Evaporative cooler

Before refrigerators, homes usually had ice boxes. But another way to keep food cool without the need for electricity is to use an evaporative cooler. This is easy to make and does not even use ice.

A common design is a tall box with food placed on several shelves inside. The shelves are pieces of metal with many small holes through them. The sides of the box are covered with pieces of thick cloth. Containers of water are placed at the top and bottom of the cooler. The ends of each piece of cloth lie in the water so the cloth stays wet.

Put the cooler in the open air but not in the sun. Air will pass through the wet cloth. The inside of the box will stay several degrees cooler than the outside air temperature. And this may be cool enough to keep foods fresh at least for a short time.

Cold storage in a freezer, however, can keep foods in good condition for months after the growing season. Yet foods can be damaged if they are kept too cold. The British development group Practical Action says the best way to prepare foods for storage is at harvest time while still in the field. Use a sharp knife to avoid damage.

Drought-resistant crops

One cause of the current food crisis is drought. Food prices are high in part because of dry weather in places as far distant as Spain and Australia.

Around the world, the amount of land affected by drought has doubled in the past thirty years. So says the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the United States. And scientists concerned about climate change believe it will cause more drought in many areas in the future.

A lot of research is going into efforts to develop drought-resistant crops. One project involves tobacco plants genetically engineered to keep their leaves during water shortages.Eduardo Blumwald and Rosa Rivero at the University of California, Davis, led a team from the United States, Japan and Israel. Rosa Rivero says they chose tobacco because it has big leaves. Also, it grows fast and has structural similarities with some other plants.

The researchers did an experiment with two groups of tobacco plants. They worked with a set of normal plants and a set of transgenic plants. These had a gene added to interfere with the biological causes of leaf loss during drought.

complaint exersize

Letters complaint agency:

I’m worrying about the drinking and driving. Last week, the XinMing Journey reported that: In the Golden week, the number of drunk driver rose by 15%. It’s a dangerous sign which describe the rise of injured rate these days.

This phenomenon is originally due to the ignorance of the drivers. They just hide behind wheel and never consider the benefit of other road users. But the government still has the responsibility. In other Asian countries, the legal limit is much lower than us. So I strongly recommend a lower alcohol limit. It will help drivers think twice on the drinking and driving.

Please give me an acknowledgement. I’ll concentrate on the progress of the action.

A citizen

Direction

cab: pick up / drop

corner / intersection / interstate / roundabout /pedstrain crossing

We are short of drivers ourselves right now.

In that case, I reckon I may by able to help.

You go straight till you get to the first intersection(till you see a sign that says "freeway"). than you take the freeway, going north bend.

Then you pass the second intersection.

And you take the fourth exit after that.

Then you follow the signs for the New Camford freeway.

runs a garage

on the bypass

take a right at the next set of lights

Don't mention it.

I'll have 20 dollars' worth of unleaded, please.

stop him for speeding

I can drop you off at the hairdresser's on my way home.

You should never overtake on a bend.

Will you pull over immediately and let me out.

negotiate

I'm privy to the confidential information

persuade/ convince

force it through

Mike deserved that raise

major desicion

negotiate a bussiness deal

economic climate

good at accounting

too many debts to settle

profit sharing scheme for the workforce

The decision to reprimand Randall for unilateral offering Alice a pay raise was made by a consensus by the managers.

Most companies like to offer their employees such perks like company cars or vacaions, as incentives to work hard.

offer her incentives to stay with us

interpreter

do not create a good impression within the company

whether this pay raise will go through or not

rival

defect to a competitor

commodity

fluctuate

portfolio

itinerary

travel allowance

speculator

roundtrip

make a killing

viable / feasible

endoscope surgery

Medical researchers keep looking for less invasive ways to perform operations. The aim is to cut less and to reduce pain and recovery time. Some researchers see a future in NOTES. NOTES is short for Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery.

In simple terms, what this means is the removal of diseased organs through the body's natural openings. For example, a man in California recently had his appendix removed through his mouth.Twenty-five years ago, having your appendix removed meant staying in the hospital for as long as a week. Patients returned home with an ugly and permanent scar on their abdomen.

But since the late nineteen eighties, laparoscopic surgery has gained popularity. It leaves only small marks where holes were made in the skin. The doctor works with a system called a laparoscope, usually connected to a video camera. Laparoscopic surgery rarely requires a hospital stay.

With the newest kind of surgery, doctors make a small cut in the patient's belly button. A camera is placed through the hole to help guide the surgical instrument.

national teacher

A science teacher from Prineville, Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest, is the new National Teacher of the Year.

Michael Geisen is thirty-five years old. He was a forester. But he decided he would rather work with growing minds than with growing trees. Seven years ago, he got a master's degree in teaching and a job at Crook County Middle School. Crook County has high rates of poverty.

He brought new energy to the science department. He also created school projects to get parents involved in their children's work. One girl who was recently in his class said he could probably make it interesting to watch grass grow.

During lunch, his students come to his room to talk, get help, visit his turtle and sometimes join him in playing guitar. He writes songs and develops games about science. He says one of his goals as a teacher is to create people who will continue to learn throughout their lives.

Michael Geisen studied forest resource management and graduated with high honors from the University of Washington. He says he tries to be creative with each activity. He does not like to use textbooks much. When students know that the work is local and useful to their lives, he says, they start to ge

investment

make a killing

privatized

portfolio

bricks- and- mortar

every one wants to be a stag.

this section is saturated

triple

I'm a conservative

is not your best bet

bankrupt

flotation

initial public offering

equity (stock)

stock broker

dealer

bear/bull/stag