3 . There are some interesting activities. Have you heard of the following events?

Sheep shearing (修剪)

It’s a big sport in New Zealand, which proudly hosts the annual Golden Shears International Shearing and Woolhandling Championships. Held in the town of Masterton in March, the four-day event seeks to identify the world’s fastest sheep shearer. The event is not all about shearing; live bands bring a party atmosphere to it. It’s attractive to many tourists.

Lucha libre

It’s a form of freestyle wrestling with a devoted fan base in its native Mexico. Competitors are famous for their well-made masks, which keep their identities a secret. That’s until they are defeated in the wrestling, which often requires losers to show their faces. Don’t forget to bring some loose change. When viewers are impressed by a victorious wrestler, they throw money at him. You may enjoy the event once a year.

Lawnmower (割草机)racing

This annual sport now has its own governing body-the British Lawn Mower Racing Association. It has a 30-race championship that runs from May to October. Most races are part of larger rural events, such as the Cranleigh Show in Surrey, where viewers can experience other events. The association remains uncommercial and donates all profits to organizations that help people who are poor, sick, or in difficulties.

Wife carrying

Every year a small town of Sonkajärvi in Finland hosts the event: the International Wife Carrying Championships. During this competition, husbands have to carry their wives along the track which is 250 m long and features several barriers on land and a one meter deep water pool. Two couples start at the same time and run as fast as they can. The winning couple is the one that completes the course in the shortest time.

4 . SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND

Captain Goodfellow

Do your children enjoy interesting stories, funny games, and exciting dances? Captain Goodfellow will be ready to teach all these things to children of all ages at the City Theatre on Saturday morning at 10:00. Free.

Walking Tour of the Town

Forget your worries on Saturday morning. Take a beautiful walk and learn about the local history. Meet at the front entrance of City Hall at 9:30. Wear comfortable shoes!

Films at the Museum

Two European films will be shown on Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theater. See Broken Window at 1:30. The Workers will be at 3:45. For further information call 4987898.

International Picnic

Are you tired of eating the same food every day? Come to Central Park on Saturday and enjoy food from all over the world. Delicious but not expensive. Noon to 5:00 p. m.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

It’s October and tonight is your last chance to see the Redbirds this year. Get your tickets at the gate. It might be cold, don’t forget your sweaters and jackets.

Do You Want to Enjoy “The Zoo”?

“The Zoo”, a popular rock group from Australia, will give their first U. S. concert tomorrow night at 8 at Rose Hall, City College.

6 . Parties, iPods, concerts, movies, TV shows, video games, traffic. All of these things of the modern world make life entertaining and enjoyable. But our 21st-century lifestyle is also loud and, if we don’t take notice, it can have an effect on our hearing.

Most teenagers don’t think about hearing loss. But if you experience any of the following symptoms , you may already be hearing damaged: you make efforts to hear normal talk, you have to turn up the TV or radio so high that others complain, you watch other people’s expressions to understand what they are saying, you ask people to repeat themselves, you misunderstand what people are saying or you hear ringing in your ears.

iPods and other MP3 players are as common as the clothes you wear, and just as fashionable. But if you turn up an iPod to more than 60 percent of its maximum volume , and listen to music for more than an hour, you are asking for trouble. And, it does not matter if the music you play is classical, rock or heavy metal.

Some researchers find that young people who break the so-called 60-percent/60-minute rule in listening to iPods are at the risk of suffering hearing loss.

Why is an iPod dangerous? With ear buds placed directly in the ear canal and high-volume music played over a long period of time, it’s like working in a loud factory all day, being a maintenance person under a jet airplane or using a jackhammer（手提钻）on a building site.

Similarly, iPod music can cause a short time or permanent hearing damage. A loud iPod can cause a ruptured（破裂的）eardrum and, over time, may cause permanent damage to the tiny hairs in the inner ear. If these tiny hairs are damaged, they cannot effectively send sounds to the auditory nerves（听觉神经）that connect to the brain. If this happens, hearing loss becomes permanent.

a. The eardrum is broken.

b. The auditory nerves cannot receive sounds.

c. Tiny hairs are damaged.

d. Ear buds are placed directly in the ear canal.

e. High-volume music is played over a long time.