When I was a little girl.doc

1 When I was a little girl, my brothers and I collected stamps for many years. My mother didnt use to work during the week, but she worked in the post office near our house on Saturdays, and she used to bring home all the new stamps as soon as they were issued(发行).On the day of the World Cup football final（决赛）in London in 1966, we were very excited because England were playing West Germany in the final. When we were having lunch, my mother told us to go to the post office straightaway after the match if England won, but she didnt tell us why. At 2 oclock my mother went back to work as usual, while the rest of the family were watching the football on TV at home. Although she wasnt watching the match, she was listening to it on the radio.England won 4:2 and so my brothers and I ran to the post office. As we burst in, my mother was standing behind the counter. She was waiting to sell us a very special limited edition with ENGLAND WINNERS on each stamp. We were over the moon.We still have it today, and perhaps it is worth a lot of money.2 Anna is only daughter. My wife and I have two sons and Anna is the youngest in the family, but shes twenty-five now. Anna was not well when she was little. It was a very worrying time and she stayed at home a lot. She was seen first by the local doctors, and then she was sent to a specialist in Cardiff where she was diagnosed as diabetic. It was my wife who mainly took care of her then. I am not very good at looking after little children. I suppose I am a bit traditional in that way. But when she grew up a bit, we spent a lot of time together. We loved walking and talking and discussing life. We still love it today. We get on very well.Although she looks like me (tall, dark hair, dark eyes and dark skin), she takes after her mother: she is artistic and musical, and like her mother shes attractive.She loves looking after animals-she has two dogs, three cats and a goat. She lives in a little house in the country. I like animals too. I like riding and hunting, but Anna hates hunting. She thinks its cruel. We discuss it a lot.She is quiet and a bit shy with strangers. I am more outgoing and I love meeting new people. But shes not boring-actually, shes very funny. She always has lots of stories of her life in the country. Shes an art and music teacher in a little village school.She is very good-natured. Anna says we brought her up well, and shes going to bring her children up to be honest and loyal. But I think she was easy to bring up. I dont remember ever telling her off. 3 A day in the life of a carerLily is 70 years old and she takes care of her 91-year-old mother. She told us about caring for her mother.I wake up early every day, its usually about 6.30 a.m, and wait until I hear Tilly, my mum, moving about. Then I make her a cup of tea. At about half past seven she gets up and we have breakfast together. We normally just have toast, but on Sundays we always have bacon and eggs. After breakfast she reads the newspaper, then she sits by the window and waves to the neighbours as they walk by.She hardly ever goes out but she is very proud of her personal appearance, so she goes to the hairdresser once a month.She doesnt like being left on her own for very long, so I always arrange for a neighbour to come and sit with her when I go out. Now and again, my friend and neighbour, Joan, comes to spend the day with her, and I can go and have lunch with another friend, May, who lives in town.I have a brother, Syd. He comes to stay two or three time a year. He is very good and keeps in touch, but he lives 300 miles away. Once a year, he collects mum and takes her to stay with him in London for a week. She doesnt really like going because its a long journey, but I need the rest.Sally, the nurse, comes to see mum regularly. My next-door neighbour, jack, often calls in. In the evening we usually watch TVand we sometimes play cards. Mum is fantastic for her age. But I can never decide to go anywhere spontaneously. I always have to plan it, so I feel a bit trapped. But what is the alternative? An old peoples home? I couldnt do that to my mother.4 Morgan Rees has always been a good businessman. He used to own three petrol stations and was busy most of the time. When he was 65, the normal retirement age, he decided that he didnt want to stop. So he carried on working for another two years. Eventually, when he was nearly 68, his wife, Dolly, asked him to retire because she wanted to enjoy their old age together. Reluctantly, he handed over the business to his son. But he was unhappy. He didnt know what to do with himself. Although he read a lot of books and he went on holiday to interesting places with his wife, he was bored and began to get depressed because he hated being retired.Then one day saw an advertisement in the newspaper and, without telling his wife, he bought a small crockery factory. The next week he told his family. They were horrified and worried. They thought he was too old at 71 to start work again.He is now 76 and he has expanded the company considerably. He has increased the number of staff from 6 to 24 and he has found many new customers for the products. He has developed the export marked and has improved profits by 200%. He has opened a new design office and employed three young designers. They have been all over the world to get new ideas, and one of them has gone to France this week to a major trade fair. Most importantly, he hasnt been bored since he bought the factory.5 An extraordinary change of directionMolly Wilson had been a dancer and a mother for many years when she decided to sail round the world to raise money for charity.As a child she had trained as a ballet dancer, but at 15 she had grown too tall for classical ballet, so she became a member of a pop dance team.She got married, and after she had children she retired from show business to bring them up. They grew up, and when they were 18 they left home.She says, ”When I decided to do the round-the-world race, my husband thought I was bored because the children had left home. He was also worried because I had never sailed before. I was not bored, but I had met some people who told me about the race. They had taken part in it, but they had only done one section, say, from New Zealand to Australia. I wanted to do the whole ten-month journey. ”Before Molly left she did a lot of training, but it hadnt prepared her for the worst weather which they experienced. She tells one story. “One night the sea was very rough and it was very cold. I had gone downstairs when a huge wave smashed into the boat and injured two men on the deck. One of the men couldnt move because he had broken his leg. They were taken to hospital by helicopter. That was the worst time.”By the end of October last year, she had raised more than $50,000 for charity.She says, “ Sometimes I ask myself, what did I do? How did I do it? But then I think, its the same as being a dancer. Before I left on the trip, I had trained hard. I had got very fit and had prepared myself completely. Then on the trip I was simply a good team member.”6 John Preston lives in a flat in north London. He moved there after his wife died four years ago to be closer to his daughters family, and because his big detached house and garden were too much work for him as he got older. Its easier in the flat because the letting agent does everything that needs doing. The agent has had the roof repaired and got the gutter replaced, but at the moment John is not satisfied because the window frames need painting and the garden looks neglected. The agent had the windows painted two years ago, but the painters didnt do it very well, so they need doing again. John pays over $1500 a year for service and maintenance, and he thinks that its not good enough because the flats look shabby and a lot of things need repairing. His daughter, June, and her husband, Pete, on the other hand, have to do everything themselves or find builders to do it. They live in a large semi-detached house further out from the centre of London than John, but they are still near enough to see him often. They live in the suburbs with a nice garden where their children play. They moved there four years ago to have more space. The only drawback is that Junes husband has to commute into the centre of London every day, but, overall, they are happy with their decision. When they bought the house, a lot needed doing to it and it still does. June says, “ We have a list of things to do as long as your arm-the roof needs repairing and the chimney needs mending. The bedrooms need decorating and we havent had the broken windowpanes replaced yet in the conservatory. We need to fix the gate and repair the path-it looks dreadful when you arrive.”7 The residents of 24 Acacia Grove were dissatisfied with the condition of the property, so John Preston called a meeting to discuss things last week. At the meeting John suggested setting up a residents committee.Everyone was so worried and angry about the agents inactivity that they agreed, and they elected John as chairman of the committee. Many residents said that they were tired of telephoning the agent and tired of complaining about the flats. Although the agent was responsible for the flats, they thought that he didnt do enough. Therefore John was asked to write to the agent and say that they were disappointed with the management of the flats.The next service payment was due at the end of the month. However, they agreed not to pay it until they were happy with the plans to improve the property. They decided to tell the agent that he must start the work within one month. They all went away very pleased with themselves.8 Dear Mr HallAs chaiman of the new Residents Committee, I am writing to you to complain about the current state of the flats. We are dissatisfied with the condition of the flats and unhappy that you have not replied to our complaints.For example, although you sent painters to do the doors and windows two years ago, the work was not satisfactory and they now need repainting. We are very concerned about the state of the flats. They look shabby and this affects the value of the property.Secondly, we are appalled by the condition of the garden, which is in a terrible state and needs tidying up. The trees need cutting back, the flowerbeds need weeding and the lawns need mowing.The gardener agreed to deal with this three months ago. However, he has not been to the property for several months. Therefore the garden now needs extensive work. Residents themselves have had to mow the lawns.We feel it is unacceptable to residents to neglect the gardens and buildings in this way. Therefore the Committee has decided that residents will not pay the next service payment until we are satisfied with the plans to improve the situation.I look forward to hearing from you.Yours sincerely,9 After hoursGovernment figures in a recent survey show that British people do housework for an average of three hours a day. This figure has fallen dramatically in the last thirty years because of the increase in labour-saving devices (washing machines, microwaves, vacuum cleaners, etc.)Consequently, leisure time has increased. The number of TVs, stereos, videos, CD and DVD players, etc. has also risen sharply during the last decade because using these has become the most important leisure activity.99% of people have spent time watching television in the past four weeks and 78% of people have listened to records or CDs and tapes. However, listening to tapes and records decreases with age, and gardening for pleasure rises sharply. 63%of 55-64 year-olds have spent time gardening in the past four weeks compared to 21% of 20-24 year-olds.10 Animals at homeJust under half the households in the UK(45%) own a pet. Pets range from dogs, cats and rabbits to the more exotic animals, such as snakes, lizards and tropical fish. Dogs used to be the most popular pet, but changes in lifestyle and the family structure have now made cats more popular than dogs because they are more independent and need less care.A large proportion of people who own a dog own only one dog(78%).Although the majority of people who own a cat own only one cat, over a third (38%) own two or more cats.More than half the dogs in Britain are pedigree (52%), but only a small proportion of cats are pedigree(8%).11 The Olympic GamesThe ancient Olympic Games were part of a religious festival in honour of the Greek god Zeus, the father of all Greek gods and goddesses. The festival and games were held in Olympia, a religious sanctuary. The athletes came to Olympia from all parts of the Greek world, from as far as Spain in the west and Turkey in the east.The ancient Olympic Games began in the year 776 BC when Koroibos. A cook from the city of Elis, won a 200-metre-long race. They took place for a period of 617 years until the last games were held in AD393.In the ancient games, athletes received prizes worth large amounts of money. In fact the word “athlete” is an ancient Greek word, meaning “one who competes for a prize”. Although women did not compete in the games, there was a separate festival held at the same time in honour of Hera, wife of Zeus. At thisfestival unmarried girls competed in foot races.The marathon was not an event of the ancient Olympic Games. The marathon is a mondern event that was first introduced in the Olympic Games in 1896. It was named after a village called Marathon where the Persians were defeated by a small Greek army. The news of the victory was brought to Athens by a soldier, who ran the 26 miles from the village of Marathon to the capital. 26miles was therefore adopted as the distance of the modern marathon race.The Olympic flag was introduced in 1908 and carries the symbol of five linked rings, which represent the five continents-Africa, America, Asia, Australasia and Europe. The Olympic flame was firest carried in the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. There was no torch relay in the ancient Olympic Games. The first torch relay in the modern Olympic Games was staged in berlin in 1936.12 The Fittest Do Live LongerA study has shown that fitness is the key to long life, irrespective of body shape or even smoking habits. Reserachers discovered that people who exercise live longer than those who do not, even if they are overweight and smoke.The study found that the least fit of the 6000 middle-aged men in the study were five times more likely to die within six years of the start of the research than the fittest. This was true whether or not the men had heart problems, smoked or were overweight. Scientists concluded that it was better to be fat and active than 1.skinny and 2. sedentary. Dr Ken Cooper, a fitness expert, said, “You are better off smoking a packet of cigarettes a day and exercising regularly than being a non-smoker and sedentary.” Although he adds, “But dont misunderstand me. I am not 3, endorsing smoking. I amtrying to tell you how dangerous it is to be sedentary.”However, the study appears 4 to fly in the face of research last year which concluded that more than 30000 people die 5 prematurely every year in Britain from illnesses caused by being overweight.The British Government is putting pressure on manufacturers to reduce high levels of sugar in food and to restrict the hard-sell of 6 junk food to children in order to improve the nations health. But the new study suggests the Government should encourage more people to exercise.13 Hygiene Problems in British HospitalsThe government has revealed a finding that 40 public hospitals have failed an inspection of their hygiene standards. This investigation is being conducted by the Commission for Health Improvement. The Commission is committed to taking action to improve standards in hospitals throughout Britain.Britain has the highest rate in Europe of patients catching diseases while they are in hospital. The Commission intends to tackle this head on. This high rate of infection is being blamed on hygiene conditions in British hospitals. Last week more than 200 patients were being treated in a Glasgow hospital for a virus which they had caught while they were there.The unions claim that the hospitals used to be much cleaner when they were being cleaned by public employees. Now, four out of five hospitals are being cleaned by private companies.The 40 public hospitals are now being cleaned by special “hit squads” to raise the wards to satisfactory standard. One hospital is being given a $1 million grant by the government to improve its hygiene conditions.14 The British School SystemChildren in the UK have to go to school from the age of five for 11 years. When they are two or three years old, they sometimes go to a nursery school, but they dont have to . The first school is called a primary school, and in this school children study a range of basic subjects, such as reading, writing and mathematics. There is a National Curriculum which all state schools must follow, but which private schools are not required to follow. Most children go to state schools, where the parents dont have to pay. About 6% of children go to private schools, where the parents have to pay fees. These can be very expensive. At the age of 11,most children change schools and go to a secondary school. They have to stay at this school for five years as schooling is compulsory in the Uk until the age of 16. In many secondary schools children have to wear a uniform for the first five years, but often in the last two years they dont have to . At 16, children take examinations in a range of different subjects. This examination is called the General Certificate of Secondary Education(GCSE). After that they m