english story

1

Not long ago, many people believed that babies only wanted food and to be kept warm and dry. Some people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old.

But doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life. The National Institute of Child Health and Development is an American government agency. Its goal is to discover which experiences can influence healthy development in humans.

Researchers at the Institute note that babies are strongly influenced by their environment. They say a baby will smile if his mother says or does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please his mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other humans.

The American researchers say this ability to learn exists in a baby even before birth. They say newborn babies can recognize and understand sounds they heard while they were still developing inside their mothers.

One study shows that babies can learn before they are born. The researchers placed a tape recorder on the stomach of a pregnant woman. Then, they played a recording of a short story. On the day the baby was born, the scientists tested to find out if the baby knew the sounds of the story he had heard while inside his

mother.

The researchers did this by placing a device in the mouth of the newborn baby. The baby would hear the story if he moved his mouth one way. If the baby moved his mouth the other way, he would hear a different story. The researchers say the baby clearly liked the story he heard before he was born. They say the baby would move his mouth so he could hear the story again and again.

2 Clinton’s pardon

American officials have begun investigating some of former President Clinton's last acts in office. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department are studying Mister Clinton's decision to pardon businessman Marc Rich. They want to know if friends of Mister Rich tried to buy the pardon.

Congressional committees have begun their own investigations of several of Mister Clinton's pardons.

Two committees are looking at the money given to the Democratic Party by Mister Rich's former wife.

Reports say Denise Rich has given about one-million dollars to Democratic candidates and causes in recent years. She also gave four-hundred-fifty-thousand dollars for a project to build a library to hold Mister Clinton's presidential papers.

The former President denies any wrongdoing. Mister Clinton says he approved the pardon based on what he thought was right. Marc Rich fled the country in Nineteen-Eighty-Three to avoid arrest by federal officials. He has lived in Switzerland ever since.

Mister Rich was charged with cheating and failing to pay more than forty-eight-million dollars in taxes. He also was charged with taking part in illegal oil deals with Iran. The Presidential pardon means he cannot be tried on any of these charges.

Presidential pardons have been part of American history since the country was established. The United States Constitution gives Presidents the right to pardon people for crimes or possible wrongdoing.

In Seventeen-Ninety-Five, for example, President George Washington pardoned two leaders of what was called the Whiskey Rebellion. They had led a campaign by grain farmers who violently opposed a federal tax on whiskey products.

Perhaps the most famous pardon took place in Nineteen-Seventy-Four when President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon. Mister Nixon had resigned from office after Congress threatened legal action against him.

Some historians say President Ford may have lost the presidential election of

Nineteen-Seventy-Six because of the Nixon pardon. But they say the act helped to ease what was a tense American political situation.

In his last several days in office, Mister Clinton gave pardons to about one-hundred forty people. Many people are questioning why some of the pardons were given. Congress or the courts cannot change a legal pardon.

Now, some members of Congress are suggesting the need for a constitutional amendment to restrain a President's right to offer pardons. Many other lawmakers and legal experts say it would be a mistake to try to limit the pardon power of the President.

3

Dolphin

Many people believe that dolphins are among the smartest animals on Earth. Dolphins are warm-blooded sea animals. Recently, scientists discovered that dolphins could do something that humans can do. They say dolphins can recognize themselves in a mirror, a shiny piece of glass.

Scientists Diana Reiss and Lori Marino discovered this special skill. They did separate studies with two bottlenose dolphins at the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn, New York. Their findings were published in a National Academy of Sciences publication.

The researchers say their study proves that dolphins have a high level of intelligence. Mizz Reiss and Mizz Marino say that dolphins have a level of self-knowledge because they are able to recognize themselves in mirrors. This level of self-knowledge has been identified only in humans and one other kind of animal - the great apes.

The two researchers discovered this by using a test created thirty years ago by scientist Gordon Gallop. Mister Gallop placed a mark on animals. He wanted to find out if the animals were able to recognize themselves in a mirror. He found that when animals study the marking in a mirror, they show signs of self-recognition.

Mizz Reiss and Mizz Marino tested the two dolphins many times with two markers. They used one marker filled with ink that made real marks. They also used a marker filled with water that did not make a mark. Each dolphin repeatedly swam to the mirror to inspect the place where it had been marked with ink. The scientists say the dolphins turned and positioned themselves to get a better look in the mirror.

Mizz Reiss says that most animals either refuse to look at a mirror. Or they react aggressively as if the image were another animal.

4

the United States Federal Reserve Board

Earlier this week, the United States Federal Reserve Board announced another cut in the (1)amount banks pay to borrow money for a short term. The Federal Reserve Board is a part of America's (2)central bank.

The United States Congress established the Federal Reserve System in (3)Nineteen-Thirteen when it approved the Federal Reserve Act. The legislation created Federal Reserve banks in twelve areas of the country. They are (4)supervised by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. All (5)national banks must be members of the system. State banks can be members if they meet federal (6)requirements.

Seven people (7)serve on the Board of Governors. The group is usually known as the Federal Reserve Board. Each member is (8)appointed by the President of the United States to a fourteen year term. The Senate must approve the appointments of the board members.

The President (9)names one member to serve as chairman for four years. The current chairman of the Federal Reserve Board is Alan Greenspan. He took office for a fourth term as Federal Reserve Chairman on June twentieth of the year Two-Thousand. Mister Greenspan has been named (10)chairman by presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton.

The main responsibility of the Federal Reserve Board is to (11)influence the economy of the United States to avoid inflation and support continuing (12)growth. It does this by controlling the nation's banking system and money

supply. The Federal Reserve also sets important interest rates. (S1) Interest is the money people or businesses pay to banks for borrowing money.

The Federal Reserve establishes interest rates for loans that banks in the federal banking system make to each other. (S2)This is the federal funds rate. This rate influences interest rates for all other kinds of loans in the country.