[A] The golden wedding-ring was put on her finger[B] The foreign groom and the local bride[C] Angels, children escorting the bride[D] Wedding hall[E] Temple and atheistic groom[F] Town hall, a happy bride and groomOrnamenting the two fingers is only the first step of the "long march". Angel was never as overloaded as today, running from here to there, busy ordering invitation cards and wedding clothes, booking church and restaurant, checking availability of the photographer, the pastor and the official in the town hall, looking for a new home. She was happy and excited. However this long wedding preparation process loaded down with trivial details, gave me a big headache. In France, more and more French cohabit instead of marrying. However, when they decide to marry, they still take their wedding ceremony seriously and usually follow the never changing three traditional chapters.41._______________________.The third chapter is the wedding breakfast followed by a dance. (The first and the second chapter are the civil wedding and the church wedding). After the church wedding, the newly-weds normally invite their parents and friends to take part in a sumptuous meal and dance in the evening. After champagne flutes are raised all around, the dancing starts. The newly-weds take the lead, dancing lightly and finish the evening by tiredly tripping in to their bridal chamber and thus terminate the last chapter of the French marriage.42._______________________.I grew up in the last seventies and early eighties, the "simple wedding" advocated by the Chinese government had been ingrained in my mind. One day finally I could not help revealing my wish for a simple wedding: "Darling, your wedding plans are far too long and over-elaborate. Let’s simplify them and reduce three chapters to only one. It’s enough to get married in the town hall! .... No! Marriage is the most important event in my life. I want to make it grand and unforgettable." Angel refused to concede. However I really wanted to escape the church wedding. "Honey, I wasn’t baptized and being an atheist, I am not allowed to go to church. A church wedding is a burden for an atheist like me, and the church wedding for an atheist is also against church rules!" I presented my views vehemently, believing I had the best excuse in the world. "My dear, marriage is a sacred affair; we must go to the church. You are only aware of one aspect of a thing, but ignorant of another. I am a Protestant; there are no strict canons and mumbo-jumbos in Protestantism. If one of the two is Protestant, they are still allowed to marry in a Protestant church." I was rendered speechless.43._______________________.The sacred moment arrived. The foreign groom and the local bride, surrounded by her family members, arrived at the marriage hall. "Do you take this woman as your wife" "Yes!" A myriad of thoughts welled up in my mind: "I’d quit my highly-coveted job in China and gone through innumerable trials and tribulations to come to Europe to join my Chinese lover, but I was jilted. Now I’d found an oasis of love, but far from my homeland. The girl with me today, though from a different cultural background, with a different way of thinking and behaving, is simple, pure and kind hearted like an angel. I’d suffered from the wandering life in Europe. But after suffering comes happiness. In a few minutes she will proclaim the end of my wandering and homeless life." Full of deep feeling I gazed at this western beauty, shining with dazzling splendor and held her hand tight in mine.44._______________________."Do you take this man as your husband" Brimming with tears, choking with sobs, Angel nodded her approval. Being a traditional French girl, she’d never expected that she would have fallen into the temptation of the "good but cheap Chinese merchandise" before her and would have crossed the frontier between Chinese and French cultures to marry a man with an exotic accent and a flat nose!45_______________________.The church was resounding with the wedding sonata, angel and I walked up to the pastor to the beat of the music. Hand in hand, heart with heart, full of tender affection, we gave all the right answers to his questions. The golden wedding-ring on her left finger and paired up with her engagement ring on the right ring finger, both complementing each other’s radiance and beauty. Angel, now with two rings, became a real "valuable" bride. She slipped my finger with a simple ring onto my finger, and at the same time capturing my wandering heart.That evening, I, the foreign groom, with my Erru, two-stringed Chinese violin, together with Angel, the local bride, with her violin, successfully performed the most beautiful concerto of cross border marriage. "That spring is coming, the earth is smiling..." the hall was resounding to the strains of Strauss’ joyful waltz while we were tripping away in a dance. At the climax of the music we swirled so quickly that both of us felt ourselves swoon in the glamour of our cross border marriage. 41()
Radiation occurs from three natural sources: radioactive material in the environment, such as in soil, rock, or building materials; cosmic rays; and substances in the human body, such as radioactive potassium in hone and radioactive carbon in tissues. These natural sources account for an exposure of about 100 millirems a year for the average American.The largest single source of man-made radiation in medical x-rays, yet most scientists agree that hazards from this source are not as great as those from weapons-test fallout, since strontium-90 and carbon-14 become incorporated into the body, hence delivering radiation for an entire lifetime. (46) The issue is, however, by no means uncontroversial; indeed, the last two decades have witnessed intensified examination and dispute about the effects of low-level radiation.A survey conducted in Britain confirmed that an abnormally high percentage of patients suffering from arthritis of the spine who had been treated with x-rays contracted cancer. Another study revealed a high incidence of childhood cancer in cases where the mother had been given x-rays. (47) These studies have pointed to the need to re-examine the assumption that exposure to low linear energy transfer presented only a minor risk.Recently, examination of the death certificates of former employees of a West Coast plant which produces plutonium for nuclear weapons revealed markedly higher rates for cancers of the pancreas, lung, bone marrow and lymph systems than would have been expected in a normal population.(48) While the National Academy of Sciences committee attributes these differences to chemical or other environmental causes, rather than radiation, other scientists maintain that any radiation exposure, no matter how small, leads to an increase in cancer risk. (49) It is believed by some that a dose of one rem, if sustained over many generations, would lead to an increase of one percent in the number of 1,000 disorders per million births.In the meantime, regulatory efforts have been disorganized, fragmented, and inconsistent, characterized by internecine strife and bureaucratic delays. A Senate report concluded that coordination of regulation among involved departments and agencies was not possible because of jurisdictional disputes and confusion. (50) One Federal agency has been unsuccessful in its efforts to obtain sufficient funding and manpower for the enforcement of existing radiation laws, and the chairperson of a panel especially created to develop a coordinated Federal program has resigned. (50) One Federal agency has been unsuccessful in its efforts to obtain sufficient funding and manpower for the enforcement of existing radiation laws, and the chairperson of a panel especially created to develop a coordinated Federal program has resigned.
[A] The golden wedding-ring was put on her finger[B] The foreign groom and the local bride[C] Angels, children escorting the bride[D] Wedding hall[E] Temple and atheistic groom[F] Town hall, a happy bride and groomOrnamenting the two fingers is only the first step of the "long march". Angel was never as overloaded as today, running from here to there, busy ordering invitation cards and wedding clothes, booking church and restaurant, checking availability of the photographer, the pastor and the official in the town hall, looking for a new home. She was happy and excited. However this long wedding preparation process loaded down with trivial details, gave me a big headache. In France, more and more French cohabit instead of marrying. However, when they decide to marry, they still take their wedding ceremony seriously and usually follow the never changing three traditional chapters.41._______________________.The third chapter is the wedding breakfast followed by a dance. (The first and the second chapter are the civil wedding and the church wedding). After the church wedding, the newly-weds normally invite their parents and friends to take part in a sumptuous meal and dance in the evening. After champagne flutes are raised all around, the dancing starts. The newly-weds take the lead, dancing lightly and finish the evening by tiredly tripping in to their bridal chamber and thus terminate the last chapter of the French marriage.42._______________________.I grew up in the last seventies and early eighties, the "simple wedding" advocated by the Chinese government had been ingrained in my mind. One day finally I could not help revealing my wish for a simple wedding: "Darling, your wedding plans are far too long and over-elaborate. Let’s simplify them and reduce three chapters to only one. It’s enough to get married in the town hall! .... No! Marriage is the most important event in my life. I want to make it grand and unforgettable." Angel refused to concede. However I really wanted to escape the church wedding. "Honey, I wasn’t baptized and being an atheist, I am not allowed to go to church. A church wedding is a burden for an atheist like me, and the church wedding for an atheist is also against church rules!" I presented my views vehemently, believing I had the best excuse in the world. "My dear, marriage is a sacred affair; we must go to the church. You are only aware of one aspect of a thing, but ignorant of another. I am a Protestant; there are no strict canons and mumbo-jumbos in Protestantism. If one of the two is Protestant, they are still allowed to marry in a Protestant church." I was rendered speechless.43._______________________.The sacred moment arrived. The foreign groom and the local bride, surrounded by her family members, arrived at the marriage hall. "Do you take this woman as your wife" "Yes!" A myriad of thoughts welled up in my mind: "I’d quit my highly-coveted job in China and gone through innumerable trials and tribulations to come to Europe to join my Chinese lover, but I was jilted. Now I’d found an oasis of love, but far from my homeland. The girl with me today, though from a different cultural background, with a different way of thinking and behaving, is simple, pure and kind hearted like an angel. I’d suffered from the wandering life in Europe. But after suffering comes happiness. In a few minutes she will proclaim the end of my wandering and homeless life." Full of deep feeling I gazed at this western beauty, shining with dazzling splendor and held her hand tight in mine.44._______________________."Do you take this man as your husband" Brimming with tears, choking with sobs, Angel nodded her approval. Being a traditional French girl, she’d never expected that she would have fallen into the temptation of the "good but cheap Chinese merchandise" before her and would have crossed the frontier between Chinese and French cultures to marry a man with an exotic accent and a flat nose!45_______________________.The church was resounding with the wedding sonata, angel and I walked up to the pastor to the beat of the music. Hand in hand, heart with heart, full of tender affection, we gave all the right answers to his questions. The golden wedding-ring on her left finger and paired up with her engagement ring on the right ring finger, both complementing each other’s radiance and beauty. Angel, now with two rings, became a real "valuable" bride. She slipped my finger with a simple ring onto my finger, and at the same time capturing my wandering heart.That evening, I, the foreign groom, with my Erru, two-stringed Chinese violin, together with Angel, the local bride, with her violin, successfully performed the most beautiful concerto of cross border marriage. "That spring is coming, the earth is smiling..." the hall was resounding to the strains of Strauss’ joyful waltz while we were tripping away in a dance. At the climax of the music we swirled so quickly that both of us felt ourselves swoon in the glamour of our cross border marriage. 45()
Radiation occurs from three natural sources: radioactive material in the environment, such as in soil, rock, or building materials; cosmic rays; and substances in the human body, such as radioactive potassium in hone and radioactive carbon in tissues. These natural sources account for an exposure of about 100 millirems a year for the average American.The largest single source of man-made radiation in medical x-rays, yet most scientists agree that hazards from this source are not as great as those from weapons-test fallout, since strontium-90 and carbon-14 become incorporated into the body, hence delivering radiation for an entire lifetime. (46) The issue is, however, by no means uncontroversial; indeed, the last two decades have witnessed intensified examination and dispute about the effects of low-level radiation.A survey conducted in Britain confirmed that an abnormally high percentage of patients suffering from arthritis of the spine who had been treated with x-rays contracted cancer. Another study revealed a high incidence of childhood cancer in cases where the mother had been given x-rays. (47) These studies have pointed to the need to re-examine the assumption that exposure to low linear energy transfer presented only a minor risk.Recently, examination of the death certificates of former employees of a West Coast plant which produces plutonium for nuclear weapons revealed markedly higher rates for cancers of the pancreas, lung, bone marrow and lymph systems than would have been expected in a normal population.(48) While the National Academy of Sciences committee attributes these differences to chemical or other environmental causes, rather than radiation, other scientists maintain that any radiation exposure, no matter how small, leads to an increase in cancer risk. (49) It is believed by some that a dose of one rem, if sustained over many generations, would lead to an increase of one percent in the number of 1,000 disorders per million births.In the meantime, regulatory efforts have been disorganized, fragmented, and inconsistent, characterized by internecine strife and bureaucratic delays. A Senate report concluded that coordination of regulation among involved departments and agencies was not possible because of jurisdictional disputes and confusion. (50) One Federal agency has been unsuccessful in its efforts to obtain sufficient funding and manpower for the enforcement of existing radiation laws, and the chairperson of a panel especially created to develop a coordinated Federal program has resigned. (47) These studies have pointed to the need to re-examine the assumption that exposure to low linear energy transfer presented only a minor risk.