lesson 63

“校园必备手机”遭质疑

大学入学第一件事是什么? 答案是一部免费的手机。据《南方都市报》报道，黑龙江、甘肃、江西、浙江等地的一些高校向2010级新生免费配发一部手机。浙江工贸职业技术学院入学指导 中第一项就是“住宿安排、领取宿舍钥匙及一卡通手机”。还有一份说明:该手机是图书馆借书、宿舍门禁识别、食堂的必备工具，还可实现考勤、手机选课等其他 功能。有学生说上学前就已有手机，不想同时用两部。有人抱怨这是强制消费。学校领导在接受采访时表示，这不是强制的，如果学生不选择，还可以使用原有的校 园一卡通系统。某电信运营商表示，这种现象可能是由当地电信市场不良竞争导致。

二百多名飞行员资质造假

据《第一财经日报》报道，民航局于2008至2009年曾对飞行人员资质进行检查，查出来飞行经历不实多达200多人，其中深圳航空有103人。伊春空难 发生后，飞行员能力和资质问题重新引起公众注意。目前，一场对全行业的安全检查已经展开，详细的检查报告将在9月15日前完成。业内人士表示，民航局将对 民航业在总量和技术等各方面进行控制，近期会严格检查飞机的使用率，长远看很可能会进一步控制新增飞机的引进速度。

河北安平全民限电节能

据《京华时报》报道，从9月3日开始，河北衡水市安平县为完成节能降耗指标，对全县 分3批实施限电，每批限电22小时。限电期间，不仅居民家停电停水，医院和红绿灯也遭停电。5日，安平县有关部门表示，医院和红绿灯将不限电，但当地仍将 出台新的限电措施。当地官员介绍，该县今年节能指标是下降6.6%，但前六个月只完成0.9%的任务量。而同属衡水市的武强县，从9月2日起，除每周六供 一天电外，其他六天都是18时至23时供电。

“空房管家”应对空置调查

媒体报道可以催生新的职业。上周，北京开始试点调查空置房。消息一出，几家欢乐几家 愁。“空房管家”应运而生。王先生就是先行一族。他表示，空置房调查无非三个手段：“入户调查、查水电和查询物业，他们都有针对性措施，入户调查时可以按 照要求留人；查水电，每月可以派专人定期进房间放水、开灯，只要水表电表走字，调查部门就没话说；到物业查询，我们也可以有人专门与物业接洽，必要时可以 身份扮演”。

服务如此贴心，费用当然也不菲。公寓一室一厅最便宜，每月350元，四室两厅最贵，每月1150元；别墅三室一厅最便宜，每月700元，最贵的是四室两厅，每月1450元。以上费用只包括每月一次的保洁和每月两次的房屋设备设施定期巡查维护。

日本学校午餐重现鲸肉

据法新社报道，日本全国小学和初等中学中，有超过六分之一的学校向学生供应的午餐中 有鲸肉制品。上世纪60年代和70年代，日本人食用鲸鱼肉相当普遍，年均消费鲸肉22万吨。但受国际捕鲸禁令等因素影响，日本鲸肉消费在上世纪90年代大 幅减少，一度跌至年均1000吨的历史低水平。近年来，国家逐渐恢复捕鲸，使得鲸肉重回学校餐桌。日本鲸研究学会名义上以鲸类研究为任务，但实际上也向地 方学校出售鲸肉，且价格一般只有市场价的三分之一。

英歌手称中国人“次等人种”

据FemaleFirst女性杂志报道，英国歌手史蒂文•莫里西因为诬称中国人是 “次等人种”而受到舆论强烈批评。这位摇滚乐队The Smiths的前主音歌手在接受《卫报》访谈时对一篇关于中国马戏团和动物园的新闻评论道：“你有没有看到那些关于他们如何对待动物和动物福利的事情？绝 对恐怖，你不得不觉得，中国人真是一个‘次等人种’”。

多吃豆类奶酪易生闺女

据英国《每日邮报》报道，荷兰马斯特里赫特大学的科学家发现，恰当的饮食和适时的性 爱能够决定胎儿的性别，而父亲的饮食对胎儿的性别则没有影响。研究人员表示，生女孩的秘诀就是少吃高钾和高钠食品，如橄榄、咸肉、腊肠、熏鱼、虾、土豆、 面包和甜点等等；应该多吃高钙和高镁食品，如酸奶、奶酪、菠菜、豆腐、杏仁、燕麦片、西兰花、橘子和豆类等等。专家还建议想生女孩的女人，性爱应该保持规 律，但要避免排卵的前后几天进行房事。

汽车排放成为污染主源

新华社报道，环保部高级官员刘志全周日指出，机动车排放已成为城市大气污染的主要来源。目前全国约五分之一的城市大气污染严重。

出手救人 拍个照先

9月4日，在江苏泰兴宣堡镇，一辆货车撞翻一辆三轮车，致一名老妇受伤倒地。李先生 恰巧开车经过，便和货车司机一起将老人抱上自己的车送医院抢救。事后，李先生向《扬子晚报》透露说，在救人前，他先对现场拍照以证明车祸与自己无关，并表 示，在保护好自己的前提下，以后碰到类似的情况还会出手相救。

产后抑郁

这是一种临时的、常见的心理状态。有的女性在刚生完孩子后，会突然感到情绪反复无常、一会高兴、一会低落，没有任何原因的哭、会急躁、易怒、紧张、害怕、寂寞和伤心。

自从2000年，女性患产后忧郁症的人数成倍增长，从原来的每10人中有1人患有忧郁症，到现在每5人中就有1人。

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'Free phones' for freshers

What is the first thing to think about after enrolling in college? The answer, of course, is a mobile phone. Now some colleges in Heilongjiang, Gansu, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces are handing out free mobile phones to freshers, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported. The new student guide at Zhejiang Industry & Trade Vocational college says "find your dormitory, pick up the key and your free mobile phone." The phone can be used to borrow books from library, as a security card to dorms and as a pre-payment card for the cafeteria. The phone can also be used to record class attendance and choose courses. Some freshmen say they already have phones and don't want the hassle of using two at the same time. Others attacked the scheme as compulsory consumption. But a college official said the phones are not compulsory; students have the right not to use them and can use a card instead for on-campus purchases. A telecom operator said the phenomenon reflected unhealthy competition in the local market.

200 pilots lied about experience

When China's Civil Aviation Administration mounted an investigation into airline pilots in 2008 and 2009, it turned out that more than 200 had lied about their work experience, and 103 of those worked for Shenzhen Airlines, China Business News reported. Following the recent Yichun plane crash, the capacity and quality of pilots is once again attracting public concern. A safety check is under way and a detailed report is expected to be finished by Sep. 15. Insiders told the newspaper that the Civil Aviation Administration is set to tighten control over the growth and technology of aviation industry, and that in the near future, the utilization ratio of planes will be strictly monitored. Taking a longer view, this will further control the introduction of new planes.

Power cuts to save energy

Residents in Anping County, Hebei Province faced power cuts from Sept. 3, as part of a local government drive to save energy, the Beijing Times reported. The county was divided into three areas and power was cut for 22 hours from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. the next day every two days. Even hospitals and traffic lights were not exempt. But normal power supplies were resumed today as the government looked for alternative ways to restrict the use of electricity. According to local officials, they were set a target of reducing energy consumption by 6.6 percent over the whole year, but only managed to achieve a cut of 0.9 percent in the first six months. Residents in neighboring Wuqiang County, were even worse off, only having power in the evenings between 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., every day except Saturday.

How to beat 'vacant flats probe'

Media reports can give birth to new professions. Last week, reports that Beijing was investigate the huge numbers of vacant houses in the city upset some but delighted others. A new group of professional "house-sitters" has appeared on the scene. Mr. Wang, a pioneer in the profession, says he has all bases covered when it comes to satisfying investigators. He makes sure that water and electricity services are connected and deals with property managers. "We will send people to stay in the house during inspections, turn the taps and lights on to make sure the meters record usage every month, and make contact with property managers, acting as the owner of the house if necessary."

The service does not come cheap. The price for monthly cleaning and fortnightly inspections ranges from 350 yuan for a one-bedroom apartment to 1150 yuan for a four-bedroom. For 3-bedroom and 4-bedroom villas, the cost ranges from 700 yuan to 1450 per month.

Whale meat back on school menu

Whale meat is back on the menu at around a sixth of Japan's state-run elementary and junior high schools, AFP reported. In Japan, eating whale meat was common in the 1960s and 1970s, and annual consumption of the meat reached a peak of 220,000 tons. It subsequently fell out of favor, with the supply dwindling to around 1,000 tons in the 1990s after an international ban on commercial whaling was introduced. But whale meat has recently reappeared on the school lunch table as the country gradually increases its catch of the ocean giants. The Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research, which carries out whaling in the name of research, sells whale meat to local municipalities for school lunches at one-third of the market price.

Morrissey: Chinese a 'subspecies'

British singer Steven Morrissey has caused outrage by branding the Chinese a "sub-species", FemaleFirst Magazine reported. After responding to a news article about Chinese circuses and zoos, the former Smiths frontman told The Guardian, "Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? Absolutely horrific. You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a 'sub-species'".

Girls are made of beans and cheese

Scientists from Maastricht University in Holland have discovered that a combination of the right food and careful timing of sex is the key to the nursery being painted pink rather than blue. But the father's diet has no effect on what sex the baby will be, the Daily Mail reported. The trick, the scientists say, is to refrain from eating sodium- and potassium-rich foods, such as olives, bacon, salami, smoked salmon, prawns, potatoes, bread and pastries. Instead women should concentrate on foods rich in calcium and magnesium, including yoghurt, hard cheese, spinach, tofu, almonds, oatmeal, broccoli, oranges and beans. The scientists also recommend having regular sex – but not on days immediately prior to or after ovulation.

Car exhausts top cause of pollution

An official from China's Ministry of Environmental Protection, Liu Zhiquan, said Sunday that vehicle exhausts had become the top cause of air pollution in cities, Xinhua reported. About a fifth of Chinese cities suffer from severe air pollution.

Good Samaritan - with a camera

On Sep 4, a van ran into a tricycle, knocking an elderly woman to the ground in Xuanbao Town of Taixing County, Jiangsu Province. A passer-by called Li rushed the injured woman to hospital in his own car, along with the van driver. He later told Yangtze Evening Post that he had taken photos of the accident scene before offering help, in order to prove his own innocence. He said that he would always lend a hand in such cases, but would first make sure he had protected his own interests.

Baby blues

A common temporary psychological state right after childbirth when a new mother may have sudden mood swings, feeling very happy, then very sad, cry for no apparent reason, feel impatient, unusually irritable, restless, anxious, lonely and sad.

Since 2000 the number of women suffering baby blues has doubled from one in ten to one in five.