I had never met Mrs. Clark, but after reading her medical records and the report handed to me by the last doctor on duty, I knew that she would die tonight.
The only light in her room came from a piece of medical equipment that flashed red and seemed to be giving a warning.
I closed my eyes as I stood there, a strange odor irritated my nose and I remembered the smell of decay that I had smelled in the past.
A sour taste returned to my mouth from my stomach.
I reached for the light. The lamp silently illuminated the entire ward, and I walked back to the bed, observing the patient with an impassive, doctor's gaze.
Mrs. Clark was dying.
She lay motionless: her bony body made her head look unusually large; her skin was a dull yellow, loosely wrapped around jagged, skeletal bones that even the blanket couldn't hide; her right arm was stretched out flat against the side of the bed, mercilessly duct-taped to a board so that a needle could be held in place to allow the drip of fluids; and her left arm was resting across her y sunken chest, which was heaving together and down in time with her uneven breathing.
I reached out to touch her thin fingers resting on her chest.
It was cold and clammy. I busied myself by moving my hand to her wrist to feel the faint pulse.
Mrs. Clark turned her head slightly toward me and opened her eyes slightly.
I leaned over and barely heard her faint voice, "Water."
I grabbed a glass of water from the table and sealed the end of the straw with my finger, dropping a few cool drops into her mouth to quench her thirst.
She didn't try to swallow as hard as she could, because the strength wasn't enough.
"More," the dry voice said.
So we repeated it again. This time she finally swallowed some and said softly, "Thank you, you."
She was too weak to talk, so without waiting for her to ask, I started doing what she needed.
I picked her up like a child and turned her over.
She was wearing nothing but a light colored hospital gown. She was small and light, like she had suffered a severe famine.
I uncapped the bottle of skin cream and wiped some into my palm.
Carefully, so as not to hurt her, I rubbed the skin cream into her yellowed skin. Her skin slid loosely over the bones, and the contours of every bone in her back could be clearly felt.
When I placed the pillows between her legs, I found them to be cold as well, and it wasn't until I moved my hand above her knees that I felt the heat of blood feeding life.
And then I scooted a chair to sit facing her on the edge of the bed and took her unsecured hand, at which point I once again noticed her long, thin fingers.
It was elegant. For a moment, I suddenly wondered if she had a family, and then I realized that there were no flowers in the hospital room, no rainbows or butterflies drawn by children, and no cards.
There was nothing in the room to indicate that she was someone who was loved.
She seemed to read my mind and answered me calmly, "Today ...... I let ...... the family ...... all ...... home ...... not want ...... them ...... to see... ..."
She exhausted the last bit of her strength and couldn't say any more. But I already understood what she had done.
I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing.
She seemed to read my mind again, "You ...... stay ......"
Time seemed to stand still.
In the silence, I felt my pulse quicken, and I heard my own breath begin to fall together with her uneven breathing.
We looked at each other and somehow we both realized that this was a special moment between two lives.
Her long, thin fingers closed around my hand easily, and I smiled and nodded slowly.
No words were needed, I felt her gratitude for me in her yellowing eyes as she slowly closed them.
I don't know how long it took, but she opened her eyes again, only this time there was no reaction in her gaze, only a vacant stare.
Without a hint of warning, her weak breathing stopped. Soon after, the weak pulse disappeared as well.
A teardrop escaped from her left eye, slid across her cheek, and landed on the pillow.
I began to cry softly.
A wave of emotion welled up in my heart for this stranger who had quickly walked in and out of my life.
Her pain was over, but so was her life.
I still held her hand, and little by little I realized that I was not afraid of this battle of feelings, realized that it was actually a special privilege she had bestowed on me, and that I would gladly do it again.
Mrs. Clark did not allow her family to witness this episode in their lives that they might not have been able to face, but shared it with me.
She didn't want her family to watch her die, yet she didn't want to leave alone either.
No one should go alone, and I was glad to be at her side.
Two days later, I read about Mrs. Clark in the newspaper.
Turns out she was a mother of seven, a grandmother of 18, an active member of her church, a leader of a community volunteer association, a concert pianist, and a piano teacher for more than 30 years.
Yes, her fingers are that long and graceful.
UNIT 6
Ideally, people would like to know when an earthquake is going to happen and what the damage will be.
In Japan and China, people have long believed that earthquakes are predictable.
In Japan, scientists lay wires on land and in the ocean to monitor their movement.
And the Chinese traditionally observe plants and animals for warning signs of earthquakes.
The Chinese, for example, have noticed that hens behave abnormally before an earthquake: they refuse to go into their cages at night.
They also noticed snakes crawling out of their burrows and freezing to death, and dogs barking furiously, even those that are normally quiet.
Before the Hanshin earthquake in Japan, there were reports of large schools of fish swimming to the surface.
Some birds, such as pigeons, also seemed particularly vocal, and were said to fly differently than usual before the quake.
Perhaps the most interesting, and easiest to measure, are the chemical changes that occur in groundwater before an earthquake.
Experimental data seem to indicate that radon levels in groundwater increase before an earthquake.
People also want to be able to prevent the significant property damage that earthquakes can cause.
It is important to realize that most people killed in earthquakes are killed by collapsing buildings.
So, earthquake-resistant home structures are a major concern.
Steel seems to be the best building material, but not once it is welded into a rigid structure.
Many newer structures are using a new method of joining steel, the I-joint, which appears to be the most durable type of joining.
This steel joint will not break when moved.
Likewise, to prevent property damage, architects today design buildings so that the columns and beams of a house are of equal strength, while the vertical columns are driven deep into a solid foundation.
In addition, many of the newer homes have lighter roofs and solid walls.
The concrete columns of viaducts, which previously had steel reinforcement only on the inside, are now clad with steel plates on the outside as well.
In addition to trying to improve the structure of their buildings, people in earthquake-prone areas also need to prepare for the possibility of a major quake.
They should regularly inspect and reinforce their homes, keep heavy objects low, place cupboards and cabinets against the walls, and strengthen doors to prevent them from accidentally coming off during an earthquake.
In addition to preparing their homes for earthquakes, people in these areas need to do something for themselves.
They should stock up on water and food at home and at work.
It's a good idea to stock up on a few gallons of water per person.
It's also important to stock up on things that can purify water and destroy germs so it's safe to drink water from other sources.
Prepare a week's worth of food per person.
Earthquake life-saving stockpiles also include radio receivers, flashlights, extra batteries, first aid supplies, shovels, tents, rope and warm clothing.
In addition, experts have suggested the following:
Keep a fire extinguisher on hand.
You should keep one at your residence, workplace and in your car (if you have one).
The extinguisher should be the kind that can put out any fire.
If necessary, have special tools that can shut off gas and water pipes.
Prepare a spare outdoor cooking and heating appliance by having a portable camping stove and a couple of small cans of gas.
Keep a pair of heavy, comfortable shoes or boots in your residence, workplace and car.
There will be a lot of glass shards in the event of an earthquake.
Lightweight shoes won't protect your feet as well as heavy shoes.
Every family needs an earthquake emergency plan.
How do you get a family out safely in the chaos of an earthquake?
Everyone should agree on a rendezvous point outside the earthquake zone - perhaps in a municipality a few miles away.
Similarly, it's important to negotiate a way for the family to contact each other in the event of an earthquake.
If an earthquake occurs in a large city, many of the city's phone lines are likely to be down,
and the few remaining available lines will be busy, because naturally there will be so many phone calls in the wake of a disaster that it will be difficult to get from one part of the city to another.
But probably calls to outside the city are open.
It would be wise to arrange for all family members to call a friend or relative who lives more than a hundred miles away to check in.
Although scientists still can't predict earthquakes, they are learning more and more about how the large plates in the earth's crust move, what pressures are exerted between them, how earthquakes occur, and what the general probability of an earthquake occurring in a given area is.
In the near future, accurate prediction of earthquakes will be possible.
However, even if they can be predicted, people living in earthquake-prone areas should still do their best to prevent disasters by building homes that can withstand the movement of the earth's surface and by making personal preparations.
These precautions go a long way toward saving lives and preventing the loss of families.
Educating people on how to survive an earthquake should be the focus of all government planning and earthquake research programs.
UNIT7
"I saw the future at 19 and used what I saw as a base for my career, and it turned out I was right." --Bill Gates
He is the most famous businessman and the richest tycoon in the world today -- in 1997 his assets were estimated at $40 billion.
There is no doubt that he belongs in the same league as Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and other great men who changed the world.
The self-proclaimed "hacker" led the personal computer revolution, modernizing the world in the process.
And indeed, to place him in any other category would be to significantly downplay his impact on the world.
Gates's success stems from his personality: he is brilliant, driven and competitive, which together add up to something unbelievable and sometimes even intimidating.
When the chairman and chief executive walks through the hallways of the Microsoft building, it's as if everyone and everything around him has been turned on and charged with 10,000 volts of electricity.
Gates set the example, and Microsoft employees followed.
His work schedule hints at what he expects from his employees.
The "principal" of the "Microsoft campus" often works 16-hour days.
And indeed, if there's one thing that sets Gates apart from others, it's his skill with time.
Time-saving, energetic and focused are his defining characteristics.
He acted as an international spokesman for the technology age at one point and plotted business strategies at Microsoft headquarters at another, making the most of every minute and maximizing his work.
He was always on time, always in high gear, and used to take advantage of the little free time he had during the day to eat, talk to friends or have fun.
Microsoft people joked that his receptionist was the hardest working man under the sun.
In fact, he had several receptionists.
He probably needs someone to specialize in arranging his travel plans and visas to foreign countries.
When it comes to traveling, he's also notorious for saving money and time.
When he travels on business, he flies on regular civilian airplanes whenever possible; to save time, he never checks luggage.
Hosts who received him also found that they saved money when he stayed in town.
He has no time on his schedule to plan tours, and no excursions or sightseeing plans on his calendar.
There was just work, work, work.
Another trait that sets him apart is his incredible ability to "multitask.
He works on two computers, one with multiple windows to organize the constant stream of data he receives from the Internet, and another to handle the hundreds of e-mails he receives.
Even he reviews data while leading a meeting on a videophone.
Gates runs his company in three main ways: he sends out 100 or more e-mails a day (and night);
he meets about once a month with his top management committee of experts and advisers; and
more importantly, he holds two or three mini-breakout meetings a day, with successive teams working on the company's various products.
He doesn't talk individually by name or give much praise, but only in clockwise round-table talks, listening carefully to everyone's opinions.
When he encounters a statement he doesn't quite understand, he questions or even challenges his men.
"Please clarify this," he would say, hoping to make sense of what was unclear.
Every decision he made was based on an understanding of its value.
He didn't need to rely on personal power plays.
When Bill Gates was in sixth grade, his parents sent him to a psychiatrist.
A year later, after many visits and examinations, the doctor came to a conclusion.
"You can't control him," he told Gates' mother, Mary.
"It's best to accept the reality that beating him won't work."
Since Gates dropped out of Harvard to tackle computer operating systems and applications software, he has been a sworn enemy of competitors trying to squeeze into that market for 22 years.
In early 1975, when he was 19 and still at Harvard, he and Paul Allen wrote a compiled program in a programming language for MITS' (Micro Instrumentation and Automation Systems) Altair computer, the first commercial personal computer.
Gates was a diligent coder and competitor, while Allen was a fanciful dreamer, and it was their close relationship that set the first bricks in place for Microsoft.
In 1976, Gates began licensing computer manufacturers to distribute Microsoft software products directly, which greatly increased Microsoft's profits.
Although MITS soon closed, Microsoft had already attracted new customers, including some of the smaller hardware companies of the day, such as Apple, Komodo and Tandy.
In 1980, IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) asked Microsoft to write a programming language for its new product, the IBM PC.
Gates proposed that Microsoft could also produce an operating system (i.e. Microsoft Disk Operating System, MS-DOS).
The IMB PC and MS-DOS were then bundled together, and in August 1981 they were introduced.
Throughout the 1980s, Microsoft grew steadily. By the 1990s, MS-DOS had been exported around the world and became the dominant software platform.
By 1995, about 85 percent of the world's PCs used Microsoft operating systems.
Today, the "Microsoft Campus" is home to new ideas and products, now numbering more than 200.
It rapidly grew to nearly 18,000 employees and $6 billion in profits.
By 1992, at least 3,400 Microsoft employees had become millionaires through their ownership of Microsoft shares.
Gates says he wants to run Microsoft for another decade and promises to focus mainly on his family and donating his own money after that. But that won't be the last you hear of him.
Nearly everyone in the developed world has used or is using a product that contains his components. People borrow Microsoft browsers to surf the Internet and watch movies brought to them by DreamWorks.
The only thing people don't know is what else he will be doing in the near future.
UNIT8
At first, this came as an absolute shock to people.
The news broke that scientists had managed to clone an adult mammal, an achievement long thought to be impossible. The rumor sparked everyone's imagination.
The experimental process that led to the cloning of Dolly, an unimpressive-looking sheep, could theoretically be applied to the cloning of humans as well.
A world of human cloning was suddenly within reach,
and science fiction became reality.
After the announcement, governments immediately drew up guidelines for an unknown world, a future full of incredible possibilities.
President Clinton ordered a national commission to study the legal and moral implications of cloning.
In Europe, where most countries have banned human cloning, leaders at this time also began to study the moral implications of cloning other species.
Like the theory of relativity, atomic fission and the first space flight, Dolly's emergence presented scientists, politicians and philosophers with a long list of unanswerable conundrums.
Strange questions about cloning kept coming up.
First, why would anyone want to clone a human being?
The scenarios that experts have considered most about human cloning fall into two broad categories: 1) parents who want to clone their child, either to provide a transplanted organ for a death-threatened child or to take the place of that child; and 2) adults who want to clone themselves for a variety of reasons.
Is it possible to clone dead people?
One expert said it might be possible if they had just died recently.
The cloning method used requires the combination of an egg cell and a nucleus containing the DNA of the person being cloned.
(DNA is a narrow band of molecules containing information about our genes.)
This means that the nucleus must remain intact.
And after a person dies, the cell dies and the nucleus begins to divide.
But yes, it is possible, at least theoretically, to clone dead people.
Would the clone be identical to the parent?
The same genes will not clone the same person. Anyone who has known some twins knows this.
In fact, twins resemble each other better than clones because they have at least shared the same environment within their mother, and are usually raised in the same family, etc.
Parents may clone someone who looks similar to their first child, but all evidence suggests that the personalities of the two will be very different.
Twins separated at birth may sometimes have the same personality traits, but such traits in a cloned son or daughter would only be reminiscent of the lost child.
Even from a biological point of view, a clone will not be identical to the "mother".
For example, the clone's cells may have energy-processing mechanisms that come from the egg rather than the cloned person.
However, most of the physical differences between the mother and the clone are so small that they can only be measured in a well-equipped laboratory.
The only possible exception is fertility.
Scientists who successfully carried out the cloning of Dolly are not certain that Dolly is fertile.
They will wait until Dolly is of childbearing age to confirm this.
What if parents decided to clone a child for organs?
Most experts agree that a child could be psychologically damaged if he or she feels that he or she has come into the world only as an organ donor.
But there are also parents who have a second child for the purpose of some non-fatal organ transplants, and many experts are not opposed to that.
Cloning can increase tissue fitness from 25 percent to nearly 100 percent.
If cloned animals were used as organ donors, we wouldn't have to worry about cloning twins for organ transplants.
Pigs, for example, have organs about the same size as humans.
But the human body rejects and destroys tissue from other species.
To overcome this obstacle, one company is trying to alter the genetic code of pigs to avoid rejection of their organs.
If the company's technicians succeed, cloning would be more effective than the current method of breeding such pigs.
What will the clones call their DNA donors?
It is incorrect to call them "mom," because the woman who provides the eggs and gives birth to the baby is more qualified to be called a mother.
It is also incorrect to call a donor "dad".
Traditionally, the father provides only half of the child's DNA.
Judith Martin, writing under the pseudonym "Miss Manners," suggests the term: "The Honorable Mr. and Mrs.".
Why?
"No matter what way they brought you into the world," she says, "one must always honor one's ancestors."
That still leaves some vocabulary challenges.
The editor-in-chief of one dictionary said the noun "cloned person" sounded good, but was not clear enough.
He prefers the terms "parent" and "copy".
What else does cloning mean to society?
It is not cloning per se that is most worrying, but genetic engineering - the deliberate alteration of genes to create human beings according to specific requirements.
Specifically, some experts worry about the emergence of a new (and disrespected) social class, the "clone class".
One expert believes the situation is similar to that of the 16th century, when Europeans were confused about how to categorize the strange inhabitants of the Americas and endlessly debated whether they were human or not.
The list of questions goes on and on, and people are only just beginning to inquire about the future of the world after the advent of cloning.
UNIT9
At first, it came as an absolute shock to people.
The news broke that scientists had managed to clone an adult mammal, an achievement long considered impossible. The rumor sparked everyone's imagination.
The experimental process that led to the cloning of Dolly, an unimpressive-looking sheep, could theoretically be applied to the cloning of humans as well.
A world of human cloning was suddenly within reach,
and science fiction became reality.
After the announcement, governments immediately drew up guidelines for an unknown world, a future full of incredible possibilities.
President Clinton ordered a national commission to study the legal and moral implications of cloning.
In Europe, where most countries have banned human cloning, leaders at this time also began to study the moral implications of cloning other species.
Like the theory of relativity, atomic fission and the first space flight, Dolly's emergence presented scientists, politicians and philosophers with a long list of difficult questions.
Strange questions about cloning kept coming up.
First, why would anyone want to clone a human being?
The scenarios that experts have considered most about human cloning fall into two broad categories: 1) parents who want to clone their child, either to provide a transplanted organ for a death-threatened child or to take the place of that child; and 2) adults who want to clone themselves for a variety of reasons.
Is it possible to clone dead people?
One expert said it might be possible if they had just died recently.
The cloning method used requires the combination of an egg cell and a nucleus containing the DNA of the person being cloned.
(DNA is a narrow band of molecules containing information about our genes.)
This means that the nucleus must remain intact.
And after a person dies, the cell dies and the nucleus begins to divide.
But yes, it is possible, at least theoretically, to clone dead people.
Would the clone be identical to the parent?
The same genes will not clone the same person. Anyone who has known some twins knows this.
In fact, twins resemble each other better than clones because they have at least shared the same environment within their mother, and are usually raised in the same family, etc.
Parents may clone someone who looks similar to their first child, but all evidence suggests that the personalities of the two will be very different.
Twins separated at birth may sometimes have the same personality traits, but such traits in a cloned son or daughter would only be reminiscent of the lost child.
Even from a biological point of view, a clone will not be identical to the "mother".
For example, the clone's cells may have energy-processing mechanisms that come from the egg rather than the cloned person.
However, most of the physical differences between the mother and the clone are so small that they can only be measured in a well-equipped laboratory.
The only possible exception is fertility.
Scientists who successfully carried out the cloning of Dolly are not certain that Dolly is fertile.
They will wait until Dolly is of childbearing age to confirm this.
What if parents decided to clone a child for organs?
Most experts agree that a child could be psychologically damaged if he or she feels that he or she has come into the world only as an organ donor.
But there are also parents who have a second child for the purpose of some non-fatal organ transplants, and many experts are not opposed to that.
Cloning can increase tissue fitness from 25 percent to nearly 100 percent.
If cloned animals were used as organ donors, we wouldn't have to worry about cloning twins for organ transplants.
Pigs, for example, have organs about the same size as humans.
But the human body rejects and destroys tissue from other species.
To overcome this obstacle, one company is trying to alter the genetic code of pigs to avoid rejection of their organs.
If the company's technicians succeed, cloning would be more effective than the current method of breeding such pigs.
What will the clones call their DNA donors?
It is incorrect to call them "mom," because the woman who provides the eggs and gives birth to the baby is more qualified to be called a mother.
It is also incorrect to call a donor "dad".
Traditionally, the father provides only half of the child's DNA.
Judith Martin, writing under the pseudonym "Miss Manners," suggests the term: "The Honorable Mr. and Mrs.".
Why?
"No matter what way they brought you into the world," she says, "one must always honor one's ancestors."
That still leaves some vocabulary challenges.
The editor-in-chief of one dictionary said the noun "cloned person" sounded good, but was not clear enough.
He prefers the terms "parent" and "copy".
What else does cloning mean to society?
It is not cloning per se that is most worrying, but genetic engineering - the deliberate alteration of genes to create human beings according to specific requirements.
Specifically, some experts worry about the emergence of a new (and disrespected) social class, the "clone class".
One expert believes the situation is similar to that of the 16th century, when Europeans were confused about how to categorize the strange inhabitants of the Americas and endlessly debated whether they were human or not.
The list of questions goes on and on, and people are only just beginning to inquire about the future of the world after the advent of cloning.
UNIT10
John Blair and I were both in our early 60s when we first met, but it's true that he's had the greatest influence on my life more than anyone else, and that my shyness is largely down to him.
Aunt Carrie was my favorite relative and my favorite authority figure.
She always had a smile on her face, was full of compliments, and was always forgiving of others' mistakes.
To me, she had only one drawback, namely that she was also John Blair's aunt. John was the son of her sister who lived in Gloucestershire.
Aunt Carrie always referred to him as "my other nephew, Little John" and always mentioned him.
Before I knew it, I had probably been compared to Little John a million times.
The first time I can clearly remember was when "Aunt Carrie's other nephew, Little John," went to school on the same day as I did, and he loved it like a duck loves water,
whereas my first day was disastrous.
And the disasters continued.
He was an incredible kid, growing quickly in math and solving higher math problems with ease. I, on the other hand, almost always stumbled and struggled to even learn percents.
So I began to dread Aunt Carrie's visits because she was always comparing the two of us.
Time went on and so did the comparisons between us.
I was always kept informed of John's progress through the talk of the adults on vacation and the correspondence between the adults at school.
With such challenges, I finally began to look for what I was best at.
When I realized that I was good at writing, I put my heart and soul into improving my writing and put everything else behind me.
I just had to write, and let John have all the rest.
Most of the stories I create are technology related and are essentially science fiction.
It's all about rockets, space shuttles, stuff like that that puts people in the sky.
After analyzing my character a bit, I realized that these stories of mine were an extension of my own aspirations, and I wanted to rise higher and higher until I surpassed John Blair.
Three or four times over the next 40 years I read about John Blair in the newspaper.
He was doing math research in support of large science projects.
This kind of career is unlikely to attract much public attention, but the occasional story that did see the light of day portrayed his step-by-step success story until his retirement.
On another occasion, half a dozen columns covered him, saying that his last job was to put solar energy to use in putting satellites into orbit.
He was working for a government department in a Persian Gulf country.
And by then, I was successful in my own industry, having written 30 best-selling novels, none of which failed.
Later that November, I was having a drink in a club, waiting for dinner.
A cough made me turn my head and look. I saw a short, chubby man with a tiny nose that looked like it was having trouble supporting the heavy frames of his glasses.
He called my name, obviously not too comfortable, and I reluctantly said it was me.
Since I've become a bit of a celebrity, I've occasionally been greeted by strangers.
And then no matter what they say, I always feel very embarrassed.
"You-don't-don't-know-me-me," the short man stammered.
"My name is John Boo Blair. We all-all have a relative, Ka-Caroline Lacey. I used to hear her talk about you," he said with a smile.
"You know ...... I always thought that you were at least eight feet tall, very handsome, angry, and more capable than anyone else in the world."
As he spoke, his smile spread.
"Really," he said, "all those letters Aunt Carrie wrote about you made me almost kill myself. Little by little, I just didn't want to hear your name."
I was a little surprised to see him suddenly after hearing about him for so many years. "Compared to the letters your mother used to write about you," I said, "those letters were nothing.
Every letter told me you were doing the calculations right. I always thought of you as a shining example, nine feet tall, handsomer than Robert Taylor and smarter than Churchill.
So those letters were compliments to each other, right?"
"Worse for me," he said.
"I've always been small, and I used to wear this thing all the time."
He touched his glasses.
"You, on the other hand, are big, handsome, and smart. I had to do something, and all I could do was calculate. I try desperately to please others, and I could almost say," he said with what seemed like a bit of resentment, "that it's because of you that I've been doing arithmetic all my life!"
"Replace arithmetic with writing and you'll see what I'm like," I said.
We both looked at each other with the same expression on our faces.
Perhaps we both realized that this place we were sitting in wasn't infested with people who had failed in life, and that an occasional whipping wasn't a bad thing for boys, whatever they were now.
We both pushed up our glasses, the confrontation between the two of us gone.
Neither said a word, but I knew we were raising a glass in honor of our Uncle (Aunt) Carrie.