With only a string of colored lights, a spindly trunk and some parse branches, a Christmas tree was slammed by local residents as "an embarrassment to the community" after it was placed outside the Liverton Mines Community Association's center in Liverton Mines, Teesside, UK, last week.

According to the Daily Telegraph of October 31, a new study has revealed that eating almonds can help the body to fight off viral infections such as the common cold and flu.
　　据英国《每日电讯报》报道，一项最新研究发现，吃杏仁可以帮助人体抵抗普通感冒和流感病毒的入侵。

　24-year-old designer Dai Haifei built a two-meter-tall egg-shaped bedsit out of his workplace in Haidian district, Beijing, to avoid paying high rent. Fitted with lights and a pump-powered washbasin, Dai's home relies on electricity from the solar panel on its roof, as well as a battery. The house cost Dai 6,400 yuan。

　Over the past year, several people have shot to fame or notoriety thanks (or no thanks) to the Internet. They have gained recognition from Internet users for a variety of reasons, from work they have done and suffering they have endured to things they have said, from the outrageous to the downright arrogant. The following is a list of 5 Internet f

　　2004年11月30日，现年59岁的美国国土安全部部长汤姆·里奇向白宫递交辞呈，成为布什连任后第7位辞职的内阁高官。之前，国务卿鲍威尔、教育部长佩奇、农业部长维尼曼、能源部长亚伯拉罕、司法部长阿什克罗夫特和商务部长埃文斯已相继辞职。里奇的主要政绩包括在社会福利制度和死刑程序等方面的改革。他曾经两度竞争共和党总统候选人，不过最终，鲍勃·多尔和布什分别在1996年和2000年成为了总统候选人。
　　外电报道如下：
　　Tom Ridge, the nation's first homeland security secretary, announced Tuesday that he is resigning after three years of r

　　2004年11月3日，一条罕见鲸鱼的遗体被冲到了澳大利亚新南威尔士的海滩上，人们把它送往澳大利亚博物馆。科学家们初步估计它属于珍稀鲸类－－朗曼氏突吻鲸，但后来证实是一种稀有的瓶鼻鲸，具有极大的研究价值。
　　外电报道如下：
　　The remains of a rare whale washed ashore on a northern New South Wales beach are to be sent to the Australian Museum. Originally thought to be a Longman's beaked whale, the specimen has now been identified as a bot

　　世界上领先的飞机制造商“空中客车”公司将于2005年在中国建立一个技术设计中心，在保证在华销量持续增长的同时，加强研发力量。
　　中国日报网站报道如下：
　　Aircraft maker Airbus will set up an engineering centre in China next year to further strengthen its Research & Development (R&D) strategy in addition to its significantly increasing procurement in China, reported China Daily on Tuesday.

　　2004年年初，全球最大的手机制造商诺基亚在中国手机市场的占有率一度下滑到五年来的最低点，在采取了降价和推出低价新机型等系列战略后，诺基亚第三季度的销售量大幅增长，尽管净利润下降了20%。
　　新华社报道如下：
　　Nokia Oyj, whose mobile-phone market share slid to a five-year low earlier this year, gained ground in the third quarter after the Finnish company cut prices and introduced cheaper models.
　　The world's largest ha

　　2004年在经历了长达九个多月、二十七次以上不同层面的正式会晤、磋商后，深圳航空在北京与德国汉莎货运航空正式签约建立翡翠国际货运有限公司（简称翡翠航空），总投资额九千万美元。中国民航总局局长杨元元出席签字仪式。
　　新华社报道如下：
　　Leading global cargo carrier Lufthansa Cargo and the growing Chinese carrier Shenzhen Airlines finalized an agreement yesterday to form an all-cargo joint venture airlines after nine months of negotiations.

　　2004年10月19日，美国互联网巨头雅虎与金山、当当、天极等12家中国知名公司建立了合作伙伴关系，为它们提供国内最大容量的1G电子邮箱和其他服务。这一举动似乎违反了雅虎原先作出的不涉足门户网站市场的承诺，而且和中国本土巨头新浪、搜狐和网易展开了明刀明枪的竞争。
　　中国日报网站消息：
　　Yahoo! China said yesterday that it had formed an e-mail alliance with Chinese firms like NASDAQ-listed travel service company Ctrip, game websites including Haofang, e-commerce firm

　　2004年10月18日，首届中国中小企业博览会今日顺利在广州开锣。首届“中博会”是一次层次较高、规模较大的盛会，共设展位1860个，8个行业展区，除西藏和台湾外全国30个省区、直辖市和香港、澳门两个特别行政区共1950家企业参展。广东、黑龙江、山西、浙江、上海等省市派出了庞大的参展阵容。
　　新华社报道如下：
　　More than 5,000 delegates from home and abroad have flocked to the capital of South China's Guangdong Province to take part in the first fair for small-and medium-sized en

　　始终关注生态问题和可持续发展的大众汽车公司在中国开展节能环保研究的投入方面再出重拳：2004年10月12日，大众汽车公司与同济大学以及德国IAV公司在上海共同签署了合作备忘录，将在燃料电池汽车技术方面开展合作研究。同期在上海举行的2004必比登挑战赛上，一款环保型概念车吸引了诸多青睐。
　　外电报道如下：
　　The Habo No. 1 looks like any one of the legions of Volkswagen sedans in China. But a peek under the hood reveals an array of chrome canisters instead of the usual engine -

　　由于飓风“伊万”的影响，石油消耗大国美国减少了石油进口数量，再加上墨西哥湾石油生产基本停止，美国不得不动用战略石油储备，向巧妇难为无米之炊的炼油厂提供“石油借贷”。
　　外电报道如下：
　　U.S. oil prices slipped below $48 on Thursday on expectations that the United States might loan some crude to U.S. refiners from its strategic petroleum reserve after weather-related disruptions led to a big dip in supplies.

　　2004年9月20日，全球第二大半导体制造商三星电子公司预测芯片产业明年增长速度将趋缓。据三星芯片业务总裁Hwang Chang-Gyu预计，整个业界的增长率大约为10%，低于今年预测的20%。
新华社外电报道如下：
　　Samsung Electronics Co, the world's second-largest semiconductor maker, said it expects global chip sales next year to grow at half of this year's pace on increased supply from new plants coming online.
　　Semicon

　　2004年破坏力极强的飓风“伊万”在古巴西部肆虐后，又咆哮着进入了墨西哥海湾。由于飓风的威胁，墨西哥湾地区的一些石油公司停止了海上石油生产，导致全世界石油价格上涨。
　　外电报道如下：
　　Oil prices headed up toward $45 a barrel on Wednesday as Hurricane Ivan shut 60 percent of crude output in the Gulf of Mexico and at least five refiners along the U.S. coast planned to close as a precaution.
　　Crude output的意思