The First TV Soap Opera

The first TV soap opera appeared on American television just after the Second World War. Its name was Faraway Hill and it began on 2nd October 1946. A famous Broadway actress, Flora Campbell, played Karen St. John, a rich New York woman who went to live her relatives in the country after her husband died. She soon met a handsome young farmer, and of course the two immediately fell in love. Unfortunately, the farmer was already engaged to Karen;s cousin, who knew nothing about the relationship. When she found out, things got very very difficult for Karen. the producers of Fareway Hill had very little money - each programme cost only $300 - so they made them as quickly as possible. Because there was no time for the actors to learn their words each week, assistants wrote them on blackboards. Because of this, they often looked into the distance with a strange, romantic expression on their faces as they read their words from the boards on the other side of the studio!

A Hindu Festival - Diwali

The festival of Diwali is one of the most important religious festivals in India. It lasts for five days around the end of October. It is the festival of Laxmi, the Goddess who, in the Hindu religion, brings peace and prosperity.

Preparations for the festival begin several weeks before the festival itself. People clean and decorate their homes, prepare special food and buy new clothes and jewellery to welcome the Goddess into their homes. All over India, people light up their homes with oil lamps and colourful lights.

The celebrations take place on the darkest night of the lunar month, Amavasya. In the evening, fireworks fill the sky to make Diwali a true 'Festival of Light'.

The Secrets of Sleep

Babies do it for up to eighteen hours a day: Mrs Thatcher and Napoleon both said they only needed to do it three or four hours a night. Sleep. No one can live without it. But how much do we really need?

Research by the National Sleep Foundation in Washington says that we all need eight houts' sleep every night. Scientist have found that people who sleep for less than six and a half hours a night are more often ill than people who sleep for eight hours. Going without sleep also increases the chance of serious illness. 'Workaholics' who sleep for less than five hours often die young and so less well at work.

The scientists found that, on average, adults sleep for seven hours a night, with 32% sleeping less than six hours.

It also says that the idea that we need less sleep as we get older is completely untrue. 'People have no idea how important sleep is to their lives'. Dr Thomas Roth, director of the Foundation says 'Good health needs good sleep.'

'But not too much of it,' Says Professor Jim Horne of Loughborough University. 'Sleep is like food and drink,' he believes: 'you would always like to have a little more, but that doesn't mean you need it.' Professor Horne studied a group of people who could spend as many hours as they wanted in bed; after ten hours they didn't find it any easier to get up in the morning. And people who sleep for more than nine hours a night die younger than people who usually sleep for seven or eight!

If you have a cold

A cold is a contagious viral disease which infects the soft lining of the nose. If you have a cold, the most characteristics symptom is a runny nose.

Usually it is a mild condition and unless you are unlucky, recovery takes place within about a week.

It is more common during the cold winter months and affects children and adults of all ages. Most people will catch a cold two or four times a years.

If you have caught a cold you will be contagious from the day before the illness breaks out until one to three days after you feel better. When you cough or sneeze the infection will be spread by airborne droplets. It may also be spread by hand if someone has the virus on their hands and then puts them close to their eyes or hands, That is possibly the most common way of catching a cold.

Provided it clears up within one or two weeks, there is no need to see a doctor.

Advances of Technology

Every year we make new progresses in technology and we think that this makes our lives easier. However, sometimes such advances only make our lives more difficult as we are expected to do more and more in the time available.

Now that transports are faster, we may visit another country and return all within a couple of days, which is very tiring. Travel is no longer something to be enjoyed.

Certainly, travelling long distances doesn't cost as many money as it did in the past. However, this encourages people to travel more frequently, which causes more pollution.

On the other hand, a travel does help people to gain more knowledge of other places and cultures. We can get a lot of information from books, for example, but it will never have the same impact as actually seeing something for ourselves.

The Art of Advertising

1. Advertisements must not portray violence, undue aggressionn, or menacing or horrific elements likely to disturb children.
2. Advertisement should not encourage anti-social behavior or depict children behaving in an anti-social manner, eg vindictiveness and bullying, unless the purpose of the advertisements is to discourage such behavior.
3. Children should not be urged in advertisements to ask their parents to buy particular products for them.
4. Advertisements must be clearly recognisable as such by children and separated from editorials or programmes. If there is any likelihood of advertisements being confused with editorial or programme content, they should be clearly labelled 'advertisment' or identified in an equally clear manner.
5. Advertisements should not suggest to children any feeling of inferiority or lack of social acceptance for not having the advertised product.
6. Advertisement should take into account the level of knowledge, sophistication and maturity if the intended audience. In particular special care should be taken when communicating with younger children who may have a lack of ability to comprehend the purpose of advertising and differentiate between it and non-advertising messages.
7. Advertisements should not depict toy weapons which are realistic (in size, shape and colour) and can be confused with real weapons.
8. Advertisements, except safety messages, should not show product being used in an unsafe or dangerous manner, or which would be unsafe if used by children without proper supervision.

How to measure success?

In the world many people were successful as they took high risk at that moment. They fail; many times but they didn't give up until they were success. Most of the time success is not got easily and people have to work hard for it. Some people believe money and material possessions mean success. I think that's a big mistake.

There are many ways to achieve success. Firstly you must to work hard very hard. Don't be lazy! Especially like students, if you want to go to university, you have to spend more time on study.

Secondly, you must brave. Sometimes you are lucky. But you will have sometimes problems. . Some students have problems and don't know how to do. What a pity! To be the successful businessman you have to take many risks.

Thirdly, you should not give up, this is the most important step. Also you see people who are famous and successful. But do you consider how much time and hard work it took?

How to achieve success you decide, nobody can help you, just yourself. In particular, work hard, brave and don't give up and trust yourself that you will be success.