Don't Eat the Tomatoes: They're Poisonous!The first tomatoes were found growing wild by Indians in Peru and Ecuador thousands of years ago. Th e Indians brought the tomato plant with them when they moved north to Central America. The Spanish s oldiers, who conquered Mexico in the early 1500s took tomato plants to Spain.The tomato soon made its way across Europe, but the English were wary of it. They thought it was not meant to be eaten. English doctors warned patients that tomatoes were poisonous and would bring d eath to anybody who ate one.For hundreds of years, both the English and the Americans would decorate their homes with tomato plants, but they never dared to eat the vegetable. This myth might still prevail today had it not been for a New Jersey man named Robert Johnson.In 1808, Johnson returned from South America with a large quantity of tomato plants. He had hoped t o sell them to the American market. He gave the plants to local farmers and offered a prize for the larg est tomato grown. But the tomato was still rejected in his hometown of Salem, New Jersey, and everyw here else as well. Johnson decided to take a desperate measure. He publicly announced he would stand on the steps of the local courthouse and eat a basket of tomatoes in public.The townsfolk were shocked. Johnson's doctor warned he would foam at the mouth, then fall down a nd die in a few minutes.Finally, the important day arrived. Two thousand people surrounded the courthouse to watch a man kill himself(or so they thought).The crowd fell into a dead silence as Johnson, dressed in a bright suit, walk ed up the steps of the courthouse. When the clock struck noon, he picked up a tomato and held it up. He then talked to the crowd."Friends, I will now eat my first tomato."When he took his first bite, a woman in the crowd shrieked and fainted. After finishing the tomato, Jo hnson picked up another and started eating it. Another woman in the crowd fainted.Soon the basket was empty. The crowd exploded in applause. Robert Johnson became a hero. In les s than five years, the tomato became a major crop in America.Today, over 50000000 bushels of tomatoes are produced each year. Over 40000000 cases of tomato juice are consumed as well as millions of bottles of catsup. The tomato might never have become a pa rt of the American diet had it not been for Robert Johnson's desperate measure.Thanks, Mom, for All you have doneWe tend to get caught up in everyday business and concerns and forget some of the things that are most important. Too few of us stop and take the time to say"thank you"to our mothers.With a letter to my mother on the occasion of Mother's Day,I'm going to take a minute to reflect. Feel free to use any of this in greeting your own mother on Sunday,May 10.Happy Mother's Day to all.Dear Mom,This letter,I kown,is long past due.I kown you'll forgive the tardiness, you always do.There are so many reasons to say thank you,it's hard to begin.I'll always remember you were there when you were needed.When I was a child,as happens with young boys,there were cuts and bumps and scrapes that always felt better when tended by you.You kept me on the straight path,one I think I still walk.There was nothing quite so humbling as standing outside my elementary school classroom and seeing you come walking down the hall.You were working at the school and I often managed to get sent outside class for something. Your chiding was gentle,but right to the point.I also remember that even after I grew bigger than you,you weren't afraid to remind me who was in charge.For that Ithank you.You did all the things that mothers do--the laundry,the cooking and cleaning--all without complaint or objection.But you were never too busy to help with a problem,or just give a hand.You let me learn the basics in the kitchen,and during the time I was on my own it kept me from going hungry. You taught by example and for that I am grateful.I can see how much easier it is with my own daughter to be the best model I can be.You did that for me.Your children are grown now,your grandchildren,almost.You can look back with pride now and konw you can rest.As mothers are judged,you stand with the best.God bless you,Mom.His life’s workWhen his wife died，the baby was two．They had six other children--three boys and three girls，ranging in age from 4 to 16．A few days later he became a widower, the man’s parents and his wife’s parents came to visit the family．“We’ve been talking，”they said，“about how to take care of all these children and work to make a living．So，we’ve arranged for each child to be placed with a different uncle and aunt．We’re making sure that al1of your children will be living right here in the neighborhood，so you can see them anytime…”The man appreciated their thoughtfulness but refused their kindness. Over the next few weeks the man worked with his children，assigning them chores(杂务)and giving them responsibilities ．But then another misfortune happened．The man developed arthritis (关节炎)．His hands swelled，and he was unable to hold the handles of his farm tools. He would not be able to continue the work on his farm. He sold his farming equipment, moved the family to a small town and opened a small business．The family was welcomed into the new neighborhood．Word of his pleasant personality and excellent customer service began to spread in the town．People came from far and wide to do business with him．And the children helped both at home and at work．Their father’s pleasure in his work brought satisfaction to them，and he drew pleasure from their successes ．The children grew up and got married. Five of the seven went to college and they were married. The children’s successes were a source of pride to the father．Then came grandchildren. No one enjoyed grandchildren more than this man. As they became older, he invited them to his workplace and his small home. They brought each other great joy. Finally, the youngest daughter, the baby, who had been two years old at her mother death, got married. Finally，the man，with his life’s work completed ，died．This man’s work had been the lonely but joyful task of raising his family．This man was my father．I was the 1 6-year—old，the oldest of seven．The Odd Couple (奇特的一对夫妻)Lisa GiacomoI have always wondered how my parents were attracted to each other. Their personalities, temperaments, and attitudes toward money are all opposite （相反的）. The saying that “opposites attract”certainly holds true for them.Their personalities are quite different. My mother is outgoing（爽直的）and friendly. She enjoys people because, to her, they are the most interesting form of life. When she meets new people, she greets them as if they were old friends, whether they are first time clients（顾客）at her beauty shop （美容院）or acquaintances（熟人）of someone she already likes. She loves to socialize. Making conversation（交谈）with any type（类型）of personality comes easily to her —it’s a natural quality（品质）.My father, on the other hand, is conservative（保守的）and shy . Socializing is not easy for him. His shyness may give the impression（印象）that he’s cold, but once he gets to know you, his warmth and sincerity（真诚）emerge （显现出来）.When it comes to controlling one’s temper（脾气）, my mother clearly outdoes（胜过）my father. She will tolerate （容忍）a lot before she gets angry and prefers to rationalize（自我辩解）rather than lose her temper. However, my father’s temper is like a short fuse （导火线）on a stick of dynamite （炸药）. He will flare up （勃然大怒）immediately （立刻）when something is said or done wrongly. Also very stubborn（固执的）, he always insists（坚持）that he is right. Our dinners often turn into debates（争论）, with the issue（问题）usually being money.My mother is not a bargain（便宜货）shopper. She does not cut out coupons（赠券）or compare（比较）products or prices; she is impatient —if she likes something, she buys it. My father, therefore（因此）, has always done our food shopping. He compares products and prices, looks for sales（廉价出售）and bargains, and buys only what he needs. He has also always taken care of our household finances（财政）and is the bookkeeper and accountant（会计）of the family. My father says that my mother has champagne（香槟酒）tastes （品味）with a beer（啤酒）pocketbook, and she says that he’s cheap, but there is a happy compromise（妥协）—she spends and he saves.“It must be love,”I say about this odd couple. They may be very different, but they are also very compatible（和谐的）. Learning from each other ensures （确保）the success of their partnership（夫妻关系）.Walk, Don’t Run---Just get off your butt1. Ten minutes a pop2can add up to lifesaving fitness.You want to get healthy. You know you need to exercise more. But if you’re not ready to grunt through an hour of Spinning or kickboxing, don’t despair3. There’s growing agreement among exercise researchers that the intense physical activities offered by most health clubs are not the only –or even the preferable---path to better health. Indeed, the best thing for most of us may be to just walk.Yes, walk. At a reasonably vigorous clip (three to four m.p.h.) for half an hour or so, maybe five or six times a week. You may not feel the benefits all at once, but the evidence suggests that over the long term, a regular walking routine can do a world of preventive good.Walking, in fact, may be the perfect exercise. For starters, it’s one of the safest things you can do with your body. It’s much easier on the knees than running and doesn’t trigger untoward4side effects. “If everyone were to walk briskly 30 minutes a day, we could cut the incidence5 of many chronic diseases by 30 to 40 percent.” says Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.And for those of us who don’t have half-hour chunks of time, the news gets even better. Several recent studies suggest that walking briskly three or four times a day for 10 minutes at a time may provide many of the same benefits as walking continuously for 30 minutes.Because walking affects you in so many ways at once, it can be difficult to determine precisely why it’s good for you. But much of the evidence gathered so far is compelling.Heart Disease Brisk walking is good for the heart, which makes a lot of sense. The heart is a muscle, after all, and anything that makes the blood flow faster through a muscle helps keep it in shape. But regular walking also lowers blood pressure, which decreases the stress on the arteries. It can boost the amount of HDL cholesterol (the good one) in the blood. It even seems to make the blood less “sticky,” and therefore less likely to produce unwanted clots. This all adds up to as much as a 50-percent reduction in the risk of suffering a heart attack.Stroke In an analysis of the health habits of 72,488 nurses over the past 14 years, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health recently found that those who walked six or more hours per week decreased by 40 percent their risk of suffering strokes caused by a clot.Weight Control The older you get, the harder it is to maintain your weight by simply restricting what you eat. Walking briskly for at least half an hour consumes a couple hundred calories and boosts your metabolic rate for the rest of the day, giving you a better chance of winning the battle of the bulge6.Walking is also a great way to lose body fat (even if you don’t lose any weight, your body will have a healthier composition). Most people find they have to walk at least an hour a day to drop pounds.Diabetes7Two recent studies provided strong evidence that lifestyle changes, including brisk walking 30 minutes a day, can postpone—and possibly prevent—the development of Type 2 diabetes in overweight people whose bodies have started having trouble metabolizing glucose7. In both studies, the best results were achieved by subjects who lost five percent of their starting weight. But research in Finland showed that walking had a positive effect even among those who didn’t lose weight.Osteoporosis8Walking not only strengthens the muscles, but also builds up the bones. Studies show that women who exercised regularly as children and young adults and had a healthy intake of calcium decreased their risk of developing osteoporosis later in life.Arthritis9About 10 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis of the knees. Walking reduces pain by strengthening the muscles around the joint. Gently lifting weights can also help. You may need to exercise every other day to give joints time to recover.Depression A quick walk can clear up the “blues’’10, but can a walking routine do anything for clinical depression? Evidence suggests it can. Antidepressants may work more quickly to dispel depression, but at least one study found that after ten months, depressed patients who were not medicated and started exercising were less likely to relapse than those who took antidepressant drugs alone.Walking won’t cure everything that ails you, of course, and nothing happens overnight. “People who have never exercised regularly should not think that in a week they’ll solve their problems by walking,” says Dr. J. David Curb, professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Hawaii. But you can do a world of good for yourself if you keep a steady course.Here is how to make the most of your walking routine:*Get into gear11. Walkers’ shoes need to have enough room at the front for the feet to spread.*Ease on down that road. Avoid muscle aches by starting slowly and incorporating gentle stretches into both your warm-up and cool-down.*Plot your course. Some people walk at a specific time each day. Others shoehorn walking into their routines by parking the car a few blocks from the store or taking the stairs instead of the escalator.*Make it noteworthy. Record your efforts, including how long and how far you walked. Jotting down improvements keeps you motivated and challenges you to do better.Notes:1.to get off one’s butt: to get up, do not be lazy.2. a pop: at a time3.词句含义为：对锻炼，锻炼者只有两种态度：要么一边锻炼，一边抱怨不停，要么灰心失望，干脆放弃锻炼。