the popularity of the self-portrait.
佳能广州分公司工程师Ye Lideng说，最近几年技术的进步为自恋趋势的发展提供了帮助。越来越便宜的数码相机、手机摄像头以及应用越来越广泛的因特网促使自拍行为广泛流行起来。

"The availability of free places for photo-sharing encourages young people to take photos of themselves," said Ye. From social-networking sites like Facebook to self-portrait channels, today's young people are being asked to show their faces.
Ye说，可共享照片的自有空间的应用更加促使年轻人的自拍行为。像Facebook等很多网站的自拍社区鼓励年轻人展示自己的照片。

To some degree, everyone posts their photo in the hope of getting noticed. "I am an ordinary girl. I am introverted and not beautiful, so I do not have many friends. But I still wanted more chances to communicate with others," said Cao Ying, a freshman at Tianjing Technology University.

从某种意义上说，每个人都希望得到别人的关注，所以才展示自己的照片。天津技术大学大一学生Cao Ying说：“我是一个普通的女孩，不漂亮而且很内向，所以我的朋友很少，但是我仍然希望有机会多和其他人交流。”

After posting some pictures of herself on the forum, the 19-year-old said she began to feel less anonymous: "Someone said I am very cute, and some said that I have a stylish dress sense. I was so happy."

一个19岁的女孩说，自从展示了一些自己的照片之后，她开始变得自信。“有些人说我很可爱，有些人说我打扮非常时尚，我很高兴。”她说。

However, self-portraits posted online don't always reflect the real person's physical flaws. Some people are so concerned about looking good that they use photo editing programs like Photoshop to erase the bad bits.

 然而，网上自拍的照片并不能总是真实的反映一个人的缺陷。一些人太在意自己是否漂亮了，以至于他们用一些诸如Photoshop的图片处理软件淡化他们的缺点。

Look good, feel great

"People want to look beautiful," said Jiang Yun, a consultant at the Beijing Psychology Consulting Center. "Images showing good-looking people will attract more attention and give [the self-portrait subjects] great gratification."

“人们都希望自己看起来漂亮”北京心理咨询中心顾问Jiang Yun说，“如果照片上看起来很漂亮，那么回吸引更多的关注，同时也能给人带来极大的满足感。”

For the most part, young Chinese seem not to be bothered by the fact that some self-portraits may be "doctored". "If you're just posting the photos to share with others, I don't think it matters if you use software to make them look better," said Bai Chenxi, a senior at Guangzhou Ocean University. "I don't feel like I'm being cheated, because the Internet is a virtual world. But if you use the photo to make friends, that is certainly cheating."
在大多数情况下，中国年轻人并不在乎自拍的图片被“修改”过。“如果你仅仅是把照片跟大家分享，我觉得你是否利用软件美化照片并不重要。”广东海洋大学学生Bai Chenxi说，“我不觉得自己是被欺骗了，因为网络本来就是一个虚拟世界，但是如果你用这些照片交朋友，那就是欺骗。”

（26分钟）

Sharing on the Web

http://www.tianya.cn

The "True Self" section on Tianya.cn offers space for self-portraits.

http://www.xici.net/b624234/home.asp

The "Multimedia SMS" section on xici.net is reserved for photos taken by cellphones.

www.tudou.com

Tudou.com site wants your homemade videos.

How to take the perfect self-portrait

21st Century talked with Taiwan singer Xi En and photographer Huang Qingjun, of the China Photographers Association, about the secrets of taking a flattering self-portrait:

Xi En

If you want your face to look thinner, take photos of your silhouette and bend your head down a little bit.

If you want your eyes to look bigger, hold the camera over your head and look up. This not only widens your eyes, but also gives you a pointed chin.

If the left side of your face is more beautiful than the right, hold the camera with your left hand and turn your cheek to the right. If the right side of your face looks better, do the opposite.

You can try to pucker up [your lips] to look cute, but don't overdo it.

Turning up your thumb and putting it in front of your body is a more popular gesture than making a "V" sign.

Huang Qingjun

If you take photos together with friends and use the flash, make sure the two people with the whitest skin are on opposite sides. Put those with the darkest skin in the middle. This helps to spread the color evenly.

Never hold the camera too low. If the camera is on a level below your head, do not stare at it if you want to look natural.

I suggest that you use natural sunlight, or an orange light, which will give the picture a warmer appearance.

 

---------------------------------------------

Like ordinary people, stars enjoy taking photos of themselves to remember happy moments. IMAGINECHINA

WHEN Japanese scientists invented the self-timer function on cameras in 1978, they never could have imagined just how popular it would be 30 years later.

Currently, millions of young Chinese use the feature to take photos of themselves and post them online for the world to see. Websites such as Tianya and Tudou offer channels specifically set apart for self-portraits. However, according to experts, these sites offer more than just pretty faces. They also reflect a budding era of narcissism in modern society. "We all want to exhibit our true and best side to others, to attain praise, acceptance and recognition," said Zhu Zhuohong, a psychology therapist at the 301 Hospital in Beijing.

This is why, explained Zhu, some young people will post pictures of themselves alongside comments like "Am I a beautiful girl?" or "If you think I am beautiful, give me support". "We are curious about how others look at us," Zhu said.

The root of all this is narcissism, the love of the self. "Social psychology teaches that everyone is a narcissist, to varying degrees," Zhu said.

Online self-portraits show us at our best

作者：ZHANG CHUNMEI, 21ST  时间：2008-02-28  来源：21世纪英文报第743期

Like ordinary people, stars enjoy taking photos of themselves to remember happy moments. IMAGINECHINA

WHEN Japanese scientists invented the self-timer function on cameras in 1978, they never could have imagined just how popular it would be 30 years later.

Currently, millions of young Chinese use the feature to take photos of themselves and post them online for the world to see. Websites such as Tianya and Tudou offer channels specifically set apart for self-portraits. However, according to experts, these sites offer more than just pretty faces. They also reflect a budding era of narcissism in modern society. "We all want to exhibit our true and best side to others, to attain praise, acceptance and recognition," said Zhu Zhuohong, a psychology therapist at the 301 Hospital in Beijing.

This is why, explained Zhu, some young people will post pictures of themselves alongside comments like "Am I a beautiful girl?" or "If you think I am beautiful, give me support". "We are curious about how others look at us," Zhu said.

The root of all this is narcissism, the love of the self. "Social psychology teaches that everyone is a narcissist, to varying degrees," Zhu said.

Camera crazy

In recent years, this self-love has been helped by advances in technology, said Ye Lideng, a technical engineer at Canon's Guangzhou branch. The era of cheap digital cameras, cellphone cameras and the availability of the Internet has driven the popularity of the self-portrait.

"The availability of free places for photo-sharing encourages young people to take photos of themselves," said Ye. From social-networking sites like Facebook to self-portrait channels, today's young people are being asked to show their faces.

To some degree, everyone posts their photo in the hope of getting noticed. "I am an ordinary girl. I am introverted and not beautiful, so I do not have many friends. But I still wanted more chances to communicate with others," said Cao Ying, a freshman at Tianjing Technology University.

After posting some pictures of herself on the forum, the 19-year-old said she began to feel less anonymous: "Someone said I am very cute, and some said that I have a stylish dress sense. I was so happy."

However, self-portraits posted online don't always reflect the real person's physical flaws. Some people are so concerned about looking good that they use photo editing programs like Photoshop to erase the bad bits.

Look good, feel great

"People want to look beautiful," said Jiang Yun, a consultant at the Beijing Psychology Consulting Center. "Images showing good-looking people will attract more attention and give [the self-portrait subjects] great gratification."

For the most part, young Chinese seem not to be bothered by the fact that some self-portraits may be "doctored". "If you're just posting the photos to share with others, I don't think it matters if you use software to make them look better," said Bai Chenxi, a senior at Guangzhou Ocean University. "I don't feel like I'm being cheated, because the Internet is a virtual world. But if you use the photo to make friends, that is certainly cheating."

Sharing on the Web

http://www.tianya.cn

The "True Self" section on Tianya.cn offers space for self-portraits.

http://www.xici.net/b624234/home.asp

The "Multimedia SMS" section on xici.net is reserved for photos taken by cellphones.

www.tudou.com

Tudou.com site wants your homemade videos.

How to take the perfect self-portrait

21st Century talked with Taiwan singer Xi En and photographer Huang Qingjun, of the China Photographers Association, about the secrets of taking a flattering self-portrait:

Xi En

If you want your face to look thinner, take photos of your silhouette and bend your head down a little bit.

If you want your eyes to look bigger, hold the camera over your head and look up. This not only widens your eyes, but also gives you a pointed chin.

If the left side of your face is more beautiful than the right, hold the camera with your left hand and turn your cheek to the right. If the right side of your face looks better, do the opposite.

You can try to pucker up [your lips] to look cute, but don't overdo it.

Turning up your thumb and putting it in front of your body is a more popular gesture than making a "V" sign.

Huang Qingjun

If you take photos together with friends and use the flash, make sure the two people with the whitest skin are on opposite sides. Put those with the darkest skin in the middle. This helps to spread the color evenly.

Never hold the camera too low. If the camera is on a level below your head, do not stare at it if you want to look natural.

I suggest that you use natural sunlight, or an orange light, which will give the picture a warmer appearance.

---------------------------------------
图片：相比普通人来说，明星们更喜欢自拍来记录开心的时刻。IMAGINECHINA

当日本科学家在1978年发明了相机的自拍功能后，他们不会想到，在30年后的今天，这个功能如此流行。

当今，成千上万的中国年轻人用自拍功能照了照片，发布网络上，传播向世界。像天涯社区和土豆网就提供了个人的相片展示空间。但是，专家们说，他们提供的空间的意义其实远不止让大家看到美丽的脸庞。他们也反应了这个时代的年轻人的自恋心理。“我们都希望向别人展示自己真实和美好的一面，以得到赞美、赞同和关注。”北京301医院的朱卓宏（音）临床心理医生如是说。

朱医生解释说，“这也就是为什么很多人将自己的照片注释为‘你觉得我漂亮吗？’或者‘如果你觉得我漂亮就支持我吧。’”，他说，“每个人都对别人对自己的看法充满好奇。”

所有这些自恋的根源均来源于对自己的喜爱。朱医生说，“社会学家曾经说过，每个人都有自恋倾向。”

疯狂照相

佳能广州分公司的技术工程师Ye Lideng说：“近些年，飞速发展的技术给自恋的人们带来了福音。”便宜的数码相机、带有摄像头的手机和高效的互联网加速了自拍的流行。

Ye说：“网络上展示照片的免费空间促使更多的人去自拍。”从互联网到像Facebook这样的照片展示平台，现在的年轻人仿佛被催促着去展示自己的形象。

从某种程度上来说，大家争相展示自己的照片是希望得到更多的关注。天津科技大学的大一学生Cao Ying说：“我是一个普通的女孩，我很内向也不漂亮，所以我没有多少朋友。但是我很希望与其他人交流。”

通过在网络上展示自己的照片，这个19岁的女孩说她开始感觉到自己没有那么封闭了，“有人说我很可爱，有的人说我的穿着很有时髦很有气质，我非常开心。”

然而，挂到网络上的照片并不都能反映其本人真实的缺点。有些人很在意别人对自己长相的评价，所以会去用例如PS之类的相片制作软件去修饰脸上小小的瑕疵。

看起来好看，感觉起来更棒

北京心理咨询中心的咨询师说：“人们都希望自己看起来很漂亮”，“美丽的照片可以吸引很多的注意力，同时也会给自恋的人很大的快感。”

从极大程度上来说，中国的年轻人并不在意别人对自拍照的“修改”。“只要你愿意把照片于别人分享，我不在乎你是否用软件将它做的更漂亮了。”广州海洋大学的一个高年级学生Bai Chenxi说，“我不喜欢被骗，因为网络毕竟是一个虚拟社会。但如果你要用照片来交朋友，那当然是一个骗局。”

在网络上共享

http://www.tianya.cn

这是天涯社区Tianya.cn提供给自拍者的一个展示自我的空间“真实的我”。

http://www.xici.net/b624234/home.asp

这是西祠胡同给自拍者提供的储存手机自拍相片的空间"Multimedia SMS" 。

www.tudou.com

土豆网可以为您保存家庭视频录像。

怎样展示自拍像的特点

这是21世纪报于台湾歌星席恩和中国摄影协会的摄影师Huang Qingjun关于拍照更上像的秘诀的对话。

席恩

如果你希望脸部显得更瘦，可以照你自己的侧面，然后稍稍低一点头。

如果你希望眼睛显得更大一些，将相机抬高高过头顶，然后眼睛朝上方看。这不仅能放大你的眼睛，还能让下巴看起来显得很窄。

如果你的左侧脸蛋比右侧更好看一些，可以用左手拿着相机并把下巴转向右侧。如果你的右边脸蛋更漂亮些，那就反过来做就行了。

你可以撅起嘴唇，这样显得很可爱，但是不要做的很夸张哦。

将两根手指伸起来放在胸前摆出一个胜利的“V”字型是进来比较流行的照相姿势。

Huang Qingjun

当要用闪光灯给自己和朋友照相时，要确保将肤色较重的人夹在中间，肤色白的人在两边，这样可以让颜色跟匀称一些。

不要使相机的位置太低，当相机低于你的头部时，如果你想让相片看起来更自然些，那就不要照。

我建议大家使用自然光或橙色光，这会使照片呈现暖色调。

 

---------------------------------------
by apple  (*^__^*)

Wed Feb 27, 10:17 PM ET

HATLEY, Wis. - Call this family the mailbox vigilantes. Fed up that their mailbox was smashed four times in two weeks, Greg Fisher and his son set up a middle-of-the-night stakeout to catch the vandals — and it worked. Four teens were caught after a high speed chase. "We only did this because we felt very violated and targeted by whoever was doing it," said Greg's wife, Kim Fisher. Greg Fisher and his 18-year-old son, Dustin, took watch at 2 a.m. Sunday and less than an hour later, a pickup truck drove past their rural home and a man with a baseball bat whacked the mailbox again. "It was frustrating watching someone smash your property," the father said. Dustin Fisher, who was waiting in a car in the driveway, followed the truck for more than eight miles, sometimes reaching speeds of nearly 100 mph, before he got a partial license plate number. But it wasn't enough information to find the vehicle in state records. So Greg Fisher and his wife drove through Hatley hours later and spotted the suspects' vehicle parked at a convenience store, the family said. They parked behind it and called police, who arrested three 16-year-olds and a 19-year-old. Lt. Randy Albert of the Marathon County Sheriff's Department said he doesn't endorse the Fisher family's actions. "This one ended peacefully, but taking the law into your own hands can have tragic results as well," he said.

 

------------------------

大意：一家人一直困扰一个问题：他家的邮筒总是被人破坏。为了抓住破坏者，他们日夜监视，最终发现了一辆进行破坏的卡车，于是上演了大追踪。最终他们找到了停在商店门口的卡车，并通知了警察。而车上被拘捕的竟然是三个16岁和一个19岁的少年。

Learning how to fly
NBA灌篮花样何其多 霍华德演绎超人灌篮

作者：21ST  时间：2008-02-26  来源：21世纪英文报第742期

Howard dressed up like Superman during a NBA All-Star slam dunk contest in New Orleans, US.

IT'S a bird, it's a plane, it's… Dwight Howard! Orlando's Howard dressed up like Superman during last weekend's NBA All-Star slam dunk contest in New Orleans, US. He flew like him too, dunking the ball in all sorts of creative ways. Here are some dunks that you're most likely to see during an NBA game. Note that the words "dunk", "slam" and "jam" are interchangeable.

Superman dunk 超人大灌篮

When a player is on a fast break and has no defenders in front of him, he may try to make a long, leaping dunk, like this one by Dwight Howard at the All-Star Weekend dunk contest. Michael Jordan made this dunk famous. This year, Howard added the Superman shirt and cape for effect.

Power slam 双手强力灌篮

When a player gets a rebound, he will sometimes go up "strong" and dunk the ball with two hands, as New York's Renaldo Balkman does in this picture. This kind of dunk protects the ball from being knocked away.

Reverse jam 反身扣篮

When a defender blocks a player's mid-air path to the rim, the player will sometimes delay the dunk by twisting his body in the air and slamming the ball into the hoop backwards. This momentary delay gives players like Kobe Bryant an

opportunity to score.

Alley-oop 空中接力灌篮

When a player catches a pass in mid-air near the goal and dunks it home, he completes an "alley-oop" dunk. These are fun to watch, but incredibly hard to do. Both the pass and the catch need to be perfectly timed.

---------------------------------------

图片：在美国新奥尔良举行的NBA全明星赛中，霍华德演绎超人灌篮。

像一只鸟，像一架飞机，像......他就是德怀特.霍华德。在上周末美国新奥尔良举行的NBA全明星赛中，霍华德打扮成超人模样演绎大灌篮。他像超人一样飞在场上，演绎各式花样灌篮。有很多能在NBA比赛中看到的灌篮动作。请注意啦，"dunk"、"slam" 和"jam"在这里是一个意思。

Superman dunk 超人大灌篮

当进行快攻或者面前没有防守队员时，他会急速跑到对方球篮下跳跃投篮，就像迈克尔乔丹曾经在NBA全明星赛中的标志性投篮一样。今年，霍华德的超人装扮给人留下了深刻的印象。

Power slam 双手强力灌篮

当接到队友传球时，他有时会变得很“强壮”，用两手强力灌篮，像New York's Renaldo Balkman 的图片一样。这种灌篮方式可以保护篮球以防被对手抢走。

Reverse jam 反身扣篮

当防守队员在空中防守篮球时，他有时会将身体稍弯延迟投篮，并将篮球划到身后传给队友。这个短暂的延迟可以给队友创造进攻的时间。

Alley-oop 空中接力灌篮

当队友将篮球传向对方球篮时，他将会进行空中接力灌篮。这个动作看起来很搞笑，但是做起来却相当难。传球与接球的时间要配合得相当完美才行。

   

作者：21ST　时间：2008-02-20　期号：742

CHINA has expressed concern about Washington's decision to shoot down a damaged satellite. China urged the US government to fulfill its international obligation to preserve the neutrality and security of space and other countries. Russia has suggested the shoot down attempt could be cover for a test of the US' new missile defense system. The US Defense Department is planning to shoot down a damaged spy satellite that is expected to hit the Earth in early March. The satellite, which contains toxic fuel, has been out of control since shortly after its launch in 2006.

 -----------------------------

中国对美国准备击落一颗失控的卫星的决定表示极大的关注。中国希望美国履行其国际义务保证太空及其他国家的安全。俄罗斯认为美国的行为是为了掩盖其新导弹防御系统的测试。美国国防部准备击落今年三月初将撞向地球的失控间谍卫星。这颗卫星携带有危险燃料，它在2006年发射不久就失去控制。

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese man was arrested for trespassing this week after turning up at a high school dressed in a girl's uniform and a long wig, local police said.  

Thirty-nine-year-old Tetsunori Nanpei told police he had bought the uniform over the Internet and put it on to take a stroll near the school in Saitama, north of Tokyo, on Wednesday, the daily Asahi Shimbun said.

When students standing outside the gates started to scream at the sight of him, he dashed inside the school grounds, hoping to blend in with the crowds of teenagers, the paper said.

They also screamed, forcing the man to flee, losing his wig in the process. A school clerk pursued him and stopped him at a nearby riverbank, the paper said.

Police confirmed the arrest of the man in school uniform and wig but declined to give further details.

(Reporting by Isabel Reynolds; Editing by Alex Richardson)

 

-----------------------------

 大意：日本东京一名男子穿上女学生装，戴上假发，出现在校园中，引起了学生们的恐慌和尖叫，后被警方拘捕。

 

Warm hearts on a cold day

作者：LUO JIAJIA, 21ST  时间：2008-02-25  来源：21世纪英文报第742期

Feng Yuanfei, first on the left, handing out clothes to stranded travellers.

MOST of Feng Yuanfei's winter vacation was spent eating out and chilling with friends. On February 1, however, Feng stepped away from her normal life to serve as a volunteer on Jingzhu Highway in northern Guangdong Province.

"We walked very slowly on the mud and snow-covered road, carrying huge bags filled with clothes and food on our shoulders," recounts the sophomore from Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus.

Feng joined other local volunteers from Shaoguan in north Guangdong. The local government organized the team and asked them to transport food and clothing to people stranded on the highway.

One tunnel was filled with buses that had parked there to keep warm. The moment Feng's team of volunteers entered the tunnel, people jumped off the buses and flocked towards them.

"Everybody was cold, hungry and desperate, but they still tried to keep in order, giving priority to women and kids in the queue," says Feng.

The bags were soon empty.

The volunteers had not expected many people would ask for shoes. "Because ice and snow covered their feet, their shoes and feet froze. Many of them had to stand bare-foot in the snow ," Feng explains.

Volunteers from Shenzhen and Guangzhou organized on the Internet joined Feng's local team. The group of working people and a few students drove cars all the way to the snow-hit highway.

Shen Chen, 22, a junior at Guangdong Foreign Studies University, traveled from Shenzhen with his father.

"The queue of buses was so long, but what we could do to help was so little," he writes in his diary. Shen and his father found a long-distance bus to Anhui Province stranded on the highway and handed out things to the passengers. Shen's considerate mother remembered to pack diapers in case there were any babies. One woman, who had been stuck on the bus for thirteen days, wept when she received a diaper because her nine-month-old son had been bottom-naked for five days.

"I've never been stuck in freezing temperatures before, but I felt I could understand people's suffering ," Shen said. "There was no difference in temperature inside the bus and outside in the cold. No driver dared turn on the air-conditioner, fearing they would then run out of petrol on the drive home.

Local police tightened security on the highway so only a few people were able to volunteer on the spot. Many donated things on the Internet instead.

"It seems pointless battling such weather. Nobody knows when the snow will stop and the ice will melt," Feng, the volunteer, writes in her blog. Despite the freezing cold that day, something made Feng feel warm inside. It was witnessing people help each other out in their time of need.

"A young female passenger gave her hat to a bald man of about 50. He looked funny in the bright pink hat, but everybody said it was pretty."

 

 

----------------------------

MOST of Feng Yuanfei's winter vacation was spent eating out and chilling with friends. On February 1, however, Feng stepped away from her normal life to serve as a volunteer on Jingzhu Highway in northern Guangdong Province.

大多数情况下，Feng Yuanfei总是靠一个人吃东西或者与朋友们一起放松放松度过寒假。然而在2月1好，她放弃了自己通常的生活安排而是成为了一个江珠高速公路的志愿者。

"We walked very slowly on the mud and snow-covered road, carrying huge bags filled with clothes and food on our shoulders," recounts the sophomore from Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus.

“我们背着装满衣服和食物的大箱子在泥泞被雪覆盖的路上缓慢的行走”北京大学珠海分校的一名大二学生说。

Feng joined other local volunteers from Shaoguan in north Guangdong. The local government organized the team and asked them to transport food and clothing to people stranded on the highway.

在广东北部的韶关，Feng加入了当地的志愿者队伍。当地政府组织他们将衣物和食品运送给被困在高速公路上的群众。

One tunnel was filled with buses that had parked there to keep warm. The moment Feng's team of volunteers entered the tunnel, people jumped off the buses and flocked towards them.

为了取暖，很多大巴停在隧道里。当Feng的志愿者队伍到达那里的时候，大巴车上的人纷纷跳下车，朝他们聚集过来。

"Everybody was cold, hungry and desperate, but they still tried to keep in order, giving priority to women and kids in the queue," says Feng.

The bags were soon empty.

Feng说：“虽然每个人又饿又冷并且情绪沮丧，但是他们还是尽量保持秩序，让妇女和儿童优先。”包很快就空了。

The volunteers had not expected many people would ask for shoes. "Because ice and snow covered their feet, their shoes and feet froze. Many of them had to stand bare-foot in the snow ," Feng explains.

志愿者们没有想到人们会要鞋。“由于冰雪覆盖了他们的脚，他们的脚和鞋都冻僵了，很多人都光着脚站在雪地里”feng说。

Volunteers from Shenzhen and Guangzhou organized on the Internet joined Feng's local team. The group of working people and a few students drove cars all the way to the snow-hit highway.

互联网上组织的广东和深圳志愿者也加入了Feng的队伍中来，其中包括已工作的人和一些学生。他们驱车一路向受大雪侵袭的高速公路赶来。

Shen Chen, 22, a junior at Guangdong Foreign Studies University, traveled from Shenzhen with his father.

Shen Chen，22岁，广东外语外贸大学大三学生。他和他的父亲一起从深圳出发赶往高速公路。

"The queue of buses was so long, but what we could do to help was so little," he writes in his diary. Shen and his father found a long-distance bus to Anhui Province stranded on the highway and handed out things to the passengers. Shen's considerate mother remembered to pack diapers in case there were any babies. One woman, who had been stuck on the bus for thirteen days, wept when she received a diaper because her nine-month-old son had been bottom-naked for five days.

他在他的日记中写到：“汽车排起了长队，但是我们一点也帮不上忙。”他和他的父亲发现了一辆去往安徽的长途汽车，于是他们将东西分发给车里的乘客。考虑到车上可能会有婴儿，他母亲还特意准备了尿布。当一个母亲接过尿布的时候，她感动的流下了眼泪，因为她已经被困在车上13天而她的孩子已经有5天没用尿布了。

"I've never been stuck in freezing temperatures before, but I felt I could understand people's suffering ," Shen said. "There was no difference in temperature inside the bus and outside in the cold. No driver dared turn on the air-conditioner, fearing they would then run out of petrol on the drive home.

shen说：“虽然我从来没有被困在过冰天雪地里，但是我觉得我能够理解这里人们的遭遇。外面很冷，而且里面的温度和外面几乎没有区别。由于害怕用完路上需要的汽油，司机也不敢开空调。”

Local police tightened security on the highway so only a few people were able to volunteer on the spot. Many donated things on the Internet instead.

由于当地警方已经在高速功路进行了警戒，所以只有很小一部分志愿者能够进入现场，更多的捐赠行为则是在网上进行的。

"It seems pointless battling such weather. Nobody knows when the snow will stop and the ice will melt," Feng, the volunteer, writes in her blog. Despite the freezing cold that day, something made Feng feel warm inside. It was witnessing people help each other out in their time of need.

“与这样的天气斗争似乎是没有意义的，没有人知道大雪什么时候停，也没有人知道冰什么时候融化。”志愿者Feng在博客里写道。尽管天气寒冷，但是Feng感觉很温暖。因为她目睹了人们在需要帮助的时候互相帮助。

"A young female passenger gave her hat to a bald man of about 50. He looked funny in the bright pink hat, but everybody said it was pretty."

一个年轻的女孩把自己的帽子给了一个50多岁的秃顶老人。他戴一顶鲜艳的粉色帽子很滑稽，但是每个人都说很漂亮。