Both men and women are living longer thesedays in industrialized countries. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In general, they can expect to live six or sevenyears more than men. One reason for this is biological.

        One important biological factorthat helps women live longer is the difference in hormones between men and women.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Between the ages of about 12 and 50, women producehormones that are involved in fertility(生育能力). These hormones also have a positive effect on the heart andblood flow. In fact, women are less likely to have high blood pressure or to diefrom heart attacks.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}  Theyhelp the body defend itselfagainst some kinds of infections. This means that women generally get sick lessoften and less seriously than men. The common cold is a good example: women, onaverage, get fewer colds than men.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Scientists are still not exactly sure howinfluence aging, but they believe that they do. Some think that a woman's body cellshave a tendency(向) to age more slowlythan a man's. Others think that a man's body cells have a tendency to age more quickly.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. However, women, on average, live longer.

B.The biological factor plays an important part.

C.Women are also helped by their female genes.

D.The female hormones also protect the body in another way.

E.Recent research seems to support both of these possibilities.

F.Therefore, women are more healthy than men and can live a better life.

G.Hormones are chemicals which are produced by the body to control carious body functions.

    My father used to be an amateur wrestler (业余摔跤者) and national champion. He was forced by his father to give up the sport in order to obtain gainful employment, which meant he wouldn't be able to win a medal for our country. Therefore, he made a vow that his unborn son would.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    He was about to give up hope when one day, my younger sister Babita and I beat up two boys accidentally in response to critical comments. My dad found our potential to become wrestlers and began coaching us.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} We were required to do physical training early in the morning and have a short haircuts to avoid lice.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}． We would complain about him all the time. Gradually, I realized that he wanted us to have a good future and not grow up to be ordinary housewives. Motivated, we willingly participated in his coaching.

    With great efforts, he made us competitive wrestlers and I won the junior and senior championships, providing me with a chance to gain training in a National Sports Academy, where pride and pain fulfilled my mind.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} As a result, I found myself losing every match at the international level. After that, I tearfully made peace with papa and turned to him for help. Then he coached me patiently.

    Despite difficulty, I finally became the first Indian female wrestler to qualify for the Olympics, inspiring dozens of Indian women to take to wrestling. Even now, papa's words are still in my mind “Geeta, think about all the girls who are thought to be inferior to boys, girls who are forced to do chores, girls who are married and have children. Not only will you compete with other countries, but also with those who look down upon women!”. I will never forget our father's instruction.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

A. But his methods were cruel.

B. I almost gave up what papa had taught me.

C. Disappointingly, my mother gave birth to all girls.

D. My sister and I tried to escape.

E. I will always owe all success to him.

F. At first, my sister and I did not understand our father.

G. However, my mother didn't agree with him.

    Whether in your life or work, the following things are not the reasons for you to feel embarrassed. It's OK and just move on.

⒈Mistakes while learning

    There will be times when you have people above you(a boss) or even next to you(a coworker) that will get really annoyed with you for“ruining"  something "important".{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Even if you make mistakes and get a punishment, persevere and push on. You do not need to be embarrassed for learning from your mistakes.

⒉Food choices

    People are different and have different taste buds（味蕾）.Whether it is healthy or not, food is a choice and it is part of life.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}  You do not need to be embarrassed for food you do or do not like. Tell them, "It is a personal choice I have made, and I am committed to it.”

⒊Your past

    Allowing positive experiences to define, limit, improve, and outshine（凸显）you may cause you to be caught up in the past and unable to truly live in the present. Whether your history is positive, negative, or somewhere in between, don't hold on to the negative experiences and let it reflect your current behavior，{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

⒋The clean lines of your car／home／workspace

    When everyone gets in the car, you realize your Starbuck bags are still on the floor. So what? Think about it this way: everyone has a "messy" aspect of their life. Maybe their home is completely clean, but the relationship with their spouse（配偶）is messy. Someone's car gets washed once a week, but his/her work life could use some help.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} We don't apologize to others about our personal limitations. By being outwardly embarrassed, it only brings more attention to the fact!

⒌Putting yourself first

    If you find yourself saying no to something or making up lies to get out of it,tell them the truth,  and don't apologize. You will feel much better in the long run if you are honest with them and yourself. If you're not up to a voluntary duty, you don't have to be. You can politely refuse the person's request.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Put yourself first.

A. It is simply a personal choice that people make for their own reasons.

B. It is okay to be selfish from time to time.

C. Errors are bound to happen when you have on your training wheels.

D. Each of them waits for your immediate help.

E. Let bygones(过去的事)  be bygones.

F. Forgetting history means betrayal.

G. No one on Earth lives a perfectly "clean" life in every aspect.

    March 22 is World Water Day. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} As we know, water is the most important natural resource on the Earth.

    Water covers more than 70% of the Earth's surface, but most of that is sea water.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} Fresh water takes up only 2.5% of the total water.

    People in many places arc facing serious water problems.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Many kinds of waste from cars, factories' farms and homes make rivers, lakes, and oceans dirty. In the beginning, waste from cars and factories pollutes the air. Then, when it rains, the rain water comes down and makes our drinking water dirty.

    Scientists say that in 30 years, more than half of the people in the world won't have enough clean water.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Here is some advice.

    Turn off the tap while you arc brushing your teeth. You can save as much as 450 litres (升) of water each month.

    Leaky (漏水的) taps waste a lot of water. Fix them right away!

    You can easily cut your shower time short, and you'll be still clean.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It reminds us to save water.

B. One of them is water pollution.

C. We have to learn how to save water.

D. People can't use it directly in daily life.

E. Water problems are quite serious today.

F. Many people in Africa don't have enough water.

G. When you wash the dishes, don't let the water run.

Five steps to make a difference to the oceans

    The oceans are being seriously polluted now. Plastics are harming the marine (海产的) life. Carbon pollution is warming the oceans and increasing their acidity(酸度). Waters are being overfished. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Here are some steps we can take to help make a difference.

    ⒈Bring our own bags. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Try carrying a reusable bag at all times, including while traveling, and bringing our own things to work to avoid relying on plastic items.

    ⒉Talk about it now. We should carry that conversation into public places. Talk to our friends and family about why the ocean is important and why we take steps to help it, and challenge them to do the same.

    ⒊{#blank#}3{#/blank#} A good way to make a difference is to organize a garbage cleanup now. Whether it's an inland cleanup or one near the coast, plan one in our community.

    ⒋Throw away our cars. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} When we hang out, we should reduce our carbon footprint, which may help slow global warming and ocean acidification as well as conserve energy

    ⒌Recycle, obviously. Experts say recycling is an obvious action to take. Check on what can be recycled in our community, and make sure you're separating out your plastic.

    In summary, think about it more and act on it more. The more someone thinks about plastics and plastics pollution, the environment and the consequences of our actions, the more likely they are to act on it. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Plan a cleanup.

B. Choose public transportation over driving our cars.

C. Driving cars is not a good way to protect the oceans.

D. However, experts say there's still hope to make a difference.

E. However, marine life plays a very important role in the oceans.

F. If everyone can contribute to the oceans, the oceans will be well preserved.

G. Whenever we put something, we should bring our own bag, but not a plastic one.