고1 대한 교과서(강흥립외)

Lesson 1. Guide for Learning English

Lesson 2. Keeping Netiquette

Lesson 3. Understanding the Family through Art

Lesson 4. What's a Healthy Diet?

Lesson 5. Smart Shopping

Lesson 6. The Open Window

Lesson 7. Traveling in America

Lesson 8. Methods of Education

Lesson 9. The Six O'clock News

Lesson 10. Direction for the New Millennium

Lesson 11. The Nobel Peace Prize

Lesson 12. New Year's Resolutions

Lesson 1. Guide for Learning English

Hi, everyone! Welcome to high school. This is your first English class. Like it or not, we all have to learn English because it is today's international language. Some students might think that English is boring or too difficult, but I want to ask you to try to have fun in this class. That is my tip to you, Have fun! Don't think of English as another school subject. Think of learning English as a way to meet the people of the world. Everyone has his own way of studying English. I want to tell you some ways that I use to learn English.

First, I try to read as many books or magazines as possible.

Second, I try to keep a journal in English.

Third, I have "key pals" from three different countries.

Fourth, I try to watch English videos. Do you do any of these things? Of course there are lots of ways to study English. Now let's read about what some foreign teachers think about studying English.

Just Smile and Say Hello

"Hello, everyone!" Please say hello when I say hello. Don't be shy. Say anything. Don't be afraid. When you say nothing, I feel lonely. Perhaps you don't like me....

Everyone makes mistakes when learning a language. We learn to speak by trying to speak. My Korean is full of mistakes, but I am not afraid of making mistakes. Without talking, I cannot make friends. And when I meet Korean friends, I always think, "What do they think? How do they feel?" I wanted to know these things. So I began to study Korean hard. Now I have friends all over Korea. You, too, can have friends all over the world if you speak English. So I want to say, "Don't be afraid of making mistakes. Just smile and say hello. A smile and a hello is a good start."

Just Listen to the Rhythm and the Sounds

Look in a newspaper. Find the TV and radio section. There are many English programs. Tune in. Use your TV and radio. That's a good way to improve your English.

"But I can't understand their English," you may say, "It's too fast." Of course, you can't understand it, I don't say you can. I say you must listen in the right way.

What's the right way? Well, stop trying to understand every word and just listen to the rhythm and the sounds. You have a lot of English programs on TV and radio every day. Tune in. Get used to the rhythm and sounds of English. Then see how many words you can understand. You can guess many things just from one word. Listen to the rhythm and the sounds and then try to guess what the people are saying. If you do this, you will soon be able to understand English programs on TV or radio.

(Mallory Leece from Britain)

Speaking English Is a Skill

Speaking English is a skill. Like any other skills, it requires practice.

Think of a star basketball player. You know he is training hard every day. And he started training hard when he was young. It is the same with your English. You can improve your English speaking by practicing it every day. You should try to practice your pronunciation, too. If you speak well, you will gain more confidence. This will help you to speak better English.

Try to use English whenever you can. Make English learning your hobby Like any other hobby, it brings you pleasure and rewards. Enjoy learning English. Then English will help you have a wonderful future.

Remember: practice comes before knowledge. Just practice English as much as you can.

(Tom Cook from Australia)

Lesson 2. Keeping Netiquette

Hello. Today I want you to study about Netiquette. "Netiquette" is network etiquette, the dos and don'ts of online communication. Netiquette covers both common courtesy online and the informal "rules of the road" of cyberspace.

When someone talks about the Internet today, he is usually talking about the World Wide Web. It is the coolest place in all of cyberspace.

You'll find pictures, videos, music, sounds, and a lot of other information. It is a good place to find out a lot of information about the world right in your home. It is also a good way to study English as well. If you use it properly, you can improve your skills in reading, writing, grammar, listening, pronunciation, vocabulary and learning English idioms. We can think of the Internet as an "Information Superhighway."

However, just as there are rules for driving on ordinary highways, there are also rules for "driving" on the Internet. This is called "Netiquette."

There are five main rules of Netiquette which we should follow. Make sure you don't break any of these rules.

1) Don't shout.

Just as you shouldn't shout when you talk to your friends, you shouldn't shout when you are in cyberspaee. Shouting in cyberspace means USING CAPITAL LETTERS TO SEND A MESSAGE. If YOU DO THIS, THEN YOU ARE SHOUTING! So please, keep your voice down!

2) Don't use bad language.

When you are online, there is a great temptation to use bad language because you don't know the person you are speaking to. Don't do this! If you do this, then not only will people avoid you, but also you might get banned from some areas and even from a whole service.

3) Don't "flame."

This means that you should not attack people on the Internet for no reason. If you do this, that is called a flame. Don't even think of doing it!

4) Don't "spam."

Spamming or harassing means that you keep on bothering someone. If you keep on sending e- mails to people who do not want to receive them, then you are harassing them. This is not a nice thing to do. Don't do

5) Don't ruin cyberspace for others.

If you have had a bad day, you may be tempted to go into a chat room and do something like holding the question mark or exclamation mark key many times like this: 33333333????????!!!!!!!!!!! Don't do this. It is not right to take out your bad mood on others.

When you are writing on a computer, it is easy to forget that another person is reading what you are writing.

If you don't follow Netiquette, you won't a have any e-mail buddies, and no one will bother to chat with you.

Therefore, in cyberspace it is important to remember the other person. The question you have to ask yourself is, Would I say it to the person's face?" You should keep the same standard of behavior online that you follow in your life. This means that you should be thoughtful about other people and keep good manners when you are on the Net.

Lesson 3. Understanding the Family through Art

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."	Pablo Picasso

Most people use words to send messages. But artists use  colors, lines, and shapes. Paintings show what artists think and feel about things. Artists have painted pictures of almost anything you can think of. They have painted persons, families, busy cities, dark clouds, quiet lakes, and animals.

An artist expresses his thoughts and feelings in his painting. A good artist knows how to tell a story with different colors, lines, and shapes. Look at the pictures on the following pages and see if you can tell what the artists tried to say in their paintings about the family.

Maybe you can tell what this picture is about just by looking at it. Pablo Picasso, the famous Spanish artist, wanted you to think of this mother as a symbol of mothers everywhere who love and protect their children. So, he painted a large mother and a large child. However, this picture has a secret. Originally the father was also in the picture. He sat near the mother and child. When it was finished Picasso did not like the painting. Finally, he decided he would show the mother and child without the father. So he cut off the part with the father in it. What happened to the other part? Picasso added three things that the world is made of to complement the mother and the child. As you can see, these three things are the land, the sea, and the sky.

Artists express the mother's love for her child in different ways. What do you see in this picture? Its title is "Mother and Child", and the painter is Jean Chariot. Both the mother and child are in the shape of circles.

Then these circles are joined together by a larger white circle. What do you think the painter tried to say?

The Mexican mother keeps her baby with her when she makes tortillas. A tortilla is a little, round, flat cake made of dough. You can see that the mother has to use both hands to roll the corn dough. So, she puts her baby into the shawl on her back. There he sleeps, while his mother works. Sculptors also express their thoughts and feelings in different ways. Look at this sculpture. This sculpture shows the strong love of the mother and the father. When the sculptor made this statue, he first looked at a real family. Then he  used his imagination to show the family in a new and different way. You realize that it is a statue of a family as soon as you look at the sculpture. That's because you look at it, not just with your eyes, but also with what you already know about families. What makes the mother and father seem so strong? What makes you know that they protect the child? What makes you know that the child depends on his mother?

Now, look at the pictures and sculpture again and again, and let the artists speak to you!

Lesson 4. What's a Healthy Diet?

DNA on the Dinner Table In the new millennium, amazing new advances in understanding DNA are leading to changes in many areas. One of the most talked about uses of DNA technology today is genetically modified food, also known as GM food. GM plants are stronger and can survive in harsher environments than ordinary plants.

Recently, scientists have mapped the DNA code of rice. Rice is the main food for half the world's population, but it is sensitive to drought, disease and certain insects. Scientists say that by understanding the genetic blueprint, they will be able to change the DNA of rice to make it stronger and so, produce more rice. This will help to solve the problem of world hunger.

Some People are not happy that we are interfering with nature and a number of scientists are worried about how GM food will affect our health. However, at the moment, there is no proof that it is harmful to humans. To the people who don't have enough to eat, some food is better than no food.

GM tomatoes and fruit are already being sold at supermarkets throughout America. People who eat them say that there is no difference in the taste or quality. The only difference they can notice is in the size.

How about you? Would you mind eating GM food?

Pretty soon you will probably have no choice. As the genetic code of all the food we eat continues to be mapped, it is certain that more and more GM food will appear on our dinner tables. Some researchers in this field say that not only will the food be bigger, but it will also help people diet. This is because the food can be modified to be less fattening! Even junk food might be made healthier!

There is still a lot of research that needs to be done in this field, but it is just a question of time. So prepare yourself for a DNA health dinner.

Although GM offers many new possibilities in food production, eating GM food won't change the basic principles of good nutrition, which is to have a balanced

A healthy diet means that we get the nutrients we need. Nutrients are substances in food that help your body grow and stay healthy. Important nutrients in food are proteins, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and fats. No one food has all the nutrients you need. That's why you need to eat different kinds of food.

Getting the nutrients you need

Proteins

Your body needs proteins to grow and repair itself. Most foods contain some protein. Meat, fish, nuts, and cheese contain a lot of protein. Cereals and vegetables contain smaller amounts of protein.

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals help your body work properly. For example, the mineral calcium helps to build bones and teeth. Vitamin A helps your eyes see at night. Most people get enough vitamins and minerals by eating different kinds of food.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates give you quick energy. Your body needs this energy to move, grow, and keep warm. Good sources s of carbohydrates are bread, rice, corn, fruit, and some vegetables like beans and peas.

Fats

Fats give you energy, too. Your body can store fat and use it later for energy. Everyone needs some fat in his or her diet. However, too much fat is bad for you. Some foods high in fat are butter, ice cream, sausages, and potato chips.

Your favorite food probably contains more than one kind of nutrient. For example, potatoes contain carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Vegetables contain a lot of vitamins and minerals and some protein. An apple contains carbohydrates and vitamins. Try to eat different kinds of food. Then you can get the nutrients you need and you will be healthy.

Lesson 5. Smart Shopping

If you don't have much time, a good and cheap way to shop is in an Internet store. In Internet shopping stores you can order all the things you like just by the click of a mouse. Shopping over the Internet is convenient and it can save you time and money. However, there are some problems with Internet shopping. The main problem is that you don't know for sure whether or not what you see is what you get. It is because you cannot see or touch what you are buying. Because of this, many people still like to go to stores and supermarkets, If you still shop in this way, there are some things you should be careful about.

Most mothers have a good piece of advice: never go into a supermarket hungry! If you go shopping for food before lunchtime, you'll probably buy more than you plan to. Unfortunately, this simple advice is just not enough for consumers these days. Modern shoppers need an education in how - and how not - to buy things at the grocery store. First, find the items that are on sale and decide if you really need those things. In other words, don't buy anything just because it's cheaper than usual.

Next, in the store, carefully read the information on the package, and don't let words like "New and Improved" or "All Natural" influence you. Instead, read the list of ingredients on the back.

Third, compare prices; that is, you should examine the prices both of different brands and different sizes of the same brand.

GENERIC ITEMS AND BRAND NAMES

Another suggestion for consumers is to buy generic items instead of well-known brands. Generic items in supermarkets come in plain packages. These products are cheaper because manufacturers don't spend much money on packaging or advertising. The quality, however, is usually identical to the quality of well-known name brands. Shopping in discount clothing stores can also help you save a lot of money.

INTELLIGENT CONSUMERISM

Wise consumers read magazine advertisements and watch TV commercials, but they do this with one advantage: knowledge of the psychology behind the ads. In other words, well-informed consumers watch for information and check for misinformation. They ask themselves these questions: Is there any real information in the commercial, or is the advertiser simply showing a beautiful image? Is this product more expensive than it should be because it has a famous name? With the answers to these questions, consumers can make wise choices.

CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS

To protect consumers, there are many laws (usually state laws) about advertising. For instance, if a store advertises a special product at a certain price, the store must have a reasonable number of these items to sell. Also, the product should not look much different from the picture in the ad. Of course, an advertiser must also tell you if a product is used or defective. In other words, false and misleading advertising is against the law.

However, although there are laws to protect consumers, in the end you are responsible for protecting yourself. In order to do this, you need to be a smart shopper. So the next time you go to the supermarket, don't forget the tips you have learned here today.

Lesson 6. The Open Window

A Story by Saki (H.H. Munro)

"My aunt will be down in a minute, Mr. Nuttel," said the girl who had let him in a few minutes earlier. "In the meantime you will have to put up with me. I'm Mrs. Sappleton's niece.

Framton Nutlet listened nervously to the girl and answered her questions the best he could.

"Do you know many of the people around here?" asked the niece.

"Hardly a soul," he said, looking at the stairway, where he hoped Mrs. Sappleton would appear soon. "My sister lived here during the summer a few years ago. She liked it very much. When she knew I was coming to stay for a while, she gave me some letters of introduction to some of the people of the community."

"So, then," the girl went on, "you know almost nothing about my aunt?"

"Only her name and address. I have never met her," Mr. Nuttel said nervously.

"Then you know nothing of my aunt's tragedy, Mr. Nuttel?" asked the girl, lowering her voice.

"Tragedy? No, my sister didn't mention anything about a tragedy."

"When was your sister here last?"

"Four or five years ago."

"Well," she continued whispering, "this happened three years ago. In fact it was three years ago today. You may wonder why we keep that window open on an October afternoon," she said, pointing to a large French window that opened to the garden.

"It's quite warm for this time of the year," said Framton, "but does the window have something to do with the tragedy?

"Yes, it does," she went on, still speaking in a whisper. "Three years ago today, my aunt's husband and her two younger brothers went for a day's shooting. They never came back. They were crossing a footbridge over a fast river when it broke. They never had a chance in that river. The mouth of that river is not too far from the open sea. They sent out rescue teams but they never found the bodies. My poor dear aunt!" she said as she looked toward the stairs.

"She thinks that someday, probably on an anniversary of their death - like today - they will return. I have heard her say many times that she is sure that her husband, her two brothers and the dog that was lost with them, will return through that window - the way they went out."

Framton Nuttel didn't know what to think. And certainly, he didn't know what to say. The girl noticed that the guest was getting more nervous by the minute. She looked around. Seeing that her aunt was still not coming, she continued in a soft voice: "What's more - my aunt thinks that when her husband returns through that window, he will have his raincoat over his arms. And she also thinks that her younger brother will be singing a song. Can you believe that, Mr. Nuttel? She really thinks that all three of them will be coming home today. And she even thinks that the dog will be running ahead of them."

It was a relief when the aunt finally came down the stairs.

"I hope Vera has been amusing you," she said as the girl left the room.

"Oh - oh, yes, she has," he replied.

Mrs. Sappleton kept looking at the open window. "I hope you don't mind the open window. I expect my husband and brothers anytime. They've been shooting and they always come in this way."

"How strange!" he said to himself, "She really does expect the men to come!" Framton became so nervous that he didn't know what to do with himself.

Finally, Mrs. Sappleton turned to Framton and asked,

"What brings you here to our rural community?"

"My doctors ordered a complete rest for me for at least three months without any excitement and. . ."

"Here they are at last!" cried Mrs. Sappleton as she got up and went toward the window. "Just in time for tea!"

Framton also got up. He couldn't believe his eyes. He saw three men and a dog walking across the garden toward the window. The men carried guns and one carried a raincoat over his shoulder. Then suddenly one of them started singing a song.

Framton grabbed his hat and umbrella and ran out the door as fast as he could to his car Stones in the road went flying as he sped away.

"Well, here we are, my dear," said the man who was carrying the raincoat. "But who was that man who went out as we came up?"

"A very strange man - a Mr. Nuttel," said Mrs. Sappleton, "who only talked about his illness and ran away without saying good-bye when you arrived." "I think it was the dog, auntie," said the girl, who had come back into the room. "He told me that he was afraid of dogs. He told me that once, when he was in India, a group of mad dogs chased him along the banks of the Ganges River. He said he spent the night in a new grave with the dogs above him, and..."

Making up tall stories on short notice was the girl's speciality.

Lesson 7. Traveling in America

Did you know that America is over 94 times bigger than South Korea? America is such a large country that it is not difficult to understand why air travel is so popular. In fact more than half the world's airline passengers are Americans. Over 420 million people a year fly from one place to another within the United States alone, O'Hare International Airport in Chicago is the world's busiest airport. At 0'Hare Airport, an average of fifty planes land and take off every hour. That is nearly one plane a minute!

Air travel is popular in the United States because it is so fast and the country is so big. For example, a nonstop flight from New York City to Los Angeles takes about six hours. If you tried to drive this distance by car, it would take at least 56 hours if you didn't take any breaks! Traveling by airplane saves a lot of time, and most Americans value their time highly.

Flying can be expensive, but most U.S.A, airlines offer cheaper fares if you buy your ticket a few weeks before your flight. You can call an airline to get information about flights and to buy a ticket. If you pay for your ticket with a credit card, the airline will mail it to you.

However, traveling by air is not the only way to travel in America. If you have a lot of time and want to see what America looks like, then a good way to travel is by bus or by train. A bus is not the fastest way to travel, but it is the cheapest. Also, most bus stations, unlike airports, are conveniently located in the middle of cities. Today buses are still a popular way to travel in America, especially for people who do not own cars and for people who do not live near an airport or a bus station The largest U.S. bus company is called Greyhound Lines, Inc.

The train system in America is called Amtrak. There are some commuter trains available in some metropolitan areas. These trains run between a big city and its suburbs or nearby cities.

Don't forget that roundtrip tickets in America are much cheaper. In Korea you only buy one-way tickets, but if you try to do this in America, you will spend much more money!

There is another important thing you have to know. It is how to read a bus or train schedule. Here is an example of a train time schedule and dialog.

DESTINATION	DEPARTURE	TRACK	ARRIVAL	ONE WAY	ROUND TRIP
Boston	6:10	18	10:05	$30.00	$55.00
Baltimore	6:30	15	9:33	$36.00	$70.00
Dallas	7:05	14	11:00	$74.00	$150.00
Miami	8:30	19	12:15	$66.00	$120.00
Los Angeles	8:55	22	5:45	$139.00	$225.00
New York	9:30	25	11:34	$42.00	$84.00

Man: Excuse me.

Clerk: Yes, sir. May I help you?

Man: When is the earliest bus for Boston?

Clerk: It's at 6:10.

Man: Then, I'd like a ticket to Boston.

Clerk: Round-trip or one-way?

Man : Is round-trip ticket cheaper?

Clerk: Yes. One-way is thirty dollars. Round-trip is fifty-five dollars.

Man: One round-trip, please.

Clerk: Here you are. Have a nice trip.

Lesson 8. Methods of Education

A teacher from a Western country recently visited an elementary school in an Asian country. In one class, she watched sixty young children as they learned to draw a cat. The class teacher drew a big circle on the blackboard, and sixty children copied it on their papers. The teacher drew a smaller circle on top of the first and then put two triangles on top of it. The children drew in the same way. The lesson continued until there were sixty-one identical cats in the classroom. Each student's cat looked exactly like the one on the board.

The visiting teacher was surprised by the lesson. She was surprised because the teaching methods were very different from those of her methods? In a classroom in any country, the teacher teaches more than art or history or language. He or she also teaches culture (the ideas and beliefs of that society). Each educational system is a mirror that reflects the culture of society.

In a Western society such as the United States or Canada, which has many political, personal, religious, and cultural differences, people highly value independent thinking. Teachers place a lot of importance on the qualities that make each student special. The educational systems in these countries show these values. Students do not often memorize information. Instead, they work individually and find answers themselves, and they express their ideas in class discussions. At an early age, students learn to form their own ideas and opinions.

In most Asian societies, the people have the same language, history, and culture. Perhaps for this reason, the educational system in much of Asia reflects society's belief in group goals and traditions. Children in Korea, China, and Japan often work together and help one another on assignments. In the classroom, the teaching methods are often very formal. The teacher lectures, and the students listen. There is not much discussion and students usually memorize everything.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both these systems of education. For example, one advantage of the system in Korea is that students learn the social skill of cooperation in working together. Another advantage is that by the end of high school, they have learned much more math and science than American students have. The system prepares students for a society that values discipline and self-control. There is, however, a disadvantage. Memorization is an important learning method in Korean schools, yet many students say that after an exam, they forget much of the information that they have memorized. The advantage of the educational system in North America, on the other hand, is that students learn to think for themselves.

They learn to make decisions and act without anyone telling them what to do. The system prepares them for a society that values creative ideas. There is, however, a disadvantage. When students graduate from high school, they haven't studied as many basic rules and facts as students in other countries have. As you can see, there are good points and bad points to both methods of education. No one can say which system is better. They are just different.

Lesson 9. The Six O'clock News

Good evening. This is the Six O'clock News from Washington with Peter Smith and Jane Park.

Last night there was a big earthquake in San Francisco. The earthquake destroyed the Central Bank. Many buildings collapsed, and there were several fires. Highways were also damaged. The cars along the highways flew up and down. Hundreds of cars crashed, and many people were killed or injured. The National Guard has been called out to help. The Red Cross sent planes with food and medicine to the area this morning.

The Rocky Mountain Police are still looking for three teenage climbers who disappeared in the Rocky Mountains yesterday afternoon. They are members of the local youth climbing club and were separated from the rest of their climbing party when it suddenly began to snow heavily yesterday afternoon. The police sent out a search party immediately. They spent the night on the mountain, but continued bad weather hindered any effective search. The police sent out another search party early this morning, but they have still been unable to find the climbers. The chief of police said, "We will not give up hope. We will continue looking until we find them."

Neil Smith: And now for sports. This is the sports news from Sydney. Here's our reporter, Susan Brown. Susan, what happened today?

Susan: The most important event today was certainly the women's individual archery championship. Three Korean women swept the gold, silver and bronze medals. The gold medal is the fifth consecutive one for Korea in the women's individual championship. It seems that there's no match for the Korean women archers , This is Susan Brown, reporting from the Olympic Stadium in Sydney.

Jim Cousins: Good evening. This is Jim Cousins with the weather. The rain that began to fall this afternoon is expected to continue until midnight. Tomorrow will be cool and cloudy in the morning. Tomorrow afternoon and evening will also be clear and cool. On Wednesday, it's going to be sunny all day The high temperature might reach 85°. The temperature on Wednesday evening will fall to around 70°. On Thursday, it is going to be hot all day. The temperature might reach as high as 90°. On Friday, it will be hot too, but it will start to cool off in the evening, when the temperature might fall to around 75°. Thank you for joining us.

Lesson 10. Directions for the New Millennium

What problems does the world face in the next one thousand years? What things are happening that will affect life in the 21st century? The experts in social science, economy, agriculture and the environment have set up a task force. They are collecting data from various surveys. They are finding a number of interesting and important facts. These facts may show us the directions of life in the new millennium.

Population

Population is an important matter for every person on Earth. Many experts predict that, by the year 2015, there will be more than 8 billion people on Earth.

Will we be able to feed such a huge population? Already, two-thirds of the people in the world are not getting enough to eat. At present, more than 15,000 people die of starvation every day. If the world's food production does not keep pace with the rapid increase in population, the problem can only get worse.

How can we increase the world's food production? Most of our food is produced by farming the land. But, as more land is used for building, there is less land for farming. So one way of increasing food production is to develop new ways of farming, like sea farming.

Another possibility is to change land that has not been used for farming until now into farmland. Advances in mapping the DNA of plants might help to make this possible. Understanding the DNA of plants will make it possible for scientists to genetically modify many plants so that they can grow in harsher environments.

Energy

How is the world in the new millennium going to solve its energy Problems? Many countries in the world are building nuclear power plants to meet their energy needs. However, the problem of dangerous nuclear waste seems to be limiting the growth of nuclear plants in many regions. This means that the use of fossil fuels for energy has not changed very much. Fortunately, there are signs of change. More and more countries are researching how to increase the use of renewable energy which is cleaner than nonrenewable energy. Renewable energy means energy that can be got from organic materials, the sun, the water, and the wind. Advances in technology offer hope that soon this type of energy will help to ease the energy Problems of the world.

Nature

In the natural world, pollution is the biggest problem in the new millennium. It is more serious than we think. It continues to affect the forests and water. The seas and oceans are changing. Coral reefs in the oceans are being damaged by the increasing amount of sand and soil in ocean water. The number of trees being cut down is increasing. This means that more soil is being washed away into the sea, and this affects water quality. Many of the trees being cut down are in the rain forests. Huge areas of plants and trees, which are home for many birds and animals, are disappearing.

Conclusion

The challenges for the new millennium are clear. The problems of many people living on our small planet will likely continue to be important for each one of us. Therefore, it's time for every person to try to deal with these problems.

Lesson 11. The Nobel Peace Prize

Alfred Nobel invented dynamite in 1866 and later built up companies and laboratories in more than 20 countries. He made a great fortune, but he was sorry that his invention could also be used as a deadly weapon. As a result of such concern, Nobel was deeply interested in world peace. According to his will, the Nobel Prize has been awarded to those who have made great contributions in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and world peace.

The most prestigious of the Nobel Prizes is the Peace Prize, It is called the flower of the Nobel Prizes. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to those who have made great efforts to promote world peace.

There are two kinds of winners: those who served the poor or the sick, and those who fought for human rights and world peace. Mother Teresa, Albert Schweitzer, the International Red Cross Committee, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, and others are among the first group, and Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, the Dalai Lama, and Amnesty International are in the second group.

You may be living in comfort, but tens of millions of people all over the world are suffering from hunger, poverty, disease, inequality, and social and political prejudices. Have you ever thought about the needs of those people? What do they need the most? You may find the answers in the following stories of Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr.

Mother Teresa was born in Yugoslavia in 191o and her real name was Agnes. When she was twelve, she first felt the desire to give her life to helping the poor. Later, she became a teaching nun in India. In 1948, she set out to live among the poorest of the poor in India, wearing a white sari. "I do not agree with the big way of doing things. To us, each single person is most important. To love the person, we must come in close contact with him. Every person is Christ for me," she said. In 1952 she opened the first Home for the Dying, She took only those people whom the hospitals would not accept. She said, "First of all, we want to make them feel they are wanted: we want them to know that there are people who really love them, who really want them." Thus, Mother Teresa's work came to include the care of anyone in need But whether they were dying or living, what people needed the most, according to Mother Teresa, was to feel that someone cared for them. In 1979, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Georgia in 1929. In those days, black people were forced to sit in the back of buses. They couldn't go into many public places with white people to have dinner or watch a film. King thought he would protest these laws without violence. In 1955 he called on all black people in the city of Montogomery not to ride on buses until they could sit where they liked. Black people refused to use the buses for 382 days. The Supreme Court finally ruled that they could use buses as equal citizens. It was a great victory. But black people were still not treated equally in many other ways. So King led a quarter of a million people to Washington D.C. He asked Congress to pass laws to make sure that black people were treated equally, as the Bill of Rights had promised. There he made his famous speech, "I Have a Dream". He said, "I have a dream that one day, on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." King began to see some progress. In 1964, Congress passed laws to allow black people to vote, get better jobs, go into any public place, and to live where they wanted. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

Lesson 12. New Year's Resolutions

The passing of an old year into a new one is often a time to make resolutions for ourselves, to change our behavior, learn new things, or achieve our goals. What better time than now to prepare for a fresh start?

Vow to do some of the things you've always wanted to do but couldn't find the time to do. Call up a forgotten friend and forget an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories, Share a funny story with someone whose spirits are low. A good laugh can be very good medicine.

Vow not to make a promise you don't think you can keep. Here are some promises that are easy to keep. Give a polite answer to your friends. Encourage your friends to do their best. Share your experiences, and offer support. Pay a debt if you have one.

Find the time to be kind and thoughtful. All of us have the same amount of time: 24 hours a day. Give a compliment. It might make someone feel very happy.

Apologize when you realize you are wrong. An apology never makes a person small. On the contrary, it makes him bigger, better and higher.

Don't blow your horn. If you've done something to be praised for, someone will notice it eventually.

Try to understand a point of view that is different from your own. Different people have different ideas. Therefore, different people just express their points of view in different ways.

Lighten up. When you feel like blowing your top, ask yourself, "Will it matter a week from today?" Laugh the loudest when the joke is on you.

The sure way to have a friend is to be one. We are all connected by our humanity, and we need each other. Avoid pessimists. They drag you down and get you nowhere.

Don't discourage a beginner from trying something risky. Nothing ventured means nothing gained. Be optimistic, The can-do spirit is the fuel that makes things go.

Take better care of yourself. Remember, you're all you've got. When you are invited to a dinner, pass up that second helping. You really don't need it. You'll feel better and look better, too.

Return those books you borrowed. Clean out your room. Take those photos out of the drawer and put them in an album. If you see litter on the sidewalk, pick it up instead of walking over it. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonders of nature. A flower is God's miracle.

Walk tall, and smile more. You'll look a lot nicer. Don't be afraid to say, "I love you." Say it again. They are the sweetest words in every language. If you have love in your life, it will be the best year ever.