This year, 25,310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS).

    That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. “Students who take a well-planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible,” he said.

    But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students (NUS), argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship – young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education. “New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university up to￡15,000 in debt. It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacating periods,” he said.

    The arm bones of women who lived 7-000 years ago show a surprising level of strength-even higher than today's professional athletes. That's according to a first-ever study comparing prehistoric(史前的)bones to those of living people. The finding suggests a revision of history — the everyday lives of prehistoric women were filled with hard labor, rather than just sitting at home doing lighter tasks while the men struggled and fought for life.

    “Before the study, there are no clear records describing how our ancient ancestors lived. It can be easy to forget that bone is a living tissue, one that responds to the difficulties we put our bodies through,” said lead author Alison Macintosh. “Physical force and muscle activity both put pressure on the bone. The bone reacts by changing in shape, thickness and other aspects over time. ”

    Previous studies only compared female bones to contemporary male bones, the researchers said — and that's a problem, because the response of male bones to stress and change is much bigger than that of women. For instance, as humans moved from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle constantly on the move to a more settled agrarian (农耕的)one, changes can be observed in the structure of the shinbone (胫骨) — and these changes were much more evident in men.

    However, a comparison of the bones of prehistoric women to the bonos of living female athletes can help us work out a more accurate picture of what those prehistoric women were doing. “By analyzing the bones of living people and comparing them to the ancient hones, we can start to explain the kinds of labor our ancestors were performing,” Macintosh said. What they found was that women's leg strength hasn't changed a great deal, but their arms used to be very powerful. Prehistoric women, the researchers found, had arm strength 11〜16 percent stronger than those of modern rowers, and 30 percent stronger than those of non-athletes.

    Mayor Day called me that morning, his voice full of an urgency I'd never heard before. "These Chinese big people are coming to our town and I need you to prepare something really special for them. I'm relying on you, Adrian. The whole town is. This could be just the thing to put us over the top."

    "Okay, I'm on it," I said. I'm a caterer (酒席承办人), and for years I've done all the mayor's events for Thomasville, Alabama, our little town of 4,099. He likes everything I make, but I knew exactly what he wanted this time, banana pudding, his favorite.

    It's my mama's recipe. It was her desserts that she was known for. Mama cooked her banana pudding on the stove. Hers was thick and cream-colored, not dark yellow like the other ladies made. I remember practicing in the kitchen when I was a young girl. Mama showed me how to make banana pudding properly. "Good job, Adrian," Mama would say. I was so proud when I finally got mine just right, the way she did.

    For months Mayor Day had tried his best to persuade some Chinese businessmen who ran a copper company to build their new plant in Thomasville, but our little town didn't have the land they needed. "We are leaning toward Houston or Lamar," the company representative told Mayor Day. "There is nothing personal, just business."

    "Wait! What about Wilcox County?" the mayor asked. Wilcox, just east of us, was one of the poorest counties in the entire United States and had got plenty of land. There hadn't been any kind of plant built there since the 1970s.

    "But that's not your county," the company representative said. "Why are you lobbying (游说) for them?"

    "Because if you build in Wilcox County their economy will grow and so will Thomasville's. Besides, there's something to be said for loving your neighbor, isn't there?"

    The representative agreed to visit Wilcox County before the final decision was made. All the top leaders would come and have lunch in Thomasville, lunch that I cooked. And for dessert, the dish the mayor hoped would sweeten the deal. Banana pudding with 300 jobs riding on it, I knew it had to be perfect, like Mama's.

    The luncheon was held at the Thomasville Civic Center. Next to each plate I'd placed a little cup of pudding. I looked on anxiously as the Chinese businessmen eyed the dessert. Were they curious or sickening? One of the men pointed at his cup and said something to the translator. I couldn't hear his answer but the businessman still looked puzzled. He took a spoon, inserted it into the pudding, then put barely a taste to his lips. For a moment there was no reaction. Then he smiled, a grin that went from ear to ear. The rest of the businessmen started eating their pudding, one bite after another. In seconds all the cups were empty.

    One of the businessmen looked toward me and said something to the translator, who waved me over to the table. "Excuse me," he said. "Is there more? More …" he searched for the word, "… pie?" I brought out all the banana pudding. Even last cup was finished. By the time the men put down their dessert spoons they'd reached an agreement. They needed to know more about Wilcox County. There would be another meeting, another lunch.

    "And we will have again the banana pie?" one of the leaders asked.

    Mayor Day didn't miss a beat. "Absolutely," he said. "Adrian's lunches always come with banana pie."

    And a few months later, when it was announced that the plant would be built in Wilcox County instead of Houston, everyone joked that the decision had come down to one thing. Mama's been away for a few years now, but I like to think she's up in heaven, looking down on that new copper plant going up in Wilcox County, and saying, "Good job, Adrian."

    There are various ways in which to read body language so that you can understand how someone is feeling. Reading emotional clues（线索）is one of them.

    Crying is considered to be caused by an explosion of emotion in most cultures. Oftentimes crying is considered a sign of sadness, but crying can also be an expression of happiness. Crying can also come about through laughter and humor. Thus, when judging crying, you'll need to look for other signs to determine the meaning of the crying. Crying can also be forced in order to gain sympathy or to cheat others. This practice is known as “crocodile tears”, an expression that draws on the wrong idea that crocodiles “cry” when catching prey（猎物）.

    Signs of threat include v-shaped eye brows, wide eyes, and an open or down-turned mouth. In a similar way, Arm tightly crossed over the other is a common sign that the person is angry and is closing himself off to you.

    When people show anxiety, they display increased facial movements, and their mouth made into a thin line. Individuals who are anxious may also play with their hands, unable keep them in one spot Anxiety can also or have nervous legs. be conveyed when people seemingly unconsciously（无意识地）tap their feet or have nervous legs.

    Embarrassment can be expressed by turning the eyes or shifting them away, turnip of the head and controlled or even tense smiles. If someone looks down at the floor a lot, they are probably shy, afraid, or embarrassed. People also tend to look down when they are upset, or trying to hide something emotional. People are often thinking and feeling unpleasant emotions when they are in the process of staring at the ground.

    There are also some signs of pride. People show pride by displaying a small smile, holding their head backward, and putting their hands on their hips.

    The first organized system for sending messages began in Egypt around 1500 B.C. This system developed because the pharaohs frequently needed to send messages up and down the Nile River in order to keep their empire running smoothly. Later, the Persians developed a more efficient system for sending messages using men and horses. Messages carriers rode along the road system stretching from one end of the Persian Empire to the other. Along these roads, fresh men and horses waited at special stations to take and pass along any messages that needed to be sent. The stations where riders passed messages back and forth were built 23 kilometers apart, so the men and horses were able to travel quickly between them. The Romans later took up his idea and improved it by using a more advanced and extensive road system.

    In China, however, Kublai Khan had built up his own system for delivering messages. This system worked in the same basic way as the Roman system. The difference was that Kublai Khan kept 300,000 horses along the roads of this delivery lines. There were over 10,000 stations where a message would be passed from one rider to another with a fresh horse. In this way, Kublai Khan could receive messages from anywhere in the country in only a few days.

    It was not until the 1500s that a well-organized postal system appeared again in Europe. One family, the von Taxis family, gained the right to deliver mail for the Holy Roman Empire and parts of Spain. This family continued to carry mail, both government and private, throughout Europe for almost 300 years.

    In 1653, a Frenchman, Renouard de Velayer, established a system for delivering post in Paris. Postal charges at that time were paid by the recipient, but de Velayer's system was unique by allowing the sender to pre-pay the charges, in a similar way to the modern stamp. Unfortunately, de Velayer's system came to an end when jealous competitors put live mice in his letter boxes, ruining his business. Eventually, government-controlled postal systems took over from private postal businesses, and by the 1700s government ownership of most postal systems in Europe was an accepted fact of life.

    The thing that all these early systems had in common was that they were quite expensive for public use, and were intended for use by the government and the wealthy. However, in 1840, a British schoolteacher named Roland Hill suggested introducing postage stamps, and a postal rate based on weight. This resulted in lowering postal rates, encouraging more people to use the system to stay in touch with each other, His idea helped the British postal system begin to earn profits as early as 1850. Soon after that many other countries took up Mr. Hill's idea. And letter writing became accessible to anyone who could write. Today, the Roland Hill awards are given each year to "encourage and reward fresh ideas which help promote philately"(stamp collecting).

Five Types of Friends to Make in High School

●The overachiever

One of the greatest types of friends you can make in high school is an overachiever. Overachiever friends can motivate you to be better every day!{#blank#}1{#/blank#}He makes the school sports team, gets elected class president, and does very well in all of the exams! With a friend like that influencing you, you'll never stop working hard!

●The wild one

A wild friend sees life as one big party! He's the socialite (社交名流) who makes sure you don't forget to tend to your social life in high school.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}.

●The good listener

The good listener is the one you call after an impossible midterm! He'll listen to everything you have to say, and only offer advice when it's absolutely necessary.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}The conversation with such friends will actually help you get to know yourself better!

●The bookworm

With your friend the bookworm, you'll never have a boring con conversation.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}A bookworm is most definitely going places (有望成功), because he's always exercising his brain! Read every book they lend you. This will bring you to a deeper level and d give you great conversation topics!

●The wise one

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Somehow, this friend has great understanding, and he can deal with nearly all of life's questions! If he wants to, he can help you out of almost any difficult situation you find yourself in.

A. In choosing a friend, one should be very careful.

B. He is the one who never settles for the second place.

C. He'll always have something to say about his latest reading.

D. This kind of friend is the one you can turn to in any life crisis.

E. Talking to this friend will remind you that everything you say is valuable.

F. He'll teach you how to really have fun and make the most of your youth!

G. Friends are warm, warm enough to encourage you to walk out of your little dark shell.