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1、The Praying HandsBack in the 15th century, in a tiny village in Germany, lived a family with eighteen children. To merely keep food on the table, the father worked almost eighteen hours a day as a goldsmith and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood. Despite their seemingly hopeles

2、s condition, two sons, Albrecht and Albert Durer, had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy. After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the tw

3、o boys came to a decision. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support  his brother while he attended  the academy. Then, when  that brother who won the toss completed his studies four years later, he would suppo

4、rt the other brother at  the academy, either  with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines. They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the

5、next four years, financed his brother. Albrechts work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrechts etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was earning considerable fees for his commissioned works. When

6、 the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate his triumphant homecoming.After a long and happy meal, Albrecht said to his brother, as agreed four years ago, "And now, brother, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you ca

7、n go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you." Tears streamed down Alberts pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed. "No, no, no." He held his clasped hands before him. "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for

8、me. My hands! Look at what four years in the mines have done to my hands! "The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once. I suffer a pain in my right hand that I cannot make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother . for me, it is too late."More

9、than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durers hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrec

10、ht Durers works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office. To pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brothers abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretching skyward.

11、 He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love "The Praying Hands."The other side of success is sacrifice. This true story proves just that. Back in the 15th Cent

12、ury, in a tiny village near Nuremberg (a city in Germany) lived Durer, a goldsmith. He was the only earning member of a large family. You can never guess how large his family was. He had eighteen children. Eighteen children! Can you imagine how hard he would have worked just to be able to provide fo

13、od for his wife and children? He worked almost 18 hours a day and at times did extra work to be able to accomplish just that! Growing in such a desperate poverty stricken environment one would imagine that those eighteen children would have thought of nothing beyond food. Well two of them Albert and

14、 Albrecht dared to dream.Both the boys were talented and had a passion for art. Their greatest desire was to study art at the famed academy at Nuremberg. They were also aware of the bitter reality that their father would not be able to support even one of them financially at the academy. Nevertheles

15、s they were determined.They turned and tossed in their crowded beds with their dreams in tact. They discussed endlessly to find a solution. Finally after much deliberation they made a deal. They decided to toss a coin to re write their destiny.The winner would go to the academy. The loser would work

16、 in the nearby mines. He would support his brother at the academy with his earnings from the mines. After four years, it will be the turn of the winner. He would either sell his artwork or take a job to finance his brother at the academy. This way both of them could make their dreams come true by su

17、pporting each other. On a Sunday morning after church they tossed the coin. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went to the academy at Nuremberg with dream filled eyes. Albert Durer went to the dangerous mines to finance his brothers education.Albrecht was an instant success at the academy. He was a bor

18、n artist and the academy helped him hone his innate talent. His fingers worked magic. His woodcuts, oils and etchings excelled even those of his professors. He was such a success that by the time he graduated, he was earning a considerable amount of money through his commissioned work. Needless to s

19、ay the Durer family was very proud of the young artists achievement. When he returned to the village they held a festive dinner in his honour. The atmosphere was swathed in laughter and mirthful music. Albrecht enjoyed every moment of this memorable evening. Yet he vividly remembered the pact he had

20、 made with his brother. It was payback time. He rose from his seat of honour at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother Albert. He spoke with reverence and love of the sacrifice Albert had made in order to aid him financially at the academy. His closing words were, “And now Alb

21、ert, blessed brother of mine, it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream and I will take care of you.”Everyone applauded Alberts noble act and heads turned towards him eagerly. However Alberts head was lowered. He appeared crest fallen. His cheeks were streaked with tears. He

22、shook his head from side to side and declared in a pained voice “ No, no, no”.The family members were puzzled. He rose from his seat and wiped his tears. He glanced at the loving faces seated at the long table. All were spell bound by what he had just uttered. He lifted his trembling hands and touch

23、ed his right cheek. Patiently he described what those four years in the mines had done to his dexterous hands. The bones in every finger had been smashed at least once. He was now a victim of arthritisand could not dream of holding a parchment a pen or brush with those hands, even to raise his glass

24、 to return his brothers toast was an effort. His hands were of no use to him now. Finally he said, “ No, I cannot go to Nuremberg. Beloved brother, . it is too late for me now!”Albrecht was shattered. His brother had sacrificed his own dreams in order to support him. He owed his success to his broth

25、ers selfless sacrifice. He could never repay his debt. Hence he decided to pay a tribute to the supreme sacrifice his brother had made. Painstakingly he drew his brothers hands. The palms were touching each other and the thin fingers stretched skyward. He simply called this powerful painting “ Hands

26、”. However when the world set eyes on this eloquent painting they opened their hearts to this great masterpiece and renamed it “The Praying Hands”Hundreds of Albrechts creations of art- portraits, pen and silver point sketches, watercolours, charcoals, wood cuts and copper engravings- adorns many mu

27、seums around the globe. Yet most of us are familiar with his Praying Hands. Copies of this can be seen hanging in schools, offices and homes. The next time you come across a copy of this touching creation, take a second look and pause a while. You will be able to read this unwritten message. “ No on

28、e can achieve anything by himself. Success is built on the foundation of the sacrifices of the near and dear.” Remember this as you climb the rungs of the ladder of success. South Korea civil servants to don long johnsAFP Ministries, state-run companies told to switch off heating to save energy SEOU

29、L - South Korea's civil servants have been ordered to do their public duty by switching off the heating and donning long johns as the severe cold puts a strain on power resources, officials said on Monday. In an emergency energy savings plan, all ministries and state-run companies have been told

30、 to turn off the heating from 11 am to noon and 5-6 pm, the Knowledge Economy Ministry said. Government buildings have to keep the office temperature below 18 C and state employees are encouraged to wear thermal underwear to battle the cold, it said. "Offices will be quite cold under the requir

31、ed temperature, so state employees, whether encouraged or not, will end up wearing thermal underwear anyway," a ministry official, Roh Keon-ki, told AFP. Officials will patrol state buildings to check the temperature, he said. "We're trying to set an example because the country may fac

32、e a severe electricity shortage if the current pace (of heating consumption) continues." Knowledge Economy Minister Choi Kyung-hwan warned last week of possible blackouts after electricity demand soared to record highs this winter. Sunday's temperature in Seoul fell to a 10-year record low

33、of -17.8 C. Large parts of the Han River that bisects the capital are frozen over. The temperature in the southeastern port of Busan sank to -12.8 C on Sunday, the lowest level in 96 years, causing the death of a homeless man. Water supplies in the southeastern city of Gimhae were cut off on Sunday

34、after pipes burst. (AFP) Agence France-Presse"Hi! John." Mary ran towards me with a rare bright smile on her face, saying, "I'm gonna have a dance performance tonight. I hope you'll come. Here is the ticket. Don't forget!" She left in a hurry, disappearing in the thro

35、ngs of people quickly."What?! What performance? Dance? Is that credible?" I asked myself. Mary was not such kind of girl. She was a quite ordinary one. I had never seen her making up or wearing attractive clothes, moreover, she always wore her big black-frame glasses, for she did not know

36、how to dress up indeed. What a terrible thing, especially for a plain girl!"I should go to, I must go to. That's a miracle!" I thought.I arrived at the hall with the ticket, and found my seat. Her performance was the seventh one. I knew I would suffer from a hard time before her turn,

37、for I had no sense of art, but her performance was worth of watching, no matter how long I would wait for.Time went slowly, I struggled with myself not to fall asleep."Let's welcome the next exciting dance Latin!" Applause filled the hall at once.I opened my eyes as large as possible,

38、fearing to lose anything. Wearing a golden and shining skirt, Mary appeared on the glorious stage. Her dress went well with the brilliant lights. Such scene seemed to be a mermaiden showing up under the glittering sunshine, meanwhile, I could feel all the audience in the hall focused their eyes on h

39、er and it was also hard for me to remove my sights from her. She was so beautiful: her stature was slim; her long golden hair lay back in curls over her delicate ears. Dancing with a charming smile, she was fully absorbed in the Latin music. At this moment, she looked like a pretty butterfly flying

40、on the splendid stage I could hardly believe my eyes.After all the performance ended, I waited for her at the gate."Hi!" She stood in front of me with a bag and her crystal high-heeled shoes in her hands, and dressed as she used to be, but the making-up still could be seen."How do you

41、 feel?" There was not a little bit tired expression appeared on her face."Fantastic!" I answered."Ha, ha. I knew it would be." She could not conceal her excitement, laughing like a child."May I lend a hand?""Thank you!" She handed her crystal shoes to me

42、which were shining in the wonderful starry night; at the mean time, I realized that every girl has a pair of special shoes which are like the crystal shoes of Cinderella.2010 was the year the Earth struck back.Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, blizzards(暴風(fēng)雪), landslides(滑坡)

43、and droughts killed at least a quarter million people in 2010-the deadliest year in more than a generation. More people were killed worldwide by natural disasters this year than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined.“It just seemed like it was back-to-back (接二連三) and it

44、 came waves,” said Craig Fugate, who heads the US Federal Emergency Management Agency. It handled a record number of disasters in 2010.“The term ' 100-year event ' really lost its meaning this year.”And we have ourselves to blame most of the time, scientists and disaster experts say.Even tho

45、ugh many disasters seem accidental, the hand of man made this a particularly deadly, costly, extreme and strange year for everything from wild weather to earthquakes.Poor construction and development practices make earthquake more deadly than they need be. More people live in poverty in vulnerable b

46、uilding (危房) in crowded cities. That means that when the ground shakes the river breaches(攻破), or the tropical cyclone (旋風(fēng)) hits, more people die.The January earthquake that killed well more than 220000 people in Haita is a perfect example. Port-au-Prince has nearly three times as many people, many

47、of them living in poverty, and more poorly built shanties (棚戶區(qū)) than it did 25 years ago. So had the same quake hit in 1985 instead of 2010, total deaths would have probably been in the 80 000 range, said Richard Olson, director of disaster risk reduction at Florida International University. In Febr

48、uary, an earthquake that was more than 500 times stronger than the one that struck Haiti hit an area of Chile that was less populated, better constructed, and not as poor. Chile's bigger quake caused fewer than 1,000 deathsClimate scientists say Earth's climate also is changing thanks to man

49、-made global warning, bringing extreme weather, such as heat waves and flooding.The excessive (過多的) amount of extreme weather of 2010 is a clear sign of man-made global warning that climate scientists have long warned about. They calculate that the killer Russian heat wave -setting a national record

50、 of 111 degrees - would happen once every 100000 years without global warning.Preliminary (之前的) data show that 18 counties broke their records for the hottest day ever.White House science adviser John Holdren said we should get used to climate disasters or do something about global warning. "The science is clear that we can expect more and m