One of the most debated issues about alcohol consumption has been the consistent finding that those who don't drink tend to die sooner than those who do.The standard Alcoholics Anonymous explanation for this finding is this：many of those who give up alcohol are actually former hard­core drunks who had already brought health problems associated with drinking.

    But a new paper suggests that abstaining(戒除)from alcohol does tend to increase one's risk of dying，even when you leave former problem drinkers out.The most shocking part—abstainers'(禁酒者)mortality rates(死亡率)are higher than those of heavy drinkers.

    Moderate(适度的)drinking，which is defined as one to three drinks per day，is associated with the lowest mortality rates.Moderate alcohol use is thought to improve heart health，circulation and sociability，which can be important because people who are cut off don't have as many family members and friends who can notice and help treat health problems.

    But why would abstaining from alcohol lead to a shorter life？It's true that those who abstain from alcohol tend to be from lower socioeconomic classes，since drinking can be expensive.And people of lower socioeconomic status have more life stressors(压力因素)．

    Though heavy drinking is associated with higher risk for many diseases，heavy drinkers are less likely to die than don't drink. One important reason is that alcohol strengthens social interactions，and social interactions are vital for maintaining mental and physical health.Nondrinkers show greater signs of depression.

    The authors of the new paper are careful to note that even if drinking is associated with a longer life，it can be dangerous：it can affect your memory severely and it can lead to falls and other troubles that can affect your life.There's also the dependency issue：if you become addicted to alcohol，you may spend a long time trying to get off the bottle.

    Is your school good for the environment?

    Being green wasn't easy for Kermit the Frog(a famous cartoon character)—but it is for a growing number of schools around the country.A "green" school is an environmentally friendly building that uses less energy by depending on earth's natural resources for heat,light,and power.Green schools have clean air,a lot of natural light,and renewable power sources.

    New studies show that green schools are not only good for the environment,but good for you too!Kids in classrooms with a lot of daylight scored 25 percent higher on reading and math tests than students who studied in rooms with less natural light.Students in schools with more natural light took three to four fewer sick days than students exposed to artificial classroom lighting.The further study found that those students had less dental decay（龋齿）because they were exposed to more of the vitamin D produced by the sun.

The Willow School in N.J. is a school that was built as a green building in 2002.Parts of the building are made wholly from recycled materials.To help trap heat,for example,building workers filled the walls with material from old blue jeans instead of the traditional insulation（绝缘物）made of chemicals.Every classroom has skylights to allow most sunlight,and solar panels（太阳能电池板）line the south end of the building.It uses about 70 percent less energy than a non-green school.This helps the school cut down on high energy costs.

    Kate Burke Walsh,head of the Willow School,says,"Sunlight has an impact—you're happier."The clean,natural surroundings help both students and teachers "handle stress and stay relaxed and focused…it's a very calming atmosphere."

    Worldwide, the most people willing to return your mobile phone if you've lost it are to be found in Slovenia, and the fewest in Malaysia. This finding is the result of an interesting study in 32 of the world's largest cities. Altogether, researchers 'lost' 960 new mobile phones. They got back 654 of them，or 68 percent. Prague came in at number eight. There, 23 out of 30 people who were willing to return the mobile phone.

    It wasn't a traditional study. Two researchers carefully chose different places such as areas with high crime(犯罪)and busy downtown shopping areas, to “lose” the phones. When one of the researchers dropped a phone, the other would keep watching from a distance. The honest finders tried their best to find the owner with the help of the address book in the phone. They were told why the study was done and asked why they acted the way they did.

    It was found that the busier the place where the researchers dropped the phone, the greater the chance of it being returned. Another interesting finding was that women were generally more likely than men to return the phone. Researchers also found that most people still have a sense of honesty. “Crime is simply not good behavior (行为), ”said an expert. “People want to trust others, and want to be trusted.”

    In an effort to inform our citizens to clear the street snow, the city adopts a snow removal plan.

    Routes used by City Emergency Services come first. Secondly, connector streets will be cleared which allow citizens the greatest access to public roads. And thirdly, roads within neighborhoods will be cleared.

    Snow removal and ice control will start when:

    Snow accumulates 4 inches or more.

    Weather conditions do not endanger the safety of road crew.

    Snow falls during peak traffic periods of heavy use of main streets.

    Snow and ice removal will be delayed or cancelled when:

    There is severe cold, significant wind and limited visibility.

    The snowfall occurs on the weekend or a holiday and is not considered a threat to public safety. In that case, snow and ice removal may take place on the next normal weekday.

    Snow and ice may be left on roadways if melting is obvious.

    Your cooperation is requested during snow removal and these suggestions may apply:

    Limit travel during storms. Travel is possible once roads have been cleared or salted by the road crew

    Avoid removing snow from your driveway into the road. Pile the snow in your yard.

    Park your vehicles in your driveways and off the road or walks.

    Keep public sidewalks next to your house clear of snow and ice.

    Be responsible for removing this snow which is thrown by the snow plough(犁) from your driveways. Hopefully, you can understand this inconvenience.

    Darwin noted that some human emotional expressions might have started as part of a physiological function: for example, exposing the teeth to bite food. The function, however, took on meaning and became a form of communication which signals anger.

    The same may be true for the animals. Baby monkeys cry for attention. They also cry to signal to an adult that they want to be carried.

    “Chimpanzees do make upset voice when they are being weaned (断奶) by their mothers or have lost their mothers or another individual,” says Anne Pusey, a professor at the University of Minnesota. “They whimper (呜咽) and cry and scream. When we hear these calls, the emotion involved seems obvious. However, they do not weep in the sense of producing tears. I have seen an adolescent male whimpering when he lost sight of his older brother with whom he had been traveling.”

    Babies of many mammalian species, including rats, cry. Moreover, when a baby rat cries, often his mother brings the fallen pup back into the nest. This is probably a straightforward communication, as it is with humans. However, psychologists at the University of Iowa aren't convinced.

    The Iowan researchers can cause the same crying sounds by producing large decreases and then increases in blood flow. The blood flow also goes down when baby rats get cold. Thus, they conclude baby rats cry in the same way that we sneeze. Of course the rat baby could be crying because he's cold and wants his mother to know.

    “All young mammals make cries when separated from their mother,” says Jaak Panksepp, a psychologist at Bowling Green State University. “If you're willing to call this crying, then certainly other animals show this emotional response.” he says, “Some of us take seriously that animals do have emotions.”

    Darwin noted that some human emotional expressions might have started as part of a physiological function: for example, exposing the teeth to bite food. The function, however, took on meaning and became a form of communication which signals anger.

    The same may be true for the animals. Baby monkeys cry for attention. They also cry to signal to an adult that they want to be carried.

    "Chimpanzees do make upset voice when they are being weaned (断奶) by their mothers or have lost their mothers or another individual, " says Anne Pusey, a professor at the University of Minnesota. "They whimper (呜咽) and cry and scream. When we hear these calls, the emotion involved seems obvious. However, they do not weep in the sense of producing tears. "

    The Iowan researchers can cause the same crying sounds by producing large decreases and then increases in blood flow. The blood flow also goes down when baby rats get cold. Thus, they conclude baby rats cry in the same way that we sneeze. Of course the rat baby could be crying because he's cold and wants his mother to know.